About The Author...           

For a website Author, it can be just "a little bit" intimidating to put yourself Out There, especially for a small town gal.  In my 6+ years on the net though, I've never had a bad personal experience with "unethical" characters.  So, all things being equal in the Internet Marketing foray, well, it's something ya gotta do to maintain some semblance of credibility... Let's face it, people want to know who you are and if you have a clue about what you're talking about.  So in that vein, I must put myself "Out there" so you can have at least a modicum of respect!   All right... here it is. 

My name is Callie Canrinus, and well... I don't need a bag over my head, but you get the idea... I'm a real "live" person.  Joe Ordinary.  I've loved, worked in, and had experience with flowers and flower growing all my life.  Let's see... here's the history....

Well, you read the story about when I was 10 years old... I have got to tell you, my science teacher was not impressed that I took the initiative to find out the answer to a question I had.  I could tell she was a little annoyed at me.  You see, back in the day.. the social norm for kids was to "be seen but not heard".  I'm not kidding.  I come from a very conservative, old-fashioned part of Canada... and reality was that the "Experts" were not teachers in school, they were botanists, or better yet, "Government Experts".   But that was life then... people looked to the "Experts" for answers about such simple things as flower species and propagation. 

Except of course, farmers.  Remember the Farmers Almanac?  Well... that was the rural New Brunswick farmers bible... truth!  I grew up on a farm and farmers depended on the  almanac for information to help them plant their crops, harvest and of course...predict the weather (we didn't have the weather network then).  I grew up learning how to garden with the things we could see and observe.  There weren't as many "how-to" books on gardening around.  I was taught how to prepare the soil for our garden (with lots of that well rotted manure from out back of the barn) so we'd have not just good crops, but Great crops .  We depended mainly on preserving the food we grew to feed us through the winter.  Yes, I even learned how to bottle, can, pickle, smoke, and dry just about anything you can imagine.  I must confess... you never forget how to do those things, but I don't really care for preserving food anymore, and in fact, DO need a refresher course on how to do that!  Except for Jam and pickles.  The rest... well... I'm officially spoiled.  I go the the local grocery store and BUY my veggies, fruit and sausage. LOL

Oh yes and sowing seeds... We had a LARGE garden and there is a trick to sowing seeds, large scale, by hand.  Nowadays we use seeders that are so cool... you can adjust the seeder to the size of the seed... so convenient!  And Pest Control... Now That's another story entirely!  I can't even begin to describe the agony of picking potato bugs off the potato plants... I was somewhere around 12 or 13 when it began to totally GROSS me out!  It's funny now... but as a kid, I thought it was the most disgusting thing I could have ever been sent outside to do!  The day I learned to love it was the day they gave me an old paintbrush and a can with a little bit of gas in the bottom... I brushed the bugs into the empty tomato can and when I had about 2 dozen, I could light a match and toss it in the can.   GLEE!  Pure and simple for a kid in the 60's.  To set those disgusting bugs on fire... JOY!!!   Sorry for all you people who can't relate, but that was my childhood... Pure uncomplicated - and burnin the bugs was the BOMB!

For those of you who struggle with Ant problems, Well, you know where I'm coming from!! LOL.

OK... enough of my former bug woes!  Let's see... experience... you might want to know what kind of "gardening" experience I've had apart from growing up and working on a farm.  I've worked in greenhouses, garden centers and flower shops and most recently in internet marketing.  I now have the pleasure of combining my web development skills with my gardening know-how.  I hope the results you see on this site will be informative, helpful and enjoyable for you, so you'll keep coming back for more info.  Keep checking for new additions to the Article Library.  It's in it's infancy right now but new articles will be added weekly.  If there is some specific info you'd like to get ASAP, just drop me a line and I'll publish an article on that topic as soon as is humanly possible.  If I can't publish it, I'll direct you to the information!

Basic gardening rules are timeless...   Discover the general rules, apply what you learn, and adapt to your conditions... find out why plants do what they do best, and you Win!

My Favourite Garden Merchants

Breck's Bulbs - Free $25 off any order of $50 or more!
 I have to admit it... I Love bulbs!  They are Soooo Easy to take care of and are absolutely beautiful when planted en mass.  Tulips, daffodils, irises, lilies, grape hyacinths...you name it, these folks have got it!  Don't forget to get your Free Catalogue.

Spring Hill Nurseries - $20 off your first order!
 If I had to choose only One type of flower for my garden I would have a hard time choosing between tulips and roses - But I would have to choose roses in the end.  This is the company I would buy them from!  They specialize in Perennials and you can be assured of great quality products. 

Michigan Bulb Company.
Click here for $20 off your first order of $50 or more!

Brilliant Orange Oriental Poppies - World's Largest Tulips - The first Yellow Oriental Lily -  Beautiful "Butterfly" Tulips ...There are hundreds of bulbs for your fall planting pleasure.  Browse through the online store and be sure to request their Free Catalogue!

Garden Quote

"I never had any other desire so strong, and so like to covetousness, as that one which I have had always, that I might be master at last of a small house and a large Garden." ~Abraham Cowley, The Garden, 1666