My Maine Garden Blog

New Zone

2012-01-26T10:02:00.003-05:00

The USDA has released a new Plant Hardiness Zone Map. I've moved from from Zone 4 (I can't remember if it was A or B) to Zone 5A. While this is even more proof to me of global climate change I can at least look on the bright side of us abusing our planet - I now have more plants to choose from. *Sigh.* It's not much of a solace, actually. Thanks to GrafixMuse for the head's up on the new map!

Winter Project and Spring Planning

2012-01-10T09:48:00.000-05:00

On some of the blogs I read gardeners are reporting some growth such as Daffodils and the like. Up here in Maine, nothing is going on outside except for coldness, some wind and brown lawns. We haven't even had much snow (yet - I'm sure that will change by at least March) so it's been a rather dull winter. I do have one winter project. A Christmas gift from my in-laws included one of those

Obligatory New Year's Post

2012-01-01T13:14:00.000-05:00

NOTE: This is the same article I posted on my personal (non-gardening) blog at http://www.brandimills.com/blog It’s 2012. I am so glad. To put it bluntly, 2011 sucked rocks. Sure, it could have been worse – things can always get worse – but 2011 was a low point on the line-chart of my life. Winter lasted several weeks longer than usual, our car developed an oil leak, my vegetable garden was

2011 Year in Review

2011-12-27T12:02:00.001-05:00

2012 is crowding its way in and will be here in 5 days leaving 2011 in our rear-view mirrors. Good riddance, I say. No, 2011 wasn't my best year in almost all aspects of my life but here on this blog I'll just focus on the ups and downs of my gardening world to recap the past 12 months. Spring was a few weeks late this year so January through April were my planning months - plans that I

Sad Times

2011-11-16T09:50:00.001-05:00

I didn't post about her much here on my garden blog, but our dog China was much beloved and very much an integral part of our family. We had to let China go this past Sunday. She contracted Lyme disease about a month ago – the worst case the vet has ever seen – and over the weekend she went into acute renal failure. We adopted China on December 7, 2002 and the past 9 years of our lives have

Not gone, just busy

2011-10-26T09:56:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posting. I have been so busy with work that I can barely breathe. The company I work for just acquired 3 new locations...and anyone who lives in Maine probably knows who I work for now. :) The garden has been 'closed' for the year anyway, so there's not much to report. Here are a couple of shots of the garden and surrounding trees. Prepared for next year Golden front

Early October Garden

2011-10-03T09:35:00.000-04:00

Weather: The past few days have been total yuck. Chilly, rain, rain and - oh yes! - rain. It's already October - September just flew by, didn't it? - and yet again I have failed to keep up with my garden reporting. But really, there hasn't been much to report. The flowers are still doing well, the vegetable garden is done and all that's really left to do is Fall clean up...which I'll get around

Celebrity Rose #14 :: Marilyn Monroe

2011-09-29T08:31:00.002-04:00

The Marilyn Monroe Rose

Celebrity Rose #13 :: George Washington

2011-09-22T15:37:00.000-04:00

Oops, almost forgot. :) The George Washington Rose

First Frost this Week

2011-09-15T11:36:00.000-04:00

Today's Weather: Rainy/Thunderstorms with a high of 68 degrees Fahrenheit Yes, Fall is coming. The rain today is hailing in a cold front and tomorrow the high is supposed to be only 58 degrees F. Over the weekend it'll 'warm up' to 68 and stay that way for at least a few days. For any Maine readers out there, be warned - there's supposed to be frost on Friday and Saturday night. If you haven't

Celebrity Rose #12 :: Paul McCartney

2011-09-15T08:49:00.002-04:00

Paul McCartney I hear that all you need is love and that we should all just let it be...

State of the Garden

2011-09-09T15:47:00.000-04:00

Today's Weather: Sunny, 73 degrees Fahrenheit after a long bout of rain. Wow, I haven't been writing much at all lately, have I? Damn this gardening funk. I am feeling better, though. I'm actually looking forward to doing some work in the beds tomorrow. I just hope I still feel that way after sleeping for eight hours. :) Now, onto the 'State of the Garden' for early September. Morning

Celebrity Rose #11 :: Ingrid Bergman

2011-09-08T08:50:00.005-04:00

The Ingrid Bergman Rose

Celebrity Rose #10 :: George Burns

2011-09-01T08:41:00.001-04:00

This was one of the most interesting roses I came across during my search for roses named after celebrities. The George Burns Rose

Dagnabbit!

2011-08-26T16:05:00.000-04:00

Before moving to Maine almost 7 years ago, I lived in Florida. I lived there for four years and never suffered through a hurricane until three months before we moved to Maine - and we got hit by two in one month. And now that I'm living in Maine, a place I thought was going to be safe from these blasted things, here comes Irene. We had one a couple of years ago as well, but all it did was rain.

Celebrity Rose #9 :: Dolly Parton

2011-08-25T11:33:00.003-04:00

The Dolly Parton Rose

Monster Plant!

2011-08-23T16:29:00.002-04:00

Maine has a monster plant! It can sting, burn and scar permanently with just a casual touch. Youch! The Maine Cooperative Extension posted today about Giant Hogweed, something I've never heard of and I hope I never encounter. It's described as 'Queen Anne's Lace on steroids' and can cause burning, blistering and permanent scarring if the hair on its leaves are brushed against and then exposed

Fun with Macros

2011-08-22T12:01:00.000-04:00

Today's Weather: Mostly sunny, high of 73 degrees Fahrenheit. Nice. I'm still in my funk but it hasn't stopped me from taking pictures of the flowers out in the gardens. So today, we're going to get up close and personal with the winners of the garden beds. Black-Eyed Susans First up is that wild thing with that devil-may-care attitude - the Black Eyed Susan. Located in the wilds of the

Celebrity Rose #8 :: Freddie Mercury

2011-08-18T08:59:00.000-04:00

Freddie Mercury, lead singer of rock group Queen, had one of the most amazing voices to hit the airwaves. Whether singing about his impending death or about the love for his cat, he always gave it his all. From the 'A Friend of Queen' website: The Freddie Mercury Rose was propagated in 1993 by Battersby Roses and registered with the International Registration Authority For Roses in the

Celebrity Rose #7 :: Elizabeth Taylor

2011-08-11T08:40:00.000-04:00

Elizabeth Taylor is one of the best known movie stars ever to grace the big screen. Not only was she absolutely gorgeous, she had an abundance of talent and a generous heart. The Elizabeth Taylor Rose From Growquest Like its namesake, this rose is a show stopper. The color is shocking deep pink with smoky edges. The tall buds open to lovely high centered roses that are long lasting. The

Funk

2011-08-09T08:58:00.000-04:00

I am in a funk. This is not unusual for me but this year it's the worst that I can remember in a long time. It's caused my 'scrap it all' thinking to arrive about a month early. It happens every year. As the seasons change from Summer to Fall I start itching to put the garden away, to just be done with it. The things that didn't do as well as I hoped just irk me and I don't want to look at them

Celebrity Rose #6 :: Dale Chihuly

2011-08-04T08:32:00.003-04:00

The Dale Chihuly Rose I love glass. I think it has to do with the fact that when I was young my family went to the closest theme park - Silver Dollar City - several times every summer. Silver Dollar City's 'theme' is the time period of the late 1800's and one of the main exhibits was the glass blowing and cutting center. I loved watching the artists create art from glass and the attached gift

(Wayback) Wordless Wednesday :: My First Hosta

2011-08-03T09:48:00.003-04:00

The Flowers are Flowering!

2011-08-02T08:00:00.020-04:00

I'm still a relatively new gardener - I've only been doing this for 6 years. My weakest areas have always been my flower gardens. I've never tested my soil, I'm not very good at remembering to fertilize and my layout skills are just terrible. I am learning, however, and this year has turned out to be my best years for flowers yet. They still look like an unorganized, jumbled mess - but at least

Vegetable Garden Progress

2011-08-01T09:26:00.000-04:00

Today's Weather: High of 81 Fahrenheit, 60% chance of rain Although I've forgotten to comment on it, the weather this summer has been okay. We had a week of heatwave (along with the rest of the country) but ever since it's been in the low to mid-80's with tolerable humidity. I would prefer just a bit more rain but it hasn't been too dry. Although this year's flower gardens have been doing well