Gardening Question of the Day for Monday, September 29, 2008
(Via Gardening Question of the Day (from The Old Farmer's Almanac))
Are rose hips a source of vitamin C? (answer).
Are rose hips a source of vitamin C? (answer).
From The Old Farmer's Almanac.
Front yard makeover: weekend 3
(Via Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas)
After the initial lawn removal, plant transfer and subsequent landscaping the weekend for planting had arrived. And while I would have loved to have spent hours circumnavigating a local nursery foraging for some wonderfully unique natives, local nurseries no longer exist in my part of the world. So, it was off to Bunnings to extend our arm's-length relationship.
After the initial lawn removal, plant transfer and subsequent landscaping the weekend for planting had arrived. And while I would have loved to have spent hours circumnavigating a local nursery foraging for some wonderfully unique natives, local nurseries no longer exist in my part of the world. So, it was off to Bunnings to extend our arm's-length relationship.
Admittedly it wasn't all bad. Fortunately they are beginning to stock a larger range of natives and even have the odd specimen that one might not see everyday. Here's the list of purchases;
Grasses:
- Phormium "Surfer Boy" - a medium growing flax with green and red foliage
- Juncus kraussii - a clumping sedge with brown seed pods dangling at their extremities
- Thysanotus multiflorus - the delightful Fringe Lily
- Anigozanthus viridis - WA's own Kangaroo Paws
- Conostylis aculeata - small clumping foliage with 3D yellow stars
Grey Foliage:
- Eremophila "Kalbarri Carpet" - a prostrate Emu bush
- Leucophyta brownii - cushion bush that grows to about 1m high
- Olearia axillaris - the coastal daisybush
The Flowers:
- Hypocalymma xantopetalum - very similar to the Leptospermum and Thryptomene families but with creamy, yellow flowers in late winter
- Leptospermum "Merinda" - a gorgeous red-head that starts as a prostrate but then forms into a tight shrub
- Verticordia chrysantha - to die for! A flurry of yellow blooms on an almost succulent foliage shrub
- Thryptomene saxicola - an almost prostrate bush with pink flowers that bloom in winter
- Darwinia citriodora - another prostrate with orange-red flowers
The Hedge:
- Westringia "Karbeethong" - the Edna Walling Rosemary
Once these were in the ground, with most of the grasses lining the dry creek bed, it was time to renovate the reticulation. This is always more fun in theory that in practice but it didn't take too long to get it right - now we just have to get it working...
Finding cheap drippers was the main challenge. It seemed that many of the options were overkill and priced accordingly so I settled for some little cheapies that delivered a maximum 2L per hour.
The last step in this yard's makeover was applying a thick blanket of mulch and as you can see it creates the perfect backdrop to highlight the bed's features and plants. One garden bed down...three to go...
Soup Nazi it?s not
(Via Idaho Gardener)
My CSA farmer Casey offers an extra service that really floats my boat. Its a soup CSA and I highly recommend it. It is the perfect answer for the “what to cook on Monday night” dilemma that seems to come my way once a week. Homemade, hot, fresh, organic soup and a big loaf of bread or a bag of rolls ….well, it doesn’t get any better than that. If fact, I seldom get home with all the bread. It smells so good I tear right into it on the way home.
Here’s how it works:
Earthly Delights SOUP and BREAD CSA
Each week Casey makes a different soup with ingredients from my garden as well as from other local farms, and her mom bakes a really yummy loaf of bread to go with it!
12 Weeks of delicious homemade soup (and bread, if you want it), available for pickup or delivery. November-February, with breaks at Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Years. Last year’s menus included
*Idaho Potato Chowder with Dill Rye Bread, *Spicy lentil and Winter Squash Stew with Whole Wheat Bread ,*Snake River Minestrone with Rosemary-Feta Foccacia Bread.
SOUP: $96/Season ($8/quart/week)
BREAD: $72/Season ($6/large loaf/week)
DELIVERY: $35/season (in delivery area)
I go for the whole thing, $14 a week for soup and bread. It makes at least two meals, and you have bread for sandwiches or croutons or toast.
I highly recommend participating. Or, how about doing a soup exchange with a couple of friends?
Post from: Idaho Gardener
Removing the Poison Ivy Plant From Your Garden
(Via Home and Family: Gardening Articles from EzineArticles.com)
The poison ivy plant can work its way into our beautiful well tended garden and destroy everything we worked so hard for. Learn what to do and what not to do when getting rid of this plant.
The poison ivy plant can work its way into our beautiful well tended garden and destroy everything we worked so hard for. Learn what to do and what not to do when getting rid of this plant.
