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Some more stuff has been blooming in the garden. . . . . am I allowed to be all proud?
The next installment of pictures from my Garden.
Everything seems to be growing, so hopefully I have some more ‘blooming’ flowers soon.
More pictures to follow. . . . . .
Friday
Cheryl and Michael drove up from town to attend a wedding in Quebec City, although their intent was to arrive around 3 in the afternoon they drove into the drive way around 8pm. I had my (much needed) hair appointment Friday night, I got to have a good gab fest with Lisa, but my poor Luigi was ill - so Claudio cut my hair. He is a little older and a heck of alot my excentric. But a good colour and cut none the less. I got home by 8:30. We had a lovely chat, and went to the famous outdoor Dairy Queen down at the edge of the island. Mmmmmmmmm, ice cream.
Saturday
Colin and I did some errands, we picked up the new lawn mower. Obviously the lawnmower (and the lawn) were christened this weekend. I got some additional plants and fixed up the rest of my front garden. More pictures to follow.
Sunday
Colin and I had a lie in. After we got up, we tidied up the house for Cheryl and Michael return. They made it back around 8pm, we sat around ate cake drank tee and watched mindless TV talking about all the folks we know. It was nice to catch up.
We watched the 400th episode of the Simpsons. It wasn’t too bad at all.
****Update with Monday’s round up*****
Monday (Victoria Day Holiday)
The crew of us went to La Belle Pro for a late breakfast, afterwards, Cheryl Micheal and I went to Ste. Anne de Bellvue for a walk on the boardwalk and a slushie. We also visited that store in Ste. Anne (whose name escapes me, but those in the area know ‘the store’ I mean)
After Michael and Cheryl got back on the road to join the rest of the holiday traffic back to civilzation, Colin build a bike paddock for our bikes-so we can store them in the yard locked up.
I was out in the garden today, I put some soil out - ready to plant flowers next weekend.
Here are some pictures of what is already growing. . . .
Some teeny tiny Violets
Some large and lushious White Tulips
I have no idea what this plant is, its something planted last year, that I didn’t kill. Be impressed!!!! When I saw it at the nursury It reminded me of a pot plant, which amused me, therefore I had to have it.
These technically aren’t growing. . . . . .but anyways, here are two of the ‘tiki idols’ we got for our garden. They’ve been scaring the bloody mourning doves off though, which is a good thing.
Today Colin and I went to Reno Depot to look at lawn mowers. We need a new one.
I went to check out the plant section, and I came across a small little lone plant that looked very interesting.
I picked it up to look at the tag, it was a Venus Fly Trap. It was 4 dollars, so I had to have it.
I’ve been reading up on Venus Fly Traps, they are called ‘carnivorous’ or sometimes called insectivorous plants. They digest bugs. . . takes approximatly 10 days for the process.
Anyways. . . I’m going to take it to work, hopefully it will look menacing enough to get people to stay away from my desk. 
We did nothing. All Weekend. And it was glorious.
Instead of a weekend slaving outdoors fixing the garden in a pre May 2/4 weekend gafaw - we stayed indoors put on the air conditioning unit and made meal after meal of KD mac & cheese.
Pajamas the uniform of the weekend, and ripped movies the entertainment.
Long lie ins, short naps and early to beds.
Some times you just need a referesher weekend. I could have used another day to sloth about though.
Only 6 more sleeps till we can do it again . . . .
Montreal got hit with another blast of winter.
I had started an entry earlier that I was going to post tonight when I got home about my purple crocuses starting to bloom. I wanted to get a picture to post, and do a side by side from the earlier lightly snow covered buds I blogged about earlier here.
The drive home was dreadful, its like as soon as it melts (and subsequently comes back) everyone forgets how to drive in the snow. Tons of accidents, very slow roads.
I’m grumpy tonight.
Here are the pictures of flowers. . . . .flowers make me happier, even if they are covered in snow.
April 6, 2007
April 12 2007 (this picture shows the same flowers as above)
Minou watching the snow
This year the gardens are up to me. I’ve been thinking about what I’d like to put into the garden, and I’ve been told I can’t just “plant” rocks.
I’d really like some suggestions. I need stuff that is hard to kill, and Ideally stuff that will grow back every year (meaning my gardening for years to come is trimming, weeding and watering only)
My garden has pretty much full day sunshine, and my favourite little flowers are violets.
Hellllllp.
IVillage Easy to Grow Top Ten
Plantea Beginners List
Sometimes something pops into my head, and I think to myself - I’m interested in that, I want to learn about that. . . . oddly my topic for today is Catnip. . . . so I have complied some information I read and gathered today about the topic of CatNip. I hope you all find CatNip as interesting as me. . . hahahahahahahhaha.
Cat Nip is defined on answers.com as:
But we know it as that green stuff that makes our cats act silly!Since the Middle Ages, the English had called it cat mint, because it belongs to the mint family, and because cats, domestic and wild, go wild for it. Another Middles Ages name for cat mint given by the English nep. A recipe of about 1420 calls for seasoning “with persoley, sauge, ysope, savery, A little nep.”The first evidence of nep in the
Americas was from Massachuetts in 1712. “He boiled tansy, sage, hysop, and catnip in some of ye best wort.” . The word was slightly altered and ‘cat’ was added, thus getting the name we are more familiar with catnip. 
Fun Facts about Cat Nip
Science Stuff
The NAPETA CATARIA, or Catnip as its popular name is a plant of Asiatic origins, it is a hardy groundcover perennial and a member of the Mint family (Labiatae). The Cataria can grow two to three feet high. The root sends up square, erect, and branched stems which is very leafy and are covered with a downy gray hair. The leaves are heart-shaped and toothed and covered with a soft, close down. This gives the plant a grayish-green appearance, as though dust has blown over it. The white or pale lavender tubular flowers all with purplish spots are in bloom from July to September. The flowers form small light clusters. The plant secretes an aromatic oil, which is similar to that of mint, to discourage insects that would otherwise eat its leaves. The odor of this oil has a strange fascination for cats,NEPETA FAASSENII, the second of the two varieties of Nepeta better known as Catmint grows about 2 feet high and forms soft mounds.. Both varieties of Napeta grow throughout North America, Catnip is a common garden plant now on the continent, but the plant is also found growing in hedges, fence rows, roadsides, railroad tracks, stream banks, and water ditches.
The chemical within the leaves and stem is that the Nepeta plants share is called NEPETALACTONE . The flowering tops of the plant are used in medicine. The other names of the plant arecatnep, catmint, cat’s-play, catrup, catwort,nip, nep, and field balm.
Cat reactions to Catnip
Catnip is easy to grow, and the fresher the product, the more the reaction. Many toys for cats are sold as “with catnip”, which supposedly encourages the cat to play. Personally I don’t find that dried catnip works with my cats, the fresh home grown variety seems to attract them much more. Store bought dried catnip often has been on the shelf for a long period of time. For the catnip-loving cat, sniffing this herb is harmless and non-addictive
A responsive cat approaches the catnip plant and sniffs it. He then proceeds to bite, chew and up againsit it, licking and repeating the whole process. They will headbutt the plant and show their satifcation with purrs. Some cats even meow & growl and they leap and roll all over the plant. It is said that many of the actions and movements cats do in the presence of ‘nip mimic that of a cat in heat. Some have thought that cat nip is even a feline aphrodisiac. Feline catnip addicts are lucky though, because they suffer absolutely no side effects from this, unlike humans do when they smoke cannabis, a “kissing cousin” to catnip. Catnip is not the only plant to have this effect on felines. VALERIAN is another one, plus plants that contain ACTINIDINE. The strange action of these plants though is the strangest thing of all to understand. If any of these plants were given internally, instead of putting FRISK back into the word FRISKY, the actually sedate the cat. It is strange indeed, when they are “uppers” when sniffed, and “downers” when swallowed.
Medicinal properties
Tea made from catnip has been used to relieve intestinal cramps and gas discomforts, also they havebeen applied to sore breasts of nursing mothers and to the neck for tonsillitis. Recent researches show that consumption of teas containing catnip has anti-cholinergic effects The leaves of catnip have traditionally been chewed as a remedy for alleviating toothaches. The inhabitants of
Southern Appalachia have used it since the eighteenth century as a remedy for cold.. Catnip has been used for relief of insomnia and prevention of nightmares, and has a mild anti-spasmodic effect and is used to treat cramps. The juice from the leaves was used to stimulate menstrual flow. It has been used in the treatment of children’s ailments, such as colicky pain, flatulence and restlessness. The herb has also been used as a cold remedy, for hives, as a diaphoretic, a refrigerant and an anodyne.
Catnip is also sold as an dietary supplement for general well being and to promote a healthy immune system during the cold and flu season.
The flowering tops of catnip yield up to 1.0% volatile oil, 78 % being nepatalactone, the main attractant to cats. Thymol extracted from catnip has beneficial antiseptic uses on the skin and in the nasal and pharyngeal passages.
Non-medicinal uses
Obviously the most common non-medical use for catnip is as stuffing in toys for cats. Some less common used for catnip include, using small quantities as a scent in trapping bobcats and mountain lions. Many of the compounds found in catnip oil, namely, citronellal, geraniol, citral, carvacrol, and pulegone can be used as excellent natural insecticides. Thymol extracted from catnip is used as a fungicide.
Growing & Harvesting CatnipCatnip can be grown in sandy soil within a pH range of 5.8 to 7.5 and annual precipitation between 16-51 inches. The catnip plant is very hardy and grows well in full sun
Before planting the shells of the seeds should be softened, this can be done by soaking them in water. You’re your plants start to sprout you should thin them out allowing for space up to 20 inches between plants. seeds should be
When the plant is in full bloom the flowering tops should be harvested, this is done by cutting a few inches above the ground. To quicken the drying time, the steams should be broken in several places.
Sources:
What People are Saying