Have a succulent summer - Winnipeg Free Press Homes

Have a succulent summer - Winnipeg Free Press Homes

Planting Time

With the oodles of seedlings and plugs that I have been growing it was now time to plant this past week both at home and at the cottage.
The picture shows my 'cold frame' when it is warm enough to put them outside and subject them to higher light and humidity. The inside grow lights just do not work as well.
I have had two of these in spring operation for a number of years. The benefit is that they disassemble readily and can be easily stored. One I set up on my back deck and this one is 'portable' placed on a wagon so that it can be wheeled inside the garage when temps. dip too low. Both have worked beautifully for me.

Awesome

So how do these grow so beautifully and prolifically at the lake with absolutely no attention other than enjoying their pure beauty at this time of year?! These do a hundred times better than the ones I have at home and they continue to naturalize. There is something to be said to nature's pure fertilizer from the forest floor and heaven's rain offerings. What is also wonderful is that deer don't eat them....and we do have a few families of them here. Cute to look at but not when they eat my plants.

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.