Neighbours talking over the garden gate has long been a tradition. They share gardening tips, complain about the weather and pests yet are ever eager to discuss their gardens. That is what I had in mind when creating this blog. So stop by my garden gate to find out the latest happenings in my garden.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
"All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child." ~ Madame Marie Curie"

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Tulip Tips


Tulips
April 2007

Tulips are one of the easiest to grow and almost problem free flowers for the garden. They are a true spring delight sure to bring a smile. Some of our tulips are finally in bloom and the rest are ready to follow suit. Each year the tulip clumps get larger. The majority of the tulip clumps are orangish red giving a blast of wonderful colour. Somehow a clump of rosy pink and one clump of deep yellow found their way into the bed. The tulips were inherited with the house.

Tulips need very little maintenance. If planting new bulbs, they should be planted in the fall but can be planted in the early spring if the bulbs have be pre-chilled in the refrigerator for six to eight weeks prior to planting. I prefer the naturalized look so clumps instead of rows is the way to plant for this type of tulip garden. Take a handful of bulbs, drop onto the soil from a height of about two feet. Plant each bulb where it lands. Spacing should be about 4 inches apart but in a random pattern. If planting new bulbs for a more formal look, plant in rows with a 4 inch spacing. Planting depth for either should be 2 1/2 to 3 times the diameter of the bulb or about 4 to 6 inches deep.

Tip #1: After tulips are finished blooming, leave them alone until they die back. The leaves are providing food to the bulb. Leaves and stems should be left until the turn brown and fall off by themselves or come off with a very tender tug. Your tulips will thank you with gorgeous blooms the following year.

Tip #2: In milder climates, tulips should be dug up and pre-chilled in the fall before planting. This is not necessary for our Zone 6A in Ontario, Canada but I know some do it anyway. I don't. My tulips seem to live on neglect.

Tip #3: Dividing tulip clumps is rather easy as I found out accidentally while digging in the garden bed where they were growing. Up popped several tulip bulbs some with smaller bulbs attached. I worked up the soil, broke the bulbs apart then replanted the bulbs. This approach worked well for me but if you are in a warmer climate you should pre-chill the bulbs before planting again.

Tip #4: Take pictures! You might not think your tulips have changed from one year to the next but they do.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007


Wednesday, April 25, 2007

One Year Anniversary


My Gnomes

One year ago today I started Garden Gnomes Wanderings blog. Over the year there have been a few changes mainly with the template. I'm still having a lot of fun writing this blog so expect it to last. Today our house is one step closer to being sold. If that happens I'll go through the steps of turning over the garden to the new owners and the steps of creating a new garden. Time will tell. At this time my garden is proceeding as normal.

Here's a picture of my gnomes including my two newest gnomes holding lanterns, yet unnamed. They are slightly larger than Gnameless but I don't think he minds. He's the only gnome outside at the moment as the newer gnomes don't have their sunblock on yet. My gnome community has been joined by a lone fairy and turtle with her turtlelet. They too remain nameless.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007


Monday, April 23, 2007

Bluejays



Attracting birds to my gardens has been one of my goals. Most birds are beneficial in the garden and while some can be pests, they are easily controlled. I was shocked when a fellow gardener referred to grackles as junk birds! As gardeners, we are stewarts of the land so there should be no such thing as junk critters. Some are pests and some are beneficial but all serve a purpose.

I took this video of the bluejays a couple of mornings ago. Their antics are quite entertaining! Every morning I toss out peanuts for them. If I don't have them out before they arrive, one of the bluejays will sit on the windowsill and peck at the window pane until I toss out the peanuts. These are two younger bluejays that I suspect are offpsring from Mr. Fat. I haven't seen Mr. Fat for awhile but he did the same thing the first little guy is doing. He'd pick up a peanut then drop it and repeat the process. We finally figured he was searching for the heaviest peanut!

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007


Sunday, April 22, 2007

Earth Day 2007




Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007


Friday, April 20, 2007

Yesderday In The Garden

The weather has finally turned mild compared to the nasty April start. I spent a bit of time in the garden yesterday just puttering and enjoying the new growth. Now this is rather bitter sweet in some ways as we do have the house listed for sale and our offer was accepted on another house. Basically the only thing we have to do to move is sell our house. Looking at all I've accomplished in the garden is heartwarming and it will be sad to leave it behind yet there is a bit of anticipation and excitement at the possibility of starting a new vegetable garden. If all goes well, it will be the fifth vegetable garden I've started and watched mature.

Rhubarb

Our family loves rhubarb! My kids will pull of a stem and eat it as is right in the garden while eyeing up what else they can pick and pop into their mouths. Believe me when I know they are going to be home, I have to get up early to get anything from the garden! Rhubarb pie is another family favourite. Whatever we can't use fresh is canned or froze.

I was pleased to see the cold spell did not affect the rhubarb. This is a fairly new patch with this being the second season but it does appear to be doing well. It is on the north side of the greenhouse.

Small Raised Beds

I spent a little time working up the three smaller raised beds. The soil was not worked to a fine texture just merely. The reason for this is the square foot method. I'll sprinkle on a layer of fresh soil and sifted compost. Each square is reworked as it is planted so leaving the beds this way is fine. The grids were formed using push pins and cotton yarn as described in a previous entry.

As you can see the paths need a bit of work. A solution of vinegar and water will take care of any weeds or grass peeking through. We need to rake the paths as well just to clean up any winter debris.

On a sad note, someone has taken it upon themselves to kill two of the three guinea hens that have been visiting my garden. I learned last week that one had been captured and killed. Yesterday I discovered the carcass of another floating at the water's edge. Some cowardly person callously killed this beneficial bird then tossed it into the water. I blogged about this on my personal blog today. It saddens me to see this type of destruction!

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007


Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Please Watch Your Step



It's springtime and time to do a little updating on the blog. Over the next few days you will see a lot of changes and at times the blog may look just a tad weird as I tweak the elements and template. Sorry for any inconveince.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007


Sunday, April 15, 2007

More Signs of Spring

Naked Lady Lilies
Amaryllis belladonna

Despite the recent cold weather, signs of spring are all around us. Yesterday a house finch and goldfinch were visiting my neighbour's niger seed feeder. The bluejays are coming around for their daily peanut offering. If I don't have the peanuts out by the time they arrive, one of the bluejays has taken to sitting on the windowsill then tapping on the window. The first one to arrive, goes around picking up each peanut then dropping it. He finally decides on a peanut, lets out a call then flies off with his treasure. It's rather humous to watch. We think he is looking for the heaviest peanuts. The guinea hens are still visiting daily. My neighbour says they will be nesting soon.

Yesterday I noticed the Naked Lady Lilies (Amaryllis belladonna) were poking through the leaves. I made an entry on these interesting lilies back in August 2006. They get their name from their unique growing pattern. From now until late spring, the clumps of leaves will grow then they die back. After the leaves die back in mid-summer, up pop the naked stems with pretty trumpet shaped, fragrant pale pink lilies on them. The patch under the Rose of Sharon has spred as has the transplanted patch.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007


Sunday, April 08, 2007




Enjoy!

Garden Gnome
©2007

Free clipart, animations and web graphics


Sunday, April 01, 2007

Standing Guard


Standing Guard
Garden 2006

Garden gnomes bring good luck to your garden and work hard to help your garden prosper but sometimes they need a bit help. That is where other garden decorations can help. Garden decorations add a touch of whimsy to the garden but they can also help in pest control. Pests are smart especially the rabbits who likely have group meeting to decide the best way into my garden and how they are going to outsmart me next! The best decorations for this purpose is anything with large eyes or items that resemble eyes because the represent predators. It's best if the eyes have a bit of shine to them especially at night. Other useful garden decorations that can help with pest control are those that move such as streamers or whirligigs and decorations that make noise. For best pest control results be sure to move the decoration to a different location and use more than one type. Motion activated decorations that make noise are more effective than those that make noise all the time.

Quite often farmers will use owl statues and they are popular for keeping swallows away from the boats in marinas or on docks. There are motion activated owls that likely would be more effective. We have two plastic owls, one for our boat well and the other for the garden. In the garden, the owl seems to be effective for discouraging squirrels, rabbits, mice as well as morning doves. The first three pests are destructive while the morning doves, a relative of pigeons, makes a mess. For best effect, I move the owl around the garden on occasion so pests do not become adapted to it's location. That's important since once the pest becomes adapted to your strategy, the decoration will no longer be effective.

Happy Gardening!

Garden Gnome
©2007