My Roots Run Deep

Garden Talk on the Evergreen Garden Market

2012-01-17T11:11:00.006-05:00

I'm looking forward this talk on the Evergreen Brick Works Garden Market hosted by the North Toronto Horticultural Society. I have always wanted to visit the market and am especially interested to learn about the native plant selections. I'll take notes and start planning ahead for spring planting (although it feels like I could plant today....our January has been CRAZY mild.)

Toronto and area gardeners are more than welcome to attend. The talk is free. A $2 donation is suggested for refreshments. All the details are in the links.

Just In Time

2011-11-11T12:03:00.004-05:00

I saw the first snowflake of November today. It was small and the moment was fleeting but it was snow nevertheless. Thankfully, the patio furniture is in the basement, the bulbs have been planted and the garden has been put to bed for another year.

Here's what was in this year's box of bulbs:

5 Narcissus "Variant"
10 Narcissus "Sorcerer"
30 Hyacinthoides "English Bluebells"
45 Scilla "Spring Beauty"
4 Camassia"Blue Melody"
6 Tulipa "Drumline"
10 Tulipa "Sylvestris"
20 Puschkinia "libanotica"

Crocus in early spring are just about the best thing about gardening so I have added lots:

12 Crocus "Jeanne d"Arc"
12 Crocus "Silver Coral"
12 Crocus "Pickwick"
20 Crocus "Prince Claus"
40 Crocus "Blue Pearl" (so stunning last spring I just had to have more!)
20 Crocus "Advance"
20 Crocus "Yalta"
50 Snow Crocus "Minimus"
25 Snow Crocus "Lady Killer"

Add that to all the bulbs planted the year before and the springtime garden promises to be stunning. Time to hunker down with some good books until spring returns once again.

Krazy for Katsura

2011-10-14T11:02:00.004-04:00

I've slowly been moving the garden away from a focus on perennials to a focus on trees and shrubs. My tastes as a gardener are changing. I still love my purple coneflowers and veronica and salvia and my globeflowers and I always will. However, I'm loving the deadheading, weeding and dividing less and less every year. Scaling back the number of perennials in favour of trees, shrubs and groundcovers that will cover more garden space with less maintenance is the route I'm following.

I went to the garden centre looking for a tree to replace a sad, droopy Rose of Sharon that I had been cheering on for a decade. After a lacklustre and messy performance this summer I decided it had to go. I headed to the garden centre to find a replacement and as I pulled into the parking lot a tree ablaze in a fiery red caught my eye. It was a Katsura. Oh, I shopped around looking at all the great selections on sale but the Katsura had won me over and was as good as planted in my yard. The colour is amazing! I visit it often to sniff around...apparently when the leaves drop the tree gives off a scent similar to cotton candy. Admittedly caring for the tree will present some challenges. Katsuras like moist soil and my garden is very very dry. I will have to commit to a regular watering schedule in July and August. This will also help a Japanese Bloodgood Maple which lives opposite the Katsura and suffers from leaf scorch when neglected in the summer heat.

This isn't a Katsura. It's a maple out in Flamborough. It pretty much glows doesn't it? When mature the Katsura should take on a similar shape. It is going to be a thrill to watch it grow and glow.

Peony: Emile Debatene

2011-06-07T11:56:00.003-04:00

I am over the moon about my new Emile Debatene peony. Just a few days ago the buds looked ready to burst. I don't have much pink in my garden and thought I didn't care for the colour. But these blushing buds caught my eye repeatedly from the kitchen door and even the upstairs window and quickly began to win me over.

Now in full bloom, these flowers have caused me to fall in love. I have to admit that I have been in somewhat of a garden rut for a few seasons. I still adore my coneflowers, salvia and globe thistles. And I still wait with great anticipation for the foxtail lilies to bloom. But there's no escaping the sameness of it all. The peony is new and exciting and I'm wondering why I never thought to grow one before.

There was a huge downpour overnight with thunderclaps that woke me up several times. I was sure the peonies would be flopped over in the mud (as a first year peony grower I didn't think I would have enough success to require hoops or other supports). But the flowers stood up well to the conditions, bowing a bit but still standing. The fragrance of these flowers is also outstanding. Welcome to the garden Emile Debatene. You just made my day.

The Gardens at St. James Park

2011-05-23T09:35:00.009-04:00

The Gardens at St. James Park in downtown Toronto looked absolutely beautiful this weekend. I took advantage of a break in the rain to walk by and take a peek. The flowers were enough to make me forget all about our cold, soggy spring.

It seemed to me there were tulips by the thousands. The gardens are modest in size but appear expansive, largely because only one tulip type is featured. Everywhere my eyes landed, there were more and more tulips. A great effect.

The featured tulips were deep pink with a white-edged petal. Remarkably there didn't appear to be any squirrel damage.

Different varieties of tulips were planted outside the main beds including this beautiful selection featuring dramatic curves in a pink blush. There was also a deep shade bed which appeared to be a work in progress and two large beds that were more naturalistic in style but I could barely tear myself away from the main show.

The gardens are right beside St. James Cathedral which is a very impressive structure for those whose interests lean more to architecture and history.

I'm not sure if the city or a garden club plants and looks after these gardens. Whoever is responsible deserves a great big thank you. I'll be sure to visit this park again in summer to see what's growing. If it's even half as lovely as the tulip display it will be well worth the visit. If you ever find yourself at King and Church give yourself a few minutes to enjoy this beautiful space.

Showcase of Native Plants

2011-05-19T22:16:00.010-04:00

The rain and cool temperatures have been great for the garden. Everything is looking lush and the blooms are lasting for a long time. The woodlanders like the native tiarella cordifolia above are especially beautiful right now.

Geranium maculatum or wild geranium has done very well. The blooms are abundant and the foliage is spreading into a lovely ground cover. The geranium is growing under a mature fir tree so it receives considerable shade. The soil is poor and the root competition fierce but the wild geranium is taking it in stride.

Here's another shot of the wild geranium. For a plant that produces such a delicate little blooom it's actually quite tough. This is a native plant of Ontario.

It took about three years for the wild columbine to take off but now that it has there is no stopping it. I started with a handful of plants and allowed them to self-seed over the years. They have established a lovely ring around the base of the eastern redbud. The columbine gets almost full sun in early spring before the tree canopy fills in, plunging the garden into almost full shade. Aquilegia canadensis is another great native.

I'm on a roll with the native plants. This wood poppy (stylophorum diphyllum) was a volunteer, nestled in among the wild columbine. These plants seed themselves so willingly. It makes me wonder why they aren't thriving in the wild.

Every shade garden needs some Solomon's Seal. Check! This was a pass-along plant and it keeps on giving and giving. After only a few years I have already divided it a few times. It's a very elegant plant that is great for shade. I'm not sure what variety of Solomon's Seal this is but am fairly sure it is one of our natives and a lovely one at that.

Mitella Diphylla: Mitrewort or Bishop's Cap

2011-05-13T14:30:00.003-04:00

Mitella Diphylla is a fabulous little plant for the woodland garden. It enjoys spring sunshine and is among the first perennials to bloom sending up sprays of stems covered in miniature white flowers. When the summer heat kicks in it prefers shade. The flowers fade but the neatly mounded light green foliage remains throughout summer. It prefers moist soil but does quite well for me in average to dry soil.

From a distance the flowers create a white haze above the foliage. It is really worth getting up close to see the flowers. They are reminiscent of snowflakes. I have never seen this plant available at garden centres. I picked it up a few years ago at the High Park Native Plant Sale. There is always a great selection of natives available. While I love to gawk at all the newest plant selections to see the latest, greatest colour or the biggest, fanciest blooms, I find I am often more thrilled with the understated beauty and sheer reliability of native plants.

Wood Poppy: Stylophorum diphyllum

2011-05-05T21:27:00.006-04:00

A few years ago I bought a passport to the annual Open Gardens Toronto. I found myself in a shady Annex garden with a double wide lot (wow, does it get better than that?) The gardener had a great selection but one plant and its story captured my imagination. There were a few of us garden tourists gawking at the plants when the homeowner started talking about her wood poppies. She had a small drift of these woodland beauties and announced that it was quite probable that she had more wood poppies growing in her backyard than were growing wild in all of Ontario. Its sad predicament was enough to convince me to grow the wood poppy but there's more than a sob story to recommend it. The deep yellow bloom, not fully opened in the picture above, looks really stunning in dappled shade and full shade. Although short-lived, the blooms are plentiful. Peak blooming time is right now, early spring, but flowers appear sporadically throughout the summer.

The flower buds provide quite a bit of interest because they are covered in fine white hairs. They appear on on stems about a foot high. The foliage is impressive featuring large lobed leaves. Wood Poppy is described as a plant of moist deciduous forests which makes its performance in my garden somewhat of a surprise. It is growing in the driest and most soil-poor section of my garden: right under a mature fir tree with a soil depth of maybe two or three centimeters. It gets a few hours of early morning sun and is then plunged into deep shade for the remainder of the day. Apparently, these growing conditions are perfect for my wood poppies. They are thriving.

In just a few years my small plants have grown into impressive clumps. They are beginning to form a dense ground cover. The wood poppy is famous for self-seeding. I have found seedlings doing very well in some very tough spots including a sidewalk crack. I'm hopeful that my wood poppies will continue to multiply eventually surrounding the base of the fir tree which has been a barren wasteland for years.

I'm glad I visited that Annex garden. The gardener shared a wood poppy seedling with me and provided some inspiration. I was intrigued enough to seek out and purchase a few more plants. Maybe one day I'll be able to claim Ontario's largest wood poppy population.

Bloodroot & Turkestanica

2011-04-27T16:26:00.003-04:00

I let out a little gasp of excitement when I saw the bloodroot in bloom this morning. I thought it would be a few more days at least. Two years ago we were into May before the bloodroot really came into its own.

The bloodroot seems to be multiplying successfully. There used to be three plants (and therefore three blooms) at the base of the serviceberry. This year, there are at least three blooms wherever there used to be one. At this rate, I should have a very impressive clump in about a decade. It will be worth the wait, no doubt. While the bloodroot flower is diminutive and short-lived the foliage continues to provide drama for a while to come. Once the flowers fade, giant, multi-lobed leaves similar to curvy fig leaves unfurl. Bloodroot is considered an ephemeral that goes dormant in the summer heat but in my garden the foliage lasts right through the summer. Sufficient shade and moisture seem to do the trick.

Tulipa Turkestanica made its debut today. Compared to
last year the blooms are a little behind schedule. Turkestanica is an outstanding performer: it is loaded with blooms and they last a long time.

This is a species tulip. The squirrels do not appear interested in it. I planted Tulipa Saxatilis and "Little Beauty" with Turkestanica but they did not bloom last year. This year there is plenty of foliage to suggest they will.

Mini Daffodil: Tete-a-Tete

2011-04-26T21:54:00.002-04:00

Who needs sunshine when the daffodils are in bloom? The rain has been relentless, pounding at times, but the miniature daffodils Tete-a-Tete are holding up quite well. Unlike the crocus which really struggled to stay upright in this spring of downpours, the mini-daffs seem unfazed.

Tete-a-Tetes are remarkable little bloomers. This is their second spring in bloom and they seem just as vigorous, if not more, than last year. I have ten groupings of Tete-a-Tete all more or less equally spaced along the edge of the garden. Each group features more than a dozen blooms. The effect is quite pleasing. As a bonus, Tete-a-Tete flowers last for a very long time.

I have also managed to achieve some nice colour combos. The Dwarf Iris "Cantab" is fading but its blue still looks wonderful in among the daffodils. The deeper violet-blue of a small clump of chionodoxa produces a similar result. The yellow daffs also look nice against the cinnamon foliage of the heuchera with the name that escapes me at the moment. Its foliage came through the winter remarkably untattered producing this pleasing duet with the daffs.

There is more rain in the forecast. I'll have to rely on Tete-a-Tete for my sunshine fix.

Last Crocus

2011-04-25T11:07:00.003-04:00

The last of the crocus is in bloom. "Ruby Giant" is the flower I think of when I think of crocus. This is the only flower that escaped the squirrels unscathed. Of the six different crocus varieties that bloomed this spring, "Ruby Giant" proved to be the squirrel favourite.

"Giant" is a relative term in the garden. This crocus is by no means a a giant compared to some spring bloomers. It gets its "giant" moniker because its bloom is large relative to other crocus of the same species.

I am absolutely thrilled will the crocus this year. They have been blooming since the beginning of April giving me nearly a month of garden enjoyment even in this particularly cold and wet spring. Without question I will add at least another six varieties to the garden in fall...maybe even twelve... maybe even...

Reluctant Spring

2011-04-21T11:25:00.003-04:00

Have I mentioned that spring has been absolutely wretched this year? I spent ten minutes in the garden this morning and had to turn back because of the cold. The daffodils were none too happy either. Last year the daffodils were in full bloom weeks earlier. This year fewer than a handful have opened.

Despite the cold I've already made my first garden purchases of the year: a sharp-leaf hepatica and the double primrose "Miss Indigo."

I can't say that I have ever been a fan of primroses. My neighbour grows a number of them though and over the years I have come to appreciate their charms in early spring. So when I saw "Miss Indigo" I thought why not?

I try to add native plants to my garden whenever and wherever I can. The sharp-leaf hepatica (hepatica acutiloba) caught my eye with its unusual and somewhat hairy foliage. I'm not sure if that's a bloom-in-waiting or a seed head (I bought this at a local nursery where the plants are so far along there are even flower buds on the coneflowers). I would love to see it flower but if it doesn't I will gladly wait to see it next year. This is a great time to plant the spring ephemerals because it is easy to see where the bare spots in the garden are. Now if spring would hurry up and bestow some sunshine and warm temperatures on us I could start feeling good about adding even more new selections to the garden.

Dwarf Iris Cantab Returns

2011-04-20T16:27:00.004-04:00

Dwarf Iris "Cantab" was easily my favourite addition to the garden last year. It is a true blue that makes me swoon. I recall reading somewhere that "Cantab" aren't really expected to return so it was with great delight that I discovered them in bloom. It does seem that there are fewer flowers this year but even one bloom is more than welcome. This is truly a stunner.

Sadly, it has been an absolutely wretched spring and "Cantab" is a little worse for wear. The temperatures have been really cold. The winds have been biting. And the rains have battered everything -- the crocus have been flattened and the "Cantab" is barely holding its own against the conditions. There's sunshine in the forecast for tomorrow. I'll have to do my best to get outside and enjoy the fleeting beauty of the spring bulbs.

Mystery Crocus

2011-04-15T10:19:00.003-04:00

While this is a delightful little crocus I can't help but be disappointed. I thought I had planted Crocus Advance: a three coloured crocus featuring creamy-yellow in the centre of the blooms and outer petals that alternate between white and violet. Will there ever be an end to the heartbreak of mislabeled plants?

What I have instead is quite pretty in its own right. The petals are a light purple on the inside. The outside petals are an even lighter purple blush with much darker markings. Quite dramatic, don't you think? Does anyone know the identity of this mystery crocus? I guess I'll have to try again for some Crocus Advance next year.

Crocus Tricolour

2011-04-13T22:55:00.003-04:00

This crocus lives up to its name featuring three colours: orange-yellow at the base, a band of white, and purple-tipped petals. Crocus sieberi Tricolour has not performed nearly as well as Romance, Blue Pearl or Fuscotinctus. All the crocus have a similar growing environment. I think the problem is squirrels. I sprinkled bloodmeal around the others a few weeks ago and the squirrels seem to have stayed away. But I must have missed the Tricolour because something has been digging and doing some damage. Too bad. A few more of these would be delightful.

Crocus Romance

2011-04-12T14:31:00.004-04:00

Another day, another crocus. This buttery yellow selection is Crocus Romance. It is much more subdued in colour than the Crocus Fuscotinctus that opened a few days ago but equally exuberant in the number of blooms.

I have very little yellow in the garden aside from some Black Eyed Susans I enjoy for their late season bloom. My garden leans heavily to to violets, purples and blues. But yellow is the perfect colour for early spring. It's a welcome wake-up call after a long winter.

Crocus Blue Pearl

2011-04-11T15:43:00.002-04:00

I've gone a little crocus crazy this year largely because they are doing so well and providing abundant blooms. Crocus chrysanthus "Blue Pearl" was reluctant to open this morning as rain threatened. This allowed me to enjoy the pale lavender- blue on the outside of the petals.

Later in the day, the pearly inside was revealed.

I have learned to plant crocus in large groups to create some drama in the garden. Having witnessed "Blue Pearl's" magical shimmering effect I wish I had tripled or even quadrupled my order of 32 corms last fall.

Lucky for me that "Blue Pearl" naturalizes happily and rapidly. There should be many more of these lovelies to enjoy for years to come.

Crocus Fuscotinctus

2011-04-07T12:46:00.004-04:00

The crocus have been reluctant to open and share their blooms. They have been closed tight against the bitter winds that are blowing through. Fortunately Crocus Fuscotinctus (full name: Crocus chysanthus var. fuscotinctus) looks mighty impressive even when closed tight. Each petal has several purple stripes that are feathered along the edges.

After a few days of gloomy cloud cover the sun coaxed the crocus to open today revealing the golden yellow flowers.

I planted 32 Fuscotinctus corms last fall. They are said to multiply quickly to form large drifts (my type of plant). That's important: if the squirrels get a few (and they do) there will still be plenty of blooms for the humans to enjoy. I have another five varieties of crocus still waiting to bloom. I already know that I will plant many more varieties this fall because in these early and still-cold spring days the sight of crocus takes a bit of the chill off.

Why Plant Onion Sets? I Blame the Garlic!

2011-03-31T13:16:00.005-04:00

I wasn't planning on planting onions. Why plant onions? They are cheap and plentiful at the grocery story. They aren't nearly as desirable as heirloom tomatoes. And they are nowhere as unusual as purple peas or white carrots.

But when I saw the red onion sets on the store shelf I knew I just had to give them a go. For one thing, onions are among the earliest veggies that can be planted out in the garden. They'll be the first to produce some greens too. Aside from fulfilling my need to get outside and start digging on the dirt, though, I blame my yen for onions on last year's garlic crop.

Here's this year's garlic poking through the dirt. This is garlic planted from bulbs I harvested last summer. I've got three rows on the go. I can't wait to harvest again in late July or August. I have a very vivid memory of laying the garlic out on sheets of newspaper to dry. Then, days later, I remember checking to see if the garlic had cured. The soil-covered outer skin crumble to dust in my fingers revealing this............

Is it too cheesy to describe garlic as "beautiful." I was quite pleased with the job I did trimming the foliage and tangle of roots before storing the garlic in mesh bags for use through the winter. I think I have about three cloves left. The flavour is outstanding. The whole process (planting, harvesting, curing, cooking) has been very satisfying. I increased my garlic crop last fall by about a third. Now, I wish I had planted a little more. The onion sets are a chance to mimic the garlic experience. And if everything goes according to plan, at this time next year, I'll still be cooking with home-grown goodness.

More Crocus

2011-03-30T14:30:00.005-04:00

The crocus have a heavy burden to carry this spring. I'm relying on them exclusively to brighten what feels like the longest March in history.

Predictably, the crocus are more than up to the job. Only one more stinking day in this interminable month. I'm looking forward to April showers and warm temperatures. Let the gardening begin!

Although it seems far too early, I got a jump start on my raised bed vegetable gardens. I planted two types of spinach, swiss chard, radishes, bok choy and three types of lettuce. The raised beds are right next to a massive cinder block wall that catches the heat of the sun all day. I'm taking my chances that the micro-climate this creates will let me start harvesting a few weeks earlier than I usually do. If it doesn't work, I'll start again in a few weeks.

The Slow March Toward Spring

2011-03-29T14:08:00.003-04:00

I don't recall it ever being this cold, this late in March. Walking home from work the other night I was certain it was mid- February, with its howling winds and -10C temperatures. Thankfully, spring will prevail. The crocus have arrived. They are about four days later than last year but they are here!

Check Out This New Garden Blog

2011-03-09T13:52:00.003-05:00

Attention Toronto and GTA gardeners. There's a new way to get good garden advice and find out about upcoming garden events. Check out the North Toronto Horticultural Society blog. The blog is really quite new but expect lots of good information to be posted there. North Toronto members are committed to excellence in horticulture and floral design, all the while having fun in exploring the wonderful world of gardening.

Japanese Red Pine "Golden Ghost"

2011-01-27T13:46:00.005-05:00

I added several pines to the garden last year out of a desire to have more interest in the winter garden. Maintenance was also a factor. I spent much of last gardening season fighting off various minor but persistent illnesses and the garden suffered for it. By including some more shrubs and trees I can cut back slowly on the maintenance and still have a garden that looks fabulous all year long. One of the pines I added is Pinus Densiflora or Japanese Red Pine "Golden Ghost."

The variegated needles caught my eye. The green and yellow, spaced at regular intervals along each needle, give "Golden Ghost" its unique glow. It looks especially stunning bathed in sunlight.

"Golden Ghost" should reach 7 feet tall by 4 feet wide in about 10 years time, making it a suitable fit for my small city garden (unlike the fir in the backyard which is about 40 feet tall with no signs of slowing down.)

The colours of "Golden Ghost" are supposed to change with the seasons. I'm looking forward to seeing these changes as I keep telling myself that spring is just around the corner. I am also looking forward to seeing this tree grow into a focal point. Right now it stands at only about 2 feet tall. Even at that modest stature, however, Pinus Densiflora or Japanese Red Pine "Golden Ghost" has turned out to be a stunner in the winter garden.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2010-12-22T21:05:00.002-05:00

A most unexpected bloom has been greeting me every morning for the last few days. It sprouted right outside my front door so I see it every time I exit or enter the house. I think it's a daisy but I can't know for sure.

It turns out that my heavy duty winter boots, rated to -30 degrees celcius, have treads in the shapes of flowers on the soles. I didn't know this when I bought them. Now that winter is here and my boots leave trails of flowers wherever I go I think "what a lucky purchase." I can enjoy these icy flowers all season long as each step leads me closer to spring.

Have a very merry Christmas and happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

Hidden Garden in the Lane

2010-11-23T16:42:00.005-05:00

Over at Toronto Gardens, one of my favourite blogs, the topic this week is Hidden Gardens: Toronto's Alleyways. It's all about the wonderful wildflowers and weeds one encounters when trekking through the back lanes of Toronto neighbourhoods. It made me immediately nostalgic for summer and my own laneway garden. I call it my laneway garden but, truth be told, it has nothing to do with me other than it sprouted next to my laneway parking spot. The "garden" is comprised of an enormous stand of goldenrod (which apparently has no problem growing in gravel) and an even more enormous bittersweet nightshade vine, an invasive and poisonous weed that grows far and wide.

I've tried to grow ornamentals in the lane only to be met with failure. The conditions, invariably, prove too harsh. And it doesn't help when drivers drive over my would-be garden. But let nature take its course and it is amazing what can happen. The nightshade vine dripping with red berries is quite the site to behold. The vine had been growing for several years already when this picture was taken.

The berries even added a splash of dramatic colour in the dead of winter. Alas, this garden is no more. While the goldenrod is more than welcome to stay, I removed the nightshade vine this fall. It was getting a little (okay, a lot) out of control, creeping into the neighbours' eavestroughs and under some of their garage roof shingles. I also felt a little guilty for allowing a plant with such a nasty nature to thrive for so long simply by neglecting to weed the laneway area. I'm glad the vine is gone...but it sure was beautiful while it lasted.

Beautiful Bok Choy

2010-11-14T09:13:00.003-05:00

This beautiful bok choy ended up in a stir-fry dinner last night. It thrills me to no end that I am still harvesting veggies from the raised beds in mid-November (notice the ruffled lettuce and dark green spinach in the background.) I tried bok choy for the first time this year and am very pleased with the results. The spring crop was very successful. The autumn crop is well on its way to surpassing the results of spring. Bok choy can be directly seeded into the garden. It produces a harvest when temperatures are still quite cool in spring and just as they are cooling down significantly in fall. I suspect that with a little bit of shade, bok choy might produce into the warmer summer months. A novice veggie gardener looking for something easy and tasty to grow should consider bok choy.

Still Blooming

2010-11-02T16:22:00.004-04:00

The calendar says November but the garden doesn't mind. Attention shifts to fall foliage colours at this time of year but I'm thrilled to say there is lots still blooming.

The calendula seem to be taking the cold evenings in stride. A light frost this morning made the calendula even more delightful. I love the variety of colours.

These flowers came to my garden courtesy of Connie at Notes from a Cottage Garden. Thank you Connie for making a usually dreary November than much brighter this year. I'll be sure to save some seed so I can enjoy these flowers again next year.

The calendula enjoy full sun all day long. Blooming right alongside them is the lesser calamint. Towards summer's end this little plant is covered in white blooms that are barely visible through the swarms of bees and other insects that love it so much. In fall, the flowers are more of a violet. They are as plentiful as at the height of summer and the fragrance is as intense as always.

Even in the shade, the blooms keep coming. The toad lily tricyrtis lasiocarpa is a stunner. The blooms are as impressive as the buds, of which there are many. I will protect this plant well this winter as it described as a toad lily for warmer climates. That certainly doesn't apply to my garden in February.

The toad lily "White Towers" has returned reliably for a few years now. It takes its time getting started in spring but is a reliable performer once it gets going. The spotty foliage is of interest all season long until the blooms take to the spotlight starting some time in October. There are flower buds at regular intervals along the entire length of the toad lily stems. As one cluster of blooms fades, the next comes into bloom. As a result, this plant produces blooms for a month or more.

Also still blooming in the shade is the bugbane. If it were standing up straight, this plant would easily reach five feet. I have it in very dense shade, however, so I find it grows at more of an angle as it reaches for the sun. I had three of these remarkable plants at the start of the summer but a team of painters wiped out two. I am hoping they reappear next year. I am very tempted to move them to a sunnier spot to achieve a more upright appearance.

I also grow "Black Negligee" bugbane. It is a much shorter variety, topping out at about three feet. The name refers to the dark foliage. Out of three plants only one bloomed. I fear my shade really is too dense to allow these plants to thrive so, again, a move to a sunnier locale may be in order.

The calendar says November but there is lots still blooming. Maybe I'm finally getting the hang of the all-season garden.

Four Seasons of Serviceberry

2010-10-15T19:20:00.007-04:00

When I first started gardening, a successful season meant blooms from May to August. That's simply not good enough anymore. I crave colour in the garden as early as March and as late as November. Serviceberry (amelanchier canadensis) is a wonderful shrub that helps to extend the season and provide year-round interest.

One of the best features of serviceberry is its outstanding fall colour. All of the photos here are of foliage from the same shrub.

The colours are so lovely as they mingle together. Together they give off a glowing warmth that is very welcome as the days grow shorter and the nights grow cooler.

In spring, the serviceberry is among the first shrubs to herald the arrival of sunnier days.

By June, the shrub is absolutely dripping with berries. The berries start off green, turning a bright red for a few days. The berries then mature to a deep purple. This is a no-mess shrub. Left to their own devices, robins will feast on every last berry, whether on a branch or on the ground. Fortunately, there are lots of berries to go around. For several weeks each summer, breakfast comes with a side of serviceberries. One day, there will be enough for a serviceberry pie.

In winter, the serviceberry has a pleasing form. I add my own colour during the darkest and dreariest months. In my Zone 6a Toronto garden, serviceberry has been a problem-free, four-season delight. If you have a little extra room for something special in your garden, serviceberry is a great choice.

Ornamental Cabbage in the Fall Garden

2010-10-06T13:37:00.004-04:00

This year I decided to grow some ornamental cabbage from seed. I got a very late start...July to be exact...so I wasn't especially hopeful that my efforts would amount to much. Happily, the cabbage plants don't seem finicky about calendar dates. They have reached a fairly substantial size. The largest are more than a foot tall and more than a foot in diameter. The smallest aren't that much smaller. I grew the plants in my raised veggie beds. Today I moved them to the front yard garden where they are nestled in among the geranium "Rozanne."

The plants haven't developed the wildly colourful centres of pink, purple and white as seen on the seed pack (blame the late start) but there's still plenty of time in the growing season, especially since these guys don't mind the cold. Even without their colourful centres, the plants are quite bold in their appearance and add interest as "Rozanne" begins to wane. They are right up against the sidewalk so I hope the neighbours enjoy the view.

A trip to the garden centre to pick up some compost revealed that ornamental cabbages, similar in size to mine, are going for $10 or more each! That makes me feel pretty good about a seed pack I picked up for $1.69.

Update: I'v been doing some more research on ornamental cabbage and it turns out I planted the seeds at just about the right time. Most websites suggest planting anywhere between 6 and 10 weeks before the first anticipated hard frost. As for the brightly coloured centres of the plant, I can expect to see them as the temperature drops. Cooler days and nights enhance the colour of the cabbage. I thought I would be able to enjoy these plants until about Halloween, but it turns out they don't mind temperatures as low as 5F or -15C. That means there could be colour in the garden right until the end of the year! My $1.69 investment is looking better and better.

Horticultural Showdown Success!

2010-09-24T11:30:00.011-04:00

Make no mistake about it: there's a competitive spirit among gardeners. This past weekend, I invited green thumbs on my street to show off the best, biggest, most beautiful and just plain weird fruits, veggies, or flowers growing in their garden. I dubbed the event a friendly "Horticultural Showdown." The only rule was that participants had to have grown their own entries. I placed a collection of zinnias and my entry, the beet to beat, on a table in front of our house and waited for the fun to begin. It wasn't long before the entries started rolling in and the table started getting crowded.

There were so many beautiful entries like this collection of leafy greens, celery and apples. Until the showdown, I don't think I had ever seen anyone grow celery successfully in the city.

These green beans were a foot long!

A beautiful basket of potatoes reminded me of how much fun it is to grow potatoes.

The chayote (pronounced chay-OH-teh) squash was easily the most memorable entry of the day. This was the first time I had ever seen one. This is a plant native to Mexico but apparently very easily grown by the lady down the street.

Neighbours were invited to cast a ballot for their favourite entry. In addition to all the fabulous edibles I've shown you, neighbours also entered roses, a berberry, a venus fly-trap, a collection of herbs, a collection of massive kale leaves, beets, carrots, and hot peppers. Third place went to this collection of tomatoes and peppers.

Second prize went to a beautiful berried branch of mahonia grape. Everyone wondered if the tightly clustered berries were blueberries. You can see the branch on the left side of the picture (click to enlarge). First prize went to the perfect pumpkin on the right. Not only was it a great size and vibrant orange colour but it was entirely unblemished. How did the squirrels and raccoons miss it? There was much hooting and hollering as the winners were announced. They each collected a modest prize of some seeds or spring bulbs that I scrounged up. It was an incredibly fun day even if the beet to beat never stood a chance.

The Beet to Beat!

2010-09-17T11:06:00.002-04:00

The neighbours on my street have been working together for the past few weeks to organize a street festival and car-free day. Our street will closed to traffic for an afternoon of fun including a bike parade and dog pageant, stilt walkers and street hockey. My contribution is our street's first ever horticultural showdown. I have invited neighbours to submit entries of the biggest, baddest, most beautiful or just plain weird fruits and veggies they have been growing in their yards. I'll be showcasing this giant chioggia beet.

The beet has quietly occupied a space in the raised veggie beds since about April. I've placed a fork and a quarter next to it to give you a sense of how large and hefty it is (I wish I had a scale.) I'm very pleased with this beet, especially since last year's beet crop was a total bust. Once the veggie competition is over, I'll be pickling this bad boy so it can be enjoyed for months to come. My neighbours are starting to come through with their entries. A lady down the street has entered a mammoth tomato and a hot pepper that's at least 1 foot long. And my mother has a collection of gargantuan beans that have to be seen to be believed. I'm hoping for lots more entries. It should be a lot of fun. So far the standard has been set high: this is the beet to beat.

Absentee Blogger Returns with Tales of the Gentian

2010-08-28T17:08:00.011-04:00

So, how is it possible to get from Tulip Time to late summer without a single blog entry? A simple equation explains this unexpected turn of events.

Home renovations + an active seven-year old + a persistent throat infection and fatigue + a summer of giving tours in other people's gardens = the absentee blogger.

Remarkably, Blogger tells me gardeners have continued to check in through the blogging drought. For your patience, dear readers, thank you.

Despite the complete lack of entries, much has been happening in the garden. The garlic crop was incredible. Annuals were a bigger part of the garden than ever before. And, I've gone a bit conifer crazy. There has been a definite shift to more woody plants in both the full sun backyard garden and the shady woodland out front. Happily, there will be much to blog about in the cold months ahead.

I was coaxed out of my non-blogging stupor by colour. The closed gentians (gentiana clausa) began blooming a few days ago and the iridescent blue of the flowers caught my eye. The colour is very reminiscent of the Dwarf Iris "Cantab" which awakened the gardener in me in early spring.

The gentians are planted amid the "Orange Queen" epimedium. Through careful garden design (also known as happy coincidence) the foliage of the epimedium and gentian are a nearly identical chartreuse colour. As a result, the taller gentian stems seem to emerge from the centre of the chartreuse epimedium carpet, almost as if the two plants were really one. This chartreuse futher provides an outstanding colour contrast to the blue gentian flowers.

I was so delighted to see these blue beauties this year. I was doubly delighted to discover that closed gentians blooms in tiers. Not only will you find a cluster of blooms at the end of the stem, but there are blooms that emerge from each whorl of leaves present on the stem. There are only a few secondary, tiered blooms this year. I expect the performance of the flowers will improve in subsequent summers. Their late summer bloom time is also appreciated. With the exception of the bugbane which is still to bloom, everything else in the garden faded long ago.

While researching gentiana clausa I learned that these North American natives are considered the flowers of wet meadows and woodlands. I have provided my gentians with some supplemental watering this summer. Even so, it has been very hot and dry. The gentians have taken their dry shade location in stride and appear to be content. I am happy to say that another impulse purchase has paid off.

Tulip Time

2010-05-02T20:26:00.008-04:00

Considering the squirrel population around these parts, it has been a really great year for tulips. I love the drama of this almost black tulip, variety unknown.

The dwarf species tulip "Little Beauty" has finally bloomed despite my suspicions that it may never make an appearance. Its skinny, strappy foliage hugs the ground while the bloom is only about an inch or two high. Tulip Saxatilis, which was planted at the same time as "Little Beauty" last fall, is still missing in action.

The long-stemmed red tulips in the foreground have been blooming all week. The "White Cloud" tulips in the background just opened up within the last two days.

Here's another bunch of long-stemmed red tulips. The red flowers really pop out against the emerging green foliage of the garden.

Of the three species tulip varieties I planted last fall, Turkestanica was easily the strongest performer. Even though its flowers have long since faded, Turkestanica impressed me so much I'm including a picture here and counting it among the biggest tulip successes of this spring.

Obviously the garden isn't overflowing with tulips. I've always been averse to planting them because of the earlier mentioned squirrel situation. This spring's success stories, however, are encouraging. Maybe next year, with some careful selections and clever companion planting to deter the squirrels, there will be even more tulips to enjoy at tulip time.

Garden Debuts, Old and New Favourites

2010-04-21T20:13:00.014-04:00

There's lots that new and blooming for the first time in the garden. First up is the epimedium that was added to the front-yard shade garden last spring. There were no blooms last year, so I was absolutely thrilled to see the flowers this morning.

The blooms of "Orange Konigin" are a delightful coppery-orange colour. They are so small that it was difficult to get a good photograph of the flower. Epimedium are great plants for dry shade (lucky for me, 'cause that's where I've planted them). As a bonus, they tolerate drought. In a few years, the sprays of flowers should create an orange haze above a good mound of foliage.

Sticking with the miniatures, daffodil "Minnow" is in bloom. At only about 10 inches tall, this is a diminutive daff. The bloom is only about the size of my thumb.

It is very possible that "Minnow" is in fact "New Baby" but I won't know for sure until "New Baby" blooms. Whatever it's name, I love it.

Tulipa Turkestanica is blooming for the first time. I am so glad I planted this species tulip. The squirrels haven't touched it and the blooms are spectacular in a carefree kind of way. It's a bloom that looks great without looking like it's trying to look great.

Sadly, Turkestanica's companions have yet to make an appearance and I'm beginning to think they might not bother. Tulipa Saxatilis and "Little Beauty" are nowhere in sight.

The smallest new bloom in the garden is Bishop's Cap or Mitrewort. I picked up some Mitella Diphylla at a native plant sale last spring and immediately divided it into six plants.

While it was difficult to get a good picture, these plants are really very charming. The flower stems stand tall with confidence.

The Tete-a-Tete daffodils are new to the garden and already a favourite. How could I not love these? They have been blooming for three weeks already! They look great on their own but next to a pulmonaria they look outstanding. I have grown pulmonaria for years and never give it enough credit. Now that I've seen it with miniature daffs, I think I have a new favourite combination.

The serviceberries are blossoming. Serviceberry has been a favourite for a few years now. At one time, it was one of the garden's earliest bloomers. Now, it has taken its place in line behind some of the flowers mentioned above. Still, I love it for its creamy white blooms that lead to a colourful June display and an even more colourful autumn display. In June, bright red berries against deep green leaves make me think of Christmas. And fiery orange fall colour make this shrub unforgettable in autumn. I love serviceberry.

Bloodroot is relatively new to the garden but a veteran compared to some of the bulbs debuting this spring. It has such a pretty bloom and the foliage is very impressive (sort of like an extremely large fig leaf). My only complaint is that I can't get enough of it. There have only been a handful of blooms this year. I want a colony. I think dry weather is certainly a factor.

I am happy to say that the garden has had something in bloom since the end of March. Just as one bloom is fading, another is taking up the slack. So, I've come to realize that "Succession Planting" is not a myth. You really can have plants bloom one after the other so that there is always something of interest. It has been a great start to spring, with old and new favourites making the garden come alive.

Coming Soon: My Very Own Cottage Garden

2010-04-15T11:43:00.006-04:00

One month ago today I received the best message from Connie who blogs at Notes From a Cottage Garden. She was sharing a little bit of her garden and I had just won her Cottage Garden Seeds Giveaway. After three weeks in transit, the seeds arrived in a beautiful package complete with a lovely little ribbon.

Inside was a collection of seeds from Connie's beautiful garden including:

Bachelor Buttons
Calendula (various kinds)
California Poppy (orange and cream)
Cosmos (Pinks, whites, and bi-colors)
Cosmos (tall Orange)
Corncockle
Dairy Pink
German Catchfly
Larkspur
Nigella
Poppy, Shirley
Silene
Rose Campion (biennial)
Mountain Garland
Wild Lupine (perennial)

I was so excited to get started and then...I got sick. Really sick! Sick in bed for eight days sick. Uggh! I'm still coughing and sputtering and sniffling but feeling better nevertheless. With the sunshine calling to me today, I gathered up my strength and prepared two areas for Connie's seeds.

The first is a small patch of garden that sits in shade all morning but gets full-on sun in the afternoon. Some purple coneflowers and maiden grass are already growing here and should mix well with the new flower additions.

The second spot is right in front of my tall bearded irises. They should be done blooming by June. The foliage will fade into the background as the cottage flowers come into their own. I will add a third area of cottage garden flowers but need to prepare it first (it is in need of some serious weeding!) I'm happy to say that there will be enough seeds to share in the community garden down the street. It seems the whole neighbourhood will have a cottage garden to enjoy. Thank you Connie for sharing a little bit of your garden. I'll post pictures of progress in the months to come.

Yellow in the Garden

2010-04-05T14:47:00.005-04:00

Visiting with family kept me busy this beautiful Easter long-weekend. I came back from an overnight stay to find the garden had come alive with yellow blooms. The Tete-a-Tete daffodil is so small it makes the Dwarf Iris "Cantab" look like a giant. The bright yellow of the Tete-a-Tete's looks brilliant next to the cobalt blue of "Cantab," (although I have failed to get a picture that really captures the contrast.)

The King Alfreds have begun blooming in the backyard. They are truly giants among daffodils.

Even the windowsill daffodils are getting in on the action. This window box always presents a dilemma in summer. Nothing has ever grown here really well mainly because I forget to water. The simplicity of the daffodils is appealing but what's a good summer alternative that won't mind a little (okay, a lot) of drought? Suggestions are welcome. If I can't think of anything I have not ruled out an artificial window display.

And, finally the Dwarf Iris "Danfordiae" are showing off their sunny faces. Last spring was much more miserable than this year but the brilliant yellow of these blooms got me through. I loved them so much I planted 80 bulbs last fall. While the colour hasn't disappointed, the performance of the bulbs has me worried. So far, out of 80 bulbs only about half-a-dozen have bloomed. Here's hoping that a few early birds have made an appearance with the rest still to come, because a wide swath of these bright bloomers would be a welcome sight indeed.

True Blue: Dwarf Iris "Cantab" Garden Debut

2010-03-31T14:37:00.004-04:00

Every morning I pull back the bedroom curtain and peek outside to see what kind of day it's going to be. This morning a flash of blue caught my eye. I raced downstairs and outside into the front-yard shade garden to discover the Dwarf Iris "Cantab" in bloom. I would just like to say "Wow!"

It's only about as tall as my pointer finger but what an impact! It's the bluest bloom I've ever had in the garden and it is unforgettable (even my husband who rarely takes notice of anything horticultural remarked on the colour.) I planted 48 of these bulbs last fall. I can't wait to see each and every one of them show their true blue colours.

Drifts of Crocus: A Gardener's Optimistic View

2010-03-24T20:37:00.011-04:00

I was on a mission when I went into the backyard this afternoon...probably something to do with taking care of the garbage or recycling. My mission was immediately aborted and promptly forgotten when I saw the crocus in bloom. Suddenly I was on a new mission: get the camera!

I have always loved these miniature marvels of the garden. They are bright and cheerful and very insistent about the fact that winter is over. There is only one drawback I can think of when it comes to crocus: you need hundreds upon hundreds of them to really make an impact.

Well, hundreds upon hundreds of crocus bulbs can get very expensive, very fast, so over the years, I've been content to watch one or two, sometimes even three, crocus pop up here and there. I figured I'd leave them to their own devices.

During all those years while I wasn't looking, the crocus began to multiply. Where there used to be one or two blooms, I am now finding six, seven, or even eight blooms.

Then it dawned on me: the garden was no longer home to a scattered handful of crocus. It was home to drifts of crocus. Two whole drifts of them.

By the standards of any self-respecting garden book or magazine, my drifts would generously be described as, oh...let's say modest. But for this optimistic gardener, these are some of the finest looking drifts of crocus ever.

Canada Blooms: Better than Ever

2010-03-19T21:37:00.012-04:00

Wow and wow! That's the best way to describe Canada Blooms 2010. While the show has left me feeling a bit disappointed and underwhelmed in the past, this year I was really impressed. The new venue at the Direct Energy Centre is far more friendly and welcoming than the cavernous and sometimes dungeon-like Convention Centre. There seemed to be a renewed interest in real plants and people who love plants: horticultural societies and garden clubs got a whole aisle to themselves this year. And all of the really big showy gardens seemed modest, realistic, and attainable compared to the "I'll-never-be-able-to-afford-that-garden-ever" types of gardens that I expected to see. In other words, there were beautiful gardens to see and wonderful ideas to borrow.

"Sea Urchins" by Nippaysage Landscape Architects of Montreal was easily my favourite display. There's simply no way to go wrong with that many tulips. Gorgeous.

"Yellow Beacon," the Canadian Cancer Society's garden, featured a wall of daffodils.

The "Down to Earth" garden billed itself as "a studio garden of earthly energy and edible plants. A place to work, play, create...whatever your passion." It caught my eye with its use of lush ferns and awesome masks.

"Seen Unseen" featured plantings in oil drums to draw attention to Canada's Boreal Forest and how it's being affected by the rapid growth of energy production from the Tar Sands. Gardens with a "message" (like last year's horrible plastic pot landscape) usually make me roll my eyes and groan, but I found this one to be especially effective. The cold, steely drums contrasted well with the warmth of the plantings, suggesting incompatibililty. The size of the drums compared to the plantings also suggested, to me at least, that in the battle of the tulip versus the Tar Sands, the tulip won't win.

Edibles were everywhere, including this edible landscape that can only be described as cute. I just love that little mushroom path! Bright red cherry tomatoes featured prominently in several displays. I was very happy to see the City of Toronto promoting urban agriculture through backyard and community gardens. The focus on edible landscapes as something beautiful in and of itself was such a refreshing change from past years where some of the gardens seemed to be defined only by pavers and patio stones.

There was a lot to see on the floral design front including this eye-catching orchid display. Outstanding!

While there was a lot of creative, avant-garde design, this display of white roses won me over for its simplicity. Classy and classic.

I managed to resist temptation and walked away from Canada Blooms empty-handed. However, if this handmade copper water tree had been for sale I would surely have taken it home. It was just beautiful, as it simulated the sight and sound of rain falling through an oak tree.

Hellebore "Ivory Prince" was the perennial star of Canada Blooms. It was abundant in several gardens as were tulips, daffodils and rhododendrons. All were beautiful, of course, but wouldn't it be amazing to see a garden show in June or July when more plants could strut their stuff? Maybe some day. In the meantime, Canada Blooms 2010 gets a big round of applause from me.

Snowdrops and Seeds

2010-03-11T14:17:00.006-05:00

The first bloom of the year! Hurray! This snowdrop in the backyard garden made my day.

Inside, the kitchen greenhouse is good to go. I had planned only to assemble it today. Then it occurred to me that a seed station isn't much without some seeds. Good thing I picked some up at William Dam Seeds last weekend.

It's still a bit early for planting so I decided to start with peppers because they need a good, long growing season. I haven't had much luck with peppers in the past (I have only ever successfully harvested one bell pepper over two seasons as a veggie gardener.) I love them enough to try again. Up first is Hungarian Hot Wax. Look at those colours! The pepper is described as long and tapered with medium heat. It starts off yellow and turns orange red.

I simply could not resist the Flame Hybrid. The presentation on the seed packet made me stop and look twice. The peppers are described as very pungent and hot; 12 cm long and just over 1cm wide. It is a Thai pepper. I love Thai food!

The sun is shining down brightly on the kitchen greenhouse and those pepper seeds as I type this. Would it be too much of a garden cliche to declare that this is going to best garden season ever?

Colourful Inspiration at TBG

2010-03-10T19:25:00.013-05:00

I love perennials. They are crammed into every available space in my garden. From about May to November they look absolutely fabulous. Through most of the winter the sedums, coneflowers, black-eyed susans and globe thistles stand tall, braving the elements. Right about now, though, everything is looking...well... like a horticultural horror show. There's nothing to see but mud.

I would much rather have a winter garden that looks like this. For one thing, it's not all the colour of dirt. I found this little bit of inspiration at the Toronto Botanical Garden. It made me want to introduce some year-round colour to my garden.

Cornus Sanguineum "Winter Beauty" caught my eye from across the garden.

Its twigs have an orange-red to almost pink quality about them. The picture doesn't do them justice. The twigs were like a glowing beacon, beckoning me to start planting for a four-season garden.

The Golden Scots Pine or Pinus Sylvestris was golden, of course. I was planning to add some evergreens to the garden this year. I'm that much more excited knowing that evergreens don't necessarily have to be green.

Pieris Japonica "Mountain Fire" can certainly light up a gloomy late-winter garden. In spring, new growth emerges as a fiery red and the shrub also drips with pendulous creamy white blooms. And how's this for a bonus: it doesn't mind shade. Adding just these three shrubs to my perennial border would improve the garden infinitely. So that's where the garden budget will go this year: shrubs that provide winter interest.

If I'm lucky, the budget will also allow for the purchase of a Magnolia "Elizabeth." The fuzzy buds on "Elizabeth" were the size of small plums! I didn't even mind that the buds were grey, my favourite colour for describing our interminable winters. The sight of those buds was breathtaking and only made me more eager than ever to get planting again.

Gold and Gardens

2010-03-01T13:48:00.014-05:00

I'm thinking of a new colour theme for the garden this year. It's either going to be red and white... or maybe gold... as in HOCKEY GOLD!!! YEAH!!!! WHOO HOOO!!! I wish someone could bottle the incredible feeling of euphoria and national pride that swept across our country last night. Just think of everything we could accomplish riding that wave of synergy. Congratulations to Team U.S.A. for a fabulous game. Congratulations to all the athletes for bringing their best to the Vancouver 2010 Games and showing the world exactly what they are made of. You should all be very proud.

Now, back to gardening. March 1st has arrived in style. Although there is lots of winter and bad weather left to endure, on March 1st I always feel we've made it through. It was an absolutely stunning day with above zero temperatures, sunshine to spare and blue skies. For me there was no better place to be than outside to survey the garden.

The miscanthus sinensis "gracillimus" or maiden grass looked nice all winter. It's time to cut it back. After two years in the garden, it has yet to produce flower plumes. I'm hoping this is the year.

The foliage of Hellebore "Ivory Prince" looks healthy and fresh under the snow. "ivory Prince" will be among the first perennials to bloom in the garden.

It's going to be another good year for the "Ludwig Spaeth" lilac. I can't wait to experience its fragrance once again.

The buds of the serviceberry shrubs add a touch of red to the garden. They will produce white blooms in early spring followed by tasty berries in June. It's always a challenge to get to the berries before the birds and raccoons do.

The beech is still holding onto its brilliant copper leaves which provide a much-welcome splash of colour in the winter garden. In the summer, its leaves will be a dark purple. Last fall, the tree's leader put on about three feet of growth! That's enough that it should block the view of an unsightly laneway and make the backyard feel like a little forested retreat.

The red twigs of the cornus alba "Elegantissima" stand out amid all the brown in the garden right now. Some of its older branches have turned a bit brown and unsightly. Nothing a little pruning won't fix.

And speaking of unsightly...this is the worst of the garden right now: a muddy patch under a huge balsam fir. It has always been difficult to plant here because of shallow soil and root competition. Last year, though, I helped some woodlanders move in here including wild geranium and red baneberry. A tovara virginiana or jumpseed plant did well here last season so I hope it returns for a repeat performance. Maybe it will sprout some friends that will weave themselves into a ground cover. I would be very happy with that.

It's so good to be back thinking about gardening again. It leaves me with an absolutely golden glow.

The Colours of Cuba

2010-01-06T20:26:00.018-05:00

I had the very good fortune of enjoying a sunny visit to Cuba over the holiday season. The trip came just in time to save me from my annual, start of winter funk. Sunshine and shorts are a great way to start the new year! There was so much to see, including the above scene in Old Havana: La Bodeguita Del Medio, a bar famous for once being Ernest Hemingway's favourite watering hole among other things. I had to see it when I realized this particular street scape is somewhat iconic in Cuba. Paintings and photographs of the scene are everywhere, available in every style imaginable. The only thing missing in my photo is a classic car parked right out front.

So what happens when a garden blogger travels? Along with hundreds of pictures of historic buildings and monuments, you get hundreds of pictures of plants. These palms created a lush, green oasis at the Capitol Building in Havana.

The Royal Palm is Cuba's National Tree.

This Agave was obviously happy with its sunny location, reaching gigantic status.

This flowering climber in Old Havana is what I always envisioned for my home. However, I doubt it would appreciate that well-known Canadian endurance test we call February.

Many of Cuba's plants remain a mystery to me but I'm pretty sure this is bougainvillea.

It grows everywhere, often appearing as a wild, crazy overgrown shrub dripping with blooms.

Around the resorts of Varadero, bougainvillea is clipped into neat hedges.

The Crown of Thorns plant was also a popular hedging plant. Let's just say I took a little extra care when passing close by. They are in street planters everywhere.

The weather during my stay wasn't exactly red-hot, but these blooms were.

I love the way the sunlight hit these blooms. Somewhere, a hummingbird must be very happy.

These blooms appeared on a tree with leathery foliage very much like a magnolia...so maybe it is a magnolia.

And what tropical location would be complete without hibiscus.

Unlike the hibiscus I've seen here in Canada, including two growing in my backyard, the stamens are far more prominent and seem wildly intricate.

Cuba provided a much needed jolt of sunshine and warmth. And because one can't live on the joys of flora alone here's a shot of a glorious sunset to keep you warm during the cold months ahead.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-23T21:25:00.003-05:00

Wishing you the very best of the season and an awesome New Year. Happy Gardening to all in 2010.

Winter Urns and Window Box

2009-11-24T20:21:00.003-05:00

Let's forget, for now at least, the bags of miniature iris bulbs sitting under the kitchen table waiting to be planted. And the two dozen daffodil bulbs. Not to mention the three dozen or so pass-along yellow iris rhizomes I brought home from my mother's garden today. They'll all get planted really soon...I promise. For this week, though, springtime plantings are on hold in order to give the house and garden a festive makeover before the arrival of the snow.

In the past I've had a local landscaper design my urns. I wanted a "wow" factor I could never seem to achieve. This year I'm determined to deliver the "wow" all on my own. The two pictures above are of an urn on my backyard deck. The yew came from backyard clippings. Fir boughs, cedar branches and bright red dogwood twigs were collected in the country at my in-laws' place. I added a few dogwood branches from my Cornus Alba "Elegantissima" as well. My newly sheared euonymus provided plenty of leathery evergreen leaves with bright orange fruit pods. The red "berries" and white branches are from previous urn designs. I kept them figuring they could be reused some day (today! yay!)

The second backyard urn features the same material as the first but arranged in a slightly different way. The cedar and euonymus are more dominant along the front of the urn creating a "skirt" effect. I also added several dried astilbe blooms from the garden. I didn't think the stems would be sturdy enough to stick into the ground but they were.

There are more of the same materials in the window box with one exception: I found some juniper clippings put out by a neighbour for trash collection and just had to have them.

I'm very happy with the designs. I think they have good height and beautiful colour contrasts. There is a fullness to the urns and window box that was lacking in my earliest efforts (the reason I got a pro to help in the first place.) I can't help but be extremely pleased that these designs didn't cost me a cent! Materials for urns can be crazy expensive! You can bet I'll be poking around neighbours' yards for clippings in the future. Finally, I'm happy I can say "I did that! It's an original design by me!" Funny how I found a creative outlet in some branches nobody wanted.

So things are looking a little more festive around these parts. The question remains: what do you think? Have I delivered the "wow?"

Euonymus Epiphany

2009-11-18T23:36:00.008-05:00

Euonymus shrubs like the gnarly, twisted and sprawling mess growing in my front yard have never been a favourite of mine. Most of the evergreen varieties I have seen tend to be...well... gnarly, twisted and sprawling. In all honesty, euonymus was ugly to me. I ranked it second only to goutweed as a most hated plant. But recently I came to see the error of my ways. I realized that I had been judging this plant far too harshly. It was time to make amends.

I recently attended a City Shade Gardening seminar presented by horticulturalist extraordinaire Marion Jarvie at the Toronto Botanical Garden. It was most enjoyable and I took home lots of practical advice that I've already started to implement. It was during one of the lectures that I had a euonymus epiphany. The lecture featured images of some very lovely euonymous clipped into large topiary balls or towers. Marion mentioned that euonymus is sometimes criticized for being an unattractive shrub, but...and this is where it hit me....

it's not the plant that's bad...it's the gardener.

At that moment I was sure Marion knew my secret euonymus shame. How could I have allowed my shrub to get so out of control? How could I have neglected it for 11 long years only to turn around and blame it for being undesirable? I knew I had to act. Something had to be done. So I went out and bought some loppers (amazing what you can do with proper garden tools) and I got to work. It didn't take long to prune the euonymus back to a shadow of its former self.

By the time the pruning was done, the euonymus stood only about a foot high. It looked absolutely wonderful. Now I find myself looking forward to spring when it will start putting on some new growth. I hated this plant for so many years that I blinded myself to its many charms: leathery and glossy evergreen foliage, creamy springtime blooms, bright green new foliage and colourful fruit in fall.

New Fall Favourite: Fothergilla Gardenii

2009-11-13T08:48:00.006-05:00

Every year when autumn rolls around I inevitably go on and on about the amazing, blazing colour my burning bush produces. It deserves all the praise I give it. The red foliage is outstanding and I can't imagine my garden without it. This year, the burning bush did not disappoint but its fall foliage spectacle has been over for at least a week.

Enter Dwarf Forthergilla or Fothergilla Gardenii. The two shrubs I purchased earlier this year have been more than happy to step into the spotlight now that the burning bush has made its exit. The fothergilla is not nearly as in-your-face as the euonymous alatus. The colours are far more subtle and each leaf provides several shades of yellow, orange and sometimes red. The best way I can describe the overall effect is by comparing it to a camp fire: the shrubs glow warmly while featuring occasional hot spots to make things interesting. Perfect for the ever cooler and shorter days of November.

The shrubs are growing very happily in a fairly shady section of the woodland walk. At only about one foot tall, they have a lot of growing to do which means many more and better fall foliage displays. In a few weeks, once they have dropped their leaves, the countdown to spring begins. It will only be a few short months before the fothergillas are back with their fragrant, bottle-brush blooms. I'm happy to have extended the fall foliage show in the garden. And I'm happy to be discovering plants that provide multiple seasons of interest. Obsessive research through an ever growing pile of garden books and hours of surfing garden sites is really starting to pay off.

New Fall Bulbs: An Inventory

2009-10-09T21:26:00.017-04:00

The bulbs are here! The bulbs are here! A box containing my first ever online bulb order arrived in the mail this week. As much as I wanted to start planting, bad weather kept me out of the garden. The rain didn't keep me out of the garden centre, however. As a result, I'm up to my ankle in bulbs of the garden centre and online variety and I'm ready to dig. I am determined not to repeat mistakes of the past, i.e. forgetting what I plant the minute I put it in the dirt. So here's an inventory of bulbs for future reference.

Daffodil "Ice Follies"
I tried "Ice Follies" for the first time last year, planting several large groupings in the community garden. They performed admirably producing plenty of long-lasting blooms. I love daffodils for their early flowers. I love them more because squirrels don't touch them. I'll be adding 26 bulbs to the front-yard garden.

Iris danfordiae
I planted a small group of these miniature iris in the front garden last fall. They were the earliest flowers to bloom this past spring. The flowers are an intense yellow and seem to last forever. On the down side, they bloom once and then take several years before blooming again. Garden websites recommend planting a few new bulbs every year so that you always have some blooming while the bulbs multiply in the earth. I have taken that advice to heart and will be adding 80 bulbs.

Dwarf Iris "Cantab"
The catalogue had me at "vivid, cobalt blue petals." 48 bulbs.

Drumstick Allium, A. caeruleum
Alliums of all sorts make me swoon. Mainly it's the price. Purchasing some of the real giants like "Globemaster" or "Gladiator" requires a small mortgage. Thankfully, the drumstick alliums are very reasonably priced. They will add some nice height and a jolt of reddish-purple to the May garden. 20 bulbs.

Daffodil "Minnow"
These two-tone daffodils grow only 10" tall. They are also supposed to be very fragrant. 36 bulbs.

Daffodil "New Baby"
Like the "Minnow," the "New Baby" won't grow taller than 10". Both daffodil varieties carry multiple blooms on each stem. 24 bulbs.

Daffodil "Tete-a-Tete"
I don't know what I was thinking when I decided to buy even more daffodils. The Tete-a-Tete's simply called out to me. Anytime I see a "great for naturalizing" sign I go a little nuts. Tete-a-tete are described as extra-early and also carry multiple blooms per stem. I'll be adding 50 to the garden.

Tulip Saxatilis
Why, oh, why do I grow tulips? They are an invitation to grief. Grief of the squirrel variety to be precise. But tulips are so beautiful it would be crazy not to try, right? Saxatilis is a miniature tulip. It is a species tulip that is supposed to be long-lived in the garden with the capacity to spread into a nice big clump. 18 bulbs.

Tulip "Little Beauty"
Another dwarf species tulip. Another "great for naturalizing" selection. I'm adding 18 bulbs.

Tulip "Turkestanica"
The BBC's Plant Finder website places "Turkestanica" in a category for experienced gardeners. Should I be worried? Probably. 18 bulbs.

Long Stemmed Red Tulips
This is the classic, tall red flower I expect to see when I hear the word "tulip." I have 18 bulbs that I will likely divide into groups of six.

Tulip "White Clouds"
Tall with ivory white petals. Again, I have 18 bulbs that I will divide into smaller groups. On top of all the tulips and all the other bulbs above, I also have 300 muscari bulbs to plant. This is easily the single-biggest bulb purchase I have ever made. I always like to justify my binge-buying by reminding myself that I don't splurge anywhere else. I also consider it a personal wellness purchase. After four long-months of winter, there is nothing better to recharge my batteries than springtime blooms.

Growing Garlic: Attempt #2

2009-10-06T13:10:00.003-04:00

My previous attempt at growing garlic was a complete and total bust. Last fall I took some grocery-store variety garlic cloves and stuck them in the ground. I was so happy when they sprouted. Alas, it was not meant to be. The garlic produced just a sad little single bulb that resembled a sad little onion.

The temporary defeat was not enough to deter me from trying again. So this year, I got serious. Very serious. Grocery story garlic obviously wasn't going to cut it so I placed an order for a hardneck garlic called Music. When it arrived I was astounded by the size of the cloves. They are truly giants.

I have a terrible habit of planting things will-nilly, wherever there's a spot available. It hasn't served me especially well. So this year I'm going with rows...plain old straight lines. And not only that, I brought out a measuring tape and measured precisely the distance between cloves. Surely the garlic will appreciate that.

I gave each planting hole a little sprinkle of blood and bone meal in hopes of giving the roots a running start. I think I've done everything right but it will be the spring of 2010 before I know for sure. Still, I think there's a garlic harvest in my future.

Apples, Rainbows, and a Face in the Clouds

2009-10-03T21:23:00.004-04:00

Today was supposed to be about apples...and it was, but it didn't end quite as expected. I am indifferent to apples for 11 months of the year. During apple picking season though, there is nothing I like better. Empires and Spartans were up for grabs today at a "U-Pick" orchard outside the city. I ate three apples before I even started to think about filling my bag. There is no beating the crispness of an apple right off the tree.

But apple picking (and the requisite side-trip to find the perfect pumpkin) is about much more than good apples. It's about building great memories. When I was a kid, my family would go apple picking every fall. There was something very special about riding out to the orchard on a wagon pulled by a tractor and stuffing our faces in the field. It was always a good day.

Those are the kinds of memories I want for my little sprout. Cozy and comforting. It was a good day despite the rain that fell...sometimes poured...intermittently through the afternoon. As we headed home, the skies began to clear and the sun came out. A perfect rainbow appeared over the highway. It was the perfect ending to the day. I got my camera out to capture the rainbow but I captured so much more.

Do you see it? I haven't fiddled with it in any way. It came straight off my camera and onto this blog. I think this picture is awesome. The rainbow is cool but the cloud formation is way cooler. It was there for a few minutes before dissipating.

Soon after taking these photos I arrived home to learn that a dear family friend had passed away after a long battle with cancer. He was a friend of my parents and one of the people responsible for some of my happiest childhood memories. When I was very little he would lift me up to a chandelier in my parent's home. I would run my hands through the crystal prisms. They made a beautiful, fairy-like, tinkling sound, all the while casting crazy rainbows that appeared to bounce all over the walls. That's right...crazy, dancing rainbows.

I'm trying not to attach any meaning to this confluence of photos and bad news. It's just what happened, right? Still, it's interesting how a day about apples led to a day about rainbows, a disappearing face in the clouds and indelible memories of a truly wonderful person. You'll be missed.

Autumn: Bursting With Blooms

2009-09-22T09:27:00.010-04:00

There was a time when the first day of fall brought a deep melancholy. The cooler temperatures could only mean that it was time to resign oneself to pots of mums.

Don't get me wrong: I adore mums. I love the way they look on my front steps. I love their distinct fragrance. And I love the feelings they invoke of warm, cozy nights by the fire, pumpkin pie with whipped cream and all the other delights autumn has to offer. But over the years I have learned that mums aren't the only options for fall blooms.

Two Toad Lily "White Towers" are blooming for me for the first time. Purchased last fall at an end-of-season sale, it's absolutely thrilling to see them at their best just as everything else in the garden is going kaput. Best of all, the plants are bursting with buds suggesting several more weeks of flowers. I can definitely see adding more of these to the shade garden.

The bugbane looks quite lovely covered with hundreds of tiny, round flower buds. The arching flower stem is beginning to straighten up and reach for the sky. I knew that bugbane was a late bloomer but I had no idea how late. I'm hoping for something very impressive come October. Like the toad lilies, the bugbane was a late-season addition last fall.

The hot pink of the sedum spectabile "Neon" is starting to fade. Here it is growing next to the extraordinarily fragrant calamint. I didn't plan this combination but quite like it. The sturdiness of the sedum is a nice contrast to the airy calamint.

Another plant that produces a very delicate and airy effect is white snakeroot. This native has really won me over for its carefree attitude and its irrepressible fall display. A warning though: I left the seed-heads on the plant last year. It reseeded itself everywhere. And I do mean everywhere!!! Fortunately the seedlings were easy to pull. I plan to keep growing it and to use it in some garden trouble spots but I will definitely take the shears to the spent flowers to prevent an all out invasion.

As the sunshine begins to make itself scarce, Black-Eyed Susans provide the perfect sunshine supplement. I have had mixed feelings about the Susans. I haven't always appreciated them for reasons I can't quite put my finger on. This year, however, they are looking especially spectacular.

Finally, the workhorse of the garden, Geranium "Rozanne" is still producing an abundance of blooms. She's slowing down a bit but even so "Rozanne" is still going strong toward the finish line. I'm just so happy that so many others are right there alongside "Rozanne" keeping the melancholy at bay and making sure that autumn is bursting with blooms.

All About Me(me)

2009-09-11T14:22:00.005-04:00

So much blogging to do, so little time. The Nutty Gnome is set to get me back on track though. She has tagged me for the "Seven Things You Don't Know About Me" meme. I can't possibly match the exciting times Nutty has shared but here goes. (By the way, the image above is Jerusalem Artichoke. They look positively gorgeous right now even if I have let them get somewhat out of control.)

1. I don't know how to pronounce "meme" and no matter how many times I look it up, it just won't stay in my head. Okay, I've just looked it up again...rhymes with "cream." Next time I see "meme" though I will be completely baffled.

2. While Nutty has met the Queen, I once shook hands with Princess Diana. A friend and royal watcher begged me to accompany her to the waterfront for a chance to see the Princess during her Toronto visit aboard the royal yacht. We waited for hours and hours pressed up against the barricades. A car pulled up to the dock and Princess Diana emerged. She was so far away. But then, to our unbelieving eyes, she made the long walk toward us. She shook hands with just about everyone in the crowd who could reach her. It may seem silly but shaking her hand was pretty special. She seemed to sparkle and her smile was completely genuine. I love a good celebrity sighting but Diana was different. There was no ego there. She seemed to really care about all those people on the waterfront that night.

3. My worst summer job ever was working (very briefly, thank goodness!) as a receptionist at a limousine company. The job was very boring until it took a very scary turn. One day a guy swinging a baseball bat showed up and took out the door frame while looking to collect on some sort of debt from one of the bosses. I didn't stick around long enough to find out what happened but pieced enough together to know the drivers were running cocaine more than they were running passengers around.

4. I can't eat eggs. Hard-boiled, scrambled, sunny side up...all their various incarnations get my gag reflex going.

5. The Who and Simon and Garfunkel top my list of music favourites. Ask my husband, though, and he'll tell you I have a thing for dancehall.

6. I played flute (badly) all through elementary and high school. It made school bearable.

7. I credit Arthur Fonzarelli, Richie Cunningham and the rest of the characters in Happy Days for teaching me about so many important life lessons. Happy Days was, is and will always be the best show ever. Let me reiterate: Best. Show. Ever. Ayyyyyyyyy!!!

So there you have it. A few interesting, ridiculous and even embarrassing things about me. Nominating seven blogs and pasting in all the code for links could take me days so I'll just put out an open invitation to any bloggers who want to share a few "fun facts" about themselves. It's always good for a laugh. Head over to The Nutty Gnome for more details.

The Jerusalem Artichokes probably have about a week of bloom time left. I always consider their faded blooms the official end of summer regardless of what the calendar says. While that leaves me a bit melancholy, it also signals the start of a whole new period in the garden: bulb planting time. Now that's exciting.

Worth the Wait

2009-08-24T15:34:00.002-04:00

It took more than a whole month longer than last year but the tomatoes are finally here. And don't they look just gorgeous? Last season my best one-day harvest was 21 Petitbec tomatoes. So far this year I'm up to a total of four tomatoes. I guess that makes them all the more precious. The colour and flavour are outstanding and lucky for me there are plenty more on the vine.

I have to thank Connie at Notes from A Cottage Garden for introducing me to the flavour sensation of Brandywine Tomatoes. Connie, you were absolutely right! Brandywines taste great!!! Make that: Brandywines taste GREAT!!! I started this Brandywine Red by the kitchen door in February. I plucked it from the vine late yesterday afternoon. My expectations were high and this tomato did not disappoint. It makes store-bought tomatoes taste bland, bland, bland. This tomato is truly like tasting a bit of sunshine. There are least another four Brandywine Reds on the vine right now. All of them are an infuriating green. With fall fast approaching I'm hoping for an intense burst of heat to help them ripen. Otherwise I'll be paying a visit to The Nutty Gnome to ask for the secrets to an awesome Green Tomato Chutney.

Green Tomatoes

2009-08-11T08:47:00.007-04:00

This is the only tomato in the garden that's looking exactly as it should: green. It's a green zebra. It's not quite ripe but at least it seems to be on track to make an appearance on a salad plate really soon.

The Petitbec tomatoes are way, way, way behind. I plucked last year's first Petitbec on July 18th. It is now August 10th. August 10th! There's not even a hint of a blush on these little guys.

After an extremely slow start the Brandywine Reds have taken off. The vines and fruit are large and vigorous. But yet again I have not seen anything to suggest the tomatoes will be turning red anytime soon. I'm beginning to wonder if I'll be able to harvest anything before September.

To make matters more frustrating, just look at all this basil. I planted it to enjoy with my not-yet-ripe-and-maybe-never-ripe tomatoes. What a waiting game! I should really just make pesto sauce!

As for those green tomatoes, I'm sure they will come along...eventually. I am planning for a glut of green tomatoes this fall though. I have made pickled green tomatoes in the past. To my surprise they were quite delicious. Are your tomatoes late? What do you do with your green tomatoes?

Clematis Niobe

2009-08-09T17:41:00.006-04:00

I am always planting stuff with the expectation that I won't see blooms until the following season. So when I planted a Clematis "Niobe" late last month I never expected to see this.

A beautiful bloom...

...unfurling on its trellis. There are least another four buds ready to open.

The camera makes "Niobe" look much more purple than it is. In reality, it is more of a rich red. The colour is a welcome addition to my mostly purple garden palette but not too much of a departure from my traditional favourites. Niobe joins another clematis, "Ernest Markham," in the yard. In a few seasons, I'm hoping both will become the thick, lush, floriferous vines I've been dreaming about for years.

Rainbow Hybrid Carrots

2009-07-30T14:47:00.002-04:00

I had so much success growing carrots last year that I knew for sure I would do it again. This year I wanted to try something different so I chose Rainbow Hybrids. They are a bit wee but I attribute that to lousy weather and the fact that I'm about six weeks late thinning them. Nevertheless, there are carrots galore to choose from. I hoped the white and yellow carrots would prove to be a flavourful adventure. So after chomping down I can tell you that they taste just like...carrot. A nice novelty for sure but I think I prefer my carrots orange. I'll go back to the tried and true next year (while carving out a small section of plot for the rather intriguing purple carrot.)

So Long, Farewell...

2009-07-28T22:12:00.005-04:00

Well, it has been nice. 11 summers ago a lone ditch lily grew in the very back of the yard of our newly purchased home. I was grateful to have inherited something that produced a bloom. A lone ditch lily isn't exactly spectacular so I rarely gave you any special attention. Still, you thrived. Perhaps you thrived a little too much.

In fact, you took over. You easily became the most successful plant in the garden despite the way I treated you. You turned the back of the yard into an impassable jungle. As much as I came to appreciate your carefree, laissez-faire attitude, the time has come to tame that little bit of wilderness.

And so I did. Look. I can see my walkway again. I had planned to divide you and replant you in a less chaotic fashion. But seeing that newly revealed garden space made me think that it's time to try something new.

Well maybe not new. Maybe it would be the perfect spot for the Miscanthus sinensis 'Gracillimus" purchased last year but placed poorly in the garden, right next to another group of orange lilies that overwhelmed the maiden grass and made it flop. But I digress.

Even though I've given you your walking papers doesn't mean I no longer care. Just look at all those daylily fans. You didn't think I would just chuck you into the compost bin did you? You're not right for my garden right now. But you still deserve a chance to grow and bloom.

So grow and bloom you will in the community garden. I think your strappy foliage will look just wonderful growing through the garden's wrought iron fence. And your blooms will grow at least as tall as the fence, obscuring the cars that park directly behind.

The more than two dozen fans that made it into the community garden were just a small fraction of the divided daylilies. The rest of you can sit out on the front lawn in pots, eagerly awaiting a would-be gardener who fancies herself a green thumb and finds herself tempted by the "free" sign. Yup. It has been nice. So long and farewell. I don't doubt for a second that you'll do just fine in whichever garden you set down your roots.

Red Baneberry: Beautiful, but...

2009-07-23T14:37:00.005-04:00

One of the surprise performers in the garden this year has been the red baneberry. I didn't know what to expect when I planted this native in the Woodland Walk in spring of 2008. It didn't do much last year. This year it has truly blossomed without any special care or attention.

Green berries carried high on sturdy stems caught my eye earlier this summer.

When the berries ripened to a deep red last week I stood in awe of just how beautiful they are. The berry bunches really "pop" against the lovely green foliage that serves as their backdrop. This is a plant that is winning me over. This is a plant I could make more room for. This is a plant I could grow to love. But there's a "but." A big "but." Those beautiful red berries are poisonous. Info on the interweb suggests just two berries are enough to kill a child. (Cue horror shriek!)

I always remind my little sprout to ask before eating anything from the garden or from nature. I'm sure she gets it because she asks. But berries are tempting little things aren't they? What if she forgets? What if the berries grab the attention of her playmates? The red baneberry is planted in the front yard, halfway up the walk to the front door. They are very visible from the sidewalk. What if a toddler wandered on over as they sometimes do?

To make matters worse the red baneberry is planted near two serviceberry shrubs. I'm always encouraging the sprout to eat the berries right off the branch, which she happily does by the handful. The other day, a complete stranger gathered a small jar full of serviceberries in exchange for some mint from her garden.

Planting poisonous berries next to colourful, inviting and edible berries seems to me like an invitation to confusion..or worse. Perhaps my penchant for imagining the worst case scenario is getting the best of me (too many years working in the news) but better safe than sorry. The red baneberry has to go...to a more remote location, out of the public eye and out of public reach.

So Soon?

2009-07-08T17:32:00.002-04:00

An end of season sale already? That's a bit of a shock to the system (not to mention a reality check....I'm still in springtime weeding mode...that's when I vow to get to that weedy patch first thing tomorrow!) The timing of this first sale seems especially early mainly because summer has yet to begin in earnest this year. I had to spark the fireplace last night it was so cold! And I don't even think of leaving the house without a sweater or umbrella. On the upside, the plants don't seem to mind and I don't miss the oppressive, smog-enhancing, do-nothing-but-sleep-in-your-basement heat we sometimes experience.

The "end of season" sign is a reminder of the reality of our short-lived summer. It also provides an energy jolt. Just as the birds and my little sprout are enjoying the last of the serviceberries, just as the bloodroot is fading, just as the Canada anemone is setting seed, just as the astilbe are hitting their stride, here's a chance to start planning next year's garden. And at half the price no less. I'd better get busy.

You Don't Always Get What You Pay For

2009-07-03T20:54:00.008-04:00

I knew something was up the minute I saw this nodding orange bloom last week. Unless the bud magically lifted itself skyward, there was no way this was the Wood Lily I purchased for the Woodland Walk last spring.

Sure enough, when the mystery flower bloomed for the first time today it was obvious this was no Wood Lily. Momentary disappointment was swept aside as soon as I realized that this latest garden addition is spectacular.

This lily looks good whether you are coming or going ( or maybe I should say whether you are looking up or down.) The problem is I don't know what it is. Turk's Cap Lily came to mind immediately but upon doing some research I realized it could also be a Michigan Lily. Some websites use the names interchangeably but others note several differences even though they are subtle differences. Trouble is, I'm not good with subtlety. I've looked at this bloom numerous times and am having trouble figuring it out. If anyone has an I.D. please fill me in.

I moved the lilies out of the Woodland Walk this spring to make way for a Fothergilla. The lilies ended up in front of a brand new Ligularia "The Rocket" in the front yard shade garden. The combination is inspired (but like most of my gardening successes, it's really plain old luck.) I love the colour combination and the way the ligularia spikes frame the lily. As these plants mature, the effect is sure to be more and more dramatic.

The Ligularia went in this spring. I had some qualms about planting this water lover. I am terrible at watering so I took some steps to make sure the Ligularia had a fighting chance. First I picked the dampest spot I could find in the front yard garden. I added a huge pile of leaf litter and compost to the Ligularia planting hole. I top-dressed the plant with more leaf litter and compost. Finally I laid down a thick layer of cedar mulch. I have been diligent about watering and lucky for the plants we've had a rainy spring and summer. The Ligularia is showing its appreciation.

In other lily news, Stella D'Oro is blooming her heart out. Stella gets some bad press for being omnipresent in large plantings at malls or government buildings and such. Yes, she's everywhere! Including my backyard.

Stella brightens a small patch of earth right by our parking spot. She'll bloom her pretty blooms right into fall.

The colour of the Ditch Lilies always blows my mind. Their orange is so intense I can almost feel heat rising off of them. They have more than lived up to their reputation for multiplying easily. In fact, they are a little too happy in my garden. I'm sure they are part of the reason the irises did so poorly this spring. They were crowded out. I had planned to divide the lilies in spring but time got away from me. Maybe once they are done blooming.

And last, but not least, my unidentified Asiatic lilies are in bloom. I have several of these scattered through the garden. I say "scattered" deliberately because their placement is the work of squirrels. I planted what I hoped would be a dramatic grouping of bulbs several years ago. Instead, the lilies popped up all over the place courtesy of garden designer squirrels. I have to say they did a nice job of placing this bulb among the Geranium "Rozanne." I wonder if the squirrels would be interested in dividing the ditch lilies?

Happy Canada Day!

2009-07-01T18:28:00.016-04:00

Let's hear it for the red....

..and the white this Canada Day. The colours of our flag! And 142 years of this great, great country.

My little sprout and I headed down to the waterfront for Canada Day celebrations at the annual CHIN Picnic. I expected to have fun. You know...rides, entertainment, hot dogs and cotton candy. I didn't expect that a garden would remind me to appreciate this country.

I have walked through the rose garden on the Canadian National Exhibition grounds numerous times. It has been there for as long as I can remember.

But on this Canada Day something was different. The garden was overflowing with blooms. The air was filled with an intoxicating fragrance. And everywhere I looked was the red and the white.

It was as if the garden was asking me to reflect for just a moment on how lucky I am to be a Canadian.

Much has been written and said about what it means to be Canadian. Discussing the elusive Canadian "identity" has always been a popular topic in high school classes and Canada Day newspaper editions. I'm not sure that anyone can ever pinpoint what it means to be Canadian. Here's just a sampling what it means to me: Peace. Democracy. Diversity. Mosquitoes and Black Flies. The Big Nickel. Peggy's Cove. Niagara Falls. The CN Tower. The Snowbirds. The Great Lakes and mighty St. Lawrence. High School French. Winters that never end and summers that are over far too soon. Maple Syrup. Trilliums. Molson and Labatt. The Maple Leafs (and all the associated heartbreak). Olympic and World Cup Hockey Gold. My hometown (and greatest city in the world) Toronto. Yonge Street. Meeting friends from around the globe. The CBC (shame on you Prime Minister Harper for dissing our national broadcaster. I can say that...this is a democracy!) William Shatner!!!! The Maple Leaf Forever. The red and the white flying proud.

So, Happy Birthday Canada. Here's to many, many more.

P.S. Here are a few extra rose photos, just because.

One Garden Reno Down, Another to Go

2009-06-25T22:09:00.013-04:00

The garden reno at my parents' place is done. I'm very happy with the results. More important, my parents are happy and even the neighbours like it. Here's a shot of the final stages of work. I was worried about the soil and had planned to do some heavy amending with compost. When it came time to choose plants it became apparent that most wouldn't mind their soil on the lean side. So instead of amending all the soil I gave each planting hole a heaping trowel full of compost and top dressed the plants. So far, so good. The plants seem happy.

I have always been a casual user of mulch but this garden project has made me a true believer. Mulch is the perfect finishing touch. I chose a black cedar mulch that really makes the plants "pop."

Salvia "Blue Hill" made the cut. I have become a bit of a salvia nut as of late. It's an amazing plant isn't it? So undemanding and yet so giving when it comes to blooms and foliage. Six plants cut a swath across the front of the yard with the hostas as their background. I'm planning to plant a river of daffodils behind the salvia in fall.

Two types of yarrow, "Summer Pastels" and "Cerise Queen," protested vehemently when I planted them. They flopped over so badly I was sure they were dead. But wouldn't you know it that just two days later they were the plants that stood tallest and proudest in the garden...and they were blooming like crazy. I think yarrow will prove to be a good choice.

Interplanted among the yarrow at the back of the border are purple coneflowers. Honestly, I don't think I could plant a sunny garden without including purple coneflowers. They are the perfect flower as far as I'm concerned.

Two Amsonia "Blue Star" anchor either side of the hosta planting. I'm looking forward to their blooms but am even more excited about their brilliant yellow fall colour.

Here's the fun part of planting in other people's gardens: you get to try plants you've always wanted to try. The Kniphofia or Tritoma "Flamenco" is well past its prime this season but I'm already dreaming about the display next spring. I put six plants directly behind the hostas which will hide the faded foliage of the red-hot pokers once the display is done. I'm planning a fall planting of the tallest tulips and alliums I can find and placing them among the "Flamencos." (One great thing about buying plants after their bloom time is the very big discount at the check-out. More than 50% off. Hurray!)

Liatris, like purple coneflowers, are just about perfect. I planted ten plants altogether. Two groups of five plants each add some height at each end of the hosta planting.

Two types of coreopsis are front and centre in the garden. "Moonbeam" is there because of its infamous blooming ability.

I couldn't resist tucking in a Coreopsis "Zagreb" (Zagreb is where my father is from.) I prefer it to "Moonbeam" because its yellow blooms are much more vibrant.

And finally, at the front of the border, there are several triangular groupings of Lavender "Munstead." I planted them with the intention of creating a hedge that will spill onto the sidewalk. Anyone walking by and just slightly brushing the plants will be able to enjoy the astounding fragrance. It will take a few years for the hedge to reach its full potential, but when it does it will be fantabulous!

Doing this garden reno was such a great pleasure. The work was most satisfying. And for a while it distracted me from the fact that my own garden is out of control. Just look at those Jerusalem Artichokes taking over the back yard garden. This part of the garden has been neglected for some time thanks in part to ongoing renovations next door. Those renovations appear to done (finally!!!) and that means it's time to get this spot looking ship shape. Ahh, a gardener's work is never done...and that's a good thing.

(P.S. Thanks to everyone for their plant suggestions. Just about every suggestion made it into the garden. Those that didn't weren't available at the garden centre. I'm still on the look-out for prairie smoke. When I find it, though, it's more likely to end up in my garden.)

Bullfrogs and Foxtails

2009-06-15T23:17:00.004-04:00

Bullfrogs don't have anything to do with my garden but I was so pleased with this photo I thought I'd share. My in-laws have a pond at their place and the bullfrogs were out in force, their love songs filling the air.

Back in the garden, the foxtail lilies are beginning their show. I always enjoy photographing them with the birdhouse in the background because it's the perfect excuse to refer to a "room with a view"

There are three flower spikes this year, more than ever before. I have no idea how the plant is multiplying. I leave the flower spike on well into summer, long enough for seed to set and fall to the ground. So maybe it's the seeds. Or maybe something is happening at root level. I'm just not sure.

At eye-level the blooms are astounding. They open from the bottom of the flower stalk up. Now that I'm actually experiencing some great success with these plants, I'm tempted to add a few more colours. The foxtail lilies are definitely a highlight of the spring garden and a sign of the great blooms still to come once summer finally arrives.

Garden Reno: Days Two and Three

2009-06-08T00:06:00.009-04:00

I love before and after pictures. They are tangible evidence of results. On Day One of the garden reno there were weeds everywhere. I managed to pull everything behind the giant hostas.

On Day Two I turned my attention to the front of the garden. Here's the start of a three hour weeding session.

This is the end of Day Two.

By the end of Day Three (and another three hours of weeding) the garden was looking ready for planting. Of course it's not ready yet. It'll need compost dug in...a lot of compost.

Here's an alternate angle of the garden at the end of Day Three.

I have pulled a lot of clover, lily of the valley, Star of Bethlehem, countless violets, daylilies, grass of the lawn variety and an ugly ornamental type, and a whole bunch of unidentified weeds that creep and clump. The hostas are staying put. There are numerous clumps of violets that I am leaving for now. There are significant areas of lily of the valley. Some will stay but some have to go. There are two mystery plants that may be goldenrod. They would provide dazzling fall colour. Two enormous stands of daylilies need to be divided but I think I will leave that job until fall. I really can't bear to tear them up just when they are sending up flower stalks. There are two spiderwort plants that are doing very well that will stay in place. Right at the base of the spiderwort, a baby pulmonaria is making a go of it.

So now, as planting day nears, the plant possibilities are running through my head. I need plants that like lean, sandy soil and full sun. I've been toying with yarrow, foxtail lilies, lavender, liatris, california poppy, calamint, and some ornamental grasses of the absolutely gorgeous variety. I'm looking for suggestions so if you have any experience with these conditions please share your ideas.

Garden Renovation Project

2009-06-05T16:26:00.005-04:00

This small patch of urban wilderness belongs to my parents. This is the home they bought when they first came to Canada some 40-odd years ago. It's also the former lawn I played on with friends until I was about 10 or 11 years old. Everyone has moved on, of course, but my parents kept the house, renting it out over the years. And over the years, as people came and went, the front lawn has had several incarnations as a garden and/or weed hot spot.

The space is wildly overgrown with weeds, a few choice hostas, and more weeds. Honestly, I was stunned by the sheer volume of weeds. The biggest offender is what I believe to be Star of Bethlehem. While I can see the charm of a small clump of blooms, an entire front lawn full of them can only be characterized as weedy. Their days are numbered because this space is about to experience another incarnation. With a "thumbs up" from my folks, a desperately needed garden makeover is underway.

The garden doesn't have much going for it. The soil is of particular concern. After weeding for three hours today I walked across the soil and sank right into it. I can only compare the experience to walking across a very sandy beach. Dry, sandy soil. And not a worm in sight. Whatever gets planted here will have to appreciate heat and very lean soil. So how bizarre is it that the highlights of the garden are several mature, gorgeous and gigantic hostas? I know they can take drought once established but never expected to see that in full sun. Kudos to the hostas for their adaptability and perseverance. Needless to say, I won't be touching these beauties. They will stay put and I will build the garden around them.

This is the garden after my weeding session today. It's looking better already. Along with the hostas there are several very large clumps of violets. They are obviously very happy where they are so I'm leaving them as is. I am very tempted to get rid of them altogether because of their crazy capacity to spread. Maybe once the rest of the "real" weeds are cleared out, I'll have a better idea about how to deal with the violets. I have several more sessions of weeding ahead me. To beat the tedium, I imagine all the possibilities for what I can plant in each spot formerly occupied by an unwanted plant. I feel very lucky to have a new garden space to work in. I hope I can make it beautiful for all the neighbours to enjoy.

Love Affairs, Old and New

2009-06-03T15:12:00.013-04:00

I'm beginning to think that Hellebore "Ivory Prince" may be the longest blooming plant in my garden. Here's "Ivory Prince" as it unfurled on May 1st.

Here's what it looks like today, more than one month later. What's not to love?

The Hellebores are tucked away in a shady section of the backyard where no one ever looks. They are my little secret. Their endurance, however, makes me think they deserve a prominent spot in the front-yard shade garden where they can be enjoyed by everyone. I hope the "Ivory Prince" doesn't mind being relocated.

The irises can't match the staying power of "Ivory Prince." To make matters worse, the iris patch had a dismal spring, producing very few blooms. Sometimes I think they are hardly worth the effort, but then I look down deep into the heart of the bloom and fall in love all over again. The camera caught this iris as it slowly faded from the garden. The sepia-like tones on the petals suggest the iris is bidding the garden a melancholy adieu.

The foxtail lilies could care less about the iris grand finale. They are too busy waiting to take centre stage. I have three spires this year, up from two last year and one the year before. I love it when a plant multiplies. I must share a secret, though. I think foxtail lilies are prettiest when they are about to bloom than when they are actually in bloom. Shh! Don't tell the plants.

Have I ever told you about my love affair with chives? I absolutely adore them. After they bloom in spring, I cut them right back to the ground. Then, they bloom again toward the end of summer.

I thought about moving my chives to the vegetable garden where they might be a better fit thematically. But the vegetables are way at the back of the yard, past the beech tree and two enormous burning bush shrubs. I would never see the chives back there. No, they will have to stay in the perennial border where I can see their cheery, pom-pom blooms from anywhere in the yard.

It wasn't exactly love at first sight between me and the running strawberry bush. I planted this native Ontario ground cover in the Woodland Walk last year and it did nothing. This year it is growing like crazy and just look at what it produced! A tiny bloom that looks just like a child's drawing of a flower. Next to the bloom is what appears to be a tiny red berry. And just like that, a new love affair begins.

Rainy Day Garden

2009-05-28T17:15:00.004-04:00

The spring has been unusually cool and wet, especially these last few days. While I mildly object to wearing a sweater just days away from the start of June, the garden has no objections whatsoever to outdoor conditions. Geranium "Rozanne" was happy to collect raindrops on her petals. My long-established backyard "Rozanne" plants are putting on good foliage but have yet to bloom. The flowers are courtesy of five new plants I purchased for the front-yard garden. They were in bloom in their pots at the garden centre and continue to bloom in their new home.

All 12 of the Camassia leichtlinii planted last fall came through with flying colours. They meet all my "awesome garden plant, must get some more" criteria. Tall, sturdy foliage with no need for staking, spiky flower stalks and purple blooms.

As great as the Camassia are, I doubt they can match the longevity of the Pulmonaria "Silver Streamers" blooms. The lungworts have been going strong for at least a month, and in partial shade no less. As an added bonus, the foliage will look great all summer. I recently moved the pulmonaria from a spot where they received too much afternoon sun. In full sun, the plants always perked up with a long drink of water. Too often though, I let them fend for themselves. Oh, how they wilted. This year, with the installation of a new front-yard shade garden, it was time to make amends and move these long suffering plants to a better spot. So far they seem quite content.

The tall bearded irises are not very happy this year. I had a gorgeous clump last year but this spring they have fizzled. I have only myself to blame. I vowed to divide the irises but didn't get around to it. Mistake. There have been fewer than five blooms so far this year and no sign of more to come. Neglecting the garden was not a wise move.

The Mountain Bluets or Bachelor Buttons could care less about neglect. They come back every year with a vengeance. I have great respect for their persistence.

And finally, the petals of an unidentified columbine glisten after an early morning shower. This rainy day garden is looking lovely indeed.

The Grass is Always Greener

2009-05-18T20:21:00.007-04:00

Lawns are much maligned by us gardeners. We can't seem to get rid of them fast enough.

The criticism is warranted in the case of some lawns, especially mine. It's not so much a lawn as it is a gathering of weeds.

I don't care about lawns (hence the weed collection.) I never notice them. They are simply not on my radar. That all changed this weekend when I came upon a pristine field of green on Toronto's waterfront.

It was simply stunning. The ground was perfectly level. The blades were uniformly clipped. There was nary a dandelion or plantain in sight. "I want this," I thought.

But how could this perfection be possible? Golf courses manage to do it. They take pride in their manicured turf but they don't have to contend with thousands upon thousands of visitors every weekend. Grass would be no match for Harbourfront foot traffic.

I got down on my hands and knees to investigate. Much to my chagrin, this was no super grass resistant to man and weeds alike. It wasn't even grass. It was simulated grass "planted" in what appeared to be tiny black flakes of rubber. Rubber! No wonder the whole lakefront smelled like old tires. The fake stuff made a nice but fleeting first impression (smell notwithstanding). If anything, it made me appreciate my real lawn for change. I'll take the weeds over the stench any day.

P.S. In defence of fake grass and rubber soil, I did see a kid do a face plant in the turf and bounce right back to an upright position in the space of just two seconds. In that particular instance, for that particular kid, the fake grass really was a little greener.

Community Garden Bulb Blitz Results

2009-05-10T21:20:00.007-04:00

I'm going to go ahead and call last fall's Community Garden Bulb Blitz a smashing success. This photo makes me almost deliriously ecstatic. It looks like a beautiful country scene but in fact these bulbs occupy a hostile piece of the concrete jungle right next to the local high school.

The bulb display started around April 22 with the appearance of the "Ice Follies" daffodils.

Soon after the bright yellow of the "Carlton" daffodils further brightened the scene.

Tulipa "Negrita" looked stunning even before her flower buds were fully open.

"Negrita" looked stunning in full bloom too. I love the way her petals catch the light.

The "Princess Irene" tulips made me laugh. For a tulip named for a princess, she struck me as a little too short and stout. I shouldn't hold it against her though: I'm short and stout too.

Leave it to a tulip called "Pretty Woman" to leave the rest waiting.

These tall tulips took their time and arrived fashionably late to the party.

But what an entrance! Their red colour is remarkable, just what you would expect from a tulip.

Last fall, I took a few hours out of my day to plant these bulbs. This spring, I've already enjoyed about three weeks worth of blooms with more to come. And the neighbours have enjoyed them too. Talk about a great return on your investment!

Nice to Meet You

2009-05-08T16:33:00.010-04:00

The more time I spend in the garden, the more I realize that I'm gardening not for today but for tomorrow or a month from now or even next year. Last spring I installed a woodland walk at the front of the house. I bought the plants from a native plant nursery two hours out of the city. They were wee and I nursed them along through the summer. While most grew to an impressive size, none of them really strutted their stuff, nor did I expect them too. I wanted them to establish themselves and that's what they did. Now, one year later, as the blooms are appearing I feel like I meeting new garden friends. I'm seeing them bloom, just like this wild geranium, for the first time. And I couldn't be more thrilled. The wild geranium caught my eye earlier this week. The bloom is much smaller than I expected and a fair bit daintier. This Ontario native is bursting with buds so the lone bloom will soon be joined by many more.

The wood poppy is just opening up. I'm not a fan of yellow in the garden but this bloom may just change my mind. I recall reading somewhere that there are only a few hundred wood poppy plants left in the entire province. I'm happy to be growing it in my part of Ontario.

The wild columbine is another Ontario native. It's nodding bloom is just about to open. I did have a few blooms of wild columbine last year. They were successful enough to reseed themselves. While I have about five plants that could be considered mature, there is a small forest of wild columbine seedlings covering the earth around the older plants. And so begins another waiting game.

Brand new to the woodland walk this year is fothergilla gardenii. I have drooled over this plant in many a garden book and on many a website. Now I lay claim to two of my very own.

Last month, on my very first trip to one of the very first garden centres to open, I found two fothergillas sitting quite innocently by the entrance to the shop. My jaw hit the ground. Could it be? After much hemming and hawing, a departure and visit to another garden centre, I returned to purchase the two shrubs. They were a bit pricey but when I got to the cash, both were significantly discounted. Score! The shrubs are small and have been in the ground for about a month. It's nice to get to know them. It will be even nicer to see them grow into the mature, beautiful shrubs they can be.

The eastern redbud is almost in bloom. It's not even as tall as me but when I see it I see a mature tree, bent slightly toward the sunny side of the yard, filling my field of vision with pink blossoms.

I'm also still getting to know the serviceberries. Their white blossoms are so welcome when there is still a chill in the air. I'm already counting the days until the berries are ripe. But who will enjoy them first? Me, the robins or the raccoons?

Sometimes I have had my doubts about new friends in the garden. I was sure that daffodil "Irene Copeland" would be a garden mess. But Ms. Copeland surprised me. Her bloom is ginormous! The word "whopper" came to mind when I first saw her. And sure enough she won me over with her robust demeanor.

Even with so many new friends in the garden there is plenty of room for friends of old, like this grape hyacinth. I wish I had a field of them but a handful will have to do for now. Perhaps this is the year to plant some more, then sit back and wait for new garden friends to appear and greet them next spring with a "hello" and "nice to meet you."

There Will be Bloodroot

2009-05-01T09:47:00.006-04:00

On a walk through the woods early last month I came across some bloodroot growing wild. It reminded me of why I wanted some bloodroot in my own garden. The blooms are really quite charming, even before they fully open.

I was thrilled shortly after when the first bloodroot bloomed in the woodland walk. Here they come, I thought. But then, nothing. I checked the ground every day for signs of emerging life. But there was nothing. My happiness over my single bloodroot bloom gave way to disappointment.

I despaired over my investment. I purchased eight bloodroot plants last spring. I considered the care I gave them as they established themselves. They were in part shade with plenty of moisture in spring. Did I let them dry out too much in summer? Did they shrivel up and die? To have only one plant return made me feel like a deflated balloon at a birthday party.

I stopped checking for bloodroot. But the bloodroot wasn't done just yet. It has been close to a month since that first bloodroot bloomed. Since then (and seemingly overnight) all but two of the plants have returned (just goes to show that a watched garden never blooms.) The experience has been a good reminder that patience is an excellent trait to have as a gardener. So as I wait to see if those last two bloodroot plants will make an appearance, I am so happy to say: "There will be bloodroot" in the garden this year.

Daffodils Galore

2009-04-22T17:14:00.007-04:00

It has been cold and wet and cold. And it has been damp and chilly too. Spring seems slow in starting this year. I'm disappointed with the sluggish performance of the season so far but the daffodils are taking it in stride. The "Ice Follies" daffodil above is one of nearly 100 bulbs I planted in the community garden last year.

I had serious doubts about how the bulbs would do. The soil in the community garden is dreadful, more dreadful than any living plant should have to endure. Even so, the daffodils are looking good. This is a grouping of "Carlton" just days away from blooming. Both "Carlton" and "Ice Follies" are often described as vigorous growers and both are supposed to be great for naturalizing. Since they are doing so well in their first season, I have real hope that our dismal, little community garden will one day be fantastic.

Last fall I set out on a mission to bring more spring colour to my backyard garden. Well the "King Alfred" daffodils have delivered. The flowers and trumpets are enormous. "King Alfred" daffodils have an interesting story. Once upon a time, long ago and far away, "King Alfred" was considered the king of daffodils. Over the years the bulb was fiddled with and improved upon so much that the original "King Alfred" almost all but disappeared. But the name attached itself to similar, "improved "bulbs and it stuck. As a result, today's "King Alfred" bulbs are really working under an assumed identity.

As beautiful as the "King Alfred" daffodils are there is another King, or should I say Queen, in my garden. This daffodil is my all-time favourite. I planted it long before I knew that a daffodil was more than just a daffodil. I have no idea what it is but I will grow in my garden forever!

There are more daffodils on the way. The buds on the "Irene Copeland" strike me as very unusual for a daffodil. It will be interesting to see what unfolds. I am holding my breath for the "Barrett Browning." It's a white daffodil with an orange centre. I'm also waiting for "Pink Pride" and "Pink Charm" to make an appearance.

So while it has been cold, wet, damp, chilly and cold, the daffodils have injected some much needed "sunshine" into the spring garden.

New Blooms, New Garden Project

2009-04-16T10:58:00.008-04:00

It has been a while since the first crocus bloom sent me over the moon. I always forget that the wait for spring blooms really does some take some time. But things are definitely happening now.

The sunny yellow blooms of the daffodils are about a day away. Until then the Iris danfordiae are brightening the spring garden. The pictures don't quite do these flowers justice. They are such a bright yellow that you really need sunglasses to look at them. I can see them from my front door and even from about 10 feet away, I squint at their brightness. It may be a while before these beauties bloom again. Based on what I have read, the bulbs have a tendency to break up into mini bulbs which then take several years to gather up enough energy to bloom again. This gives me a good excuse to plant some Iris reticulata to fill in for the danfordiae. Then one day, years from now, the deep purple and the canary yellow will bloom together. That will most definitely be a sight to behold.

I've got a new garden project underway in the front yard. I'm taking back some of the lawn and proclaiming it the new partial/deep shade garden. I like sweeping curves so I've outlined the outer edge of the lawn with said sweeping curve. My neighbours have a front yard garden. You can see some of the grasses they're growing. We talked and agreed that it would make sense to allow the gardens to grow into each other. So there will be no separation of gardens along the property line. Ideally, everything will grow lushly and beautifully and both sides will enjoy an expanded garden view.

However, and it is a BIG however, I have no qualms about putting in a below-ground barrier to stop a patch of goutweed they are growing in a shady spot. A few years back, in a very friendly and concerned way I mentioned the invasive nature of goutweed. They took it into consideration but came to the conclusion that goutweed is well-behaved in the shade. Oh so foolish! Anyway, the goutweed will not be allowed to encroach!!! Perhaps I'm the fool to think I can stop goutweed. Ha!

Last time I took out some lawn I spent a lot of time tearing out the turf. I composted what I could and paid to have the rest trucked away. This time I'm trying something different. I'm digging over the turf and breaking it up as I go. On top of that I'm placing a layer of decomposed leaves (saved from my spring clean-up.) On top of that I'm laying down a thick layer of compost. I'm soaking it all with the hose and then leaving it to settle for a few weeks. Then I'll bring in some triple mix soil, let it sit some more and start planting. A thick layer of mulch will finish off the completed plantings.

It would have been ideal to do the soil prep last fall but I was busy bulb-blitzing the community garden (pictures of that soon). Nevertheless, the front yard garden is looking good so far. The layer of compost alone looks great. I figure I've still got three days of digging and composting ahead of me. As for the evenings, there's no better cure for an aching back and arms than pouring over garden books and making plant lists. Spring is really here.

Excitement Builds

2009-03-26T14:26:00.005-04:00

Ever have one of those moments in the garden where you spot something out of the corner of your eye, move in for a closer look and then gasp with excitement? Well I've had a few over the last couple of days. I'm growing garlic for the first time. I planted three rows last fall and crossed my fingers. It worked because the garlic has sprouted. A squirrel has done some damage already, destroying one plant. The squirrel will get a reprieve though, simply because I am so pleased to see the garlic.

I can't believe what's going on with the foxtail lilies. I purchased one plant years ago, marveled at its really weird, yellow root system, planted it and forgot about it. It did nothing for years. Now, it appears to be experiencing a growth spurt. Two years ago it produced a flower stalk much to my surprise. Last summer it delivered two towering flower stalks. This year it seems on track to grace the garden with three flower stalks. I don't know what's going on but I'm not complaining.

And check out this bud on the Hellebore "Ivory Prince." It's one of six buds that I counted. Six. SIX! That's more than last year. And as I recall, last year's blooms lasted just about forever. They were easily the longest-lasting blooms in the garden. It'll be a while yet before they bloom. In the meantime, I'll be checking on their progress...DAILY...until one day another gasp of excitement will fill the air in my garden.

Wildflower Lane: Inspiration or Lunacy?

2009-03-25T16:11:00.015-04:00

The crocus continue to put on their show in the garden. So pretty, don't you think? Unfortunately, there's a whole lot of ugly to go around too. That's where I turned my attention today.

This is the horror that lies beyond the garden gate: a patch of hostile laneway terrain.

This space serves no purpose except as a spot for garbage to collect. Dog owners for some reason are rather attracted to it and often leave a calling card (or at least their pets do.) There is no real soil to speak of and in the heat of the summer, the sun is merciless. Neverthless, there's always something or other growing through the gravel and trash.

For example, a bittersweet nightshade vine popped up quite spontaneously a few years ago. It has since climbed right to the very top of one of the gate posts.

The berries last all winter and look great (don't eat them though). When the leaves reappear the vine adds a nice vertical garden element where I least expected one. At the base of the vine there is a huge stand of goldenrod which also appeared spontaneously (I failed to take a picture last fall even though I was thoroughly impressed by the golden blooms.) I quickly realized that life could indeed exist back here and began playing with the idea of expanding the garden to the lane (after all, any garden expansion is a good garden expansion).

I didn't intend to expand the garden today but you know how it goes. I was almost finished cleaning up the lane when my thoughts turned to all the wildflower seeds I had sitting in the kitchen. Don't wildflowers enjoy a little cold-moist stratification before sprouting? Yes, yes, I believe they do. And aren't my particular wildflower seeds of the tough-as-nails variety? Yes, yes, I believe they are. Suddenly, a clean-up job turned into this...

...an outline for "Wildflower Lane", Toronto's first (?) laneway wildflower garden.

With the project foreman looking on, I scattered the seeds of Tall Ironweed, Sweet Joy Pye Weed, White Snakeroot, Golden Alexanders, and Sneezeweed. These native plants will all be surrounded by a hedge of California poppies. It remains to be seen if my efforts will be viewed as inspired or a result of lunacy (or even if they will work at all). But I'm hoping "Wildflower Lane" becomes a butterfly magnet and maybe even inspires a neighbour or two to take another look at wasted laneway space.

P.S. There's more than enough room left over for the car to get through. I wonder how long before the car gets the boot for yet another garden expansion?

P.P.S. It's cold today and it has just started to rain. "Wildflower Lane" is off to a great start.

First Day of Spring!

2009-03-20T19:39:00.002-04:00

This is what the first day of spring looked like in my garden. I'm doing my happy dance. Hope spring blooms find you soon.

First Blooms

2009-03-18T17:24:00.005-04:00

Let the gardening season begin. The first blooms have arrived. This crocus was fastest out of the gate (I think it is the exact same crocus that was first to bloom last spring too. Could that be possible?) There are lots more crocus waiting in the wings. I moved them around last fall so the bulbs would be more closely grouped together. I hope this makes a bigger statement in the garden (as big a statement as two dozen or so crocus can make.)

The snowdrops are new to the garden this year. So far, so good. I'm pretty sure I only planted a handful of these but with a little luck they will go on to multiply happily. There are a few days to go on the calendar until we reach that special date that's so important to gardeners. Right now though, thanks to these small blooms, I'm feeling that spring is finally here.

Seed Central

2009-03-11T15:03:00.012-04:00

The kitchen is slowly becoming seed central. With forecasters calling for a severe drop in temperature tonight and warning of a major wind storm, it just felt right to seriously kick off seed season.

First up: the Large Musselburg leeks. They did very well last year. I harvested them quite early. Now I realize I could have left them in the ground a lot longer to thicken up. I love leeks. Leek and potato soup is a fall favourite.

Next: the "Red Wing Hybrid" Onions. Last year's experiment with bunching onions was a huge disappointment. The garden produced green onions that could only be described as pitiful. So this year, I'm going big. And since the package says "stores well" I'm hoping to produce enough to store a few through winter. Ultimately this is becoming the goal of the vegetable garden: produce enough to sustain oneself through the cold, dreary months. I've got a ways to go but certainly progress is being made.

On the tomato front, "Petitbec" will be returning for another season. This was easily the most robust plant and prolific producer in the garden last year. It's a huge bonus that the sprout enjoys eating the tomatoes right off the vine. The fruit is slightly larger than a cherry tomato.

I didn't plan to plant any "Green Zebra" tomatoes but while I was shopping I sparked up a conversation with a gentleman who grows dozens of tomato varieties. He raved about "Green Zebra" enough to spark my curiosity. It's supposed to have a slightly tangy flavour. We'll see how it goes.

And speaking of rave reviews, Brandywine fans have lots of glowing things to say about this tomato. I can't wait to taste it and see what all the fuss is about.

Together with potatoes, strawberries were the first edibles I put into the garden. I grew them for years but eventually conceded defeat to the squirrels. Now that I have a sprout in my life the appeal of strawberries is strong again. Like the tomatoes, strawberries are a fun food to be experienced straight off the vine and still warm from the sun. These strawberries are called "Temptation." Doesn't bode well in the battle against the squirrels. I see some nets in my future. For now though, all is safe at seed central.

Springing into Spring

2009-03-06T19:37:00.003-05:00

A weather record today. The temperature soared to 17.9 degrees celsius (64.2 F) shattering the previous record of 15.4C (59.7F) set in 1974. Needless to say, there is an extra spring in my step. The video of my little sprout bounding down the street pretty much sums up my own reaction to the day. (The sprout, of course, looks incredibly cute. I, however, don't think I could get away with that, at least not without a few strange looks.)

While we're springing into spring, here's some footwear to herald the changing of the seasons. These boots, modeled by the sprout, are an undeniable sign that spring is en route. No matter what winter throws at us over the next few weeks, it is well on its way out the door and that is a very, very good thing.

First Day in the Garden

2009-03-03T16:29:00.008-05:00

If Phil looks especially content it's because he had some company in the garden today. With temperatures just below the freezing mark and the sun shining bright, I ventured outside to do some cleaning up and poking around.

There was lots going on out there. The daylilies were the first to catch my eye. As usual, they arrived to the party early and brought lots of friends. I'll be dividing these this spring and using the divisions to create a daylily edge at the opposite end of this border.

The tall bearded iris have made it through the winter just fine. Like the daylilies, the irises have grown into a most impressive clump. I need to divide these too but I'll wait until after they bloom. Maybe I'll even wait until fall (that seems to be the best advice of numerous internet postings on dividing iris).

Are those daffodils? They must be daffodils. I love daffodils. Last fall I planted dozens of daffodil bulbs and am especially excited to see them.

Judging by these buds, it's going to be a very good year for the "Ludwig Spaeth" lilac. Lilacs are often criticized for not having much to offer a garden once they are done blooming. I couldn't even begin to imagine a garden without the unbelievable fragrance of lilac.

Yup. I think Phil will have lots to be happy about this year. That's good news because we all know that a happy gargoyle is essential to every garden.

Whole Lotta Sproutin' Goin' On

2009-03-01T22:19:00.004-05:00

Less than a week after sowing the first seeds of the year, the garden cress has sprouted. In the morning, the sprouts were just peeking out of the soil. By evening, they were standing tall. In another week, I should be collecting the first harvest of the year. While the garden cress is growing strong, there's still no sign of any sage, thyme, or basil sprouts. Soon enough.

There were a lot of things sprouting at Seedy Saturday. Alongside all the seed, garlic, wildflower, rain barrel and vermi-composting displays, I was able to check out a unique greenhouse. These seedlings are all being grown by a local community food centre. It's more than just a food bank. The organization has a huge community garden. These seedlings will be transplanted there, cared for by volunteers, and eventually harvested to be used in community meals that feed hundreds of people.

The Seedy Saturday crowd was enormous. We were packed shoulder to shoulder and shuffled along at a snail's pace through the vendor area. It was so crowded that I found it difficult to browse the seed selections (bad for me but good for gardening!) I wasn't too disappointed though, knowing that I already had more seeds at home than I could possibly plant.

Even so, it didn't feel right walking away with nothing. When I found the booth for the North American Native Plant Society, I waited patiently and inched ever closer to the seeds. I came away with some sweet joe-pye, helenium, golden alexanders, great blue lobelia, and tall ironweed. I already know where they are going in the garden. A weekend of seeds and sprouts was a great way to bid adieu to February and welcome March.

My February Friend: Herb(s)

2009-02-24T20:54:00.006-05:00

Yes, it's February. And yes, the last two days have been exceptionally cold and windy. And yes, the last frost day in these parts won't happen for another two-and-a-half whole months. But darn it all, it's time to start growing some things. I feel the need for some green!

Herbs fit the bill perfectly. They can grow happily by the back door until better weather arrives. I picked up some thyme, sage, basil and garden cress at the grocery store where the first big seed display of the season went up this week. I've never tried garden cress before but the package said a harvest would be ready in 10-12 days. That's almost instant results. How could I pass that up? It's so good to be planting again.

Serenity Now!!!

2009-02-17T12:04:00.005-05:00

It has been an incredibly stressful month, so stressful that gardening and blogging have been the last thing on my mind. A long, drawn-out home excavation and underpinning project next door has encroached onto our property pushing me to the brink of a nervous breakdown. Walkways have collapsed, my foundation has been exposed, building inspectors have been called in, and lots and lots of sleep has been lost. It has been hard to enjoy the blue skies during a short stint of nice weather.

If you ever watched "Seinfeld" you'll know that "Serenity Now" was a popular catch phrase. George's father would scream it at the top of his lungs during trying times. That's just how I feel. I am trying really hard to put things in perspective. Don't sweat the small stuff, as they say. Everything will be okay. All necessary repairs will be taken care of. But after two years of varied construction projects I have had enough. My gardens have been trampled; I have lost plants; a tree has been damaged; and my head aches from the daily chorus of jackhammers. All I can do, however, is wait this situation out breathing deeply and fighting back both the tears and the anger.

There has been one small comfort in this latest construction fiasco. All of it has happened in winter. If this had happened in summer my nervous breakdown would have happened long ago. It is my deepest, deepest hope that all the work will all be done before spring when months and months of worry and stress will melt away into the soil, and the foliage, and the blooms. For now, I'm finding serenity in short little spurts like watching the birds for a few minutes. Hope you find your serenity now.

Winter's Hasty Retreat (I Hope)

2009-02-08T12:11:00.008-05:00

The sun was blazing this morning and temperatures for the next four days are set to soar above the freezing mark. It's the February thaw (usually we get a January thaw but that didn't happen this year. Better late than never.)

Here's the snow retreating from the edge of the nearly-all-native woodland walk.

The moss phlox is looking a little worse for wear but I expect it to put on a vibrant spring-time show. When I planted it last spring, it was little more than a sprig of green about 3cm long. It put on quite a bit of growth in season one, so I'm hoping for a spectacular season two.

Recognize this? It doesn't look like much now but that's foamflower. I am sooooooo excited to see how it does this year. Like the moss phlox, the plants were wee when I put them in. I had eight and lost three to squirrel activity. The five that made it had the most beautiful little mounds of foliage at the end of last season. This year I am counting on some blooms.

I spend a lot of time in the garden coming up with ideas for how to get rid of a little bit more of my existing lawn. But on this sunny February day I'm going to celebrate this much maligned turf. Just look at how lovely and (sort of) green it is.

The warm spell is supposed to last all week. Needless to say, this has unrealistically raised my expectations that we'll breeze through February and March without further extreme winter weather and that planting season will soon begin. Ah well, a gardener can dream (but only for a little while longer.)

Winter is for the Birds

2009-01-31T22:29:00.004-05:00

It was another cold, snowy day but the birds didn't seem to mind. I snapped these near Flamborough, Ontario.

This little fellow appreciated the bird house stuffed to overflowing with seeds.

It's always such a thrill to see a cardinal.

It's equally thrilling to capture those moments on camera. I think this might be my best bird photo yet. If the birds can stand this weather, surely us gardeners can endure these last few weeks before spring. Happy bird-watching everyone.

A Home & Garden Confession

2009-01-23T10:14:00.003-05:00

Is anyone tired of winter yet? I know I am. Last year there was way too much snow. There's a little less of the white stuff this year but it seems extra cold. To complicate matters, one week ago the family was shivering through a 24-hour blackout triggered by a broken sprinkler system that flooded a local hydro station. It was so cold toward the end of the blackout that we could see our breath in the house! I tried really hard to make it all seem like an adventure but it simply put my longing for spring into overdrive. I'll take the stormiest, rainiest, soaked-to-the-bone spring day over this cold.

I found the rainy day picture above during my daily, therapeutic review of garden photos and it reminded me that I owe you all a confession. A while back I promised to share an embarrassing garden secret. There are so many really...like how I killed a hydrangea one time. Oh, and that poor butterfly bush met with an unpleasant end too. I didn't do my mugo pine any favours by moving it. And my treatment of poinsettias post-Christmas season should really be considered a crime against the plant world. There is a lot of awful stuff...that my remaining plants haven't risen up in protest by refusing to bloom astonishes me (but then gardens are very forgiving aren't they?)

I could go on, but instead I direct your attention to the garden bench in the photo above. Six years ago, it was a wedding gift from close friends and ever since it has been the main bench in the backyard garden. It's very attractive, sturdy, and comfortable (most impressive for garden seating). But come October, I find myself in a bit of a pickle. The seating is too nice to leave outside over the winter. I have no garage to store it in. My garden shed is too small to accommodate it. And getting it into the basement would require taking out a wall.

(I'm leaving lots of space here to build some drama as you scroll down toward my storage solution...)

My solution would make Martha Stewart shudder.

My solution would require an Emergency Task Force response from the Style Police.

My solution would make me a priority candidate for any one of those home decorating shows like "How Not to Decorate Your Home."

My solution would have college students every where asking "I don't see what the problem is."

So here it is: my garden bench winter time storage solution.

Ladies and Gentleman...

....I present to you...

The Book Nook.

That's right. I confess. I use my garden bench as indoor furniture. It's in the bedroom right by a bay window so it gets great light. On the coldest, dreariest winter days, my daughter and I pull out a big, cozy comforter and read books here. Sometimes, we turn the bench around and just watch the traffic go by or play "I Spy."

Well, I won't be winning any home decorating awards for sure but this is a solution that works for me just fine. Another three months and the bench will be back in the garden where it belongs. The day I drag it out there is one of the happiest of the year. I'm feeling so much better now. Confession really is good for the soul. What's your home and garden secret?

The Great Christmas Tree Prop Up

2009-01-07T14:00:00.009-05:00

Trees by the side of the street are a familiar scene in the post-Christmas season (that's mine, above). Once lavishly adorned and cherished during the holidays, these trees ultimately find themselves unceremoniously dumped outside to be collected by the city and chucked into wood chippers.

Some find themselves sharing roadside space with a neighbour.

Others languish next to their living cousins (an especially cruel way to get rid of a tree, don't you think?) I'm glad these Christmas trees brought holiday cheer to many. I'm glad they will be put to good use as mulch. But really, the sight of all these once-loved trees is a bit sad.

So, when I woke up one morning to find someone had propped up every discarded tree in the neighbourhood, I had to smile. With their trunks deep in the snow and their needles still green, there was no reason to believe these trees were done for.

For whatever reason, the tree pick up was delayed by a whole week. So, for a whole week all these trees stood tall, creating the impression that my street was the most coniferous-friendly street in the whole city. I hope someone else noticed how lovely it looked. I hope it inspires a few people to plant some evergreens (I know I will). At the very least, I won't dump my tree streetside again. Instead, I'll prop it up so that it can be enjoyed and appreciated for just a little while longer.

Garden Resolutions 2009

2008-12-31T21:25:00.003-05:00

With the lights about to dim on another year, I find myself pumped for the 2009 garden season. Sure there are almost three full months of cold, hard winter ahead, including dreaded February. What better time to plot and plan for the best garden yet. It all begins tonight with my garden resolutions.

Garden Exercise
Gardening can be tough work. I will regret sitting around on my behind for the next three months come the first garden clean-up day in spring. I don't mind a few good aches following an afternoon of digging in the dirt. Too often, however, my aches come with audible groans. No more. I'm going to keep fit over the next few months with a walking and snow shoveling regime. I'll start that right after all the Christmas chocolate runs out, right around Valentine's Day.

Mulch. Mulch. Mulch Some More.
Is it possible to fall in love with mulch? For the last two years I have made my own mulch from fallen leaves which I then mow into smaller pieces. It looks so nice around the plants as winter prepares its onslaught. Come spring, the leaves are one with the soil and the soil seems so much healthier and happier. While I have made lots of mulch, I have also collected bags and bags of leaves to be carted to the city compost heap. No more. This year those leaves are mine. I'll make more mulch than ever before. My plants will thank me with a profusion of blooms the likes of which have never been seen before.

Divide. Divide. And Divide Again.
2008 was an exceptional garden year thanks in large part to an abundance of rain. Lush does not begin to describe the wonder of this year's garden. Some gardeners might interpret my definition of "lush" to mean "overcrowded." That's okay. I like things a little wild but some plants are starting to suffer. Last spring, I noticed the astilbe were looking a little bare in the centre but I chose to ignore their plight. No more. They will be first up for division. The daylilies, iris, purple coneflower and lesser calamint could all use dividing. That's going to be a lot of work. I'd better get in shape to handle the job.

Bye-Bye Lawn
It's been ten years coming but I think I'm finally ready. By the end of summer my front lawn will be no more. I'm installing a front-yard garden. I went for a little test drive last spring, tearing out a small section of lawn and installing a woodland walk. It needs some fine-tuning. For the most part, though, I am deliriously happy with the result which was well-received by neighbours too. The new garden is a larger space than I have ever worked with. That's a bit intimidating but the lawn has to go and so it will. Good thing I've got months to sit around surfing the web, looking for plant choices and compiling plant lists.

More Native Plants
A new garden will mean more room for native plants. Natives became somewhat of an obsession since the woodland walk installation. They are beautiful in their own right and essential to preserving our natural heritage. But I really, really, really like them because they are very different from anything my neighbours grow. There are lots of beautiful gardens out there but how many of them feature a seersucker sedge? Or wood poppy? Or white snakeroot? I didn't set out to be different. It just ended up that way and I'm absolutely thrilled. Now I want more natives, the more unusual and difficult to acquire, the better.

The Impulse Buy
I've been a dedicated gardener for more than ten years now. That's long enough to know that the garden centre impulse buy is a bad idea. You know what I'm talking about. We all do it. A plant catches our eye across the garden centre aisle. It calls out to us. We have to have it even though it clashes with our colour scheme. We have to have it even though it requires full shade and all we have is full sun. We have to have it even though there is nowhere left to shoe-horn in another plant. So the days of the impulse plant purchase will be no more in 2009. Instead all potential purchases will be carefully researched. Height, soil and light requirements will all be carefully taken into consideration before any money is handed over to the cashier.

Okay...who am I kidding with this last one? There's no way that's ever going to happen. The tradition of the impulse buy will carry on. Fortunately, new year's resolutions are meant to be broken so I'm off to a good start. Here's wishing you the best garden yet in 2009.

Wishing You...

2008-12-23T21:05:00.006-05:00

...sunny skies, plentiful rain, abundant harvests, bountiful blooms, and an always greener thumb. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The Holiday Garden

2008-12-13T21:36:00.013-05:00

I don't know exactly when the holiday garden decorating bug struck but it was sometime in the last five years. It started innocently enough: I stuck some evergreen branches in some dirt and it looked nice all winter long. Ever since, the holiday garden has been getting more and more elaborate.

This is one of two big urns sitting on the back porch. Our kitchen has lots of windows facing the deck and yard so it's nice to see these every time I look outside. I have to confess: I had these urns done up for me by a pro. I have always felt that my urn and window box designs, while nice, were somehow lacking. Something was missing. I'm beginning to realize that my perceived design shortcomings could easily be remedied with just a little extra material. Next year, I'm doing it all on my own. I love the way the urns (and the window box below) look but I'm really looking forward to the chance to put my personal stamp on them.

The window box at the front of the house looks great at this time of year. So lush and green in our grey, grey winters. During the summer months, this window box is inevitably a bust. If the squirrels don't destroy what's planted there, the drought will. This is not an easy window box to water. It's not easy to reach and it's altogether too easy to forget about. Perhaps fake plants for the summer will do the trick. Who would know? Or would that disqualify me as a legitimate gardener?

The woodland garden has provided a benefit I didn't anticipate: now I can decorate the two serviceberry shrubs and the eastern redbud for the Christmas season. The woodland walk looks especially pretty in the early morning sun when the ornaments sparkle.

The holiday garden will stay in place until about March, right about the time I start wondering how much longer the cruel, cruel winter can last (regardless of what the calendar says, winter weather can persist well into April 'round these parts.) Until then I'll enjoy the greenery, faux fruit and designer berries. After all, it just wouldn't feel like the holiday season without my holiday garden.

Colour-Starved Gardener Needs Tree I.D.

2008-12-04T21:52:00.006-05:00

Just a short walk from my home there grows a tree that simply takes my breath away. Its branches are loaded with hundreds upon hundreds of red berries that stand out even from a block away. I never noticed this tree in the summer. Now that the cold has set in, there is no missing this beauty. I can't get enough. I have even taken detours on my neighbourhood walks for the chance to gaze upon it one more time.

When I first started gardening, I was happy to see colourful blooms from May through August (as a beginning gardener sometimes even that was difficult.) Now I crave colour all year long. This tree would certainly go a long way in making the grey months ahead more bearable. Imagine looking out the window to see those berries while a howling wind whistles down the street and a blizzard dumps five feet of snow on you. It would be a "zen" moment for sure. The problem is I have no idea what this tree is. I have searched the internet looking for a match but no plant profile fits perfectly. The closest has been a ilex decidua (or deciduous holly or possumhaw holly) but I haven't found an image yet that's an identical match.

So if you have any idea what this tree might be, please take pity on this colour-starved gardener and fill me in. I'm also open to any and all suggestions for awesome, jaw-droppingly beautiful trees that stand out during those months where cracking a seed catalogue is as close as one can get to gardening. After all, spring is just four months away and plans must be made to plant some of the best winter-interest trees ever.