tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19430333110821554242023-11-15T23:28:18.662-08:00Sedgewick's gardenSedgewickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17667422368344434889noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943033311082155424.post-44027329584562584002009-12-30T16:01:00.000-08:002009-12-30T16:14:32.854-08:00New year, new blog site<div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div> I am continuing this blog on another site. To visit it, click <a href="http://hanksgarden.wordpress.com/">here.</a><br />As this is my last post on this site I will simply put a few photos of our snow storm t<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36ty00f2CiI63RUDBW75l-IX67KE9171nKv6gK_z-KeWYsiMmIyyDGf0mAbXMxpbuP7Rp_h_VK2Q7s5Xba1iRxzKItcJI3VYn-h7DxjXLY-DCxKRUK76nblVINVJsRQKC6QyXX3_FIeY/s1600-h/Dec+30+snowstorm,09+019.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 289px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421186445175211410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36ty00f2CiI63RUDBW75l-IX67KE9171nKv6gK_z-KeWYsiMmIyyDGf0mAbXMxpbuP7Rp_h_VK2Q7s5Xba1iRxzKItcJI3VYn-h7DxjXLY-DCxKRUK76nblVINVJsRQKC6QyXX3_FIeY/s320/Dec+30+snowstorm,09+019.jpg" /></a>hat came in quite unexpectedly yesterday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4Sj3VYCKRmP-kJR65SrARsUs6MCGTUnzYqcCHccJX8kr-Q-OFXL-IPBltgyYJvkfZAj6yeDRcczbwJugteh28iwdbvzTS2ffyBSnfIqv_Et3HaXufciZKln34P6v_Z9hKrQ87RUYFpk/s1600-h/Dec+30+snowstorm,09+007.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 283px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 217px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421186158705114786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4Sj3VYCKRmP-kJR65SrARsUs6MCGTUnzYqcCHccJX8kr-Q-OFXL-IPBltgyYJvkfZAj6yeDRcczbwJugteh28iwdbvzTS2ffyBSnfIqv_Et3HaXufciZKln34P6v_Z9hKrQ87RUYFpk/s320/Dec+30+snowstorm,09+007.jpg" /></a>.</div></div></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOyDbQZR5SlXAiMVqAV2vA_WCe8ugkaR7qzPvCF6g64TjAJpqOFHLOD4ewpIHgBwMDCJYr3NyGwAOCCKfbKafcnUmBZQtOzt2jVVUUrKX6UMpUgQk0-OgqU4ac7LD-FSm2SweuKAskJQ/s1600-h/Dec+30+snowstorm,09+002.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 294px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 209px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421186010136421970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoOyDbQZR5SlXAiMVqAV2vA_WCe8ugkaR7qzPvCF6g64TjAJpqOFHLOD4ewpIHgBwMDCJYr3NyGwAOCCKfbKafcnUmBZQtOzt2jVVUUrKX6UMpUgQk0-OgqU4ac7LD-FSm2SweuKAskJQ/s320/Dec+30+snowstorm,09+002.jpg" /></a>Sedgewickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17667422368344434889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943033311082155424.post-5892706154394506032009-11-18T15:52:00.002-08:002009-11-18T16:33:18.566-08:00A modest beginning<div><div><div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZNcYjyhdHreyurxYqGo_rP57uuaal4-HFZLPOUE5A1HfSP3gUidlozKguVxgvf80atTkYBHd_Y5NZKKWEAZMw1by65tt9gpxFfwZOg9ESaraDnyju054BG39hTLKCAY8JgXG38c5RUY/s1600/blogfornovember+013.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405596377143569234" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZNcYjyhdHreyurxYqGo_rP57uuaal4-HFZLPOUE5A1HfSP3gUidlozKguVxgvf80atTkYBHd_Y5NZKKWEAZMw1by65tt9gpxFfwZOg9ESaraDnyju054BG39hTLKCAY8JgXG38c5RUY/s320/blogfornovember+013.jpg" /></a><br />This is a bunch of grapes, not very big, kinda mildewy, and picked too late. The important thing is that it is the very first bunch of grapes from 4 Pinot Noir grape plants that I planted late last spring.</div><br /><div><br /></div><div>In just a couple more years we can expect to get enough grapes from these 4 vines to make a reasonable amount of wine. Maybe a dozen or two dozen bottles. Which will be more then enough to supply the happy hour on Wednesday afternoon with wine made right here at Rose Villa. </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFOUVGqRqSPuAZpt2_xsR6g2C6MYGhMSYO3d1GFZ0AhOROv4k6x3mUdW2QFk25tZJn6WZaoUUWGnWHKKgajhbPu0PB6diJjP2JgjZNw6_IJXbE7K-a0tWrNkXOHh2_sCAesgCr7FrEZpE/s1600/blogfornovember+014.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405600731308770290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFOUVGqRqSPuAZpt2_xsR6g2C6MYGhMSYO3d1GFZ0AhOROv4k6x3mUdW2QFk25tZJn6WZaoUUWGnWHKKgajhbPu0PB6diJjP2JgjZNw6_IJXbE7K-a0tWrNkXOHh2_sCAesgCr7FrEZpE/s320/blogfornovember+014.jpg" /></a><br /></div><div>The grape vines I inherited down in the gardens produced 3 or 4 boxes of concord grapes, a couple boxes of purple seedless table grapes and 3 boxes of wine grapes. The wine grapes were taken into the Health Center and were cleaned up, their stems taken off and are now sitting in several 5 gallon containers to ferment.</div><br /><div><br /></div><div>It's hard to see in this photo, but the wine grape vine is in the middle. There are 6 grape vines in the space where no more then 4 should be planted. The middle vines tend to get covered and smothered by their neighbors. I will be taking at least 2 of the vines out next year, now that I know which is which I'm thinking it will be one of the Concorde grape vines and the vine next to what we think is the "Merlot" wine grape. Not the best solution but one that should give the "Merlot" vine more room to produce good grapes.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtn_FTI8v4aoyxaYIhBJ5Ohk9UYAJYUJK7qu56UFEdpmg2Rz3Mf0fj-fvd3LYEKmHVOt89GNaf54lH5sfpsJs4ZxS1p6nIWCxSkMSJ4PU37ZmWdwVWxvKLN4bG2zF-2WuGins_PiqKZo/s1600/blogfornovember+022.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405602174127209394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqtn_FTI8v4aoyxaYIhBJ5Ohk9UYAJYUJK7qu56UFEdpmg2Rz3Mf0fj-fvd3LYEKmHVOt89GNaf54lH5sfpsJs4ZxS1p6nIWCxSkMSJ4PU37ZmWdwVWxvKLN4bG2zF-2WuGins_PiqKZo/s320/blogfornovember+022.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>The rest of the garden is just about all done for the season, just some secondary broccoli and some kale left. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I will be leaving the broccoli, kale and Swiss chard in for the winter just to see if they can make it through to spring. The beans I planted amongst the kale is not doing well at all, too cold and not enough light I think, I will take it out this week. </div><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzZgFQlgYwhKmpbhVifC2KGFGjmxACtu0FpS-o7ENkKV9gNeHkQAGK4JALRTgt7qEULULMnelDceLl9kHeUpM6Ko8w_dXWI4-5qWtZyJ0kWcbEgV5whAHucpgnfcQMFCdO0hlc5Fepo0/s1600/blogfornovember+008.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405603260804774306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzZgFQlgYwhKmpbhVifC2KGFGjmxACtu0FpS-o7ENkKV9gNeHkQAGK4JALRTgt7qEULULMnelDceLl9kHeUpM6Ko8w_dXWI4-5qWtZyJ0kWcbEgV5whAHucpgnfcQMFCdO0hlc5Fepo0/s320/blogfornovember+008.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Other wise the next big news is the greenhouse in the patio of the health center. It is finally finished and the growing benches installed ready to go to work. It's just too bad it's mid November, there is not a lot of planting and growing to be done now, but I will try to get something going. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>To the right of the greenhouse you can just see the snow peas planted in the red pot, there is some arugula in another pot that is also still doing well. There is not much activity in the patio area this time of year, but maybe If I get some flowers going in the greenhouse I can "invite" the people to come out.<br /></div><br /><div></div></div></div></div>Sedgewickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17667422368344434889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943033311082155424.post-87843286526763603742009-10-14T09:06:00.000-07:002009-10-14T10:17:48.916-07:00Where has all the broccoli gone?It's the middle of October and the rains have come right on time. And as usual here in the Pacific Northwest the weather has changed from summer to winter like walking from a room labeled warm, sunny summer into a room marked rainy, cold and windy.<br /><br />I've pulled the leather jacket from the back of the closet and found my rain gear and wool cap so I'm all ready for the 'other' season we have here. We only have two seasons here, sunny warm and dry and cool, wet and cloudy. But enough about the weather, what about the gardens I've been working on so hard this season?<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Y5XsLbnP9rQsqGqwJmYfD0tE7SyljuN1nlP0SW_SpFtGQq8rzU02AYnCjuDq5autENkriQ8j3y1lDQ4G4SCeXUVsMEZ9ZtkOUWOp4PoHWPufxm_J8dZ-JIxUadtc46SMtdoHpqMo99E/s1600-h/summer+at+rose+villa+gardens+001.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 356px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 245px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392498505105344578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Y5XsLbnP9rQsqGqwJmYfD0tE7SyljuN1nlP0SW_SpFtGQq8rzU02AYnCjuDq5autENkriQ8j3y1lDQ4G4SCeXUVsMEZ9ZtkOUWOp4PoHWPufxm_J8dZ-JIxUadtc46SMtdoHpqMo99E/s320/summer+at+rose+villa+gardens+001.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwbMfhn8EJLwQL0tx1O8fdVjNmPclulRRWMwiMtwP_WdrHCsYvuzIk7wPWTZRr_pUFqvTZEJuCFSH3td3R94aHYbLdyAwZL52fvR8ZldzjajTUsr0iaHhTFMhJXH0lk261tcLN0RaW2g/s1600-h/summer+at+rose+villa+gardens+002.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 356px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 236px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392488250559661074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwbMfhn8EJLwQL0tx1O8fdVjNmPclulRRWMwiMtwP_WdrHCsYvuzIk7wPWTZRr_pUFqvTZEJuCFSH3td3R94aHYbLdyAwZL52fvR8ZldzjajTUsr0iaHhTFMhJXH0lk261tcLN0RaW2g/s320/summer+at+rose+villa+gardens+002.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTU0Y6ajyVmS7qmY8u9KboQoGZ-Mgf2xrKpxVTCW2IGTnTfyhjlGKdxSAPWfyMpDLOPcemWzvrwLeXOiBMxJ23oWO8ednrcKmYEEn9BJjbWjZZ-J1vkDXKMI1OfeSCv7UDeF4BjgLSN4/s1600-h/October+09+006.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Here's a couple of photos of the gardens at their height of the summer season. Just before the plants really started to produce. The list of what came out of the garden is just too long to put down here, I also neglected to weigh how much produce actually was produced so all I can say now is I took box after box of many different kinds of produce up to the residents produce market.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlH16NnoYyn7bL-NGjGROYZhme7jM6U0SbvXxlmQYwecH-m363CBC_RBF_wU_reaYcs7cbG3ZYl1sezGwPK1N_F_N1-x3LkH_CFhBzHLV9QGx5XJdJqz3sHlRCz1YV8m2FqTLh1sKza4/s1600-h/farmers+market+005.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 361px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 259px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392494737123566306" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlH16NnoYyn7bL-NGjGROYZhme7jM6U0SbvXxlmQYwecH-m363CBC_RBF_wU_reaYcs7cbG3ZYl1sezGwPK1N_F_N1-x3LkH_CFhBzHLV9QGx5XJdJqz3sHlRCz1YV8m2FqTLh1sKza4/s320/farmers+market+005.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTU0Y6ajyVmS7qmY8u9KboQoGZ-Mgf2xrKpxVTCW2IGTnTfyhjlGKdxSAPWfyMpDLOPcemWzvrwLeXOiBMxJ23oWO8ednrcKmYEEn9BJjbWjZZ-J1vkDXKMI1OfeSCv7UDeF4BjgLSN4/s1600-h/October+09+006.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This a resident run market here at Rose Villa that goes on every Tuesday morning. All the produce (and flowers and baked goods) are donated by the people who live here, and of course from my gardens. There are no prices, just what ever you feel it's worth. And the proceeds go directly into the "Foundation". Which is a resident run financial group set up to help people who live here who have run out of money. So it's really a people helping people kind of thing.<br /><br />For me it was a real eye opener when I took a box of maybe twenty heads of broccoli up to the market and it was sold within 7 minutes. That's when I realized that the "Tuesday Market" is more then a money making kind of thing but it is a way to get fresh food to people who would not ordinarily have access to fresh nutritious produce.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFMCSi5nIDrW0MZ4YZvj5Wxle-2KzXW9YNGqh1W9AjHkGs259pzTLktyO9Kb-NZxd1WqCtAOdTYV0BcgFNKp04m96QK5J9egSxrXcmQvjnDA29XU5nOg9ONH1I8WjNbLtAe1HhqackPE/s1600-h/farmers+market+007.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 397px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 295px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392497615755433762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmFMCSi5nIDrW0MZ4YZvj5Wxle-2KzXW9YNGqh1W9AjHkGs259pzTLktyO9Kb-NZxd1WqCtAOdTYV0BcgFNKp04m96QK5J9egSxrXcmQvjnDA29XU5nOg9ONH1I8WjNbLtAe1HhqackPE/s320/farmers+market+007.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The lady that runs the produce market is in her mid 90's. And there are at least 2 other ladies that are helping her right now and are getting ready to take over when 'the boss' retires, if she ever does. Which means the produce market will go on next year and I'd better get planning for what to plant next year.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTU0Y6ajyVmS7qmY8u9KboQoGZ-Mgf2xrKpxVTCW2IGTnTfyhjlGKdxSAPWfyMpDLOPcemWzvrwLeXOiBMxJ23oWO8ednrcKmYEEn9BJjbWjZZ-J1vkDXKMI1OfeSCv7UDeF4BjgLSN4/s1600-h/October+09+006.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 282px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 205px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392488337055566434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTU0Y6ajyVmS7qmY8u9KboQoGZ-Mgf2xrKpxVTCW2IGTnTfyhjlGKdxSAPWfyMpDLOPcemWzvrwLeXOiBMxJ23oWO8ednrcKmYEEn9BJjbWjZZ-J1vkDXKMI1OfeSCv7UDeF4BjgLSN4/s320/October+09+006.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpL162mEggBF6RIgvKy7NDVRG8jCsAU1XYsYzprrq8uOJ0NVERFWm0FxYy64ytnybU0uihHNw1PaHonDBrNtFtmohJGj9-Eu6Up-8jbl4v3QgItjzGVHSAV6HnLblZBcJQz5vtrWjBUA/s1600-h/October+09+005.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 286px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392502740102052674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQpL162mEggBF6RIgvKy7NDVRG8jCsAU1XYsYzprrq8uOJ0NVERFWm0FxYy64ytnybU0uihHNw1PaHonDBrNtFtmohJGj9-Eu6Up-8jbl4v3QgItjzGVHSAV6HnLblZBcJQz5vtrWjBUA/s320/October+09+005.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTU0Y6ajyVmS7qmY8u9KboQoGZ-Mgf2xrKpxVTCW2IGTnTfyhjlGKdxSAPWfyMpDLOPcemWzvrwLeXOiBMxJ23oWO8ednrcKmYEEn9BJjbWjZZ-J1vkDXKMI1OfeSCv7UDeF4BjgLSN4/s1600-h/October+09+006.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />These last two photos are how the gardens look now. I've added fresh compost from the composting bins and dug it in to 'season' over the winter. I might also dig in leaves when they start falling. The pathways are covered with chippings from a fir tree that was taken down this summer. I've got some late season broccoli still growing, also some beans, peas, kale, spinach, arugula and swiss chard. These are experimental crops to see how late in the season I can still harvest fresh vegg.<br /><br />One final update, I just picked 4 boxes of concord grapes and took them up to the main kitchen to be made into grape jelly. To be sold at the fall bazaar and concert next month, the proceeds of which will go the the 'Foundation".Sedgewickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17667422368344434889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943033311082155424.post-68949659494283441912009-08-20T10:43:00.000-07:002009-08-20T12:02:31.282-07:00Natures astonding fecundity<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4su531ZcURopaqdjFeEfNpo86L99OahBpvaT6bi3x1AhhkC3Smd36kElOaHkV0IaVyeDLAC7GJLst89MEiRzy4h5HqNQA3i-LHvzN1MYCzxPjV_qa9JLGyHgqf4igCg6eDaL2AChn05U/s1600-h/wildflowers+028.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 292px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 178px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372112908245530898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4su531ZcURopaqdjFeEfNpo86L99OahBpvaT6bi3x1AhhkC3Smd36kElOaHkV0IaVyeDLAC7GJLst89MEiRzy4h5HqNQA3i-LHvzN1MYCzxPjV_qa9JLGyHgqf4igCg6eDaL2AChn05U/s320/wildflowers+028.jpg" /></a><br /><div><div><div>I started out writing this months edition of my gardening blog by taking a camera down to the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">vegetable</span> gardens here at Rose Villa, thinking to brag a bit on the produce being produced by the gardeners. Instead I found myself noticing the weeds growing along the edges of the gardens, in empty plots and in the gardens themselves. Everything from a common <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">dandelion</span> to weeds that, much to my shame, I have no idea their names. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2b04duPK2zAU7bBvlrIxYSBfD3B3iQuS4BVbjdj5wIODFUEcShY6vVutEoGtJRAoYIYH2NLzl6vlnms3fcbo9usJDGDjM9qpgZohz1BMqNycTLn8UMUJkmy729QJ43aiCo2AD-RBIhL8/s1600-h/wildflowers+021.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 293px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 215px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372106944732379314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2b04duPK2zAU7bBvlrIxYSBfD3B3iQuS4BVbjdj5wIODFUEcShY6vVutEoGtJRAoYIYH2NLzl6vlnms3fcbo9usJDGDjM9qpgZohz1BMqNycTLn8UMUJkmy729QJ43aiCo2AD-RBIhL8/s320/wildflowers+021.jpg" /></a><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>In many cases it's only when you start looking up close that the real beauty of these plants starts to present itself. </div><div></div><div>Sometimes it seems that we gardeners make a huge mistake when we classify plants into useful, profitable and 'good' plants<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XBXdmdOG-Il0lePsg1NrLl5dbCX9Yn9mSG85t8ng4tgXOP0XFMjz_v69t48_8jW3sP6jjI8wIIQSNqMjLF1ADv5jmS9fs1XRLFCBHuYiX_DXOMHrLIzNYsFaWi-UHBkzxDuDOMOpSfY/s1600-h/wildflowers+023.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 292px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372111769732003010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XBXdmdOG-Il0lePsg1NrLl5dbCX9Yn9mSG85t8ng4tgXOP0XFMjz_v69t48_8jW3sP6jjI8wIIQSNqMjLF1ADv5jmS9fs1XRLFCBHuYiX_DXOMHrLIzNYsFaWi-UHBkzxDuDOMOpSfY/s320/wildflowers+023.jpg" /></a> and those that have no useful or profitable <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">quality's</span>, the 'bad' plants. The weeds. </div><br /><div>I'm sure that most of us have heard what the definition of a weed is; a plant in the wrong place. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUiAgdMQJltfpzHD-Sy10N8c1jBvWT51KrPka3XUBtK3Vfs1VNAgeAm-9kYhFh-AwCYNvBEb6NEelK41Uqo1PspTZ3-O9dOYjWwI_LmKSJFgKFxg-a_100zycc9OkiAuUmHfyc7U7fD3c/s1600-h/wildflowers+009.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 220px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372110632949017714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUiAgdMQJltfpzHD-Sy10N8c1jBvWT51KrPka3XUBtK3Vfs1VNAgeAm-9kYhFh-AwCYNvBEb6NEelK41Uqo1PspTZ3-O9dOYjWwI_LmKSJFgKFxg-a_100zycc9OkiAuUmHfyc7U7fD3c/s320/wildflowers+009.jpg" /></a> But what appears to us as the wrong place is only a human definition. To a plant any place it can find to live, put down roots and reproduce is the right place. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPGmhORmHBTnWIx2EXB7Ct3EGsPiuJy1OGnoe6ijm1qGHSGw1BANv7uTFfN3jJF8MNps-CXo2pbo__uDRMY7hZx_LaOgn51CTITGRYjmMxEI5gZV8AwF1xEwL9F8PntOc6DKVNXT2p-I/s1600-h/wildflowers+030.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 288px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 211px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372112264968746338" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPGmhORmHBTnWIx2EXB7Ct3EGsPiuJy1OGnoe6ijm1qGHSGw1BANv7uTFfN3jJF8MNps-CXo2pbo__uDRMY7hZx_LaOgn51CTITGRYjmMxEI5gZV8AwF1xEwL9F8PntOc6DKVNXT2p-I/s320/wildflowers+030.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>What</div><div>beautiful picture a single <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">dandelion</span> makes when it's growing in a rock wall on the edge of a garden. As a gardener I could spend my entire life trying to get a 'flower' to grow in a rock wall and look as beautiful as this totally <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">randomly</span> placed 'weed'. </div><br /><div>What is not apparent as I look at the photos I've included here are the number and variety of honey bees, wasps and bumble bees that were working the garden area. I was walking through knee high weeds with hundreds of flying insects buzzing around my legs. It was a minor <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">miracle</span> that I didn't get one or two of them up my shorts. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36Q3l1AhukijVvcyqNCgEhLGJY2U0GVHuuBOr0VpNikaxnXAqb9OoaywZ-DWyaTblEDfOkDC_30hvCfDVmDk5NVeK2CZs5V_PVwUZ4rCcAECpTUiR5K0LXi8l0t6ZLhLIXyDiRAbwy-Q/s1600-h/wildflowers+007.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 294px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 220px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372118233037136370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh36Q3l1AhukijVvcyqNCgEhLGJY2U0GVHuuBOr0VpNikaxnXAqb9OoaywZ-DWyaTblEDfOkDC_30hvCfDVmDk5NVeK2CZs5V_PVwUZ4rCcAECpTUiR5K0LXi8l0t6ZLhLIXyDiRAbwy-Q/s320/wildflowers+007.jpg" /></a> But they all seemed to be more interested in collecting <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">nectar</span> from the flowers of any plant that happened to be in front of them.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjnRO6NhXxJTQZvLfVQKwwP2Ospyl_B0xH3_ODCh8we84Zrc4oPqzRgfeYcXEgcEmNoII-npU5XpUYXs4RqtbCL4tB9J4ipeJHBuvdhJGkm5yMwrqKTGr8pFmwzUJjmHT1kuu-ZgqXEo/s1600-h/wildflowers+022.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 297px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 219px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372119282791433154" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjnRO6NhXxJTQZvLfVQKwwP2Ospyl_B0xH3_ODCh8we84Zrc4oPqzRgfeYcXEgcEmNoII-npU5XpUYXs4RqtbCL4tB9J4ipeJHBuvdhJGkm5yMwrqKTGr8pFmwzUJjmHT1kuu-ZgqXEo/s320/wildflowers+022.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div>In the picture of the corn tassels its' a bit hard to see, but there were dozens of bees in this little corn patch, all of them busily working over the tassels. I could get really close to all the flying insects before they took any notice at all that I was around.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ73oo9UnjkiCq4omgn3rlKZ7x7Vv3xm_SbeKDxscY-Vgf-6TbEC7TODpRYwGB7nR0XmbMlfbFPgucGl5HgOPetg5UTR2XS_oOSluCKvcPeqmtfQKofbotwHwEjNEP2e09q3AjcdeBArg/s1600-h/wildflowers+008.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 289px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 216px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372120214998992738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ73oo9UnjkiCq4omgn3rlKZ7x7Vv3xm_SbeKDxscY-Vgf-6TbEC7TODpRYwGB7nR0XmbMlfbFPgucGl5HgOPetg5UTR2XS_oOSluCKvcPeqmtfQKofbotwHwEjNEP2e09q3AjcdeBArg/s320/wildflowers+008.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>In fact, if you look closely at the photo of the green leaves you will see that it was much more dangerous for the bees then for me. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">That's</span> a common garden spider wrapping up a freshly caught bee that wondered into his web. </div><br /><div>This seems to be turning into a photo op kind of blog today so I will end with a last few photos of beautiful plants that just happened to be in the wrong place so are considered weeds.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHB9glxKKSjvRngLoDEBd7scRQ2F_jliyGPRdR0C-AYrOB1lwOMpBV3CP4Ch4v_VWVLNaoZSNgxk5wPGw_kp3aTaBZzpEGPXWVvhj23s_YGsf5GhHjhgQ4QuLuxGnc2aINW1MTbChFcM/s1600-h/wildflowers+012.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 292px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372121225713210450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHB9glxKKSjvRngLoDEBd7scRQ2F_jliyGPRdR0C-AYrOB1lwOMpBV3CP4Ch4v_VWVLNaoZSNgxk5wPGw_kp3aTaBZzpEGPXWVvhj23s_YGsf5GhHjhgQ4QuLuxGnc2aINW1MTbChFcM/s320/wildflowers+012.jpg" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OgID3g8yniCXnNKFtA-7AoW1HJTt1Ow5boyl-r7cCdsSDEim0NYQNHx6OJU4nCOGIrMc-enZaZgS9qdwiw-VVwvvn5aKzy96p1pGD8cUeaPtNx6d0OJfn82TvphYdb3ldq2_p7F9vpg/s1600-h/wildflowers+037.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 295px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 218px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372121493489314050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OgID3g8yniCXnNKFtA-7AoW1HJTt1Ow5boyl-r7cCdsSDEim0NYQNHx6OJU4nCOGIrMc-enZaZgS9qdwiw-VVwvvn5aKzy96p1pGD8cUeaPtNx6d0OJfn82TvphYdb3ldq2_p7F9vpg/s320/wildflowers+037.jpg" /></a>Sedgewickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17667422368344434889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943033311082155424.post-14178042807413966152009-07-29T10:49:00.000-07:002009-07-30T11:01:28.004-07:00Water that plant<div><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2M6_aOlUhuUUvLEwKJPicPQg7N3aAUbomvxWIfGoN8wDTtQlGbgCZG0VXgSIjRkcTPdhX4G1H4iaKWsJ7KQJG99gp6wLhNWdZTkzG30xxF84c3Q3XJTfEIGP9hKs6s-Oc44aQ9ohTiFc/s1600-h/drought,+09+001.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364305665312714754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2M6_aOlUhuUUvLEwKJPicPQg7N3aAUbomvxWIfGoN8wDTtQlGbgCZG0VXgSIjRkcTPdhX4G1H4iaKWsJ7KQJG99gp6wLhNWdZTkzG30xxF84c3Q3XJTfEIGP9hKs6s-Oc44aQ9ohTiFc/s320/drought,+09+001.jpg" /></a> How much water do plants need?<br /><div><br /><div><div><div>Everyone knows that plants need to be watered, and indeed one of the most asked questions of a gardener is how much should my plants be watered? To answer this question you have to know why plants need water and how do they use the water. That’s what I’d like to talk about today.<br /><br />Photosynthesis is the answer. Simply put; photosynthesis is the process that goes on within the leaves of plants that uses water plus carbon dioxide plus sunlight to create plant sugars that plants then use to produce growth. It was people like Jan van Helmont in the mid 1600’s and Nicolas-Theodore de Sussare in 1796 and many others who, through scientific experimentation proved that without water, sunlight and carbon dioxide plants would not grow. The exact chemical and physical processes are still being discovered as plant scientists today work down through the cellular and molecular levels into the atomic levels of plants.<br /><br />How the water gets from your hose into and throughout the plant is another interesting question. The answer is xylem and phloem. Just under the bark or outer layer of the stem or trunk of a plant is the cambium layer of cells that is made up of phloem cells on the outside and xylem cells on the inside. This is where water from your hose, packed with nutrients from the soil, and after being absorbed by the roots flows up the xylem cells to the photosynthesis ‘factories’ in the leaves and then down through the phloem cells as sugar packed ‘sap’ to all the rest of the plant.<br /><br />Carbon dioxide comes from the air, sunlight of course from the sun and water comes from either your hose or the clouds. We can’t really control how much carbon dioxide the plant gets and we can control sunlight only by providing shade for our plants, but we can control how much water our plants get, particularly in the summer time.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbi_dbnBz6FF8C8f-4qWpwhRao9GPM0VMB8WH5kpKY1i4s5D2ptsuHmThvMCa1inyUeEDf2-HyezPjM0Wf_s5-SHgS2swol867pgKsEK8l5X-HeIwTE2ytK2yJ4SJIE7VG2qYGOAoP9pI/s1600-h/drought,+09+009.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 283px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 208px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363989175604686018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbi_dbnBz6FF8C8f-4qWpwhRao9GPM0VMB8WH5kpKY1i4s5D2ptsuHmThvMCa1inyUeEDf2-HyezPjM0Wf_s5-SHgS2swol867pgKsEK8l5X-HeIwTE2ytK2yJ4SJIE7VG2qYGOAoP9pI/s320/drought,+09+009.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht69JF6L2BFXJXRT6eAHrVLv1VzUhAcaawW5OYcvqe78RnT-buTsZ4Hu1uNS0lsLHu7edRozr48L6y61Ko3i44_wlkkyROjR4_sY4K6e_OHE0F9-gsrL3iFU87CaVnqzMFbiFWmoRaB8Y/s1600-h/drought,+09+008.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 292px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 215px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363988985930460754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht69JF6L2BFXJXRT6eAHrVLv1VzUhAcaawW5OYcvqe78RnT-buTsZ4Hu1uNS0lsLHu7edRozr48L6y61Ko3i44_wlkkyROjR4_sY4K6e_OHE0F9-gsrL3iFU87CaVnqzMFbiFWmoRaB8Y/s320/drought,+09+008.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><div>Here's two photos of tomatoes, they all were planted at the same time, but the ones on the right haven't been watered nearly as much as the ones on the left. Wilted and even burned leaves, lack of growth and vigor, much lighter green coloring are all signs of the plant not getting enough water. The drought affected plants are sacrificing leaves, branches and color to produce tomatoes in a desperate effort to reproduce themselves. And when the season is over the healthy well hydrated tomatoes on the right will have produced a much larger crop of fruit. </div><br /><div>Think of it this way, plants that produce a lot of growth during the summer, like tomatoes, corn, other vegetables, annual flowers, and plants that have just been planted and haven’t had time to grow lots of roots will need lots of water, at least an inch or even more of water a week. But trees and well established shrubs which have huge root systems that can get to large amounts of water deep underground will not need nearly as much additional water from your hose. And the hotter and drier it is the more water those shallow rooted, newly planted shrubs, veggies, and flowers will need.<br /></div><div>Here's a trick you can use to tell when your flowers and veggies need water; poke a hole in the ground near the plant with your finger, down past the first knuckel, if the ground is dry all the way down it's time to water. For shrubs that have been in the ground more then a year; if the lawn around the shrub is dry, water the shrub as you water the lawn. For major trees; dont worry about it, you couldn't get the water down deep enough to do any good anyway. </div><div><br />So here it is deep summer and those veggies and flowers and newly planted shrubs will need all the water you can give them, and the well established shrubs should be all right as long as the lawn around them is alright and those big established trees,with their huge and deep root systems can fend for themselves.</div><div> </div><div>See you next time.</div><div>Sedgewick<br /><br /></div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Sedgewickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17667422368344434889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943033311082155424.post-42505646760550527082009-07-01T13:00:00.000-07:002009-07-01T13:57:14.897-07:00<div><div><div><div><div><br /> </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy55VKRfhNlSg7bwOywT0Q_rhK_cMkVOXjIWlHFH1oi9bVSkatQY8CsbxUoGhCujEPY3pLp3nlbWb32oOEJLmY4LXha3CXqDa47KRwAEDHigg8UmmM0edZgTiYVm6B9_zM8j-iuJ2BFpc/s1600-h/more+veggis+001.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 277px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 185px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353585464674521090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy55VKRfhNlSg7bwOywT0Q_rhK_cMkVOXjIWlHFH1oi9bVSkatQY8CsbxUoGhCujEPY3pLp3nlbWb32oOEJLmY4LXha3CXqDa47KRwAEDHigg8UmmM0edZgTiYVm6B9_zM8j-iuJ2BFpc/s320/more+veggis+001.jpg" /></a> I've heard it said that if the corn is knee high by the 4<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> of July it will be a good year, well, my corn is taller then I am so I guess it's going to be a great year. That's a second planting of corn in the beds on the left and some peas in the middle. The tall corn will be for our annual Luau in about 3 weeks. I'm hoping that I can get some ears of corn off the stalks before we have to use them around the pig when we put it in the ground to cook. It's already tasseling out now so we might just get some ears of fresh corn to put with the pig.<br /></div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsk9IudQnLjBUNTalKR2W34MCZGRDoPe1PO4MrXX_ZZmpg-mLsK41Ft9-VEBMi4k6-XA8Ex_mo97oYo6pfvgR6poynd62ZTqvj3lQS_4-W3ZtKrruEFoGRdYWKoNdfAQ7G9KrdKNpCbg0/s1600-h/veggies+in+summer+007.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 270px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 191px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353586490465023842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsk9IudQnLjBUNTalKR2W34MCZGRDoPe1PO4MrXX_ZZmpg-mLsK41Ft9-VEBMi4k6-XA8Ex_mo97oYo6pfvgR6poynd62ZTqvj3lQS_4-W3ZtKrruEFoGRdYWKoNdfAQ7G9KrdKNpCbg0/s320/veggies+in+summer+007.jpg" /></a></div><div>The tomato plants that were given to us by a local gardening club are not quite a forest. I may have planted them too close together! It will be tough to get in a harvest all the tomatoes, there are already zillions of small green tomatoes throughout the tomato forest. The only problem so far is that I suspect the "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Supice</span>" variety on this end of the bed may be slightly <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">susceptible</span> to leaf wilt diseases. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">That's</span> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">verticilium</span> and <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">fusiarium</span> blight to be exact. But so far "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Supice</span>" is only showing slight wilting, not bad so I will try to leave it till time to start harvesting tomatoes.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGB1d8LqJx5vAa22lreBShn_0M0Kf5ehpW-4qNt5ebp5msJAA2BFIrVwXNpGxOZRxOJi-8T7jhpj2wRDTa8UIbPYHwYjsjMJEeCuZB4FeqtbCag8-TdWOXAPpuIh3k7Dv9H79swt_3W2s/s1600-h/more+veggis+007.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 249px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 182px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353588567951953762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGB1d8LqJx5vAa22lreBShn_0M0Kf5ehpW-4qNt5ebp5msJAA2BFIrVwXNpGxOZRxOJi-8T7jhpj2wRDTa8UIbPYHwYjsjMJEeCuZB4FeqtbCag8-TdWOXAPpuIh3k7Dv9H79swt_3W2s/s320/more+veggis+007.jpg" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbl0VqZoaKim0ebkiyoUgdkBe5aB8DDy6dWwUp6aEUaJxN4ceIwChQ9z8KGDBNHUJNLY6lIHCSaBSp8bFr1HC4rekFIbOoi3gG3mPWOhfoGvSHpNkcVVXWoEaBQPppe2NfV9c_7d2mtwk/s1600-h/veggies+in+summer+008.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 242px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 184px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353596162601449218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbl0VqZoaKim0ebkiyoUgdkBe5aB8DDy6dWwUp6aEUaJxN4ceIwChQ9z8KGDBNHUJNLY6lIHCSaBSp8bFr1HC4rekFIbOoi3gG3mPWOhfoGvSHpNkcVVXWoEaBQPppe2NfV9c_7d2mtwk/s320/veggies+in+summer+008.jpg" /></a>Some of the onions the kids planted back in April have become really big, and some have stayed small. All from the same bag so it must be something in the soil that is keeping the small ones from getting really huge. Just this week half a dozen of the smaller ones bolted and started to form flower heads so I pulled them. They are really <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">flavorful</span> and strong. The kids will be back next week for a summer gardening program and I cant wait to show them what happened to the onions they planted.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRni9mromN3ybOgEXoBrnT2StZYejku9Ya-zO1F8-fMrms18zDtjw3clEBDYAdE3CH_hHPIVdCOkfIpJ5YzzYtcBNUgd8fGhy3sttfXuOE8vG2KuXZ0KD1HKXUfAY_1mUs7CsQUTIVDU/s1600-h/rainy+dragon+boat+practice+009.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 253px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 198px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353591142993353090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrRni9mromN3ybOgEXoBrnT2StZYejku9Ya-zO1F8-fMrms18zDtjw3clEBDYAdE3CH_hHPIVdCOkfIpJ5YzzYtcBNUgd8fGhy3sttfXuOE8vG2KuXZ0KD1HKXUfAY_1mUs7CsQUTIVDU/s320/rainy+dragon+boat+practice+009.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkd9KSpG05h2pQZhx-wFcB6PfVpS6EwpUfF0qJxyUkN3Y5txYqeBvIFDhkXo8_vp8CYdM7prJfzFzoH7uW57wincchFNlvJwZ6ISNoszjyI4GyVBvOnZBD-2fBwSqUkw3SVpd0ApIrHQ/s1600-h/0607091429a.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 241px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 190px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353591949316388114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJkd9KSpG05h2pQZhx-wFcB6PfVpS6EwpUfF0qJxyUkN3Y5txYqeBvIFDhkXo8_vp8CYdM7prJfzFzoH7uW57wincchFNlvJwZ6ISNoszjyI4GyVBvOnZBD-2fBwSqUkw3SVpd0ApIrHQ/s320/0607091429a.jpg" /></a>In moments that I wasn't planting and harvesting and watering and weeding the the veggie garden I was part of the Dragon Boat crew for the big Rose Festival Dragon Boat Races. </div><div>The photo on the left is one of our practices when it was pouring down rain, if it's not raining we aren't training I always say. I'm not sure if the rest of the team is sharing that sentiment. The reason I'm not on the boat is because I buggered my shoulder up a while back and had to stay on shore for a while. </div><div>We didn't win but we did have a great time, plus we are the only dragon boat team with their own cheerleaders. One of the most exciting times was when right at the start of the final race we got broadsided by the boat next to us, no serious injuries but it did take us out of the running for that race. That's racing.</div><br /><br /><div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aHPY0UU-AkCG0PkYCT8tOxggDsGNWwvh0BOPmOQZ2ZTCm1-bBW1xS4IBizYjWaYcG-SlrD3DdiuvBuSyOxqL4SjzyEmRsscDbZDZgtQJuHLdDenL8zl_i7JuE3NFNEf8XolS-Py3GO4/s1600-h/raven.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353594852576768626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aHPY0UU-AkCG0PkYCT8tOxggDsGNWwvh0BOPmOQZ2ZTCm1-bBW1xS4IBizYjWaYcG-SlrD3DdiuvBuSyOxqL4SjzyEmRsscDbZDZgtQJuHLdDenL8zl_i7JuE3NFNEf8XolS-Py3GO4/s320/raven.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>I will stop now and leave you with a photo of a rose from our rose garden. This one is "Raven", a shrub rose. One of my favorites.<br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>Sedgewickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17667422368344434889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943033311082155424.post-30038658029671607932009-05-25T14:43:00.000-07:002009-05-28T14:21:25.257-07:00Problems, problems, problems!Well, not really problems so much as learning experiences. And I will tell you, it has taken quite a bit of courage to admit that after more then 35 years in the landscape maintenance business, and after believing I was really quite an impressive gardener and horticultural expert that I just don't know all that much about how to grow food.<br /><br />Just because I know what an Acer palmatum dissectum Atropurpureum is, how to plant and care for it doesn't mean I know what is the best tomato to plant on this particular hillside just south of Milwaukie. Let me tell you, when I went to Fred Meyers garden center to pick up 14 tomato plants, one for each one of my kids gardening group, which seemed like such a simple thing to do, I ran head on into the cruel reality's of the tomato fanciers world. There must have been several dozen different varieties of tomatoes! How was a poor fumble fingered lamebrain like me to know the difference between 'Big Boy' and 'Willamette" tomatoes?<br /><br />Well, I did manage to get 4 or 5 different varieties for my 14 kids. But then came time to plant the little things. Does anyone else know about the unofficial 'rule' about not planting tomatoes before Mothers Day? One of the kinder and sweeter of the other gardeners down in the gardens told me about this planting 'rule'; but for her I would have put the tender little tomato starts in a good two weeks early, and who knows what would have happened then? But I did get them in, even scrounged some tomato cages to put around them, but I am beginning to wonder if the patio variety tomato really needs that huge cage? Time will tell I suppose.<br /><br />Oh, and need I say it? My tomatoes are some of the smallest in the entire garden area!<br /><br />And then there are the potato plants. I managed to find some seed potatoes at one of the garden centers about a month ago, they were in a big bag and all of them were already sprouting out and looking really strange. But I handed them to several of the kids to plant one fine Wednesday, and away they went, digging holes sticking seed potatoes in. And yes I did insist that they plant them with the sprouting parts pointed up, although I'm pretty sure at least one of the kids didn't listen to that little piece of advice. And now I'm finding strange vacancies in several places in the potato rows and several suspiciously potato-y looking plants in rows where they aren't supposed to be any potatoes.<br /><br />And of course one of the other gardeners here in the garden area planted his potatoes at least one or two weeks after we planted ours, and his are at least twice the size of ours! I have some serious potato envy.<br /><br />But it hasn't been all troubles and tribulations. We harvested the radishes and arugula that the kids planted when then first started coming over and that was a big success. Each of the kids took home a handful of radishes and a handful of arugula. That was a really good day, we even got to take a huge amount of radish and arugula up to the main RV kitchen. What the kitchen boss, Brian was going to do with at least several hundred radishes is not my problem. Did anyone have any of that puff pastry thing stuffed with cheese and our home grown arugula? I tried several and they were wonderful. Thanks Brian.<br /><br />And then one fine day I noticed that there was some rhubarb in the plot where my grapes are planted; will wonders never cease. I checked around and found out it was time to harvest the succulent stalks, so I did and left them with the kitchen boss Brian. I ran out the back door of the kitchen before he had time to do anything more then mumble something about rhubarb sauce. I'll have to check back with him later to see what he did with the rhubarb.<br /><br /> I picked and ate a strawberry from one of the plants down in the gardens this week, I'm not that fond of strawberries but somehow this one was extra good. More are coming up ripe every day, I can see now that one of my mistakes was not planting enough strawberry plants.They are coming ripe just about as fast as I can eat them, so there may not be many that make it up to the kitchen.<br /><br />Speaking of strawberries; there are some strawberries in the Health Center patio area that are almost ready to be picked as well as the blueberries. The fig tree and the apricot tree are doing great as well as the herbs. If you happen to go out in the patio area however, stay away from the blue flowered ceanothus, it's really attracting bees right now.<br /><br />IMPORTANT UPDATE;<br />We just recieved a donation of 108 tomato plants and various other pepper plants. We now have a grand total of 94 tomato plants planted down in the garden, I'll be putting 6 tomato plants into the health center patio area and I have 22 tomato plants left over. I've done the math on this and it's a bit scary; if each tomato plant produces 100 tomatos we could have aroung 9,400 tomatos this summer! We may be sneaking bags of tomatos onto neighbors front poarches at night just to get rid of them.<br /><br />But that's enough of my problems<br /><br />Happy gardening to you<br /><br />SedgewickSedgewickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17667422368344434889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943033311082155424.post-81926269009407559822009-04-28T12:55:00.000-07:002009-05-02T10:00:12.616-07:00<div><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div>Has it really only been 3 weeks since my last posting? Just seems like a lot has been going on around here and I haven't had time to think about this blog. So where shall I start?</div><div><br /><br /></div><div>How about with the worm bins? I finally decided to move them down into the gardens. There is a space on the north side of one of the tool sheds that is just right for them, not sunny and hot, out of the way of the other gardeners and yet easy to get too when it's feeding time. I kinda miss having them in my office, but it's best that they go outdoors.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj79XERXQLuQ9PtZiTaXAukCmUsZd80oPaiCd18hXG8TbAjZs081HEEvi6g49pUTzLh9lvkEvZUJga17p-RdHeXynooY4m7XKwo6bTpA9mID1-kynh4yyYE6SRG76ygD0lOttSFr0K_S0/s1600-h/more+april+blog+007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331265088795501170" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 293px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 216px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj79XERXQLuQ9PtZiTaXAukCmUsZd80oPaiCd18hXG8TbAjZs081HEEvi6g49pUTzLh9lvkEvZUJga17p-RdHeXynooY4m7XKwo6bTpA9mID1-kynh4yyYE6SRG76ygD0lOttSFr0K_S0/s320/more+april+blog+007.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiloxaQMv5neEYZdwc1DJbLAJW4CJJQHrGvXM-jTEoLwUR7ih0b2umxia-yXKzk1hX2Q7rlUpcLq0Rf1WpP2o1bNZGMyxShTeKjqsawR-ESfMmfJIjjnLFYWDcvggEJbLfl5vAVQbyD0xc/s1600-h/more+april+blog+014.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331265373463965778" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 291px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 212px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiloxaQMv5neEYZdwc1DJbLAJW4CJJQHrGvXM-jTEoLwUR7ih0b2umxia-yXKzk1hX2Q7rlUpcLq0Rf1WpP2o1bNZGMyxShTeKjqsawR-ESfMmfJIjjnLFYWDcvggEJbLfl5vAVQbyD0xc/s320/more+april+blog+014.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div>Next, have I mentioned anything about the espliered fruit trees that got planted in the English Meadow? Well they did get planted. Up against a cedar post and rail fence, which is where I espliered the trees. Three apples, three pears, a Plumcot and an Apricot. That was in March. I just went and looked at them and they all are blooming and starting to grow! Hurray, in just a couple of years we will be able to enjoy all kinds of fruit from these trees, I even labeled them so we will know what kind of fruit it is. </div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>On to the Health Center patio area. Back when I planted strawberries into the market garden I also planted strawberries into two of the patio area beds. Along with 4 blue berry shrubs I took out of one of my market garden plots. And this last month I added a Necterine tree and a fig tree to the patio beds. </div><div> </div><div>So the folks in the Health Center will have lots of fruit to eat right off the plant. While I was planting in the patio beds I happened to have 9 herbs left over from a talk I gave this month on container gardening, so I planted them into the patio area beds as well. There will be lots of things to eat and flavor food with this summer, and all of it right where the people who live in the health center can get at it.</div><div> </div><div>Opps almost forgot about the 6 wine grape vines I just brought in and am about to plant in the South Patio area of the health center. So now in 4 or 5 years we can have homemade Pinot Noir wine in the Health Center from our very own grapes.</div><div><br /><br /></div><div>The big news I guess is down in the market garden where the planting of veggies just goes on and on. Onions, radishes, arugula, corn, lettuce, carrots have all been planted in the last several weeks and now the radishes, arugula and the onions are already up! but the most exciting thing is how all this got planted. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCaqgNrAr_VxeUhk0Mw2MxjDUzMMPOWQTdejGhF7HKFcMD-2dt9qFhBygyjjgp4INLCwI2Kp8gjQDT1UGqsG7OeYa03wH_YQvQBw21Cd56vr-JT0oly9YUmvDaqPRFWB_o8VuZt4NB6w/s1600-h/more+april+blog+006.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331266463946190962" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 292px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 206px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCaqgNrAr_VxeUhk0Mw2MxjDUzMMPOWQTdejGhF7HKFcMD-2dt9qFhBygyjjgp4INLCwI2Kp8gjQDT1UGqsG7OeYa03wH_YQvQBw21Cd56vr-JT0oly9YUmvDaqPRFWB_o8VuZt4NB6w/s320/more+april+blog+006.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBusYbThusTfbCiDdIKXQNWdCMJa4XIstVJbesBPDBIBq4kPZSnEcOMhEANExfwuIgKrft9jFmNRf6LSwuTOGDKibkTiQPqbKqsLf3ED0Zfl_HktvqEpLNINa8KazIBf1Zn4p7ql2V3c/s1600-h/more+april+blog+004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331270074242815074" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 281px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 198px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBusYbThusTfbCiDdIKXQNWdCMJa4XIstVJbesBPDBIBq4kPZSnEcOMhEANExfwuIgKrft9jFmNRf6LSwuTOGDKibkTiQPqbKqsLf3ED0Zfl_HktvqEpLNINa8KazIBf1Zn4p7ql2V3c/s320/more+april+blog+004.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div>I’m working with some kids from the Oak Grove Grade School just down the street creating a gardening group. And I can tell you that at first the idea of being in the same room with 15 4th graders was a bit, well, terrifying. But they soon made me feel welcome and a part of the group; it’s amazing how many of the kids have ties to Rose Villa in some way. Parents work here or have worked here, grandparents lived here, and a few of the kids are already looking to get a job working here in a few years. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVsQboCcqVYmTz6enjzWGXKLRfhNwtl3mFLNrhCJQvOqJQRmhIlUPYFXFZsxi3o21BOi3rpVPxobfrSbwwPPPn14fqa5jkFkxh6xW0ECRo_4gpGRes6qjEpoSvsEP79pplXLjE5X6nNU/s1600-h/C702E399.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329838836615772146" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 285px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 201px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVsQboCcqVYmTz6enjzWGXKLRfhNwtl3mFLNrhCJQvOqJQRmhIlUPYFXFZsxi3o21BOi3rpVPxobfrSbwwPPPn14fqa5jkFkxh6xW0ECRo_4gpGRes6qjEpoSvsEP79pplXLjE5X6nNU/s320/C702E399.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>I've been over there 4 times now and the kids have been over here twice planting veggies. And a more serious bunch of planters I’ve never seen, some of those seeds are well and truly planted I can tell you. </div><div><br /><br /></div><div>Needless to say the worm bin was a big hit.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WD-cMFVNp273HLNfuOEx2rjfosQFuXMQh9YHF5CxpF5Fel6F5pXGF3jMAwLSKdI6WAOA-lN2qRfq6W2SklrwGqBYrNZesLXhtC7lfVl9tpPPNB-lJvxlY8CbX431U6BM7SP98krDae4/s1600-h/F344A20F.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329839509250254114" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 296px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7WD-cMFVNp273HLNfuOEx2rjfosQFuXMQh9YHF5CxpF5Fel6F5pXGF3jMAwLSKdI6WAOA-lN2qRfq6W2SklrwGqBYrNZesLXhtC7lfVl9tpPPNB-lJvxlY8CbX431U6BM7SP98krDae4/s320/F344A20F.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>I kinda felt sorry for all those worms, the kids really got up close and personal with them. I suspect that several of them went home that day with worms in their pockets. I wonder what their parents thought of that?<br /><br /><br /></div><div>On to the front circle where those three diseased and dying fir trees were taken out in January. Much has been going on there as well, The grounds crew has been very busy clearing the old plants out of the way, planting new pear trees around the enterance and getting ready to landscape the front circle. </div><div><br /><br /></div><div>The excavator took 100yds of old dirt out, plus several of the stumps of the old trees. Then we had several truck loads of good topsoil brought in, along with a load of boulders. Right now the sprnkler system has been installed, the water feature is being built and the pathways are just starting to get built. </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9etDhiFeXUh_u_tfXN9Mu7WTvkWDfm2SgFrw1-M_x3z4zF6vtzx9G5daeOpfEoxElGEd9Jh7Ug3Lvc6mKA9fL6Ohb3WEtLXNiqoypuXQs_MO80_T33bNz3je6qJ0c-snJouWDfdpvUQI/s1600-h/more+april+blog+028.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331267386603933954" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 284px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 201px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9etDhiFeXUh_u_tfXN9Mu7WTvkWDfm2SgFrw1-M_x3z4zF6vtzx9G5daeOpfEoxElGEd9Jh7Ug3Lvc6mKA9fL6Ohb3WEtLXNiqoypuXQs_MO80_T33bNz3je6qJ0c-snJouWDfdpvUQI/s320/more+april+blog+028.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlBhZsaZ3GmtCrWRO_gmnlq5EmOADE5UYTlcla8DTEGqjeeyKp_8u1h9M9LJjMRxKUsxP86yujThAd9VmOJNQ02JJqv9t5ytga6nh_u719-tPpiu3v1wq-eVEd9bTTYnq8cyC3mgyt6s/s1600-h/more+april+blog+029.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331267174618839890" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 294px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 208px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlBhZsaZ3GmtCrWRO_gmnlq5EmOADE5UYTlcla8DTEGqjeeyKp_8u1h9M9LJjMRxKUsxP86yujThAd9VmOJNQ02JJqv9t5ytga6nh_u719-tPpiu3v1wq-eVEd9bTTYnq8cyC3mgyt6s/s320/more+april+blog+029.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>All this work is being done by our very own grounds crew. Who will I am sure be very glad when such a huge project is done and over with. This will have completely changed the way the front enterance looked. When it's done you will have to come by and take a look.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Sedgewickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17667422368344434889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943033311082155424.post-53398641905413441062009-04-05T13:49:00.000-07:002009-04-05T15:32:18.092-07:00A time for everything<div><div><div><div><div><div><br /><div></div><br /><div>‘There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…to be born, to die, to plant, to uproot, to kill, to heal, to tear down, to build, to weep, to laugh, to mourn, to dance, to scatter, to gather,, to embrace or not, to search, to give up, to keep, to throw away, to tear, to mend, to be silent, to speak, to love, to hate, to have war and a time for peace’ (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9I6KhNQkK5ExqgvlWfrvLUb7ZGUMVj6jWJJbQBoGV3DaZ78kQinW6BvorKeRoRd4JrprTVbESDDeWbnrlJ0ijW5cDDdTHEzRThQTr3hpltWL6NRY0me-WBUxWe_uXJQt0rS8siYf53g/s1600-h/aprilblogphotos+026.jpg"></a></div><br /><div>I don't often quote the bible, but as a gardener I have learned to let the seasons of the year dictate my activities in the landscapes where I live and work. I have learned this through many years of watching nature go through her cycles of the seasons. Paying attention to what happened each season and how what I did during one season affected the landscape in later seasons.</div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9I6KhNQkK5ExqgvlWfrvLUb7ZGUMVj6jWJJbQBoGV3DaZ78kQinW6BvorKeRoRd4JrprTVbESDDeWbnrlJ0ijW5cDDdTHEzRThQTr3hpltWL6NRY0me-WBUxWe_uXJQt0rS8siYf53g/s1600-h/aprilblogphotos+026.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321312448083753714" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 269px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 193px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9I6KhNQkK5ExqgvlWfrvLUb7ZGUMVj6jWJJbQBoGV3DaZ78kQinW6BvorKeRoRd4JrprTVbESDDeWbnrlJ0ijW5cDDdTHEzRThQTr3hpltWL6NRY0me-WBUxWe_uXJQt0rS8siYf53g/s320/aprilblogphotos+026.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigJ6pirLD_3lRQLL09sf_AUQWWJfqZaow1JqQzdC16XJfi8SUUICHh02YgAIT94WZcqkQsBOod_zCtC9_CV1xHPOi7trJhd4P63FnPuc7JD9167etbEqB8AgrexNLIky_Qa9I1q1gXPPw/s1600-h/aprilblogphotos+021.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321337581561591682" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 292px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 208px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigJ6pirLD_3lRQLL09sf_AUQWWJfqZaow1JqQzdC16XJfi8SUUICHh02YgAIT94WZcqkQsBOod_zCtC9_CV1xHPOi7trJhd4P63FnPuc7JD9167etbEqB8AgrexNLIky_Qa9I1q1gXPPw/s320/aprilblogphotos+021.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>This first photo is of a forsythia that was trimmed down in winter. It was a slow time of year, a dry day perhaps and it would save some time later in the year when things got busier.</div><div> </div></div><br /><div><div>The second photo is of a forsythia that had been trimmed in the late spring of last year. These photos were taken the same day. </div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>To trim a forsythia a month or two before it blooms, cutting off and throwing away the glorious show of flowers the plant took all year to grow is something that I do not understand. It just goes against everything that Ecclesiastes was saying in the bible quote I opened with, and while I am not a religious man in the formal sense I do believe Ecclesiastes spoke the truth. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Here's another couple of photos of two sward ferns that happen to be planted 30 feet apart. Again, the photos were taken the same day. The one that did not get trimmed has looked pretty good all winter while the one that got trimmed in December has looked like a brown hedge hog the last 4 months. While I have to admit that trimming the fern in early winter has saved some time, I have to ask; Was it really worth 4 months of looking like a hedge hog was squatting in front of the welcome mat?</div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwrE1_JPZk_abxSjcIYJ8vO-8TOAiP2HEeCwY2c4kxMzmibZQJgwNnn2GqaFC6ynj1m-LPZ5NyF1QjXTKv1GnzDmqYFi7ZHoMSDN9nDwgzriLhns9vh_iXyGB_6JOZWfrNzNuymmqZars/s1600-h/aprilblogphotos+021.jpg"></a></div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRD_1joOE1qiKMJKf4SvUBOgn5kasrl_j4KZ0nT3qYPLAML1Mjn0LeVG7WWoaOBWod2JJsbqrEkoT73zNGt0D8Ym8ArGVL_y7uoGDCSoRln3LPqLuGcx1wApy-sFyZXHUtzT4PHXas0Q/s1600-h/aprilblogphotos+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321312773561388738" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 283px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 211px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrRD_1joOE1qiKMJKf4SvUBOgn5kasrl_j4KZ0nT3qYPLAML1Mjn0LeVG7WWoaOBWod2JJsbqrEkoT73zNGt0D8Ym8ArGVL_y7uoGDCSoRln3LPqLuGcx1wApy-sFyZXHUtzT4PHXas0Q/s320/aprilblogphotos+002.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaM-PFcTGjmzin9vQ44e5NMOX-OkWVt_XYBU7uQkIJNhRfcPY8Mt0zv1nm8LSSzcCbQQ_lP9p5d5lAj84sCOIgZ7S02XYL9hRDhDj1GFOKZqWz3x48kdQAXh-wNeV8yggXzqrR5wlj7j8/s1600-h/aprilblogphotos+003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321312903813792786" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 294px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 207px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaM-PFcTGjmzin9vQ44e5NMOX-OkWVt_XYBU7uQkIJNhRfcPY8Mt0zv1nm8LSSzcCbQQ_lP9p5d5lAj84sCOIgZ7S02XYL9hRDhDj1GFOKZqWz3x48kdQAXh-wNeV8yggXzqrR5wlj7j8/s320/aprilblogphotos+003.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwrE1_JPZk_abxSjcIYJ8vO-8TOAiP2HEeCwY2c4kxMzmibZQJgwNnn2GqaFC6ynj1m-LPZ5NyF1QjXTKv1GnzDmqYFi7ZHoMSDN9nDwgzriLhns9vh_iXyGB_6JOZWfrNzNuymmqZars/s1600-h/aprilblogphotos+021.jpg"></a></div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>"There is a time for everything....." The incident of the forsythia and the fern are small, and perhaps insignificant and I am sure some would say the convenience of saving time far outweighed the waste of the flowers of the forsythia and the long winters ugliness of the fern. I'm just an old fashioned hopeless starry eyed dreamer; I believe as a gardener it is my job to bring the beauty, wonder and grandeur of nature to others. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The person who trimmed the forsthia and the fern above may have done their job as a landscape mantenance person but as a gardener they have failed.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgB1iEZQcagKMdzggVBfiWjpnm8i60n_jNVijVZUxIdMsCqe1nMdG-Kw6h8pNlU21vqb17I4PQJIyfcDhuuPSTMHnLt32GLl3-vcruhDVuhGZQDi7UpBeeOAsFgAeIUTS7wYFuwcR3Zx8/s1600-h/aprilblogphotos+010.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321314711312401746" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 264px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 211px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgB1iEZQcagKMdzggVBfiWjpnm8i60n_jNVijVZUxIdMsCqe1nMdG-Kw6h8pNlU21vqb17I4PQJIyfcDhuuPSTMHnLt32GLl3-vcruhDVuhGZQDi7UpBeeOAsFgAeIUTS7wYFuwcR3Zx8/s320/aprilblogphotos+010.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq60rnQkJoWKwo9i__yEhDcF80nWGZhAcxnURT-S9v8ZwOCLk4XrdjqdmYqwl0oA57OmuKPezJgNBTvvekMSpIrdtzneYLz1RNzaDReOB1KjGi7UFURrkzAqOGRPf1_4v-6teVsW12d0Y/s1600-h/aprilblogphotos+024.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321313204195844674" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 287px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 216px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq60rnQkJoWKwo9i__yEhDcF80nWGZhAcxnURT-S9v8ZwOCLk4XrdjqdmYqwl0oA57OmuKPezJgNBTvvekMSpIrdtzneYLz1RNzaDReOB1KjGi7UFURrkzAqOGRPf1_4v-6teVsW12d0Y/s320/aprilblogphotos+024.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I will stop now with just a couple of photos of some of the trees here at Rose Villa. And during this spring time of year so filled with renewal and rebirth, please dont just maintain, be a gardener.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Sedgewickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17667422368344434889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943033311082155424.post-74500253992767805252009-03-10T13:07:00.000-07:002009-03-18T08:42:58.642-07:00Wiggily worms<div><br /><div>I have started down the wiggily, crawly gooey path of worm composting. Which means that in my office I have 3 worm bins sitting where I can keep an eye on them and check out every day just what is going on with my wiggily friends. The first couple of days they seemed to want to get out of the bins and wonder around the office, unfortunatly if I didn't see them in time that kind of activity meant a slow death as they dryed out. But I am pleased to say that they have settled down and accepted their new home. And I am learning just what worms like to eat and what they dont like. These guys are just not all that fond of potato peelings or carrot peelings, but toss some green stuff in to them like lettuce or bits of celery and they really get excited and proceed to make slimy goop out it. </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5csG-8fCHUjT_P_lmoM0gECRIEO0FQJjs3UYmDXl-yFQNYTcnOv0D-Lq8FMRaniwmM7rpAsqWO2s__D8ZYOaBdrLTtAQxvQmhmDI7Vhqt7rWpNWQPnHmvG93k8ODgQB7qI9Zm_5RkOd0/s1600-h/IMG_1268%5B1%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311663183583631634" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5csG-8fCHUjT_P_lmoM0gECRIEO0FQJjs3UYmDXl-yFQNYTcnOv0D-Lq8FMRaniwmM7rpAsqWO2s__D8ZYOaBdrLTtAQxvQmhmDI7Vhqt7rWpNWQPnHmvG93k8ODgQB7qI9Zm_5RkOd0/s320/IMG_1268%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>And it seems they are really coffee hounds, sprinkle some used coffee grounds in to them and it dissappears in just two or three days. Which reminds me, I will have to get some sort of tray to set these bins on as they are starting to leak 'worm tea' out the bottom. Which is a really good thing as worm tea is an excellent fertilizer for a wide varitiey of plants. It is a living fertilizer that can not only provide the nutrients plants need directly, but also help make the soil itself into a living thing that is much more willing to give up its nutrients to plants. </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0F1kqDA56l2p1U4tH_q1XpB1RXw3EdvMb96G0WEkYWC3iZKkI1p6t_ldvaYax5WbmK_HVK445wWFSRWWVg6rUlWzQIHh966oYkbZ5EPBNMEy4nGWlbpsv4TugZhN_1brNq1jTYozNqg/s1600-h/IMG_1271%5B1%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5311663589715767474" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0F1kqDA56l2p1U4tH_q1XpB1RXw3EdvMb96G0WEkYWC3iZKkI1p6t_ldvaYax5WbmK_HVK445wWFSRWWVg6rUlWzQIHh966oYkbZ5EPBNMEy4nGWlbpsv4TugZhN_1brNq1jTYozNqg/s320/IMG_1271%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>And then of course there's the castings from the worms, which, to put it rather directly is the worm poop. This is really good stuff. As with worm tea it is a living compost full of all the good bacteria and microbes soil needs to grow plants. </div><br /><br /><div>One final word on worms, the bins in my office have been here over a month now and they are really starting to 'work'. I'm seeing worm castings start to accumulate and worm tea starting to seep out of the bottom and these bins have never smelled. I expected they would smell like the garbage can under the sink when it's been left too long on a summers day. But, nope, not a wiff of garbage, the only thing I can ever smell is a composty, dirt smell, which, being a gardener I dont mind at all.</div><br /><br /><div>I have been told that worm bins can go outside in all weathers, that in the winter when it gets really cold, like below freezing you just have to make sure the little beastys are kept from actually freezing. So then the bins should be up against the south side of a building, or, if it gets really cold the bins can be covered like you would a plant to keep it from suffering freeze damage. But I have to admit I have kept these 3 bins in my office because it was cold outside and I felt bad about shoving the worms outside so soon after I got them, but, now that the weather is warming up a bit I'm thinking I should find a spot outside for them to live. </div><br /><br /><div>Or, maybe I can find an empty apt to put them, nobody would mind them in an empty apt and there the tempurature would be even throughout the seasons. Or, maybe I'll just keep them in my office and fix up a leak proof tray under them. They aren't really doing any harm on the other side of the room, and it's not like they play loud music or have wild parties over there. </div><br /><br /><div>Stay tuned to see where the worms wind up.</div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div>Sedgewickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17667422368344434889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943033311082155424.post-87188864736373503072009-02-23T12:42:00.000-08:002009-02-24T08:30:14.222-08:00Sunshine, chainsaws and Rot at Rose Villa<div><br /><br /><div><div><div><div>We've had absolutely wonderful weather the last few weeks here at Rose Villa. Sunshine, warm days with cool nights. Hopefully the last few mornings of frost, I have gotten real tired of scraping frost off my car windshield in the morning!<br /><br /></div><div>The garden plots I am getting ready for planting are finally ready for planting, just have to wait till time to start popping seeds into the beds. It took longer then I had figured to dig compost into the beds and create raised rows and put newspaper and straw on the pathways. It's called no-till vegetable gardening. Which at this point I find rather a humorous choice of words. Between spreading compost by shovel and wheelbarrow, digging it up into raised beds, putting down newspaper and straw and then wheelbarrowing and shoveling more compost onto the raised rows I've spent a good long time with a shovel in my hands. Here's before and after photos of the same bed, just a different angle.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUCrIgA7jMQQqn6r_zQCGCSlwoV2DuIVfIsGgdAwq0ZA4jgsSebQB3UAtTWwE37lXS16wBDgk7KjUff_JSHGoPXr-Aln8bFPAJlW_cupvC9diLqccXUjKIGEEPa-4RoOabKB3FWSzqRo/s1600-h/garden+before+photos+005.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306396502323258770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipUCrIgA7jMQQqn6r_zQCGCSlwoV2DuIVfIsGgdAwq0ZA4jgsSebQB3UAtTWwE37lXS16wBDgk7KjUff_JSHGoPXr-Aln8bFPAJlW_cupvC9diLqccXUjKIGEEPa-4RoOabKB3FWSzqRo/s320/garden+before+photos+005.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7GiUn2P44GOmk2nObHnn4kjkGj6NQK9zKaW4z_74S1eUqqeYzluOykYJ-afzw1g6_n4E8cOamBCYRK0bk6Z2p_Vz5VndaR5I3NW49Ml5H2J1LwUOudkUivRdwSdiqYIPd_CQZWTk9mxg/s1600-h/EM+and+Garden+Late+Feb+005.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306397528629766210" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7GiUn2P44GOmk2nObHnn4kjkGj6NQK9zKaW4z_74S1eUqqeYzluOykYJ-afzw1g6_n4E8cOamBCYRK0bk6Z2p_Vz5VndaR5I3NW49Ml5H2J1LwUOudkUivRdwSdiqYIPd_CQZWTk9mxg/s320/EM+and+Garden+Late+Feb+005.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>But it's done now and the first thing I will be planting are the strawberry starts I got from a nursery down the valley about a week ago. I'm thinking I will need at least twice the starts as I first purchased which was 25, so that will give me a chance to get something different. I'm trying to get at least two whole rows of ever bearing strawberries going so we can have lots and lots of berries as time goes on. </div><br /><div>Otherwise, I'm starting to hang out at seed displays at the local garden centers, it's amazing to me how many different kinds of beans, lettuce, corn and etc there are, how I am going to decided what to get and what to plant is still a guessing game. I'm leaning toward fast maturing veggies and veggies that can be companion planted together. Things like onions in with the strawberries, at least until the berries start to take over the row. Which shouldn't happen till next year. </div><br /><div>Another project that is getting started is the cedar split rail fence going into the English Meadow. I will be planting and espaliering 9 fruit trees on this fence. I know that this year I cant expect a very large fruit crop, but by next year and the year after we should be able to harvest a goodly selection and quantity of apples, pears, and plums from this fence row. </div><br /><div>The big news from Rose Villa however is what's been going on in the front entrance area. We have had three full sized Douglas Fir trees and a medium Blue Spruce tree in the front circle lawn area since before the Villa was built, back in 1959. The firs were between 3 and 4 feet in diameter at the base, unfortunately they have been battling a root rot disease for at least the last 10 years. After several treatments for this disease we came to the decision that the trees were <span style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffff00">not savable </span>and needed to be cut down before they fell down. So after some rather spectacular work by the tree climbers who cut the trees down and several days of brutally hard </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCWmBT5eyf5Ctp3ACwo_aF80cx1mopztdfpFhdp3CxtAcpzmEEwB3tPD2zCZrnfewIWAXBB_zR2HbkBRhhwrWPTUa0NljIlZ61EoxcLS_NLqj0il6P6ioP9n8pFjzMJOjsGivB5nbOL4/s1600-h/February+09+007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306120870932009698" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCWmBT5eyf5Ctp3ACwo_aF80cx1mopztdfpFhdp3CxtAcpzmEEwB3tPD2zCZrnfewIWAXBB_zR2HbkBRhhwrWPTUa0NljIlZ61EoxcLS_NLqj0il6P6ioP9n8pFjzMJOjsGivB5nbOL4/s320/February+09+007.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eGxtggVD7W9SudNDWroiw9OOno2IDks_FyAinIyG_vjmEnQuW9hAIAI4AQm-8paOj5dIpg5YDXeXTCWxfS1sZnUtxbs0O416TSpCn_qWN57VJI0f1TcWIHuvyPUUXoVcmWOQ5Fdo_rQ/s1600-h/February+23,09+014.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306122287969198706" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2eGxtggVD7W9SudNDWroiw9OOno2IDks_FyAinIyG_vjmEnQuW9hAIAI4AQm-8paOj5dIpg5YDXeXTCWxfS1sZnUtxbs0O416TSpCn_qWN57VJI0f1TcWIHuvyPUUXoVcmWOQ5Fdo_rQ/s320/February+23,09+014.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>work by the grounds crew splitting the wood into firewood the trees are gone. Here's before and after photos of the front area from the side, I think it appropriate that it's raining in the after photo. </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpectSTlImmIp7_yaZqzKqbaGd4-XZ_VazTW91jBEznfaTaiR60vJIO3wj02-ijk2vVIodO7cGfLmknwvij0f6BM0V9pUoB132o13Pox4t1SYOYjaGgG_1kd3QPcCguE02gGbQSwk9des/s1600-h/February+23,09+019.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306122828843330146" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpectSTlImmIp7_yaZqzKqbaGd4-XZ_VazTW91jBEznfaTaiR60vJIO3wj02-ijk2vVIodO7cGfLmknwvij0f6BM0V9pUoB132o13Pox4t1SYOYjaGgG_1kd3QPcCguE02gGbQSwk9des/s320/February+23,09+019.jpg" border="0" /></a> Only stumps and mounds of sawdust left now. And what stumps, they all showed signs of rot but this one was particularly spectacular. That's all punky wood in the center of the stump and it went at least 20 up the center of the tree. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div>So now we have around 10 cords of firewood curing down in an empty garage and the entire front entrance looking, well, pretty bare and unlovely. Now it's up to the Grounds boss to re landscape the front area and make it look good again. I'm thinking this will be a dramatic change from what's out there now and what was there before the trees came down. Something to look forward to for sure. </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>Sedgewickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17667422368344434889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943033311082155424.post-11379692863599571262009-02-11T10:48:00.000-08:002009-02-11T11:36:16.483-08:00<div><br /><div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkV2y-P1zwnkdVGIAVOrS-jpDgmSLVt8owj88I6p9KVDBp9cqu-pD8VakqdLD2VS9-XFBhc8ZgtfaEEBfJRa1sMagWKAjO7uTy2GRnxrS2UqvqVWA8S-sK1Fewhs1p3eNO7saWnc6BRp0/s1600-h/February+09+005.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301614677365878674" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkV2y-P1zwnkdVGIAVOrS-jpDgmSLVt8owj88I6p9KVDBp9cqu-pD8VakqdLD2VS9-XFBhc8ZgtfaEEBfJRa1sMagWKAjO7uTy2GRnxrS2UqvqVWA8S-sK1Fewhs1p3eNO7saWnc6BRp0/s320/February+09+005.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELOM1rrs7VgmiBzLQa9zOK9reg9XnGGSg58EONH09OdcgtWZEa4cuNGmfngn-R3QdrtvNYdSqD3tAiPzxmA-6LF3JZ1lYuCHTeCSGZzMNbuHSh29VAKp0RmSw2VSz7quqM7sqOxQ1IS0/s1600-h/February+09+002.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301614257424220802" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgELOM1rrs7VgmiBzLQa9zOK9reg9XnGGSg58EONH09OdcgtWZEa4cuNGmfngn-R3QdrtvNYdSqD3tAiPzxmA-6LF3JZ1lYuCHTeCSGZzMNbuHSh29VAKp0RmSw2VSz7quqM7sqOxQ1IS0/s320/February+09+002.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>It's been a month since I last posted anything here and lots has been happening at Rose Villa. The third snow storm of the winter I wont even mention as it was such a small <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">insignificant</span> event compared to the snow storm before <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Christmas</span>. Instead I'll talk about the exciting new developments in the resident <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">vegtable</span> gardens. </div><br /><div>Mainly that I have been <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">assigned</span> 6 garden plots to use to supply the main Rose Villa kitchen with produce this summer! Which is exciting because despite having worked in the landscape maintenance industry for well over 35, almost 40 years, I have only actually had maybe 10 or 12 <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">vegtable</span> gardens. And while I know the principals of growing plants are the same I also know there is a world of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">difference</span> in growing plants for ornamental reasons and growing plants for food. </div><br /><div>So the first photo is of one of my plots after I had put 4 to 6 inches of compost on it and then worked it up into raised rows. As soon as I get some more dry weather, newspaper and straw will go in between the raised rows for pathways and then more compost on the raised beds and then they will be ready for planting. It is a modified no-till / intensive gardening method, which, once you get the beds created shouldn't require the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">regular</span> tilling or digging up that most gardens need. We shall see.</div><br /><div>The second photo is of a compost bin I built from plans I found on the local Metro website. It's three bins with removable slats in front for ease of working. The grounds dept will be <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">suppling</span> me with appropriate material to get the composting operation going. Leaves, small clippings, dead weeds, other select material that will work in a bin that is only 3ft by 3ft. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfBhP0YVOaSiTJhxanBlLcZ3mpPAVV8ofIbv7DGI3-xfxecrTs9Wqc9ezU8eqUSA-Gr4-so828_pvTYPwjAZ11LpphL0DNgpE-ZkCzY4HZcBa2nsHd8qMV6ylWbYQ2gu8lgJ3BuklOhc/s1600-h/january132009+028.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301615480790988834" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfBhP0YVOaSiTJhxanBlLcZ3mpPAVV8ofIbv7DGI3-xfxecrTs9Wqc9ezU8eqUSA-Gr4-so828_pvTYPwjAZ11LpphL0DNgpE-ZkCzY4HZcBa2nsHd8qMV6ylWbYQ2gu8lgJ3BuklOhc/s320/january132009+028.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPd9TxgTPCJGBrQ7h1LjYTIvdJhxRrHizXSzF03F-jPpLuAawMeX1n3TQ_gD_cREMlidiV0mkyUNW7vk-27kIlwNw-xNWyy1L6iWV9ebAA9rJ66_1rGtQrwflOk8HQCitbFiPeN7r_wdg/s1600-h/january132009+040.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301615816083550850" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPd9TxgTPCJGBrQ7h1LjYTIvdJhxRrHizXSzF03F-jPpLuAawMeX1n3TQ_gD_cREMlidiV0mkyUNW7vk-27kIlwNw-xNWyy1L6iWV9ebAA9rJ66_1rGtQrwflOk8HQCitbFiPeN7r_wdg/s320/january132009+040.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>These next two photos are of one of the three big fir trees in Rose Villa's entrance circle. All three of the trees will be taken down because they are all in varying stages of terminal root rot. Which is soil disease that is fairly common in firs. It's too bad to lose them, but it's better to cut them down now rather then wait to have them fall over later. The photo on the right is of the top of the first tree, it was topped maybe 25 years ago and you can see what happens when you top a fir. The tree tried to '<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">callus</span>' over the cut, but the cut was so big that is started to rot out right down the trunk. Looking at the next several cuts I could see that the rot had proceeded to make it down about 8 feet into the trunk. </div><br /><div>We got about 4 1/2 cords of firewood from this first tree, anyone want to buy some firewood?</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6KAP0Ny9SNFFtvCqp1BsxIJxE5KXJ06iCCmmcV84U5NLmh-D2Z2z8xg-iLbsSdY1iuTlNtSUvVPmbq9yN3IAI0HQZloRrOiARLr8G5B78c2SCLh7Dog5EjoqS8CjSLs7w6l2G8Xgym4/s1600-h/january132009+051.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301616100717265794" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6KAP0Ny9SNFFtvCqp1BsxIJxE5KXJ06iCCmmcV84U5NLmh-D2Z2z8xg-iLbsSdY1iuTlNtSUvVPmbq9yN3IAI0HQZloRrOiARLr8G5B78c2SCLh7Dog5EjoqS8CjSLs7w6l2G8Xgym4/s320/january132009+051.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoPQ2fJLG4q9TFMxex-MnizRz-iBTYUaNK3SgfC8Z21pSgqDML0AL79W2wMFJMrtBqgl44QJP1E8aXgiwqzHE-PUdxdGwi4ODdQa-POxA5LD3elo9yv46NJV-4cNMnb2Cwoj0x193pJQ/s1600-h/February+09+019.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301615006690372594" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoPQ2fJLG4q9TFMxex-MnizRz-iBTYUaNK3SgfC8Z21pSgqDML0AL79W2wMFJMrtBqgl44QJP1E8aXgiwqzHE-PUdxdGwi4ODdQa-POxA5LD3elo9yv46NJV-4cNMnb2Cwoj0x193pJQ/s320/February+09+019.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The next photo is of the last section of the tree being cut down, it landed between the blue spruce and the big piece of trunk already on the ground. Really precision falling. The next two fir trees in the front circle will also have to come down, they are are even more badly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">affected</span> by the root rot. However, because they are so close to the electric wires special rules apply to working on them. We will have to get a different company that has different training and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">insurance</span> to clear the wires. So it will be a week or two before they come down, but come down they will.</div><br /><div>The final photo is what I saw in my walk around today. If you look really <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">closely</span> you can just make out the eagles mate sitting about 6 feet down the tree. I talked with one of the people who live here and she told me that she and her neighbors have been watching these two bald eagles hanging out in this tree all winter. I wonder if they will be nesting here? I'll keep you posted.</div></div></div></div></div></div>Sedgewickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17667422368344434889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943033311082155424.post-62119616278321072892009-01-13T14:44:00.000-08:002009-01-16T16:25:53.399-08:00<div><br />That was sure some interesting weather we had over the holidays wasn't it? But it's over now, at least till the next time. But for now the sun is shining, it's a warm afternoon and all the plants are waking up for spring. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlochi8m9OgLc1CiqkUIRKdbQJzDrWNUlqQGlbruQQ-4L4_Rl7w7KR5sYJtfpIPQHcaL8ClWkuKqM1Q6YLIDuD88HuBd1WJ7XlROaIjHC639fmNDFJuPuphTw8h69alXT1Ek-jS06bns/s1600-h/january132009+004.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290913555579652258" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBlochi8m9OgLc1CiqkUIRKdbQJzDrWNUlqQGlbruQQ-4L4_Rl7w7KR5sYJtfpIPQHcaL8ClWkuKqM1Q6YLIDuD88HuBd1WJ7XlROaIjHC639fmNDFJuPuphTw8h69alXT1Ek-jS06bns/s320/january132009+004.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>This daphne is just a few days or a week or so away from popping out and the roses are starting to push out new growth. It will not be long before that glorious scent of spring, daphne, drifts ac cross the landscape.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>It's always a bit worrying to see this kind of growth on roses this soon in the year. There is still time for a hard freeze to hit in late January and if it does this new grow nth would freeze right off. Which is why I always try to wait to do the spring trimming of roses until Valentines day in February. And the cold December winds did in fact kill some of the top growth on the roses. But we had planned on that and had left lots of cane to trim back in spring. </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ieT2zL7hoe6r_HS8x3IU4JHEcHeu3mhq5WDRzILzIiRMml3vYfEdQ1qys1M7d427WgS1bY2FveyByp1wJ1qAcXoorWXiFXJ6zDjUeGwjE7Um_l102najUJQYz5tZZc_cHqEfzX0xFu8/s1600-h/january132009+008.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290914295249661442" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ieT2zL7hoe6r_HS8x3IU4JHEcHeu3mhq5WDRzILzIiRMml3vYfEdQ1qys1M7d427WgS1bY2FveyByp1wJ1qAcXoorWXiFXJ6zDjUeGwjE7Um_l102najUJQYz5tZZc_cHqEfzX0xFu8/s320/january132009+008.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Usually my first harbinger of spring are the snow drops. Which from the picture below you can see are still quite a ways from popping out. Maybe by the end of the month they will be out and swinging in the breeze. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290913894699804002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjywrm4qJdV8kSeffgQLviFCAjprEww2VTeqhC_pbwWuLrGYWPiJAZjemOkNNnUl6H5HKMrK7drX83eGHP6YCRD7Qo-O4iabB21LGr-PAz3XMMIvMpG7eP_8mbbBEmAE60PwneRLDkZPU8/s320/january132009+006.jpg" border="0" />The other harbinger of spring is the sight of the groundskeepers here at Rose Villa walking along behind a fertilizer spreader. And sure enough just this morning I saw one walk past my office window pushing a spreader with lawn fertilizer in it. And what that means to an old gardener like me is that it's time to get the lawn mowers out of storage and make sure they still run. </div><br /><div></div><div>Update, the snow drop by my office is blooming! Hurray!</div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div></div></div>Sedgewickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17667422368344434889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943033311082155424.post-86642729083060176942008-12-29T15:22:00.000-08:002008-12-30T09:57:27.347-08:00<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYoSssAkkIMUlAEGxpa4Qr5UMN2ZLOG1_CMT3JtjU3T6GrymiKsk0l3A1o6Opj7FoPGPKyBKhg4Qm_ABLctu-Kcp9t_LHtqlDMyA-tmqRNPJGbBVNuXxPoXf1xb56G4GZW1TKe9VLprg/s1600-h/IMG_1092.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285356920468733298" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaYoSssAkkIMUlAEGxpa4Qr5UMN2ZLOG1_CMT3JtjU3T6GrymiKsk0l3A1o6Opj7FoPGPKyBKhg4Qm_ABLctu-Kcp9t_LHtqlDMyA-tmqRNPJGbBVNuXxPoXf1xb56G4GZW1TKe9VLprg/s320/IMG_1092.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div>Did anyone else besides me notice the strange resemblance that Portland had last week to Narnia, where it's always winter, but never Christmas? It <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSmWSyigv3HMf3QJXaDRB_DmDHSLaODeXs5dl0jajkKXuAt1lQOdb87d0zF6JDCfNHQsejaW6xvA_fNyIVDdtwcDL3OX5lBuRVvuaGi0usxw0EiNilqL2bQfy07NVK-D1b3OSLUQCJu4/s1600-h/IMG_1053.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285357483623025138" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrSmWSyigv3HMf3QJXaDRB_DmDHSLaODeXs5dl0jajkKXuAt1lQOdb87d0zF6JDCfNHQsejaW6xvA_fNyIVDdtwcDL3OX5lBuRVvuaGi0usxw0EiNilqL2bQfy07NVK-D1b3OSLUQCJu4/s320/IMG_1053.JPG" border="0" /></a>just seemed to snow and snow and snow. Here at Rose Villa everyone turned out to help shovel snow. This is Louis with his mom in the background, and yes he did indeed do more then just throw that snowball. He helped his dad shovel snow off the sidewalks. Good lad. </div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div>At my house it was a measured 17 inches deep and I think it was that deep at Rose Villa as well. </div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><div>If you look real close you can see the humming bird feeders. My wife put 'hats' of cardboard box lids over them to keep the snow off the feeding stations. She still had to keep bringing them inside to thaw out every few hours. In the 'snowy' photo the hats have cones of snow on them.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehYne7r51jF56omPbvBRPvIozlC1DDM8ClTBXV9rmBN9NW5MVP6O8-g20nA7O9k6wy_orKXvhHVcMMuLep6Ffasz_UrhhYZ_xjUvXaAwB2WTWGBAK3Wv9VgVj03ZV79bQWNWplP6fWXU/s1600-h/029.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285636164697506258" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehYne7r51jF56omPbvBRPvIozlC1DDM8ClTBXV9rmBN9NW5MVP6O8-g20nA7O9k6wy_orKXvhHVcMMuLep6Ffasz_UrhhYZ_xjUvXaAwB2WTWGBAK3Wv9VgVj03ZV79bQWNWplP6fWXU/s320/029.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaoYNd1JcgO3cAvQ6GBo_D7w3_iTxlylCE3W6ouz97-LhvtMZ8L6rsOw6Vgd6m3aw6sKcjH6jrtS_-1sM7OExgyHLbUUIcgqqoaDNSYVAwY0B-cEp2o43yCElBUBzoHqd4jphDkk-RSQ4/s1600-h/IMG_1077.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285640577699193442" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaoYNd1JcgO3cAvQ6GBo_D7w3_iTxlylCE3W6ouz97-LhvtMZ8L6rsOw6Vgd6m3aw6sKcjH6jrtS_-1sM7OExgyHLbUUIcgqqoaDNSYVAwY0B-cEp2o43yCElBUBzoHqd4jphDkk-RSQ4/s320/IMG_1077.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><div>The last time it snowed as bad as this was way back in the early 1980's. Back when I had just started working here as the grounds boss. Now I am happy to say it was the new grounds boss, Bob who had to spend hours and hours, day after day moving snow around. He spent at least 6 or 7 days on snow patrol and when I talked to him just yesterday he was tired and worn out, but to his credit still upbeat and cheerful. Of course that could have been because the snow had melted by then. Here's <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkYAsDqMu4-zdEb1nvyiuXOB0Wo0rz7L14Stg3l3Lo3tJupC_sdOnrZqvcW2E5_2YNhFIHeRJc4fM488k1yzchU3t4mpziP5-k1HxZZL71LthfT98QWjwBv4rHwniuYfqzA1JBjf88B1U/s1600-h/IMG_1057.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285639440169337346" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkYAsDqMu4-zdEb1nvyiuXOB0Wo0rz7L14Stg3l3Lo3tJupC_sdOnrZqvcW2E5_2YNhFIHeRJc4fM488k1yzchU3t4mpziP5-k1HxZZL71LthfT98QWjwBv4rHwniuYfqzA1JBjf88B1U/s320/IMG_1057.JPG" border="0" /></a>a photo of a beautiful birch tree with a small yellow snow plow in the back ground.</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDyD_Ftre9hxXsoPyrkbWGswGAzX-ED1Gb6e9kVGWf34ywpAOkY7L4sknFZjqNcz6hDy_pvA0KIcsjIfCV_zG9pO7CH1HMyrcj2Bzm531I8z8UijeuJwd2e_aAByPU0lumpttjw37GE0/s1600-h/IMG_1066.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285360083733946594" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDyD_Ftre9hxXsoPyrkbWGswGAzX-ED1Gb6e9kVGWf34ywpAOkY7L4sknFZjqNcz6hDy_pvA0KIcsjIfCV_zG9pO7CH1HMyrcj2Bzm531I8z8UijeuJwd2e_aAByPU0lumpttjw37GE0/s320/IMG_1066.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br />And finally, what's an article about snow without a photo of icicles? These were off the laundry building roof. </div>And that's it for now, the snow has melted away, the temperature is above freezing and it's raining. Just like it is supposed to be in Oregon.<br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /> </div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Sedgewickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17667422368344434889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943033311082155424.post-60153995001961950012008-12-15T14:43:00.000-08:002008-12-18T13:54:37.891-08:00The day that the snow came to Rose Villa<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDByw3dVPbzmZjIEdz4sjsEjb5-68XvncZ8gPEEWx4vLzIMHuBBC8DsFhQyRBYFTRJVnSf6xbs92be6kPvry6NGNj2XMHNuYC5YBYU1CFr2F5m7duFB6W_9VRkNb2-vRiMEb152Xua1UM/s1600-h/winter+photos+058.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280921272517206866" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 312px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDByw3dVPbzmZjIEdz4sjsEjb5-68XvncZ8gPEEWx4vLzIMHuBBC8DsFhQyRBYFTRJVnSf6xbs92be6kPvry6NGNj2XMHNuYC5YBYU1CFr2F5m7duFB6W_9VRkNb2-vRiMEb152Xua1UM/s320/winter+photos+058.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div>Boy oh boy winter roared into the Portland area this last weekend! We had 4" of snow and then the temperature dropped to the low 20's. This photo is of the Grounds boss, Bob and you can tell he had a really great time riding around on the snow plow. </div><div> </div><div>Oh I know this may not be much of a winter storm for many people, my own sister back in Plymouth Mass. is suffering through far worse, but in this neck of the woods 4 inches of snow shuts the city down, the kids get a day or two off from school and all the tire shops make a fortune selling studded snow tires. The weathermen are calling this the worse winter weather since early 1990's. The grounds crew here at Rose Villa has worked two days now clearing sidewalks and streets and laying down ice melter and sand. <br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCPc2xQ_Rb9mNkAVXFeASNb8fIW735c_7wGxNWp4lItstKSXg8SCXkb6MuWvB_qtveq70v2vBVxWGJkjfhHjtLY791DQ8uVBcPTZKoNLDfzSMb3yaMo3nuLUjLilMj_CVLVc-1MKiksg/s1600-h/winter+photos+052.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280518336026020722" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 312px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCPc2xQ_Rb9mNkAVXFeASNb8fIW735c_7wGxNWp4lItstKSXg8SCXkb6MuWvB_qtveq70v2vBVxWGJkjfhHjtLY791DQ8uVBcPTZKoNLDfzSMb3yaMo3nuLUjLilMj_CVLVc-1MKiksg/s320/winter+photos+052.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /><br />It has been a long time since we have experienced seriously cold temperatures here on this hillside just south of Portland. At least 18 years by my count and perhaps even longer. I am concerned that we have been lulled into a false sense of security as far as plants being able to live through the winter. The last time it was below freezing for any extended time, back in the early 90's, I remember we lost a good many Sasanqua Camellias and pyracantas and many other plants that got burned by the wind chill. So it will very interesting to see what gets damaged by this cold spell.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280518913987711842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwr8DytI_KDCEetgN6aL6lyWdpIcCaSfAU8k4sXYVoQLuoPtVCMlgcnDZI1DbdAfW08sa03MXe4C66myqe4gr8ytNJp_8zAojmqrLuJH4r4PSbJTTdC-hN9JH5z1ugVa4Jp-sbj1t0pk/s320/winter+photos+055.jpg" border="0" /> This is our old friend Marmalade Mist from the last post. You can see it's crown is buried by the snow. Back in the old days we would cover the roses with composted chicken manure, but we haven't done that in a long time so seeing what the cold does to our rose gardens kinda makes me nervous. We could have some serious damage but then our rose gardens are definitely a survival of the fittest kind of thing so this will weed out the weak roses that may have pretty blooms, but just don't have that winter hardiness that so many others have.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlZ3rC8ZMb7beLDI9ThroB5OgiM03o8zwheAY6Kh4w_criJZpCCv9z94d9F0sBNzUBVgwwRl__5pITnikUIhrpe29MhLqrmyUl2IrfoA_0VA2eKw7KMLrvteniSkEHXTAhGy7q76KDwc/s1600-h/winter+photos+047.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281243231290771490" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlZ3rC8ZMb7beLDI9ThroB5OgiM03o8zwheAY6Kh4w_criJZpCCv9z94d9F0sBNzUBVgwwRl__5pITnikUIhrpe29MhLqrmyUl2IrfoA_0VA2eKw7KMLrvteniSkEHXTAhGy7q76KDwc/s320/winter+photos+047.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This photo is an example of what can happen when you let your inner child come out; note the cookies for eyes. They said the cookies were for the birds. Hopefully after this photo op they were headed inside for something hot and spicy.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExEwl9Y9BdtD_LKrRf7XNwVpT95-enU1aKxk0mlj1uVGAMoE2x13WuXAJHV8jXSllgdlwJwEOQcIbanxEbSh4vs-akliDcLHiVQXwG7JQ24hLqfCpTs3dlzMPqlS-vmsDkEApNK1zub0/s1600-h/various+photos+042.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281247168072787794" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgExEwl9Y9BdtD_LKrRf7XNwVpT95-enU1aKxk0mlj1uVGAMoE2x13WuXAJHV8jXSllgdlwJwEOQcIbanxEbSh4vs-akliDcLHiVQXwG7JQ24hLqfCpTs3dlzMPqlS-vmsDkEApNK1zub0/s320/various+photos+042.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74tQ97gJQ6i6pZvZv82AbBMUO5D_AjhRsOXuS_spR0oVGEaEyJcu1R7lrGhzd5iADF-oIEQeuS9jqpOE8BlPlVtebMkQ_vabyGFeV712E5XX6LU5GNONH0FGGmqLqF16PKOtUrjWIc84/s1600-h/various+photos+009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281246821860026290" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74tQ97gJQ6i6pZvZv82AbBMUO5D_AjhRsOXuS_spR0oVGEaEyJcu1R7lrGhzd5iADF-oIEQeuS9jqpOE8BlPlVtebMkQ_vabyGFeV712E5XX6LU5GNONH0FGGmqLqF16PKOtUrjWIc84/s320/various+photos+009.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div><div>Here's the photos from the last post, the one on the left is a flowering quince, Chaenomeles speciosa and the one on the right is a strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo.</div><div> </div><div>I'm headed into the Christmas party now, eat cookies, drink punch and sing carols. It's just starting to snow again, I sure hope it's coming down hard when we launch into 'White Christmas'.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Sedgewickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17667422368344434889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943033311082155424.post-40518428123137571642008-12-02T14:07:00.001-08:002008-12-03T14:26:23.026-08:00When nature holds it's breath(Doesn't everyone have a boxwood trimmed like a rooster in their back yard?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIaPx7DuBaAiH0SuPdj4x-FFs8b8Enj3YqDtCDsNcw8EBQh75DSrSvZPqSEkmXhg7F4oFU5WICbgPgXaTkQRo4MCrKAsThhMvPoCC1rcwUe4KXjOIFzbFLUh8vSrPXoaZ54CCO8zyUDc/s1600-h/various+photos+048.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275320593619020514" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIaPx7DuBaAiH0SuPdj4x-FFs8b8Enj3YqDtCDsNcw8EBQh75DSrSvZPqSEkmXhg7F4oFU5WICbgPgXaTkQRo4MCrKAsThhMvPoCC1rcwUe4KXjOIFzbFLUh8vSrPXoaZ54CCO8zyUDc/s320/various+photos+048.jpg" border="0" /></a>)<br /><br />Almost all the leaves have fallen off the trees, the grounds crew has raked, blown, picked up and otherwise disposed of the leaves, the lawns are so wet they are beginning to squish when you walk on them, which you better not do unless you are wearing waterproof boots, and when I go out in the morning to get the paper out of the paper box there is that slight chill in the air that promises old man winter is gathering his forces and is on his way.<br /><div><div><br /><br /><div>This is that brief time of year between the seasons when nature just seems to be holding it's breath.</div><br /><div>Which means it's time to trim roses. That's right, I trim roses right after the 1st of December. Just down to a point midway between my knees and hips. I wouldn't trim the roses at all except that it keeps the winter wind, ice and snow from breaking the canes down right to the crown of the plant. And along with trimming the roses this is a great time to clean up any old leaves, weeds and what not from under and around the roses. Bugs and disease organisms love to overwinter under dead leaves, so if you remove the old leaves you will be going a long way toward controlling pests next spring. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0IqpQg0rUnfanvJIBAU4E0eobviLlUSn7qkkg_20cIpPTXy1Lr2SB3PPBVx6OqL4os6Pf3r9z_xHzYBHyt4K9N_DGDbCdQ-AoI6tXRn6fTZaTguWKvTbXIalz2uZGRlD8UKRzqAY_Nk/s1600-h/various+photos+060.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275324845015269650" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv0IqpQg0rUnfanvJIBAU4E0eobviLlUSn7qkkg_20cIpPTXy1Lr2SB3PPBVx6OqL4os6Pf3r9z_xHzYBHyt4K9N_DGDbCdQ-AoI6tXRn6fTZaTguWKvTbXIalz2uZGRlD8UKRzqAY_Nk/s320/various+photos+060.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><p>This is an example of how short I trim, although the ground still needs a bit of clean up. The story behind this particular rose is that my dear sister, who lives in Plymouth MA. used to have a catboat named Marmalade. Thus when I ran across a rose named Marmalade Mist I couldn't resist bringing it into the Rose Villa rose garden. And it has proved to be a remarkable rose. Blooms freely all season long, and very nearly disease free. Pink blooms.</p><p>I should also mention that if your roses live in an area other then the hillside here at Rose Villa it may be a good idea to mound up mulch of some type over the crown of the plant. To a height of about 12 inches. This will protect the crown and the lower part of the canes from freezing cold. Many years ago at Rose Villa I used to use composted chicken manure. One half a bag per rose, and by spring time any 'heat' from the manure was gone and it could be pulled away from the rose and mixed into the soil as fertilizer. However, it's been a long time since there was any really dangerous cold weather here so I just let the roses tough it out. </p><p>My last word on 'winterizing' roses is about dormant spray. I don't use any. A thorough cleaning up now and again in spring takes care of most of the insects and disease organisms that are tying to make it through the winter by living under leaf clutter. Sure we have a few insects and bit of disease come springtime but it's an acceptable amount, easily delt with by some mild organic methiods of pest control. (More about this as the season progresses) Of course I also don't allow roses to live in our rose garden that have serious pest problems. The roses in the Rose Villa rose garden are tried and true survivors. </p><p>And that's about it for what I do during that brief time between the seasons when nature holds it's breath. I'll leave you with a few photos, any ideas what these are? Answers in the next post from Sedgewicks Garden.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTiU7OChrOElVMUixmCaP-IlQT3ndKqvWPYDORbb0H9YlqfG6fxNgMcQxxkap8n9SSkvou44gzZwvE01thM_GEGRC6tMaa-X2S9_lWaT5oIqwDy4xgiEg0EpbvAPHwSC1BJlzitYsx5Zw/s1600-h/various+photos+009.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275345499815922178" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTiU7OChrOElVMUixmCaP-IlQT3ndKqvWPYDORbb0H9YlqfG6fxNgMcQxxkap8n9SSkvou44gzZwvE01thM_GEGRC6tMaa-X2S9_lWaT5oIqwDy4xgiEg0EpbvAPHwSC1BJlzitYsx5Zw/s320/various+photos+009.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivoFJ4CxMXQRYFt7TmrZ81zUH5YDiAilHxt0DzqgArRBHF9LqF6RhyYEt9EtaPEqx7Ybf5z97PUfgeukU_nPBR1hfW8PGoQx4EYX4Yv3E3WSFhawAvsJMRHzouEYh081YiKZyhROU705w/s1600-h/various+photos+042.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275344807441507746" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivoFJ4CxMXQRYFt7TmrZ81zUH5YDiAilHxt0DzqgArRBHF9LqF6RhyYEt9EtaPEqx7Ybf5z97PUfgeukU_nPBR1hfW8PGoQx4EYX4Yv3E3WSFhawAvsJMRHzouEYh081YiKZyhROU705w/s320/various+photos+042.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAA81uk2906M7YTscDS_JOJ4_b83s2BGvbk-xfspB86syrC4ZyFHPFLPfG3NAFmZeRnhA-JDl89xAbkGrXJq0MLIbiap16yFbfeCWpWRmBatT2gzNYG50HKAqXrNKuvns-iBXJDqjqWLk/s1600-h/fred+the+mantis+007.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275691968648230514" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAA81uk2906M7YTscDS_JOJ4_b83s2BGvbk-xfspB86syrC4ZyFHPFLPfG3NAFmZeRnhA-JDl89xAbkGrXJq0MLIbiap16yFbfeCWpWRmBatT2gzNYG50HKAqXrNKuvns-iBXJDqjqWLk/s320/fred+the+mantis+007.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />This last photo is titled "Sedgewick and Friend". One of the grounds crew found this cute guy while hanging up christmas lights. After introducing him around to the people in the main building (and getting some great reactions) I put him back where he was found.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Sedgewickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17667422368344434889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1943033311082155424.post-7066045121729690042008-11-22T14:40:00.000-08:002008-11-22T15:30:53.654-08:00<div><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4A89xzPJIRQxfeQFRpTZDuJaLy84Aytpmo7wVxk6wJNUHwcsiCP20U_ZYCUS3urSrHOQU1I2RpdMJS3-fo_RX6VMXicFK7nODSCiDBVrgbAvD0eCL0XWpKuLo7QGPdS3RFRTkZHBWmQs/s1600-h/IMG_0883.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271615723507572802" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4A89xzPJIRQxfeQFRpTZDuJaLy84Aytpmo7wVxk6wJNUHwcsiCP20U_ZYCUS3urSrHOQU1I2RpdMJS3-fo_RX6VMXicFK7nODSCiDBVrgbAvD0eCL0XWpKuLo7QGPdS3RFRTkZHBWmQs/s320/IMG_0883.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />It's late November here at Rose Villa and just about the only deciduous trees left with leaves are the Sweet Gums and the Maples. I was reading a fascinating bit of plant lore the other day; it seems that green chlorophyll in the leaves dominates all the other colors, the reds, oranges and yellows that are also in the leaves. It's not till fall brings lower temperatures and shorter days that plant hormones start to restrict the flow of nutrients up into the leaves. Thus the chlorophyll dies off leaving all the colors we see in the fall. The same hormones create a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">corky</span> brittle spot on the leaf stem where, come the winter winds, the leaf will break off and fall to earth. In Rose Villa's case to be picked up by the grounds crew. </div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFCL9JU6F7NXyBzl9loWlIcISGZ2oSreFoVoUYdnS7xtmMdvUjlD41Sv_aUjqBvWAZtSR5hf2f5gsgTLqGwopxM9FRIl6VgjKPkr4mEkx2LzQETRXTmm_lxqNvwghVHdL1Uca7yRWdqc/s1600-h/IMG_0884.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271619407861039442" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 327px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 199px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFCL9JU6F7NXyBzl9loWlIcISGZ2oSreFoVoUYdnS7xtmMdvUjlD41Sv_aUjqBvWAZtSR5hf2f5gsgTLqGwopxM9FRIl6VgjKPkr4mEkx2LzQETRXTmm_lxqNvwghVHdL1Uca7yRWdqc/s320/IMG_0884.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><p>Fall, the time in the plant world when all the growing, blooming, fruiting, reproducing and competing to live and prolong your species slows down and rests for the winter months. Or does it? This is a photo of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Ginkgo</span> tree you can barely see in the 1st photo of the Sweet Gum tree. The Sweet Gum tree has thrown several roots over and partly around the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Ginkgo</span> tree. I've been watching this death struggle for several years now and you can see the one root is starting to strangle the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Ginkgo</span>. </p><br /><p>Unfortunately the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Ginkgo</span> tree will be removed very shortly to ma<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5kbQ4DC8Zpn8AWmOQeBJn2RIy-t7oEbt_Yd624zmWfQd2-I2XBhqOM_UPGOy_-u8uN0QP6UcxMWhniWfDUz6LDGENhxexyH19NxNXKWTnncOYvyKX98XCJ_m96t_B86fU9CxtMui3ig/s1600-h/blogphotos+010.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271622434694988322" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 322px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 203px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY5kbQ4DC8Zpn8AWmOQeBJn2RIy-t7oEbt_Yd624zmWfQd2-I2XBhqOM_UPGOy_-u8uN0QP6UcxMWhniWfDUz6LDGENhxexyH19NxNXKWTnncOYvyKX98XCJ_m96t_B86fU9CxtMui3ig/s320/blogphotos+010.jpg" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">ke</span> way for a market garden to supply the main kitchen so I will not be able to see the outcome,but my money would be on the Sweet Gum tree!</p><br /><p>Here's the spot where the market garden will be built this winter and planted this upcoming spring. Can you see the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Ginkgo</span> tree and the leaves of the Sweet Gum? I'll be reporting on this adventure right along, hopefully we will have a compost operation going by spring. There are also plans in the works to start worm box composting with the main kitchen's veggie garbage. I'll keep posting updates on these projects as we go along. </p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2b4BHhfIOzZidttmb8EkVVeAjFdfc9Uf3XOdfFqevvpbAr3GpHs6YeoFScoPxKj0tflhiDg_y9OPog559Ouhp6EeMBwdajyN5h6QOYiu1aIB-6bfvxdQIUocecgUJKJB3uOEMpu8N-3s/s1600-h/IMG_0888%5B1%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271626938635388482" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2b4BHhfIOzZidttmb8EkVVeAjFdfc9Uf3XOdfFqevvpbAr3GpHs6YeoFScoPxKj0tflhiDg_y9OPog559Ouhp6EeMBwdajyN5h6QOYiu1aIB-6bfvxdQIUocecgUJKJB3uOEMpu8N-3s/s320/IMG_0888%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p>Now I'll leave y'all with a pretty photo. This is a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Camellia</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">sasanqua</span>, possibly a Cleopatra. </p></div></div>Sedgewickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17667422368344434889noreply@blogger.com2