Another hot day in the Southern Interior. This morning I did all my watering and then dug up some Iris for Wilma. This afternoon it's too hot to do anything...except stroll with my digi. :)
A late blooming Hydrangea. This one is in my back yard.
A noid Rose. Came with the home when we bought. Pretty though, I should find out it's name.
Here's a cluster of them. Always remind me of candy! :)
Oops!!!
This message was edited Aug 6, 2005 12:56 PM
Here it is...
A close-up of one of my Canna's (Red King Humbert)
No partridge in my Pear tree. Another 2-3 weeks I'll be slurpin' on these babies. Yummmm
My Mackintosh apple tree
As you can see the plums on my Plum tree aren't purple yet. These, along with the apples, won't be ripe until September.
I'm as green as the plums still are! LOL! I've always wanted to be able to grow my own fruit. On my first trip to Creston some 15 years ago, the thrill was to pick fresh peaches and apples...doesn't take much to excite Newfoundland gardeners!
LOL, we transplanted prairie gardeners still get a thrill growing and picking our own fruit, Todd. When we bought our home here in Castlegar, it came with a Plum, Pear, Bing Cherry, MacIntosh Apple, Delicious Apple and one NOID, that has never produced fruit. But unfortunately, no Peach trees. The Priest from out local Parish here, has the most gorgeous Peach tree in his yard. They are ripe already, and it's all I can do to keep from "snitchin" one as I go by. LOL
Unfortunately, our Bing Cherry tree is ailing. That was the real reason I took my digi out this afternoon, as I wanted to take a pic of the truck which seems to have a wound of some kind. It looks like it's weeping a reddish pink clear substance, but when you touch it, it's actually a hard jelly covering. We are at a loss to what it is or what to do, so I posted a picture in the Tree and Shrub Forum to try and get some help. Always something, isn't it? sigh...
Lovely rose Donna, for sure one that wouldn't be hardy for us.
Thanks Brenda. But a Rose is a Rose and the are all beautiful to me. The ones I remember from living in Manitoba were just as gorgeous.
Donna, that cherry problems sounds like a bark canker. I lost a mountain ash to similar symptoms...there is no cure that I am aware of. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Hope you are wrong Todd. Got some advice from the Tree and Shrub forum it was suggested that it was gummosis cherry. The description and photo matched exactly to what we have here. We have cut away all the dead tissue and have disinfected and treated. Now we'll keep our fingers, and toes, crossed.
Very pretty rose Donna........the pear tree looks wonderful to me (so does the Mac). Have you tried growing a pear in a bottle? We've done it a couple of times.......looks pretty cool.
No haven't done that Pam. Gotta ask..."Why?" Sounds interesting though. :D
We put pear brandy in the bottle with it after : http://www.clearcreekdistillery.com/Pearinbottle.htm
Unique Bottled Pears
I remember when, as a small child, my grandparents brought home a bottle of fruit wine they had bought that had a pear in the bottle. It still is one of the most interesting and unique novelty items I have every come across. In fact, the practice of growing pears in the bottle dates back hundreds of years, to Alsace, France where pear brandy is a local tradition.
Growing these "Pears-in-Bottle" starts in late May, when the small pear will still fit in the neck of the bottle. The correct way to do this is to slip the pear in, while still on the branch, and tie the bottle to the tree so that the bottles neck faces down. This helps to prevent condensation from building up inside the bottle and ruining the fruit. The bottle should be left in place until ready to harvest, typically in late August.
Once the pear is fully grown, and the bottle has been harvested, the only thing to do is to rinse the bottle out as thoroughly as possible, and add the wine! We have included a recipe for pear wine below, or you can simply purchase a bottle and use that!
Pear Wine Recipe
(It is strongly advised that you read further on proper wine-making techniques before attempting to make your own wine!)
Pears 4.5 lb
Sugar 1 lb
1 lb Potassium Sorbate
Citric Acid
Water 1 gallon
Pectic Enzyme
Wine yeast
Yeast nutrient
Chop up the pears and place into a large fermenting bin. Add the sugar and citric acid to the bin and then boil the water and pour in. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved then leave to cool. Once cool, add the pectice enzyme, stir and leave for 24 hours. Add the yeast and nutrient and then place in a warm place. Stir daily for 5 days then rack off into a carboy and fit a bung and airlock. Rack off for the first time after 3 months. Prior to bottling, add the potassium sorbate to stabilise and prevent additional fermentation. http://www.scenicnursery.com/archives/002416.html
OK then, that makes pefect sense to me now!!! LOL
Sounds yummy. DH will definitley wanna try that.
