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Thank You,
Marie Suzanne
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awesome idea!
Hi Barb,
Thanks for your comment! Gardening is indeed awesome! I love gardening, and hope that through my blog others can learn how wonderful it is as well!
Happy Gardening,
Marie Suzanne
Great Idea! I am looking forward to finding some information on gardening in clay soils.
Liz
Looking forward to some sensible mail. I am a nurse amd a passionate gardener, well just a greedy gardener, but love sharing my plants with friends or new gardeners. /Marvelous idea. Why didn’t I think of it??*smile** glad you did!! So I get to sit back and enjoy your site. Angela
well thats so great!! i have a question!!
there is a plant that i would like to have not sure if its year round (i think it is)!! i dont know the name of it I just always known it to be called the money tree or the dollar tree!! and when i go for a search i get nothing !! that helps. can you? thanks a bunch
The money tree is for sale in BC..
Great idea! We northern gardeners need to stick together!
Hi,….. My daughter is planning a garden wedding in my back yard and I was wandering if anyone knew of perennials that are orange in color that will be in bloom in June. I’m in area 4.
I saw some money trees for sale at home depot, small and a decorative type tree, the trunk was braided about a foot high.
Great idea I am so glad I found this site as I enjoy gardening so much!
Hi Judy,
No kidding! We may not be able to grow everything that they can out in California or Florida, but I like to think we do quite well! I love gardening, especially when all the back breaking work is done and I can sit back and enjoy the beautiful colors and scents! I’m glad you like the site, thanks so much for commenting!
Marie Suzanne
Hi Angela,
I love sharing my plants with friends as well! That way we all get to enjoy them and try out new varieties! I’m glad you like the site so much! We try hard to make the content both informative and fun to read.
Thanks so much for commenting!
Marie Suzanne
Here’s a topic to discuss. Northern gardens are not exempt from the Hosta Virus. We need good advice on things like that. See
for details on this widespread problem. AND BEWARE OF CHEAP HOSTAS from grocery stores; this is a venue through which diseased plants are being “dumped” on an unsuspecting public. And then if you share these plants with friends, the problem spreads. Even using the same cutting tool to trim the plants (without disinfecting it) will spread the virus to more hostas.
What is the Hosta Virus? Is it just American - I live in Scotland. I love Hostas.
Hi Ann,
Since you are in zone 4, and you have a time limit, I don’t think perennials are your best option. They take a couple of years to establish themselves unless you want to buy them already grown as 2 or 3 year old plants ($$$$$).
I would check your local nurseries very early in the spring, and see what they have already grown. Depending on your budget, you may want to check out 2 year old rose bushes such as Alchemist (antique, great scent!), Livin’ Easy (Floribunda), Brandy (Hybrid Tea), Joseph’s Coat (Climber), Missing in Action, Playboy, Lilian Austin (British), Pat Austin (British), and William Morris (British).
To save some money, you may want to try starting seeds yourself. You can start annuals early, such as cosmos, zinnias, marigolds, larkspur, lupine, sweet peas (including climbing varieties) and Indian paint bush. For a theme wedding such as yours, I would recommend this method if you don’t have an unlimited budget! Also the annuals have bright colors, and will stay in bloom until frost, so you will get to enjoy them for months after the wedding as well.
Your other option is bulbs. However, bulbs are not a sure thing. They depend heavily on the weather, but they can be blended with annuals as a filler. Check out lilies (Asiatic, and tiger).
I would recommend checking out Breck’s for bulbs, Thompson and Morgan for seeds, and Antique Rose Emporium (just to see what’s available, and to get an idea what to request from a local nursery). Also, although I have not ordered from Annie’s Annuals (yet!), they look like they have a great selection!
I hope your daughter has a wonderful wedding, and that all your flowers bloom at the right time!
Thanks so much for commenting,
Marie Suzanne
Hello Mary Sue,
I understand your concern about Hostas, it is certainly a serious situation that gardeners should be aware of. I am planning on addressing this in the near future. Thank you for mentioning it, and thank you for commenting,
Marie Suzanne
I`m not sure if you were refering to a plant that i know as “Silver Dollar” or “Money Plant” which is grown from seed. It can grow up to 5ft.tall with many branches that have oval shape seed pods that are flat and when you remove the outer cover of both sides of what i`m calling the pod you are left with what looks like a silver dollar and you collect the seeds from there as well. They look great in arrangements or just by themselves.
Interesting site. I just came up from the basement where I have been repotting everything under the sun(ha ). I gave my indoor their shower to make them look their best for Xmas. My little granchildren can’t believe that I was giving plants a shower. I love to garden and do not like the late fall as I feel lost. I have taken up guitar and hope I do not cause the plants too much stress.
thank you it’s great to have a site that’s for the northern area. I want to create a woodland garden with a bog area it is a natural area that I have cleaned up. It has a brook in the middle of the property which is about 11/2a. Pictures in mag looks good but not suitable for my area. The weather is cold and colder in the winter it’s windy, wet, and not warm for long.I need help tha
Margit Scott’s Money Plant is what I call Honesty - it gets the name because you can see exactly what’s inside the ‘purses’ - that’s English purses, which are for keeping coins in, not American purses which in England are called handbags! Its Latin name is Lunaria because they look like full moons. But a tree this isn’t
Hi,
You may be thinking of a monkey puzzle tree. Here is a link to a picture of one in Wikipedia. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Araucaria_araucana1.jpg/180px-Araucaria_araucana1.jpg
If the link doesn’t work, look it up in wikipedia.
Hope this helps,
Lynda
Another northern gardener here - from the coast of Quebec. 2007 was a cold summer here so our gardens didn’t do very well.
looking forward…
flowers are the life of everything.
Nice to connect with other gardeners in my area
Calgary, AB
I live in zone 5 north of Owen Sound,ON. Am trying to establish a cottage garden and would like to know if there are any very hardy roses that would grow well here. Thanks
Hi Deb,
There are a lot of great hardy roses that grow in zone 5!
Some of my favorites are Lady Emma Hamilton, Gertrude Jekyll, and Graham Thomas.
If you prefer climbers, William Baffin, Ramblin’ Red, John Davis, and Autumn Sunset are wonderful!
Hybrid Teas: Mr. Lincoln, Chrysler Imperial, Queen Elizabeth, Double Delight, and Dainty Bess.
Minatures: Jean Lajoie
Some of my favorite places to buy these roses on the internet are Heirloom Roses, David Austin Roses, Wayside Gardens, Antique Rose Emporium, Jackson and Perkins, and Edmunds Roses. These will likely give you more options as well, but I mentioned the roses that have grown well for me.
Hope you enjoy the Daily Weeder, thanks so much for commenting!
Happy Gardening,
Marie Suzanne
WOW my dream come true!!!! I will follow you to the end of the earth… so nice to have something other than junk coming up on facebook. I LOVE gardening and can not wait till spring!!!!
I will be close by to hear your comments and follow your ideas, I am just so happy now that you are out there!
Twi
Hello! I really like the site.
Question: What is the best way to get rid of the green caterpillars that eat my rose bush leaves?
Hi Joanne,
I believe the best way to get rid of green caterpillars is in a homemade potion.!
Your dishwater !
1st remove the visible caterpillars and then Just water at the base of the plant no closer then 2 inches to the truck.
The plant absorbe the “potion” and leaves a nasty taste that caterpillars don’t enjoy.
Thank you Natalie, I look forward to trying the “dish water potion” you recommend!
Hi Joanne,
Sorry it took me so long to respond! Thanks to Nathalie for taking up the slack! If Nathalie’s dishwater method doesn’t work (though very innovative– great thinking Nathalie!) I have another recommendation!
You can make a homemade spray by simply adding…
1 tbsp of crushed garlic
1 tbsp of hot pepper flakes
1 tbsp of dish liquid soap
Add the first two ingredients to a pan of boiling water, and cook it for one minute.
Let it cool and strain it.
Add the pepper and garlic infused water to a gallon of water.
Add the dishwashing detergent last!
Finally pour the whole thing into your sprayer and make sure to spray both the top and bottom of your leaves!
Repeat as necessary!
Coincidentally, this mixture is good for many pests that occur on roses! Just be careful with it– it is potent!
If either mine or Nathalie’s solution doesn’t work you may want to try an organic pesticide,
there is a fairly good one called “Green Step” that you can find on Gardens Alive.
Thank you for your comment! I hope this helps and those caterpillars are gone gone gone!
Happy Gardening,
Marie Suzanne
if someone knows hoe to get rid off slugs from hostas please i need the recipe.
thanks narda
if someone knows how to get rid off slugs from hostas please i need the recipe.
thanks narda
Sara and I do our gardening on Gabriola Island off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. You’re welcome to visit our blog and read about our adventures digging the soil with our two children. Thanks for inviting us to subscribe to your blog. And so we will.
Tim, Sara, and the kids
I am interested in knowing if anyone has every heard of a Margaret Chase Rose. I bought one 21 years ago because my mothers name was Margaret Rose Chase. She was ill that summer so when it grew it had one blossom on it. I took it to her in the hospital. Unfortunately she passed away later that year and my rose never bloomed again. It eventually died too. I would love to get another one and try my luck just for her memory. Any suggestions?
Dawn….
I did a search on Google, and found a “Margaret Chase Smith” rose. Not sure if this is what you are looking for, but you can check it out here:
http://www.directgardening.com/detail.asp?pid=6870
Hope you find it. It would be a lovely tribute to your Mom.
Would your red pepper, garlic and soap mix work on hostas to discourage slugs or keep earwigs out of dahlias? Both are a very big problem for me. The last two years I thought my dahlias were dying in the ground before I realized that every sprig of green was chewed off at ground level! If I can find a reliable natural deterrant I’ll buy more again this year. If not I’m afraid I’ll have to give them up!
Hi Deena,
You know I’m not sure about that! I would try the red pepper, garlic, and soap mix on one plant first and see! I would definitely be interested in the results!
If it doesn’t work you could try a product called “Escar-Go Supreme” which is a natural bug zapper.
It won’t just kill slugs, but also earwigs and pill bugs as well. Although I have not personally tried it, gardensalive claims its good for up to four weeks and is safe around veggies, pets, and lawns.
I found another option in my handy little “50 Ways to Kill a Slug” book by Sarah Ford. I tried this one and it worked for me! Wait until dark, take a flashlight, and then zap the slugs with 1 part ammonia and 3 parts water in a spray bottle. This also helps give your plants a nitrogen boost!
Either way, I would be interested in hearing how successful either method is!
Happy Gardening,
Marie Suzanne
Hi Dawn!
I did search for the Margaret Chase Smith Rose but like Diana, only found it at Direct Gardening.
If this isn’t what you are looking for, could you give me more of a description?
Thanks! Happy Gardening,
Marie Suzanne
Hi Diana and Marie, Thank you so much for finding the Margaret Chase Smith Rose for me. It looks exactly like the one I bought 20 years ago. Perfect timing as my mom’s birthday would have been today. Only problem is I live in Canada and this distributor does not sell to us. Oh well, it is nice to know it is still around. I will try to contact them but I am sure it is one of the items that are not permitted through the boarder. Thank you again
Dawn
One good thing about being an avid gardener,,,,,,you never stop learning!
I’ve been using the ammonia mixture on slugs and other soft backed insects for years. I’ve noticed that the slugs particularly love marigolds. I plant a bunch of sacrificial marigolds so the slugs will be on the flowers in the early mornings just waiting for me to melt them with the potion. After about the third year I really noticed the slug population in my yard had dropped considerably. This concoction doesn’t damage the soil or the foliage of any of the plants the way that others might. I also use this for the annual aphid outbreak on lupins.
i use crushed eggshells to keep slugs away from my plants. harmless for kids, pets and birds, too. you could always use diatemaceuos earth as well, also natural. good luck.
Hi They have a couple heritage Seed Companys in canada.They have seed & Etc back to 1600.
I plan to get some stuff from them,
Spring Arbour Farm Heirloom Seed.RR#1 Walsingham ,Ontario,Canada
N0E 1X0
I have 2 Heirloom Roses,One was from my grandfathers bush and another from an Uncle.
Grampas is double white and the other rose is double pink.
I treasure them.
love all the good information on spray for roses
i have no luck with keeping my dahlia tubers over the winter.need some help with that.
Love your site - Thanks, don’t know why I didn’t find it before. I am just outside Belleville Ontario - Zone 4-5
I have used the ammonia on slugs in evening as suggested and find it works great. Thanks
I have used a dish soap mix on some pests as well but it does not work on the boxelder beetles that have nested in the many many maple key sites that have bombarded my gardens after these bad rains. I know they probably won’t hurt things but there are thousands and they are all over my daylilies as well. I am afraid we will have the epidemic from a coupe years ago when they nested inside the house walls - Do you remember?
I also have some lily beetle larve that even Neem oil doesn’t seem to be working on. Any ideas for these two beetle bug pests would be helpful and I will try it if I have not already. I have been hand plucking, squishing etc but I just can’t seem to catch it all.
Thanks so much for sharing. Wendy
Hosta rings work well in keeping slugs off the plant - they are made of copper and apparently slugs will not cross them - I have heard of people using pennies and making a ring around the base of the plant although I have never tried them it is another idea.
Ann, I would also suggest lilies, there are such a wonderful variety of colours (many shades of orange, from fluorescent tangerine to dark flame). Dahlias another possibility or even hibiscus, such beautiful blooms. Good luck!