What's Happening in Your neighborhood-visit with friends #17

Happy B-Day to your mom.

OOOOooooooo .. happy BDay to your Mom as well Susan .. and .. I LOVE Winterpeg ^_^
A 7 hour drive from Thunder Bay, and, SO worth it .. if only for a Seargenats Sundae (or Yogurt cone) and a visit to the Assiniboine Zoo and the Mol statues ..
Enjoy your time away.

Heading out to see my Hospice client this morning, she wants to see Lilly, so .. I will be bringing her up to the hospital some day soon.
Havin a 'gurly lunch' at noon ..

On the search for new lighting for the living room, am sure my lunch buds will have lots of suggestions .. TOO many LoL

TGIF ... everyone take care

~M~

Been a busy week and I've not stopped by long enough to write though I've lurked.

Happy May 1.

Ann

everything is growing really fast now, and the garden is filling in all the new perennials I planted last year are looking great only lost a couple out of about 300 planted so I am very happy about that now I am getting more picky about what I am buying since by next year I will have to start some new beds the ones we made last year are almost full

with a large property the hard part will be where do I put the next one

Got my Sweet Peas in yesterday!
Nice in the morning so we worked outside quite a bit but it clouded over and got chilly and there were occasional brief snow flurries but nothing that hit the ground
Suppose to be better today.

havent seen any of the white stuff in two months now and that works for me the last time was march 2 or 3 and it melted on contact with the ground last accumulation was mid february and I hope not to see any till xmas this year

we had two great days in a row mmmmmmmmmm maybe i should get the boat ready
lol

We are enjoying wonderful weather on the Pacific side of Canada as well. Mid 20's. Love it...so do the plants. ^_^

OMG - 300 perrenial plants...bet your gardens are spectacular..I've walked my gardens and I believe I've lost about 8 shrubs..will leave for awhile, one never knows they might be slow moving after the winter we've had..

Torrential rains last night, sun is out at present but they are calling for more rain..have to tell you it always feels as though you could stand outside and measure growth..each day there is such a change in the gardens..lilac leaves are almost fully open as are the oak tree leaves..

"M" glad you have everything under control, just bet it's lovely..new lighting..going all o ut aren't you..you didn't win that 32 million did you and forget to tell us...oh no, it's an individual in quebec..oh well next time..and yes, all but on a street corner trying to make extra $$$...picking up 7 doors today on my way home...that ought to do me in..made a 'to do' for 2009..well I've almost accomplished it all and it's only May...

Looking at flyers oh what sales on shrubs and plants..still a bit early though..

Don you must have brought the warm weather with you when you came north..

Diggin, Foxy Lady is tarped up in my yard, asked my boys when they thought she might get in the water..then I quickly said, wait awhile one never knows when the white fluffy might return..

Ann, imagine you are busy as usual..no down time for you, no season lighter than the other? what kind of weather are you enjoying...

Mona, going to have to go check where Metcalfe is..could be close by?

Susan, wishing your mom a 'happy birthday'....

Just checked, nope, you are near Ottawa..about a 6 hr. drive for me...guess I can't go dig up some of those plants...

BRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ...... what a crummy day here by Lake Superior .. was out investigating my Hens and chics .. when all of a sudden .. S N O W !! A 5 minute squall .. since then the wind from the north west has been a force to contend with ..
Am ALMOST tempted to fire up the woodstove .. but am going to rely on 'the little blue flame' instead ..

Betty .. only you could almost complete a 12 month 'to do list' in 5 months ^_^
My 'to do list' is sporadic in nature ...
After lunch today my mind was a whirrrrr of thoughts .. one friend suggested 'pot lighting' .. another suggested 'a bar of lights' .. another a set of ceramic lamps she had seen in a local furniture store .. am doing some serious thinking on all suggestions .. but .. given my track record with electricians .. well .. the Ceramic lamps may have to fill the bill ..

I see a couple of the smaller Does parading around out back .. guess I;ll go put out a bucket of corn ..
Have to put my winter jacket on to do it !!

Enjoy your evening

~M~

Well, what scicciarella tells you likely applies for me too. She's about half an hour from me.

Just got back from a Raging Grannies meeting. We've got some raging dates coming up - in particular a large ARMS sale at a city-owned facility at the end of the month, but a few others before that too - next Monday at the Prime Minister's office re Abousfian Abdelrazik.

Last week was busy with Ottawa Food Bank lunch on Tuesday when I was given an award and the Gloucester Emergency Food Cupboard AGM on Wednesday where, along with another volunteer, I was recognized for 20 years of service.

gonna head out to Can tire garden centre. Need some dirt.

Ann

Thought that now I've confessed about the awards that I would show you a pic of the presentation at the FC. They asked us both to get our pic taken and they designed the mat for them. A volunteer who does calligraphy did the rest. They gave us each a pot of mini-roses and the pictures will stay on display at the Food Cupboard.

Wow, what a lovely honour! Great photo. Congrats to you. ^_^

Very nice Ann!

I too need to head out to Cdn Tire for dirt for my pots but it was so nice out today I just messed around in the back y ard all day. Got a bunch of pots out of the shed set up two fountains and picked around at some of the emerging plants.

I think the dogs enjoyed being out there too., Every once in a while visitor Shiloh wanted a chase and Bailey and Fancy obliged. I cant let them do that on the weekends - too much barking - unless my neighbors are not home! Trouper just headed in the other direction when the chase started!

The Lougheed House Conservator dropped by this afternoon to check out a couple of small pieces I wanted to donate and will take them both - a nice music cabinet and a wicker sewing basket. Both are family pieces but neither of my nieces are interested in the old furniture so I figure I might as well give it to somebody who is!( Besides they get it evaluated and I get a tax receipt!) Here's the music cabinet. I even have some old sheet music to store in it!

Wonderful pics Ann and Carol ^-^

I am totally SHOCKED .. we are going to have a 14 maybe 15C day today !!!!!!! Yesterday was a complete wash out .. I was walking Lilly wearing a winter jacket and GLOVES !!
Had a few snow squalls .. YUK
So .. to make myself feel better .. I went to a nursery and bought myself a most gorgeous Yellow Hibiscus FULL of blooms .. I know It will last a short time .. but .. it looks wonderful :-)

Off to hang sheets on the line.

~M~

Hello Hello, from "The Peg" - the weather is lovely - don't know what the temp is, but I'm enjoying it and will likely go outside to sit in the sunshine.
My DH is watching TV in the basement, and my DD and DSIL are out grocery shopping. I'd never seen their new house before, but it's perfect for them :-)
It's a quiet neighbourhood, and a very pretty house. They have plans for it, of course, to "make it their own" and although it'll take a few years (only?!?!) I'm so happy for them. They haven't been married 2 years yet, and this is their first home ownership. I envy them the joy in that. Remember the first home you bought? That's such a wonderful time :-)

Susan

Glad all is well in the 'Peg' Susan ..as I mentioned, I love visiting Winnipeg .. only a 6.5 to 7 hour road trip for me though.

We has sun yesterday .. but we also had WIND !! I had put sheets on the line, and I regetted it .. by the time I went to get them off .. well .. my line was twisted and the sheets were wrapped around the line several times !!

Off for the day to a workshop on 'Elder Abuse' .. seems to be becoming quite the hot topic.

Hope everyone has a splendiferous week

~M~

Good morning,

Busy day yesterday - viola section rehearsal, handbells involved in a massed concert (they played VERY well) and then I went late to an orchestra rehearsal.

Rehearsal tonight with the other orchestra and a number of errands to run. Just put up a thread on what's happening in my tulip beds. #$%$## squirrels! http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/983936/#new

Have a great day.

Ann

good morning all well back outside soon to clean out two more beds this year it seems that it is taking forever to clean out those beds maybe because of all the wind we had in the past two weeks blowing the leaves out of the forest back into the beds that I had allready done that now need to be cleaned out again lol never ending

Drats, drats and more drats, and it's all your fault Carol..lol...just had to go look at your photo and into cyberspace went my novel..

here we go again...

To our northern friends I listened to the weatherman this morning and think you are in for a fantastic day...

Think I should ask Paul to work Saturdays and take Mondays off..seems to be when the nice weather arrives...we also had extreme winds..from cleaning all weekend I had at least 5' of garbage to burn in the firepit..finally yesterday afternoon the wind died down just enough to get it done..thank goodness, because it was one of those piles that I had a few pieces of furniture that I just know I'd have taken back in the house..nope, all gone..

Saturday morning I was up witht he birds, of course, if some know me, my 'to do' list for the boys who will come this weekend for Mother's day just COULD NOT wait..

I started with going to the church 'garage sale' here I'm purging and you got it, just had to pick up some treasures..a man was taking a metal bench off his truck, heard the girl working as him how much, he said, ahhh $2.00 well, didn't take me long to say 'sold'....of course with the arbors all being black metal and having a can of metal black spray and wind dying down, I had to change it from white to black, now I'm on the lookout for waterproof material..will look nice near the arbor with a few plants sitting on it...then, a nice white chair that wood look lovely on back deck once I cut the seat to make a flower pot holder.. an antique weigh scale that will look nice once cleaned on my little cafe shelf, debated about a marble lamp base, should I, shouldn't I but thought if I rewire, pick colors from the base I could do a stained glass lampshade for a friend...all my treasures I think were about $17. and that included a doz. oatmeal/raisin cookies, how could you go wrong..lol

Ah back to the boys to-do list, I always have them cover the back deck with plastic, held on by wood so that it's a big area that I don't have to shovel and also can leave everything set up as a cafe..sunny out and I wanted to feel that spring had sprung, so up on the roof with crowbar in one hand and hammer in the other, working my bu.t off, me who is terrified of heights (?) ..shortly after noon my project was completed, nope, now everything had to be washed and cleaned, even a few indoor plants could be set out for the day...no sooner did everything look pretty that it decided to rain..all dusty and chilled (wasn't that warm out) I thought bath time .. warm up, get dressed and back outside to work on the gardens...so now in my nightie and coffee in hand I decided that I just might watch a movie..had a couple friends drop in, of course they know it's rare I'll be up to 'nothing' so they took me as I was..by the time all left I stayed 'lazy'..not a term I'd call myself but Saturday I was..

Sunday I couldn't decided what I'd do so put all my tasks into a jar and picked one, as I completed that task, moved on to another...got all done except for 1..amazing how much you can do when focused..

By late afternoon I thought I'd done enough, did a walk through the gardens...mistake #1 for sure..lol..

In the grass I could see plant growth, nothing similar to grass to worked that little spade shovel to where it broke and replanted into back garden because who knows what they will be..

then came the side garden where the big picture frame is located..omg, it was taken over by an invasive plant..smells mint like on your hand, little purple/blue flowers..as soon as one of the feelers touch ground another plants grows..could really have smothered my garden plants..so 3 hrs. later, every muscle hurting inside I came...satisfied with my weekend...you know you've been productive when you can't move right...

On my way to work this a.m. I was looking at a farmers field and in his garden are rows of rhubbarb, can't believe how large the leaves are already, now I'll just have to check and see if I need more rhubbarb cement stones..am sure I do..

Ann, I so enjoyed the photo..congratulations, am sure that in this economy many are overwhelmed but are appreciative of what you do..sure wish my cupboards were as neat..

"M" I do not have ceiling lighting in my living room..drawback yes but it's nice just to be able to place lamps in areas that are most effective..with me it's stained glass lamps only because I make them...

Chatted enough, will get back to say 'hi' to those who posted on the weekend, if I don't press 'send' now, we know what will happen don't we...

oh oh got to avoid those I cant help but buy so I stay home lol hahahahah

next weekend is a bad one the rare perennial same is on lol spent to much last year will again this year

Each and every year I'm waiting on their doorstep at least an hour before they open so I don't miss out .. the lady who organizes it asked me where i thought I could put any more plants/shrubs..well hey, I'll jut dig up another garden..lol

Am off shortly with a delegation of grannies (but not in granny gear) to the PM's office to object to gov't policy on Abdul Razek.

there was another short article iwth picture about the FC in Saturday's paper - http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/up-beat/index.html

Gotta grab some lunch before heading out. BBL

Ann

Enjoyed the article Ann...maybe your delegation would be more effective if you were in 'grannie gowns'..lol

Betty? what picture?
I was pretty lazy on the weekend I often take weekends 'off' if I have worked in the garden a lot. Had an extra dog until Sunday afternoon and had to walk him seperately from my guys since I cant take him off leash And foster Trouper gets a quick walk around the block which is about all he can handle. Rest of the time on the computor or in the books. Today I start serious garden shopping - going to Cdn Tire first to get potting soil for the containers and will get those mixed and rin place and ready to plant.
Tomorrow I might go to the first greenhouse (Sunnyside always first on my list) and need to get veggie seeds and get some in the ground.
So many plants have not shown up yet - hope they are just being slow and not dead! A couple of new peonies have finally broken ground, some still have not shown up!
Sun is shining - better get out there!

Your music cabinet girl...lol


Sounds as though you are on a mission..at lunch I notice that Superstore has their gardening tent outside..I've an hour to waste before I go to class so think I just might drop in..

I saw that a few of my lilac trees are getting quite woody and some of the newbies are but babes so might just go in search of a few larger ones..

So glad you finally have sunshine..

Think I found out what my aggressive plant was...if anyone knows if it smells minty then it's it..



Blooms: Late Spring to Early Summer

Flower Color: Blue

Sun-Shade: Full Sun to Full Shade

Accent Color: Purple

Soil Condition: Normal, Acidic, Clay

Plant Height: Short

Zones: z3,z4,z5,z6,z7,z8,z9
Found in list(s): Plants that tolerate a Clay soil
Plants that attract Butterflies
Deer Resistant
Foot Traffic Tolerant
Plants that tolerate Dry Shade
Plants that Tolerate an Acidic Soil
Plants that attract Hummingbirds
Groundcovers

AJUGA Black Scallop : CARPET BUGLE
AJUGA reptans Black Scallop - Short 4-6" Plant 12-18" apart. Zone 3-9 Lush darkest burgundy/black foliage blankets the ground. Leaves are slightly more upright and wavy. Blue flower spikes appearing in late spring. Evergreen in milder climates, this extremely hardy groundcover can be walked on, mowed over, raked clean and generally abused. PP# 15,815

Betty are you saying your Ajuga is aggressive? Wish mine was!

You know, I was at Walmart last night and they had some Ajuga and it's not what is growing invasive in my garden..Carol (Starzz) thought it might be Creeping Charlie...got to get a hold on it, can't believe how quickly it's spreading..

Fancyvan,

If you want some Ajuga that is a bit invasive...got lots. It spreads like crazy. It is a darker leaf one. I usually pull out a bunch in the spring.

I ditto that. I got mine from Jo South and I have to beat it back in the spring too!

Betty Creeping Charlie would make more sense to me - got a pic?

Jo and Jo I would love some ajuga. Do you want me to come dig? Jo(South) would you like to stop by and prune the roses?

Just got back from my first plant buying excursion - I always go to Sunnyside lst. Bought a few perennials but with restraint since there is so much in the yard not up yet. Abd I dont know if they are dead or slow! And there were a few things I really did want but after checking the price tag I again practised some restraint! Bought Supertunias and Calabrochoa for the pots in the back - They are both purple/yellow white combos but one combo for the patio pots and reversed colors for the back steps. And a couple of Martha Washingtons which I do love. Also got beggie seed and waiting for a potato order which I hope gets here this week.

Hiya .. I have been 'creeping' the site but not writing as I was kinda busy with my Hospice client.

I have CREEPING CHARLIE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UGgggggggggggg .. and .. unless I want to backhoe 4 acres of property .. there is not much chance it is going to go BYE BYE .. so .. I have decided .. that along with it and Dandelions .. I just love'em (TONGUE IN CHEEK)

Am hoping to get to a greenhouse this weekend .. like Carol .. I NEED to practise restraint as well as patience as things start to appear in the gardens.

+ 15C here .. but cloudy and dreary ..

~M~

Marilyn - when I first moved into this house I really did not know much about gardening except the raw basics and certainly could not ID weeds except for quack grass. Growing in one corner of the yard was a little patch of the prettiest little plant and I carefully cultivated it, did not cut it when I cut the grass etc. etc. - until I discovered it was Creeping Charlie!

Than it came out pretty quick! I still find the occasional bit but I think it came in with the 'new' topsoil many years ago. My mother used to say isnt it too bad cows dont eat flowers!

A sample of what I bought today:

These are for the pots on the back steps and the pots that surround a bird bath on the patio. One is Supertunia Royal Velvet with Calibrachoa Yellow Chiffon, the other will be Supertunia Citrus and Calibrachoa Plum. I probably wont pot these up for a couple of weeks but they are nice little plants so should be OK I like to buy this stuff early before it gets picked over and goes leggy! Usually I just have these pots all one color of petunia.

This message was edited May 5, 2009 6:07 PM

I couldnt resist these two Iris - thought they would look great together!
I just noticed the apricot color one is labeled Appleblossom Pink! Mislabel maybe?
No name on the purple one.

This message was edited May 5, 2009 6:06 PM

And two lilies that I also thought would look good together

Interesting that you can get Calibrachoa so early in Calgary. I won't see them in Ottawa for another couple weeks.

Where were you shopping Miss Carol? I like your petunia selection. Should look very nice around your bird bath. I started some Purple Velvet seeds, so I wonder if they are the same.