I keep meaning to write a blog but am lured by the siren song of the garden!! The weather is glorious for the moment, the first roses are opening even before the paeonies! Even in my small suburban garden, nature moves to her own rhythm. A swallowtail butterfly visits my Korean lilac bush every spring. The bumblebees adore my double columbines aptly named Granny’s Bonnets … Continue reading Trapped by the garden
Crazy, crazy weather, global warming and we’re having one of the coldest, wettest Mays in a long time here in southern Ontario with serious flooding in eastern Ontario, Quebec and around Canada. In spite of the cold and rain, the spring blooms march on with the big players blowing their trumpets…tulips and daffodils. Even though I’m Dutch, I’m not a big fan of the large tulips … Continue reading The Big Players
After a very unpleasant hailstorm the other week that prematurely terminated my crocuses and tiny irises, the next round of bulbs and spring flowers have marched in. Another of my favourites are the species tulips. Blooming early and finishing before the trees fully leaf out, they flourish and spread in the spring sunshine and will grow under trees as long as they get the early … Continue reading Spring Marches On
I was out looking for some easter picks to dress up my spring pots and couldn’t find any. So off I went to my trusty dollar store and came up with these. A dozen styrofoam easter eggs, two curly ribbon swirls for presents (all ready cut and when I pulled out the staples, one had 12 pieces and one had 24 pieces…how convenient), and bamboo skewers. Take … Continue reading Easter Baskets
There’s nothing more cheery for me than when the early spring blossoms burst out of the ground and bring cheery colour to a late winter or early spring day. even better when the sun is out! Everyone is familiar with crocuses, the dependable bulbs that come back year after year and feature bright primary colours guaranteed to lift your spirits. There are also lesser known … Continue reading Early Spring Blooms
Flowers have been associated with mankind since ancient times. The earliest evidence of flowers and rituals was found in a grave, over 13,000 years old, in Israel. Aromatic plants and flowers lined the grave in which two skeletons were found. Earlier controversial evidence of pollen found in Neanderthal graves is still being debated on whether it was deliberately placed there by humans or naturally by … Continue reading The Language of Flowers
One tree/shrub that should be in every garden is the magnificent magnolia. Ranging in size from compact shrubs like M. stellata to large majestic trees like M. grandiflora, there is a magnolia for every size garden. Magnolias have an ancient lineage. Fossil records show magnolias first came on the scene over 100 million years ago across North America and Europe. Back then there were no bees so it was … Continue reading Magnificent Magnolias
Its a snowy day here in Ontario so what better to do than some garden daydreaming 🙂 My next few blogs will be about some of the famous and not so famous gardens I have had the good fortune to visit so far! Today’s garden is the Jardín Japonés in Santiago Chile. Santiago is not noted for its public gardens, but this is a lovely … Continue reading Gardens around the world – Santiago
I walked out into my garden today and discovered my witchhazel in full bloom! Hamamelis virginiana or the common witchhazel is a lovely North American native shrub hardy to zone 3. Yellow fragrant flowers appear in the fall, often as late as December as mine has done happily. Normally the flowers are obscured by the yellow fall leaves but most of them have fallen off … Continue reading Surprise Christmas Blooms
We are in high summer in Southwestern Ontario now with temperatures in the mid thirties, humid as a sauna and no rain in sight. Remember to water early in the morning or in the evening after the sun is low enough for shade. Morning is best so the foliage can dry off and helps to prevent mould, mildew and black spot from forming. Here in … Continue reading Sunny Summer Stars
Garden Graces 