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Composter

Found the plan for this composter on the Fine Gardening magazine how-to section. It also includes an article written by the designer, Fred Pappalardo. Some modification was made to mine to suit the location and my size. Steps were added at the back. Of all the composters I’ve used in the past 20 years, this one produces faster and cleaner.

So a big thank you to Fred Pappalardo for sharing this great idea. Click on photo to read the article.

Molineux English rose

I already have a photo of this very beautiful  rose on my Garden Image site.  Every day, I check for pest, disease and remove spent blooms. I grow my roses organically so I have to spot problems early before it spreads. Molineux is an English shrub rose from David Austin, so very reliable.

We are ending the wettest July in recorded history. This made keeping my roses healthy  a challenge. Of the 32 different roses I grow, the Molineux did very well. Planted in a raise bed with a cedar mulch and spruced weekly it shows no sign of stress other than damaged caused by earwigs. Earwigs and slugs are a major problem this year. Like all roses good air circulation is a must and removing weeds and keeping the bush open help keep this rose healthy.  Molineux a wise choice for anyone wanting to add a yellow rose to their garden.

Every season, gardeners find themselves with wrongly labeled plants. In my case, it’s usually positive. So was the case with this Belladonna  Delphinium. Before I received it from McFayden I didn’t even know it existed. this group of Delphiniums are shorter and bushier than the elatum types. When it first died back to the ground, I thought I lost it. But close examination showed tiny sprouts.  The plant also responds well to moving. When it gets leggy, I lift, divide and amend the soil with shrimp compost and bone meal. This year, for the first time, I’m using fish compost. Yes, it does stink. Found this fertilizer at Costco. The smell doesn’t last long, raccoons visit my feeders but never touched any of the plants amended with the fish compost. I do apply only in the morning.

They like full sun, moist soil and some support. You can read more details about this hardy perennial on the my garden site.