It's been four years since I started working on the gardens here at the "new" house. I thought it was about time I gave you a full-fledged tour. It takes a bit of time to see all the gardens, so prepare for a leisurely visit. Can I pour you something to drink? Let's start the [...]
Siberian_iris
Summer Is Here: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day June 2015
June 15, 2015 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingWe know it's summer when the frost-tender mosaic bird bath (pictured above) takes its rightful place in the front garden. That move from winter storage was delayed because I was attending the Garden Bloggers' Fling in Toronto. (There's a good story about the bird bath here.) All the usual suspects are blooming, so I'll just [...]
The Garden Has Arrived: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day June 2014
June 17, 2014 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingMy patience has been rewarded. The days of staring at mostly-bare-dirt beds with puny divisions of shrubs and perennials are over. The beds that I created the soonest after we moved in have now filled in. Granted, there are a lot of self-sowers filling in the gaps, but give me a viola over a dandelion [...]
8 Plants That Look Good After Bitter Cold: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day November 2013
November 15, 2013 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingAfter a mild start to November, we have recently had snow and bitter cold*--down to 15F(-9C) one night and in the low 20s for several others. You would think there would not be any plant worth looking at after that, and you would be mostly right. However, if one looks carefully, there are still some [...]
Irises Rule: Garden Bloggers Bloom Day June 2013
June 17, 2013 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingJune has been rainy and on the cool side this year. I think that has contributed to a paucity of blooms. Or, it could be that the gardens at the new house are just a bit behind the gardens at our former house. Or maybe both. By mid-June, I am accustomed to seeing peonies, poppies, [...]
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day June 2009
June 16, 2009 – Posted in: What's up/bloomingTo every plant, there is a season, and I find that pretty much the same plants are blooming that were blooming last year and the year before at this time. So even though I'm intoxicated with my peonies and wowed by my poppies, I'll use this post to showcase some of the other plants that [...]
What Happens to Plants After an Untimely Freeze Part 2
June 1, 2009 – Posted in: FAQ, WeatherIn Part 1 I mentioned the two hard frosts and a freeze we had recently, all of them rather later in the season than is typical. I illustrated how different species in the same genus reacted to the freeze differently, and also gave examples of plants that were damaged even though they were protected. Appearances [...]
Garden Bloggers Bloom Day June 2008
June 15, 2008 – Posted in: About this site, Colchicums, Recommended LinksPoppies, peonies, and iris: the three Grandes Dames of June In a cold climate, the gardening season is shorter and more compressed. By the time the spring flowers get going, boom! it's summer. Consider this: on May 29th we had our last frost. The next day it hit 80F (27C), which we reckon to be [...]
Santa came today
May 4, 2005 – Posted in: AcquisitionsOkay, it wasn't really Santa Claus. It was just the mail lady and the UPS man, bringing my two plant orders of the season on the same day. But I felt the same excitement I had felt as a kid on Christmas morning as I made my way down the stairs, wondering if Santa had [...]
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