Posts Tagged ‘roses’

Gardening Gear

Why wait until the last minute, or why wait until next gardening season?  Now that the holiday shopping season has officially begun, we thought we’d give you a small hand by suggesting three items all gardeners can benefit from and which make for perfect gifts.

First on the list: the Cooler Headband.  Small, easily packed gift that will make all gardeners look forward to working outdoors, now matter what the heat.  This unique Cooler Headband contains crystals which turn into a refreshing gel when soaked in water.  For more details and to order now, simply click on

http://www.biofloris.com/apparel/cooler-headband.html

Cooler Headband

Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses.” Keep your hands scrape-, prickle- and band aid-free, all while being able to provide your prickly plants like roses with the most meticulous care, with these specially designed, highly resistant gardening gloves for roses.  For more details and to order now, simply click on

http://www.biofloris.com/apparel/gloves-m66.html

Gardening gloves for roses

You’ve had to replace your pruners at least two or three times?  You should consider buying a Bahco pruner now.  You’ll definitely have it for a long while. High tech and ergonomic, it provides features such as vertical and lateral inclinations and uniquely shaped and coated handles. It makes pruning work a lot less tiring. The pruner also comes in specially designed format for those of us who are left-handed. http://www.biofloris.com/tools/bahco-px-ergonomic-pruner.html.  Worth the investment, for sure. 

Bahco PX- Ergonomic Pruner

Shop the entire biofloris store: www.biofloris.com

On line shopping.  Easy, economical, problem-free. 

Terrie Greco, B.A.; HLT Dip.

Hope all our Canadian readers had a lovely Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving most definitely means fall and fall means winter is next. Alas, it’s time to clean up the garden and tuck it in for the winter, for those of you living in colder climate zones like me.

Did you know that it’s better to prepare roses for the winter after a bit of frost? Read the list below carefully.

8 Important things to remember when putting the garden to bed for winter:

1. A clean garden is a garden with fewer pests & diseases
2. Compost as much as possible; it’s an environmentally friendly practice
3. Cut down those perennials. Cut back stems of herbaceous plants to about 3 inches. Remove annuals
4. Top dress the garden with some compost or manure; this will protect root systems and provide a boost of energy to newly emerging plants when the spring rains come (Top dressing simply means adding a layer of  2 to 3 inches of fresh compost or composted manure on top of your garden bed)
5. Don’t cut back your ornamental grasses until spring; enjoy them throughout the winter (they provide food for wildlife and visual design interest)
6. It’s too early to put the roses to bed right now-wait until the ground has a little frost! Just trim them a bit and continue to enjoy any blooms
7. Mew the lawn one more time before storing the lawn mower
8. It is better to cover your plants with winter protection a tad later than sooner! Overheating causes humidity and thus mould. Better wait until cold weather is here to stay

Once the work is all done, why not take advantage of this time of year to read books about gardening and perhaps even take a course in horticulture to perfect your skills? It is also a good time to pay more attention to your indoor plants.

Here are some pictures I like to share at this time of year:

Cleaning decorative pots and containers in the fall

Empty any decorative containers, clean thoroughly with soap and warm water (only plastics – do not use soap on clay containers) and store over the winter.

Roses

It’s still a little early to put your roses to bed – they’ll bloom right up until the end of October!  Enjoy…

Ornamental grasses

Ornamental Grasses will provide much needed interest in the winter…don’t cut them back until spring!

October leaves on the ground

Foliage on the ground.  Good for composting.

Leaves of a Japanese Lilac in the fall

Leaves of a Japanese Lilac in the fall. Such a nice scent in the spring! 

Hydrangea in October

Hydrangea (in the wind).  Wait to cut, simply because they are so beautiful. On the other hand, you can cut a few to make for a beautiful indoor bouquet.

Hydrangea in a vase

Hydrangea in a vase

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Colorful flowers in San Miguel de Allende

This is the third and last of three posts for this week, with pictures taken by a biofloris friend on trip to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in August.  On Tuesday, we showed photographs of a lovely private garden in Los Frailes, on the outskirts of San Miguel de Allende and yesterday, attractive roof tops seen around the town; today:  photos of plants, trees, shrubs and flowers taken here and there downtown San Miguel.

Just a reminder: for more information on San Miguel de Allende, check out Wikipedia.  Another neat site is that of the Garden Club of San Miguel de Allende.

Enjoy the colors and please write to us with your impressions! Unfortunately, the biofloris friend who submitted the pics doesn’t know the names of all the plants; do you know them?

Bugambilia and other flowers in San Miguel de Allende

Colorful wall and flowers in San Miguel de Allende

Courtyard garden in a restaurant in San Miguel de Allende

More colorful flowers in San Miguel de Allende

Plants in the courtyard of a San Miguel de Allende restaurant

Trees on a Rooftop in San Miguel de Allende

This is the second of three posts for this week, with pictures taken by a biofloris friend on a recent trip to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.  Yesterday, we showed photographs of a beautiful private garden in Los Frailes, on the outskirts of San Miguel de Allende.  Today, we’ll be looking at attractive roof tops seen around town; tomorrow:  photos of plants, trees, shrubs and flowers taken here and there downtown San Miguel.

Just a reminder: for more information on San Miguel de Allende, check out Wikipedia.  Another neat site is that of the Garden Club of San Miguel de Allende.

Enjoy ! And let us know what you think! Unfortunately, the biofloris friend who submitted the pics doesn’t know the names of all the plants; do you know them?

Rooftop edge as seen from the street, San Miguel de Allende

San Miguel de Allende Rooftops

San Miguel de Allende Rooftop with Cathedral in the background

More rooftop edges seen from the street in San Miguel de Allende

View from one rooftop garden of another, San Miguel de Allende