Monte Don's Italian Gardens

Monty Don conducts his personal 'grand garden tour' around Italy, including the retreats of the affluent north and horticultural gems of the south.

Mother's Day Joy

Along with talking to my adult 'children' and two grandchildren, nature gave me some lovely gifts....a goldfinch (first sighting for this spring), a Blackburnian warbler and a Merlin for Mother's Day.
Also, had a wonderful time volunteering at the Friends of Gardens Manitoba(previously Friends of the Assiniboine Park Conservatory) annual Mother's Day plant sale. Always a large crowd seeking unusual and difficult plants to buy. Good to see many gardening friends and exchange garden thoughts and hints. The Friends website is www.friendsconservatory.com

Succulents

Fun at work today as a new shipment of succulents arrived at the greenhouse. I was in my glory! Wonderful to have carte blanche and design whatever my heart desires! Readying the shelves for Mother's Day.
A big change for me from my normal job at Schriemer's at the service desk interacting with customers. Planting by myself in a back greenhouse puts me in the zone and readies me for tweaking my overwintered succulent containers which have now been introduced to the outdoors after their winter home under lights in the coldroom.

Red lily beetle

I had heard a few days ago that these lily beetles were out already and I did have my doubts. But no longer, as a customer who came into Schriemer's greenhouse brought me in two to verify....fortunately in a nice closed sandwich bag! Watch out for these! Even this early with the lily plants barely 6 inches tall they are in your lily bed. So far there is no perfect way to rid your garden of these pests other than hand picking and squishing. I tried to put them in water to drown them but they float very well and then crawl out.
Neem oil sprayed on the lily plant is touted to be somewhat of a deterrent. I am toying with drenching the soil with cabaryl or btk on the lily leaves in hopes that I can kill the larvae.
Fortunately their bright red colour are a sure giveaway alerting you to their presence.

May Day

What an awakening this morning out our windows! Poor daffodils and sulking to show it, but hopefully they will revive.

Came home from work with more plugs to plant. Papyrus 'Baby Tut', Carex 'Toffee Twist', Fusion impatiens 'Heat Coral' and many new varieties of petunias. Now to get busy but in the basement today not outdoors, sadly.

Spring Again!

So much to blog about with spring in all its full glory! A glorious wedding day for William and Catherine in England and time for us to celebrate with friends for an almost all nighter.

Here in Winnipeg an unusual bird sighting for us....a brilliant red male cardinal. It was enjoying our feeding stations as much as our resident mallard duck couple.

Time spent today outside planting up all varieties of annual plugs from Schriemer's greenhouse. This is the bonus of working there......having ready access to the selection as they are placed on the tables. Now where oh where to keep them all?!

My three tier light fixture is still in use for my overwintering succulents. Although I have taken my large variegated agave and one echeveria container out from under them. The weather has been in the upper teens and to the mid 20's. A perfect reintroduction time for them to come outside and acclimatize. I am still always closely watching the overnight thermometer and if there is any risk of close to zero, they come back inside.

The crocuses were blooming gloriously in the front flower bed and untouched for 2 weeks by the bunnies. Alas, I guess they couldn't resist anymore and voila!.....they were gone. I must be more vigilant in sprinkling on blood meal.

Garden Visitors

As we were hanging up some fresh suet for our garden visitors, I captured one of them.....this red breasted nuthatch. The yard is a flurry of red and white breasted nuthatch, chickadees, pine siskin, downy and hairy woodpecker and ever watching for the northern cardinal which the last couple of years have been appearing. Usually this is a very rare sighting for us this far north so we are always thrilled to see any of them, but particularly the brilliant red of the male in the stark winter white.

Our winter continues to be glorious and 'warm' for us and still not much more than 6 inches of snow on the ground....highly unusual. Good for all creatures including us humans!