Bigger Than Golf Balls - Hail Storm Near Cold Lake Alberta

Last Sunday, which would have been August 14,  I am told a nasty hail storm went through the Cold Lake area.  The hail stones were huge, larger than golf balls.  One of my husband's customers collected a few and froze them so he could show everyone.  He said they melted a bit before he got to them so they were actually larger than this as they came down.

An interesting cross-section of one of the hail stones.  Look at the rings.  I wonder just how windy it was up there in the clouds before they actually got so heavy that gravity played a role on their release.

I'd hate to have been outside during that storm!  There was no mention of significant damage.  Can  you imagine?

Sky Watch Friday Near Innisfail

My husband took these photos this week near the town of Innisfail Alberta.

I am joining the Sky Watch Team for Sky Watch Friday.

Aphids Everywhere!!!!

This has been a wonderful growing season.....for aphids!!!  I generally expect a battle with the Summer Wine Ninebark, sometimes the roses, and occasionally on the Mock Orange.  This year, though, I have seen blue/green ones on the tomato plants, black aphids on the ninebark and mock orange, green on the rose bush (only a few) and several in my hair or on my clothes when I come in from working in the garden.  What to do?  

Summer Wine Ninebark late spring before I washed off the black aphids you see clustered here on the new growth.

A sharp blast from the hose is what I most often do for control.  Spraying every square inch and centimetre of the plant, I wash those nasty little suckers off where they can become bait for other predatorial bugs.  I also encourage (carry) the lady bugs to the affected regions.  You can buy them at a few of the local garden centres, just in case you don't have enough in your garden.

If your petunias are suffering from a recent infestation now, though, the best advice is to pull them out and discard the plants.  Replace them with annual mums or something else that will continue blooming while the evenings lose their warmth and the daylight hours begin to dwindle.  Days here have been a bit cooler so it is the perfect time to add some mums for a splash of colour now.

For more information on aphid control, see this article written by Rob Sproule of Salisbury Greenhouse:

http://www.industrymailout.com/Industry/Home/5553/23982/images/SPN%20Aphids%20101.pdf?utm_source=mailoutinteractive&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Aphids+101+

Enjoy those sun shiny days while you can.  I hear whispers of an early autumn.  Are you turning a deaf ear or a blind eye?  I am.......

New Research on Powdery Mildew and Lighting is Promising

Once a week I receive Jim Hole's Notebook, a virtual newsletter written by Jim Hole and distributed by Hole's Greenhouses in St. Albert.  Under the Science and Technology section, I read the most interesting and promising bit of research that I've seen in some time and it regards powdery mildew on roses.  Here is what it said,

"A Gardener’s Red-light District?  Researchers in Norway have discovered that exposing roses to red light during the night reduces the incidence of powdery mildew. Apparently, red light inhibits germination of powdery mildew spores. Even a short period of exposure can be quite effective. How well this research will translate into the real world of gardens is tough to say. But who knows? Perhaps night lighting will become one more pest-fighting tool for gardeners."

Are you ready to go out and buy red night lighting for your rose garden?  Believe me, I am tempted!

Hot Cocoa Rose (floribunda)

Cottage Flora Thursday and Flaunt Your Flowers/Fertilizer Friday

Earlier this week I was out checking on the progress of the container gardens.  The parsley is growing great planted beneath a Roma Tomato.

Roma Tomato

Believe it or not, this is a salad green that I allowed to go to flower.  Today, however, I pulled it out of the pot, tired of it and hoping the pepper will achieve its potential with the added room.

Little peppers growing here.  I see something has been nibbling the leaves.

Two fairly nice size peppers.  Now for some heat and sunny days for the tomato and pepper production.

Another Roma Tomato plant.

Close up of a green bell pepper plant.

Campanula, white carpathian bells, finally flowering!

Pink Diamond Hydrangea.  It is finally taking on a decent shape after a few years in the garden and lots of TLC.  It had an odd shape in the pot when I bought it but I was determined to have one of these beauties in my garden.  The patience is paying off.  Sometimes I wish it would retain the white colour in its blooms, as it is so delicately beautiful but it is rather lovely as it takes on hues of dusty rose/pink later in the summer.

No....I am in denial!  It is much too early!!!  The peony leaves are already turning their autumn colour, and yes, you do see some chlorosis here.  I have treated with chelated iron but may need to do so again.

European Mountain Ash berries are already turning colour and yesterday I saw one cedar waxwing in the garden.  They love mountain ash.  As the season turns to autumn, the berries become red and swarms of flocking wax wings feast upon them.  

What's blooming and/or ready for harvest in your garden?  Please leave a link in your comments below so I might visit your garden.

I am linking in with:

Cottage Flora Thursday

and

Glenda at Tootsie Time for Fertilizer Friday/Flaunt Your Flowers

Watery Wednesday at Lac La Biche

Watery Wednesday meme is hosted here.  Join others there for more watery photos.

Product Trial: Paper Pots Update August 15, 2011

Paper Pot Product Trial planted with Lemon Boy Tomato

The Paper Pot Trial is going fairly well.  Compared to the other tomato plants in nearby containers, its fruit has grown larger faster but the plant seems rather sparse.

Lemon Boy Tomatoes

Lemon Boy is the tomato plant of choice and here you can see it is beginning to ripen.  Last week we finally received summer like temperatures, 24-29 Celsius, and this has been a huge assistance to fruit production and ripening.  I am somewhat disappointed at the number of fruit on this tomato plant and the sparseness of the foliage. 

My fail here is that I had only one Lemon Boy Tomato plant so I cannot compare similar varieties of tomatoes.  Those in the other pots are Roma Tomatoes and they are very bushy with multiple fruits.  Still the trial continues.

If this paper pot is in reusable condition next year, I may try perforating it in a few places for drainage in case we have a wet spring and summer again.  I wonder, though, if that would affect the integrity and stability of the product?

Roma Tomatoes

Note:  all tomato plants received the same fertilizer regimen and were watered the same.

Sky Watch Friday - August 12, 2011

Sky Watch Friday

The Garden

Today I came across this poem given to me several months ago by a dear friend.  

I thought I'd pass it on for you to enjoy too:

For the garden of your daily living, plant three rows of Peas:

Peace of mind

Peace of heart

Peace of soul

Plant four rows of Squash:

Squash gossip

Squash indifference

Squash grumbling

Squash selfishness

Plant four rows of lettuce:

Lettuce be faithful

Lettuce be kind

Lettuce be patient

Lettuce love one another

No garden is without Turnips:

Turnip for meetings

Turnip for service

Turnip to help one another

To conclude our garden we must have Thyme:

Thyme for each other

Thyme for family

Thyme for friends

Water freely with patience and cultivate with love.

There is much fruit in your garden because you reap what you sow.

-author unknown-

In My Neighbourhood

My neighbour's Endless Summer Hydrangea is blooming.  Our soil is alkaline, here in Edmonton, so the bloom is pink.  Hers is blooming but mine isn't.  Hmmm.  Could be the move last autumn from part-shade to full sun.  Mine didn't bloom last year so I decided it needed more sun.  We'll see.

Near the ravine, several homeowners plant beyond their fences.  Here a homeowner planted pumpkin, I think.  Several others plant flowers or raspberries.

A huge mushroom.  I've seen a lot of these and other fungi this summer.  They love all this rain.

My favourite back yard in the area, above.  This one backs onto the ravine as well.

Another neighbour is growing this pretty little poppy in the front garden.  I like how this photo captures the flower in its different stages of opening.

Liatris is starting to bloom, while the groundcover, Lamium, is complementary in pink.

Dwarf Alberta Spruce in spiral form.  A few neighbours thought this was a good idea this spring.  Not all have fared as well as these, though, turning brown before summer is even done.  I hope they weren't expensive.

The gorgeous maple!!  It is the beginning of August and this pretty tree was already in full finery by the end of July.  Such a beautiful tree!

She loves her flowers!  Look at all these planters!  I'd love to see her back garden!

One of the most beautiful small landscape trees, the Russian Olive, flowers late spring and the scent is divine.  Love the foliage of soft grey/green which hangs on well into the winter.  Look at the furrows in the bark!  This tree's bark darkens over the years, sometimes looking rather charcoal which is a lovely combination with the foliage.

What's blooming in your neighbourhood?  Do you take your camera with you when you walk your dogs?  (like I sometimes do)