Happy Halloween everyone !

Happy Halloween !!!!

Raspberrys have been pruned and fertilized

 

 

I learned to prune left handed today. {I still have tennis elbow} So I pruned both of the raspberry patches canes about waist high with one hand. Then Allan used the loppers to take out the deadwood and brought in the last of the manure from last fall. He spread some around the potato patch as well. We will level it and even it out tomorrow.

 

Huge beautiful Rose Hips

 

I was gifted these gorgeous Rose Hips today. Aren't they amazing. Some of them are about 1" across!! They were attached to some Rose cuttings I had asked for. The Hips are the reason I wanted the rose cuttings actually. I don't have a clue what the roses look like, and it really doesn't matter.

 

 

 

My very old Tupperware pitcher with the Rose cuttings soaking until I can get them planted.

Japanese Maples....I've waited a long time for this colour

 

 

 

I have had these Japanese Maples for many, many years. They were in the back yard. They had die back every year and in the fall, the leaves would turn brown and fall off. I never really saw very much colour. They barely survived to autumn. I didn't realize that Japanese Maples hate south sun. I thought all Maples loved full sun. I moved them all to the front garden. It was a big job....but...worth it. I watched them turn the most amazing colours this year. I would sit in the Ugly Chair and just admire the colour. Reminding me of Ontario in the fall....which is exactly why I planted them. It did not once occur to me to take a picture. Until today. So they have faded a bit...and some leaves have fallen, but they are still quite lovely. The second photo is the maple still in the back yard. It is surrounded by Back to Eden garden and doubled in size this year after die back every year for about five years. I love gardening.

My heart needed to have a little cat shrine

With the loss of Charlotte a few weeks ago, it made five little urns and mementos on my bedroom dresser. I felt like I wanted to have them altogether where I could see them and it felt more respectful. I thought of lots of options but decided to find a little shelf for the hallway. Where it wouldn't be in front of me all day, but I would see it many times. This is the result. It isn't quite done as I have yet to print out a few of the photos, but the frames are ready. It will be done within a couple days.

 

 

Lettuce and Kale planted...and a few bulbs.

The lettuce and kale are finally big enough to plant in the citrus house. It is a bit cooler down at that end of the greenhouse, and the light is perfect. I cannot wait to have fresh lettuce this winter.

 

Lettuce and Kale planted. Oh...and look at the mandarin oranges!!!

There also some nasturtiums coming up from the compost.

 

 

More on the other side. This isn't all of it, some of it was a little too small still.

Isn't the guava lovely. You should smell it. Yummmmmm.

 

 

Every year I plant more yellow narcissus and large snowdrops.

I could not resist this Parrot Tulip.

I'm such a sucker for pink flowers. Eye candy.

 

I could smell the citrus blossom as soon as I walked in....

 

Tonight when I got home from the store, I went straight out to the greenhouse. The first thing I noticed as soon as I walked in the door was the sweet smell of citrus blossom. I went straight to the back and looked for the blossoms. It was on the lemon tree, hidden under a leaf. There was ONE FLOWER. Only one. I couldn't believe that I could smell that one flower 16' away from the door I had entered in. Isn't that just amazing. Then I had to focus. I had a mission. On our way home from Gabriola Island yesterday we stopped at Dinter Nursery of course. We wanted to pick up a new minimum/maximum thermometer for the citrus house. It is predicted to be a very cold winter. So I hung it right above the lemon tree so that if that end gets cooler we will know it. We are going to get a smaller supplemental heater to put in the Citrus end of the greenhouse, just in case our old large heater just can't cope with the new 8 X 18' greenhouse size. Also it is about 35 years old and I just don't want to push my luck.

 

 

This is the new thermometer hanging above the lemon tree.

 

 

If you don't know how to read a min/max thermometer I am going show you. This is the reading on the thermometer this morning. Since it was reset yesterday, the low in the citrus house was 13 degrees Celsius and the high was just over 21 degrees. You read the temperature at the bottom edge the blue liquid. Red is below zero and black is above zero degrees. The numbers on the outside are Celsius and the inside are Farenheit. The left side is the temperature low, and the right is the high. To reset you just push and hold that long skinny button in the middle.

Bearrs Lime Tree planted into the greenhouse.

The Bearrs Lime is officially planted in the greenhouse. We also moved the Owari Satsuma Mandarin Orange tree in in its pot. We will plant it next week some time. This was the weekend they had to go inside. My garden calendar says so!!

Lime tree waiting to be planted

Lime planted and being watered

Another angle with the orange tree in the background

Lime all trimmed and looking adorable

The far branch of Mandarin Orange is so heavy with oranges, it is bending to the ground. We are using our food recycle green box to support it. There must be 15-20 oranges on it. I will count for you. It weighs about ten pounds.

IT IS OFFICIAL, WE HAVE A CITRUS HOUSE !!!