Ghostly trees

As I was pondering what I would write about this week I was staring out the kitchen window at the backyard.  From my perch at the table my eye was drawn to a lovely Conifer tree in the flower bed.  Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Pendula' (I love to say this name)  or Weeping Nootka False Cypress is a tree I planted several years ago when it was not much more than a twig.  I had purchased it in Guelph at a spring sale at the Arboretum there.  It has taken its time becoming established.  Little by little each year it grew.  This year it is approximately 6ft (1.8meters) tall and at it's base 5ft (1.5 meters) wide.  The mature size for the tree will be 33ft (10meters) tall.
What strikes me about the tree when I look at it is that it looks so sad or today being Halloween, a bit ghostly, with its drooping branches and the little nodding hook at the top.  Soon I will need to move all the plants growing at its base to another location to allow our "Nootie" space to grow.

My husband put his "two cents worth" in when I mentioned what I was writing about.  He thought the the leafless Walnut tree looked more ghostly with its annual pest of Fall Webworm carcasses hanging from the branches.  You be the judge.

 

Mosiac booboo

Don't you just hate that! I tried the extra large picture today and it left my mosiac in half.  Good Grief!  So, here it is again.  I learned that if you click on the picture it will open up on a new page all by itself so you can get a good peek. 

Local Colour

Many trees have lost there leaves in our area.   But, there is some colour to be found yet.  This is what my husband and I found just out and about on the side roads for a little drive.  Thanks to Mary at the The Little Red House for hosting Mosiac Mondays.  Can't wait to see what the others on the list have done.

A Birthday Bloomer

Last Sunday was my birthday.  I'm at the age that if I don't look in the mirror I think I am younger.  When I do pass by one and look in I am in shock.  Who is that wrinkly person?  One of the things I notice most about getting older is the fact that after a couple of busy days of running around I am so tired.  All I want to do is grab a blanket and a book and chill on the couch for the day.
My husband, who is not a great present buyer surprised me with a yellow Phalaenopsis for my birthday.  He noticed it as he was perusing nuts and bolts in the big box store.  The new orchid joins two other Phalaenopsis that I have had for a few years.  One is a pink vairiety and the other is deep pink and white speckles.

The orchids are in the bay window on the north side of the house.  I have moved them around over the years but they prefer this window.  They grow larger leaves and produce many aerial roots. The pink orchid has non stop blooms. As soon as one stalk starts to fade there is another stalk coming up to replace it.  The flowers last for several months.

The speckled variety has only bloomed once a year but the blooms also last for months.  I water them only when completly dry.  Every 7-10 days.  Fertilizer is hit and miss; meaning that I do this whenever I remember which is inconsistent.   I recently repotted the two older orchids.  I had heard you should do this every few years.  Both had beautiful lush root systems.   If you haven't tried an orchid try a Phalaenopsis.

A lovely sight on the window sill as we head into November!

A Frosty Mosiac

This past weekend was very busy for me as I spent it with my peers at Master Gardeners of Ontario.  Saturday was the Coordinators Conference in which all the Coordinators from all the groups in Ontario got together at Landscape Ontario offices to socialize, have brain storming sessions about issues that will help make our groups stronger, learn new ideas and review gardening practices that may be new or different as the new Pesticide Ban.   There was a silent auction that creates the revenue for the next years conference.  I went home feeling tired but with a renewed sense of purpose in what we do.  Sunday was a board meeting for which I sit as a Zone director for the organization.  

My mosiac for this Monday morning is compiled of pictures I took first thing in the morning on Sunday after a very chilly night and the frost was laden on the plants in our garden.   I thank Mary at the Little Red House for hosting these opportunities to show off our particular interests.  I read many of the entries and although I may not comment on them I appreciate and enjoy your compositions. 

The Leaves Must Fall

This week has been really chilly here.  In one day I saw the leaves of our Mulberry tree and our Black Walnut come down like rain completely denuding it.  It makes me sad to see the leaves fall.  I know that winter will soon be here.

I rake all the leaves up...yes, even the black walnut leaves and make a pile.  Then I take the lawn mower and run through the pile until I have a nice fine mulch.  I place the mulched leaves over the plants to provide them with a nice warm blanket for the winter months. 

Happy Thanksgiving

From our family to yours I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving.   We had our big meal yesterday.  Today I am going to find a good book to read and do nothing.   Supper will be left overs.  Yum!!!  The trees are raining leaves this morning as it so cold.   But we are safe and warm and that is the main thing. 

Photography After Dark

This past Thursday evening my friend Jennifer and I took a photography class with Mark Trutz, a professional photographer, at the Toronto Botanical Gardens in Toronto.  The two of us had taken classes with Mark earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed them.  He is a good teacher.
For this class we were to bring our digital camera, a tripod and a flashlight as this class was to be outside in the dark.  Our first stop outside was the section with the dalhias.  Mark showed us how to place the flashlight so that the light would come through the bloom.  This is done by setting the shutter speed for a delay of 20 to 30 seconds. He showed us how to create weird light tricks with the flashlight on the bloom but moving it around during the time the shutter is open. 

After spending a while there Mark had us move on down the path to the river where he had us set up our cameras pointed down the path and across the river to the bridge further down.  He had people take their flashlights down to the bridge and wait for a signal.  They would wave their lit flashlights back and forth. We with the camers set our sites on the bridge with a 30 second delay on the shutter.  At the signal we pushed the plunger on the camera and stood back to wait.  What we got was a lovely sepia type picture with a streak of white along the top of the bridge.  Cool!  Mark Then had the flashlight people use a lit sparkler and we did it again.  Another interesting shot.  We were not finished yet.  Mark then had us line our cameras up along the path beside the river. He had his volunteers light up a sparkler again and space themselves out along the path so that they were in the frame of our cameras.  We set the shutter speed again and waited for the signal.  At the signal we pushed the plunger.  The volunteers all made a letter of the alphabet that spelled out the word PAUL for the new head of Horticulture at the TBG Paul Zammit.  It was "Way cool"!

The last trick we learned before the evening ended was even more eerie.   The camera people lined their cameras up so that we pointed to the stairs.  Mark had Jennifer stand by the bottom stair.  We waited for the signal to push the plunger.  When the signal came Mark went behind Jennifer with his flashlight and drew the outline of her body.  Jennifer was cast in an eerie glow like an alien or maybe an angel.  It was magical.  What fun!!!!

You can find more pictures on Mark's blog at http;//truszphoto.blogspot.com

Countdown to Thanksgiving Mosiac

Thansgiving is time to give thanks for all the special blessings that surround you.  This mosiac reflects just a few of them.  

Time for those end of Gardening Season Chores

The last few days here have been really chilly and wet with temperatures in the morning of less than 10 degrees celcius.  That's not gardening weather to me.  I don't like to put on a coat, hat and mittens to putter away out there.   I make the dash to fill up the birdfeeders and run back in.  Bring on some sun and I will be out there again. 

I need to bring in all my houseplants that have enjoyed their time outside for the summer.  It is getting too cool for them outside.  I will give them a good drenching with soapy water to encourage the bugs in the pot to scat.  They will get a cutting back and then I will move them back into the house onto a sunny windowsill or place them in  a dark corner of the basement for the winter. 
One day soon we will have a frost heavy and severe enough to kill off the annuals in the garden.  I will have to dig up the cannas and put them out to dry before cutting the folliage off of them and putting them in a box lined with sawdust or shredded paper to be stored in the basement.   Lots of jobs yet to do in the garden before the season ends.