"Fall is for gardening" says Billy Fountain. "With temperatures cooling down somewhat from the record-breaking highs we have just endured, there may be a hint of fall in the air. Now is the time when we can once again enjoy our decks and patios. I enjoy gardening much more in the fall with cooler temperatures and a slower pace.
For maximum enjoyment of fall color, now is the time to plant your chrysanthemums. There are so many colors to choose from, but the most popular is the bright yellow variety called Yellow Triumph. The bright golden flowers show off well against the dark green foliage. Other colors include bronze, white and maroon. Choosing colors depends on your personal taste, and all these varieties grow well in our area." more..
Are you sitting there with your digital camera full of fabulous flower pictures that you have taken over the summer? Instead of your old-fashioned photo album you can now purchase an electronic version. Westinghouse has introduced the Digital Photo Frame, a 5.6-inch LCD display that looks like a picture frame and displays up to 80 digital photos, individually or in a slide-show format. The photos are imported by plugging in a memory card or downloading from a computer. more..
Friday, September 30, 2005
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
A Zen Garden of Your Own
When you hear the term "Zen Garden" the picture conjured up is of a dry landscape with rocks surrounded by carefully raked gravel which invites you to withdraw from the noise of the world outside and to enter into silent meditation.
Some say that zen priests adopted the dry landscape style in the eleventh century as an aid to create a deeper understanding of the zen concepts, but others hold that the Japanese Zen Garden is a myth. They claim that it is a late 20th Century western creation that has nothing to do with the Japanese Garden Tradition and that the dry garden style is not unique to zen temples but can be found associated with many other buildings.
Whatever your view it is undeniable that there is something rather special about this dry landscape style which is generally known as a Zen garden. The main elements consist of rocks representing mountains or islands surrounded by flowing water in the form of sand or gravel.
more...
Some say that zen priests adopted the dry landscape style in the eleventh century as an aid to create a deeper understanding of the zen concepts, but others hold that the Japanese Zen Garden is a myth. They claim that it is a late 20th Century western creation that has nothing to do with the Japanese Garden Tradition and that the dry garden style is not unique to zen temples but can be found associated with many other buildings.
Whatever your view it is undeniable that there is something rather special about this dry landscape style which is generally known as a Zen garden. The main elements consist of rocks representing mountains or islands surrounded by flowing water in the form of sand or gravel.
more...
Friday, September 23, 2005
Those Garden Gnomes are Causing Trouble Again.
People either love them or hate them, but Garden Gnomes are never far from the headlines.
In a recent issue the gardening writer for the Maryland Gazette suggested that you should "Redo the landscape of your garden every few years. Add sculptures, fountains and tacky red garden gnomes to annoy your neighbors. ..."
Following the recent petrol shortages and panic buying at the pumps, Greg Wright said "I'm tempted to start a "panic" about possible disruption to the global supply of garden gnomes".
Meanwhile in Fairfax County the retired Deputy Fire Chief Stephen Smith of Fairfax City has a mystery to solve. "Did 20 out of about 50 small concrete gnome statutes he placed on a hill beside his driveway on Woodland Drive walk away on their own or did someone take them? "
He also said that, if the gnomes are returned, he would not press charges.
"If that happened, I'd be a happy camper," Smith said. "They can just bring them back and put them on my front lawn, at night, just like they took them."
Two women in Scotland have not been so lucky. They were arrested and charged following the discovery of an "Aladdin's cave" of more than 40 garden gnomes stolen from homes across central Scotland. The discovery of the garden ornaments at a house in Alloa followed a spate of thefts of ornamental gnomes, hedgehogs and rabbits from local gardens.
In a recent issue the gardening writer for the Maryland Gazette suggested that you should "Redo the landscape of your garden every few years. Add sculptures, fountains and tacky red garden gnomes to annoy your neighbors. ..."
Following the recent petrol shortages and panic buying at the pumps, Greg Wright said "I'm tempted to start a "panic" about possible disruption to the global supply of garden gnomes".
Meanwhile in Fairfax County the retired Deputy Fire Chief Stephen Smith of Fairfax City has a mystery to solve. "Did 20 out of about 50 small concrete gnome statutes he placed on a hill beside his driveway on Woodland Drive walk away on their own or did someone take them? "
He also said that, if the gnomes are returned, he would not press charges.
"If that happened, I'd be a happy camper," Smith said. "They can just bring them back and put them on my front lawn, at night, just like they took them."
Two women in Scotland have not been so lucky. They were arrested and charged following the discovery of an "Aladdin's cave" of more than 40 garden gnomes stolen from homes across central Scotland. The discovery of the garden ornaments at a house in Alloa followed a spate of thefts of ornamental gnomes, hedgehogs and rabbits from local gardens.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Garden Ramblings
Just in case anyone is still reading this blog, this is to let you know that the September issue of my monthly newsletter Garden Ramblings has now been published.
If you have happened upon this blog by chance and wondered why it is updated so infrequently, the answer is that I now concentrate on my main gardening blog Garden Supplies News. There you will find notes and comments on current gardening news including such delights as "World Naked Gardening Day" among other more mundane items.
If you have happened upon this blog by chance and wondered why it is updated so infrequently, the answer is that I now concentrate on my main gardening blog Garden Supplies News. There you will find notes and comments on current gardening news including such delights as "World Naked Gardening Day" among other more mundane items.
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