Join

I grow a number of different flowers and plants in my garden, but you’ve probably guessed by now (if you’re a regular reader) that there’s more roses than any other type of plant. Having said that I do enjoy my more unusual flowers like my Black Hollyhocks:

This picture doesn’t do this large open flower justice. The color of the petals appear black from a distance, but when you get up close you can see that the petal color is really a very deep maroon. If you look at the petal in the top right you can see some of the deep maroon color that I’m talking about. I love these flowers velvety appearance too.

Another flower that I like is the Balloon flower. In particular I enjoy looking at the flower buds before they bloom.

The buds look like balloons that are about to float away.

I must go now and close the doors and windows. A skunk must be walking around the neighborhood. The pungent smell is coming into my house. Stinky! I’m surprised my dog hasn’t reacted to the smell yet!

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information. GTS participants remember to check in at As the Garden Grows each week so that we’ll know you made a new post!

Wordless Wednesday

My Chicago Peace rose is blooming and it’s absolutely gorgeous. It’s putting on a fine show with it’s large blooms and multiple petals.

It’s a very full flower at approximately five inches in diameter and at least three inches in height. You’d only need two or three of them to make a small bouquet.

Join

Chris and I took our puppy over to SunnyBrook Park yesterday so that she could see the horses they keep there. While we were in the huge park we took a walk along a nice stream and Midnight, her water loving self, had to jump in the water!

I stayed on the bank and wandered around taking pictures of both Chris and the dog in the shallow water. While I was taking pictures I noticed a few clumps of flowers. I’m not sure what they are, but they’re lovely:

The plants grow to 2.5 to 3 feet tall and grow in clumps. They look like this:

The area they were growing in was kind of shady at 5 in the afternoon. I have no idea if it gets bright light in the morning but I suspect there’s more light earlier in the day than when we were there.

Anyone have any idea what kind of flower this is? (Reminder I’m in Toronto - USDA zone 5b, just in case you need some climate info to help me figure this out.)

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information. GTS participants remember to check in at As the Garden Grows each week so that we’ll know you made a new post!

There are many benefits to composting your household wastes like kitchen scraps, leaves, grass clippings and so on. One of the main benefits is that you can use the compost that you’ve created on your own garden or perhaps your lawn if you don’t have a garden.

Our plants and trees can gain much needed nutrients when we amend the soil around them with compost.

Here in Toronto we have what is called “Green Garbage”. Those who don’t compost can add their kitchen scraps and a few other materials to their green bins for collection each week. The city then combines this green waste with shredded, and I presume composted yard waste (leaves and plant trimmings and such), and gives it back to the residents of Toronto each Spring on certain days. Residents can pick up compost for their garden at special depots set up in various communities on specific days.

We usually try to pick up a large garbage can worth of the cities compost each spring, but we don’t rely on it as we have our own composter in our backyard.

If you’d like to learn how to set up your own composter why don’t you have a look at these videos.

Backyard Composting

Learn the basics of garden composting. Create some great nutrient rich compost for your garden from scraps and yard waste. Improve your soil the organic way.

Garden Girl TV: Simple Easy Compost Bin

Patti, the Garden Girl, shows you a simple and easy way to make a compost bin for your organic lawn or garden.

So if you haven’t already done so, go ahead and start your own backyard compost bin. Your plants will show you how much they enjoy having their soil amended with compost and your kitchen garbage won’t be as smelly!

Are you worried about the pesticides that might be contaminating the fruits and vegetables that you eat? If you are, you’re in luck.

The Environmental Working Group has come out with a list of 45 fruits and vegetables ranked according to the level of pesticide contamination. The results were based on U.S. Food and Drug administration testing.

The most contaminated fruit and vegetables include strawberries, apples and celery. The top of the list of most contaminated food items is Peaches with a pesticide load of 100.

The cleanest fruit and vegetables include mangoes, pineapples, onions, and avocados. The least contaminated of the list has a pesticide load of 1.

I never realized that peaches had such a high contamination load. I always thought apples were the worst of the bunch.

What the report lacks is actual amounts of pesticides. The items rated on the list are organized on a scale that shows which produce has more pesticides, but without knowing the exact amount of contamination it’s hard to say if the pesticide contamination in peaches is harmful or if the low amount found in pineapple really is a safe level.

If you are worried about pesticide contaminants the best thing to do is limit your exposure.

Not everyone can grow all of their own food supply, nor necessarily do it organically, but you can limit your exposure to pesticide contaminated fruit and vegetables by trying to make some of your purchase organic produce. Know what’s on the list and try to make sure that when you want to buy some of the items that are listed as being most pesticide contaminated, like peaches and apples, that you make those purchases organic.

If you do happen to have a garden try to grow organically. My garden is organic and I find it quite easy to maintain and as you can see from all the photos on this site my plants are very healthy.