Archive for the ‘Dianne's Blog’ Category
February 22, 2012
With the onset of spring-like weather, it is tempting to put away frost cloths and to plant vegetation and sow seeds outdoors. But, don’t let the sunshine, green field grasses, and emerging buds fool you. Frost and frozen ground can kill or damage plants and seeds leaving you frustrated, discouraged, and broke.
If you are new to gardening or have recently moved, ask your local Master Gardener Chapter or professional nursery person for your zone’s last frost date. They can also tell you what zone you live in or plug in your zip code here to find out. But remember there is more than one zone system. Guest writer and master gardener Robin Ivanoff explains here.
Posted in Dianne's Blog | Tagged damage plants, find us on twitter, Garden, Growing season, Home garden, last frost date, Master Gardeners, Microclimate, plant, plants and seeds, Seed | 1 Comment »
February 20, 2012
The beauty of primroses is they bloom from winter to mid-spring and when the sky is grey you are sure to have hues of sunshine in the landscape.
Although it is best to plant primroses in autumn to establish good root development, they are usually available in sick packs fall through springtime. The white primroses above were planted a little over a week ago and the pink ones are two years old returning from their slumber.
Primroses:
- Grow in zones 1-10, 12-24 in part sun, preferably morning sun.
- Are considered a perennial that dies back in hot weather.
- Are used as color spot in beds, borders, containers, and for naturalizing areas.
- Can be grown from seed indoors then transplanted.
- Prefer well-drained soil in amended organic matter. Poor drainage will cause crown and root rot. Give Feed just before blooming with a light organic fertilize.
- Remove spent blooms and dead leaves.
- Water during summer even after they die back with little water come fall. If you like, transplant to a cool dry place, out of sight, during hot months then re-transplant in autumn.
Posted in Dianne's Blog | Tagged borders, color spots, good root development, growing primroses, naturalizing, poor drainage, primroses, root development, root rot | 2 Comments »
February 17, 2012
A Cool Thing:
One of my photographs is being debuted on Nancy F.’s webpage,
Eye Candy of Another Kind on Pinterest.
Thanks Nancy for pinning my photo on your wall!
Tip:
February is the month to
1) fertilize asparagus and strawberries;
2) finish pruning roses;
3) prune Crepe Myrtles
Posted in Dianne's Blog | Tagged cool thing, crepe myrtles, eye candy, February, Garden, monthly garden chores, photo debute, photography, pruning, pruning roses, Rose, strawberries | 1 Comment »
February 15, 2012
A recent day trip to de Young Fine Arts Museum in San Francisco not only gave me an opportunity to look upon exclusive paintings by Venice artists from the 1400 and 1500s, but also splashes of spring blooms gracing the de Young courtyard and city sidewalks.
I wish I could share some photos of the collection by Titian, Giorgione, Veronese, Tintoretto, Mantegna and more, but the museum did not allow cameras with this showing, which ended last Sunday. I can tell you that it was an awesome feeling to stand before the works of artists from the Renaissance-era, paintings 500-plus-years-old.
As if the renaissance collection of Venice wasn’t enough, this beautiful oil on canvas, Tulip Culture, 1889, by George Hitchcock (1850-1913) made my day. (The museum permitted cameras in this area of the gallery and my artist and master gardener friend, Em Rojas, took this photograph.) I would love to be the woman in this painting!
Leaving de Young Museum, what a treat it was to walk through the courtyard with budding Magnolia (Magnoliaceae) trees and along the sidewalk under the flowering plum blossoms—a perfect ending to a fun day in the city with renaissance artists, a splash of spring, and great company.
FYI: San Francisco Botanical Garden’s rare and historic magnolia collection is now blooming! A much-anticipated, not-to-be-missed event, the show goes on from mid-February to mid-March, though some start blooming in late December and last into May.–S.F. Botanical Garden
Posted in Dianne's Blog | Tagged city sidewalks, flowering plum, George Hitchcock, M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, museums in san francisco, plum blossoms, San Francisco, San Francisco Botanical Garden, spring blooms, Venice, venice artists | 2 Comments »
February 10, 2012
Writing paper that sheds water and enables you to write in the rain!
www.RiteintheRain.com
Even though I’m not likely to garden in the rain, I couldn’t resist passing this ‘cool thing’ on to those involved in sports and other outdoor activities or employment where this innovative product could be useful.
It’s a cool thing!
Photos courtesy of Rite in the Rain
Posted in Dianne's Blog | Tagged cool thing, garden in the rain, innovative product, notepades, outdoor activities, RiteintheRain, speciality paper, sports, waterproof paper, writing paper | 3 Comments »
February 8, 2012
Recently, I came across a FREE, on-line seed-starting guide at Johnny’s Seeds. This is an awesome tool that I hope you will use. Although it’s not a complete list of vegetable and flower crops, it includes those most grown by home gardeners.
In order to explain a couple of things about the guide, I have posted part of it below:
- Once you are at the link, enter the last estimated frost date in your area (where it says mm/dd/yyyy) and the dates following each crop will automatically change accordingly. Is that cool or what!
- In the cell where it says, “Safe time to set out plants (relative to frost-free date)”, the phrase ‘to set out’ simply means ‘hardening off’. This is a horticulture term for placing indoor seedlings outside during daylight to gradually make them more resistant to their new environmental conditions. If you are a gardener who doesn’t have the time or patience to do this and prefer transplanting seedlings directly into the soil, simply protect your tender plants from the hot afternoon sun with a cover cloth until they adjust to the climate.
| Enter spring frost-free date (include year): |
mm/dd/yyyy |
|
| Crop |
Number of weeks to start seeds before setting-out date |
When To start inside |
|
Setting-out date |
| From |
To |
Safe time to set out plants (relative to frost-free date) |
From |
To |
| Artichoke |
8 |
19-Feb |
|
on frost-free date |
15-Apr |
|
| Basil |
6 |
11-Mar |
|
1 week after |
22-Apr |
|
| Beets* |
4 to 6 |
19-Feb |
4-Mar |
2 weeks before |
1-Apr |
|
| Broccoli |
4 to 6 |
19-Feb |
4-Mar |
2 weeks before |
1-Apr |
|
| Cabbage |
4 to 6 |
5-Feb |
18-Mar |
4 weeks before |
18-Mar |
15-Apr |
After you utilize Johnny’s Seeds’ seed-starting guide, check out their online catalog. I know several master gardeners who are pleased with their service and products. Have fun with both!
Posted in Dianne's Blog | Tagged flower crops, frost, Home garden, home gardeners, Johnny's Seeds, last frost date, Master Gardeners, plant, Seed, seed starting chart, Seedling, tender plants, transplanting seedlings | 4 Comments »
February 3, 2012
A Cool Thing:
- Fog is simply ground clouds made of millions of tiny water droplets floating in the air and usually forms when the humidity reaches 100% at ground level.
- Dewpoint determines how fast or slow fog appears and disappears as the sun warms the fog from the top down.
- Fog is thicker at lower areas where heavy air flows downward.
- Different fog types include: Radiation fog, Sea fog, Ground fog, Advection fog, Steam fog (also called evaporation fog), Precipitation fog, Upslope fog, Valley fog, Ice fog, Freezing fog and Artificial fog.
Tip:
Enjoy the precipitation that fog brings to the earth. But be smart, don’t drive in dense fog unless absolutely necessary.
Posted in Dianne's Blog | Tagged Advection fog, different types of fog, Garden, Ground fog, Radiation fog, Sea fog, Steam fog, what is fog | 2 Comments »
January 30, 2012
As of Wednesday, the month of January will be history! There’s no looking back, just forward . . . to grand days and wonderful opportunities. You’ll find a few of the latter under “Events” on the sidebar.
Now, go out and have some fun in and around your garden and community.
Posted in Dianne's Blog | Tagged 2012 garden events, 2012 garden workshops, 60th Pacific Orchid Exposition, Beekeeping, Cheese Class, February 2012 events, Fruit Tree Grafting, fun, home and garden shows, month of january, Queen of Ragtime, Rose Pruning and Care Workshop | 1 Comment »
January 27, 2012
A Cool Thing:
Celebrated people often have the honor of being named after a street, park, building, rose, and even an insect—that’s right an insect. Who had this honor? Pop singer Beyoncé.
The horse fly, Scaptia (Plinthina) beyonceae, was part of a collection of unnamed flies captured in 1981, Beyoncé’s birth year. However, the main reason for naming the horse fly after Beyoncé was for its desirable golden lower abdomen.
Whom can Beyoncé thank for this honor? Twenty-four-year-old researcher Bryan Lessard at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.
Perhaps, in this case, the fly received the honor. Either way, horse flies are pollinators of native plants in Australia and all over the world. So, don’t swat horse flies! You might kill one of our most valuable and desirable creatures, Beyoncé.
Posted in Dianne's Blog | Tagged Australia, Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, birth year, horse flies, industrial research organization, native plants, pollinators, Pop singer Beyoncé, researcher Bryan Lessard | 1 Comment »
January 20, 2012
Tips:
Water Temperature: Houseplants prefer water that isn’t too hot or cold and de-chlorinated. De-chlorinate water by filling a watering vessel the night before. The chlorine will evaporate overnight.
Bamboo splitters: A medical professional should always remove bamboo splitters as bamboo has barbs that break off under the skin.
Cool Thing:
Researchers found that the speed at which protein renewal in plants takes place dictates how quickly plants can adapt to environmental changes, such as a sudden frost or drought. Therefore, scientists could develop crops that can handle sudden weather changes. Journal of Proteome Research.
A personal note: Finally, it’s raining in my neck of the woods! I removed the frost cloths, turned off the timers to the drip lines and lawn, covered the firewood, and put out the drain gutters. I hope you remembered to do the same. Have a wonderful weekend.
P.S.: I’m writing a book. I’ve got the page numbers done. — Steven Wright
Posted in Dianne's Blog | Tagged bamboo splitters, barbs, drought tolerate plants, frost tolerate plants, houseplants, how to evaporate chlorine, neck of the woods, weather changes | 1 Comment »
