Green Fortune

 

Pak choi sprouts grow under
grow lights in my kitchen

Did some pak choi sprouts and a seed packet inspire a new poem this week? Why, yes! Yes they did. Head over to my new blog site to read Green Fortune!

Happy Gardening!

Scatter Me

March 2025 has been a miserable month. Cold, grey, and rainy. Today, much of the southern part of the province is recovering from a significant ice storm. After the winter we just had, March has been especially cruel. I count only one really nice day this month, and that is, quite frankly, depressing. March is supposed to offer hope amid the gloom. It has failed to make any effort whatsoever in that regard. Boo!

A half-hearted showing from the crocus.
They tried, but frigid and wet conditions (plus hungry
squirrels) kept blooms to a modest display. 

A few crocus have appeared, and my heart leaped with joy to see them. The flowers, however didn't stick around for long. They barely opened, and when they did, they were quickly devoured by hungry squirrels. I guess the squirrels had a rough winter, too. All this disappointment reminded me of a poem I wrote last year that features my beloved little crocus but whose subject matter is a tad sombre.

A hint of sunshine, but not enough to
coax the blooms to open.

Scatter Me

Scatter me among the crocus
when I’m dead and gone
Let me sleep among the flowers
singing springtime’s earliest song
Leave me be where I was happy
in the woodlands and the valleys

Scatter me among the crocus
when I’m gone

Let me sleep among the daisies
when my time is done
Rest in fields that stretch forever
gaze on skies that go on and on
Leave me be where life was easy
where I felt free and light and breezy
Let me sleep among the daisies 
when I’m gone

Leave me be among the clover
when I’ve seen my final dawn

Lay me down upon the green Earth
that gave so much so long
I have one last chance to nurture
to feed a lasting future
Leave me be among the clover
when I’m gone

Scatter me among the crocus 
when I’m dead and gone
Let me sleep among the flowers
singing springtime’s hopeful song
Leave me be where I was happy
in the soil on dirty hands and knees
Scatter me among the crocus
when I’m gone

A modest display

I hope that wasn't too dark. Perhaps lightening up the mood a bit is in order, so allow me to share this story. I don't remember what inspired this poem. I do remember humming a tune as I put words to paper. It was only after the poem was finished, typed up, and the "save" button selected, that I recognized a familiar cadence and phrasing. I'm pretty sure I wrote a poem set at least partly to the tune of "Oh, Susanna." I guess stranger things have happened.

More crocus will come. The best is still ahead of us.

Happy Gardening (once we eventually get there)!

For Catherine

A colleague of mine called it a career this week and, as these things often go, I found the occasion to be bittersweet. I wanted to mark the milestone in a special way, and so a poem emerged about the garden that we cared for. The poem is called For Catherine. Check it out at my new blog My Roots Run Deeper.

Hollyhocks in the garden at Colborne Lodge

Birdsong Cabaret

I've really gotten into birds lately, and I'm very lucky that life allows me to attend places where I can see them in large numbers. Even before I took a particular interest in them, I always knew it was spring when the birds would wake me up with their songs early in the morning, before the sun came out and cast light on the day. That happened today for the first time this year, so it must truly be spring.  The experience inspired a Haiku.

Birdsong Cabaret

Four a.m. birdsong
Awakens in darkest day

Earth's bright cabaret

A haiku that happens to rhyme. Is that allowed? Lol. Here are some of the birds I have seen recently.

Red-winged Blackbird in High Park.
Listen for their unmistakable trill.
Watch out when they are
protecting their nests. 
They will dive bomb you!

American Robin in Toronto.
A true harbinger of spring.

A Song Sparrow in Tiny Marsh.
Not especially trusting of humans, but
happy to share its song.

Happy Birdwatching! Happy Gardening!

The Blue Flower of Bhutan

Be sure to check out my short story The Blue Flower of Bhutan and other garden-related posts on my blog My Roots Run Deep II.  In the meantime, enjoy these pictures of blue poppies taken in 2019 at Memorial University Botanical Garden in Newfoundland.

Happy Gardening!

Bittersweet Daylilies

As always, the summer is too short.  The appearance of the final daylilies is always bittersweet.

Exceptional colour from these daylilies

Hope you are all having a great summer!

Enjoy every fleeting moment.

Happy Gardening!

Reaching for the Dirt : A Return to Garden Blogging

After an extended absence from garden blogging, I'm reviving My Roots Run Deep ahead of the 2021 garden season. 

Keep an eye on your bloodroot.
The flowers of this early spring bloomer are
fleeting and may last for only a day.

Last March, when we first felt the seismic effects of the pandemic here in Toronto, instinctively, I reached for the dirt. I understood immediately that my garden would provide the relief I needed from events unfolding around the globe. For the first time in years, with nothing but time on my hands, I immersed myself totally and completely in rediscovering my garden: the lush greens of wild gingers and ostrich ferns; the ephemeral beauty of serviceberry blossoms and bloodroot; the unabashed flamboyance of redbud and magnolia; the intoxicating scent of lilacs and peonies; and the rugged obstinacy of epimedium and haskap. 

Lilac Ludwig Spaeth adds an exhilarating fragrance to the garden.

What a revelation it was. I had been away from the garden for far too long.

And so I have returned.

In the days and months ahead, I hope you'll join me here for garden advice and reflections. Only 37 days until spring. 

Alliums all in row

 

You can find all my latest blog posts at My Roots Run Deep II