Keukenhof, Holland, 2010

Bruce spent the afternoon of May 2, 2010 in Keukenhof. It was pouring rain!! Did that dampen the spirits, NO!!

Here are some of the pics Bruce took running, and I mean running around Keukenhof.

What is Holland without the windmill??

Sightseeing, Holland Trip, 2010

Houseboat on the canal.
How would you like to garden here?

Neat transportation!

Great architecture

Holland Trip 2010

Arrival in Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

To the barracks in Harskamp, Holland
Everyone congregated in the men's barracks



The Lincoln & Welland Regimental Band on parade.



Doesn't this say it all!

Sissinghurst A Castle's Unfinished History - Book Review

Sissinghurst is world famous as a place of calm and beauty, a garden slipped into the ruins of a rose-pink Elizabethan palace. But is it entirely what its creators intended? Has its success over the last thirty years come at a price? Is Sissinghurst everything it could be? The story of this piece of land, as estate in the Weald of Kent, is told here for the first time from the very beginning. Adam Nicolsom, who now lives there, has uncovered remarkable new findings about its history as a medieval manor and great sixteenth-century house, from the days of its decline as an eighteenth-century prison to a flourishing Victorian farm and on to the creation, by his grandparents Vita Sackville-West & Harold Nicolson, of a garden in a weed-strewn wreck.

Alongside his recovery of the past, Adam Nicolson wanted something else: for the land at Sissinghurst to live again, to become the landscape of orchards, cattle, fruit, and sheep he remembered from his childhood.

More than just a personal biography of a place, this book is the story of taking an inheritance and steering it in a new direction, just as an entrepreneur might take hold of a company, or just as all of just might want to take our dreams and make them real.

When this book arrived in the mail, DD#1 took off the dustcover and started to read it. It must have looked interesting and must have been good to hold her interest.
--
Julie

Vegetable Garden 2010

These are all tomatoes & were transplanted on May 7, 2010. I know it is too early to plant in Ontario but as you can see these are planted with protection -- their own individual plastic greenhouse kits. We love them. Never had a bad season with tomatoes only good & GREAT!!

The varieties we planted this year are:
Golden Honey Bunch - yellow cherry
Red Candy - red cherry
Primo Red
Plum Crimson - substitute for Health Kick
Carolina Gold - yellow
Ultra Sweet
Patio Hybrid - these are in their own container

These 2 plants are Heirloom varieties and came from Tree & Twig. We bought them on Saturday, May 15 & transplanted them on May 16, 2010 also with protection.
Sara Black - black tomato
Snow White - white cherry

When we bought the Heirloom varieties from Tree & Twig we had to do some rearranging in the garden. I dug out the "Plum Crimson" as this is a determinate tomato so can go into a container. Both of the Heirloom tomatoes are indeterminate.

Here is what our garden looks like now. Notice the black pot in the back with the stake in it, this is the 'Plum Crimson'. All of the tomatoes in the garden this year are indeterminate. The making of a wild garden!!

My container garden is looking good as well. I have planted Swiss Chard varieties, Italian Silver Rib & Pot of Gold. The sunflowers are all dwarf, the varieties are Van Gogh, Junior & Music Box.

Lincoln & Welland Regiment Band

Full dress rehearsal for the Lincoln & Welland Regiment Band. They are going to Holland at the end of the month for the Holland Liberation Tour 2010 & playing in 3 tattoos.

Sarritor(R) Biological Lawn Weed Killer Now Available for Home Use

Sarritor(R) Biological Lawn Weed Killer - the first biological, 100% natural (non-chemical), selective lawn weed killer to control dandelions, clover and plantain in turf without harming the lawn is NOW available at leading garden centres and retail stores for home owner application. Sarritor is compliant with all municipal by-laws & is also compliant with the Ontario Pesticide Law.

How does it work? The active ingredient of Sarritor is a naturally occurring fungus. The fungus is coated on a dry granular carrier that can be applied directly on a broadleaf weed. The fungus is activated by moisture and works best when temperature is between 18 and 24 degrees C. It grows naturally in the week and absorbs the plant issues until the weed is completely gone. Once the weed is gone, the fungus dies and no residuals are left.

Now there is an environmentally safe alternative to selective chemical herbicides that have been banned. Sarritor is a natural & organic product based on the Sclerotinia Minor technology that was developed by Dr. Alan Watson of McGill University. Sarritor can control dandelions and other broad leaf weeds in turf without harming surrounding grass by using a fungus that is a natural enemy of weeds. The 100% natural & organic product is non-toxic, does not produce spores, is neutral in the environment and is indigenous to Canada. One applied, the product kills the weed and disappears.

Sarritor comes in a handy shaker dispenser bottle. The bottle is designed to dispense the correct dose with each application. One dose per dandelion is all it takes! The bottle contains enough Sarritor to treat 750 dandelions.

• Apply in the spring or fall when daytime highs are less than 24 degrees C.

• Needs rain or irrigation within 12 hours of application to activate.

Use within 1 week of purchase. Refrigeration not required.


UPDATE:
Sarritor is available at Home Depot