Virtual Garden Tours

Seriously, what did people do before the internet?

I've been entertaining myself today by exploring other people's gardens online, and I am so excited to have visited http://thecluelessgardeners.blogspot.com/
It is written by a couple in Franklin, MA. The wife, Michelle, took these beautiful winter interest photos of her Witch hazel, Sedum, and Bee balm.






They also have a great section under "insect identification" where she photographed all the stages of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. It's really beautiful.

From the clueless gardeners, I visited http://herojiji.blogspot.com/ posted by a man outside of Tokyo. His post for today was "Unforeseen Snowing" which confused me. Why in February is it "unforeseen"? But reading through his previous posts, his crocuses had already come up, his lilacs were budding, his Camellia had blooms, and the plum trees had already blossomed.

He took this amazing picture.



A posting from last week was "A little sign spring on the blueberry," and he meticulously photographed the buds and it's progress. I was really happy for him, a total stranger, almost ten thousand miles away. We gardeners are all alike.

(By the way if you Google Map directions from New York, NY to Tokyo, Japan, the directions send you to Seattle, and then specify "Kayak across Pacific Ocean." They provide directions for you to portage over Hawaii, and then direct you to, "Kayak across Pacific Ocean" again until you get to Japan!)

I love the internet.

Dirt is Better than Prozac!

In the September/October 2008 issue of Psychology Today, a study done by a neuroscientist, Christopher Lowry, at Bristol University in England found that certain strains of soil-borne mycobacteria raised serotonin levels in mice and "directly impact cognition and mood regulation." (SSRIs like Prozac increase the availability of serotonin in humans.) The same mycobacteria sharply stimulates the human immune system.

According to the article:
"Getting out in the garden plants us back in what appears to be our optimal habitat. Eating fruits and vegetables -- even antioxidant-rich tomatoes, melons, beets, cabbage, and berries -- turns out to be only half of a newly evolving story of health. "

"Our bodies and brains depend on the whole experience of growing our own. Our mental and physical health seem to be deeply rooted in the dirt."

We already knew this: Digging in the dirt makes you happy, and gardening keeps you healthy!

Happy New Year!

Okay, so we took January off. Victoria was traveling to trade shows and visiting friends. But now we're going to try to keep up the blog at least once a week through the rest of the winter. We have a full class schedule up on the website so mark them on your calendar! We are closed for the winter, but we will reopen on March 20th for the 2009 gardening season. We will have seeds, tools, perennials, shrubs, annuals, tools, and much more!

Nothing Says 'Celebration' Like Peacock Feathers

Peacock feathers, fresh juniper greens (covered in juniper berries), and blue beads make this custom wreath the perfect decoration from now until New Year's.

Victoria Gardens has a large selection of handmade wreaths to help you decorate for the season.

Celebrate!

Silver Birds

They are galvanized actually, but either way these metal birds in flight make fantastic ornaments for your tree.

We can't wait until spring, when we can hang them in the garden!

We Have Something Special For Your Front Door!

From now until Christmas Victoria Gardens will have a stunning array of custom, handmade wreaths.

We use fresh fir greens, so you can use them inside or out, and they smell fantastic.

Nothing welcomes friends and family like a holiday wreath on your front door!

Poinsettias: Odd Tidbits And Unexpected Advice

Native to Mexico, the plant we all know as Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is the top selling flowering potted plant in America.

We found this site with other fun poinsettia facts, and here are a few of our favorites:

• Poinsettias are commercially grown in all 50 states.
  
• Ninety percent of all poinsettias are exported from the United States (boost the U.S. economy, buy yourself a poinsettia!)
  
• The showy colored parts of poinsettias that most people think are the flowers are actually colored bracts (modified leaves).
  
• A study at Ohio State University showed that a 50 pound child who ate 500 bracts might have a slight tummy ache. (But we don't recommend you try this at home!)
  
• Seventy-four percent of Americans still prefer red poinsettias; 8 percent prefer white and 6 percent pink. (We love the pink ones! They're traditional with a twist.)
  

Like any other euphorbia, the milky white sap can cause skin irritation, so wash your hands if you get some on you, and don't rub your eyes! (During the 14th through 16th century the sap was used to control fevers, but again, we don't recommend you try this at home.)

If you leave your new poinsettia in the decorative foil, be sure to punch holes in foil so water can drain into a saucer.

And we found this advice on poinsettia care from Horticulture Magazine's website:

Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima)
Bright light, normal room temperatures (60?–70?F), and regular watering suit newly acquired plants. Cut the stems down to six inches in the spring and keep the soil nearly dry until new growth appears. Repot and water well over the summer. In mid-fall, increase watering and feeding and keep the plant in total darkness for 14 hours a day until flower bracts form and begin to show color. Then treat normally.

Total darkness for 14 hours a day?! Who would ever guess that you stuff a poinsettia in your coat closet to make it bloom?