tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-256184292012-02-06T11:31:13.415-05:00Doug Green's Gardening reflects the daily garden lessons and rants of this professional garden writer. He shares what really goes on in the garden and his mind rather than the sanitized versions found in his websites and articles.Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.comBlogger1511100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1163085701002599282006-11-09T10:17:00.000-05:002007-03-03T09:25:11.726-05:00

To all my fellow gardeners and bloggers. I'm moving blog locations to my own url at:http://douggreensgarden.com/ This blog will no longer be supported or used as I'm consolidating everything into my own website. Please feel free to come on over and sign up for the email notifications on my new blog.I'll be answering questions, posting pictures (there's 50 new ones up there now with my

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1162401491194300052006-11-01T12:15:00.000-05:002007-02-19T19:03:30.366-05:00

One of the things I'm interested in is who reads this blog that also has a blog.And if you don't write your own - do you have a favourite? Tell me. Put up a link in comments (or I will for you) and tell me something about what you're writing.I'm interested in looking around the gardening blog world and this is the quickest way to start.

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1162297343294638942006-10-31T07:10:00.000-05:002006-10-31T08:54:57.206-05:00

As you can see from the picture, there's not much left of the annual garden. Oh well, tis the season and all that.I'm actually a little tired of the garden this year. It has been a project all year to start a new garden and my expectations have always exceded my grasp. It was ever thus but I'm not sure I'd ever like it any other way.And like the seasonal creature I've become over my years in

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1161808880970422712006-10-25T16:31:00.000-04:002006-10-26T07:59:11.253-04:00

I'm told that former NASCAR driver - the King Richard Petty (the winningest driver ever) is going to be the spokesperson for 3 garden products. If you're down South, you're likely to see him touting some lawn seed and supplements for the garden.I knew Richard could go fast in a car but I thought it was Daryl that got to ride the mowing machine because Michael won't let him drive his car.So other

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1161688807253684612006-10-24T07:02:00.000-04:002006-10-29T20:20:17.116-05:00

Safe Lawns is a coalition of companies apparently funded by Bradfield Organics that provide organic solutions for lawn care. Their new website is slick and informative and as much as I envy the money behind this operation - a good source for organic gardening and lawn care information. The videos are professionally done by Paul Tukey (editor of People, Places, Plants) and the two I watched are

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1161605825065565422006-10-23T08:11:00.000-04:002006-10-26T10:51:09.626-04:00

Let's be safe out there folks. Get rid of the knives when carving pumpkins. The simplest way is to use a small electric sabre saw. Those little saws can cut compound curves, back up, reverse and can make any pattern you can imagine.If you don't have one of those in your toolbox (you should - they're very versatile tools) then stop in at your favourite hardware store and pick up a hack saw blade

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1161357463495886092006-10-20T11:10:00.000-04:002006-10-20T11:23:54.326-04:00

One of the things that strikes me about the entire environmental debate is that often the information is simply overwhelming. I mean, I've been doing some of these things for many years now (I built my commercial sized solar greenhouse in 1979) and I can still be overwhelmed by the choices and information rolling over top of me.So - here's my thought. If we do one small thing, we can make a

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1161097895940690432006-10-17T11:05:00.000-04:002007-02-10T10:32:11.180-05:00

There is a side of me that is simply awed by what goes on in my garden. From one end of the season to the other (I take a day between the start of the garden season and the end of it to not-garden for one day) I am amazed by the goings-on out there.I know that many others feel the same way. I got a note from a reader last week that said, “I feel closer to God in the garden than anywhere else”.

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1160754855648850672006-10-13T11:48:00.000-04:002006-10-16T12:02:55.896-04:00

Well, the first thing is that they aren't really bulbs but in fact, they are tubers. Dig them, dry them in the sun for a day or two so the dirt can be brushed off. Don't wash them. Just put them into a cool, dry area. Keep them that way until you want to plant them next spring in pots or into the garden after frost.It really is that simple. I note that heated basements aren't very good if

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1160696078298372642006-10-12T19:25:00.000-04:002006-10-12T19:34:38.316-04:00

The problem with planting bulbs too early is they start growing too soon.You can see the image on the left where the leaves are just emerging from the bulb. If this happens before the ground gets too cold to support growth, then the bulb is going to freeze.And then it is likely going to die.I probably sound like a broken record here but plant those bulbs 6-8 weeks before freezeup in your

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1160580183096908932006-10-11T11:18:00.000-04:002006-10-11T21:34:08.876-04:00

I know a bunch of readers have their own garden blogs so here's an opportunity for somebody who wants to actually get paid for writing a garden blog or online magazine format. It is more a factual magazine-type material the publisher is looking for rather than "opinion".So- if you'd like to be a paid online writer, here's your shot.Go to www.syntagmamedia.com and give your best pitch to the

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1160484670591685972006-10-10T08:42:00.000-04:002006-10-11T12:42:31.716-04:00

Now that fall has hit my garden, it's time to clean it up (big time). I haven't had a frost yet but it has been cold enough to shrivel up the petunias, fade the dahlia and simply stop everything else from growing. The annual hollyhocks have finally given up the heavy blooming and even the perennial geranium looks like it is slowing down. So today has been declared the first day of fall cleanup

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1160484136996073942006-10-10T08:38:00.000-04:002006-10-10T10:56:08.223-04:00

What's a garden? In this case, this was the view this past weekend from the dock at the cottage (where I was spending Thanksgiving weekend).Tell me this isn't a marvellous garden on a bigger scale. :-)

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1160067442073422012006-10-05T12:51:00.000-04:002006-10-08T19:19:24.316-04:00

This is a really cool and apparently easy thing to do. This might be a fine thing to do this Canadian Thanksgiving weekend at the cottage. Or not. Given I have a big time supply of them on my own property - - :-)

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1160064670500024352006-10-05T12:08:00.000-04:002006-10-06T15:46:29.196-04:00

If ya like the Stones? (I do)If ya like Keith Richards (ok)If ya like trees (yes!)Then check out the tree's revenge on Keith.Take it easy trees. :-)

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1159975344066762552006-10-04T11:16:00.000-04:002006-10-05T22:09:57.983-04:00

I know what they say about red skies but what do they say about pink ones? The entire sky, fields and landscape was a soft pink this morning. I went out and took a few pictures as quickly as I could because I know this light doesn't last long.It didn't - now it's raining.

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1159807456385249072006-10-02T12:41:00.000-04:002006-10-07T19:05:10.003-04:00

Here's an interesting color combination in the fall garden. The blue is Verbena bonariensis and the pinks are Sedum and Echinacea

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1159537228186610912006-09-29T09:36:00.000-04:002006-09-30T21:27:36.313-04:00

I have this new website that I've just started. Because I answer questions and write a regular gardening column, I needed a place to store all these questions/answers and opinions.So this is it.There are still some technological issues I'm working on - but it's up there and working away. I note I do answer questions in my free gardening newsletter. I used to answer them from all over the web

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1159534196453000092006-09-29T08:43:00.000-04:002006-10-03T09:20:56.063-04:00

Now this bonsai isn't all that old (I don't consider 50-ish old) :-) but it is an amazing bit of both garden art and horticulture. This darn thing is an entire forest in a single bonsai dish.I can watch this plant arrangement for a long time and never get tired of it. And I have.Wonderful stuff but I'm afraid not for the average gardener who kills them within a few weeks.And with my watering

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1159396337775885402006-09-27T18:23:00.000-04:002006-09-28T08:18:54.940-04:00

This bonsai in the Japanese Pavillion at the Montreal Botanic Garden is 255 years old. Now that sign hasn't changed for a few years now but still... this is a long time to live in a pot.Every time I see this plant, I simply stand in front of it and wonder what it has seen - who has cared for it - fed it - pruned it - indeed loved it.I silently thank them and the tree every chance I get.

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1159195676650344472006-09-25T10:44:00.000-04:002006-09-28T17:11:32.846-04:00

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1158675734698595802006-09-19T10:13:00.000-04:002006-10-06T12:47:28.196-04:00

The deal here is quite simple. Some writers believe you garden because you enjoy it – because you think it’s fun, spiritual, good exercise, on and on ad-nauseum. We both know the real reason you garden is to show your neighbors you’re better at something than they are – even if their name is Jones.But you can’t quite get it right. So here’s my ten best tips for making sure you have a better

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1158499186630760562006-09-17T09:03:00.000-04:002006-10-06T16:02:56.570-04:00

If you think about it for a moment, the state of our gardens may be a reflection on the state of our lives. Messy gardens imply a messy life; neat orderly gardens may therefore be a mark of a neat orderly life.It would appear I have a few areas of my life that require work.It always seems that my gardens and dreams outstrip my ability to maintain them, that the projects I want to do and wind up

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1158326193974567602006-09-15T08:59:00.000-04:002006-09-15T09:17:30.763-04:00

If you're like me - you're looking at your fall garden and mentally sorting out the tasks - and one of the biggies is finding and planting some great flower bulbs. In my case, I've signed up with a local group and I've purchased a "bag" of bright yellow daffodils for planting (several hundred in the bag) in large clumps beside the house. We're importing the bulbs as a group from Holland (well,

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1158132877286000872006-09-13T03:27:00.000-04:002006-09-29T14:17:25.906-04:00

There is a rule of thumb for planting bulbs that many gardeners ignore. It goes like this - plant your bulbs 6-8 weeks before the ground freezes or is too cold for the bulbs to grow.This length of time gives the bulb a chance to set roots and get acclimatized to the winter (making natural antifreeze etc) but not enough time or warm soil to start growing.You can see the problem here I'm sure.Just

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1158022265084125822006-09-11T20:46:00.000-04:002006-09-13T11:15:44.793-04:00

When it comes to storing dahlia bulbs, the rule of thumb is to keep them cool and dry.As soon as frost hits them (the leaves turn black) cut off the stems, dig up the tubers (they're really tubers not bulbs) and then trim off the remaining stem down to one inch or so of the tuber.Let them sit in the air for a day or three to dry off the dirt. Once the dirt will brush off, they are ready for

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1157929259729803262006-09-10T18:53:00.000-04:002006-10-07T21:14:59.400-04:00

We've been told over and over that Roundup - the single most used herbicide on the planet - is safe.New studies indicate otherwise.In my province of Ontario, a study "showed that exposure to glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup, nearly doubled the risk of late miscarriages."ref: http://www.projectcensored.org/censored_2007/index.htmYou might want to check out the Biosafety Information Center

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1157895620902305412006-09-10T09:32:00.000-04:002006-09-10T09:40:20.913-04:00

There are two main questions starting to come up right now about planting flower bulbs and here are two rules of thumb to deal with them.The first question is how deep do I plant bulbs? The short answer (and there are a lot of longer ones) is that if it is a tulip bulb (or roughly the same size) plant it so the base of the bulb is 5-inches deep.If it is smaller than a tulip bulb, plant it so the

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1157890691666064632006-09-10T07:58:00.000-04:002006-09-10T08:18:11.790-04:00

I was asked what kind of ponds I'd had over my career in gardening and what I'd recommend.To begin - I've dug my own natural bottom pond (well, I didn't dig it but I had a machine do so - it was approx 150x45' and ranged in depth from 8-16'). I've had plastic lined with no rocks - plastic lined with rocks, small preformed plastic liners (mostly in the greenhouse for displays but two did wind up

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1157714119223843282006-09-08T06:50:00.000-04:002006-09-13T10:46:20.896-04:00

There is a debate in the water gardening world about rocks on the bottom of the pond. Now, we both know that this is a silly thing to debate when there are so many other more important things but hey - gardeners being gardeners, they'll debate and rant about things that somewhat - well - dumb.And yes, if you want to clean the pond right down to the bare plastic, it will be really hard to do this

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1157629236643707262006-09-07T07:33:00.000-04:002006-09-08T06:57:12.733-04:00

OK - so I don't have to do a lot of work in pond care by taking these leaves out of my small deck pond. But give me a break. That's a red maple leaf. This is September. The leaves are coming off this tree fast and furiously (good thing as it's going to be firewood for 2008) but littering everywhere.So be prepared with your own ponds folks - get ready with your own pond care nets and scoop

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1157543387471057832006-09-06T07:42:00.000-04:002006-09-09T10:12:32.526-04:00

One of the fall lawn care products you'll see in stores now are fertilizers featuring corn gluten. Corn gluten is an interesting by-product of corn milling that is quite safe to eat but doesn't let seeds germinate.Research has pointed out that this is an excellent and totally benign way to stop weed seed from getting started in your lawn. It won't kill existing weeds but it does stop the new

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1157541691523533852006-09-06T07:11:00.000-04:002006-09-06T07:21:32.186-04:00

Look folks, fall lawn care is pretty simple stuff. Now that it has started raining again and the nights are cool, it is a perfect time to take a look at the turf and get it ready for next year.So, what I'm about to do in my front lawn.I'll mow it again. With the rain of the last week, it has started growing. But I'll mow it as high as the mower deck can go. I want those grass blades as long as

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1157283585261829702006-09-03T07:30:00.000-04:002006-09-03T21:55:26.626-04:00

I'm not complaining really - because strange as it may seem, I really like wind - particularly a good blowing wind. I am a sailor after all.And this is the kind of thing you can expect after a big storm has moved through.Combine high winds and rampant soft growth and something has to give. In this case, this tuberous begonia is pretty much done for the year anyway. It will continue to bloom and

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1157198836194730812006-09-02T08:04:00.000-04:002006-09-12T15:52:34.563-04:00

This is non-gardening related but if you read blogs and want to read some of this year's best award winners, you can get them at the bloggies.And no - there are no gardening sites there but there are a ton of other interesting and useful - well, maybe interesting is where we'll leave it.My favourite - Boing-Boing. Far away the best entertaining and interesting blog on the Net. I've subscribed to

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1156958586363087852006-08-30T13:19:00.000-04:002006-08-30T13:51:17.690-04:00

This website helps gardeners select trees for USDA zones 2-7. A co-operative work between btween Univ. of Fla., Rutgers Univ. and USDA Forest Service.There's a ton of info on this site about trees and soils, etc etc. And pictures! Let's hear it for pictures!There's also a link for trees suitable for Zones 8-11. Up here in Canada, we call these indoor plants.

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1156958364894682222006-08-30T13:11:00.000-04:002006-08-30T13:19:27.046-04:00

Here are 5 books that just won Growing Good Kid's Literary Awards. Note these are gardening books and the award is given by the American Horticultural Society.**Earth Mother by Ellen Jackson (Walker Books for Young Readers)**Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert (Harcourt Children’s Books)**Miss Ladybird’s Wildflowers by Kathi Appelt HarperCollins)**Our Apple Tree by Görel

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1156808603078715702006-08-28T19:33:00.000-04:002007-02-22T10:06:45.556-05:00

Yes, this is a hardy banana tree - Musa basjoo - growing in the front garden. The darn thing got a tad too big for the sunporch last spring so I tossed it outside this summer (after frost) to see what would become of it.It has survived quite nicely with only two waterings this summer in a miserable soil that is somewhere between terrible and ungrowable. I mulched it with wood chips and told it

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1156689012074667952006-08-27T10:24:00.000-04:002006-08-27T10:30:12.086-04:00

If you have any thoughts about garden blogging or have been doing it for some time - this is a fascinating insight into the folks that have been garden blogging for the longest time (over 4 years).If you're close to this or even want to see how the early adopter pioneers of this writing genre got started, then do go to Kathy Purdy's website and check out the conversation. I also note that

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1156597093676557382006-08-26T08:53:00.000-04:002006-08-27T16:52:29.723-04:00

This is the blog of two of my best friends. Now, these folks live somewhere back of the great beyond. In fact, civilization stops about a mile up the road when the power grid and telephone lines end. (I kid you not about this)This place is so far out - you can't get there from here.But they live there anyway - escapees from the great city beyond the clean air. And they're super friends and

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1156437583884500782006-08-24T12:28:00.000-04:002006-08-25T21:25:28.466-04:00

I started (finally) digging the garden and nursery beds for next year. The picture shows what kind of "soil" I have in this area - a mix of gravel and clay commonly referred to as concrete in most building projects. This clay layer is sitting on top of a layer of hard packed gravel so I think I've disovered a building site or area where gravel was put while waiting to fill the septic system or

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1156365989815264372006-08-23T16:32:00.000-04:002006-09-05T19:14:04.676-04:00

This is another of the wonderful light in the morning shots. There's a few things that will get in the way of this series. I'm enjoying sleeping in too much now that cooler temperatures have returned. Many of the bigger perennials are finishing off and because I moved the garden this spring, there are a lot of plants that will hold off blooming until next year. I do have one Kirengeshoma that

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1156248124575290952006-08-22T07:52:00.000-04:002006-08-23T12:15:44.536-04:00

OK -so I read this before my coffee hit bottom this morning and I confess it struck me as kinda funny. Seems we need a legal conference on the right to garden - garden public policy as it were.The objective of the conference is, "Drake University's Agricultural Law Center will host a two-day conference to examine how public policy can be used to promote opportunities for individuals and

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1156119697691572832006-08-20T20:16:00.000-04:002006-08-22T17:41:41.906-04:00

Light comes into our garden and gives us a pattern in the smallest ways. I confess I often find these moments of light when I'm looking at flowers through the camera lens. (I sometimes think I've spent way too many years writing about flowers instead of just living with them.)But in any case, the light on this hibiscus was quite magical and the digital camera almost captured it.It got the light

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1155921686325537382006-08-18T13:14:00.000-04:002006-08-30T17:35:49.070-04:00

You know you really do have to take the bull by the horns (or is that shooting the bull?) and go bold or go home every now and then.This dwarf hollyhock (the purple "thing" - I can't tell you its name or I'd have to kill you) is paired up (quite accidentally) with a yellow glad.Now the glad came in a mix and there were only 2 yellow (the majority were white - so much for a mix)The Hollyhock is a

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1155829985158097862006-08-17T11:50:00.000-04:002006-09-21T19:58:33.983-04:00

This is non-gardening stuff but hilarious Rick Mercer segmentsAnd if you have to ask who Rick Mercer is ...There's several segments up there.Here's to our national igloo!p.s. who ever said that this had to be all about gardening anyway?

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1155828234475752552006-08-17T11:18:00.000-04:002006-08-24T13:52:55.606-04:00

Any flower this big has to be a fun thing in the garden. I don't say you can take this kind of blowsy flower seriously because it's a big, gangly plant with ginormous blooms. But it's a blast to see it unfold these blooms in the early morning and wonder at how nature could have ever put together something so preposterous as to be called a Hibiscus.And the fun thing is that this is perfectly

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1155728981823882382006-08-16T07:43:00.000-04:002006-08-16T07:49:41.826-04:00

OK - given my mom was born in Scotland, I feel some kindred spirit for all those celtic warriors taking on the Romans. And now - here's a BBC report on the woad plant - (that's the one that makes an excellent blue dye). Turns out it also has potent anti-cancer properties similar to broccoli and other cole crops. But the good news is that it has 20 times more glucobrassicin (the active ingredient

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1155587613755942062006-08-14T16:20:00.000-04:002006-08-15T14:59:42.230-04:00

One of the delights in this garden writing business is meeting other gardeners and other writers. One of the people I have a great respect for in this industry is Pat Stone, the editor of Green Prints MagazinePat and I have put together an ebook that features some of the articles from Green Prints and some articles I wrote. We've called it Pets and Plants because the stories are about... well..

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1155346804517899142006-08-11T21:34:00.000-04:002006-08-13T21:25:03.043-04:00

One of the things that garden designers talk about all the time is "borrowed view" in the garden. You "borrow" your neighbour's backyard - you borrow the garden flowers behind your property, you build a fence with small openings to tempt the eye to follow between the spaces to the "borrowed view" next door.You make your own space larger by "borrowing" the view outside your own garden - outside

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1155215714530588052006-08-10T09:00:00.000-04:002007-03-24T08:24:17.346-04:00

OK - here's the deal. I got a note from a friend telling me to use aspertame (nutrasweet etc) because it was a terrific ant poison. When I researched it on the net, I found tons of info but all coming from the same single source. Writers and blog posters picked up the information from a single posting and then copied it - as truth - and we have a wall of information based on this single

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1155174946784941242006-08-09T21:37:00.000-04:002006-08-24T11:31:33.223-04:00

Last week I took a trip to California and found myself in Muir Wood. This is one of the last virgin stands of redwood left standing and I confess I was well and truly awed by the immensity of these trees.We're not only talking immense tree structures, we're also talking about massive energy systems and extensive root spread.Naturally, I took a rather good look at the trees - and I want to make a

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1155040948430804672006-08-08T08:35:00.000-04:002006-08-14T20:41:58.376-04:00

I spent last week in California doing some photography and touring - I came home to this critter (tomato hornworm) and darn near no remaining tomato foliage. Ah well, it was a good trip and I'm home safely. What's a few tomatoes anyway?Having said that - I stomped over 20 of them last night and this morning. No fuss, no muss, no chemicals - just pick 'em off the vines (they feel like smooth

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1154373816275436452006-07-31T15:03:00.000-04:002006-08-04T16:44:57.956-04:00

Oh to be a digital camera junkie and not be able to upload pics to share. Woe is unto my growing addiction.For some technical reason beyond me - blogger isn't taking any of my pictures from the weekend. Go figure.I have tried to upload some great shots of light on light - orange light on orange plants - yellow light on yellow plants - light that enhances the look of the plant. Blogger wouldn't

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1154265678839486002006-07-30T08:59:00.000-04:002006-08-02T21:42:01.683-04:00

I spent an hour or more this morning following the light across the garden as the sun rose. I was up early anyway and playing with the camera and the different light settings. One thing I took a lot of pictures of were the developing buds on my perennials-yet-to-bloom.There's an anticipation with flower buds. A delicious anticipation of something magnificent and full of portent for the garden

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1154113407818262022006-07-28T14:57:00.000-04:002006-07-29T15:34:32.660-04:00

I think the garden and how we see it is all about light and how light works with shapes and colours. What looks good in one light will be a dog in others. This daylily (my variegated) is an orange colour and in the morning light, I'd have a garden full. In the hot sun of the afternoon, I'll have to get back to you on it.But I do like the transparency of the spider webs blowing off and

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1154023867734522722006-07-27T13:58:00.000-04:002006-08-08T07:09:57.953-04:00

You know there's something to be learned from the garden, even when we don't want to learn it.Take this morning (I wish you had).Ed (Norton) my virus checker told me with some alarm that my system had been penetrated by a bad guy but he had taken care of it (almost). He recommended I take a bunch more steps though to ensure my system was really clean. So I did all those steps, learning more

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1153923553177202272006-07-26T10:03:00.000-04:002006-08-25T19:58:59.846-04:00

This really could be my most important post this season and the accompanying picture really says it all. These are my feet in front of the first year garden. I have just obtained a garden patio set with table, chairs and even an umbrella so I can sit out and see what changes I've wrought in my gardening empire.The point here is that if your feet don't go up regularly in the garden - if you

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1153772429686203672006-07-24T16:19:00.000-04:002006-07-25T10:41:36.676-04:00

Here's an interesting site on bug identification. You gotta love folks who love bugs.

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1153772226027108952006-07-24T16:15:00.000-04:002006-07-25T10:14:18.050-04:00

I get asked regularly how to remove large shrubs or bigger problem plants. The normal response is with a chainsaw or 4X4. Here's another alternative that looks like it would work well. Particularly if you don't have a 4 x 4 SUV handy.

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1153748502567470142006-07-24T09:24:00.000-04:002006-07-25T21:29:53.260-04:00

In the boating world, some of us with less-than-perfect old wooden boats refer to them as 30-foot boats. That is, from 30 feet away the varnish and paint looks perfect but we aren't sailing showboat coffee tables, we're sailing boats. We walk over the decks and scratch things and oh well, we aren't perfect.Let me introduce you to the concept of the 15-foot garden.This first year hollyhock looks

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1153364423230492842006-07-19T22:47:00.000-04:002006-07-20T17:46:41.673-04:00

How'd you like to get this email?* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *I need a small favor....if it's not too much trouble.I am going away on vacation and I need someoneto water my plants while I am gone.In this hot weather they'll probably need water twice a day.Thanks a lot.I'll send you a postcard.I've attached a photo for your reference.p.s. the ladder is in the shedThis picture is making the

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1153312189832206152006-07-19T08:13:00.000-04:002006-07-20T17:28:45.126-04:00

I have always liked crowding my entranceway with plants. Some wags say it is because I'm so lazy I don't want to carry the heavy pots too far out into the garden. (true)Some say that it is because that's the only way I'll remember to water them when I see them wilting (true)Some folks say it is because I can't see far enough away so I need plants beside my door to remind me that I'm a gardener.

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1153149319143702612006-07-17T11:10:00.000-04:002006-07-29T02:06:49.030-04:00

I got these flowers on my bachelor buttons (Centaurea montana) from a late January sowing this past year. Grew them in the cold sunroom and they were good stocky plants for a mid-May planting. They've just flowered and done as well as any other plant in this garden.The only thing I have to make sure I do now is deadhead the darn things or they'll start taking over the garden next year. Great

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1152880656211889722006-07-14T08:30:00.000-04:002006-07-29T20:37:05.486-04:00

Who ever said that flower gardening was a gentle sport? Who can pretend that all is light and best wishes out in the flower garden?This is a blood sport.To the victor goeth the spoils and in this case, survival.There's only going to be one winner in this epic struggle and it's anybody's guess. The bindweed (Convolvus arvensis) has a chokehold on the daylily (Hemerocallis fulva) and it is

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1152824113828288772006-07-13T16:45:00.000-04:002006-07-14T15:03:20.656-04:00

Even though I live on an island surrounded by water - I don't have these plants within easy driving distance. These are plants of calm water - not the big water of my life. So I'm going to have to dig ponds if I want to look at and smell these great plants. I was reminded of what I was missing today when I was on a small photoshoot for a magazine article I'm writing.I like water gardening way

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1152711653144158882006-07-12T09:38:00.000-04:002006-07-12T18:58:20.090-04:00

But this is what I get for not dividing this potted calla last year (or the year before that).Oh well. Maybe next year.

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1152704051835789762006-07-12T07:29:00.000-04:002006-07-16T09:00:29.963-04:00

Here's what happens when you finish blooming in my garden! You get whacked.And indeed that's what I did the other day to this Geranium macrorrhizum. Whacked it right back because the silly damn thing had decided it was finished blooming.So now - it will start regrowing and bloom again in September.That pile of leaves to the left used to be on top of the plant - and now they're in the compost

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1152622193907199552006-07-11T08:46:00.000-04:002006-07-27T23:08:53.140-04:00

Scientists at Univ. of Miss. have isolated compounds in American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) that may keep insects away. The plant's bug-repelling properties made it a traditional folk remedy. "Traditional folklore remedies many times are found to lead nowhere following scientific research," said Charles Cantrell, an ARS chemist. "The beautyberry plant and its ability to repel mosquitoes

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1152554114312525442006-07-10T13:53:00.000-04:002006-07-10T13:55:14.326-04:00

If you like the sound of spring peepers and the basso profundo of the giant bullfrogs mating - you'll be as distressed as I was to read this article about the new threat to amphibians that's set to wipe out a ton of them.

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1152537481842570012006-07-10T09:10:00.000-04:002006-07-14T08:15:39.016-04:00

Here's a perfect example of something that would send many gardeners screaming for the pesticides. These critters are simply devouring a containerized rose.Pity.I picked up the watering hose and with the strongest jet I could conjur up - blew 'em all off the rose. I have no idea where they wound up but they haven't climbed back onto the rose. And nearby plants don't seem to be suffering any

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1152295057758713742006-07-07T13:47:00.000-04:002006-07-13T10:44:23.906-04:00

While the planting isn't fantabulous - the idea is classic. I'm told that all gardens should have multiple views. I designed this into my main walkway (three separate views on the way into the house). Here's a view from another part of the driveway (not connected to the main pathway but an implied -and lesser - alternative). I simply mowed a pathway between the daylilies and the lilac bush

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1152102879954328742006-07-05T08:25:00.000-04:002006-07-20T10:58:29.273-04:00

Some well known gardeners wouldn't like this.But I do. There's something quite comforting about a stand of these Hemerocallis fulva daylilies.Oh I know they're "common". And I know they're a bit of a spreader (but not rapacious about it) And I know that many gardeners look over their noses at them.But I don't care.This clump is at my mailbox and I've mowed around them to create a bit of an

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1152027898540819342006-07-04T11:37:00.000-04:002006-07-13T10:20:52.986-04:00

One of the problems that we in the frozen north have is finding a great Hydrangea that will bloom reliably. We want, no we lust after those big mop heads of blue we see in magazines.The answer to a gardener's prayers has arrived.Hydrangea macrophylla 'Forever & Ever' is a new plant that blooms on new wood. This means the buds (normally produced on old wood and winterkilled) are produced in the

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1151940280970599452006-07-03T11:18:00.000-04:002006-07-13T16:56:03.040-04:00

I had a new gardener tell me of her slug controlling exploits in the garden using coffee grounds and pouring coffee around and while I didn't exactly tell her she was wasting her time spraying yesterday's coffee on them to "kill them", I didn't exactly tell her she wasn't.I took the road of least resistance and gave her this url to read. This is hard data from experiments on slugs and coffee

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1151758419725098492006-07-01T08:45:00.000-04:002006-07-14T08:31:51.426-04:00

I really like Japanese Iris and I understand some folks have trouble growing it. Maybe I hold my mouth right or think enough positive thoughts about this plant (or maybe I even grow it properly) but I have not had much trouble with it. Here are the instructions for growing this delightful plant.As with many specialized plants, I note the care instructions are really clear. Full sun, adequate

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1151668326838079752006-06-30T07:43:00.000-04:002006-07-07T09:33:06.696-04:00

Now here's an interesting question. Should garden centers sell plant thugs?In most gardens, Aegopodium or Goutweed or Bishop's Weed is a rampant spreader and a major pest. It never met a plant it didn't want for dinner and to crowd out if at all possible. It spreads and is barely confined to a garden bed by concrete lined beds.So should nurseries produce this plant? Should garden shops sell

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1151667662655492982006-06-30T07:33:00.000-04:002006-07-16T16:34:59.583-04:00

Oh-Oh! I discovered this garden thug growing naturally down beside my shoreline - well away from the gardens but snuggled nicely into the long grass and growing quite nicely - thank you very much - in several large and attractive clumps.The problem with Anemone canadensis (thanks for those who pointed out my mistake) is that it rarely stays in one place for very long and whether the ants or

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1151588053546195812006-06-29T09:27:00.000-04:002006-07-12T07:26:36.493-04:00

It doesn't matter how you expand your point of view in the garden, it is a useful thing to think about when you're designing.In this case, the reflective pond in front of the tower (a rather famous but private garden in Quebec, Canada) gives us two views.The trick then is to do this in your own garden AND decide how you're going to enjoy this viewpoint. In other words, there's little point in

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1151510683355079582006-06-28T11:53:00.000-04:002006-06-29T16:19:51.343-04:00

The middle frog in this picture is a special friend of mine. That's Fergus with a few friends in his hot-tub. Now Fergus and I go back a very long way in life. In fact, Fergus is probably the oldest frog in the world as he and I grew up together.Fergus isn't just any old Frog. Nope, Fergus is a talking frog. And how he learned to talk is a long story all by itself but one I told my kids when

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1151509878195191722006-06-28T11:45:00.000-04:002006-07-01T11:36:49.686-04:00

Thought you might like to see how we have to move this "flower" of my imagination. This is CHOIR being launched last Monday. All 5000 pounds of mahogany of her. She's sitting well in the water as we speak and the mast goes on later this week. Then I'll take her garden touring. :-)For the record, this is a Folkboat - a 25' sailboat designed for the Baltic and North Sea - a true blue-water boat

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1151462491647550892006-06-27T22:34:00.000-04:002006-06-27T22:47:35.820-04:00

The New York Times wrote an interesting piece on trying to create a red iris. This is tougher than you might think because the red gene doesn't exist in iris.We're talking biotechnology here. You decide if it's worth it (it will be in monetary terms to the successful breeder).But is it an "iris" if it has a gene for producing lycopene (the "red" in tomato) taken from a red pepper ?That's like a

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1151409112020443372006-06-27T07:35:00.000-04:002006-06-30T08:39:28.683-04:00

One of my favourite plant introduction nurseries is a Dutch operation called Darwin Plants. They have just put together a marketing package that bypasses the traditional marketing programme - instead of moving their new plants (some fantastic varieties I love in my own garden) through big wholesale nurseries, they are packaging them up and selling them to smaller nurseries in what they call a "

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1151408119137876042006-06-27T07:29:00.000-04:002006-06-30T22:23:14.893-04:00

Here's a link to the World Rose Organization that has just voted and made 'Eden Climber' the world's most popular rose. Over 100,000 members in 36 countries vote on this award every year.And just for the record. While these lists are kinda fun, they might give you a guideline to look for a rose or any other of the plant "award-winners" - they are no guarantee of success in your garden.With

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1151321984132780712006-06-26T07:31:00.000-04:002006-07-01T23:51:56.423-04:00

I raised 4 kids and one of the constants was that they all loved messing about with water. Not necessarily swimming but messing about with sprinklers and water jetting here and there. This water feature is a kid's pond - complete with copper ornament that sprinkles water up onto the edge of the pond where a kid can play under the cooling jets on a hot day. This is fairly simple and any handy

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1151109595261321722006-06-23T20:28:00.000-04:002006-06-28T17:55:56.423-04:00

I am the insanely proud father of 4 wonderful children - and when they were growing up on the farm, we always had a rather large vegetable patch that meant we were pretty self-sufficient in veggies. With one exception.I could never grow enough edible podded peas to keep us going all summer. No matter what I did - those flowers never seemed to produce peas. We grew 'Sugar Snaps' at that time

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1151081543011232252006-06-23T12:45:00.000-04:002006-07-14T22:09:36.923-04:00

You have to admit that this isn't your average garden wall. But think of it this way - it's fast to build. It's cheap and easy to build. And after the season is over, you can compost your wall to feed next year's crop of flowers or vegetables. Or, you can actually take it one step further and build permanent straw bale walls. As I said, cheap, easy and fast. I note this wall was in one of the

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1150994820289528882006-06-22T12:37:00.000-04:002006-07-14T22:13:46.360-04:00

This Montreal FLORA garden was designed by a Chelsea flower-show, (U.K.) gold medal winner from Australia (how's that for a mixed bag of locations)Whatever or wherever, this garden design construction is one I'd be delighted to have in my own backyard. Constructed of metal framework, lined with wood and waterproofed with cement on the outside, this two part gazebo (what else can you call it?)

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1150922885549280332006-06-21T16:40:00.000-04:002006-06-21T16:48:05.563-04:00

I visited Flora Montreal last week and all I have to say about it is WOW! I confess that sometimes I'm a jaded garden visitor. I've been visiting and building gardens for over 30 years now so I expected same-old, same-old garden design from this landscape exposition.Instead I got some of the best landscape ideas from the 45 gardens on display and came away all refreshed and looking at my own

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1150849556801829212006-06-20T20:18:00.000-04:002006-07-14T22:39:15.236-04:00

I have these trees and shrubs on my front yard and it is a pain to try to mow around them. In fact, it is pretty much impossible to mow around them as you can see from the tall grass around each.I have the choice of letting the grass grow long like it is now or getting rid of the grass and mulching it. Or, I can simply build a garden bed around each shrub.So that's what I've decided to do. I

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1150800655958386832006-06-20T06:48:00.000-04:002006-06-20T06:50:55.960-04:00

The Emerald Ash Borer has been confirmed in Harris Township in St. Joseph County, Ind.As a result, Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources established a countywide EAB quarantine, which also includes Mishewaka and South Bend.Other EAB infestations have been found in Indiana's LaGrange, Steuben, Randolph, Huntington, Hamilton, Marion and Adams counties.The department warns that scam artists are

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1150800443802415842006-06-20T06:43:00.000-04:002006-06-20T06:47:23.813-04:00

Here's an interesting counterpoint to the wailing of closing nurseries. Those who grow alpines will miss this little treasure a lot more than that west coast closure. But, as with all things - 5 million dollars speaks pretty loudly. Too bad it had to happen - in a contest of highways over people - the highways mostly win. And "that" speaks volumes about what is valued as a society.

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1150746808776656652006-06-19T15:44:00.000-04:002006-06-30T08:42:08.073-04:00

I was garden touring this past week and watched two women pick a bouquet of roses each from a rose in a public park. It wasn't a single rose - it wasn't a spent blossom or two. Nope, they picked the rose and buds right off the big bush. And enough of them to handsomely populate a vase each.What's the deal here? Ignorance? Rudeness? Lack of appreciation that this is a "public" space and not

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1150593969706232012006-06-17T21:12:00.000-04:002006-06-18T08:27:37.166-04:00

The Hotel Dieu Hospital in Montreal, Canada has a rare little gem of a garden that is very seldom open to the public. This garden - within a walled stone area - was part of the original hospital grounds started by the Sisters of the Religious Hospitalers of St-Joseph (English translation) I was fortunate enough to see this garden this past week and can recommend it as a little gem in the middle

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1150572728772934472006-06-17T15:29:00.000-04:002006-07-14T22:43:51.313-04:00

The last time I emptied my battery pack, I shot 485 pictures. Not only did I empty the pack but I put a dent into the replacement pack and almost filled up a gig card of pics (it takes about a 1000 pictures at the resolution I shoot for on the internet).All this in pursuit of great garden touring this past three days in Montreal, Canada.More to come - more pictures, more information and tons of

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1150199370858304102006-06-13T07:44:00.000-04:002006-06-13T07:49:30.870-04:00

This is the press site at the National Gardening Assoc announcing the Memorial Rose - I went to the Bailey nursery site listed on the link but all they had was the same announcement. There are few other links to the rose gardens. So if you're interested in this rose, here's a good starting point and fresh off the news wire.

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1150130001173872272006-06-12T12:22:00.000-04:002006-06-12T12:33:23.400-04:00

Oh Adam was a gardener, and God who made him seesThat half a proper gardener's work is done upon his knees"Rudyard Kipling "The Glory of the Garden" It strikes me every now and then that I should keep my camera beside me when I'm grubbing around doing some weeding "upon my knees". I compromise by leaving it on a stump or nearby stairs (otherwise I'll plant the darn thing by accident or leave it

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1150058683346620292006-06-11T16:34:00.000-04:002006-06-11T16:48:26.200-04:00

I don't know about you but this Iris pallida 'Argentea Variegata' takes the prize for having a sensuous flower. The fragrance is typically iris - a light floral fragrance - but the flower is all curves and light like your very first girlfriend. Taking care of it is so darned easy and it has resisted all the wind in my garden over the past few days (considerable) to keep standing upright. I'm

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1149955548467511842006-06-10T11:58:00.000-04:002006-06-10T12:05:48.476-04:00

I've had this variegated daylily for some years now but never done anything with it. Every year it throws a new green shoot instead of the variegation and if I don't do anything, pretty soon the green is as large as the variegated part. If I left it alone, I'm pretty sure the green would crowd out the other part. This reversion bothers the heck out of me and this year is the start of me doing

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25618429.post-1149692256755157832006-06-07T10:46:00.000-04:002006-06-08T08:09:14.196-04:00

If you have a small pond, you could try making your own bamboo fountain. I suspect you wouldn't have to make it out of bamboo either if you had a more modern garden. A bevy of stainless steel gongs and clackings could be tuned to different sounds and a melody (or cacophany depending on your mood) could be quickly created.

Doug Greenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17923417633114063482noreply@blogger.com0