permafrog, Author at Shakadoo

Yardbird Recycles

The birds, critters, dogs and cats are made from recycled materials; scrap and rejected garden tools, farm machinery, bicycle and auto parts. Buying a Yardbird reduces solid waste destined for a landfill. If everyone bought two or three, we could save the earth!

Seriously, so far over 2 million pounds of scrap has been recycled into these lovable critters.

Now this is a sound idea. You can add a little fun indoors and out with the critter creations from Yardbird and help reduce the amount of waste that goes to the landfill as well. This is a real win-win situation. A father and son team started making critter creations over a decade ago.

Today, a group of U.S. artisans still handcrafts the critters. I have a passion for frogs and this little guy would look great in our backyard.

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Native Plants

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I am doing a little work this gardening season on a city-owned vacant lot that is located next door to my home. I have not drawn up the plan yet because I still need to get clearance from the city to use the site. This should not be a problem so I am doing some early conceptualization.

I’ll be working with a lot that is sand and rock over hardpan about an inch down.So I will need to dig a small pit, add compost and use shallow rooted native plants. While I was surfing around looking for some ideads I came across some good reasons why using native plants makes sense.

Landscaping with native plants improves the environment. Native plants
are hardy because they have adapted to the local conditions. Once
established, native plants do not need pesticides, fertilizers, or
watering. Not only is this good for the environment, it saves time and
money.

When you can save time, money and contribute to a healhty environment, you have a triple win scenario. I’ll keep you updated on my progress and by the way I am open to plant suggestions. I am in Zone 4.

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Moon Gardening

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I was strolling through the blog-sphere today when I came across the Garden Desk blog. In a post, called Gardening by the Moon, these two questions were asked:

Do you follow all the rules of when to plant certain kinds of crops by
the phases of the moon?

Do you believe the moon has anything to do with
how plants or animals behave?

Several years back I worked with a cooperative farm who were attemtpting to follow the moon when it came to gardening.

A lunar calendar provided advice on when to plant what, for example. They grew great garlic, shallots and other food so they may have been onto something.

Do you follow the moon?

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Flower Photos

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If you are tired of waiting for your flowers to bloom drop by this blog and enjoy the photos. Dragonden has posted some wonderful flower pictures that breath a breathe of spring into the day.

For more visit Guppystorm.

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Custom Rose Services

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Do you have a freind or family member who loves roses? If you do and you want to give them something special for their birthday, or any other special event, then Hortico Nurseries offers two services that may just fill the bill.

Hortico has a new program which allows you to have a rose that you have
located re-produced for you. Perhaps you have a rose in your private garden
or a rose in a friends garden that you can not find commercially available
or you do not know of any other source. We will help you propagate this
rose for you and make it available to the public once again!

Propagation of a rose is a patient process of 2-3 years.The cost of producing your special rose is $29.95. The first rose would cost $29.95, which includes the propagation fee.
Additional roses of the same variety would be $19 each for the first year, then whatever price is determined for following years.

Or:

Hortico has a new program which allows you to have a rose named after
you or something or someone you love. We have helped named roses for
Corporations, Countries, Cities, Communities, Charities, and other
special organizations. We have helped name roses in memory of and in
honour of.

The naming of a rose is an intricate process. We select a new rose from
hybridisers we work with worldwide. We then do a name search and
register the new rose. At this point we can grow the rose exclusively
for you or your company or we can make it available to the public for
sale. We offer different levels of partnership in naming a rose.

Mayor Hazel McCallion rose

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Compost Memories

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As I was wandering around the blog world, I came across this one on compost. Compost, one of my earliest garden memories is the compost pit that my
father built in our backyard. The pit was in the corner that was the
farthest away from the backdoor. It was about six feet long, 3 feet
wide and 2-3 feet deep. It ran along the fence that separated our
backyard from the Corbett’s. When the pit was first dug, we had only
one neighbour and that was the Sandfords.

Mr. Sandford was a gardener. There was no lawn in his backyard only a
vegetable garden that blossomed every year. I have vague recollections
of the carrots and cabbages he used to hand over the fence that stood
between our places. It was a friendly fence only 3 feet high. Easy to
see over, to have a chat with a neighbour over and to pass over
vegetables for our dinner table. You could grow morning glories and
other vines along it.

My parents also loved gardening, at least when I was young. My mother loved her flowers, irises, tulips, roses and hollyhocks. Dad grew tomatoes. I can still taste the beefsteak tomatoes he grew.
One slice made a sandwich. We only had fresh tomatoes in the late
Summer and Fall, off our own vines.

The growing concern for food quality has brought composting and organic gardening back into the spotlight. The best guarantee that we have that our food is fresh and healthy is to grow it ourselves naturally. Compost plays an important role.

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A Look into the Future

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No space to garden outdoors? Too little light to grow
indoors? Looking for style and fresh herbs? Then the VEGE may be what you
need. VEGE, by Electrolux, is a hydroponic growing cupboard that stands roughly
the size of a standard freezer and holds up to 40 of your favourite plants.

VEGE gives your plants just what they need light and food; an ideal combination
for healthy happy plants. For now VEGE is still a prototype but looks like a
winner, so keep your eyes open.

courtesy cribcandy

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Great Gardeners Grow Soil

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From the Essential Garden Guide blog :

Great soil gives you the best chance to succeed as a
gardener. Now that the planting season is upon us, it’s a good time to
consider the quality of your soil.

Over the years I have conducted a number of gardening workshops. My favourite way to get the particpants thinking like gardeners and not just growers of plants was to make this simple statement, Great Gardeners Grow Soil. For it is from the soil that the plants draw the nutrients that they need to thrive.

If you want you garden to blossom and be the envy of your neighbours and friends, then, whether you garden for food, flowers or both, feed your soil and follow the right plant right place rule.

Gardening is a cooperative act that engages the gardener in a complex choreography with the sun, wind, earthworms and millions of tiny, tiny creeatures all working together to bring you beautiful flowers and healthy food. The dance all begins with the soil, feed it and you will reap the rewards.

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Fine Hand-Crafted Redwood Furniture

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You love the look and comfort of high quality outdoor wood furniture but are concerned about the health of our forests. You can have your furniture and your forests too. Old-Growth Again is a forest restoration company. Old-Growth Again handcrafts fine outdoor furniture to fund their 580-acre forest restoration project in Annapolis, CA.

The trees used by this company are harvested by Ike and Sparky,
a pair of percheron horses. Unlike
tractors and other heavy machinery, Ike and Sparky get the job done without damaging the soil and standing trees.

The company offers attractive and fine handcrafted items such as these Forever Adirondack Chairs. The company’s products add beauty while they perserve the forest, so you can truly rest in comfort in your outdoor room.

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Outdoor Lighting

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You have just designed the perfect outdoor room. Now you, your friends and family can enjoy the summer evenings in the backyard. There is just one thing missing, the proper lighting. You are seeking style and function. You want more than light, you want to add a touch of sophistication to your outdoor room. Well the folks at Rittenhouse have what you need.

Distinctive all-weather lighting for today’s outdoor
spaces. The designs include a choice of table lamps, floor lamp and
floor with attached table. They are U.L. listed as suitable for wet
locations.

High-tech weather resistant materials make these lamps a great addition to any outdoor living space.
All finishes are UV resistant to prevent fading. Metal parts are powder-coated to prevent corrosion and the shades are of Sunbrella®
fabrics. Lamp bases are heavily weighted for stability, much more so
than ordinary lamps. Each lamp is equipped with a hi-low switch for
subdued or bright light.

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