The Peach Tree

It looks like I will have to focus my attention on our peach tree. We bought our Peach Reliance (it can tolerate -30°C) 4 years ago and brought it home in a trunk of our Toyota Avalon and now it is about 12 feet tall. Last season it gave us at least 250 super succulent and sweet peaches. Very soon I will have to prune the branches and then spray with copper and insecticidal soaps, something that I just couldn’t do last spring. If it wasn’t raining it was very windy and because I couldn't spray I have paid for it with lots of curled leaf damage. However, the tree recovered quite nicely. I hate to cut the branches and loose all the fruit but it is basic maintenance that I just have to learn to be comfortable with.

After the peach tree I will slowly focus on starting peppers, tomatoes, Japanese eggplants, basil, etc. Two years ago I have build a cold frame so I could have an early. It can be seen at the end (1’: 25sec.) of my movie on this post.

Spring is just around the corner!

Memory of Summer.

Orchid Collection

This is something that I have absolutely nothing to do with, except on occasion encouraging my wife to buy more. Unfortunately or is it fortunately, space is limited and so is the collection. From what I see, orchids are complicated but beautiful plants. I didn’t know that they don’t like direct sun in general but when you think about it there isn’t too much direct sun close to the jungle floor so it is logical. Orchid and rose gardening are specialty fields, something that I don’t have too much patience for, I am afraid, even though I have done very well with growing heritage Victorian climbing roses from cuttings. I will have a post about them when they start to bloom.

Here is a mini gallery of Marjo’s orchids and I will update as each starts to bloom.

All the orchids that Marjo grows are Phalaenopsis.

I forgot to mention that I have made all of the orchid pots pictured at top. All of them are my original design and hand build with stoneware clay using slab construction and fired and glazed at cone 6.



Garden and Trailing Snapdragon Update 2

This is what my Snappies looked like after spending their first night in a brand new bed. Not only that, but in a room 3°C cooler then previous night. Of course, it was a gradual transformation.

 I have learned so much with this project so far. Since I am a newbie to flower growing from seeds there are so many variables to learn and to take care of. Now I know that light has to be as close to plant as possible and they do NOT like wet feet. If the leaves are yellow you have too much water. And the lessons are learned every darned day. I do have to thank the staff at Johnny’s Seeds for all the help I got by email to get me through some rough spots. Next, I have to find out how much direct sunlight can they get and for how long and also how much to fertilize from now on. So much to learn! Isn’t gardening wonderful!

I forgot to mention that today I have also planted Trailing Petunia, Salpiglossis Royal Mix, Nasturtium and Thunbergia and transferred Snapdragon Rocket to larger pots. I do have a problem with Black Eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia) germinating and I don’t know why. They are in Jiffy pots for a week now and not a sign. If anybody has a suggestion my ears are open. Maybe I am impatient?

Trailing Snapdragon Update.

It is almost a month now that I have started trailing snapdragon from a seeds. Considering, that at the start I have made a serious mistake by having the grow light too high, the seedlings are doing just fine. Last week I have started to fertilize with reduced fish emulsion liquid mix and they seem to get stronger by a day. Now I have to find out when I transplant to a bigger pot or hanging basket and when to start pinching the tops.

By May I hope to have this basket!

Monthly Garden Season Update #1

Trailing Snapdragon seeds that I started January 19 are now 1” high on average. They are under full spectrum fluorescent lights 24/7. I planted 18 seeds in 9 Jiffy style pots and 13 have germinated, that’s 72.2% rate. Johnny’s Seeds had printed 60% on the seed packet so I guess I can’t complain. Now I have to find out how long should I keep them under the light. I am new to this, this is only my second year that I started flowers from seeds. It is a bit different then herbs and vegetables. Time to post some questions on Garden Web, I think. I really want that trailing snapdragon for our front porch hanging basket.