Whole Lotta Sproutin' Goin' On

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)

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!!!

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)

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

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

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

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.