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More Images from the Tropical Dome

2010-02-10T07:00:00.003-05:00

The tropical dome at the Mitchell Park Conservatory (The Domes) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin was simply delightful. I could have stayed there for hours soaking in the warmth and beauty of the many tropical plants and trees. One question arises as to the difference between a greenhouse and a conservatory. The first difference is the layout. Most greenhouses are designed so plants are in pots

Tropical Dome at The Mitchell Park Conservatory

2010-02-09T07:00:00.001-05:00

If you have been following this blog you will know that I have highlighting our visit to the Mitchell Park Conservatory (The Domes) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The last dome we visited was the tropical dome. Unlike the show and desert domes, the tropical dome was blissfully warm and humid. It was wonderful walking through enjoying the sights and sounds. Many tropical plants make wonderful

The Desert Dome Pond

2010-02-07T14:52:00.004-05:00

Desert Dome PondJanuary 23,2010When it comes to deserts a lot of people don't think of ponds being part of the natural landscape however they are. The desert dome at the Mitchell Park Conservatory (The Domes) had a lovely, peaceful small pond in the centre of the landscape. I could just imagine thirsty wildlife stopping briefly on their journey for a bit of refreshment.Happy Gardening!Garden

The Desert Dome Continued

2010-02-03T12:30:00.003-05:00

As promised the desert dome in the Mitchell Park Conservatory (The Domes) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin conversation continues. Despite the temperature in the dome being close to the cold outdoor temperatures we spent a fair amount of time in the desert dome. There is just something about arid plants that appeal to me perhaps because they are just so exotic. Graham's SageGraham's Sage (Salvia

More Pictures from the Desert Dome

2010-02-02T13:25:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I posted on a bit on the desert dome at the Mitchell Park Conservatory (The Domes) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I took a fair number of pictures so will be sharing some of those with you over the next couple of days. Cacti can be grown successfully indoors in northern climates in a sunny window. It is amazing to see the variety of cacti available, some more suitable to growing indoors

Moving On To the Desert Dome

2010-02-01T16:13:00.005-05:00

Living in Ontario, Canada I don't have a lot of experience with cacti other than the few I grow on my windowsill. My little cacti seedlings are coming along nicely and while they are about double in size they sure take a long time to grow! I can fully appreciate how long it takes for a cactus to get to any appreciable size. Mine are now 3 years old and aren't even big enough to transplant.

The Train Show at The Domes

2010-01-31T10:49:00.005-05:00

The Train Show at The DomesJanuary 23, 2010Yesterday I posted about our visit to the Mitchell Park Conservatory (The Domes) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Train Show was the featured exhibit in the show dome. This exhibit is their most popular and it is easy to see why it delights children and adults alike. I took several short videos of the trains in action. The Train Show included a free copy

Mitchell Park Conservatory (The Domes)

2010-01-30T17:22:00.003-05:00

The DomesJanuary 23, 2010We love visiting conservatories during the winter months. It is a lovely way to enjoy a bit of warmth and greenery. We had an opportunity to visit the Mitchell Park Conservatory (The Domes) located at 524 S. Layton Blvd. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The conservatory consists of three large domes with three themes. The first is the floral show dome which changes based on

Conservatories

2010-01-24T16:15:00.002-05:00

During the cold of winter one of the most pleasant activities a gardener can do is to visit a conservatory. It is quite pleasant wandering through the paths in a conservatory stopping to enjoy the plants and a bit of warm out of the winter weather. The peace and lush growth soothes the soul while the mind comes alive with all the possibilities for the up coming growing season. What I really

Gearing Up for Spring

2010-01-23T19:27:00.002-05:00

My gosh! Coming up with something garden related to write about in January is difficult. There is little going on besides garden planning and browsing through the seed catalogues. I usually let the indoor garden dwindle as we take a 7 to 10 day vacation each January so like to reduce the indoor temperature as low as possible while gone. Any cold hardy indoor plants are fine as one of the kids

The Importance of Snow

2010-01-08T19:05:00.003-05:00

Snow Covered Garden BedsJanuary 8, 2010Friday we received our first snow storm of the winter considerably later than normal. Usually we have snow flurries as early as October with some accumulation in November and even heavy accumulation in December. This year we received no accumulation until January. Why is that a concern? Snowfall is part of the annual precipitation for the area. Those in

A Taste of Summer - Yellow Petunias

2010-01-05T07:00:00.001-05:00

Yellow PetuniasJune 14, 2009I have always loved yellow petunias. The problem is they are annuals here and hard to find. Pinks, reds, purples and fuschia tends to be the most popular petunia colours. Last year I did a lot of petunia seed collection specifically yellow petunias. I am really looking forward to an abundance of yellow petunias this year!Happy Gardening!Garden Gnome©2006-2009

Looking Back On 2009 and Forward to 2010

2010-01-03T17:39:00.003-05:00

Oh my gosh looking back on my gardening adventures in 2009 is exciting. After moving here in 2007 we basically spent a lot of time and energy doing an incredible amount of ripping out. The grounds were so over grown and in many cases so poorly planned we had little choice. In 2009 we saw the first of the vegetables beds go in and even though they were late getting started we had a good yield.

Welcome 2010 from Garden Gnome Wanderings

2010-01-01T00:05:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

Garden Visitor

2009-11-17T22:06:00.004-05:00

Garden VisitorNovember 7, 2009This little guy visited us earlier in the month. He was a bit sluggish so I moved him off the path. Autumn has been rather mild and for the most part drier than the spring and summer. There isn't much left to do in the garden and yard other than the last minute tidying. We've cleaned the beds from debris and most of the leaves have been raked up from the yard.

Garden Report - Winding Down

2009-10-27T16:51:00.003-04:00

After a cool spring, cooler and wet summer Mother Nature hit us with a cooler start to the fall. I had hoped for a bit of nicer weather but it wasn't to be. The vegetable beds have been a bit neglected mainly because of the rain. We've already had our first hard frost too. Yesterday I spent a bit of time in the garden. It was one of the very rare days where the sun was actually out!

Saving Seeds

2009-10-04T15:57:00.002-04:00

During the home garden harvest most home gardeners save seeds for the following year's garden. When saving seeds it is important to collect from heirloom plants rather than hybrids. You can collect seeds from hybrids but they often will not breed true. Seeds from herbs and flowering plants are best collect after the dew has dried on a clear, dry day. Do not collect seeds from any plants that

Garden Report

2009-10-01T16:33:00.003-04:00

The weather has turned quite cool here with frost threatening although I doubt we will see frost for a few days yet. The garden is winding down. Late blight has affected most of the tomato vines but not before I could get some nice clippings for growing indoors. It did affect some of the green tomatoes as well. We also had 3 days of heavy rain so a lot of tomato splitting. Yesterday I did as

Little Marvel Peas (Pisum sativum var sativum)

2009-09-22T13:01:00.000-04:00

Most home gardeners know certain varieties are consistently good performers for them. There are three ways to tell if a variety is a good performer for you general area. The first way is to pay close attention to the varieties being sold at local nurseries. Usually there will be one variety that is consistently sold at all of them. The second way is through word of mouth and the third is

Tomatoes

2009-09-19T13:14:00.003-04:00

This is a wonderful time of year in the garden! The garden is blessing with it's abundance daily. I am dealing with a couple of problems and the ADFF (average day first frost) is quickly approaching. The days are getting shorter and cooler. The evenings have been fairly cool as well. After such a cool, wet summer it is hard to know whether we will have a nice autumn although that is the

Continuous Harvest

2009-08-30T07:32:00.001-04:00

Commercial GreenhousesAugust 29, 2009The idea of growing edible plants indoors is not a new one. Archaeological excavations of Pompeii (79 AD) uncovered the remains of early greenhouses so they have been in use since at least that time if not earlier. The ancient Romans ensured the survival of vegetables and grapes by using greenhouses to protect produce from in-climate weather. They were the

Today in My Garden

2009-08-27T15:23:00.004-04:00

I was anxious to get out and check the garden today after a day and half of rain. The garden weathered the rainy weather well with only a couple of the Sweet Millions tomatoes splitting. Given the amount of rain that fell I was quite surprised. There were a few tomatoes, peppers and peas ready for picking as well. In recent years there has been a lot of talk about the decreased levels of bees,

Heinz 1439 Tomato

2009-08-25T15:02:00.003-04:00

Tomatoes are likely the first choice of any vegetable grown in home gardens and for good reason. Homegrown tomatoes are the best tasting tomatoes you can ever eat! They are simply the best fresh picked from the vine, still warm with the sun's kiss and moments away from a sandwich or salad. Most home gardeners will grow more than one variety of tomatoes usually chosen for a particular use.

Tomato Hornworm

2009-08-23T13:30:00.006-04:00

There have been several reports of late blight hitting tomato plants in the northeastern US states. Some home gardeners have reported late blight within 100 km of us as well so I have been on high alert watching for any signs. I am be especially careful to remove any damaged vegetation from both the plants and soil level. While I have had minor damage due to the storms that went through so far