February 2009 Warming UP

-
Well, I don't know about you, but I've been out in the sun the past two days. Only for a couple of hours, mind you, but wearing a jacket pulling weeds, planting seeds and getting some sun.
Even the trays of baby plants in the shed got to come out for a sunbath both days. Ahhhh. It will be spring.


If you don't subscribe to the UCB daily plant email ,Botany Photo of the Day, you are missing out on an email that will cheer you on a cold day. Today's photo is here. I tried to post the picture of the Buddha's Hand but Blogger wouldn't upload it.

Mackey Books has a book called Plant Notes that is for the collectors in your life. Or, for you if you are a plant collector.

Each page from page 11 through 138 is for a description of a plant in your collection. You just jot down the common name, genus, species, description of your beloved beauties and end up with a journal that would be the envy of anyone who wants to know more about your garden. Plus you will have a reference for next year when you can't quite recall all those details. $10 at the link above.

The crocus are peeking up now that the snow and ice are melting. Take a look at the
Crocus Pages at The Alpine House. The photos will make you want to plant lots more crocus next fall.

I hope your garden is starting to peek out green tips and crocus flowers, too.

If you have a little book shopping energy, check out the American Nurseryman sale here.

Oh, and today is the day for the Link Latte at Dark Roasted Blend. Lots of interesting and unusual things to see.

Comments

Tessa said…
That journal looks pretty nice- I think I may just check it out. Much prettier than my computer! Things are starting to come up here too- I can't wait for spring!
February 2, 2009 at 7:28 PM
Anonymous said…
Hi Tess -
The journal IS nice - easy to use and pretty.
Great price and free shipping on top of it.

What are you growing?
February 4, 2009 at 5:26 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Moldy Tulip Bulbs

-
Image
Moldy tulip bulbs are a big disappointment when you are hoping to fill a bed or some pots. It is not that unusual for their skins to have a bit of penicillin mold but these are beyond that tad bit stage. Mold penetrating tulip bulb  Mold on emerging tulip bulb growth  So, what to do? The plant references say to throw them out and buy new ones but I already spent $22 for 50 of these white tulip beauties. First, they got a soak in 1% bleach solution in the kitchen sink in the hope that the bleach would stop the mold from continuing to grow without killing the life force in the bulb itself. After a good slosh around, I wiped them off to see how much damage was beneath the blue and black.  This tulip bulb is soft to the touch and there is little chance it will thrive in the soil. This basal root on these have been ruined by mold. The final step I took to try to salvage part of them  was to spray them thoroughly with fungicide.  They are all planted in the
Read more

Propagate Begonia Stem Cuttings in water - Cane-like Angel Wing Begonia

-
Image
Propagating by stem cuttings is just about the easiest way to make more begonias for next summer's garden. During the fall, I regularly trim off 3-node long cuttings and put them into the growing pots where they take root. Now that cold weather has arrived, I root the stem cuttings in a vase of water. It's a great way to produce more pots of Begonias for next summer's garden. Water the plant well the day before. Take a cutting about 4-inches long, with 3 nodes, from a healthy stem. Use a perfectly clean container. Rinse the container with a drop of bleach if you are uncertain about its spotlessness. Remove all but the top leaf or two. There should be no leaves in the water. The cutting should  have a healthy leaf node at the bottom. Don't leave a stub below the node. Place the cutting into the water, and place the container out of the sun. In a couple of weeks, you will see new roots beginning to form. Check the water periodically to make sure it is still f
Read more

Create Nesting Areas for Birds and Wildlife

-
Image
From the website, Choose Natives , this lovely and instructive article helped remind me to continue to increase the amount of habitat and nesting that we provide in our garden. Many, though not all, are native or considered to be native in Oklahoma. So, I did a little research on each recommended plant and provided a link to more information. You'll see the plant name in italics - those are my links for your edification. Here's the post Derek Stoner, Project Coordinator for the Delaware Nature Society, helped restore the 860-acre Middle Run Natural Area by “intensive habitat management”, including planting 12,000 trees and shrubs.  His lecture, ‘ Native Plants for Nesting Birds: Connecting Flora and Fauna’,  given to a group of enthusiasts at the Millersville Native Plant Conference   in Pennsylvania, focused on his observations. Here are Derek’s landscaping recommendations for attracting birds: Plant shrubs in clusters (“habitat circles”) that will create the dense
Read more