General and Miscellaneous Information on My Garden

General View, August 2013
General View, August 2013
2020
March 29: Following a few warm days the snow is mostly gone.
April 1: The lawn is greening up, and elsewhere there is green quackgrass and dandelions and one small bishops goutweed.
2: Snow again.
May 3: A lovely cool day. I removed the landscape fabric from the calendula/poppy/bachelor button/whatever bed.
There is no growth in the raised bed except for chives, tulips, and some Shasta daisies. The bachelors buttons bed has only quackgrass. One oriental poppy has formed a small upright spray. Bishops gout is well up. There is no sign of golden glow. I think there are small day lily leaves. It's hard to tell among the quackgrass. There are well-developed rosettes of Dames Rocket outside the fence. Two hollyhocks have leaves but they are just outside their bed. The lilac bushes and silver maple are budding. The thicket creeper is just beginning to bud; its bud tips show a tiny bit of green. The scillas are flowering. No sign of tulips or allium in the front bed but the muscari are up. This bed will be different this year with the neighbour's large shading bay tree gone. The compost area is messy. There are many catnip plants there. The cedars survived the winter well. The lawn is long and mostly yellow and badly needs raking. All 3 rhubarbs are up. The pond melted about a week ago.
5: Packages of the chemicals that can be mixed with isopropyl alcohol to make No-Damp solution (Benzoic acid, 8-hydroxyquinoline) arrived.
9: I mixed up the chemicals and applied the solution to the smaller seedlings, especially to the zinnias which have continued to succumb to ilnesses.
20: I finished sprinkling all my compost onto the flower beds. The ground is still frozen under the compost piles!
29: A nasty frost killed top leaves on some tomatoes, the ensete, and the basil, and killed some celosia. I covered the plants but that wasn't enough.
June 12: I finished planting my seedlings.
October 2: First frost last night, a hard one, finished off many plants.
 
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2019
April 1: The snow is half gone. Three hollyhocks are up, a few Bishop's gout sprouts, and some achillea. I sprayed the quack grass everywhere with Round Up, especially in the daylily bed.
 
May 26: The daylilies bed has almost no quackgrass! The ornamental rhubarb has not appeared.
December 16: The ornamental rhubarb appeared late.
 
2015
April 1: The snow is gone. I went to start some seeds today and found that a mouse got into my seed collection and ate every single seed except some fungicide treated beans! Dozens of seeds packets were chewed open and empty.
 
2014
April 10: The raised bed is free of snow now.
May 1: There is no growth in the raised bed except for some tiny bachelors buttons, some Shasta daisies, one tulip shoot, and the 2 hen and chicks plants. There are many bachelors buttons in their bed, but they are clustered and there are empty areas. The oriental poppies have formed small upright sprays in their old and new beds. One sprout of bishops gout and one catnip right next to the house. The variegated irises have just appeared in one of their 3 spots. There is no sign of golden glow, columbine, day lilies, or bleeding hearts. There are well-developed rosettes of Dames Rocket outside the fence. The hollyhocks have leaves. The ribbon grass shows new growth, with too much quack grass mixed in. The Boston ivy and the silver maple haven’t started to bud.? No sign of scillas or tulips but the muscari is up in the front bed and there is a small allium sprout. The compost area is messy. The cedars survived the winter well. The one on the west has some reddish bits. The lawn is green and needs raking. Both rhubarbs are up, about 5 cm. The pond has just melted.
8: There are sprouts from the day lilies, columbine, and lychnis. I applied glyphosate to the dandelions in all beds.
13: The zinnia seedlings that have been under the sodium lamp are about twice as large as the ones that have been under the fluorescent tubes.
June 16: I got the last of my seedlings planted out.
October 5: First frost, looks fairly heavy.
 
2013
April 27: It has been a late cold spring and only today has the temperature gone above +5. On top of that, I have been away and have not started any seeds. The pond has just melted today.
May 1: There is no growth in the raised bed except for some tiny bachelors buttons and some Shasta daisies. The oriental poppies have formed small upright sprays in their old bed, now part of the lawn, and in their new spot in the garden. One sprout of bishops gout but no sign of lily of the valley, mint, or catnip. The variegated irises have just appeared in their 2 spots. The golden glow has many stems and leaves and the columbine is growing. The day lilies are underway and five bleeding hearts are visible. The hollyhocks have leaves. The ribbon grass shows a little new growth, perhaps with quack grass mixed in right against the house. The Boston ivy and the silver maple haven’t started to bud. No sign of scillas but the muscari and tulips are up in the front bed and there is a small allium sprout. The compost area is messy. The cedars survived the winter well. The lawn is green, but needs raking. The rhubarb is up, about 5 cm. The pond has just melted.
July 4: I scattered fertilizer around.
September 16: The garden has done fairly well. I didn’t water much, and some plants didn't grow large, such as the cannas, but that is also partly due to their late start.
 
2012
May 1: There are 2 patches of tulips in the raised bed, and one single leaf in the black tulip's spot. The oriental poppies have formed small upright sprays in their old bed, now part of the lawn, but there is no sign of them wherever I move them to in the garden. The bishops gout, on the east side of the house, is growing. The lily of the valley is up. There are a few mint leaves showing and lots of catnip. There are no rough false sunflower or hosta sprouts. Two tiger lilies are up behind the sweet pea trellis. The green and the purple irises are showing a few leaves in their old bed, now part of the lawn, and the variegated iris has a spray of leaves. There are a few shoots of clustered bellflower. The golden glow broke through the mulch weeks ago and has many stems and leaves now. It has spread too much and must be contained. The garlic is up, about 10 cm tall. The tarragon has many short shoots in its old spot, and a few short shoots in its new one. Six of the day lilies are underway and five bleeding hearts are well up. The hollyhocks are still small. The ribbon grass shows a good amount of new growth, but there is no sign of the hyacinth. I can see Shasta daisies in a couple of places. Neither peony has any shoots. The lilac flower buds are developing and show the tiny flowers-to-be. The Boston ivy and the silver maple are starting to bud. There is no sign of the growth on the Cuthbert Grant rose. There are some very small calendulas and, I think, some volunteer bachelor buttons. About sixty five scillas dot the front east lawn. The front flower bed is sprinkled with muscari. One allium is well up. The Orange Emperor and Angelique tulips are growing. Two compost bins contain material from last fall and one contains old and new stuff. The cedars survived the winter well. The lawn is green, but there are 2 yellow patches where things were piled last year. The primrose does not show any growth. One of the phloxes is up, and the columbine has many shoots up. The rhubarb is up, about 15 cm, and the ornamental rhubarb has 2 developing leaves. In the pond the cat tail has some new stems. The spinach is developing its first true leaves.
September 21: A light frost. No plant damage.
22: A medium frost. Most plants are now finished.
 
Raised Bed, September 2011
Raised Bed, September 2011
General View, September 2011
General View, September 2011
2011
May 1: The garden is covered in snow, after being clear of it a few days ago.
7: Things are quite disrupted due to the construction of the large raised bed. That bed contains many volunteer tulips, but what colour they will be is still unknown. No tulips are budding yet. I am not sure where I put the black tulips. The oriental poppies have formed small upright sprays. The bishops gout, on the east side of the house, is growing. It was the first plant up on that side, and has spread into the mint bed. I sprayed it with glyphosate there today. The lily of the valley is up. There are a few mint leaves showing and lots of catnip. There are no rough false sunflower, rudbeckia, liatris, or hosta sprouts. I don't know where I put the tiger lilies. The green and the purple irises are showing a few leaves through the mulch, and the variegated iris has a spray of leaves. There are a few shoots of clustered bellflower. The golden glow broke through the mulch weeks ago and has many stems and leaves now. The garlic is up, about 10 cm tall. The tarragon has many short shoots.Six of the day lilies are underway and four bleeding hearts are well up. The hollyhocks are still small. The ribbon grass shows a good amount of new growth, The hyacinth is among them but I don't think it flowered. I don't know to where I moved the Shasta daisies. Both peonies, both in a new spot, have short shoots. The lilac flower buds are developing and show the tiny flowers-to-be. The Boston ivy and the silver maple are starting to bud. There is no sign of the Cuthbert Grant rose. There are some very small calendulas and, I think, some volunteer bachelor buttons. About thirty scillas dot the front east lawn; they have passed their best as far as flowering goes. The front flower bed is sprinkled with muscari. One allium is well up and the other may be up too. The Orange Emperor and Angelique tulips are growing. One compost bin is full of fairly new material from last fall and I have some compost in a garbage can. The cedars survived the winter well. The back lawn contains many green shoots, but the yellow dead grass is still quite evident. The side lawn is green and lush. The grass seeds I sowed around the new deck are flourishing and will form a new lawn soon. One of the yellow-flowered plants is growing. One of the phloxes is up, and the columbine has many shoots up. The rhubarb is up, about 15 cm.
June 29: Generally doing fine. I scattered fertilizer almost everywhere.
September 14: Light frost this morning. Almost no damage.
15: More frost.
26: I lifted my cannas, elephant ear, and ponytail palm.
October 17: The most tender plants were killed by frost. Almost no damage.
18: A hard frost.
25: One pole of the sweet pea trellis snapped off as I removed the vines.
 
Andrew, August 20, 2009
The Garden, June 20, 2010
2010
April 1: It’s an early spring. The snow is all gone, and the surface of the soil is thawed. A few leaves of oriental poppy are coming through the mulch. A few leaves of quack grass are up where it is growing. The grass is still brown, with scarcely any green at all. The buds on the lilac are swollen.
24: Still a warm spring, and currently a little dry. I applied Round-Up to the dandelions and quack grass in the main garden and nearby.
29: Rain today, after a long dry spell.
May 2: Spring is quite early this year. In the garden the red tulips are flowering, but the flowers are closed today because of the rain; there are clusters of yellow tulips, not budding yet, and the black tulips are spread out and smaller. They were all mulched all winter and I cleared that away this spring. The oriental poppies have formed small upright sprays. The bishops gout, on the east side of the house, is growing. It was the first plant up on that side. The lily of the valley is up near the house, and there are a few mint leaves showing but none of catnip. There are no rough false sunflower, rudbeckia, liatris, or hosta sprouts. The tiger lilies are up above the mulch. The green and the purple irises are showing a few leaves through the mulch, and the variegated iris has a spray of leaves. There is not sign of the small flowered iris, which I tried to eliminate last year. The bed for the clustered bellflower is covered in cardboard and mulch; there are a few tiny shoots around the edges. The golden glow broke through the mulch weeks ago and has many stems and leaves now. The garlic is up, about 10 cm tall, but the shallots are not up yet. The tarragon has many short shoots. Six of the day lilies are underway. All the bleeding hearts are well up. There is no sign that the delphinium has started. I can see only one dames rocket plant, and that’s good as I tried to eliminate them. Hollyhocks are still small. The ribbon grass shows a good amount of new growth, and the hyacinth among them has finished flowering. The Shasta daisy bed is full of quack grass and mulched over. There is one shasta sprout in sight and probably more underneath. I will have to transplant some sprouts into a grass-free spot and kill the quackgrass in that bed before I can reuse it. One peony has shoots of medium length, one has 2 small shoots, and the other has nothing showing through the mulch. The lilac flower buds are well developed, showing all the tiny flowers-to-be. Leaves of the Boston ivy buds are 3 cm long and those of the silver maple are 4 cm long. The Cuthbert Grant rose is budding. There are no volunteer bachelor buttons, not surprising as everything is mulched over, but the calendulas appeared weeks ago. Thirty five scillas dot the front east lawn; they have passed their best as far as flowering goes. The front flower bed is sprinkled with muscari. The alliums are not up. The Orange Emperor and Angelique tulips are growing. Two compost bins are full of fairly new material from last fall and one bin is a quarter full of compost. I have many bags of leaves in the area, collected last autumn. The cedars survived the winter well. Green shoots in the lawn are sparse. The rain should change that. The lawn was mowed once. The coral bells are not evident yet through the mulch. Some of the yellow-flowered plants from Jean have new small leaves.
garden, September 3, 2010
The Garden, September 3, 2010
June 17: I set out the last of my plants. I have some coleus and dusty miller left, but no shady place to put them. I am quite late this year.
Raised Bed and Me, July 17, 2010
Raised Bed and Me, July 17, 2010
July 2: I built a raised flower bed in the centre of the garden. I trenched and built a retaining wall from Belvedere stone, a concrete product. It took exactly one pallet of wall stones, about $550 including taxes and delivery. Today I returned the last of the topsoil to the bed. The wall has some defects. Its radius is too tight for Belvedere stone to fit together snugly so there are gaps between the stones on the outside. I hope to enlarge it next year, or so, and so I didn’t put in the drain stone behind the wall that is recommended or build the base as thick as is also recommended. Also coping stone for a smooth top is only available by the pallet load (>$600), so I didn’t get any. I may put on some other smooth top stones.
July 4: I scattered fertilizer.
12: I topped the raised bed up with some purchased topsoil, and planted some coleus and dusty miller around the central ensete.
August 4: I sprinkled 2 bags of pelletized gypsum (clay buster) in all the beds.
October 2: First frost.
 

 
 
 
August 22, 2009
August 22, 2009
Andrew, August 20, 2009
Andrew, August 20, 2009
2009
April 25: Storm mowed the front lawn. I wanted to get it done before the squills emerge.
27: I applied glyphosate to the dandelions and quack grass in the garden.
May 2: April was cool, and spring is late. The garden: the red tulips are thick but there are no buds yet; there are clumps of yellow tulips but they are not as numerous or so advanced; the black tulips are spread out and smaller. There are dames rockets among them. The oriental poppies have formed small upright sprays. Sprouts of lily of the valley are up near the house, and there are a few catnip leaves showing but none of mint. The bishops gout, new on the east side of the house, is growing. There are no rough false sunflower, rudbeckia, liatris, hostas, astilbe, or lily sprouts. The green-flowered and small-flowered irises are up, but not the purple-flowered irises. The clustered bellflower is up but sparse. The golden glow has filled its patch with young leaves. There are 3 garlic shoots, about 3 cm tall. The day lilies and tarragon have many short shoots. One delphinium has started. There are many dames rockets plants. They have invaded nearby spaces. Hollyhocks are still small. The ribbon grass shows a good amount of new growth, and there is one hyacinth in flower among it. The Shasta daisy bed contains many short plants. The peonies have new shoots. There are only 4 shoots on the Sarah Bernhardt. The lilac buds are just opening. The Boston ivy buds and silver maple buds are swollen but not open. The Cuthbert Grant rose is budding. There are no volunteer bachelor buttons and no calendulas. A few scillas dot the front east lawn; they have just come up. The front flower bed is sprinkled with muscari. The alliums are not up. The Orange Emperor and Angelique tulips are growing. Two compost bins are full of fairly new material from last fall and one bin is half full of compost. The cedars survived the winter well although the one nearest the door died. The lawn looks good. Most of it has not been mowed or cut yet. The coral bells seems not to have survived the winter; there is not sign of growth, either roots or leaves. The yellow-flowered plants from Jean have new small leaves.
2: I took my cold-hardy plants outside today to begin hardening them off.
10: I distributed the old compost to various beds.
June 6: Spring has continued to be very cool, and frost last night damaged the dahlias and marigolds.
August 3: The garden is generally doing fine. It has been a cool rainy summer, and things are weeks behind their usual times. I have started mulching with coffee grounds from Starbucks, and with grass and cardboard. I may continue this move to sheet mulching. It reduces weeding so much although the flower beds may not look as nice with mulch in them.
September 29: September has been incredibly warm and dry, the opposite of the summer. First frost last night, but none of the plants seems to have been harmed. I covered the tomatoes and yellow marigolds.
October 9: Killing frost last night.
November 3: I have been gathering bags of leaves for use as mulch. Some are on the garden now, and some I plan to keep until spring.
 
Garden, June 26, 2008
Garden, July 24, 2008
2008
February 6: I ordered seeds from Stokes: coleus, bells of Ireland, celosia, snapdragons, hollyhocks, cosmos, and portulaca.
April 4: As the snow melts, it has revealed a little catnip right next to the house. There is new growth on the hollyhocks and apparently on the parsley, but I don't expect the parsley will survive. There are many shoots of red tulips, and many bachelors buttons in the parrot tulip bed. The dames rocket has large rosettes.
8: I sprayed Round Up here and there, principally on the quackgrass growing among the day lilies.
26: I watered my seedling with iron chelates and No-Damp, as some of them seemed to be showing iron chlorosis.
29: I took my cold-hardy plants outside today to begin hardening them off.
May 1: Yesterday was sunny and cool. The temperature reached 14°C. April was fairly dry. The garden: the red tulips are very thick and large with small buds; there are clumps of yellow tulips but not as many or so advanced; the black tulips are spread out nicely but smaller. The oriental poppies have formed small upright sprays. Sprouts of lily of the valley are up right against the house, and there are a few sprouts of catnip and one of mint. There are no rough false sunflower, rudbeckia, liatris, hostas, monarda, astilbe, or lily sprouts. The large-flowered and small-flowered irises and the clustered bellflower are up. The golden glow has a few leaves. The bellflower is not as sparse as last year; it seems to be coming back. The garlic plants have 1 leaf and are about 4 cm tall. The day lilies and tarragon have many short shoots. Three delphiniums have started. There are many dames rockets plants. They have invaded the lawn and the oriental poppies and other nearby spaces. Hollyhocks are still small. The ribbon grass shows a good amount of new growth. The Shasta daisy bed contains many short plants. The peonies have new shoots. There is only 1 shoot on the Sarah Bernhardt. The lilac buds are opening, the Boston ivy buds are starting to open, and silver maple buds are just barely starting to open. The Cuthbert Grant rose is budding. There are small volunteer bachelor buttons, but none in their intended bed, and no calendulas. One hyacinth flowered poorly among the ribbon grass and there is 1 on the east side of the house, not looking good itself. The front east lawn is dotted with scillas and about 5 are flowering. The front flower bed is dotted with muscari. The alliums are up in their beds. The Orange Emperor and Angelique tulips are growing. Two compost bins are full of fairly new material, from last fall and yesterday, and one is full of compost, still frozen in the middle. The cedars survived the winter well although the one nearest the door has some reddish parts. The lawn looks good. It had its springtime short haircut a while ago.
May 2: I rotilled using a tiller rented from Rona, $30.00, and set some hardy plants out: sweet peas, cabbage, parsley, and annual hollyhock.
27: Frost last night, visible on the grass and the car this morning. I covered many tender things, but not everything. I missed the celosia and portulaca and 2 cannas. They look ok, but I'll have to wait and see.
July 22: I broadcast fertilizer, 22-7-7 with iron, on the garden.
August 16: I began installing the drip irrigation system a few days ago and finished today. It is not as large as when I put it out before, but it reaches some choice plants: the tomatoes, dahlias, zinnias, cabbages, and cannas.
October 8: No frost yet!
17: There is frost everywhere this morning. The garden was still full of flowers--marigolds, nicotiana, dahlias, cosmos, and others, but this will be the end for this year.
 
2007
April 11: For various reasons I have not been able to start my seeds in the usual way. The reasons include being too busy with renovations, having all my garden materials disorganized due to the renovations, helping act as manager at my club, and having taken a February trip to B.C.
May 1: Today is cloudy and cool, with a north wind. The temperature is expected to reach 16°C. The garden now: the red tulips are very thick and large with a bit of colour in some buds; the yellow tulips are sparser but almost the same size; the black tulips are not as advanced. The oriental poppies have formed upright sprays. The lily of the valley is up, and there are a few sprouts of catnip, mint, and rough false sunflower. There are no rudbeckia, liatris, hostas, or lily sprouts. The large-flowered and small-flowered irises and the clustered bellflower are up. The bellflower is sparse. The garlic plants have 2 or 3 leaves and are about 10 cm tall. The day lilies and tarragon have many shoots. The monarda has 2 tiny ones. The delphiniums have started. One day lilies and 2 delphiniums do not show any new growth. There are many dames rockets plants. Some are now in their 3rd year but most are small and must be in their second. They will need to be watched as they seem to be invasive. Hollyhocks are a good size. The ribbon grass shows a good amount of new growth. There is only one Shasta plant in its bed! There are, however, many small Shastas elsewhere. The peonies have new shoots. The lilacs and silver maple are leafing out. On the Boston ivy (or is it Virginia creeper?) the buds are swelling. There are a few small leaves on the rose. There are several volunteer bachelor buttons and there were many calendulas before rototilling. The hyacinths have finished flowering on the west side of the house and there is 1 on the east side of the house and it is in flower. The front east lawn is dotted with scillas and about 5 are flowering. The front flower bed is dotted with muscari. The alliums are up in their beds. The Orange Emperor and Angelique tulips are large but not budding yet. Two compost bins are full of fairly new material, from last fall and yesterday. The new cedars survived the winter well although 2 of them are bent over somewhat. The lawn looks good. It had its springtime short haircut short 2 days ago.
 
2006
Spring, 2006
May 1, 2006
March 10:  I bought some liquid iron solution from Rona, about $7.75. It is 6% iron and 15% Nitrogen. I don't need or want the Nitrogen, but the iron part is a good price, 1/3 that of the chelates powder next to it.
10:  I turned the heater from a water bed into a heating mat for my seedlings. I put a fibreglass batt under it, and the seedlings and another batt of top. The thermostat went under the cell paks.
29:  I am having difficulty getting my seeds to start. I attribute this to my new furnace and thermostat. The new furnace fan is always on so the warm spots in which I used to start my seeds are gone, and the automatic thermostat lowers the temperature at night and during the day, so the seeds are cooler much of the time. I will have to learn new tricks!
April 12: I no longer attribute the problem to the temperature. I tried about a year ago to root some sedums in a special soil mix that I made up just for them. I don't remember what was in it—nothing special that I recall except a lot of sand. They would not root, despite being there for about a year. Now I suspect that something in that soil is preventing root development. Many of my failed seeds this year were in starter mix using that soil, and they had very short thick roots and the roots did not develop beyond that.
17: I started up the sodium lamp.
20: I had a few more dead seedlings again today, basil, stocks, zinnias and a marigold. The basil, stocks and marigold are in the suspect soil, so I threw it out instead of replanting into it.
May 9: I rented a rototiller from Home Depot, $14 for 4 hours, and tilled the garden. It was only 18 inches wide so I was able to till along the fence too, which Vic is not able to do with his large machine.
July 5: I bought and installed some drip irrigation equipment, viz. two 1/4" soaker hoses and some connectors. Not all the connectors I wanted were in stock, so I will have to add a few more pieces, like the pressure regulator and the connectors for the 1/2" hose, later.
August 1: July was hot and very dry. Most of the plants are advanced but only a medium size. I have installed all the planned irrigation system but I need some more large diameter hosing as the pressure drops too much in the long thin hoses.
 
2005
April 5:  I turned on my sodium lamp system and moved a few parsley plants under it. The garden is almost free of snow.
May 1:  After an early warm start to spring, the weather turned cool again, with snow each morning, melting in the afternoon. The plants grew up early, but paused when the weather changed. Today is quite cool, now -3, going to -8 tonight.
The garden now:   the red tulips are thick and large with a bit of colour in some buds; the yellow tulips are almost the same size; the black tulips are not as advanced.   The oriental poppies have formed small upright clumps.   The catnip, mint, and lily of the valley are up. There are 6 rudbeckia plants.   There is no sign of liatris, rough false sunflowers, clematis, or hostas.   There are 2 lily sprouts, both tiger lilies I believe.   The large-flowered and small-flowered irises and the clustered bellflower are up.   The garlic is about 10 cm tall.   The monarda, day lilies, and tarragon have many shoots. Some day lilies do not show any new growth.   The asclepias and dames rockets are still covered by leaves.   Hollyhocks are a good size.   The ribbon grass and Shasta daisies plants show a good amount of new growth. There are many small Shastas in the black tulip bed, to be weeded out!   The peonies have new shoots.   About three sweet williams have survived the winter, just barely.   The lilacs buds are open enough that you can tell flower buds from leaf ones.   On the silver maple and Boston ivy (or is it Virginia creeper?) the buds are swelling. There are a few small leaves on the rose.   There are several volunteer bachelor buttons and many calendulas.   The hyacinths have finished flowering on the west side of the house and 3 are flowering on the east side of the house.
4:  Vic rotilled, $23.
July 6:  I sprinkled some slug pellets.
7:  While weeding behind the compost bins I discovered red worms under the grass mulch, put into the compost years ago and still surviving in this area.
27:  The tulip and oriental poppy beds are quite bare. I think nasturtiums would be good in those beds after the tulips.
August 9:  A hummingbird came by and sipped at 2 sidalcea flowers before zooming off! I think that's the first hummingbird I've seen in the city.
October 2:  Still no frost.
4:  Snow but still no frost.
7:  Frost last night, -3C. Some plants: nasturtium, cosmos, zinnias, marigolds; are frozen, some are not.

 
2004
February 23:  I turned on my sodium lamp system and moved my few seedling under it.
28:  I ordered some seeds from Thompson and Morgan:  Phlox paniculata New Hybrids Mixed @ $2.29, Eustoma grandiflorum Double Eagle Mixed F1 @ $3.49, Nicotiana:  Sensation Mixed @ $1.99, Rehmannia angulata Popstar @ $2.99, and New Zealand Hybrids Delphinium @ $4.99.   Today I sprayed the garden weeds with Round Up.   There were only a few, mostly dandelions and some quack grass.
May 1:  The garden now:   the red tulips are thick and large; the yellow tulips are laid our singly and are the same size; the black tulips are not as advanced.   The oriental poppies have formed small clumps.   There is no sign of catnip, mint, liatris, lilies, rudbeckia, dames rocket, silver mullein, rough false sunflowers, or hostas.   The large-flowered and small-flowered irises and the clustered bellflower are up.   The garlic is about 10 cm tall, as is the lily of the valley near the house.   The monarda, day lilies, and tarragon have many shoots and the clematis, one.   There is one Icelandic poppy.   The asclepias is still covered by leaves.   Hollyhocks are a good size.   The ribbon grass and Shasta daisies plants show a good amount of new growth.   The Mons Martin Cahuzac peonies has about 20 small shoots; Festiva has 10 small shoots and Sarah 5.   Three sweet williams have survived the winter.   The lilacs buds are open just enough that you can tell flower buds from leaf ones.   One the silver maple, Boston ivy (or is it Virginia creeper?), and rose the buds are swelling.   There are several volunteer bachelor buttons.   One hyacinth has finished flowering on the west side of the house and 6 are flowering on the east side of the house.   One compost bin is half full of mature compost, and 3 bins are full of undecomposed stuff.
July 24, 2004
July 24, 2004

8: Vic rototilled the annual beds today, $23.
July 24, 2004
July 24, 2004

26: Risk of frost tonight so I covered the tomatoes, schizanthus, venidium, and basil.
27: There was no frost, but a heavy dew.   Frost warning again tonight so I covered the tomatoes, schizanthus, venidium, basil, nicotiana, and four o'clocks.
28: Again, no frost.   Ben is over today, turning the compost, mowing the lawn, and digging the narrow beds.
June 6:  I tossed fertilizer, 18-24-?? slow release type, onto the garden.
June 16:  I gave my extra seedlings, mostly zinnias, to Jean and Jennifer.
 
Andrew, October 4, 2003
Andrew, October 4, 2003
2003
March 25:  Almost all the snow is gone.   The oriental poppies and Shasta daisies have a few leaves, and a few dandelions are green.   One sweet william has some green, but I doubt it will last.   The winter was persistently cold, with no break until the temperature finally rose around March 10.
26:  The green irises are coming through, the quack grass is turning green, and the bachelors buttons are up!
30:  I got my new grow shelf operating today and moved the asters under the new light, a 400 Watt Philips Ceramalux high-pressure sodium bulb.
April 2:  No change in the garden, except the small leaves are now visible from the hollyhocks.
9:  My seeds arrived from Stokes, ordered by phone April 1.
19:  I rounded up the weeds, mostly dandelions and quack grass, in all the beds.
22:  I finished installing edging to enlarge the garden by moving the east edge to be in line with the driveway.   I have yet to move the south walkway.
May 1: The garden now:   the red and yellow tulips are developing buds; the black tulips are not as advanced.   The oriental poppies have formed small clumps.   There is only one small catnip sprout.   The large-flowered and small-flowered irises and the clustered bellflower are up.   The garlic and lily of the valley are 10 cm tall.   There is no sign of monarda, mint, liatris, perovskia, aquilegia, Icelandic poppies, lilies, rudbeckia, or asclepias.   The tarragon is a fresh green with many new shoots.   A few rough false sunflowers are showing.   Hollyhocks are a good size.   Some day lilies, the ribbon grass, and several small Shasta daisy plants show new growth.  All 3 peonies have about 5 small shoots.   One sweet william has survived the winter.   The lilacs, silver maple, clematis, and rose are budding.   I cut the caragana down to the ground; it does not show any new growth.   There are several volunteer bachelor buttons.   One hyacinth has finished flowering on the west side of the house and 3 are flowering on the east side of the house.   One compost bin is half full of mature compost, and 3 bins are full of undecomposed stuff.
July 5, 2003
July 5, 2003

2: I moved the south walkway, and with help from Storm and Preston, moved the sod to the new pathways.   Preston spread the mature compost on the beds.
3: Vic rototilled today, $23.   He tilled the bed for the shade plants north of the compost bins and said the ground there was still frozen.   He was not able to till along the fence as the edged bed is too narrow.
19:  After a series of warm sunny days, yesterday it rained, and tonight frost is threatened.
20:  Well there certainly was frost.   It killed some zinnias, despite their being covered, hurt the geraniums badly, and touched the tomato.   The perennials and frost-hardy annuals seem to be ok.
June 23:  The peonies have been perfuming the air for some days now, and this evening I could smell cloves; whether from the matthiola or the stocks I can't say.
September 23:  A first frost this morning doesn't seem to have done much harm.
30:  A hard frost.
December 9:  My seeds arrived from Stokes, cobaea, impatiens, moonflower, schizanthus, venidium, and tomato.
 
2002
April 9: Almost all of the snow is gone, and there are many sprouts here and there, especially in the bachelors buttons bed.   There seem to be some sweet williams growing, and oriental poppies.
April 30: I picked up the winter litter, and rounded-up some weeds. mostly dandelions and quack grass.
May 1: The garden now:   the red and yellow tulips are up a little; the black tulips are not as advanced.   The oriental poppies and the catnip are well up.   The large irises are up, the green ahead of the purple, but the small-flowered iris is not growing yet.   There is no sign of garlic, monarda, mint, lily of the valley, liatris, aquilegia, chrysanthemums, Icelandic poppies, lilies, lupins, or asclepias, and no new growth on the tarragon or perovskia.   There is new growth in the asclepias bed, in the aquilegia bed, and in the rough false sunflower bed, which may be those plants or may not.   Hollyhocks, clustered bellflower, some day lilies, and ribbon grass show new growth.   The large Shasta daisy plants appear dead, but one small plant shows new growth.   One marmalade rudbeckia leaf is in sight, but no spider-flowered ones.   Two peonies have shoots; Sarah Bernhardt has about 3, just visible, and Mons Martin Cahuzac has one just covered by debris on the soil surface.   Two or three sweet williams seem to have survived the winter.   The lilacs are budding, but not the silver maple, rose, or caragana.   There are several volunteer bachelor buttons, perhaps many but they are mostly not large enough to positively identify.   The clematis does not show any growth except for one visible red bud.   Two hyacinths are coming through with large leaves in the east bed.   There are a few grass clumps in the garden and under the ash trees, and a few dandelions in the garden.   There is some quack grass here and there, principally along the fence and along the west side of the house.   The amur maple seeds I planted last fall under the ashes have not sprouted.   I moved the last compost bin to the east side of the house, leaving its contents against the fence to be spread around later.
May 22:  This is the first day in which some of the trees look green.   Spring has been very slow this year.
24: A hard frost last night seems to have harmed my snapdragons and schizanthus.
July 23: I returned today from a 25 day trip, to find the garden grown well, but with many medium-sized weeds.
September 22:  I spread 2 bags of manure on the central semi-circular beds.
September 25:  A moderate frost has damaged the portulaca, mimosa, beans, marigolds, tomatoes, basil, cannas, and zinnias.
September 27:  I went out to clear the scarlet runner beans, and found about 12 good sized beans on the plants!   Perhaps the plants only started getting pollinated after they fell down.
September 28:  There was a heavier frost overnight.
October 5:  Frosts have been gradually heavier, and this morning there was about 3 cm of snow.
 
2001
January 3: My seed order arrived today from Thompson and Morgan.
May 1: The garden now: the red and yellow tulips are in bud; the black tulips are not as advanced.   The oriental poppies are up, as are the irises, clover, garlic, lily of the valley, hollyhocks, and ribbon grass.   The monarda, Shasta daisies, rudbeckia, mint, and clustered bellflower are poking through, as is catnip in the lawn near its bed.   The tarragon in the garden is coming through, but not in the bed on the east side of the house.   All 3 peonies have shoots; the largest are from Festiva Maxima.   The Sweet Williams seem to have survived the winter well.   The lilacs are budding, as are the silver maple, the rose, and the caragana.   There is one volunteer bachelor button.   The clematis does not show any growth, nor are there any Icelandic poppies, lupins, or lilies.
May 5: I rounded up the garden inside the fence.
May 12: Vic rototilled the garden, $22. I should have sprayed outside the fence before today! I dug and moved the volunteer bachelor buttons, one chrysanthemum, the pansies, and 4 sweet williams. I spread compost outside the fence where I have planned for delphiniums, lupins, and day lilies.
May 18: I scattered lawn fertilizer to the main garden perennials and the clematis.
June 6: There are still many forest tent caterpillars, but I think fewer than recent days.
June 17: I scattered pellets against slugs along the garden edges.
June 18: No sign of dead slugs.
July 1: The slug damage seems to have stopped. In turning a compost heap today I found a small bumblebee hive at the bottom. It is so much disturbed now that they will probably leave.
July 5: Rosanna Parry came over today and photographed some flowers. The pictures are intended to go on my web site as advertising for her.
July 23: Rosanna's photos came today. Also, I installed edging along the north half of the outside of the west fence, where the lupins and day lilies are.
~August 2: I installed edging along the south half of the fence, where the zinnias are. There are still bumblebees in the hive.
August 6: After much rain recently, some unusual mushrooms have appeared in part of the lawn. They have V-shaped caps, and long thin stems.
September 24: A first light frost seems to have killed one sunflower and dulled the colour from the lower petals of some of the zinnias, but no more than these things.
October 5: A second light frost has affected more zinnia petals.
October 6: A heavier frost has affected many of the plants.
November 23: The Stokes and T&T catalogs arrived today. The Thompson and Morgan catalogue arrived about 10 days ago. There is no snow, and the chrysanthemums are still going!
 
2000
Garden, 2000
Garden, 2000

April 23: I sprayed the dandelions and other weeds in the main part of the garden today with glyophosate.
May 11: I bought 10 litres of Round-Up from Even Flo for $99.90, no tax.
16: Another spray with Round-Up, this time also along the fence.
19: Vic rototilled, $21.
June 2: I sprinkled grass seed along the bare parts of the paths, and began measuring for the path in the north section.
4: I sprinkled fertilizer in the garden for most of the plants
28: I finished turning the old compost heap. Empty cocoons of the forest tent caterpillar are sprinkled under the trees where they have been tossed by blue jays.
24: There was a lot of dried slug slime among the marigolds, so I scattered anti-slug pellets among them, and a few other places.
25: Dozens of flies have been attracted to the dead slugs.
27: I finished turning the centre of the north perennial bed. The rough false sunflower and the gaillardia are in place, and the black tulips. There are 2 empty beds, and I don't know what I'll put in them.
September 17: The morning glory vines and the wind have collapsed the top of the trellis.
September 22: First frost last night.
October 4: Fairly heavy frost last night.
 
1999
Garden (1996?)
Garden (1996?)

April 19: I sprayed the dandelions and other weeds in the main part of the garden today with glyophosate. Last year's compost bins are overflowing with material, but they are hot inside, so the material must be decomposing.
20: I sprayed the bed outside the fence with glyophosate today. It was heavily infested with quack grass.
26: I began hardening off my seedlings. Vic came over in the evening and rototilled.
May 2: I laid out paths in the garden.
  3: I sprinkled grass seed on the intended paths.
16: Gilbert and Wayne moved the east side edging to enlarge the garden.
21: The grass seeds have germinated fine on the new paths.
27: I sprayed the old garden edge with glyophosate to kill the grass there.
29: I set out the Easter lily from 1998, which has been growing inside this winter and actually has a withered bud on it that never opened, and the lily my mother got about 3 months ago, and an amaryllis offset that has been resting in the basement for some time.
 
1998
April 26: Vic rototilled.
 
1997
May 12: Vic rototilled today. He incorporated 10 x 15 kg bags of sheep manure and one gray bin of compost.
 
In the garden now: ribbon grass, tarragon, 1 Icelandic poppy, 3 varieties of iris, oriental poppies, 1 lupin, tulips--red and yellow, hollyhocks, New England aster, campanula (clustered bellflower), Shasta daisies, Cuthbert Grant and Chrysler Imperial roses, clematis, alyssum, Grenadin carnations, lily of the valley. The silver maple is budding, and so are the lilacs, showing flower buds.
 
1996
May 4: Black ants, and a bumblebee.
May 6: Vic rototilled the garden today. He incorporated many grass clippings and leaves.
July 2: The worm bin contained many stalks, which were not being consumed. I tried to separate them by screening, but lost almost all material and many worms. I restarted the bin with peat moss. I have lost most of my interest.
July 7: Half of the compost from the gray bins was worked into the garden; the rest remains, not very well digested. I am using most grass clippings as mulch, so there is little now to add. In the cedar bins, the compost is similar: many long stalks and incomplete decay.
September 3: My staghorn fern is platycerium bifurcatum. The split-leaf philodendron I acquired in May is monstera deliciosum. My heart-leaf philodendron is philodendron cordata, a florists' variety.
October 30: A heavy snowfall.
 
1995
February 1: Fed worm bin one banana peel. I got the worms yesterday.
14: They are still alive but not eating much. Part of the banana peel was still there 2 days ago.
March 1: Increased food substantially, whether they have eaten the previous or not.
April 1: Worm bin. Stopped feeding, so that they can consume what's there before I turn them out.
May 1: Removed all worms. Got about 1/4 cup. The vermicompost was thick (too much clay) and contained smelly pockets of anaerobic decay. Put the worms in a new bucket of food and newspaper. I have been putting food there for a month. I will add 1 cup per week.
10: In the garden now: clematis, ribbon grass, mint, lily of the valley, New England aster, garlic, tarragon, calendula, Icelandic poppies, iris, oriental poppies, rhubarb, tall Michaelmas daisies, lupins, Shasta daisies, small iris, tulips, asiatic lilies, bachelor buttons, hollyhocks, a gloriosa daisy perhaps, a multiplier onion, and red and black ants. The silver maple is budding at the tip.
May 23: I have two gray compost bins containing mostly stalks, and two cedar bins into which I am beginning to put this year's material.
June 17: I am continuing as planned with the worm bin.
October: I used grass clippings as mulch all summer. It really cut down on weeding!
October 29: First heavy frost (I was away).
December 6: New bedding in the worm bin. There is about 5/6 cup of worms now, mostly small.
 
1994
January: I bought 3 amaryllis bulbs from Schreimer's Nursery, at ~$10 each, Van Bloem the grower. Queen of Pinks for me (It's huge), Lydia (orange) (huge), for Ivy Bowman, and Picotee (medium), for mother. All started February 4. Also bought one for Emile and William, about February 17.
April: I put out my home-made compost box, like the Beaver Lumber one.
20: In the garden now: oriental poppies, icelandic poppies, tulips, iris, small-flowered iris, rhubarb.
~May 3: The initial contents of one gray compost box were rototilled into the garden.
12: Also in the garden: tulip buds, Cuthbert Grant is budding, silver maple budding at the top, ribbon grass, mint, lily of the valley, blue boy aster, aster sedifolius, hollyhocks, clematis (> 2 feet high), wild aster, garlic, Michaelmas white daisy, and Ivy Bowman's purple flower. No shasta daisies, lilies, milkweed, physalis.
May : I filled my home-made box with last year's leaves. I have been putting this year's detritus into the two grey boxes.
24: I began setting out seedlings and planting the garden.
25: In the garden now: shastas, lilies, milkweed, and physalis. Tulips are finishing. Dandelions in full flower. Icelandic poppies in flower, and 1 iris. Lilacs and fruit trees are in flower, and lily of the valley.
September 9: Weeds go to garbage. Last year's compost in the unpainted boxes has settled down, at one-half box, but it's not rotting any more!
September: The gray boxes are full. New clippings are going onto the garden as mulch.
October 31: -5°C this morning, the first heavy frost. Yesterday the geraniums around the clematis were still doing fine.
 
1993
August 5: It has been a wet summer. In the garden the petunias, peony poppies, Cuthbert Grant rose, and rudbeckia are flowering very well. The portulaca, sweet peas, and crackerjack daisies are doing well. The New England aster is flowering very well. There are peppers and tomatoes. The snapdragons are starting to flower.
August 18: One red tomato in the garden (Bush Beefsteak)! In flower: cactus zinnias, one bloom on each plant, two white gladiolus stalks and others coming, one flower on the red geraniums from seed, many sweet peas, mostly pink, many blossoms on the New England aster, some flowers on the Blue Boy aster, African daisies, one late peony poppy, snapdragons, bachelor buttons, 3 of 7 spider asters, 1 Cuthbert Grant blossom, 1 cosmos plant, the sunflowers with 1 or 2 almost fully open, the marigolds with many flowers, the purple and pink geraniums, the petunias, the portulaca, and the African daisies. The clematis has dead blossoms showing. The shastas have a few flowers. The hollyhocks are flowering and the carnations have begun. The yellow daisies are flowering. There are many marmalade rudbeckia flowers. The leaves on the seed poppies have turned brown, but few pods are ripe.
September 4: The garden is finishing up. The petunias, portulaca, and clematis have a few flowers left, and many spent blossoms. There are a few blossoms on the Cuthbert Grant rose, and on the red geraniums from seed. There are one or two late Raggedy Anns. There are many blossoms on the sweet peas and rudbeckia, and some on the zinnias, spider asters, cosmos, and Shirley poppies. The oriental poppies are growing again; I guess it's due to all the rain; one is in flower. One gladiolus spike remains. The snapdragons and cornflowers are finishing up. The tall marigolds are well in flower, although many of the blossoms have a degenerate structure. The physalis is growing, but there are no lantern pods on it this year. The rhubarb is huge. The sunflowers are fully open and will start to ripen soon. The purple and pink geraniums have flowered well. The carnations have a few flowers and many buds. I have harvested the poppy and lunaria seeds.
September 30: A killing frost, the first hard one. Still going: carnations and kale, cabbages, michaelmas daisies.
~October 12: I was able to remove the old stump from the centre of the garden. It had been rotting for about 6 years. I put out the new cedar compost box from Beaver Lumber. It cost $42, and I should get a City of Winnipeg rebate of $25.