Come take a look at the flowers that are currently growing in the Project Bloom Garden in September 2015! The flowers growing include White Cosmos, Marigolds, Pink Zinnias, Spirea Hedge, Alyssum, Red Sunflowers, Lupine, Basket of Gold, Painted Daisy Seedlings, Purple Asters, Rose, Chinese Dunce Cap, Gallardia and California Poppy. Everything is so colorful!
[Not a valid template]Van Dyke Gardens: VD Gardens
The Vegetables growing in Project Bloom’s Garden!
Here are some photos of the vegetables growing in Project Bloom’s garden! The plants include tomatoes, watermelon, peppers, Swiss chard, tomatillos, eggplant, squash, parsley, sage and thyme. They all are doing fabulously! The garden smells fabulous from all the herbs that are growing as well. The tomatoes and watermelon are growing so large as well!
[Not a valid template]
Roosters in the Garden!
There are many visitors that come to the Project Bloom garden. One of the most recent and unexpected visitors have been roosters. They decided to come and take a gander around our garden space one day to see what was going on. Here are some photos from their visit. They just took a leisurely walk around the entire Project Bloom Garden area, taking in all the sites.
[Not a valid template]
Squash Lady Beetle
Attention! Our garden is under attack! While wandering through the garden one day, I noticed that the leaves and stems of our cucurbit plants were damaged. Upon closer inspection it looked as if they were being chewed on and were seriously damaging the growth of the plants. I noticed a small lady bug-like insect on one of the plants and also a small yellow spiny insect as well. I could not figure what they were because I have never seen them before.
After a little research, I found that they are a part of the Lady Beetle family, and are called Squash Lady Beetle’s (Epilachna borealis.) Unlike their siblings, the Squash Lady Beetle feeds on cucurbit crops instead of pests. They use their mouths to bore into stems to consume the liquids found inside. The larvae are a bright yellow color and have black spines on them. The larvae feed on the leaves of the plants. They show up in the mid-summer to reek havoc. In large enough numbers, this bug can seriously damage your summer crop. They are one of the largest Lady Beetles in Eastern North America where they originate. Keep a mindful eye on your summer cucurbits for these little insects. Below are pictures of the pests in our garden.
But how do I get rid of them? There are many options to remove the bugs from your garden. Some ways include rotating your crops each year, removing plant litter (because that is where they live in the winter,) scraping away the eggs from beneath the leaves, or making an organic insecticide. A recommendation from a professor at North Dakota State University is to use garlic, onions, one spicy pepper like jalapeno or habanero, water and a little dish soap in a sprayer and coat the leaves when you see the insects.
[Not a valid template]
What to plant in the Summer for the Fall!
While summer is coming to an end, it doesn’t mean your gardening has to. There are many plants that should be planted now to insure they grow for the winter and fall season. Also many of the plants thrive better when exposed to the cold fall weather and frost. Some that benefit from the frost include Brussel Sprouts, Chinese Cabbage, Kale and even Turnips. But what do I mean by frost you ask? Frost is generally a light coating of ice that occurs overnight and is split into three categories of intensity. Light freeze is anywhere between temperatures 28 and 31 degrees, Moderate freeze happens between 24 and 28 degrees, and Severe freeze which occurs below 24 degrees. All of the previous plants noted should be harvested before the first frost. On Long Island, our first frost typically happens around October 15th. Here is a list of plants that can be seeded now, for a harvest in the upcoming seasons.
- Beets (sow one-half to 1-inch deep and 1-inch apart in rows 12-18 inches apart)
- Cabbage (sow one-half to 3/4-inch deep and 3-inches apart. Harvest when heads first feel solid)
- Kale (sow one-quarter to one-half inch deep and 1-inch apart in rows 24 inches apart. Harvest when leaves reach full size)
- Lettuce (sow directly into the garden one-eighth inch deep and 1-inch apart in rows 12 inches apart. Head lettuces should be harvested when head feels firm but before it bolts)
- Radishes (sow directly into the garden one-half inch deep and 1-inch apart in rows 12 inches apart. Harvest before the ground freezes)
- Spinach (sow one-half to 1-inch deep and 3-inches apart. Harvest when full sized or a few leaves as necessary)
- Swiss Chard (sow 1-inch deep and 4-inches apart in rows 18-24 inches apart. Harvest by removing the outer leaves as needed)
New Fence for Project Bloom!
Great News!! Islip Parks Department came through for us, and delivered a white painted wooden picket fence for around the vegetable garden. And the drain at the greenhouse got fixed too!
Please join us on Saturday, August 1st from 9AM to 11AM at Brookwood Hall to help install the new fence! Don’t forget to wear a hat and use sunscreen!
Project Bloom Birdhouses and other Projects
All the seed packets were painted and are now complete! They will hang around the fence to discourage the deer from eating our veggies. Our volunteers Denise, Dottie, Nora and Janice helped us paint the 138 seed packets, so thank you so much! We had a purpose in using blue so much on the packets. Deer see colors in the ultraviolet spectrum (meaning they see in shades of blues and violets), so we used a bright blue color that could be seen by the animals to help keep them from entering the garden. We also mounted the birdhouses onto stakes in the garden. The large birdhouses were put on top of large metal poles, so now the birds have a place to go! Small ones were put on sticks in the cosmos bed.
[Not a valid template]
New Bulbs Coming Soon!
We recently just ordered a bunch of new bulbs for the fall and spring season! Some were bought as an anniversary gift to ourselves! For Bob’s koi pond, we purchased 3 water lilies, 1 water lettuce and 1 water hyacinth. The water lilies were bottom of the barrel bulbs, so we are not entirely sure what color they will turn out to be– I think they may turn out to be yellow. For the front garden, we bought 3 French Lavender Grosso. These Lavenders are much bigger than the English variety of Hidcote we usually plant. I am so excited for these to grow. We also purchased 25 Anemone Blanda Blue Star, 175 Crocus Speciosus, 25 Iris Reticulata, 100 Species Crocus Mix and 50 Species Crocus Romance (Chrysanthus.) All the colors are going to be beautiful, and I cannot wait for the fall and spring to see them bloom!
[Not a valid template]
Project Bloom Painting Projects
This Saturday July 25th, from 9:30 to 11:30, we will be finishing the painting projects for Project Bloom. We will be installing the birdhouses Bob built onto metal poles. They will be mounted behind the small birdhouses on stakes which were placed in the “cosmos garden” behind the curly willow fence. We will also be installing the fence/photo board sign facing the playground in the corner by the vegetable garden. We will plant snapdragons in front of it. Check out the photo of Bob V. and Kathy C. posing in front of the sign by the kid’s garden.
With a public garden there can be some unwelcome visitors and the deer have become a real nuisance eating our vegetables. To help with the deer problem we will be hanging blocks painted like seed packets from a wire around the perimeter of the garden. I located some simple drawings of vegetables that could be painted onto the plastic blocks. Bob cut 138 “seed packet” blocks from leftover Trex plastic lumber. I painted 16 really quickly with one brush and a small pallette. Then we outlined in black and added the lettering with a sharpie. We screwed metal straps to the back, and hung them from the wire that Bob had installed on 2×2 posts around the garden fence. We will need to paint about 8 more of each one to fill up around the fencing.
We also made and mounted new signs for the greenhouse, the vegetable garden and the memorial garden. The church volunteers did a great job cleaning up the new Stehling Rose Bed area. We have perennials that will be planted here, alongside the pathway of pavers with daisies on them.
Please come down on Saturday morning and help us finish up these fun projects.
[Not a valid template]
Project Bloom Visitors!
We have lots of people that come and visit the gardens for Project Bloom. We even have some non-human visitors! Here are some photos of deer, and turtles that enjoy our garden. The types of turtles are Red Eared Sliders and Box Turtles. While the deer are nice and cute to look at, they are doing some damage to the garden so we will have to implement ways to keep them away.
[Not a valid template]
Church Volunteers on July 18th
This past weekend we had many volunteers that came from the Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints to volunteer at Project Bloom. They were very helpful, and we loved spending the morning with them! They came with little kids and seniors and we also want to thank our volunteer Bruce who came to help.
Bob built birdhouses out of some scrap lumber and leftover paint. He cut out flowers, bees, butterflies and little birdhouses for the children to paint. It poured with thunder and lightning as soon as they arrived, so we piled into the greenhouse and painted. There were about 3 dozen church members painting, and everything came out so cute and colorful! We are so grateful for their help and they have offered to come back at some point to help again, maybe in September. Keep Islip Clean (KIC) gave us water and granola bars for the volunteers, and also donated cans of paint and brushes for the project.
In the first photo of the stuff piled up on the porch beforehand, you can see two birdhouses made to look like the Islip Train Station and a Barn. They will be mounted in the Kid’s Garden. Bob also built a sign/fence that kids can pose behind that will be installed facing the playground.
Once the rain broke, the church volunteers descended on the weeds in the vegetable garden and did an amazing job. The area along the greenhouse will be planted up as the Stehling Rose Garden. The area behind it, next to the Kid’s Corner has been planted up as a shade garden in honor of Marge O’Connor. We also painted signs for the greenhouse and the garden fence.
[Not a valid template]
Whats In Bloom: Mid-July
Here are some photos of what is currently blooming in our yard. The plants that are blooming include daisies, hydrangeas, Asiatic lilies, Thyme, Our flowering Quince is growing back with vengeance, Tomatoes, and many different types of annuals in our containers. There is so much color and new plants growing in this warm summer heat. Love it!
[Not a valid template]
What’s In Bloom for Early July
There are many plants blooming in our yard right now. We also had a visit from a woodpecker that flew into our back door, he took some time after impact to collect his bearings on the back steps. The large flowering quince from the corner of the yard was chopped down, it made room for many small plants and now we can see the street from that side of the yard! And we also found a nest in the Dwarf Alberta Spruce in the center of the front yard, there was 5 tiny eggs inside. Some of the plants in bloom are Asiatic Lilies, Black Eyed Susans, Blue eyed Mist and Thyme in the pathway.
[Not a valid template]
Canoeing in the Connetquot River
We went canoeing on the Connetquot River here on Long Island this past weekend, we went with another couple and had such a lovley time. We saw schools of fishes under the water, baby ducks, and a baby swan! It was very peaceful. The coastline along the river was super pretty, and it is definitely something I would do again. Canoeing is a great workout for the arm muscles too!
[Not a valid template]
Ladew Topiary Gardens
This past week we had the chance to visit Ladew Topiary Gardens in Maryland. Harvey Ladew was an avid traveler, artist, and fox hunter. He purchased the 200+ acre farm from the Scarff family in 1929, due to its closeness to the Hartford Hunt Club. When the land was purchased, the buildings on site were in shambles and only contained a few lilac bushes. It was renovated in 1930, and was reopened to the public in 1971. There are many topiaries, including a hunting scene featuring men on horseback and dogs chasing a fox, swans swimming on waves near an outdoor fountain, a camel, and numerous shapes and sculptures. There is an antique aquarium in the center of a garden and even a special card room in a small building. It is a magnificent place, and I would recommend seeing it in person.
[Not a valid template]
How to make a Simple and Easy Yellow Jacket Trap
While it is true that yellow jacket are a beneficial insect in the environment. They are doing nothing beneficial while swarming around your sweet drinks and barbeque food. Yes- you can spray pesticides and numerous repellants but that gets into the ground water and cant be around children and pets. It causes more problems than solving them. So here is a simple, and easy way to trap those pests without hurting the environment or your family.
Here is what you need:
- A large plastic bottle (2-liter preferiably)
- 1/4 cup of white sugar
- 1 cup of apple cider vinegar
- 1 banana peel
- Roughly about 4 cups of water
- Razor blade/ knife
How to make the trap:
- Pour a half-cup of water into the 2-liter bottle. Add the 1/4 cup of sugar and shake until dissolved.
- Add the apple cider vinegar and shake until combined.
- Add the banana peel (decaying fruit attracts yellow jackets)
- Cut a 3/4-inch hole in the top half of the bottle.
- Place the bottle near the hive, or in an area away from where you hang outside.
Thank you to Rodale’s Organic Life for the original information, you can read more here.
Kitchen Scraps, in your Garden?
Every day, we throw out all kinds of food scraps that we think are garbage. While many of these scraps are considered useless, they can in fact be put directly into your gardens! Non-Composters unite for these nifty tips to recycle kitchen scraps!
Eggshells
- Use the empty shells as a place to start your seedlings! Once the seedlings become large enough to plant in the ground, gently crack the eggshell and place the entire egg into the ground.
- Crushing eggshells can be used as a fertilizer in your garden. The eggshells add calcium to the soil, creating a strong place for plants to grow.
- Eggshells can also be used as a pest deterrent. If there is a slug problem in your garden, crushed eggshells can do the trick. By creating a ring of crushed eggshells around your garden that is 1/4-inch thick and 2-inches wide, slugs and snails will be discouraged.
Coffee Grounds
- Just as Eggshells can be used to keep away slugs and sails, so can coffee grounds. However, coffee grounds can be also used as mulch to keep away cats, rabbits and squirrels.
- For a less-smelly option, coffee grounds can be worked into the soil. They are welcome around onions, lettuce, corn, and other nitrogen loving plants.
- If putting the grounds directly into or onto the soil doesn’t sound like you, by adding the grounds to water and watering the garden with that it also adds nitrogen.
Banana Peels
- Banana peels can be used to create a trap for yellow jackets, you can read more about that here.
- By burying small pieces of banana around your plants, it will deter aphids. However by small, you have to have tiny pieces, if you plant the whole peel you will attract larger pests.
- By adding banana peels to water (just like the coffee grounds) you will be able to water your plants with nutrient full water.
Orange Peels
- Scattering small pieces of orange peel around the garden, will keep cats away, and also small aphids and ants. To keep the smaller pests away, use grated peel or shredded peel.
- Dried orange peels can be used as a fire starter, and create an aromatic atmosphere.
- By rubbing the peels directly to the skin, it can be used as a mosquito repellant. \
Thank you Lindsay-Jean Hard from Food52.com for the original information. You can read more here.
Project Bloom Gardens Late June
Here are some before and after photos at the Project Bloom Community Garden. It is coming along beautifully, and I am so proud of our progress. We also received a brand new sign for the garden from KIC! There are many plants in bloom at the moment as well. Check out how pretty the roses along the Greenhouse wall are!
[Not a valid template]
How to keep Squirrels out of your Garden
The warm weather brings new plant life, blue skies, gardening and squirrels. Squirrels are a gardeners number one enemy, sure they look cute and scurry from here to there, but they do serious damage to gardens. They eat freshly planted seeds, uproot bulbs, eat partially grown fruit and knock off the tops of flowers. Here are some tips to keep the unwanted pests from chewing up your hard work.
Here are some signs that squirrels have been scurrying in your garden:
- Shallow digging spots in beds, The holes should be about gold ball or smaller sized holes. Newly planted seed beds are popular amongst the furry rascals.
- Bite marks and missing fruit. Favorite fruits and vegetables of squirrels include but are not limited to beans, squash, cucumber, tomatoes, eggplants and strawberries.
- Dug up containers. If you have large planters that have been dug into, it’s a likely assumption a squirrel has been burying nuts and looking for seeds.
- Flowers that are partially eaten are also a snatch for squirrels. They are fond to Daisy blooms, and also others like Daffodils. Missing petals and partially eaten center disk’s are a clue to a squirrel invasion.
There are many ways to help repel, or keep squirrels out of your garden. Here are some things you can do to control those pesky rodents.
- Remove what attracts them. Fallen fruit, nuts and seeds can lure squirrels into your yard. Clean up the fallen plants and also clean beneath bird feeders and trees. Also make sure that trash can lids are secure, so you don’t have anything going through your personals in the hunt for food.
- Repel them. There are many products online that can help cope with your squirrel problem. You can buy various sprays including capsaicin (what puts the hot in hot peppers), vinegar, essential oils like peppermint– even animal urines such as tiger and wolf!
- You could also scare them. By training your pet to chase squirrels or just letting them run around in the yard it should frighten the pesky critters. You can also use randomized sprinkler systems or hang up aluminum pie tins to make noise.
- By putting up chicken wire or fences, exclude the squirrels from even entering the garden. You can even put up a cage around the garden!
- Protect any open soil from the digging of squirrels by covering it with cloth or chicken wire. You can also protect your plants by also wrapping them in chicken wire.
- While many gardeners think that an effective method is to use squirrel traps, it is not the best idea. While its true you can just release them after catching in an open area, in many parts of the country they are considered a game species. Which means that trapping them alive, can get you into big trouble with your state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife or Game (So check with them first!)
Thank you to Julie Martens for the original information. You can read more here.
What’s Growing in our Containers
Here’s currently what is in bloom in our myriad of planters and containers. We are growing Rosemary Begonia, Hypoestis, Clivia, Orchids, Assorted Annuals, Snake Plant, Jenny Salvia, Dusty Miller, Marigold, Petunia, Dianthus, Coleus and Rubber Tree Plants. The large blue pots were refurbished, we painted them over in blue house paint to make them look as good as new!
[Not a valid template]
New Dianthus
Take a look at all the new Dianthus growing in our garden at the moment! Dianthus is so pretty and small. Varieties we are growing include Raspberry Parfait and Clove Scented. Raspberry Parfait is definitely one of my favorite strains, the pink against the white is so vibrant and brings a breath of fresh air to any garden.
[Not a valid template]
Our Ferns
Ferns are a great way to get foliage coverage around the yard. Here are the some varieties of ferns that are growing in our yard. Varieties include Lady, Ostrich and Japanese Painted. The green color is so bright and eye-catching. Ferns are a beautiful foliage to grow in the garden and around the yard, everyone should have some!
[Not a valid template]
Our New Beds
Here are some photos of the newly planted beds that are in our garden. Hopefully they stay like they are before the squirrels get to them! We have planted Lilac, Gerber Daisies, Lobelia, Hypoestis, Balloon Flower, Coleus, Dianthus, Dobule Petunias, Rosie O’Day Alyssum, Snapdragons, Pulmonaria, and Primrose. We have pulled out the large Threadleaf Cyprus in the front yard to make room as well.
[Not a valid template]
Aftermath of our Squirrels
Here are some photos of what the squirrels that live by us are doing. They keep chewing up some of our plants and the fruits we are growing in our garden! So far, we have lost some strawberries, one of our sweet potatoes, and some bulbs. Squirrels are the worst during the Spring. Curse these pests!
[Not a valid template]
What’s In Bloom Early June 2015
Here’s currently what is in bloom in our garden. There are many plants including: Columbine, Snapdragons, Rhododendron, Lupine, Tree Peonies, Geum, Blueberries, Thyme, Strawberries, Spiderwort, Rose Campion, Snigle Mock Orange Shrubs, Foxglove, Lavender, Kousa Dogwood Tree, Irises, Houttania, Hens and Chicks, Euonymous Lilac, Painted Daisies, Double Mock Orange, Knockout Rose, Our Vegetable Garden, Marigolds, Gerber Daisies, Dusty Millar Hosta, Blue Mist Hydrangea Shrub, Snowmound Spirea and Azalea.
[Not a valid template]
Project Bloom Update Late May 2015
These photos were taken on May 20th at Project Bloom’s gardens at Brookwood Hall, in East Islip. The vegetable beds are nearly completed and most are planted for the season. We’ve added a Kid’s Garden and a fun fence from reclaimed wood. Once the vegetable garden is done, our focus will be the memorial garden. We will continue to meet throughout the summer on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings at 9:30 to plant perennials and to maintain our new garden beds.
[Not a valid template]
Mosquito Prevention and Control
It’s that time of the year again, yes the warm weather is great especially at night. But with warm weather and long summer days comes our number one flying enemy– mosquitos. Mosquitos can be harmless and just leave itchy bites, but can also carry West Nile Virus which can be deadly. There are many ways to handle the control and prevention of mosquitos by just a few simple steps.
1. Eliminate any standing water that shouldn’t be there (i.e. puddles, unused plastic pools, wet tires.)
2. Change the water in birdbaths and wading pools at least once a week to eliminate larvae from growing.
3. Be careful when irrigating gardens and lawns, be cautious of using too much water.
4. If there are ditches near your home that contain stagnate water for longer than a week, report it to a Public Health office or Mosquito Control Center.
5. You can always purchase a trap like a bug zapper, to help with the control of adult mosquitos.
6. Reduce the number of spots where mosquitos can live such as weeds, tall grasses and vegetation. You can reduce these by cutting the lawn more often and putting down an herbicide for weeds or by pulling them out.
7. As a last resort you can always use pesticides, however the bugs can become immune to them after time. Also they can get into ground water and vegetation you grow which can be harmful.
8. Bug spray, Citronella candles, Oscillating fans, Tiki torches, amd even Listerine mouthwash can help keep them away when sitting outside as well.
You can read more about prevention of mosquitos and learn more information here.
May 7th, 2015
Beautiful flowers are in bloom in our yard at the moment! We have many different types of flowers including English Daisy (Bellis), Our Spring Bed which has Betty Boo Dwarf Iris, Inky Dink Iris, Double Cowslip Primrose, Basket of Gold which is a perennial allysum, Spice Bush Vibernum, Tulips, Daffodils and Creeping Phlox. In our Mailbox Bed we have hostas. In our yard we also have Asiatic Lilies, Tulips, Iris, more Daffodils, Chierianthus (Wallflowers), Foxglove (from last year seedlings), a cool variety of daffodil which is white with an orange center, and we also have Chinese Dunce Caps (Orostachys iwarenge.)
[Not a valid template]
Longwood Greenhouse
Here are some photos from the greenhouse at Longwood Gardens. It was just as spacious and beautiful as the garden grounds. The greenhouse is 4-acres and is a splendid space for peace and relaxation. One of the highlights from the room is the hydrangea balls hanging from the ceiling. You can see photos of the garden grounds here.
[Not a valid template]
Longwood Gardens
We recently just visited Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. This garden has a lot of history behind it, such as it’s founder Pierre S. DuPont’s reasoning for purchasing it. The original park was a small area and was to be torn down, DuPont stepped in and created an entire lush garden around it. It was a very beautiful place, and was also very photogenic. While we were there, they were renovating a piece of the garden– hence the dirt pit in some of the photos. The renovation was for the Fountain Garden. The aim is to protect and preserve the history of the gardens and it’s founder Pierre S. DuPont. Here are some photos of the garden, it is a magnificent place. We also visited the greenhouse that was on the property (see more here.)
[Not a valid template]
Blue and Gold Spring Bed
This bed located in our backyard, right by the back door where I can see these bulbs all the time.. Some of the flowers include Cowslip Primrose, Basket of Gold Allysum, Powder Blue Mini Hyacinths (Valerie Finnis) Muscari, and dwarf iris. I love how the colors look next to each other. So cheerful this time of year.
[Not a valid template]
Our Bleeding Hearts
Here is a collection of photos of our Bleeding Heart plants from this season. I love the bright pink color at the top of the flower. I think they are so pretty and quaint. Bleeding hearts are such a great plant to have around the garden for pops of color, there is also varietals that come in white.
[Not a valid template]
What’s in bloom for May
Take a look at what’s growing in our yard at the moment. All the colors are so beautiful and vibrant. The flowers blooming this month include Johnny Jump Ups, Yellow Tulips, Red Double Tulips, Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles), A pathway made of Thyme, A Dwarf Alberta Spruce, Callery Pear Tree (Pyrus calleryana), Purple Tulips, Weeping Cherry Tree, Orange frittalaria, Japanese Andromeda (pieris) and Creeping Phlox. I said it last month, and I will say it again– this is by far my favorite time of the year!
[Not a valid template]
Our Flowering Quince
Here’s a few photos of the flowering quince on the corner of our property. It was here when we bought the house, and has been growing ever since! I think it’s got to be at least 75 years old, maybe as old as 90. It’s a painful plant however, from its long sharp thorns. Also it does not produce the quince fruit, it just flowers– which isn’t a bad thing! I have hacked it down many times, but it always come back with a vengence.
[Not a valid template]
Our Daffodil Beds for April
Here are the beds in the front and on the side of the house that contain our beautiful Daffodils. We have so many Daffodils that our yard is a sea of yellow in the springtime. The only downside to having so many of these flowers, is fighting off the squirrels from stealing our bulbs.
[Not a valid template]
What’s in bloom for late April
Here’s what is blooming in our yard during late April. I love this time of the year– every day something new is coming up from the ground! Some of the flowers blooming include Daffodils, Flowering Quince, Yellow Epimedium, White Rock Cress, Small Spirea, Coral Bells (Heuchera) and Creeping Sedum, Bleeding Hearts, Forsytheia and Vinca Vine. The Bleeding Hearts are so cute!
[Not a valid template]
Crocus Flowers
Our Crocus flowers were in full bloom on Monday (April 13th) , and now they’re starting to fade. Here are a few closeups of them while they were in their prime. Crocus are awesome plants to have, because they come back every year and the colors are bright and beautiful no matter what strain of plant you are growing.
[Not a valid template]
Cherry Trees in Bloom in D.C.
These photos were taken last weekend on April 10th by my friend Gail Griffin. She writes “I lucked out this year and hit the cherry blossoms at the exact hour of peak (the National Park Service really does time this!) It was just gorgeous… weather wasn’t great so no blue sky but beautiful flowers. Today all the little and pink and white petals are carpeting the ground. As I’m sure you know they don’t last long but they sure are gorgeous. People describe them as marshmallows on branches.”
[Not a valid template]
Vegetable Bed Cleanup Progress
We are still hoping to complete this Vegetable garden cleanup by Earth Day, so that the gardeners can get started planting vegetables. Bob and Ed Quinn have been making great progress in the community Garden. The two of them have been working alone to clear out the old wood and debris in the beds. They are trying to get it in better shape before the KIC junior commissioners come for the clean up day on Sunday April 19th. We are so happy to have these high school students adopt our spot for their community volunteer effort this spring. Two of the largest beds have been rebuilt and placed into their new positions. We are still searching for cedar to rebuild the remaining 25 beds if anyone knows of a source….
[Not a valid template]
Lilacs
Lilacs are a favorite of mine. I love the way they smell, the way they look, I love everything about them. We have 5 different varieties of lilacs in our yard. They include Sensation lilacs, Primrose lilacs, Giant White lilacs, Josee lilac, and the Big Standard lilac. I was amazed that all of these different varieties were in bloom at the same time. All these photos were taken on the same day: May 16, 2014.
[Not a valid template]
Inside the Greenhouse
The 2015 Project Bloom Greenhouse Season is off to a good start. We have over 6000 plants started already. Bob built us new riser shelves for the Northeast and Southeast corners to give us more real estate for flats. So far we have Alyssum, Zinnia, Lupines, Coreopsis, Coleus and Sunflowers starting. We hope to cover the Project Bloom gardens with flowers this year!
[Not a valid template]
Spirea Hedgerow and Curb
We installed some 6×6 timbers to act as a curb for the gravel roadway and planted a run of Bridal wreath spires. The wood was donated by one of Project Bloom’s members, Steve. Thank you Steve! Along the curb we will plant a line of Spirea hedges. Project Bloom Renovation is in full effect, and we can’t wait for the end result! It will be a great community space for gardening!
[Not a valid template]
Compost Area Cleanup
KIC arranged to have compost and wood chips delivered to the site for use by the community vegetable gardeners. The area was full of tall weeds, but we were able to clear a large area for the delivery and we are very happy to have our first load of compost to start the season. Later, we will try and hide the area from view a little by planting a beautiful Forsythia hedge in front of the pile.
[Not a valid template]
Community Vegetable Garden Renovation
The Grounds of Brookwood Hall, used to be the home of a historic orphanage. Now the grounds are used for many things, including the Project Bloom community garden beds. The beds are hard to get to with equipment like wheelbarrows, so many of them have become overgrown and full of weeds. Our plan is to re-divide the beds and renovate the space to beautify the area.
[Not a valid template]
From Snowfall to Snowdrops
All the snow that we had this season finally melted to reveal beautiful mounds of snowdrops under the hickory tree. It was refreshing seeing these small plants pop up after all the snow we had. Large clumps of sweet smelling flowers peaking through the underbrush was a great way to end the long, cold winter.
[Not a valid template]
Spring has sprung!
The first day of Spring has arrived with a blast of snow, and with it took (hopefully) the last of winter! It snowed all morning and a bit of the afternoon, but once the sun came out it all cleared up quickly. We can finally see the snowdrops and crocus blooming though the last of the snow.
Disney’s Epcot Flower Show 2015 Part II
Here are some close up shots of the flowers in Epcot. All the displays were eye catching and were such a welcome sight after the long NY winter. I would highly recommend seeing this show if ever given the chance. I loved seeing all the intricate landscape designs made with the different colored flowers. Who would have thought that a picture of flowers made from flowers would look so immaculate!
[Not a valid template]
Disney’s Epcot Flower Show 2015
Every spring for the last 5 years, my sisters and I meet up with a trip to Walt Disney World. This year we were lucky to be going the same time as the Epcot Flower Showcase. Epcot was lush with beautiful flowers and topiary’s of the famous characters. This year the showcase was being held from March 4th until May 17th. At Epcot they have concerts, games for children, informational meetings, even food and drink that is based on the showcase! Here are some wide shots of the beautiful displays and some favorite characters of mine.
[Not a valid template]
Peanut Plant Seedlings
Bob has been growing Peanuts the last few years from some seeds we got while away on vacation. I started them very early this year! Bob bought two peanut seeds on a trip back home from Georgia, that was a few years ago. Every year we manage to get maybe 2 or three little peanuts from these plants and keep growing them!
[Not a valid template]
Basement Crocus
At the end of December, I bought some bulbs that were too great a deal to miss. Unfortunately the ground froze for good right after that. So I stuck them in pots on the floor in the basement. Once they started to pop up, they got moved to the basement window. Here are pictures of the Crocus bulbs blooming in our basement. Look at how cheerful it looks in front of the mounds of snow in the backyard!
[Not a valid template]
Red Finch Egg
Normal sized egg for this finch is small, but this egg was extra tiny. I had to photograph it on a dime to show just how small and perfect this one was.
