2015 in review
Just a few reasons why 2015 was a good year!
Zephirine Drouhin
Sunsprite
Belinda's Drean
Mme Ernest Calvat
Dublin Bay
Pope John Paul II
Julia Child
Perfume Delight
Berolina
Pink Peace
Comments (34)
- 8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
Dick Clark
Tiffany
Mme Isaac Pereire
English Perfume
Michelangelo
Memorial Day
Francis Meilland
Sheila's Perfume
Aloha
Peace
There are many more, but I have to stop somewhere.
Show some of your favorites of the year!
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Design software
Comments (10)Many people here have suggested Google Sketch-up because it is free and powerful, however the times I tried to use it I gave up in frustration after several hours with nothing to show for it. And I used to work developing 3D graphics engines for computer games. One caution I'll offer is if someone recommends a particular piece of software, note the version number they are using, and don't assume that a higher version number necessarily means the software is improved. Years ago when I was looking, I read glowing recommendations for one software package, Broderbund 3D Home Architect (IIRC) so when I saw it available at a good price I bought it. However the one everyone recommended was version 3.0 and I bought a newer version 4.0, which crashed often, and only barely worked when it wasn't crashing. At the time I went with Plan 3D which is a software service rather than a program you buy, largely because it had better 3D rendering (for instance it can do a fully rendered 3D walk-through in real-time) and even allowed 3D editing, and in theory since it is a software service, they can upgrade it and fix bugs and you'll have the new program the next time you use the software. However it had more than a few idiosyncrasies (like stray clicks accidentally moving an entire wall) and the last time I looked at it that had yet to fix anything. Here are a couple of screen shots from the program that I added labels to send to the cabinet manufacturer as a starting place for my order. I just checked and the company does still exist, and they seem to allow a free download of a version that works, but doesn't allow you to save your work, so you can at least test drive it before spending anything. Edited to fix image links. This post was edited by bob_cville on Wed, Aug 13, 14 at 16:49...See MoreA note to anyone new here, who may be seeking organic advice....
Comments (108)Of course, if you don't like it, it has to be a right wing conspiracy. Lol From the link I left above ~ American Council on Science and Health: "Additionally, the evidence regarding the effect of DDT on eggshell thinning among wild birds is contradictory at best. The environmentalist literature claims that the birds threatened directly by the insecticide were laying eggs with thin shells. These shells, say the environmentalists, would eventually become so fragile that the eggs would break, causing a decline in bird populations, particularly among raptors (birds of prey). In 1968 two researchers, Drs. Joseph J. Hickey and Daniel W. Anderson, reported that high concentrations of DDT were found in the eggs of wild raptor populations. The two concluded that increased eggshell fragility in peregrine falcons, bald eagles, and ospreys was due to DDT exposure.9 Dr. Joel Bitman and associates at the U.S. Department of Agriculture likewise determined that Japanese quail fed DDT produced eggs with thinner shells and lower calcium content.10 In actuality, however, declines in bird populations either had occurred before DDT was present or had occurred years after DDT’s use. A comparison of the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Counts between 1941 (pre-DDT) and 1960 (after DDT’s use had waned) reveals that at least 26 different kinds of birds became more numerous during those decades, the period of greatest DDT usage. The Audubon counts document an overall increase in birds seen per observer from 1941 to 1960, and statistical analyses of the Audubon data confirm the perceived increases. For example, only 197 bald eagles were documented in 194111; the number had increased to 891 in 1960.12 At Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania, teams of ornithologists made daily counts of migrating raptors for over 40 years. The counts��"published annually by the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association��"reveal great increases in most kinds of hawks during the DDT years. The osprey counts increased as follows: in 1946, 191; in 1956, 288; in 1967, 457; and in 1972, 630.13 In 1942 Dr. Joseph Hickey��"who in 1968 would blame DDT for bird population decline��"reported that 70 per-cent of the eastern osprey population had been killed by pole traps around fish hatcheries.14 That same year, before DDT came into use, Hickey noted a decline in the population of peregrine falcons.15 Other observers also documented that the great peregrine decline in the eastern United States occurred long before any DDT was present in the environment.16,17 In Canada peregrines were observed to be “reproducing normally” in the 1960s even though their tissues contained 30 times more DDT than did the tissues of the midwestern peregrines allegedly being extirpated by the chemical.18 And in Great Britain, in 1969, a three-year government study noted that the decline of peregrine falcons in Britain had ended in 1966 even though DDT levels were as abundant as ever. The British study concluded that “There is no close correlation between the decline in population of predatory birds, particularly the peregrine falcon and the sparrow hawk, and the use of DDT.”19 In addition, later research refuted the original studies that had pointed to DDT as a cause for eggshell thinning. After reassessing their findings using more modern methodology, Drs. Hickey and Anderson admitted that the egg extracts they had studied contained little or no DDT and said they were now pursuing PCBs, chemicals used as capacitor insulators, as the culprit.20 When carefully reviewed, Dr. Bitman’s study revealed that the quail in the study were fed a diet with a calcium content of only 0.56 percent (a normal quail diet consists of 2.7 percent calcium). Calcium deficiency is a known cause of thin eggshells.21��"23 After much criticism, Bitman repeated the test, this time with sufficient calcium levels. The birds produced eggs without thinned shells.24 After many years of carefully controlled feeding experiments, Dr. M. L. Scott and associates of the Department of Poultry Science at Cornell University “found no tremors, no mortality, no thinning of eggshells and no interference with reproduction caused by levels of DDT which were as high as those reported to be present in most of the wild birds where ‘catastrophic’ decreases in shell quality and reproduction have been claimed.”23 In fact, thinning eggshells can have many causes, including season of the year, nutrition (in particular insufficient calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D, and manganese), temperature rise, type of soil, and breeding conditions (e.g., sunlight and crowding)." Al...See MoreFloorplan for Review - 2015 Edition
Comments (7)I can't really read any dimensions, so I'm going on how things look -- I think you could make a better plan for the master bathroom - right now you've got a small vanity area right in the walkway into the bathroom, coupled with a linen closet right behind one of the sinks? I just imagine you and spouse bumping into each other, squeezing by the other person to access the rest of the bathroom and closet. It might be as simple as shifting the bath entry door over the width of the linen closet, putting the linens on the side with the vanity -- and moving the vanity a bit closer to the tub? (or incorporating the linen storage and vanities in some way? Also, for safety, the toilet area should have a door that opens out, or you could put in a pocket door? Could you borrow some sq. footage from the closet and not really loose actual "closet" (just walkway width)? and use that to your advantage in the bathroom? Does the shower have any natural light? Can the in-law suite hallway accommodate a wheel chair or walker? Can a wheel chair make the turn into the bathroom? I really like the kitchen/dining/great room space and the view from the front entry through the house. I can't really read the detail in the kitchen, and it may just be a place holder in the design, but in a house this grand, I'd expect a larger cooktop/range. Also -- what is in the corner by the pantry? -- Also, though I'm more a fan of laundry rooms near the bedrooms -- I sure like the size of yours!...See MoreBrandy Boy Contest -2015 (4)
Comments (157)I'm a little disappointed in Brandy Boy. It is heavily infected with early blight, and the only tomatoes on the plant are the ones that formed back in late May, when I first put them in the ground. My other tomatoes are resisting EB much better, and they are continually setting new fruit. 'Beefsteak' has already given me ripe tomatoes. 'KBX' should follow suit in a day or two. Brandy Boys look just as green as ever. In Brandy Boy's defense, it has the largest tomatoes out of all my plants, and it also has the most fruit setting on one truss. Hopefully, in a few more days I will have some ripened fruit to show everyone. However, unless the taste is absolutely out-of-this-world, I probably won't grow Brandy Boy again....See More
8 years agoMy garden is still new -- the first roses went in the ground in 2013, coming as own-root bands that year. So this year I got to experience some wonderful moments during the spring flush. Rebloom the rest of the season was on and off, since I didn't do any Summer pruning -- I still want them to gain size, so I stick to just a Spring prune.
ANYWAY, I looked through my facebook album for some glamour shots, and I realize I'm not very good at taking pics. A few came out nice, so I'll share them....and then some wider shots of the main part of the backyard garden.
'Abraham Darby'
Behind 'Abraham Darby', growing against the deck railing, is the once-blooming "mystery" Hybrid China I bought as 'Nouveau Monde', but can be found on HelpMeFind as "Nouveau Monde -- In Commerce As" since this doesn't match the original descriptions from the 1800s. It's pretty nice, regardless. Growing within it is Clematis 'Countess of Lovelace'.
'Golden Buddha' had several flushes this season, but most of my pics were of the whole plant, and stepping back destroyed the color. Here's a "glamour shot".
"Grandmother's Hat" was planted in 2014, and was one of the first to bloom in 2015.
...to be continued.
:-)
~Christopher- 8 years ago
Another one of my few "glamour shots" captured one of the first blooms of the season on 'Botzaris'.
Strangely, 'Golden Celebration' got very little blackspot this year -- despite never having been sprayed with fungicides, and growing in NJ.
'Golden Celebration' made a stunning show with its neighbor, 'Souvenir de Victor Landeau', both continuing to bloom with barely a pause from late May through much of July, before resting until Autumn.
'Honorine de Brabant' put on a lot of growth -- and blooms -- and then more growth -- and then a scattering of blooms. In the last pic, I pulled that bloom down -- it reached the roof of the garage.
....to be continued.
:-)
~Christopher - 8 years ago
I took very few other "glamour shots" this year.
"Bermuda Spice" during the first flush, when she was bigger and pinker before Summer heat shrank and bleached her blooms.
'Mme Dore'
'Rose de Rescht' behind Dianthus 'Greystone'
'Reine des Violettes'
.....to be continued.
:-)
~Christopher 
8 years ago
8 years agoMan oh man - these are some seriously gorgeous roses!!! Impressive and delightful!!
Here are mine:
Evelyn
Strawberry Hill
Jubilee Celebration
Lady Like
Munstead Wood - color isn't right though
Julio Iglesias
Lucille Ball
That's enough for now. I'm tired. :)
Carol
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoSara, that photo of Julia Childs is one of the best I've ever seen! Great shots of Peace and Memorial Day also. You've had a wonderfully productive year.
Christopher--"glamour shots"--love that phrase. I'm going to borrow it, if you don't mind. Anyway, don't feel bad if you haven't collected a lot of "glamour shots." I actually prefer "whole bed shots" most of the time, as you will see when you view my photos below, and your garden shots are especially interesting since we've watched it since the original layout stage. I love looking at how well your gardens are thriving now. Just lovely.
Rosecanadian--that Lucille Ball is pristinely beautiful. You've captured the wonderful shape as well as color of that amazing rose.
Here are some of my "best of the year" "Whole Bed Shots:--for some reason this year I felt particularly prompted to take more overview shots of the gardens than usual.
Whole Bed Shot: featuring sunny yellow Berolina and some lovely blue iris. That's a red Double Knock Out peeking out in the background.
Red Braveheart and the fragrant HTs lining the Perfumed Path cutting through the main garden bed.
Fru Dagmar Hastrup (rugosa)--this rugosa is tucked away in the furthest corner of my backyard, out by the alley fence, and this was the first year she broke into full bloom. I was sooooo proud of how lovely she is.
I like this combination shot--beautiful iris contrasting in shape and color with a budding Pretty Jessica and the pansies blooming like crazy.
Here's another longview shot giving an overview of several of the beds. That golden yellow beauty in the foreground is Molineux.
I've shown this one a number of times, but I just love that velvety dark, dark red Munstead Wood, with climbing The Wedgwood (light pink) just beginning its first blooming in the background.
Midsummer garden: featuring my paniculata hydrangea Vanilla Strawberry in the center of the Perfumed Path bed.
Dark red Oklahoma and a couple friends form a charming vignette.
OK--a couple "glamour shots" now. : )
Scepter'd Isle--one of my loveliest Austins.
Elle (HT)--she's a beauty.
That's it--10 beautiful photos of my 2015 gardens. Hope you enjoyed them.
Kate
- 8 years ago
Oh-oh--how did these rascals sneak in? But they are beautiful, you got to admit. LOL
Kate
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Belinda's Dream, Sunsprite, Zephirine Drouhin
Pink Peace
Bewitched
Forgotten Dreams
Love Song
Bewitched and Pink Peace
Mme Isaac Pereire
Liebeszauber
Tiffany
Love Song, Peace, Belinda's Dream, The McCartney Rose, Sunsprite, Liebeszauber.
Want to encourage others to show your roses. It doesn't matter what year they were taken.
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Easy Does it
Thomas Affleck:
Prairie Harvest:
Unknown mini rose:
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Earthsong:
Double Ko:
Night shot of Prairie Harvest:
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoWow!!! These are all just spectacular roses and gardens everyone!
It was a sort of ho-hum season for me. The garden took its second hard hit last winter and a lot of things just couldn't bounce back again. My hydrangeas never bloomed at all this year and I lost some other perennials. Roses that had struggled back the first bad winter didn't have it to come back a second one and I was left with many one cane wonders and lots of dead stumps. I dug out a lot of things and replaced them with new so we'll have to wait and see how they come back next spring.
There were a few star performers though.
My new climber Above All really put on a show all season. I hope it winters well.
Crescendo gave me some HUGE beauties!
Moonstone was spectacular and is still blooming in November!
I am totally enamored with Neil Diamond, although he does spot.
It didn't bloom a lot but when it did Secrets Out was gorgeous!
Tiffany proved her worth!
Now all there is to do is to put them to bed and wait for next year!- 8 years ago
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8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoHere's some I found on my phone
Ebbtide
Zinnia- State Fair Mix
First frost warning, lol
Cinco De Mayo in foreground Sweet Fragrance behind
Bed shot - Sweet Chariot lower right
From Left to right Cinco De Mayo, Doris Day
Fragrant Cloud
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AquaEyes 7a NJ