Sunday, January 31, 2010

Summer Pickin's

There is one season I just cannot wait for and that is in late June early July.  Strawberries...They are my absolutely favorite fruit of the season and now that I just opened our last jar of jam I'm really anxious about the season that is not too far off in the distant. 



I'm getting my strawberry palette drooling for those ripe, juicy, sun sweet berries.  I find this is the one fruit that you can do so much with and when you have a chef in the house he can really whip up some simple dishes that are just simply delicious.



I apologize for getting anyone spirits up for spring by looking at this pictures, but I had to look at something that was not white. 

Enjoy!

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Baby it's Cold Outside

Burrrrrrrrrr....is all I have to say.  It is the coldest its been all winter so far.  Started out not too bad, then the very short blizzard set in.


You honestly could not see more that 15 feet in front of you.  Crazy!  Then the blizzard stopped and the wonderful wind set in.



60km gusts that is.  There was mini tornadoes all over the fields.  Pretty but just a little chilly.  Then the skies parted.



It was heavenly how the rays of sun were beaming down. 

So the temperature still sits at a warm -27 C with a windchill of around -39 C.  No playing outside today. 

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

The Sweet Potato Experiment

Well, I did not intend on this little experiment, it just sort of happened.  I was cleaning out one of my annoying corner cupboards and found this.



A sprouting sweet potato.  And as you can see not just one.  I've never had one sprout before, but perhaps since it was lost it had the time to do this.  So now what?

I'm going to attempt growing it inside.  Crazy huh!  Well I have nothing to lose.  I'm actually kinda excited about it.  However, I have never grown sweet potatoes before so this is going to be a real challenge for me.  Watch for updates on my Sweet Potato Experiment.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Provincial Floral Emblems

Today as I was doing my chores a faint smell came across me in my daydreams.  And that is the scent of a woodland filled with our provincial flower which is a trillium.  When they are in full bloom you have nothing but a white carpet of a 3 petaled flower and along with that that spring floral scent.  Just beautiful.

So I wanted to know what the other provincial flower is for each. So here we go.



Alberta Provincial Flower Wild Rose




BC Provincial Flower Pacific Dogwood



Manitoba Provincial Flower Prairie Crocus




New Brunswick Provincial Flower Purple Violet




Newfoundland Provincial Flower Pitcher Plant



NWT Official Flower Mountain Avens



Nova Scotia Provincial Flower Mayflower








Nunavut Official Flower Purple Saxifrage




Ontario Provincial Flower White Trillium



PEI Provincial Flower Lady's Slipper




Quebec Provincial Flower Blue Flag

(replaced the fleur-de-lis)



Saskatchewan Provincial Flower Western Red Lily



Yukon Official Flower Fireweed




Well I sure got a geography lesson and I'm sure glad I did.  I wonder why I never looked into this before.  Now I could have learned this way back in primary school, but that was a long time ago and it's just not something I would remember then. 
Hope you all enjoyed your lesson today too.



Happy Gardening

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Bloom Darn it!

Wandering what I'm referring to.  My non blooming WYSTERIA of 13 years.  Yes in 13 years it has not produced on single bloom.  All I want is that beautiful bloom that I know it can produce.  Are the blooms not just perfect.  This is what I want but.....




This is what I get.  Just a lush vine.  If  I wanted a vine that only had greenery I would have planted a ivy.  Darn you wisteria, I'm losing my patience with you.  What can I do with you to produce me one bloom.  It does not have to be big, at this point I will take anything.  URRRRRR
Oh, that is one of the twins if you are wandering.



But she sure likes to climb.  We were hoping that it will cover the gazebo now and give me some wonderful blooms.  However, after this long I'm not sure it will.  I have tried everything and nothing works.  So I will have to settle with a vigorous vine, don't get me wrong it is still very pretty but it is not what I planted it for. 

Bloom you darn Wysteria!
or I may have to end your life.

This is my first threat, so you better start soon. 

Happy Gardening Friends.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Fact or Fiction?

Peonies

Grandma once told me that peonies needed ants to open up the blooms.  This some 20 years ago.  As a child I would love to sit with her and garden.  Perhaps that is where my gardening talents came from.  Peonies were her prized flower.  She waited those long winters just to see those gigantic blooms open and the heavenly scent that came from them.  So she told me that ants were needed to open the blooms.  Well I believed that until recently.  Why shouldn't I.   Grandma was a very smart lady. 



So I did some research on them and this is what I found.

If you’ve been growing peonies, you will notice that ants tend to congregate on peony plants, especially on the buds. There’s an old myth that peonies need ants to help them open their flower buds, but this is not the case. Ants visit peonies to dine on a sweet substance that is produced by the flower buds, but the ants do not eat or harm peony plants. Ants will hide in the blossoms and hitch a ride into the house on cut peony flowers, however. Avoid bringing ants inside with your bouquets by harvesting peony blooms before they are fully open.





So I guess it is a myth, but deep down inside I believe there must be some truth to it.  Grandma was a wise old lady.



Peonies are also my favorite flower.  I just wish that there beautiful blooms would last a little longer.  And oh Grandma if you could see my peonies today you would be so proud.  I have cherished your peony since the day I brought her home to live with me.  She is doing very well.


Monday, January 11, 2010

2010 Weather Prediction

So it is the beginning of the New Year and we sit and wonder what this year will bring in the line of weather. According to the Farmers Almanac, Quoting

Canada's Frigid Forecast: 2010 Winter Weather


After a late start to summer, and a soggy one in many areas, the new, hot of the presses, 2010 Canadian Farmers’ Almanac is here, and within its pages is a prediction for an “Ice Cold Sandwich” winter.



Last year, the 2009 Canadian Farmers’ Almanac predicted an exceptionally long, cold winter for most regions. As promised, bitter cold and heavy snow punished much of the nation, coming on early in the season and lingering through the start of spring. When spring finally did arrive, it came bearing heavy rains, with twice the annual average falling in many regions.






How Cold Will this Winter Be?

The latest edition of the Canadian Farmers’ Almanac warns that this winter’s frigid forecast offers no respite in sight, especially for provinces in the center of the country. “Colder than normal” and “bitterly cold and dry” is how the Canadian Farmers’ Almanac describes the winter in for provinces above the Great Lakes, the Plains, and the Canadian Rockies, while temperatures on the East and West Coasts will be more in line with average to normal winter conditions.



For residents of the East Coast, who bore most of the brunt of last winter’s fury, this may be good news, but the prediction of an “ice cold sandwich” is sure to send chills down the spines of those in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.



Snow Forecast

While parts of the country are expected to see near or below average precipitation this winter, significant snowfalls are forecast for parts of every zone. Residents of Eastern and Western coastal provinces can expect some a major snowfall in mid-February, with possible blizzard conditions in parts of Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.Annual Weather Summary: November 2009 to October 2010


Winter temperatures will be 1 to 2 degrees C below normal, on average, with the coldest temperatures in early to mid-January and mid-February. Precipitation will be near normal in the east and below normal in the west, with above-normal snowfall in all but eastern Ontario. The snowiest periods will be in late November, mid-January, and mid- and late February.



April and May will be cooler than normal, with precipitation below normal in the east and near normal in the west.



Summer will be cooler and drier than normal, with hot weather in mid- to late June, mid-July, and early August.



September and October will be cooler than normal, with above-normal precipitation.



Temperature and Precipitation November 2009 to October 2010


 


Well this certainly does not look promising. Hopefully they will be wrong and we will get a beautiful not to rainy summer after a not so great looking winter.  As a reminder of what summer looks like.  Ah, a sea of green instead of white. 



Happy Gardening friends!


 

Sunday, January 3, 2010

It's that time of year again

 The most wonderful time of the year.  Time to order seeds for the upcoming year.  It is hard to do when we have had snow for the past 5 days with no sun in sight.  Kinda depressing when all you see is a sea of snow both on the ground and in the air.  However, I need to see past that since some of those seedlings just cannot wait for the snow to disappear. So here I am today placing my order.   Oops, there is a Greenhouse catalog in there too.  Guess santa did not get me a greehouse this year, so I'm on my own now. 



On the brighter side of things I can look forward to this.  Yummy, fresh veggies.



Since this picture has been taken, the garden has moved and is twice the size complete with the kiddy patch.  That is how I started gardening.  Every year my mom would leave me a little corner in the garden where I could plant whatever I wanted but I also had to tend to it.  I remember telling my mom, my peas are doing better then yours.  It is a great childhood memory and I hope my children will have the same great memory as I did.

Happy Growing