PLANTS FOR SALE

Coleus spp - splashes of colors under the shade.  ANNUAL PLANT.  No other annual has this beautiful foliage. In fall, you can take a cutting, stick it in pot of dirt and make it a houseplant.  $2 per pot.

Basella rubra - [common names:  Malabar spinach, alugbati, Philippine Spinach] Heat loving, beautiful flowers, and edible - for your salad and soup. Safe for children and pet. ANNUAL PLANT. Cuttings can also be grown indoors as houseplant in winter. $3 per plant.

GOLDEN LEMON THYME: annual herb, great for salad garnish, and fish recipes. You can bring the pot in for winter, and treat it as a houseplant. $3 per per plant, starter plants.

Impatiens Balsamina - Rose Balsam, Touch me not Flowers, Kamantigui or Surangga in the Philippines. A unique annual flowering plant, very exotic. $3 per started pot. It has 2 to 3 plants. ANNUAL.

Ajuga Reptans - [common name: carpet bugle, purple groundcover]. PERENNIAL. In the shade, she has lots of shades of green. In the sun, she has the nicest shade of  purple. In the fall and spring, she comes out really nice purple hues. This plant has survived 3 winters in my backyard. Hardy is her lastname - even kids stomped on her and she prevail. She can spread nicely, and you can easily pull her out when she cross boundaries. $3 per pot with lots of rooted cuttings in it.

HOSTA STRIPTEASE: a famous tri-colored hosta, green on the outside, a white streak in the middle and very light shade of green in the center. Can grow into nice specimen. A medium to large hosta. It is in a one gallon pot. About 2-3 plants are growing. Has been overwintered in my backyard. PERENNIAL, SHADE PLANT.

Tiarella Cordifolia - Spring Symphony. PERENNIAL: SHADE/SUN.  She is a nice groundcover, and send this tiny flowers in spring. Native to Canada, the leaves remind me of the maple leaf.  She is done flowering now and good for division. Successfully overwintered in my backyard, and very hardy.  $3 per pot. 

Heuchera sanguina "firefly" - the tiny spikes of red flower is good for cutting and accent to flower arrangement. PERENNIAL/SUN/SHADE. $3  per pot.

Heuchera Sanguina "firefly" - PERENNIAL FOR SUN AND SHADE. this picture show with the buds before flowering.

collectors hosta:

 hosta chariots of fire, hosta red october

June 12, 2012
Ottawa City, Ontario, Canada

After the rain, some plants fall to ground, flowers bent, but it is still beautiful. I snap few pictures, update on how they have grown since spring. I don't think it is proper to call my backyard a garden, it is sort of a mini experimental greenhouse, full of odd looking plants, some native, some tropical, and one gardener who touch everything and turned into green. I know, it is a curse when you live in the city. Where do you think I will grow my pumpkins and squash?

June 12, 2012. Pink aAtilbe is ready to bloom.

June 12, 2012. Rows of Liliums ready to bloom, Heuchera "Palace Purple, Tiarella "Spring Symphony, Bush Bean - Tendergree, Hosta Janet, Heuchera "Caramel", Heuchera Firely, Lamb's Ears, Heuchera "Miracle". 

Coleus Buttercream with Coleus Red Dragon

Coleus Palisandra - grown from seed last winter 2011. Slow growing eh?

June 12, 2012. Eddoe (Colocasia esculenta)

June 12, 2012. The dainty flower of Heuchera Sanguina "firefly" toppled over after the rain. A proud Lambs ear was standing tall, in between Heuchera "caramel" and Heuchera "miracle".

June 12, 2012. Hosta Guacamole is howing off, Hosta Sum and Subtance is growing too and Hosta Patriot is trying to come out covered by a big leaf  Jack in the Pulpit.

Hosta Guardian Angel - who would not love that Angel?

Basella rubra germinating at full speed ahead!

Touch me not! Impatients balsamina are growing well.....Hope they have pretty flowers this year.

Bush beans flowering - I think these are the Provider beans from SSE. The flowers are so pretty in person.

June 12, 2012. I don't want to tell you what I did to these two love birds?

Bell flower (Campanula persicifolia)

 June 12, 2012 
Ottawa city, Ontario, Canada

The campanula that I got from a plant sale last year started showing off lots of buds. I saw one flower today that bloomed and open after the rain.

I have no clue what specific variety she is, but this one loves the compost in this garden bed. She is now about 4 feet tall and she is in a very sunny position, I would say full day of sun.

For purpose of my ID, I would say - this  is the blue form variety.
Here are the pictures:

June 12, 2012. A single flower opened after the rain.

June 12, 2012 . Series of buds coming up.

Picture take at the base of the clump. June 12, 2012

June 12, 2012.  Leaves picture showing simple alternate leaf arrangement.

References: 
(1)http://www.perennials.com/plants/campanula-persicifolia-blue-form.html

Growing Bitter Melon, Ampalaya (Momordica charantia) in my Backyard

June 12, 2012
Ottawa City, ON, Canada

After the rain today, I inspected my bitter melon. They are growing well, very strong tendrils holding on the the makeshift trellis I made. They were put in the ground after Victoria Day weekend.

They are now at about 3 feet tall, and I am very pleased.
Here are the pictures!

June 12, 2012. This plant is about 2 feet tall. The leaves remind me of maple leaf.

June 12, 2012. This one is the tallest of them all, about 5 ft now.

June 12, 2012. This one is about 3 feet all now.

Columbine ( Aquilegia alpina)

 June 12, 2012. 


I acquired this so called perennial plant last year (2011), and I planted it in the fall. I did not expect anything out of it, knowing the Columbine in general are short live in my Zone 5b. Three years max perhaps, then again you have to hope that the seeds will replace your original plant.


I do not know what type I have, but I will call it Alpina for now. Here are the pictures taken after the rain today. 

June 12, 2012. back view of the flower.

June 12, 2012. I have to hold her up to have a close up of the flower and the leaves.

"Aquilegia alpina is a terrific plant if you can find it. Deep sky-blue flowers on 12 inch plants. It is wonderful for the front of the border or rock garden." (1)

References:
http://www.gardening-tips-perennials.com/columbine.html

Hosta Bridal Veil

June 12, 2012.

Nice rain today. A picture of my Hosta Bridal Veil. She really has nice ripples in her leaves, and she was overwintered in a pot. Hardy, no fuzz, good grower, my kind of hosta.

June 12, 2012 Photo of my Hosta Bridal Veil

The Hosta Registrar says she is a medium grower, registered in 2003 with this description"
cascading clump, with narrow, wavy cream edge". She deserves more than that because she is a fast grower, and very winter hardy.

From Hosta Library, it just says Bob Hird registered it, of unknown origin.
" Cascading clump,with narrow, wavy cream edge.

20" high by 48" wide seedling from Bob Hird of Dubuque, Iowa; beautiful, graceful plant with 11" long by 5" wide; green center; wavy, neatly rippled, creamy margins."

I think the plant is lovely and unique. :) Glad to have her.

Propagating Sugar Cane ( Saccharum officinarum)

June 11, 2012
Propagating Sugarcane (saccharum officinarum)
Ottawa City, Ontario, canada

Sugarcane cuttings, length at about 3-4 inches, with at least one node. 

Today, I put down at least 13 cuttings of sugarcane and 1 in the ground. While this plant is never hardy in Canada's capital city, it is at least worth trying. I found this long cane from Produce Depot last week, and at lunch break today, I manage to cut them in 3-4 inches nodes, and plant it in pots.

My memories of sugarcane growing in my backyard is fun. We never have chocolate growing up, but we got cacao seed pods to chew on...we always have the un-process one.  And so as sugarcane. It is just there growing by the fence line.
On summer days, my lola will cut some, take away the peel and put it in the refrigerator to cool down. By the time we come home from school, we bite on sugar cane to quench our thirst. Of course, we never have "Mr. Freeze" growing up either.

As I was transplanted to Canada, I would see it in produce depot, walmart sometimes. I know how it is grown, I know the node eyes, therefore I am itchy enough to try it growing. No...I do not expect any harvest at all, but then...it will be fun to push boundaries. Growing sugarcane in Canada's Capital City,  ---can it be done?

Cross your fingers and say good luck to me.

This is a sugarcane picture from Wikipedia.

UPDATE: 27 SEPT 2012

of all those cuttings, there were 4 that thrive and  I gave away some of them. I keep one for myself and hope to bring her in this winter, as she needed to grow more. For 2 months, it grow very well.

My sugarcane!

Planted today in Big Pots: Leeks, Lemon Grass, Lila Malanga, and Spinach Regal

June 4, 2012

It has been raining over the weekend, and it is still raining little bits here and there.

I put my Lemon grass( Cymbopogon citratus) on a flower vase, and it showed roots, so I end up potting her up. It was expensive, like $2.99 for 3 pcs of Lemon grass. In the Philippines where I grew up, we call it tanglad. I never paid attention to this herb, it grows everywhere. We have lots on our farm edges and also in our school garden. I think some of it just grew near  my kitchen for easy access.
We use this lemon grass to flavor chicken soup, blood pudding, and many vegetarian dish. It also smell very nice on rice.

Wikipedia image of a Lemon Gass

Another root crop that I propagated in spring inside in a bucket is Lila Malanga (Xanthosa violaceum). It is very common in the tropical section of  Produce Depot. I cannot be sure if this is the same as gabi in the Philippines, but the leaves look like one the picture. I am pretty sure that the Colocasia esculenta var esculentum (eddo) is gabi because it is roundish. Nevertheless, these root crops are common ingredients for benignit(asian porridge), which  I keep cooking for my kids. I planted about 3 big pots, and hoping this one will survive through growing season.

 

Wikipedia image of a Lila Malanga

I put the left over root-stem portion of Leek(Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum ) that I did not use for cooking. Surprisingly, it send shoots and roots, so I believe Leeks can be propagated by using leftover roots and stems.

Wikipedia photo of a Leek

Spinach Regal -a 30 day crop was also planted on the edges of the big pot to maximize space.

My own pictures will be added soon as the plants start to show progress in the season.

Growing Peanut (Arachis hypogea)

June 12, 2012. This is how much she have grown, taken after the rain.

June 2, 2012 - My peanut germinated!

June 2, 2012

The peanut, or groundnut (Arachis hypogaea), is  a plant, root crop that I have seen while growing up. There is always a farm around me growing peanuts in the Philippines.

 In Canada, especially Zone 5B, it maybe counter productive to grow it because it needs 5 warm months. So, if I started it now, then it won't be harvested till November. And it is already cold in October, let alone November?
But who cares? I will try it anyway in a pot.

It needs acidic soil too, so coffee grounds need to be added to the soil as often.
So, here is my peanut, one germinated today, moved to 6 inch pot. I figure I needed at least 3 gallon for one peanut, so at least I can have some yeild. If no yield, at least it is fun and I can actually show my kids what a peanut plant look like.

May 27, 2012 - Propagated in peat pellets

Boesenbergia rotunda ( Finger Root, Chinese Ginger Krachai)

May 29, 2012
Ottawa City, Ontario, Canada

Botanical Name: Boesenbergia rotunda

Common names: Chinese Ginger
According to the store owner where I bought it (Lim Bangkok Grocery in Somerset) : Krachai
English: Finger Root

My name for it: Odd looking ginger, of course, this one  belong to the ginger family too if anyone is curios. For my convinience and easy to remember - I will call it Chinese ginger.

I took a bite of the root and it taste milder than a ginger. So, I can say, I found another finger food.!

The package have 3 sections, so I decided to split my propagation style. One will be directly put in the pot in backyard, one is rooted in water, and the 3rd one will be in a propagation dome (AKA the plastic baggy method: wrap the root in moist paper towel - sealed in zip lock bag).

29 may 2012. Boesenbergia rotunda

Okay here is the picture of it, and updates soon as the season progress.

Backyard Garden 2012

May 28, 2012

28 May 2012 Heuchera sanguinea "firefly"

May 28, 2012 - flowering Tiarella cordefolia

28 May 2012 - Heuchera "Palace Purple"

May 28, 2012 Bergenia crassifolia

28 may 2012 - groundcover Ajuga reptans

may 28, 2012 - Astilbe (Pink)

May 28, 2012

28 may 2012 Heuchera spp "Caramel"

I thought I would post some pictures of plants residing in my small backyard. These are perennial plants, I cannot afford to buy new flowers every year.

may 20, 2012 - the rock garden hides the rocks! It is starting to look full.