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New photo added in the Nature album. The little guy was raiding my bird feeder and tried to escape when I came out with a squirt gun.

National Audubon Society Guide to Nature Photography: Digital Edition

Hymenocallis zwanenburg

Late last fall, I ran out of cool dark places to store my summer bulbs.  I did manage to store a few Ismene deflexa in veggie bags with wood shavings.  This pot was set aside until I could find a place to store it, then I forgot about it.

The medium was kept dry all winter.  About a month ago, I noticed sprouting and started adding a little water.  This week I  spotted the two new sprouts. I moved the pot under a shop light and today by a sunny window.

Sometime next month, the potting soil will be changed. The bulbs in the veggie bags were lifted late last summer from one of my flower beds. They also grew very well. This will their second season in my garden.

Two visitors that make bird watching a whole new experience. They are fun to watch. Check it out.

Found a new Canadian source for Geraniums, Rockwood Gardens They are part of Brecks Ltd. I bought my Alba Rugosa from them years ago. The hedge is still going strong.

Out of the five geraniums offered, four are on sale. One I’m considering for my own garden, Raspberry Star. The other, Espresso is only 6.99.  I use hardy geraniums at the front of my rose beds.

If you like the bloom in the header, you might like to know that the Double Jewel Hardy Geranium can be ordered online from Veseys. I just got my catalog and they have several others I’m considering for this growing season.

The Birch’s Double looks like a good companion for my roses and I can picture Crystal Lake at the base of Mme Hardy.

The Double Jewel is growing next to a Hunter rose. Bought it late in the season so it didn’t bloom that much yet. You won’t find the Hunter in the Rose Collection. It nearly died and I moved it. Sometimes I need to move plants a few times to find the right spot for it.

In the same bed, I have a Broad petaled Geranium (Platypetalum) and it did very well.

Now I placed the catalog aside for a few days. Or else I’ll be ordering more than I can handle again.

Links for this article: Double Jewel. Crystal Lake, Birch’s Double, Mme Hardy,
Rose Collection, Broad Petaled Geranium Platypetalum

Here is a product I needed last fall. Garden Dome No idea if there is a Canadian distributor. This company is based in Michigan. According to the site, the cover is made of lightweight canvas that freezes and forms a hard shell. They have drawings explaining how it works. I’d be more than happy to test it in my zone.

Spring may be a few months away but the catalogs are already started arriving. If you are not on Richters Herb’s mailing list, you can visit their site.

In the plant section, you will find the classic roses. I ordered Mme Hardy last winter and it arrived at the right time for my zone. In the same order I also got a Rose de Rescht and a Maxima. All of them bloomed. I’m getting 3 more this year.

They also have a large variety of scented geraniums.  I overwinter mine as houseplants. You can see photos in the Geranium and Pelargonium section.

The botanical name of the rose above is Rosa Gallica ‘Officinalis” Common name is the Apothecary rose.  It is also available from Richters Of all my roses, this one needs the least care and blooms every late spring.

In my zone, composting outdoors is impossible during winter months. Vermicomposting works differently. Some worm bin systems can be used year round and work both indoors and out. All you need is a well ventilated spot that doesn’t get colder than 4°C ( 40F) or hotter than 26°C (80F).
You can order worms or eggs from: Gardener’s Supply Company

There is an excellent video on Fine Gardening about Worm composting

Worms Eat My Garbage: 2nd Edition

Mme Hardy

Made a small change on the Mme Hardy page on Garden Images Richters Herbs are sold out for now, but they will be available from Hortico by 14 October, 2009. According to them they are hardy to zone 3.

The link to Richters Herbs will return when they are available again. They are a good reliable source. The roses must be ordered early for next spring shipment. They arrive bare root at the right time for your zone.

On Hortico roses can be searched by section, hybridizer, collection or recommendations. If you live in the UK, Mme Hardy is available from Peter Beales roses

If you are planning on adding this classic rose to your own garden, you will need to place your order early. Richters Herbs ships worldwide.

Caroline Schmidt pelargonium

Original name of the Wilhelm Langguth sold today in America. Caroline Schmidt was created in Germany in 1898. Mrs Parker is a sport of this pelargonium. A photo with leaves is in the Geranium & Pelargonium section. In this photo you can see that a small part of the bloom is in a different shade. According to my research, this is how Mrs Parker first appeared. In Wikipedia, Sports are described as prone to reverse to its original form.
So far my Mrs Parker still blooms pink.

Pelargonium Postcard