Last day of January and winter sure has arrived

Surprise, surprise, this is Marv and my first attempt at writing a Blog. This is usually Betty's venue, but what the heck, I'll give it a try.

Winter has sure arrived here with a vengeance. Temperatures have been around -10 to -20 for the last week and we are expecting the same for the coming week.

In spite of this, first thing every morning we run from our bedroom across the snow to our 105 degree f. hot tub where we spend about a half hour and consume our first pot of coffee.

Following this, Betty generally heads for her desk and gets started on mail and orders and fielding phone calls.

My early morning chores include checking the heifers and cats in the barn, ensuring they are fed and watered. Frozen water lines can be a continuing irritation at this time of year. Then I check the greenhouses. We have only one heated, and presently it is kept at around 5 degrees just to keep alive the annual plantings for next year.
If it has snowed, I get out the Kubota tractor with front-mount snow blower and clear out around the house and down the driveway. If you have high speed Internet, check out out cameras. They are presently working, but we have had major problems with our camera hosting company, and they have been quite unreliable at times. We're still working on it. You can find them at

http://www.videoprotein.com/videoprotein/layouts/drivecam/listing.html
http://www.videoprotein.com/videoprotein/layouts/TowerCam/listing.html.

You need to have Java 2SE installed to view the cameras. If you don't have it, you can get it here for free. https://sdlc3d.sun.com/ECom/EComActionServlet;jsessionid=0BDB1ED2319F1C669E5951431C81D5FE

We are going to attempt to be more diligent in making regular posts here. This blog will now be used to communicate with you, and the long E-gardener newsletter tradition (started by Ron and Dianne Crawford) will sadly be dis-continued. It will make it much easier to update you more frequently. Sending out thousands of emails was not only very time consuming, but at each mailing dozens of them bounced due to address changes.

Betty says HI

Home again, Home again, Jiggity Jig

Finally!! we got home to Wintery Ontario early this morning. Driving through white-outs and blizzard conditions, we were in serious doubt as to the wisdom of returning. We left Kauai for THIS? oh my. But our Maine Coon cat Sammy was at the back door drumming to be admitted to the house not 3 minutes after we got back. We know at least he has a better memory than a gold fish, and certainly has perseverence. Markus had done a great job of taking care of the place in our absence - thank you, Markus - and at the office, Dr. Krista had likewise been the glue that kept the pieces together. Thank you Dr. Krista!
Our last week on Kauai was "interesting" and included a 411 and EMT experience, but all is well now. It's great having reliable phone and email service again. We have called a few people to say we are back, and started getting the fridge filled up, and getting a few pieces of mail opened. YES _ the bills first.
From what we hear, the 8 inches of white stuff was not here the whole time we were gone, and so of course a visit to the greenhouses was in order. All seems to be well. It is very cool, being able to see the various degrees as it were of dormancy of the daylilies - some are just - dirt pots. Others - well - one would not be surprised to see a scape appear. And yet - by the time they bloom, one cannot tell which was sleeping and who pulled an "all-nighter". The heucheras still look awesome. The Gold Strike Brunnera - well, I think I am going to take some into the warm greenhouse so that it gets a start and hopefully, with pure luck, might have some blooms by the time the Stratford Garden Show rolls around March 1-4 - be there if you can. Then after that it is Canada Blooms time, and then we start shipping. Oh my - time sure flies - I must be getting older. And YES - it is for sure better than the alternative. Today was a busy day putting in orders that arrived by fax and mail in my absence. We had enough internet to actually process the email orders that came in, while on Kauai. I am always surprised how some cultivars sell out so quickly. So far I am guessing about 10 are done for. So - if you are mailing in orders, please select substitutes if necessary, as we are not choosing substitutes for people this year. And that is not poorer service, but evidence that we are listening to our feedback. Remember to get your orders up over $50 so that you are paying for plants and not postage. And remember to include your garden markers and labels along with the list of plants. Tomorrow is a busy day at Landscape Ontario in Toronto, and then and end-of-year accounting day at the practice. Company all weekend - busy busy busy - life is good - we are truly blessed. Be safe, and remember to appreciate everything around you. I may sound like I am complaining but no - I am truly grateful for the opportunity to live in the best place on earth. g'nite all.

Continuing to be surprised

Hi and good day again
What a day yesterday was!! It was a banner day in many ways - I walked the whole 5 miles to Kapa'a and am SO proud of myself! After that we went to Bubba's for a burger (their logo says "we cheat tourists, drunks and attorneys" - so why were we there?) We were only hungry tourists. Then we drove to a place we have not been before - and those are becoming more rare on this island - but oh my - what a cool place!! Why never before? Because it is almost always shrouded in clouds. And we thought it was a good day to be adventurous so away we went. And lo and behold - wow - it was severe clear when we got up to the Kalalau Valley on the Napali Coast. Amazing. And even in the midst of all that new beauty, what was there on the side of the canyon road? Hardly could believe it. Huge walls of 15 foot high, basketball size Blue Hydrangeas. How awesome. The soil here is so very acidic and there is awesome drainage and almost limitless rain. The plants are SO happy. We followed this 4000 foot climb with a few hours on Poliale Beach which - oh my - has to be my FAVOURITE beach in the world. Though, admittedly, my knowledge of the world's best beaches is somewhat limited. There seems to be a pretty much limited size for our basic house plants, at about 15 feet high. That applies to Bougainvilla, Hydrangeas, Crotons, Ferns, Hibiscus, and on and on goes the list. We had just the BEST salad greens last night, grown in Kilauea. The lettuce was just the most tender, sweetest and best we have ever had. This soil here is amazing. The rain, the heat, the sun. Oh my. If I were a plant, it would be as close to heaven as possible to be.
Our catalogues have been getting to people, and so far, we need to say - unfortunately, there was a crop failure and NORTHPORT is not available.
Wishing you all well, watching after sunset. Betty

Christmas in Kaua'i

Good morning and Merry Christmas from Kaua'i!! For some reason today I cannot turn off the underline in this editor, so we are stuck with it. Thank you so very much for the wonderful emails we received and the great comments and encouragement from friends who are saying we should keep writing this blog on a regular basis.
So - what do you think - ahhh - the underline is GONE!! Hooray!!
So - isn't that amazing red dirt? it is like that so much of Kaua'i. Pretty amazing contrast really. I am not a geologist, but since this is nearly the oldest of the Hawai'ian Islands, it has undergone the most erosion. and with that, there is now wonderful rich soil. How, though, do we correlate this amazing red rich soil to the black smooth rocks that line the beaches? and the nearly white sand? Such contrast! Such beauty!! At the moment I am overlooking Kaua'i beach, watching the waves roll in on the shore, what an amazing beauty. And black swans and muscovy ducks paddling about in a tide pool, people with fishing poles stuck into the sand, and the constant rolling in of the waves. The wave faces are 8 to 10 feet, and a good rule of thumb is - if the Hawaiians are not in the water - you stay out too. And so - no one is in the water. Actually, the beach is remarkably empty. We attended an amazing Christmas Eve Candlelight service last night, it was great - and are heading out soon for a rediculously oppulent Christmas Brunch at the Hyatt - hey - it's Christmas, and since we ahve no family here to be with, who better than a bunch of Hawaiians.... We are looking forward to a great day, and hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. Blessings to all -Betty and Marv

Coffee in Kaua'i

Good morning, all, Happy December 23rd!! The waves are high today again, with 15 to 20 foot faces, and some actually being twice that. The waves come in 13 seconds apart. But with the warnings out, people are not supposed to be out there playing in the waves. Riptides and such. A few years ago, my sister-in-law's sister got taken quite a way out with one - we are very fortunate she survived - many have not. We are moving resorts today, and so the next post will be when I have internet again. Until then, Merry Christmas, and Mele Kalikimaka.
Yesterday a trip out to the local coffee plantation was very very interesting. Kaua'i coffee is not as famous as Kona coffee, but wow - we are sure impressed with this operation here! I thought that coffee was grown in the mountains - you know - Juan Valdez with his mule and all. It turns out the reason for that is the amount of rainfall in the mountains. This coffee plantation is on the driest coast of Kaua'i. So - what gives? Well, coffee trees are not elevation sensitive, but very thirsty. This plantation has irrigation drip watering hoses to each and every tree on their 3400 acres. OH MY. Over 2000 miles of hose. Marv - that is a LOT of hose to maintain. The trees are pruned down to less than four feet in height just now in December, begin to grow again and bloom in February, and are ready to harvest by machine at their 10 foot height by September to November next year. By harvesting by machine, this plantation uses 57 people instead of a comparable labour force of over 3000. The processing of the cherries and beans and everything is so automated and so precise that they are able to get a very consistent result on their coffees. We were both very impressed. We even subscribed to their "coffee of the month" club, where they will send us Kaua'i coffee each month for the whole year. When you visit us, ask me for a cup of it and I will be THRILLED to oblige.
What do we grow at home - hemerocallis (daylilies), hostas and heucheras. What do we see here? NO Hostas or heucheras - they need the cold hibernation period. Daylilies are grown on the Big Island in a few places - we visited them other years. And of course, they were not blooming when we were there, which may be another reason they are not in favour here. After all, if the other plants bloom constantly, why grow something that doesn't?
I check the weather channel every morning to see what is happening at home and note there is lots of chance of a green Christmas. Then, while the screen is up, I also check the various places where I have family and friends. It's my way of connecting with each of them. While their weather is loading, I say a little prayer for them. Some people need me to have real slow dial-up and some are ok with high speed.
Tonight we are planning on the Waimea Lighted parade, which is always a lot of fun, and one of the best, happiest and most community-minded Christmas parades we have ever seen. So after sunset tonight, that is where we will be. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and we plan to go to a service here, and then well - hopefully - we will all have a WONDERFUL AMAZING CHRISTMAS DAY!
Mele Kalikimaka from us to you -
May your day be filled with joy.
Betty

Pause in Poipu

Hi and good afternoon - our morning was very relaxing, a walk along the beach, high tide and big waves, surfers out there, and lots of people on vacation. But everyone is SO nice - the spirit of ALOHA is actually enshrined in law here. It is MANDATED that you are wonderful and friendly and nice to everyone - malama - helping people is important. Every time we come,we are amazed at how many people read on vacation. It is an excellent escape when you are escaping physically as well. Construction here is advancing as quickly as if it were mainland. too bad.
Are you familiar with this word - Vespiary - From word a day from Wordsmith. This week's theme: blend words. vespiary (VES-pee-er-ee) noun; A nest or colony of wasps. [Blend of Latin vespa (wasp) and apiary (a place where bees are kept).] I'm sure many of us have had to deal with a vespiary. New words are so cool. and knowing how to pronounce them - a REAL bonus.
Overwintering geraniums was a topic on the Master Gardener forum a bit ago. The conversation went to the simplest method of keeping them over. The suggestions were:
1.)I dug up all my geraniums, shook the dirt off and placed them in paper bags and put the paper bags in a cold room. In late Feb, I soaked the roots for a few days, and potted them up. After a few weeks, I took cuttings from the new growth. It worked pretty well.
2.)I have also potted up a couple of plants and put in sunny windows and let them bloom. In late Feb/early March, I have taken cuttings. Some of the smaller parent plants continued to grow and I put them out in spring. Using this method, I have had blooms all winter.
what about using old carpet -

1. we use strips of carpeting in the field paths in some areas. in our blue mucky wet clay, it h on when trying to get through the field rows. however, we have only about 5 % or so of the rows done this way. This coming spring we are planning to pull up those rows of carpeting when we redo those fields.
2. one of the master gardeners reports that in the community garden she is in, carpet is used in the paths between the plots; they are taken up every fall and put back down every spring, and they last for many seasons. the thoughtis that they would think in a home garden they would work better between plantings, rather than trying to cover an entire bed and planting through it. It does a fabulous job of suppressing weeds, by the way.
3. another master gardener wrote - 10 years ago, when the liner for our swimming pool had to be replaced, the installer decided to "carpet" the bottom of the hole before putting the new liner in. He did this because the grouted surface had some rough spots and carpeting was a cheaper solution than trying to regrout. As I recall, bright green indoor-ourdoor carpeting was laid down and then the liner was put in and the pool was filled. It gave the bottom of the pool a "cushy" feel that it had not had with just the grouted surface underneath. I am sure the expectation was that this carpet would not break down, at least not quickly - and I can tell you for sure that, 10 years later, the bottom still feels as if the carpet is there.
4. Lasagna gardening - Perhaps carpets of natural fibres and with no backing might be biodegradeable - but I expect that, even if it was, it would take considerably longer to break down than does newspaper - which takes long enough as it is. I have used layers of newspaper too, knowing that I can cut through it with my spade to make planting holes. I think that, if carpet was used in a bed,it would be a difficult job to cut holes in it. But perhaps it could be fitted around the plants after they are planted. It could also be useful under pond liners or in an area where you wanted to make a grade change - put it down and cover it with topsoil. It would probably also be good between the rows in a vegetable garden.
5. I have heard of old carpet being used to protect roses over winter in very cold places such as Calgary.
6. I am an avid lasagna gardener and an even greater carpet enthusiast. I use carpet in many many ways ... under paths with wood chip on top to slow the break down of the wood chip in pathways, outside a garden shed to slow down mud tracking, underneath the branches of almost every shrub I own to retain moisture , as pathways in garden rows to increase moisture retention, on top of weedy sections of various gardens to create next year's beds...( by the way nothing works better than throwing a few bags of leaves underneath with some birdseed esp. cracked corn that won't germinate) ( this brings all the garden mice and they work wonders for you over a winter. ). I have become a connoisseur of discarded carpets... pure wool burlap backed being the most sought after and continuous filament nylon being the disaster option.... (it runs for miles and never breaks down) ... but I would never use it in lasagne gardening as I want the layers to eventually create a divine soilbed... Cardboard yes newspapers and almost every other carbon based fibre product... but not unfortunately carpet... Still don't pass by a good used rug on clean up week.

Lots of frangipani/plumeria being pruned severely this week. And - the pruning pieces are then sold as starts for plants overseas - which is everywhere from here - tee hee. The 12 foot trees are cut nearly back to their trunks at about 4 feet and all the 1 inch branches will be made into 8 inch long pieces to be sold. what a great way to have beautiful plants, and also create a harvest and recycle plant material.

wishing you all ALOHA and all good things. Blessings -
Betty

Aloha from Kaua'i

Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas) and Aloha to you all!!
We are taking a few weeks vacation here in Kaua'i over Christmas. Our year was exhausting in oh so many ways, and we are here to rejuvenate and renew ourselves. The tide and surf here on Poipu beach are very high for this time of year, and surfers abound - oh no - NOT ME! I am a watcher for sure. Would you like us to make our photos available? The doves here have such a very unique voice -- and there are roosters everywhere. Cats living happily in the rocks at the seashore - fat, happy, healthy and friendly. LOTS of various plants - ones I barely keep going at home, and celebrate when they give me one bloom, and here, they are pruned by muscular men with chainsaws,
The catalogue is done and sent out to all who requested it, and also those who purchased this past year. The printed catalogue will have far fewer plants in it than the on-line one. Having said that - the printed catalogue is completed. The on-line one is not. Well, it is THERE, to be uploaded in excel format, but there are more to be added to it. so - it is a work in progress.
Gold Strike Brunnera is the big event of the year - a totally unique and new and no-where-else available plant. Seriously. $50 per plant to go out in April or May with the other plants.

It is 6 am here - time to make a pot of Kona Coffee, sit out on the Lanai for another 45 minutes and then walk up to the Spouting Horn (about 5 kms) at sunrise.

More later - aloha and many blessings
Betty

Lilium sale

Beginning on Tuesday June 27th, we are offering a sale on a special purchase of Lilium bulbs. We did not grow these - they are from Holland. There are 16 varieties, and we are offering them for a very limited time for $1 each. For the free shipping, we ask you take at least 15 bulbs. If you want to pick them up at the garden, there is no lower limit.

CULTIVAR DESCRIPTION
DREAMLAND LILIUM ASIATIC golden yellow
GIRONDE LILIUM ASIATIC bright yellow
NAVONA LILIUM ASIATIC white, no spots
BRUNELLO LILIUM ASIATIC orange, v hardy stem
SAMUR LILIUM LA HYBRID light pink
DONATELLO LILIUM LA HYBRID white
GRAND CRU LILIUM ASIATIC yellow with red centre
BRINDISI LILIUM LA HYBRID antique pink
LORETO LILIUM ASIATIC orange w brown centre
RED ALERT LILIUM LA HYBRID burgundy
TURANDOT LILIUM LA HYBRID medium pink
KANSAS LILIUM ASIATIC light yellow
HERAKLION LILIUM ASIATIC orange, large bloom
PRATO LILIUM ASIATIC bright orange
DETROIT LILIUM ASIATIC red with dark orange centre
AMARONE LILIUM ASIATIC wine red

for photos of these cultivars, you may go to our website (you are there now) select the daylilies tab, then the daylily 2006 listings, then a few lines from the top, click on the "Misc/Lilium" and that should take you to the various cultivars.
ENJOY!!
We hope to feature various plants here on a regular basis -
enjoy this awesome weekend!
Betty

4-H

What a delightful morning - and sitting on the deck to watch dawn turn to Sunrise, at peace with a cup of Lemon Tea and a Book. Birds creating a magnificent cacaphony. And then - crunching footsteps in the gravel beneath the deck. Who in the WORLD is at the back door at 5:20 am? I call out, and only the cats answer, but more crunching of feet in the gravel. Ahem. Well, this is strange. SO - quietly I made my way over to the edge of the deck and peered under to the walkway beneath - WHAT!!! A Heifer? Eating my tiny hydrangea seedlings! Unconcerned at my hollering at her. Of course, now hubby is awake with me hollering outside the bedroom window.
I could go into the details of the two of us herding this wayward heifer back into the fold, but the details - well, heifers have a very strange sense of humour and think all life is a big game of catch-me-if-you-can. When all was done, and she was back behind the magic wire, we surveyed the damage. Nearly all a whole crop of variegated hydrangeas munched and eaten. Ditto some blooming callas and some 2006 hemerocallis blooming for hybridizing. Then she carefully walked through some of the display garden beds, precisely placing each hoof-step into the crown of a hosta. From there, she made her way through each of the five 4 x 8 raised seedling beds with the new hemerocallis seedlings. Did I mention she is a holstein, probably 800 pounds and no finese to her at all? So - I don't know how many H's you counted in this, but with the heifer, hydrangeas, hostas, hemerocallis and a lot of hollering - it's been quite an "h" of a start to summer.
But - Happy Summer - this is the longest day of the year - apparently it is going to seem like it too! Nearly all the orders went out yesterday, just a few stragglers left, and we hope (another "H" we are ready to start weeding. We better had, as the bus tours start next Tuesday already, and our overstock dl sale is this Friday Saturday.
Oh Dear - the birds are sounding quite a ruckus out there - best I check out what is going on....
Enjoy !!! Longest day of the year. B

Weeding - YEAHHH!!

What another glorious day in the offing. 'Been up for two hours already, and pre-dawn outside is just awesome. The birds are so cool. It surprises me that, with our army of hungry barn cats on the prowl, the pheasants and wild turkeys are as brazen as they are. The waskally wabbits think the huge hostas were created for them. Now - if I could convince the bunnys and cats to develop a taste for snails and slugs and all things undesirable, that would be awesome. YEAHH - today I get to weed. I'm serious. I love weeding. For months we have been concentrating on shipping and packing and digging for the mail orders. And yes - we have three or so more days left till we shut 'er down for spring/summer. Maybe some more in late August but for now, for today, I can justify the time to Weed for a few hours. So if you are planning to visit today, grab a fork and we can gab and weed. There are bus tours starting already next week, so these weeds have GOT TO GO. Right now - another cup of lemon tea, and a camera and I are going out to grab some awesome dawn photos. Enjoy your day! B

Done Pickin!!

Good Good morning -
again - another glorious morning - wow - the moon reflecting on the lake last night was just awesome. We are thrilled here. The last order was picked/dug yesterday afternoon. When the plants are dug, and if we are not ready to ship them, they go immediately into gallon pots in soil and watered, and put behind the greenhouse to await shipping. Our weatherpeople are expecting Hot Hazy and Humid this weekend. So - we do not want to subject the plants to that in a Canada Post environment. Last weekend, with lows in the single digits - it was easier to justify, and from the reports of people receiving the plants we shipped last thursday, they made it just fine. However, this weekend will be different. SO - yes - if you have not received either your order or a notification that it is on the way - we plan to ship all 75 remaining ones next Monday Tuesday and Wednesday. YEAHHHH!!!
Next year we are done sooner!!
A number of people locally have picked up their plants here to minimize the stress on the plants. If you want to do that, any time Friday or Saturday morning will be good. Today we are celebrating with my practice staff the work anniversary (22 years with me!) of one of the optometrists. What a dear friend she is, and what a great person. So - one more time, Debbie - thank you for 22 great years with me.
The daylilies are coming out now - LITTLE RED SPRING SONG and LITTLE RED BARON this morning are pretty special.
We have now the job of putting out the plants for next spring. So many orders did not get complete orders, many got everything they wanted and some got nothing they wanted. It seems odd, but we still have lots of plants left, so I am considering a clump sale of the cultivars I have lots of. Prices will be real low on them, but the shipping will be your cost. If you are interested let me know. Probably ones that are good for landscaping and such, and nothing that comes in over $10 on the general listing.
Will close today with a few shots of the plants left at the end of picking... Marv watering them.
Enjoy the weekend - We finally get to start the weeding! Hooray!!
Betty

All garden visitors carry a shovel sideways.

Good morning - and wow - how many days now without rain!! Our hard Maryborough Clay has cracks in it - not sure how deep, but I thought for sure the sound of rickshaws was emanating from one yesterday. All garden visitors are required to carry a shovel sideways to prevent them from falling through completely. Our wonderful old trusty well with the amazing tasting water only gives forth three gallons a minute, and with a dozen thirsty heifers, ourselves and our neighbours who also make use of it, precious little is left for watering pots, much less the beds and fields. And it is not officially summer yet. We plant our hostas into the field for growing on. This springs' plans included revamping the rows in the fields, but we had not counted on there being so many orders or shipping taking this long. we cannot seem to get past 12 to 15 per day. We HAVE to be done before June 21st- for sure. For sure for sure. that leaves us only a few more days to do this - but we are working on it. Many of the orders are getting smaller and smaller as we are sold out of various cultivars. It doesn't help that about 70 of them did not deign to make an appearance this spring. But - I guess, better they die in my garden than someone else's. Glorious day out there - and more daylilies blooming every day. Lots of scapes coming up.
And so I am off to get more orders out this wonderful day - a bit of cloud, 10 degrees, what a perfect day!! God Bless. B

Trial photo technique

Hi - and who else finds it frustrating to know just what size a flower is, after all. So - i tried doing this with a piece of white paper and a ruler - what do you think?
B

More Dry Weather

After all the downpours and all the heat and humidity we had a few weeks ago, one would think we would be thrilled to have cool (6dC) nights and dry sunny days. And we are. Really. But in true Human fashion - we ask for more. It should rain gently every evening. Not late enough but not too early either. And perhaps the sun could be shielded by light clouds in mid-day. Oh - and the soil - could we change our heavy blue clay to a sandy loam. I mean - if we are asking anyways..... There are cracks in the soil already, and it is only not quite mid June. DRY. SUNNY. but cool. and it is a good thing.
As to the hectic shipping - we are beginning to see an end to it and hope to be completed by mid next week - umm - that would be the 21st or so. YEAHHHH.. Then I can weed. We have learned - Marv figures - 300 things a day that we need to do differently. Of course, he never exaggerates .
DR REGEL was blooming yesterday as well as many of the 2005 and 2006 daylily cultivars purchased this spring that are in pots. And yes - beds are necessary for them. I still do not even have the dl seeds in the ground - they continue to inhabit the fridge. Heucheras are SO awesome - even this morning with it being chilly out, and before sunrise - yes - I was out and am back in - they are awesome. We will have to rethink having some of the hostas out in the field if this dry spell continues. Hostas can take a lot of sun if they get a lot of water. After all, their origins are in the dappled stream bed sides in Japan. Clematis are beginning to really show off. Most of the shrubs and small trees we have are inhabited by at least one clematis.
We have another busy day ahead of us, with lots of packing and shipping. Some of the orders are just plain sold out already so - we will be sending refund cheques to some. Another nearly three hours before the phone will start ringing, so this is a good time to get started - and so off outside it is. The sun is up over the horizon. In 8 days - the longest day of the year. Maybe my washline will be back up by then. Shipping comes first. Enjoy this blessed day. Betty

On the home stretch!

GOOD MORNING!!!!
And what a great and glorious morning it is! But BRRRRR. Chilly! At only 9 dC, it bears wearing a sweatshirt this morning. Yes - even with those temperatures, some of the daylilies are out this morning - APRICOT, BITSY, SARATOGA SPRINGTIME, PENNYSWORTH and of course, the indomitable STELLA D'ORO. There are lots and lots of scapes up too, and very soon we should be seeing LITTLE RED SPRING SONG which is great since it is a non-yellow extra early. (See the name Hostas are huge this year with the rain and heat and rain and heat and rain - and now - brrr - cold. Everything seems early, but then, I am getting older faster too, and so time goes far too quickly.
Since we decided to not do any more subs in the orders, and since so much is sold out, our order shipping has gone very much quicker. IF all goes as we plan - and as I have said before, if you want to hear God Laugh, just tell Him your plans - we should be done shipping in 9 more working days. HOORAYY - then I can get to the weeding. It so desperately needs to be done. We have learned SO much this past few months about what to do differently next year.
Saturday I was volunteering at the Niagara Garden and Flower Show. My Master Gardener Name Tag was out and visible, and it was remarkable how many people recognized it, even without the Floral and Hardy attachment. It was great to gab with people - especially you, Judy - more later.
but for now - out to the greenhouse to package more orders to go out. Many thanks to all of you who have given words of encouragement and suggestions for improvement. We take each one to heart and learn what you want and do not want. Sometimes it DOES remind me though, of the characteristics and requirements for a new pastor - and the suggestions are not possible to be all fulfilled - no subs, more subs, wrap more, wrap less, don't wrap (leave loose in box); bags around roots vs NO BAGS ON ROOTS EVER; wrap dry, wrap wet, send earlier, send later; don't bother me with changes vs let me know every option; let me plant them and don't send instructions vs I would like the specific requirements and bud counts and sun requirements for each cultivar;
We WILL read and take to heart every suggestion. We DO care and will for sure do our best to make nearly everyone happy. As to the lady who called me at 8:00 am Sunday morning and cursed me because her April order had not yet appeared, well, this morning her refund cheque will just go into the mail with a smile. So - back outside now - sweatshirt for now as it is cloudy and cool - perfect weather for the digging and packing and work we are doing. And the packages will go out better too. We are planning to have a wonderful happy blessed day. May yours be at least as great. B
when i was weeding, I tossed a few of the weeds to my peanut gallery, not realizing it would cause a competition for the tender morsels. Now - how to collect this accelerated compost...

Teensy blog this morning

Good Morning Good Morning the best to you each morning - Jingle from the past LOOOONNNG ago!!
anyways - back into the house after being up and at it for a few hours already. The Sun sure moves north quickly this time of year - nearly the longest day!! Our daylilies have begun blooming -APRICOT, STELLA, PENNYSWORTH and many are scaping up nicely. We just cannot be digging into those display beds any longer. Everything is so much earlier this year - On to another busy day - we plan to ship 15 orders again today - seems oh so slow going down the list. Thank you to those people who emailed with advice and comments and suggestions. We are breaking our own rule of shipping only on Monday and Tuesday - packing and shipping today as well - Wednesday - we just have to, to get the orders out, and I hope the plants will survive well. We have been getting such varied reports - some say the plants are oh so dry, and others that they are green and happy and looking fine - same shipping day, same shipping person, go figure. And - awaaaay we go... Enjoy your wonderful day! Betty

Another gorgeous morning!

Good morning - and it IS a beautiful day. Mind you, for gardeners and for us, digging and packing and shipping, we would prefer an overcast, slightly cooler and slightly misty day. Is that my Fraser Valley upbringing coming to the fore? Nope. But it would be a lot easier on the plants if the sun were not quite so intense. My but we humans are a fussy bunch aren't we?
So - yesterday was another good and hectic day here. Somehow, regardless of how hard we press we seem incapable of shipping more than 12 to 15 orders a day. How in the world do people do it who make a living at this? And is a retirement hobby supposed to be this hectic? Hey - we love it. and we don't have TIME to feel old. Thanks to the friends who volunteered and helped us out with some of the picking of the jobs and some of the digging. Marv and I are still committed to packing and wrapping and shipping each one ourselves. Early on there were two or three days we had someone else to help wrap the plants, but that just was not the best idea - we need to be in control. We are working five days a week, all day dawn to dark, and doing our best. There are going to be some people who just want their orders faster than we can create them, and so - we realize that - and will cancel those orders and refund the money. And yes - in answer to several emails- we are no longer taking any orders for this spring. And yes - we still walk through the gardens and smell the lilacs at least twice a day. Join us in planning to enjoy a wonderful day!! Betty and Marv

Inch by Inch

GOOD MORNING!! WOW -- another glorious day in Ontario. Today is promising to be a great day to work outside. In the past week we have enjoyed amazing thunderstorms, power failures and torrential rains of biblical proportions. And today - a sunny wonderful day. Get that UV screen on!
As we ship more and more orders and as we get more and more feedback from the recipients, we are learning more and more. So we are planning to change how we are doing things. The plants are getting to their destinations in great shape, and after a few hours in water, are hitting the ground running for sure. What has taken me HOURS and hours is selecting substitutions for people when some of the plants are no longer available - for any number of reasons - it could be that cultivar really failed badly over the winter, or that the tags were tossed out by the clay in one of those freezes, and it si a sketchy part in our map, so we may not be 110% sure which plant it is until it blooms - and that makes it non-shippable. whatever the reason. Your orders were so much larger and there were so many more of them that what we had figured, that we are sold out of many things. And - I have been spending Hour after Hour picking the best substitutions I could come up with, trying to divine what the flavour of the order was - pinks, lates, dormants, whatever the common thread or theme was. Well, new policy as of this morning. If subs are requested, we are doing no more than two of them per order. And we will make a refund cheque for the balance if there is one, and from there on, just have to go forward next season. This will hopefully dramatically speed up the shipping process. The other theme we have received from people is that they really want the plants and do not care if they have been shipped later in the week. we are still going to try to get as much out on monday and tuesday as possible, but will start also adding shipments on the other days. Hopefully the number we are digging that day will start going up dramatically. Highest number we have on score is 800. We want to be all done by - at the latest - June 23rd. and are working hard to do that. so - i will TRY to update here every day or so, and update the numbers as well.
Enjoy your day - many blessings to you all.
Betty

Are we there yet?

Hi and a glorious wonderful morning to all!! and what a delightful day it is! My goodness - the time just FLIES.

This is the first time I have written on here, so bear with me. Our frantic lives these days are totally consumed with the shipping of orders. We are WAY behind where we thought we would be. We had seriously miscalculated the time it takes to pick and package orders individually the way we want.

And we are doing it ourselves pretty much - we have local university students helping with digging the orders, but Marv and I are packing and wrapping and shipping each one. And we supervise every step of the process.

We had a few comments initially of orders not being 110% and we corrected what we were doing - the heucheras were in plastic baggies to protect the fragile roots, and that seemed to encourage rot - so - we have packaged them in newspaper instead and so far that has worked well.

Over the winter we had several real challenges. First was a very weird winter where the crowns of both the hostas and daylilies were just soaked from days of rain and then a sudden drop to -20. Well, a few of those and we lost a LOT of plants. Mostly expensive ones of course....

Then with that same weather phenomenon, many of our stakes in the fields - we have heavy clay - were literally spewed from the ground. amazing how far down they were and still were squished out by the soil. and so while we had maps of the fields, there are a number of which we are unsure - so - we are considering those "sold out" unless we are sure who they are. When they bloom, since we will have them down to a few cultivars, it should be pretty straightforward to sort them out.
We hope.
But rather count them as sold out than send the cultivars we "guess" them to be.
Consequently, we are having to make a number of substitutions, and that too is time-consuming, to try to sort out from the order, what the customer likes and get similar plants and still stay in the value range - at least for a total. And hope the subs are not something they already have.

Some of our cultivars also had a real tough winter. One in particular in August had 17 double fans ready to sell. This spring - only 4 fans were present. AAARRGGHH.. and how do I plan for that!

But I am prattling on. Must go out to package more orders.

Our wish to ship only Monday and Tuesday has just gone by the boards, as we will never get the orders all out in that way. It was that policy that got us way behind, along with the wish for us to do each order ourselves. so - we will still do each order - either Marv or Me - but will ship Monday to Friday.

The feedback we have received is that our packaging is excellent and the plants are arriving in excellent shape, a wee bit thirsty but in the main, healthy. One heuchera cultivar (Peach Flambe) seems to be taking a beating and we will pull it from the shipping list and leave it just for the people who come to the garden.

Now - are we there yet- ??? I am sure my parents were not the only ones who heard that from the back seat when we were kids, and even as adults we use the phrase a lot - in some form or another.

We can pack and send a max of 20 packages per day. Depending on circumstances, that can be lower, so I will plan/calculate for 15 per day. Five days per week. Some orders are garden pickup, and those numbers are sequentially in the list, and so I have a net number of orders to still be shipped as of this moment, of 224.

At 15 per day, that is 15 more shipping days. that is three weeks at 5 days per week. It has been said, if you want to make God laugh, just tell Him your plans. So - at the risk of hearing roaring laughter from on high, much as we would love to be done before then, we will probably realistically be done shipping June 23rd.

OK - now - we know now what we want to and plan to change for next year, and we plan to be MUCH more efficient then. And your impatience is not unfamiliar to me.

Hey - we garden in Canada too - and my gardens desperately want my attention too. I still walk them every day, a bit more briskly than i would like, and only once a day, but I need to do that. Sanity and all you know. But I digress. If you want to, based on the shipping speed we are planning to maintain, cancel your order, please let us know, and just write an email "Cancel my order" in the description line - and we will do that.

Please forgive our lack of preparedness for the incredible initial success. We will be back better than ever next year (God willing) and look forward to seeing you again then. so - hang in there - or let me know that you just cannot and we understand...

so - are we there yet? Nope -but we are sure plugging along at it!!

Warmest wishes for the day...

Betty and Marv.

(BTW - yesterday our server at the office crashed and so Marv was there doing that all day and all night getting the office in Listowel all sorted out - and he is there today again, and so hopefully it will be ok by Monday. He figures this whole spring we are being tested. I think he is right on. And we are going to ace this test...

Welcome To Floral and Hardy Gardens

And To Our Little Bit Of Heaven
Here On Earth....

We have over 35 display gardens around our home featuring Hostas, Daylilies, Heuchera and Pulmonaria as well as many other annuals and perennials. We welcome visitors, but please call or email ahead to ensure we will be available.

We are closed for sales on Sundays, but garden visitors are welcome.