Thursday, October 28, 2010

The Orchid Dilemma

I have been wanting to take photos outside this week of some of the autumn colours in my ornamental grasses but we have had a week of really gusty winds. The trees are being defoliated in front of our eyes.  As fast as you rake the leaves in piles they have blown away.
So, I ask myself now what? The Sandbox has gone dormant or al least almost.  There are no more flowers to play with this year outside.  I have dragged all the houseplants back into the basement to overwinter under lights.  I might have a Christmas cactus to show you in a few days.
In the past I have shown you photos of my orchids.  I was quite proud of them and the blooms were prolific. But sadly, an orchid that my husband bought me for my birthday last year brought in a pest.  I wondered why my original orchids were dropping blooms very quickly and the leaves becoming brown.   Looking at the leaves of the plants I noticed what looked like cotton wool in an around where the leaves came out of the stem and the petals of the flowers were covered in little bugs that were white and oval shaped.   Originally I thought it was scale but it turned out to be a close relative the longtailed mealybug or Pseaudacoccus longispinus.
Mealybug
The mealybug, as I have investigated is a difficult pest to erradicate as it can crawl from plant to plant or pot to pot. Mealybugs can be found on all plant parts, but especially roots, rhizomes, pseadobulbs and the underside of leaves.   Control of this pest is basically daily observation to see if any new eruptions occur.   If I do spy new outbreaks I swab the infected parts with a paint brush and isopropol making sure I get into all the cracks and crevices where the leaves meet the stem.  Today I noticed the mealybug in the photo above.   All the plants went into the bathtub for a good spray of Safer’s Insecticidal soap.   
new growth

Some of the plants are trying to recover and so I am waiting a little while to see if they start to produce flowers again.   If the pest persists I will have to put all of the plants out in the garbage. 
new phalanopsis 2-10
This is the same plant before the mealybugs.   It is such a shame.  Maybe faux flowers is the way to go in winter.   If you want to investigate this pest for yourself there is great information at www.sdstate.edu/ps/severin.mcdaniel/orchid-pests.     I am sharing this post on Fertilizer Friday with Tootsie.   See you there.  Have a great weekend.   Valerie

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Colour in the City for Mosaic Monday

 

The Toronto Botanical Gardens, located at Leslie Street and Lawrence Avenue W. in Toronto is one of my favourite places to visit.   You know that when you arrive you are going to see lots of colour and ideas that you can incorporate in your garden.   You may not be able to plant those exact plants because Toronto is a Canadian Zone 6.  Many plants do very well that would not be possible in my 4B garden.   However, it is always interesting to see what is growing there.  The day I was there last week the volunteers were madly planting up boxes of bulbs for the spring show.   The ornamental grasses were looking amazing swaying in the nippy breeze.  A fellow Master Gardener, Lynne and I took a look around the grounds to see what was still in bloom.   At one point I came around a fence to come upon some gorgeous white Iris.   I was taken aback as this is not a usual sight.   Iris grow in spring here not fall but there they were.   In a rose garden my roses were finished for the year but I did find some blooming happily anyway.    I was in awe of the Callicarpa dichotoma ‘Early Amethyst’ a purple Beautyberry shrub.   I have never seen one before but I will never forget the glorious deep purple berries just loaded on the stems.  

TBG mosiac

I am joining Mary at DearLittleRedHouse for Mosiac Monday.   I hope to see you there.   Have a great week.   It is going to rain all week here.   If you are in Ontario you know that Monday is a day to vote in your Municipality.   It is your right to vote so please do.   I will be working at one of our local polls.   Valerie

Saturday, October 23, 2010

First Snow for SOOCS

Friday morning we woke up to a white world…the first snowfall of the season.   It wasn’t a lot of snow but it did cover the ground.   By mid morning the sun had melted most of it away.   I guess we can be sure that a lasting one will come along in the not too distant future.   Time to get the snow tires out of the shed.
Snowy Gerbera 10-22
I have a container by the front door with gerbera daisies and flowering kale in it.   It did not suffer too much.  Once the snow melted it was fine.    I am posting this to Straight Out of the Camera Sunday hosted by Jan.    Come on over and see other photos that have not been edited.   A crop is okay.   Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.   Valerie

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Flowers for my Birthday

 

Last Sunday was my Birthday.   I am 29 again.   My husband and I were invited out to supper at the Swiss Chalet in Barrie by our sons and there loved ones.   My Grandson helped me eat my dinner and thus saving me a few calories.   We did have a cheese cake back at our firstborn’s home later complete with a few candles.  Didn’t want the fire department called in.   Second son and his girlfriend gave me a lovely bouquet of white and red roses with a bit of baby’s breath.   I hope I am not flaunting the rules here as it did not come out of my garden but probably from some garden in Equador.   I just had to show it off.

Vase of red and white rosesred and white roses with logo

I broke one of the white roses placing it in the vase and so I placed it in a little blue dish.  I played around with the photo in “Photoscape” and added a texture from Kim Klaussen Cafe. 

white rose in vase with texture

I am joining Ramblings from a Desert Garden for Monthly Garden Bouquet and Tootsie at TootsieTime for Fertilizer Friday.   I thank these gals for hosting this opportunity to show off your blooms.   Have a great Weekend.   Valerie

Sunday, October 17, 2010

A Wedding Mosaic for Mosaic Monday

 

My husband and I were invited to a lovely wedding that was celebrated yesterday.  It was a gorgeous sunny day with just a little nip in the air.   The bride was beautiful and she just radiated her happiness.  The dress she wore came from Kleinfelds in New York City.  Do you watch the program “Say Yes to the Dress”.   It is on Friday nights here and I usually watch it.   Anyway, the bride and her family chose the dress there.   It was gorgeous.

wedding mosiac

Black and white was the theme with green and cream accents.  Valerie came out of the underground parking on the way to the reception and twisted her ankle.   Had to sit the night away.  Bummer!!!  Got it wrapped in a tensor bandage today.  

There are many fabulous mosaics to be found at Mary’s Mosaic Monday party.   Join us there.   Have a great week.  Valerie

Thursday, October 14, 2010

A Year in Review for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

In my neck of the woods of southern Ontario and in particular my own patch called the Sandbox I garden outside for three seasons: spring, summer and fall. Winter here is cold and snowy.  The trees, shrubs and perennials all take a nap until the soil warms up again in spring.
We had a very good growing year with very warm temperatures and a reasonable amount of rain. The plants looked good with no long periods of drought and certainly not like the season of 2009 where we had too much rain and not enough sunshine.  It was quite perfect for producing good bloom and growth.
I decided to offer you a small offering of what grew well in the Sandbox.  I chose those blooms that were especially lovely but there were others I could have added.  
Spring mosiac
A yellow early daylily, grape hyacinth, white trillium, pink peony, clematis ‘Guernsey Cream’, Magnolia ‘Elizabeth’, Double Bloodroot, peach daylily, and a blue columbine.
Summer mosiac
Bear’s Breeches, Cosmos ‘Pink Pom Pom’, Cup Plant, Rose ‘The Fairy’, Gaillardia, Lavender ‘Hidcote’, Daylily ‘ Canada Goose’, Hydrangea ‘Pink Diamond’, Cardinal Flower.
Fall mosaic Clematis orientalis, Smooth Aster, Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ with morning glory, Chrysanthemum ‘Clara Curtis’, deep pink cosmos, Echinacea purperea, Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, Phlox paniculata, and a red aster.
There were so many others that were equally glorious in the garden.   We are getting heavy frosts now.  All the annuals have succumbed.   I am planting bulbs now for the spring showing.  
Join Carol at Maydreamsgardens for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.  I am also joining Tootsie for Tootsie Time.  I hope to see your post there too. Have a great weekend.  Valerie

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

A Frosty Manual Morning in October

 

This morning was nippy outside and we had a good frost last night.  I thought this was a good opportunity to go out to the garden and take some photos in a setting I have no experience with.   I am taking some photography classes this fall.   Our first one the instructor gave us some homework to try.  We had to put our camera setting to Manual.   Manual setting enables you to set the shutter speed.  I typically use AV as that is what I learned in my first camera lesson over a year ago. 

white waterlily with logo

This is a poor white waterlily in the pond valiantly blooming away in the cold air.  Frosty Buddlea Miss Ruby with logo

Miss Ruby Buddlea is still colourful with a bit of frost on her petals.

Frosty Cosmos with logo

A faded pink cosmos has seen better days but looks interesting with a touch of frost.

Frosty Foxglove leaves with logo

Next years Foxglove is looking good with a coating of frost on its leaves.

Frosty Gaillardia with logo

And finally a Gaillardia frozen in time.    All of my photos are SOOC with no editing.    Perhaps in 6 months time I will look at them and think they are not that great but at this moment I am happy with them.

Hope you had your camera out taking some photos today?    Have you been watching the Chilean miners being rescued.  I have been glued to the television.   I am so moved by the rescue efforts. I pray they all get out safely.   Have a great day. Valerie

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Pumpkins in Colour for Mosaic Monday

 

I am preparing this mosaic on Saturday night as I know Sunday is going to be too busy with preparations for our Thanksgiving Dinner.    I took my ceramic pumpkin photo and had lots of fun in Photoscape with all the different filters to make an unusual but fun mosaic.   It may resemble my upset stomach after the big dinner.   pumpkin mosiac

Hope you had a great weekend.    Join the party over at Mary’s for Mosaic Monday.   Valerie

Friday, October 8, 2010

When is a Pumpkin not a Pumpkin for Macro Saturday

 

Pumpkins growing in the field is a beautiful sight at this time of the year.   Yes, pumpkins are used for carving at Halloween but this weekend they will turn into something else.   This weekend, the last weekend before the C word is Canadian Thanksgiving.   This is the time many families put aside their differences and belly up to the table laden with Turkey and Cranberries and Pumpkin pie with whipped cream.   By Monday we are going to feel bloated on account of all those calories that we stuffed into our mouths.    Bring it on!!!!

ceramic pumpkin with logo

This pumpkin has no calories.   It is just a pretty little ceramic pumpkin that is sitting on the sideboard in the dining room just to give it the autumn feeling.   

pumpkin pie with logo

This will be the star of the show on Thanksgiving day.   It will be one of a couple.  There are some people at my table who will opt for two pieces.   My oldest son says he is making an apple pie.  I can’t wait to see that.  I know he can do it but will he?   I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  We expect warm temperatures so get out and enjoy it if you can.  

Join us at Macro Saturday if you have taken a nice close up or a macro.   It is fun to share.   Valerie

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Things I Like to Do

Lona of A Hocking Hill’s Garden wrote an interesting post on 10 things that she like to do.   I enjoyed her list and was just about to make a comment on how I liked her post when I noticed that she put the challange out to a few more bloggers to do the same.  To my surprise I was on the list.    At first I went NO WAY!! and then I thought oh what the heck.   Everyone should know how shallow I really am so if you are ready here I go.   In no particular order of importance:
1.    I love to read.    I usually have two or three books that I have my head into at any given time.   One needs to be a good story. My family when I was growing up were readers. Whenever we went on vacation I think we emptied the library out.  My own family have not found the love of reading.   I love to curl up in bed at the end of the day and read.   I don’t get past a couple of chapters before I conk out but it is my way of winding down.    I spend too much time at the computer.
Books I am Reading
2   I love to bake.    I love to eat it too unfortunately.    I am not a Martha.  It doesn’t have to be fancy. I like to make pies but cookies and quick breads are good too.   I don’t do as much of it as I used to. The kids have moved away and hubby isn’t into baked goodies.  I have to keep myself out of it as I can put weight on by looking at it.   But if I am asked to bake for an event I pitch right in.   The last thing I baked was last week.   I write a newsletter for my Horticulture Society and it was requested that a member’s Grandmother’s Tomatoe Soup Cake be included.   So,  I baked the cake and took a picture of it for the recipe.   It was quite delicious and moist and so easy to make.
Close up Tomatoe Cake
3.  Photography is a real interest to me.   I have always taken pictures but usually with an point and shoot on automatic setting.   In the year or so my husband and I purchased a Canon XSI.   At first I was intimidated by it but as I began to use it I fell in love with it.   I have taken some classes to learn the various aspects of how to take good pictures.  I am enrolled in one now for the next 8 weeks.  We purchased a macro and a telephoto lens.   The macro I use mainly for flowers and the telephoto is to capture the birds.
IMG_3503
4.   Shopping is something I like to do.    I like to get out to the shops and look at what is new.  I love shoes.  I don’t dress in the latest fashion but like  good classics.    Every year at this time my friend Shirley and  I would join the Mann sisters for a weekend in Buffalo for three days of shop till you drop and then drag ourselves home exhausted only to do it again in the fall of the next year.  We had so much fun.  My friend Shirley passed away this year at 57.   I miss her.
beeded sandles
Yeah they are big.  Size 10.  
5.   I enjoy going to the theatre.   My friend Shirley and I had a subscription to the Royal Alexander Theatre in Toronto.   We saw 6 shows a year.   Some of the big ones and some not.  Most of the them truly enjoyable.  We had the same seat if we were in the Royal Alex all the time and would meet the same people in the row each time.   Our husbands hated the theatre and could not understand why we would want to spend our Saturday afternoon there.   We made a day out of shopping at the Eaton’s Centre, lunch with a nice glass of wine and then the show.  
6. The Sandbox I like for the most part.  We have lived her for going on 24 years and I have enjoyed playing in the dirt here.   Oh, I do wish for clay soil once in a while but every year I add a few more plants and edge the beds out further.  I love to watch the birds in the backyard. We had our property certified as a Wildlife Habitat.  Horticulture is a relatively new thing to me in the last 12years. I took some courses and joined groups of like minded people and have enjoyed making things grow and educating the community on good gardening practices. 
7. I like to have a nice lunch out with my friends.   It is great fun to have a lunch not made by me and add a sinful dessert to the mix.  I enjoy the catching up with a few laughs with good friends talking about anything under the sun.
Jump on Spring 2-09
I know I am going to hear about this pic.   The geek on the end right is moi.    Judith  is in there LavenderCottageGardening and Jennifer  AGardenofThreads, two great friends,   taken a couple of years ago at the Toronto Botanical Garden.
9.   I like to spend time with my family and especially the man I married 40 years ago.
10.   Do I have to say I like the gym.  Well that would be a lie.   I need to go to the gym but I don’t especially like it.  I like my Trainer Filomena but she makes me work harder than I want to just to keep me from falling apart.  
Okay I hope you are not bored.   I told you I was shallow.  
I hope that the following bloggers will also participate.  I am anxious to read their favourite things.  All you Canadians out there have a wonderful Thanksgiving.   Valerie
Will you join me? 
Judith @ LavenderCottageGardening.blogspot.com
Jennifer @ AGardenofthreads.blogspot.com
Linda @ CraftyGardener.blogspot.com
Carolyn @ warrengrovegarden.blogspot.com
Di@ theblueridgegal.com
NatureGirl @ nature-trail.blogspot.com
Bush Bernie@BushBernie.blogspot.com
Georgianna@georgiannalane.blogspot.com
Lori E@ familytreesmaycontainnuts.com
MaryLou@misformaga.blogspot.com

Rules:
  Post who invites you
List the Things you like to do
Invite 10 bloggers to participate

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Across the Pond

 

across the golf course

Anyone for a game of golf?   Across the pond at a golf course close to home.   More photos of watery wonder can be found at Watery Wednesday  Valerie

Sunday, October 3, 2010

A Sunday Drive for Mosaic Monday

As I contemplated what I would offer for Mosaic Monday I thought maybe you might be tired of what is growing in the Sandbox.   You realize I may have to change my header soon to No Gardening in the Sandbox as there will be no way I am going out there in the winter except to feed the birds. 
My husband offered to take me for a drive.   There are pockets where the leaves are still green on the trees and then there are pockets where the leaves have completely dropped and the trees are relatively bare.   As this year has been ahead of itself the leaves are too.   We will be lucky to have any for Thanksgiving which is usually the time to take a long drive and digest that turkey.  So,  my mosaic today is what we saw on our little drive.   I hope you enjoy it.  
Fall drive 2
Join  Mary for Mosaic Monday.  Have a great week at what ever makes your heart skip a beat.   Valerie

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Seasonal Signs for SOOCS

 

It isn’t hard to find signs that fall is here.  I found these interesting items in the front yard.

maple leaf with logo
Maple leaves are falling from the trees.   In a few weeks we will have bare trees again until April. 
Spent thistle with logo
The Scotch Thistle in the front needs to be pulled out and tossed in the compost heap. I found it’s spent seed heads interesting. The fluffy stuff on the top is seeds ready to be taken by the wind to a new place to germinate and begin a new plant.
I hope you are finding signs of the changing of the season on your property too. Get out and take a drive or a hike before the leaves are all gone.  
 Join Jan at Murrieta365 for Straight Out of the Camera Sunday. Take a photo, don’t edit it….okay a crop is allowed and post it for us to see.   See you there.  Valerie
.

Hoping You Have a Blessed Easter