gardenessence

The Garden Lit Up

2008-12-07T06:07:00.007-05:00

The last pictures I posted were also snowy. It seems that winter has started a little early here in Kincardine and looks like it will stay. Not the snow that melts and comes again and melts and so on till Christmas time or January when it finally stays for a while.

The pictures I posted in Snow Gardens were taken after a week of snowfall and one overnight dumping. There was so much snow I had a difficult time getting to my front planters to remove the fall decorations. When I did get to them, they were so frozen solid I couldn't get anything out or put my winter greenery in.

Then came the milder temps and the rains and by the next weekend some of the snow had melted and my planters were thawed out. It was a mad dash to clean them out and get the greenery in. The newly purchased lighted branches would actually be installed! Thank you Mother Nature.

So, last night when we went outside to watch the Santa Claus parade pass in front of our house, I took a couple of shots of the finished product. Considering the wind was howling and it was snowing like crazy (again) this picture turned out okay.

Snow Gardens

2008-11-23T06:24:00.047-05:00

Mother Nature has designed a new garden for us. This one is mostly white. It includes sculptures created of snow falling without any wind involved.

Although I recognize some of the objects underneath the white stuff, others had me stumped for a while.

About a foot of the white stuff fell over night.

Year after year the transformation (which began earlier in the week) always amazes me. I don't mind when the snow arrives because it covers the dull and bleak landscape that November brings.

I started out using the camera's setting for snow and somehow later ended up on the auto setting which explains the colour difference in the photos. The light played a part too as the sky was quite dark earlier in the morning. As the day went on clouds thinned and the sun poked out a couple of times.

The shot above was taken with the sports (action) feature and nicely catches the falling snow.

Pretty it is until a few months have passed and we've had enough of it and yearn for spring to appear once again.

Looking Back

2008-11-16T15:09:00.025-05:00

Looking back on the garden before it's covered in snow - again.
Oh wait a minute... that's when it all started. My first blog was of winter pics. Check it out at Winter. And the seasons they go round and round.

In Magazine Stand I set my sights on the perfect renovation for my little shed and stuck to my guns and did it! With a little help from the men in my family. Here is the story First Things First.

Spring brings sprouts and Waiting for everything to come to life including me!

Additions to the garden in 2008.

New trellis for the kiwi vine

Let's Face It

Little Boxes

Lady in the Garden

It's All About Convenience

and of course... Dexter

And a few thing which have been around for a while

Bits and pieces

Birdhouses

November

2008-11-01T08:36:00.018-04:00

It's all over now - except for the cleanup. Once the Halloween stuff is put away the focus will shift to hunting for greenery to dress up the window boxes and urns. Yes, my friends the next(Canadian) holiday is only 53 days away!

We had a grand total of 5 trick or treaters at our door last night. Not that we ever get a lot - the neighbourhood kids have all grown up. My co-workers will be enjoying some sugary delights on Monday! The weather was fantastic - warm and dry. The ghosts and goblins can be packed away dry and tidy until next year.

Happy November 1st! Gotta go now and take down those spider webs!

PS...Check out these incredible carvings.

Halloween Prep

2008-10-30T05:33:00.012-04:00

Last night we carved the pumkins. So much work for one night!!! It went pretty good though... no major mishaps although Craig likes the sharp knives and ended up with a couple of little gashes. He gallantly finished the task with a paper towel wrapped around his hand! The carvings are now ready for display on Friday night. Hope the kids (young and old) like them!

Devil of a Dog

2008-10-28T10:41:00.000-04:00

Very off the topic of gardening...

Don't be afraid... it's just Dexter

a little angel dressed up as a devil for Halloween!

Last Buds

2008-10-27T10:17:00.000-04:00

These may be the last buds of the season even so this cosmos will leave behind the seeds of future gardens.

In Praise of the Hydrangea

2008-10-26T10:31:00.002-04:00

Though my limelight outperforms this pink diamond hydrangea I can't help but see it in a different light after taking this photo of it.

Another hydrangea addition to the garden, planted in August 2007 as a scraggly little browning thing, has performed well this year at least in the vegetation department. The flowers will come surely when the plant becomes estatblished.

Spooky Things in the Garden

2008-10-25T10:36:00.004-04:00

Dressing the garden for the seasons has to be one of my favourite things to do during the non-gardening months. Other favourite things are organinzing photos, updating my plant list and of course, planning next year's garden.

In autumn I am grateful for sunny days, fall colours and getting ready for Thanksgiving and halloween. While out photographing the beautiful fall garden it was impossible to overlook that spooky things lurked so I turned camera lens towards them.

Blue Berries

2008-10-23T18:28:00.000-04:00

Oh so many berries. This variegated porcelain vine is teeming with berries this year. The vine itself has grown to twice the size it was last year. It was planted in 2003. The berries start out a deep purple, almost black then lighten to a grape colour and then fade to a beautiful blue.

What's That in the Compost Pile?

2008-10-21T07:46:00.000-04:00

Back in the spring, Craig doubled the size of our compost bin. Now we have a 'new' side and an 'old' side - plus a few plastic compost bins. He moved what used to be in the original bin into the new bin and we started adding new material to the 'old' bin. Confused yet? It gets better. Shortly thereafter, tomato plants started sprouting in the new bin. Knowing we didn't need that many plants but not getting around to the chore of thinning them out, we ended up with a tomato plant explosion in the compost heap! It has been a great attraction for everyone who visits and makes for good conversation. We are also reaping the benefits of a variety of tomato types - beefsteak, cluster, cherry etc.

The fruit has been picked to ripen on its own and the plants have been pulled.

A couple of years ago a cantaloupe plant grew from the compost pile and produced fruit! Not the sweetest cantaloupes nonetheless it was pretty amazing. Any unexpected plant life growing in your compost?

We compost yard waste, grass clippings and kitchen scraps which includes vegatable waste, coffee grinds and egg shells. The compost gets turned once in a while and voila, twice a year we have what I like to call 'black gold'. No special additives to make it work, just natural compost.

If you are interested in composting but need some education, check out the Composting Council of Canada for some good information and helpful tips.

Falling for Fall

2008-10-20T09:02:00.002-04:00

In my opinion autumn is pretty only on a sunny day. This season which marks the end of the growing season needs sun to bring out the colours and blue sky to provide contrast. While during the summer months the best time to photograph the garden is on an overcast day the opposite can be true for the fall garden.

A Good Growing Season

2008-10-19T08:15:00.002-04:00

It has been a phenomenal grownig season with abundant rain - not the hot dry weather we are so used to. Everything did well this year. Some shrubs grew to twice the size they were last year. We didn't have a vegetable garden however it would have been a good year to have one.

Fruit, on the other hand was in abundance. In the almost 10 years since this kiwi vine was planted, never has the fruit hung on so long. Bunches of them. Though ot nearly big enough or ripe enough eat they provide ornamental value to the garden. I was close when I guessed in Tour My Garden Part Three that some might make it to half the size of the kiwis we buy at the grocery store. Quite likely this vine was rejuvenated by the pruning Craig gave it when he was replacing the trellis.

Although the kousa dogwood has flowered in past years, I have never noticed so many or such beautiful seed pods. They won't be as prominent once the leaves turn their blazing fall colour but until then they're eye catching.

Tour My Garden Part Four

2008-10-06T18:37:00.000-04:00

The patio garden is a haven for birds, bees and butterfiles with monarda, purple coneflower and penstomen tucked in around ornamental grasses, heather, persicaria and oak leaf hydrangea.

and of course a bird bath

the moss grew exceptionally well this year

Stepping stones lead up through the garden on the east side of the house where day lillies, hydrangea, sedum, butterfly bush and kousa dogwood thrive in the sun. In the shadier areas goatsbeard, solomon's seal, helleborus, meadowrue, ferns and hostas feel at home.

Another little garden plot on the back of the house sits on a slope from the back of the house and is home to mostly shade loving plants. Bugbane, hostas, heuchera, ligularia, japanese painted ferns and hakonechloa macra. A sweet pea winds its way up the trellis beside this garden.

Tour My Garden Part One

Tour My Garden Part Two

Tour My Garden Part Three

2008-10-01T19:42:00.002-04:00

A young king crimson maple planted about 5 years ago. I mentioned this in Tour My Garden Part One

This year Craig replaced the trellis that the kiwi vine was growing on. He gave the vine a good pruning but not hard - there was still a lot of heavy vine when he literally laid it down on the ground while he installed the new trellis. Needless to say, it made a strong comeback. I haven't got a clue how to properly prune it, I just enjoy the ornamental quality. It's loaded with fruit this year - some of the kiwis still hanging on - maybe they will even get half as big as the ones in the grocery store?

These raised boxes previously yielded vegetables. I inherited the boxes after Craig decided he didn't want to grow veggies any more (maybe too busy erecting trellises and hauling stuff for me?). The plan is to eventually fill them with mostly cutting flowers.

Looking into the backyard from the pathway on the east side.

Mr. Turtle sprinkles one half of the garden...

and Mr Frog looks after the other half.

The start of my cutting beds. Zinnias, delphinium, glads, dahlias, lavender and more to come.

Looking down from near the back of the house.

and looking up the backyard towards the east side of the house...

where we will tour in Part Four

Tour My Garden Part One
Tour My Garden Part Two

Tour My Garden Part Two

2008-09-24T12:27:00.005-04:00

Here we go down the west side into the back garden where again, there is a mix of sun and shade courtesy of a large black walnut, austrian pine and another so far unidentified tree. A young king crimson maple will provide even more shade as time goes on.

Surviving under the Black Walnut are hostas, orange lillies, sweet woodruff, virginia creeper, viburnum lantana (wayfaring tree), pyamidal cedar, sedge and sedum.

You won't see them all in the following pictures but jammed into this part of the garden are lamium, blue spruce, monkshood, berginia, dogwoods, lobelia, persicaria 'painter's palette, meadow rue, shasta daisies, sweet pea, foxglove, rudbekia 'prairie sun' lilac, bugbane, sedum, snow-in-summer, weeping nootka, blue oat grass, sambucas black beauty and a magnolia.

Looking back at where we just came from.

Now we'll go around the corner of this garden...

and see what's in behind. The planting area here decreases each year as the trees and shrubs mature. A gardener's work is never done and the garden is ever evolving.

In Part Three we'll have a look at the raised boxes and east side garden.

Tour My Garden Part One

2008-09-22T17:43:00.004-04:00

Well here we are in the latter part of September... already. Much planning and effort goes into our gardens starting with the clean up in Spring. We watch the new sprouts and breathe in the fresh air. We can't wait to get digging in the dirt and find ourselves looking around to find something(s) to transplant whether it (they) needs it or not.

And we watch some more and we weed. We prepare containers and plant seeds. We water. And we watch some more and then one day, we realize we are not waiting any more, everything is coming into itself. And we weed and water, do a little more transplanting and planning. And then September comes.

I found I had a whack of photos so decided to put them in some kind of order in a post. I have shown you many closeups but not many wide shots of my garden... so here I will try to give you a view of what is in my yard.

Welcome to my garden. Let's start at the front.

Ranging from deep shade to full sun, the front garden hosts a variety of plants. Sedum, blue fescue and daylillies enjoy the hot sun while hostas, ligularia and ferns are happy in the cool shade. Pyamidal cedars, a huge spruce, and giant maples (not shown) and a Corkscrew Hazel provide the bones.

It has taken a number of years to design and get the right plant situated in the right spot and it isn't over yet... this garden will continue to be 'tweaked'. Once a plant is doing well where it's planted, I generally leave it there - but then there are always exceptions to this rule.

Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate', Sedum telephium ‘Matrona', hostas 'Patriot' and 'Blue Angel'

Now we'll head on to the back via the west side of the house where ornamental grasses grow up alongside the neighbour's shed. Virginia creeper grows up the trunk of the black walnut.

Sambucas 'Black Beauty', daylillies, creeping sedum and an austrian pine.

This I named the rock garden (it's bordered by rocks). Blooms of shasta daisies, sedum 'autumn joy', liatris, monarda 'jacob cline', 'happy returns' daylillies and globe thistle surround japanese silver grass.

In Part Two we'll continue down the west side into the back garden.

Lack of Comments Is Puzzling

2008-09-10T19:25:00.004-04:00

I'm confused. When I started my first and only blog, (this one) in March, I received comments on a regular basis. Since June 22 I have received only 3 comments.

Am I doing something wrong? I know that I am not the best at commenting on your blogs, but I have commented to other bloggers on several occasions.

I guess I just feel kind of 'left out' - should I be commenting on your blogs more often? Is there a blogging etiquette that I am missing? Or is everyone else like me, too busy to post a lot of comments lately?

I post pictures of my garden (maybe too many?) but maybe not enough other interesting tidbits?

Your comments (seriously) are welcome to help me understand the world of blogging and I promise not to cry like a baby any more.

Shirley

Little Boxes

2008-09-07T16:04:00.022-04:00

Flashback to Spring. The raised boxes in the former vegetable garden needed refurbishing. The wood, although cedar planks, was starting to fall apart. The question was do we keep the boxes? Maybe we could level it, seed grass and have our own lawn bowling and lawn games area? Put in a pool? Putting green? Another garden border? Too many options... Craig removed the old wood (all but one box replaced last year), measured and headed off to purchase the lumber.

The new and improved boxes are a little bigger than before still leaving ample room between for walkways. Another decision was what material to use for the walkways. Having always used wood chips, I wanted something different. Maybe crushed stone? Or stone dust? I lost the debate and Craig got on the phone to order the wood chips. The load arrived that afternoon. Don't ask what kind of tree as we have no idea, all we know is it must have been taken down that day and the what got dumped in the driveway was steaming hot by evening. It was still green! Five hundred and fifty wheelbarrow loads later...

Dexter helped too.

So with new wood for the boxes and a ten inch layer of wood chips in between them, the soil amended with compost and peat moss, we started another growing season. The boxes are sturdy again and there hasn't been a single weed make it through the chips although we had random seedlings that sprouted from fallen bird seed.

Raised boxes are easy to maintain and add another element to the gardens. We've had many compliments on them. It's like adding a signature to the yard and garden.

This year the boxes were home to zinnias, glads, rudbekia, dahlias, purple coneflowers, lavender and cosmos. There is also an area for 'holding' plants.

Skip ahead to the future... these boxes will be home to my cutting beds. That's right... Craig doesn't want to grow veggies anymore so I will have flowers to cut and arrange. Hope there is enough space for them! Maybe our next house will include acreage! I can post whatever I want... Craig doesn't read my blog.

Lady Of The Garden

2008-09-01T08:15:00.000-04:00

While scouring local stores for a couple of items I came across this garden ornament. As I searched the merchandise for what I had really came into the store for, my interest was with the lady - she belonged in my garden! As quite often happens in the grocery store when you don't think you need a basket, my arms were loaded as I checked out angel in hand.

Setting her down temporarily while unloading my other purchases, I realized how nicely she blended in with the garden where she stood and decided that was where she would stay.

Shortly after Craig wandered by and noticed the new addition to the garden. With a surprised look on his face he proceeded to tell me how earlier that same day he had been in the same store and saw her sitting on the shelf and almost brought her home to me!

So there she stands watching over the garden, this winged lady, all decked out in hat, necklace and bracelet toting her trowel and watering can. Some things are just meant to be.

More... I Heart You

2008-08-30T07:58:00.004-04:00

It started with a couple of hosta leaves I Heart You . Then I started noticing more heart shaped leaves and realized the garden is full of hearts! Common leaf shape you say... I agree and love them all the same.

Top to bottom, left to right - dutchman's pipe, lamium, morning glory, brunnera 'jack frost, coleus, oops brunnera again, sweet potato vine, mulberry, another sweet potato vine.

Lots O' Green And White In This Garden

2008-08-23T08:48:00.034-04:00

Taking notice of the green and white (or close to white) combinations in the garden one day led me to yet another photo frenzy. Above are the blades of Miscanthus sinensis 'Huron Sentinel'

Lamium 'Beacon Silver'

Although this hosta has been in the garden forever, I have yet to research the name so it remains hosta 'green and white'

Our neighbour had her windows replaced and gave us one of her old windows for the garden. It is tucked in amongst the Cornus alternifolia 'Pagoda' and Cornus sericea 'Red- Osier' dogwoods.

Cobweb Hens & Chicks

Hydrangea paniculata 'Pink Diamond'

Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight'

Birdbath

'Limelight' Licorice plant

Impatiens

Bunny on guard or 'Rabbiroo'

Almost but not quite in my garden, this belongs to the neighbour who gardens along side of us. Fleece flower - maybe persicaria?

White, very fragrant peony

Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum 'Mariesii' - doublefile viburnum

Snow-in-summer

Rock and sedum

Armeria maritima sea thrift

For the Birds

2008-08-05T08:17:00.000-04:00

Food and housing for the birds

Praise for Zinnias and Dahlias

2008-08-02T16:49:00.001-04:00

Okay, so I like taking photos in the garden. Lots of them. And close up. Chances are if I go to the garden with the camera, it may be a hundred or more pictures later when I put it down.
Here are some of my favourite flowers. Zinnias and dahlias. I love cosmos, day lillies and morning glories too and will try to post a feature on them in the near future.

This burgandy dahlia is in my garden and the next two, one yellow and one pink, are in my neighbour's garden.

This is the zinnia bed in my garden. I love zinnias and try to find a spot each year to plant them. What isn't to love is the powdery mildew they often get - yet they are still worth the effort of planting the seed, watering and thinning and/or transplanting.

Even when you think the flower is full of petals and looks beautiful, many more petals have yet to open as seen in the second photo.

Pretty at any stage of the growing game.

The Three Bees

2008-07-30T12:51:00.022-04:00

B stands for birds bees and butterflies and there is no shortage in the garden. No shortage of earwigs either but let's save that for another (rainy) day.

I love the way the wings are crossed on it's back and it looks like it's little arms are holding on to the flower.

When snapping so many shots in an effort to catch the right angle or simply get the picture before it takes flight again you may end up with unexpected objects in the picture.

Upon closer examination of this one there appears to be a fly dangling from a flower.

And here is a bee heading straight for the butterfly... unaware when releasing the shutter that this was the case.

While sitting on the patio, camera at side, along came a monarch butterfly. Thirty-seven frames later taken from a distance of about 20 feet or so using the optical zoom, I managed some okay images of the winged monarch. Much patience was required as it fed for quite some time (or so it seemed) at each flower, sometimes at not the most flattering angle for a photo. Shortly before ending the photo session, another monarch arrived and then a third. Three monarchs fluttering around the was too much for me to handle so that's when I decided to get back to work (in the garden). I am not sure how long I actually sat there. I do know that if I am going to be on that patio for any length of time, the camera comes with me. Even so, the elusive hummingbird shot right past me and I've missed the dragonfly, various birds and on and on.

You can barely make out the head of the baby robin in this photo. It was hard to get because of the branches in the way - maybe just how mama robin planned it.

This little bird looks like it is posing for me ha ha. Will have to ask Craig what bird it is or resort to looking it up in the book. Ask me the name of a plant and I'll probably have the answer but when it comes to birds, I know only a few (add to list of things to get better at).

Gone With the Wind

2008-07-23T07:34:00.002-04:00

We had a little wind storm a couple of weeks ago (late posting... again) and were lucky to sustain only minor damage. Looking at these pictures you would think it was worse.

This tree branch came straight down and impaled itself into the ground.

The wind snapped the pole on one of our umbrellas and sent it flying into the neighbours yard...

and sent the cast iron urn hurtling as well. As you can see from the load in the pickup, the rest of the damage was minimal, just a few small branches. We're thankful - it could have been a lot worse.

Dexter the Lookout Dog in His New Garden

2008-07-21T07:12:00.001-04:00

Dexter moved a couple of weeks ago into his new home and garden. This being a blog about "all things gardening" I believe I can now officially include Dexter. I believe Dexter is going to be a great gardener or at least a great gardener watcher.

Dexter loves to watch and listen. He can sit (or stand) for ages just looking. He especially likes to look at the birds but will look at just about anything.

Dexter's new backyard is ready to be landscaped and the new owners (Dexter's mommy and daddy) are gung ho to get things done. The property has good bones (just like Dexter) but needs some work. Happy gardening Dexter, we'll be checking in on you from time to time to see how you are doing.

Through the Garden Gate

2008-07-20T07:58:00.034-04:00

Last Sunday (yes, I am late posting) I left my garden to view some other gardens on the local garden tour. Attending every year and always come away with many beautiful images and ideas etched in my mind.

This year while I was gone, Craig fixed the bird bath water feature, cut the grass, secured my new "garden lady" in the ground, moved the face on the tree to where it could be seen (it became hidden behind the virginia creeper) and did the dishes. Am I spoiled or what?!

We began the tour at this lovely garden full of wonderful plantings lovingly looked after by the man of the house. All I can say is - he must be retired because it is a huge garden and very well maintained. Boy I wish I could grow lavender like that (add to list of things to get better at).

Even the land behind the guardrail on the road is planted up and looking good.

The owners of this garden were going to clear out the area between their property and the neighbour's due to the fact that there were several dead trees and it was a mess and a bit of an eyesore. In the end, both parties agreed to transform it into a natural area and pathway. They now can both access it from their respective yards and enjoy the beauty. Walking through it we found ourselves re-living our childhoods - what a great place for kids! It's like a little fairy tale forest. It includes a swing and seating area (furniture obvioulsy made from the fallen or dead trees. I could have stayed there all day - it was so cozy and being out of the sun, cool.

Good, there must be grandchildren to enjoy the natural woods because here is a pair of boots - probably outgrown - in the garden. Nice touch.

This waterfall is fed from a natural spring. No wonder the garden is so lush. Am I envious?

Every garden needs some whimsy. Heather and Missy this one is for you both. A garden isn't complete without a garden gnome - or a collecton of garden gnomes. Not sure what that thing in the centre is.

Do you think if I ask nicely, Craig will build a birdhouse like this one for me?

This isn't a garden you say. No it isn't but it is what you see when you visit many of the gardens in the town where I live. This is Lake Huron and it forms the backdrop for the next garden on the tour.

This garden is absolutely stunning. There is no grass to cut. I can imagine myself gardening with the lake beside me.

This garden boasts a breathtaking view, a bunkie/playhouse for the grandkids, an abundance of perennials and annuals, a gazebo, various privacy fences and many sculptures and ornaments. It is a little paradise on the lake.

Anyone for a swim after a hard days gardening? The lake is literally at the back door.

Critters

2008-07-17T06:20:00.005-04:00

I don't know if this is the robin who's nest I recently posted pictures of And Then There Was Fog but I guess it could be - or it could be one of many other robins that frequent and nest in our yard. What I do know is that they seem to have a little bit of an ego. For instance, this one actually posed for me. I would take a shot and it would turn, move a little closer etc. until I ended up with several pictures at different angles. This (or one of the 'other' robins) likes to sit on the side mirror of my truck and look at itself and pick at the mirror. It will jump/fly from the mirror to the roof and back again and again. Ego? Obsessive compulsive? Maybe it's something in the water. It will be in the driveway when I get home from work just waiting to take it's place on the mirror. Oh yes, and it poops on the mirror; again and again.

While taking shots of the modest robin, I turned to see this bunny out having breakfast.

Yes, there is an abundance of critter life around. Craig has twice seen deer nearby. Once in the neighbour's yard on one side of us and once in the neighbour's yard on the other side. I haven't seen the deer yet but am now always watching. We live in the middle of town but there is a ravine nearby and I know that deer have been nibbling (chomping) at the garden of a neighbour across the street. Her garden was on the local garden tour this past weekend and I laughed when I saw the sign she had posted near the nibbled plants - 'Deer Feeding Area'.

Cornus kousa

2008-07-11T06:10:00.003-04:00

This Kousa dogwood has a special place in my garden and my heart.

Common name: kousa dogwood
Type: tree
Zone: 5 to 8
Family: Cornaceae
Native Range: Japan, Korea, China
Height: 15 to 30 feet
Spread: 15 to 30 feet
Bloom Time: May - June
Bloom Color: White to pinkish (bracts)
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low

Pink Marshmallows

2008-07-09T07:24:00.001-04:00

Pink Marshmallow Fuschia

Cheeky

2008-07-07T10:41:00.000-04:00

Chippy looks like it has the mumps with it's cheeks so full. We know now why Chippy has been hanging around so much...

it (she?) has a home under the shed. How quickly they can create a doorway!

I Heart You

2008-07-05T06:58:00.000-04:00

The hostas a loving all this rain and moisture. Their hearts are happy.

This 'Blue Angel' hosta has always been the biggest hosta in my garden but this year it has outdone itself being about 5 feet in diameter. Wow. Sadly, it (the beautiful regular rains) could all change in a heartbeat as the hot, dry dog days of summer arrive... or maybe not this year? Ha, my guess is yes, it will get hot and dry at least for a little while. The rainwater in the rainbarrels will be used up and the hose will have to come out.

Happy Canada Day from Dexter

2008-07-01T10:36:00.001-04:00

Dexter - a true Canadian!

Then There Was Fog

2008-07-01T07:04:00.003-04:00

It had rained overnight (again) and then there was early morning fog. The birds, squirrels, chippies and general wildlife population of the backyard were making so much noise I kept stopping just to listen in amazement. It was just me and the fog and the wildlife.

when mama robin flew by and into her nest I got these bonus shots. She may have been a little irritated with me taking pictures but stayed put guarding her babies.

and then the sun came out...

Well Used

2008-06-27T09:02:00.001-04:00

I don't have a lot of fancy gardening tools - mostly just the basics reside in my shed. I did however purchase the garden Bandit from Lee Valley a few years ago. It does a pretty good job with minimal effort of weeding in small areas. I would have to say that besides my trowel, shovel and pruner, the most used tools in my shed are...

The $2 pet food scoop and my trusted bucket.

The scoop holds about 3 or 4 times what my trowel holds and it was perfect for scooping the soil into my containers. The bucket gets used on an almost daily basis. If it isn't being used to hual something (soil, compost, plants to be moved) it is with me in the garden as I weed or sitting upside down to protect tender plants from frost.

Majestic Weeping Nootka

2008-06-24T07:10:00.001-04:00

This Weeping Nootka was a gift from my friend Andrea. It grows about 1' per year. In five years it has grown from 3' to 8' tall.

Each year we stand gawking at it in amazement. It is planted at the back of our yard at the lowest elevation and loves the moisture. I laugh when I say "lowest elevation" as the elevation is ever so slight but enough for the rain to run off to it providing and retaining more moisture than anywhere else on the property.

Thank you again Andrea, for this beautiful and majestic gift.

Clematis Name Unknown

2008-06-22T06:30:00.007-04:00

So far I have been unsuccessful at naming this clematis. Craig bought it to plant at the base of the hydro pole at the end of our driveway and installed a trellis for it. Each spring as I go about cleaning up the garden beds and pruning it gets forgotten. It's been there for about 3 or 4 years now and has never been cut back. It has a more puple tinge than what the picture shows.

With no plant tag the search continues.

Poppy Time

2008-06-17T19:09:00.003-04:00

I have orange poppies...

and my neighbour has red poppies.

She likes orange and I like red so we admire each others' poppies!

Mr. Toad

2008-06-14T05:46:00.002-04:00

We have lots of toads this year. This little guy let me snap some shots before he disappeared into the depths of the garden.

Rain Makes for Green

2008-06-10T20:57:00.001-04:00

I am in heaven, walking around the gardens after a rain -

and there have been many opportunities here to do that

this year. We've had several really good rains so far.

Lady's Mantle is always so pretty holding the rain drops.

Everything is so fresh and healthy looking, especially the

moss.

Black Dragon Iris

2008-06-08T18:53:00.005-04:00

From one plant purchased about ten years ago, I now have two huge clumps of this "Black Dragon" iris, one on each side of the arbour. Many friends and neighbours are enjoying this beatuy from divisions I have shared over the years.

Here is the first bloom of the season and I'll post more pictures once more open. Pictures really don't do them justice - they are simply breathtaking.

Footnote

2008-05-30T18:40:00.001-04:00

This shoe planter and pansies was my Mother's Day gift from my daughter.

Do bunnies like hostas?

2008-05-29T09:28:00.001-04:00

A number of years ago we were always hearing neighbours and friends complaining about the rabbits in their gardens. We didn't have the same rabbit problem back then but they must have migrated and found our yard too. We started seeing them - usually munching away on the fallen seeds under the bird feeders. Now and then I would notice plants which had been nibbled on. Ours were "hunny" bunnies; not gluttonous pig rabbits. Our hunny bunnies just nibbled. It was kind of cute. Well it's not cute any more. I am not saying that I actually saw the gutinous pig rabbit chewing on my hosta but what else could it be? Slugs?

Frost

2008-05-28T06:26:00.006-04:00

Overnight temperature went down to 2 degrees celcius - and yes, we had FROST!

Three good things:

1) I hadn't yet planted my impatiens in the ground

2) we covered everything

3) it didn't snow!

Hot and Cold

2008-05-27T08:35:00.006-04:00

I started hitting the garden centres a couple of weeks ago. Last week I picked up quite a load - the annuals needed (yes, it is a need) to fill my containers. The weather wasn't exactly being cooperative, so every night we hauled the trays into the shop to avoid them being damaged from the wind and the cold.

So when the nice weather arrived on Sunday and it being the 25th of May, I was in a state of high excitement and proceeded to plant up all of my containers. There are a lot - ask Craig. Hanging, window boxes (11 in total) and various pots. I have to say they look wonderful. I am quite pleased with the outcome and look forward to watching them become established.

Well, I guess if I want to see them grow, I better haul them back into the shop tonight! After the temperature soared to a humid 27 yesterday, it dropped - this morning's temp was 5 degrees celcius. Today's forecast isn't pretty.

Craig is out in the shop now preparing a temporary depot for which to house pots and hanging baskets. Anything that cannot be moved will have to suffice with a covering of plastic or sheets. The sad but true life of the gardener - those better (warmer) days to come will make up for this, right?!

Almost Black & White

2008-05-21T09:37:00.000-04:00

Fooling around with my new camera last year and took some neat shots. The feature I was using is called colour accent.

April Showers bring May Flowers

2008-05-19T09:50:00.009-04:00

My dear friend Andrea gave me this trillium. Three stems, three flowers every year, guaranteed.

Solomons' Seal. Looks great in the shade even after the flowers fade.

Oh my bleeding heart.

Magnolia (I think it's "Betty") buds.

Bergenia flowers.

Lilacs scent from heaven. Can't wait to cut some for indoors.

Movie Review - Gardening and more

2008-05-19T09:31:00.002-04:00

So if it is rainy and cold where you are... like it is where I am today, you may want to wonder out and pick up a copy of a "feel good" movie. Greenfingers dates back to 2000 and if you haven't seen it, you should give it a chance.

Colin Briggs is a man who has given up on life. Nearing the end of a long sentence for murder, Colin is transferred to Edgefield, a minimum security prison in the Cotswolds. Once there, Colin meets Fergus Wilks, an eccentric "lifer" who gives Colin an unwanted packet of seeds as a Christmas present. He begrudgingly plants the seeds in Edgefield's hard, infertile soil and, much to both men's surprise, the seeds flourish along with the two men's friendship. Impressed by the sight of the blooming flowers, the prison Govenor commissions Colin, Fergus and three other inmates to cultivate Edgefield's first garden. When the prison garden attracts the attention of flamboyant gardening expert, Georgina Woodhouse, she offers to sponsor the inmates in their first garden show. As a result of gardening, Colin gains a renewed lease on life, a newly found love for Georgina's daughter and a chance to compete at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show--the largest outdoor garden event in the world.

Let's Face It

2008-05-12T09:00:00.003-04:00

this tree has personality

Pretty Primulas

2008-05-11T08:06:00.002-04:00

This little spot where the primulas grow gets sun only in the spring, before the giant maple trees leaf out. Once the blooms are done, the epimedium, ferns and hostas will grow up around and the primulas will almost be forgotten.

Splish Splash...

2008-05-07T20:54:00.000-04:00

..robin taking a bath

After the Rain

2008-05-06T21:13:00.000-04:00

Oh so colourful in the spring... should I cut some to bring inside?

This random bunch opened once the sun came out.

Sleeping All Day

2008-05-05T08:31:00.004-04:00

This racoon came down from a spruce tree, climbed over the neighbours roof then down and up onto another roof where it decided to take a nap in the sun. What a life.

It's All About Convenience

2008-04-29T20:16:00.009-04:00

You know, we gardeners are not ones to boast and "show off" but instead are very generous in sharing information and telling other gardeners what beautiful gardens they have. It isn't a competition with us but I am afraid I am going to have to break the rules here for a moment and do a little bragging.

I am very lucky to have a handy guy around who doesn't complain (most of the time) to help me out with those jobs that I would make a real big mess at trying to do myself. I now have an outdoor sink! He doesn't understand why I am soooo happy about this and hopes it gets used after the effort of installing it. Oh baby, I will use it!

Waiting...

2008-04-29T20:04:00.005-04:00

The tulips in our yard are scattered here and there. I always thought that some day I would gather them all together for a big spring show but maybe I should just leave them where they are?
For some reason which I haven't quite figured out, our tulips are always later than the ones I see blooming everywhere else. Is it due to the amount of sunlight they get (or don't get), a microclimate thing, the soil or maybe it is the type of tulip? Whatever the reason, they are always worth waiting for. And waiting...

Stay tuned

Plant a Smile

2008-04-22T05:09:00.007-04:00

It's April... time to plant pansies.

My daughter and her boyfriend were away for a week so they had to leave their beloved new puppy Dexter behind. He spent most of the week with my son and the last couple of days with us. He just hung out being Dexter. He is too cute!

Sometimes, he just hung out and watched the birds.

New and Improved?

2008-04-20T08:54:00.000-04:00

This morning I decided to make the time and learn how to change some of the elements of my blog. So if you have visited here before you will notice it looks a little different. The black background is gone, the text colour has changed and the page is wider. So this 'old dog' can be taught new tricks! I think it is an improvement and hope you like it too. Now I have to work on getting the pictures to line up where I want them - but not right now - it is a beautiful day here in Kincardine and I want to get outside.
Regards,
Shirley

First Things First

2008-04-08T06:04:00.055-04:00

Spring is here and I find myself asking the same old question... where to start? This post comes a few days after the fact but as the nice mild weather took us outside on the weekend (both Saturday and Sunday were beautiful and we didn't retreat into the house until 7 pm each night) Craig, my honey of 15 years, knew where he was going to start. He cleared out my garden shed in preparation for the makeover I had planned in March (Magazine Stand). Okay I said, lets do it! So off he went on his first spring weekend project and I happily tagged along for the ride.

While he was playing with his power tools installing shelves, I managed to get some garden clean up done. It was the best of both worlds - I was back in the garden again after a long (aren't they always long?) winter and my shed was being fixed up so I can be a more organized gardener. Who could ask for more? That's free therapy if you ask me.

Left is how it looked before and the finished product is on the right.

First things first. Craig installed the metal reinforcement grid. Then on when the shelves. My son even got in on the project!

Then I got to do the fun stuff - putting the finishing touches on. I am going to call it a potting shed now because it has a stainless steel work table big enough to pot at and bins for holding soil, plant pots and such. There is a message board, clips to hang large garden tools, lots of hooks and clips to hold odds & sods and a magnetic strip to hold scissors and such.

The wooden cabinet with bins is from Ikea. The step-on garbage (Walmart) can has 2 sections which I will use for garbage and compostables. My twine hangs on a toilet paper roll roll holder. The large bin is full of plastic pots.

Remember this is a little shed about 6 1/2' x 3 1/2' but there's a place for everything and everything is in it's place. Gloves are stacked neatly in a pot lid holder. A lazy suzan to use when potting plants. I wonder will it always look this tidy?

Oh look, there is the Canadian Living magazine - that's where it all started.

Life is good.

Hope you had a good weekend too.
Shirley

Meet Dexter

2008-04-08T05:52:00.004-04:00

I feel compelled to share a non-gardening moment with you. We welcomed a new addition to the family on March 31st. My daughter and her boyfriend adopted a puppy. Dexter is 3 months old. He was rescued from a puppy farm. He's part husky, lab and pointer. It's very likely you will be seeing more of Dexter on my blog - he's very photogenic and so cute.

Is Gardening Coming Back to TV?

2008-03-28T05:41:00.003-04:00

Last night I watched a documentary about gardening on CBC TV called Gardening Confidential. It was a whole one hour long! It was full of neat little snippets about all kinds of gardens, tips, tools etc. If you didn’t watch it, check out the web site http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/confidential/garden.html to see what you missed.

I miss the good old gardening shows. Remember when HGTV was the channel to tune in to for ‘Gardener’s Journal’ with Kathy Renwald, ‘Mark Cullen Gardening’ (is that what it was called?), ‘Gardening by the Yard’ with Paul James, and the british show ‘Ground Force’ and many more? Then something happened and fewer and fewer aired and they were replaced by home decorating, renovating and real estate shows. Oh yeah, and the get organized shows. Sure there was the odd garden design or makeover show but they were not the same. I remember reading in a forum a gardeners take on this - she said something about losing the G in HGTV!” I agree.

Another favourite, ‘Recreating Eden’ apparently airs on Vision TV but when I have remembered to tune into watch it’s not on when the schedule says it should be. It continues to be produced and if they were available on DVD, I would buy the seasons I haven’t seen yet.

So I was pretty excited to see this new show and am thankful for all of the excellent gardening web sites and blogs – without them a gardener could get a little stir crazy!

Do you know of any good gardening shows currently on TV?

Regards,
Shirley

For the Record

2008-03-27T18:39:00.003-04:00

I am finally putting the finishing touches on my plant inventory. Of course it will need updating on a regular basis if I continue adding plants to my gardens (which is inevitable). And I am still tweaking it (will I ever not be?) Here is a page from it - not the best picture but hopefully you get the idea.

I have to say that this exercise has been educational. I added more detail about each plant using the internet as a reference (so I could copy and paste). Suddenly I became aware that the original list which I had started several years ago, included misspelled plant names and very little detail. It was more like a partial record of plants and where each had been planted. Well, I move plants around so often I decided to scratch that information and add real plant info instead. I found the following 2 sites helpful because they had information about so many of the plants that I have and were more or less easy to copy and paste into my list.

http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantinfo.shtml

This service contains information on the over 3500 herbaceous perennials, shrubs, vines and trees which are currently growing or have been grown in the 23 demonstration gardens at the Missouri Botanical Garden's Kemper Center for Home Gardening.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/

Welcome to PlantFiles, the largest plant database in the world with 161,860 entries, 176,719 images and 86,284 comments. Currently entries are from 388 families, 4,649 genera, 38,628 species, and 100,564 cultivars.

This site also includes the pronunciation for the botanical names so I have decided to further update my list to include the pronunciations for the 178 plants I have listed so far. Yes, I have a giant task ahead of me.

For the plants that couldn't be found on either of these sites I searched (and searched, and searched) other sites. Most of the pictures used are mine but I did copy a few from the sites I visited. These will be replaced once I have taken the pictures needed this summer. Perhaps all of this searching, typing and pasting caused the injury to my left bilateral tendon which put me in such pain I had to see my doctor. Couldn't lift my arm to type for a couple of days but am on the mend now with the help of an anti-inflammatory and physio-therapy. Gotta get back in shape for the gardening season to come!

While I was searching for plant info I came across this most amazing site on clematis and other climbing vines and have added it to my favourite links.

http://www.clematis.com.pl/wms/wmsg.php/15.html

There is so much information and well designed - I won't try to describe it - check it out for yourself.

So you see, between updating my plant inventory list and posting to this blog, I have been forced to learn new things and re-learn all the things I had forgotten. I feel a little like I am back at school. And that kind of makes me feel younger.

Regards,

Shirley

2008-03-19T20:33:00.000-04:00

White's Okay But I Long For Colour

2008-03-19T18:06:00.001-04:00

I want the snow to go away now.

I want to see the colours in the garden again.

Good Weather - Will Travel

2008-03-18T04:54:00.001-04:00

I went to see my daughter on the weekend. I miss her and have been trying to plan a trip (she's a couple of hours away) but there always seems to be a winter storm on it's way to ruin my plans. While I was there I tagged along with her and her boyfriend to view 5 houses - they have been house hunting for their first home.

Okay, so also while I was there, list of materials, Canadian Gardening magazine in hand and daughter beside me, I set off to purchase the supplies needed to do the garden shed reno. I haven't been to an Ikea store for so long it's shameful. They serve breakfast for a buck so we added that to our adventure. My daughter loves Ikea and is familiar with the "process" of shopping there. Everytime we found an item that would have to be picked up in the self serve warehouse, she would write down the info. I couldn't have done it without her. Well maybe I could have but wouldn't have had as much fun and definitely wouldn't have made it back to the pre-arranged house viewing at 12:30 (which we did with 5 minutes to spare - impressive).

I am happy to say that they really liked the house so while I was driving home, they were putting an offer together and later that evening I got the call that their offer had been accepted. It has a beautiful back yard with 2 mature blue spruce and a few deciduous trees (which we haven't idenified yet) - good bones. Ample space for gardens. My daughter has been gardening in containters on the balcony of their condo so now she can really down and dirty diggin in the dirt.

Now when I am dividing or buying plants, I will be thinking of my daughter. Will this be a good starter, low maintenance plant? Will she like it? Don't want to overwhelm her with a lot of fussy plants that won't last and turn her off gardening. Besides, with work and possibly babies to come, she won't have the time. Did I say babies? Oh oh, I am in trouble now.

My son also bought a house and will be taking possession in a few weeks. He is going to be here in Kincardine, but says I am not touching his yard. It also has mature trees and a tall cedar hedge surrounding the property. A gardeners paradise. He has (jokingly I'm sure) said he will put up an iron gate to keep his garden obsessed mother out. I know he'll mellow out some day and let me in. In the meantime, I will keep a spare set of gardening tools in the truck for when I drop by.

Until then, I will wait for the snow to melt so I can start the garden shed reno and clean up the gardens. I think it's going to be a good year.

Bits and pieces added to the garden

2008-03-05T18:24:00.001-05:00

While browsing my pictures I came across these - objects that make the garden interesting.

Craig's old work boots filled with hens & chicks have been hanging
around for years.

Craig put turtle and froggy (not shown) spinklers on a piece of flagstone on top of posts. They sit more or less above the plants in the vegetable garden and provide a fine mist to young seedlings.

Bunny on guard. The person who sold me this thought it was a kangaroo - we call it rabbiroo.

This bird bath sits near the patio so we can watch the birds use it.

Robin's eggs

Stone path is pretty and practical.

One of many feeders.

Face carved in wood to watch over the garden.

Magazine Stand

2008-03-02T17:15:00.002-05:00

It feels like I have been waiting for ever for new issues of my favourite gardening magazines to arrive on the stands. Finally they appeared – all at once! Within the last week I purchased two Canadian Gardening and one Gardening Life magazines plus a few others (6 in total – I went a little crazy!). I know I should subscribe, at least to my two favorites, and I will, someday. This time of year I really start thinking and planning for the season to come and it never fails that I find inspiring ideas in magazines.
I have stacks and stacks of them – they are an essential learning tool. I keep them and look at them over and over; although I clipped pictures and articles out of some of the older ones to put in my “binder of gardening ideas” and used some for mod podging – then recycled the chopped up magazines. These days I am more particular about which ones I buy (and I should be as I am running out of space to store them all!)

My “binder of gardening ideas” is filled with magazine clippings of gardens and ideas, and with information on pests, pest control, growing, “how to make” articles, and most important, plant tags. The cover is mod podged with clippings from magazines and graphics that I printed.

While perusing the newly purchased magazines, I discovered another way to spend some time and money. Why not overhaul my garden shed? Actually, it makes perfect sense to me. As soon as the snow melts I plan to organize my little (I mean little, at only 6' x 3') garden shed. With the right materials and design, I'm sure I can maximize storage and create a more efficient space.

I probably wouldn’t have added this project to my already long list of things to do if I hadn’t recently seen two magazine articles displaying beautifully organized sheds. I thought, I want one of those!

Both Canadian Gardening’s Special Annual Issue – “fantastic garden projects” and Martha Stewart Living Garden Issue March 2008 have articles on organizing the garden shed.

I like the metal reinforcement grid attached to the wall – I will start with this and add shelves, bins, wire baskets, a paper towel holder to hold spools of string and wire and a garbage can with a swing lid or a step on style. I also want to incorporate the corner bin (crafted from a piece of wood cut to fit at an angle) to hold stakes, rolls of burlap etc. with bungee cords attached to the wall with screw eyes to rein it all in. I like the corner shelves too. All of these ideas are great but like I said, I am dealing with a very small shed I may not be able to incorporate all of these items. I better get planning!

Mice have been living in my shed the last couple of years. I hate mice and part of my overhaul will include installing a deterrent such as moth balls, cloves, garlic, mint baking soda, vinegar or peppermint oil (or all of the above!) in the shed to keep the mice away.

Stay tuned, I’ll let you know how it goes.

Winter

2008-02-27T17:21:00.003-05:00

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant."

Winter in the garden can be beautiful albeit COLD. The shed is used only in gardening season so no need to keep a cleared path to it. Evergreens are a must for any season. The old bike gets planted with annuals for summer. My little garden on the east side of the house becomes a winter wonderland. Spring is my favourite time of the year, not winter. Soon the snow will melt and the tiny signs of life in the garden will start to emerge - I will also come back to life.

Photos

2008-02-25T21:25:00.002-05:00

Heartleaf Berginia

Blood red daylily - name unknown - given to me by my friend Andrea - oh yeah, it's a nice one!

Hydrangea - Limelight - my favourite hydrangea

Hosta - Blue Angel - this hosta has the biggest leaves of all the hostas in my garden. HUGE and beautiful! I will split it again this year and introduce it to my front garden.

Daylily - Custard Candy

Viola - Blackjack - started from seeds given to me by my friend Andrea - they re-seed themselves here and there but are easy to pluck out and move to where you want them

Brunnera - Jack Frost

Globe Thistle - grown from seed - has been coming back for almost ten years!

Life in the Garden

2008-02-24T15:56:00.001-05:00

Nothing says it like a picture.

Now that my garden is established with many interesting and beautiful plants, I can combine my love of gardening with my love of photography.

Transforming a Backyard

2008-02-24T13:58:00.002-05:00

Added for interest came arbours, a trellis here and there, a stone pathway, gates, birdhouses, feeders and baths

and a new garden on the east side of the house - my oasis - my vision was now a reality... but alas, what's happening now?

2003 - attack of the white grub. Our solution - rent a power thatcher and thatch the crap out of the lawn, let the birds feast on the grubs for several days, get some grass seed, water and hope for the best. As I write this I have to report that the white grub infestation still exists, we enjoyed what we thought was a grub-free lush green lawn for 4 years, but evidence of the problem retuned during the summer of 2007. We have hired a lawn care company and treatment will begin in 2008

The garden hose was laid out to outline a new garden along the west side of our property - something I had hoped to have some day - so do I thanks the grubs?

By now I was very seriously into gardening, reading a lot and learning by trial and error.

A Little History

2008-02-24T11:05:00.001-05:00

My gardening adventures began ten years ago starting with a small raised planter filled with mostly perennials...

Eventually we would consentrate on hiding some unwanted views such as the grey garage in the background.

There were horseshoe pits and a couple of small flower beds, a vegetable garden and luckily some mature trees.

Nothing to divide our property from the neighbours (another view to be obliterated).

Many changes to come...