Just when I thought spring had arrived…sprayed my shrubs with dormant oil, planted my bulbs and seeds…and wham! Winter is back with a vengeance. My little flower house is empty and cold, and my bulbs, seedlings and spring pots are languishing in the dimness of my house. Another 5 days of miserable coldness before I can move things back into the flower house. On a positive … Continue reading Winter Blues
What a beautiful Easter Sunday we’ve had. A glorious 14 deg C, sunshine and the honeybees found my hyacinths already! It amazes me how they found the flowers so fast and so early, a tiny miracle indeed! We must endeavour to save these marvels of nature for who will pollinate the flowers when they are gone? Make sure to plant some bee loving flowers this year. Continue reading Small Miracles
Well winter came in like a lion and is determined to leave like a lion. My poor hazel is encased in ice, fortunately not like the ice storm of 2013. It looks quite like a fairyland outside. Continue reading The Vagaries of Winter
Almost everyone is familiar with snowdrops, those wonderful little bulbs that pop up as soon as they can, but there is another early spring bloomer, Hamamelis or witchhazel. A shrub not commonly found in nurseries, grab it if you can find it. It has clusters of yellow to bronzy red flowers with strap shaped petals that bloom in February to March here (some varieties bloom … Continue reading Early Spring Blooms
A wonderful large shrub or small tree for now is Heptacodium miconioides or seven-son flower. It flowers from August to October, bearing clusters of tiny fragrant white flowers. The bark shreds, giving winter interest and the shrub forms an open slightly tiered effect. Fall colour can be muted but the calyces, the bits left over after the flowers are done, turn a bright reddish pink. Another bonus … Continue reading A shrub for now
Welcome to a late summer heat wave here in Southern Ontario! Starting to feel a bit like my days in Dubai. I managed to snap a photo of an all too rare sight this year, a monarch butterfly on my tall purple aster. This is only the second I saw this summer. Remember to plant nectar bearing late summer and fall flowers for the butterflies … Continue reading Late summer glories
Have finished my informal Japanese garden path along the side of the house. It is made up of larger and smaller stones set in a winding pattern and a bit bumpy in order to slow the stroller so one can appreciate the garden more.Informal Japanese path and photo of flagstone path leading through the gate to the japanese path http://www.gardengraces.ca Continue reading Garden Path
The dog days of August are upon us and fall is just around the corner! A second flush of roses is coming but much lighter this year than before, I think the plants struggled to start after such a hard winter. In the meantime the phlox are blooming and for a wonderful carefree annual be sure to seed some poppies in your garden argemone or … Continue reading High summer
No luck yet with the chemical warfare. Tried dead bug juice, tea tree oil and lavender essence. May have to up the concentration! Continue reading Japanese beetles
Garden Graces 