A Gardener's Notebook » News

A Gardener’s Notebook Facebook page reaches 100 “Likes”

Douglas E. Welch — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:27:42 +0000

Today, Becka was the 100th person to “like” our page on Facebook. I maintain that page for those people whom use Facebook more than any other service. The more readers, the merrier, no matter where they might be. It is also another space for use to share pictures and talk gardening.

If you know someone is a Facebook homebody, share the AGN page with them. I would love to see them there.

A Gardener’s Notebook Facebook page reaches 100 “Likes” is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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NEWS: Bonsai stamps released in the US

Douglas E. Welch — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:23:22 +0000

Despite the problems facing the US Post Office, it is nice to see them still producing some pretty nice stamps. Here are some of the most recent examples, dedicated to bonsai. Click through to the article for larger images.

Bonsai

With these five stamps, the U.S. Postal Service celebrates the beauty of bonsai. The word “bonsai” (Japanese for “plant in a pot”) refers to the art of cultivating plants — usually trees — in trays, pots, or other containers. Favorite bonsai plants include evergreens, maples, and azaleas, but many other trees and shrubs are also suitable.

Read the entire article

NEWS: Bonsai stamps released in the US is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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News: UCLA’s plans to sell Japenese garden stirs un-Zen-like uproar

Douglas E. Welch — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:59:36 +0000

I would hope that some arrangement could be developed, but the property is worth so much money that it is difficult to see how it can be maintained in its current state. A great loss after so many years brought on by the governmental stalemate but state wide and nationally.

UCLA’s plans to sell Japenese garden stirs un-Zen-like uproar

The decision by UCLA to sell the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden in Bel-Air stirs anger by garden conservancy groups and Carter’s family, although the sell could net $15 million for the university.

Read the entire article

News: UCLA’s plans to sell Japenese garden stirs un-Zen-like uproar is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Question: What are your garden planting plans this season?

All About Douglas – Choosing what you want to see and hear

Douglas E. Welch — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 17:00:00 +0000

I have a lot of interests, as most of you already know. Therefore, I have a lot of different blogs, events, and groups in my portfolio of online engagements. I also try to make myself available wherever people want to converse. This means that each of my interests usually has multiple presences on the Internet.

Here is a list of almost all of the ways you can talk with me and learn about what is happening in my life and work. You don’t need to, nor should you, try to subscribe to all of them. That would only lead to you seeing multiple copies of the same information. Rather, pick and choose whatever ways you would like to consume my “content.”

If you are a heavy Facbeook user, you might want to join my pages there. Is Google+ catching your fancy? I have a home over there, too. Maybe email is your thing? No problem, almost all of my content can be emailed directly to your Inbox. My goal is to make my content available in whatever way makes the most sense to you. It also means you can contact me and converse with me on your favorite online services.

This list is also broken down by interest. If you want to see everything I post and share, the first section is where you can find it. This will contain information from all my areas of interest including events, careers, gardening, technology and my organizations. Maybe, though, you are only interested in my gardening information. You can narrow your reading to my gardening blog or Facebook page. The same applies for careers, technology and my organizations. Select whatever is most interesting, and valuable, to you.

Thank you for supporting me, my blogs and podcasts and my organization of the years! I look forward to talking with you — and sharing more with you — in 2012.

All About Douglas – Choosing what you want to see and hear is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Elsewhere: Video: TedTalks: A Garden in My Apartment

Douglas E. Welch — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 23:51:00 +0000

A great talk on a system to building a garden anywhere you have available space and light. Does it give you some thought? It sure does that for me. Check it out! and let me know what you think in the comments.

Could you use this in your house or apartment?

Would you try it out?

How could you make it better?

What would you grow using a system like this?

Watch “Britta Riley: A garden in my apartment” on YouTube

Elsewhere: Video: TedTalks: A Garden in My Apartment is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Join the Gardener’s Notebook Mailing List!

Douglas E. Welch — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 17:59:05 +0000

Keep in touch with all the events and info at A Gardener’s Notebook! Join our mailing list today!

Join the Gardener’s Notebook Mailing List! is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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A few things done (or at least doing!)

Douglas E. Welch — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 22:34:44 +0000

I took a few minutes today to get the last 30 or so daffodil bulbs in the ground. We are expecting a significant storm over the weekend, so it is the perfect time to finish up that job. While I was out putting these bulbs in the ground I saw our first bulbs of the season popping up.

First Bulbs

Click for larger image

These are probably snowbells. I think these are typically the first bulbs to appear, but there is a slight chance they are paperwhites. The daffodils come up much later, so I should be ok getting them planted just today.

A little painting project

We are also planning on doing a little painting repair or, I should say, having someone do some painting repair for us. The painter was out today for an estimate We only need a small area painted. There is a selection of shingles on one part of the house which are peeling and are now more visible since we removed the large pine tree that stood in front of them. We are taking the opportunity to add some accent color to the house by painting this area a dark red, leaving the fake shingle white. You can’t see it in the picture, but the garage door on the opposite end of the house will also be painted the same color to keep a little balance in the coloring.

Here is a (badly Photoshopped (LAUGH)) before and after. The red will be much darker, I think than this, rather weak salmon color.

Click for larger images

Pumpkins, maybe?

Finally, we are trying something with our last, rather rotten, pumpkin. Since the pine tree was removed and the stump ground out there is quite a mound of shredded wood and soil where the trunk had been. I dug out some space there, added a bit of homemade compost and chucked in the pumpkin. A few quick slices with the shovel opened it up and spread around the seeds. I finished with a topping of more compost and then leveled the area again. Who knows, come Spring we might see a few pumpkins sprout up there.

As part of this tree removal, we were already planning on planting some edibles in this area and an old rose bed that runs along the north side of the front yard. It is one place that gets some sun during the day. This pumpkin planting became the first step in the remodel of this area.

Finally, my picture didn’t come out, but the cherry tomatoes we have growing are just now starting to ripen. I was afraid they wouldn’t ripen at all, but they surprised me. Rosanne should soon be enjoying them in here homemade tomato, olive, spinach, pasta dish that she likes to much.

Keep digging!

A few things done (or at least doing!) is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Video: Watch the great pumpkin grow!

Douglas E. Welch — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:00:00 +0000

Ok, this is pretty darn cool! We usually only see the end result of these pumpkins, but this video gives an entirely new perspective.

Video: Watch the great pumpkin grow! is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Project: Roof cleaning for the Fall and Winter

Douglas E. Welch — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 22:46:45 +0000

If you have a lot of mature trees on your property like we do, you will be faced with this project once or twice a year. In our case, we sometimes fall down on the job and don’t get to it when we should. This year, though, I see Fall approaching rapidly even here in Southern California. We are only about a month away from our first regular rains of the season and it is never good to have a bunch of leaf litter on your, and in your gutters, when the rains come. It can cause water to dam up agains the shingles and leak into the house and also shorten the life of your roof generally.

If you can, it is always better to plant trees some distance from the house to prevent damages from falling limbs and invasive roots. I only have a bit of control over this, though as the previous owners planted all there trees long before we purchased the home. We have removed the most dangerous trees, and removed quite a few smaller ones, but the size of the lot dictates that the trees overhang the house quite a bit.

What the roof looks like now

What it should look like — the garage roof after cleaning

So, struggling to get anything done today, I tackled a small part of this project. I started with the garage, as I can reach all the leaves on this section of roof without actually climbing up on the roof. I was along for most of the morning and, as you might imagine. climbing around on your roof without anyone nearby who might be able to call 911 is not very smart. That said, I was able to clean off about 90% of this roof, except for a few, small areas that will require an actual visit up there.

I also cleaned up the small section of gutter on this area. The gutters on the house are almost non-existent and really need replaced, so I have never taken the time to fit leaf guards so I don’t have to clean them out. Of course, I have never gotten around to replacing them either, so I still have to deal with the problem every year. Sometimes you can get caught in a bad cycle like this. Still, I do plan on replacing these gutters eventually…sometime…really…I mean it…would I lie to you? (LAUGH)

A small section of gutter that is now clean and ready for the rain

The majority of this leaf litter will be run through out chipper-shredder, as soon as I get it out of moth balls. We don’t have a lot of occasion to use this behemoth of a machine, but along with these leaves I have a host of small pruning jobs that could also be shredded, either for the compost pile or as mulch for the garden beds.

I plan on pressing forward with this project as quickly as I can since possible thunderstorms were already predicted for the area. This means that our regular Fall and Winter rains can’t be far behind. I these leaves get wet before we can remove them, the job becomes much more difficult due to the extra weight and mess involved.

I’ll keep you informed on my progress and whether my good intentions help me to finish in time.

What is happening in your garden as Fall approaches? I have seen some people pulling up their tomatoes and babying their pumpkins already. Leave me a note in the comments to share your stories!

Project: Roof cleaning for the Fall and Winter is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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Photos: Los Angeles Cactus & Succulent Society 11th Annual Exhibit and Plant Sale

Douglas E. Welch — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 21:57:26 +0000

We were up and out of the house early to head over to the Los Angeles Cactus & Succulent Society 11th Annual Exhibit and Plant Sale which was held just a couple of miles away at the Sepulveda Garden Center. The show continue on Sunday, June 12, 2011, so check it out if you can.

It was our first time and we were very pleased with the selection of plants for sale and the various displays. It is sometimes amazing what small groups and societies around Los Angeles can do. We have friends who are members of the Del Aire Rockhounds and their gem shows are quite amazing, too.

Rosanne and Joe had a prickly time on this cactus bench…

We picked up a few small succulents to refill a planter we purchased a Joe’s school a few years ago. A few of the cacti had died, but one remained. Our purchases will help to fill out that container again. It was also good to get some advice on caring for succulents as it is one area where I am severely lacking my gardening knowledge.

Here is a slide show of some photos I took of our visit. Click the link below if you don’t see the slideshow in your RSS reader or email program.

View the Los Angeles Cactus and Succulent Society Slideshow

Photos: Los Angeles Cactus & Succulent Society 11th Annual Exhibit and Plant Sale is a post from: A Gardener's Notebook

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