late summer bouquet

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sprinkler regulations

 Sprinkling is unnecessary in most situations. Please check with your supervisor before putting out a sprinkler.

Effective June 1 to September 30, sprinkling is permitted as follows: 

• Even-numbered addresses may sprinkle lawns 4:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays
• Odd-numbered addresses may sprinkle lawns 4:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays

Note: Hand watering is permitted any time.
City of Port Coquitlam sprinkling page here

ladybug love

Storm/WikimediaCommons
^^Ladybugs (aka ladybeetles, ladybirds) are voracious aphid and spider mite predators. Never harm
or remove these beetles from plants at any stage of their life cycle!!!

Storm/WikimediaCommons 
^^females even eat aphids while mating

Storm/WikimediaCommons 
^^two larval ladybugs, and a pupa in between

how to use Home Page

'right click' on the image and select 'view image' for the enlarged version

(if you're using Google Chrome or Internet Explorer you will have to download the graphic 

and view it in your preferred image viewer. Time to switch over to Firefox, y'all.)

weeding tip

^^if the weeds you're pulling have root balls like this, you're pulling out recently
planted stock! Don't laugh, it happens. A lot. Also keep an eye out for lables, tags, stakes and other indications that someone put that plant there on purpose.

fountain forager

 

 

^^female house sparrow foraging by the Front Courtyard fountain
 
images by Storm

Cheeryville in May

 ^^Narcissus in fern bed, S.E. Gazebo cut flower alert

^^creeping phlox North Courtyard

 

^^Columbine, Aquilegia sp. Centre courtyard cut flower alert

 

 ^^Lewisia cotyledon, domestic variety  Centre courtyard

^^Clematis Nelly Moser Centre courtyard 

 

crosspost from stormidae

new: 'dangerous plants' page added

Gardens have the power to sooth, energise and delight us all, residents, visitors and staff alike. They are also one of the most dangerous areas for our residents. People with dementia, poor vision and/or loss of taste may be attracted to, and eat, any plant in the garden. Poisoning is a real possibility.

To help you learn to recognise garden plants that pose a risk to our residents, a new page called 'dangerous plants' has been added to the garden at mom's house.  Indoor plants also pose a hazard and will be included. 

The list provided is not complete by any means, just a representation of dangerous plants commonly found around the Cheeryville campus. Links to more extensive lists will be included and we encourage you to spend some time investigating them. Learning to recognise the most common dangerous plants is an easy, practical way for us protect our residents. The phrase  cut flower alert indicates toxic plants found in cut-flower or children's bouquets.

Click the 'dangerous plants' tab to the right to view the page. Here's a sample...

photos: kingcounty.gov

buttercup  cut flower alert

Toxin: protoanemonin Parts: all parts of the fresh plant. The toxin breaks down with drying, so dried buttercup is safe. Symptoms: Burning mouth and throat sensation, mouth ulcers, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bitter taste in mouth, blood in vomit.

European chafer beetles and lawn damage

the beetle

wikimedia commons

wikimedia commons

the damage

Storm/CreativeCommons

Storm/CreativeCommons

Storm/CreativeCommons

^^replace larger pieces of turf and rake up the rest. Best approach is to let the birds and other predators clean out the larvae, then rake, add top dressing and sow grass seed.
Nematode treatments are only mildly successful and chemical insecticides are undesirable .
Vancouver Sun article
BC Gov/Ministry of Agriculture info page

snowy courtyard

 ^^the inner courtyard on a snowy evening

^^raccoon tracks. Though rarely seen, the gardens are visited by raccoons and other creatures at night.

Raccoons stick to routine and reuse the same spots for toileting, usualy in a dry area. They share some parasites with cats and frequently carry Toxoplasma, as well as a tapeworm species and other parasites that can be passed on to humans. If you find a raccoon/housecat latrine, please double glove and put on a mask before removing feces. Also, let your supervisor know so they can pass a message on to me, or email Grumpy at gardenatmomshouse(@)gmail.com .


images by Storm