(Via Snappy's Gardens Blog)

Posted by admin to Easter, snow on 2008-03-22, 22:22:00

The view from the Kitchen door this morning at 6.15am, with snow on the ground.It is still snowing now.Time for the walk to work soon.
Happy easter wherever you are in the world.

(Via Girl Gone Gardening)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-03-22, 22:04:00

(Via Gardening Question of the Day (from the Old Farmer's Almanac))

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-03-22, 19:00:00

I have a cereus cactus that has never bloomed. It just keeps sending out shoots, getting long and leggy. How can I make it bloom? (answer).

From The Old Farmer's Almanac.

(Via Country Gardener)

Posted by admin to coyote, crabapples on 2008-03-22, 18:33:00

Coyote foraging for crabapple berries
Around supper time this evening, my husband looked out the window, and said, "Isn't that a coyote?"

Yes, and there it was in our crabapple orchard, looking for a snack. We even saw it pick the fruit right out of the tree. (My dog does this on occasion too.)

Our crabapple trees have persistent fruit, and the birds have been harvesting them of late, but I often wondered who else snacked out there because my dog, Toby, is often very keen to go under the crabs to check out the scents.

I got out the camera, and was able to take some pictures from the living room window. When the coyote moved behind a tree, I went outside to see if I could get closer, which I did manage without being noticed.

But by that time Toby had seen the coyote and was going nuts, barking up a storm. He was indoors, but loud enough for the coyote to hear. Then, the coyote spotted me and took off through the neighboring tree farm to the woods.

So coyotes eat crabapples. Who knew?


© Yvonne Cunnington, Country Gardener

(Via Snappy's Gardens Blog)

Posted by admin to collared dove on 2008-03-22, 14:40:00

A late post on Saturday night.I have had a quiet day with no gardening or digging up at the allotment. Its been freezing with high winds and hail stones, with snow forecast for the UK. The cold snap has taken out my eager seedlings in the greenhouse (Remind me next year to sow seeds later). I need to reorder my Tumbling Toms tomato seeds from Mcfothergills.
In the right border the mystery bulbs have flower buds on them now, and Muscari flower buds are pushing up through the strappy other leaves.
The strong winds brought down some branches from the nearby Fir trees behind the Privet hedge. I collected them and stuck them in the garden fence near the feeders. Trying to tempt the Goldfinches down into my garden. The Niger seed will be the next plan if the pine cone branches do not work..
Back to work again tomorrow.Its Easter Sunday and a bank holiday on Monday. I hope to be up at the Allotment on tuesday.
The Collared Doves are returning now to my garden to enjoy the Bird table. I replenished the fat balls, ground feeders, and sunflower seed feeder today.
The bird was dozing in the freezing wind, with his feathers fluffed up like a thick duvet.I was snug inside on the sofa chilling out, watching The Waltons DVD which I picked up from the Royal Mail delivery office as it was too big to go through the letterbox on Thursday.

(Via An Iowa Garden)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-03-22, 11:31:00

Every March, when the snow is not even completely gone from the ground, cyclamen coum, seen in the top picture, raises its tiny blooms up from the damp, dark leaf litter. The shockingly bright flowers always look to me like so many little fiery sparks floating over the cold earth. Cyclamen coum's early spring display is only the first installment of the cyclamen year. Cyclamen purpurascens, seen blooming in July in the middle picture, although a softer pink, has flowers that are still quite striking but because of much more floral competition in mid-summer, it is much less memorable; however its long bloom cycle is still welcome, and it is the most evergreen of the wild cyclamens for us. Cyclamen hederifolium shown blooming in October in the bottom picture helps close out the gardening year.

(Via An Iowa Garden)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-03-22, 11:31:00

Every March, when the snow is not even completely gone from the ground, cyclamen coum, seen in the top picture, raises its tiny blooms up from the damp, dark leaf litter. The shockingly bright flowers always look to me like so many little fiery sparks floating over the cold earth. Cyclamen coum's early spring display is only the first installment of the cyclamen year. Cyclamen purpurascens, seen blooming in July in the middle picture, although a softer pink, has flowers that are still quite striking but because of much more floral competition in mid-summer, it is much less memorable; however its long bloom cycle is still welcome, and it is the most evergreen of the wild cyclamens for us. Cyclamen hederifolium shown blooming in October in the bottom picture helps close out the gardening year.

(Via Girl Gone Gardening)

Posted by admin to Uncategorized on 2008-03-22, 03:56:00