tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:07:47 +0000English-style Gardening in the Poconoshttp://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)Blogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-4974654262963114066Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:33:00 +00002012-02-10T14:33:55.542-05:00  I like to use mirrors in my garden. They just seem to double my enjoyment of beautiful blooms. Last year I placed one in the kitchen garden behind the perennials that I grow there. I plant perennials and annual flowers near my vegetables to encourage pollinators. The mirror hanging on the picket fence reflects purple cone flowers, Echinacea purpurea Mirrors in the garden, like those http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/02/reflections-of-signature-flower.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-2723993240717033785Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:00:00 +00002012-01-30T23:00:12.153-05:00 The USDA just updated it's Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Click here to go to the map. It is more sophisticated and accurate than any other previously developed. Several areas underwent a zone change, including my little corner of the Pocono Mountains, PA. We went from 5b to 6a. The new map has links to view states divided into counties, and even a handy zipcode search box. This took a long time http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/01/new-usda-plant-hardiness-zone-map.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-4094848417197191362Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:41:00 +00002012-01-25T08:28:47.117-05:00 Calycanthus floridus Sweetshrub Calycanthus floridus has the common names of Eastern sweetshrub or Carolina allspice.  This native plant provides beneficial cover and food for wildlife, it has seasonal interest, and the flowers and fruit are truly unique. Crush the leaves and twigs to enjoy their delightful fragrance. Hardy in zones 4 - 9, sweetshrub is easily adaptable to a range of http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/01/wildflower-wednesday-oh-so-sweet.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-7377038779863723195Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:12:00 +00002012-01-20T17:12:19.174-05:00 Holley at Roses and Other Garden Joys has started a new meme today: Monthly Garden Book Review.  I have a large collection of garden books, so I am happy to join in the fun. My first review for 2012 is of The Potting Shed by Linda Joan Smith. I will illustrate this review with pictures of my own potting shed. My potting shed is the focal point of my kitchen garden. Smith takes ahttp://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/01/potting-shed-garden-book-review.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-7156483624593470539Mon, 16 Jan 2012 03:17:00 +00002012-01-15T22:17:50.793-05:00 We had a sprinkling of snow last night. It was the first of the season, not counting the freak snowstorm in October while I was in England. The snow shower came with bitter cold temperatures, a high of 23F (- 4C),  and a keen wind. I was reluctant to venture outside to take photographs for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, so I took most of my pictures through the garden-room windows. Then I took http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/01/birds-and-berries-for-gbbd.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-6090431021474640494Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:43:00 +00002012-01-09T07:43:48.285-05:00 Nasturtium, parsley, and carrots in front right bed. Zuccini and cukes in left hand bed. One of my resolutions for 2011 was to try square-foot gardening, having read Mel Bartholomew's book on the subject. I posted about it here. I just spent a happy half-hour reading your comments on that posting (lovely comments from wonderful gardeners), and I feel I need to let you know how the http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-experiment-with-square-foot.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-5502488633101558832Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:59:00 +00002012-01-02T16:20:54.484-05:00 Sunrise on the Eighth Day of Christmas at Astolat Farm The Christmas season officially ends on Friday, January 6 which is Twelfth Day, Epiphany or Three Kings Day. In my church this is when we celebrate the Magi bringing gifts to the infant Jesus. As a child it was a sad day for me, because my mother would take down the Christmas decorations, marking the end of the fun. All holiday food musthttp://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2012/01/eighth-day-of-christmas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-3139739057898934912Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:56:00 +00002011-12-27T08:59:02.055-05:00 Blueberry Vaccinium angustifolium today I am excited to belong to the Eastern Pennsylvania Phenology project, recording the timing of seasonal events such as leaf budding, bloom times, and bird arrivals. I wrote about my blog's new purpose in March in the posting, Phenology: My New Favorite Science. (Please click on the highlighted print here for information.) Unfortunately, because I spent http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2011/12/carrots-for-christmas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-7197674131060830676Thu, 24 Nov 2011 04:37:00 +00002011-11-24T07:51:41.431-05:00 Timber bamboo in the forefront Each time I walk to the bus stop, or the grocery store, from my mother's house in England, I pass Alan's garden. A high fence surrounds the back garden, hiding the botanical delights within, but along the street I pass this magnificent shrubbery, full of textures and color even on a dreary November day. Shades of green and yellow, punctuated with red, blue and http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2011/11/alans-garden.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-1679276526720277667Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:04:00 +00002011-10-27T14:15:41.960-04:00 Honey Bee on Zinnia, October 18, 2011 A few days before I left America for England, there were still bees and butterflies in my autumn garden.  Yes, I am in England again. I came back to my homeland last weekend, after receiving the call that my 92-year-old mother would be discharged from the hospital soon. I knew when H.H. and I left here earlier this month that I would need to come back to http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2011/10/i-must-tell-hh-to-put-succulents-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-6816459078995247465Sat, 15 Oct 2011 19:03:00 +00002011-10-15T20:23:28.837-04:00 Mid October and summer is hanging on just a little: the bees are still busy, some monarch butterflies have not yet flown south, and the farmer hasn't harvested the corn.  The weather, however, is horrible. While we were in England, Pennsylvania had seven straight days without rain, for the first time in months, but as soon as we arrived home, rain was back in the forecast. As a result, I haven'thttp://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2011/10/october-garden-bloggers-bloom-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-5076361922229492552Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:46:00 +00002011-10-11T13:24:34.031-04:00 The highlight of my trip to England was a tour of the David Austin Rose Garden in Shropshire, the home of the English Roses. My dear friend, Carole, surprised me with the visit, knowing it was near the top of my list of 'gardens I must see'. She drove my husband and her son to the RAF Museum at Cosford, dropped them off there, then took me in search of David Austin's place, which proved to be http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2011/10/david-austin-rose-gardens-england.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-8625971446456966365Fri, 30 Sep 2011 22:26:00 +00002011-10-11T14:56:33.170-04:00 The goldenrod is yellow ... <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:"ＭＳ 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2011/09/goodbye-september-farewell-usa.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-3569810506924839833Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:43:00 +00002011-09-20T20:45:53.183-04:00 Yesterday, expecting company for dinner, I picked a couple of bouquets for decoration. I placed flowers from my cottage garden on the dining-room table and herbs from my vegetable garden on the kitchen island. I can't think of a more perfect way to display what is blooming in my mid-September garden than by showing you my two bouquets. I have to confess this is not an original idea, as Noelle athttp://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2011/09/september-bouquets.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-3132225471406835281Thu, 08 Sep 2011 02:52:00 +00002011-09-07T22:56:24.285-04:00  It has been more than a week since Hurricane Irene stormed through our neighborhood, but we still haven't finished clearing up the debris. We lost some trees along the edge of the upper field. None fell on the house, and we are thankful for that. The electricity went off, the basement flooded, and we had no telephone service for two days. Our road was closed for five days because falling trees http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2011/09/pamelas-planters.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-1082015475851914664Fri, 26 Aug 2011 10:22:00 +00002011-08-26T06:22:40.902-04:00 Sunrise Over the Poconos  The calm before the storm? Skywatch Friday My camera is still broken. All I can take are wide shots, so no flowers today. This is my first Skywatch Friday - a big departure for me. Click on the link and take a look at skies all around the world. ~~ I love reading your comments. I hope you leave one so I’ll know you visited!I look forward to visiting http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2011/08/skywatch-friday-pre-irene-sunrise.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-6559497133526176848Wed, 17 Aug 2011 02:28:00 +00002011-08-16T22:28:55.258-04:00 Yesterday, Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, it rained here. The deluge started the previous day, and before last evening our rain gauge (four-and-one-half inches) overflowed. I did not take bloom-day photographs in the rain. I took pictures a day late, and to make matters worse, the zoom/macro feature on my camera doesn't work since I dropped it last week. Consequently, today there are no macro http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2011/08/my-august-blooms-big-picture.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-4721917129006260836Sun, 07 Aug 2011 01:31:00 +00002011-08-06T21:38:50.406-04:00 With August came rain and relief from the terrible heat. When it's not raining, the humidity is still high so l feel uncomfortable working outside, but I'm happy to have a break from watering. I am sad, however, to see that many of my perennial flowers have started the downslide to autumn: forming seeds, dying back, flopping over. My garden has definitely passed its peak, so rather than record http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2011/08/vines-for-vertical-interest.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-5311401943792329342Sun, 31 Jul 2011 22:12:00 +00002011-07-31T18:12:25.154-04:00 Early morning haze over the cornfield and vegetable garden. July has been unbelievably hot and humid here this year -- frequently the heat index reached 104F / 40C or higher.  Under these conditions garden chores become a very real challenge, so on the worst days I keep them down to just three tasks: 1) irrigate, 2) pick vegetables, and 3) any necessary deadheading. I leave more strenuous http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-i-beat-heat.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-5478497662006769880Sat, 16 Jul 2011 03:24:00 +00002011-07-15T23:32:50.511-04:00An English Cottage Garden Is ...“... above all things a place of uncontrived beauty, easily enjoyed, where labour is well rewarded and quiet pleasures satisfied.” Ethne Clarke and Clay Perry  English Country Gardens One of the elements of English cottage-garden style is a profusion of flowers in a variety of colors and textures. The overall effect appears 'uncontrived,' but in reality a great http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2011/07/english-cottage-garden-style-for-july.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-279732988990034833Fri, 01 Jul 2011 04:06:00 +00002011-07-01T00:07:49.765-04:00  I love visiting other people's gardens, so I was delighted to take the Monroe County Garden Club's tour last weekend. The weather was perfect - not too hot - and the rainclouds had disappeared, at last. There were nine gardens open to the public, and H.H. and I managed to visit six of them. We probably could have done more if we hadn't stopped to chat so long at each place, but when gardeners http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2011/07/monroe-county-garden-tour.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-3811344943811754859Thu, 23 Jun 2011 03:32:00 +00002011-06-23T14:40:48.725-04:00 A dear friend invited us to attend the wedding of his daughter, Gina, last weekend. Without a doubt this was the BEST wedding from start to finish. We stayed in superb accommodations at PennState University in State College, Pennsylvania, where the wedding and reception took place. The bride was beautiful, the groom handsome, and of course there wasn't a dry eye in the church. We had great funhttp://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2011/06/if-only-these-were-blooming-in-my.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-6332274246478542322Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:37:00 +00002011-06-15T12:39:19.535-04:00 Don't you just love this sign? H.H. found it in a thrift store, yesterday -- he loves thrift stores and flea markets, and always manages to find a bargain. Today, Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, I head out into the garden very early - at 6 a.m. actually - to photograph my June bloomers. At first glance, blooms are a little scarce. We are at that quiet stage between spring and summer, when the http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2011/06/my-bloomers-on-june-garden-bloggers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-2264943377136851043Mon, 13 Jun 2011 03:38:00 +00002011-06-13T05:14:53.999-04:00 I'm continually amazed at the variety of wildlife in my garden. Today, I grabbed my camera and went for a critter walk. The pond is always a good starting place to spot wildlife. My favorite frog (above) was hiding coyly behind some sedum at the water's edge. He is my favorite because of his bright green and yellow coloring. The other frog is paler looking ...  but I like him, too. They are http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2011/06/taking-critter-walk.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2608010804192268779.post-8464288393394932197Tue, 31 May 2011 10:54:00 +00002011-05-31T06:54:28.374-04:00 New Lasagna Garden I mentioned in my "Crabapple Blossoms" posting that I was extending the shade garden using the lasagna method. My good friend Laura of Patio Patch, who gardens in England, wondered if it meant the bed would not be ready for planting for a while. As you can see, Laura, just a couple of weeks have passed and it's all finished! All I did was put down a thick layer of newspaper, http://pamsenglishcottagegarden.blogspot.com/2011/05/anyone-for-lasagna.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Pam's English Garden)29