For Christmas

Along with good gatherings and food, I am thankful for some flowers blooming in our basement.
You can see pictures of my clematis on this GardenBuddies forum thread. They are blooming in the plant room beside the furnace and it sure is a bright spot in the winter. I am looking forward to a number of seeds germinating and also to seedlings growing.

A meme for Christmas

Copied this meme for Christmas from Sharkey Malarky.

Also read Ewa's meme from Poland.

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate?
Not a big fan of either. Mulled spice cranberry apple!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?
Wrapped. Usually show up under the tree late Christmas eve.

3. Colored lights on the tree/house, or white?
White and a mix set (2 plastic trees) indoors; white and blue LED outside. The wind blew our red and yellow candle off the windmill last summer.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
We don't need it for a good kiss!

5. When do you put your decorations up?
Usually beginning of December. More of a watcher than doer.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Well I like home cooked, lately they are organic, chicken. We do the old fashioned Mennonite bubbit cooked in a cloth over the chicken sometimes. A favourite along with all the rest.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child:
Not as a child but young man. My folks lived on a farm and had a small house. Several of my sisters were married but we all gathered at my folks. I had called a friend in New Zealand from my house and then drove out to the farm. As we crawled into sleeping bags on the kitchen floor I remembered I had called from my own phone and had not left my folks number for the call back. Too bad!

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Yes! Usually from someone at work or outside the family circle. We started this after our son was old enough to realize what the gifts were about. Christmas morning has always been the main time.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
Usually some theme. Angels, old ornaments, or mixed.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it?
Usually love it if we don't need to go somewhere right away.

12. Can you ice skate?
Yes and should do it for exercise.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Not really. I enjoy the people gatherings more than the gifts although several years now I have gotten a pig in Central America or trees in ___ or some other gift for someone somewhere! Ten Thousand Villages has these gifts to give others.

14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you?
Trying to keep from getting sucked into the buy, buy buy vortex. Being generous with others without using money or giving material stuff. Works for me pretty good!

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Bring it on. I don't discriminate.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
We don't seem to get too entrenched so just having family around and visiting with neighbours.

17. What tops your tree?
An old plastic angel that came into my life when I married (No not my wife! Ha!).

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving?
I really like to give but I have a really hard time figuring out what to give. Especially to people who already have so much. I would rather give on behalf of and send money to a good charity like Mennonite Central Committee.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
I like the whole Bruce Cockburn Christmas CD.

My addition:

20. Best homemade ornament.

My wife crochetted this angel several years ago. A nice addition.

Where have I been?

Well life is just rolling along. Snow has fallen twice in the last several weeks but it does not stay so that is good. In the meantime I have transplanted trees and Columbines and cleaned up the yard.

This week I will start at Lee Valley in the warehouse so this is a new thing. Only till Christmas as far as I know. Seems good to me!

I have planted a number of Clematis seed so hope to have some new plants soon. Pictures on the Clematis site soon. Honeysuckles are tucking in for the winter.

I will have seeds of Columbine and poppies for trade after Christmas which should be interesting.

Seed starting for next spring

Seeds planted are Nanking Cherry and Evans Cherry. I was so pleased to get seeds from 3 sources of Nanking and 2 of Evans Cherry. Would have been nice to get a couple more from both but this is a good start. These plants will become part of a screening to find larger more tasteful fruit.

Where does the time go?

Well I finally want to add some notes and pictures to end the season! Last night the temperature was -5 Celsius so I think most things will be finished for this years growing. I have transplanted about 60 evergreens and deciduous tress in the last week so a lot of digging holes, emptying pots and digging trees to move.
All by hand so far. There are still about 16 larger spruce to move, 11 large green ash and some lilies to transplant but not sure if it will all get done! I have also set some Clematis seed to germinate in the basement and have planted seed of 3 sources of Nanking Cherry and 2 sources of Evans Cherry. Also have a few blossoms left to enjoy on Polish Spirit and Mdme. Julia Correvon clematises. New cuttings starting from Clematis seedlings in the basement too!

Some seed collecting

Pink Flamingo Clematis seed













Poppy somniferum Red Double













Grandpa Ott Morning Glory

Pictures on Flickr

There are pictures of the fall blooming on Flickr. Use the link.

Home again!

Well we have returned from a 10 day tour to visit family and friends. About 2500 k or so. Some of it we flew and that is extra. Great visiting and for sure great hospitality experienced!
Just thought I would put up a couple of pics as we just did not take a lot of them but some are neat. Davisons Orchards - Good food, pies and lots of apples to shop for.

Looking out over the thumb of Okanagan Lake in the evening from my sister and her husband's lakeside.

Ginsing or seedling? cedars not sure but along the Fraser River

All in all a good trip. Caught a cold though and this is not fun! It will go in time I am sure.

Now have 2 new sources of Nanking Cherries and also of Evans Cherry to plant for spring germination. I have collected many seeds of Red somniferum poppies. Also have seed of single red with a dark cross centre as well as a very deep purple. Leave a comment here if you would like a small envelope of seed. Seed is considered mixed this year as I did not get them sorted. Reds are double for the most part and the seed will be unmixed.

I also bought some annual seeds at 6 packs for a dollar so even if I get a few plants per pack it is a good deal.

Will try to post some pics of the new flowers here as the rains have made things grow and bloom even some that seemed on the way out!

We gathered in the tomatoes, cucs, and marrows (for marmalade) so will start clean up as soon as it warms up a little.

So many weeds growing now and I want to clean up before fall sets in to stay!

Summer stuff

Well just a few pics to show where things are at.

This is a clematis seedling from England which I thought I had killed with poor watering ie none!





A traveler hitching a ride.








A late Blue honeysuckle cutting.








Three clematis seedlings, centre is a viticella from England and other two are from Harlow Carr and ASAO.







Three Norkent apples out of 8 or so we got!

We have had such a good garden this year with fresh corn, peas, beans, cucumbers, carrots, ground cherries, tomatoes, lettuce and radishes. And more to come. Also picked wild plum for jam last week.

Dug most of the potatoes today. Still a nice melon to harvest, English Marrow for jam and some other squash types to eat. Hoping for no frost for next 2 weeks and all this will work.

Rain Any One?

Well we have had 75 mm of rain since Friday eve and it may not be done yet. Last night our cistern in the basement overflowed a bit; so it was clean up time early this morning. All done now but the dampness is still there. This will really help my honeysuckles get a good growth on but they really need it drier to go into the winter.
We also have some melons which should really benefit from the moisture. Best crop in size we have ever had. Here are some pics!

Water melon







Vegetable Marrow





Gourd

New Climber for Clematis

Well the new Clematis space is set up. No more children climbing on this one! Just needs a coat of paint yet and a little repair welding. I rescued this from an old school yard in the country. I also have a couple of hardy Kiwi's to plant so maybe they will need to go here as well.


Received seed in the mail from a red fruited plant which to date is not identified. Two of the seeds had softened hulls from the pulp still being on so we can see the kernel. Probably not hardy as the seed came from the Fraser Valley in BC.

Some more summer

Well there they are. A little melon hiding for now, Sweetie Tomato, ripe gooseberries, Dr. F.L. Skinner Clematis, Joe Zary Clematis, a great lily, Dr. F. L. Skinner buds, and Lombardi Lily.
Just part of the show these days.

Let the rains come and refresh the land

Well it has been so hot and dry but the garden and yard have been doing so well. Finished the drip system on my new Honeysuckle planting and we keep watering the garden a little as we can. So pics of flowers for display.

Nanking Cherries go well

Well I picked another 2 - 4 l pails tonite. Not as many per bush but still good. Had 2 bushes that yielded 4L or more when I picked last week so if they all did that we would have a terrific crop.

Set up drip lines on the corn and on my new honeysuckle plantation but have to make some modifications as there is just not enough flow to fill 5 sections of 50 ft. soaker hoses!

Here it is Friday July 13th!

Berry picking has begun! And there are some ripe raspberries coming. The berries I picked today are the Nanking Cherries. Birds have cleaned up all the saskatoons so none for us. OH well one day I will get nets over and then we will get some. The pail full is from one bush!
They did so well this year as I pruned them down to about 5 stems per bush. More to go tomorrow. Planted about 60 Edible honeysuckle on Tuesday in a new nursery. See the Edible honeysuckle page.

Clematis are blooming here and there but the new ones are slow as they are growing roots.

Last week of June is here!

Well I can only say "Boy has this been a fast moving month"!
Seems I just could not get here to talk about anything. So I will put some pictures up and we will go from there!
Swingtown Iris

3 Clematis viticella seedlings from England. Amazing as they arrived in such good condition about 10 days ago.








And so much more going on. Roses are just amazing and all the other flowers and plants are doing so well. Blue honeysuckles are growing very nicely but I need more seeds from Europe and Russia. Wild orchids on our lot at Pebble Baye!