A noun. A verb. A blog.
Beautiful ‘Prinses Irene’ tulips have me wanting more, more, more! Every spring finds me wishing I could turn back the clock to fall – to plant more bulbs. But, in a small garden, how do you deal with the necessary (and unsightly) evil of ripening foliage afterwards? The leaves busily making food for next year’s […]
My heart is broken – I’ll be away for these great spring things this weekend. I’m counting on you to go on my behalf, hence today’s Idea File: Spring Awakening at the Gardiner Museum, May 3 to 5 Gorgeous floral designs by ten top creative spirits, all through the Gardiner museum of ceramic art. Bring a […]
Would we think they were beautiful if we didn’t know they were weeds? weeding by Helen Battersby A gardener must not love a dandelion. Its rays must not hook a gardener’s heart or show themselves as stars upon the hills, gold on the imperative of green. A gardener must not love the silken spheres […]
ERA Architects’ provocative Hoarding Suggestions outside at the Gladstone Friday’s opening night bash at the Gladstone was jam packed. Grow Op, Exploring Landscape and Place, is a different kind of garden show. Small-scale, creative and thought provoking, Grow Op installations range from quirky to quite beautiful, curated by landscape architect, Victoria Taylor. You might recall […]
Swordless swordfish takes a dive I’ve been dying to use this picture ever since some enchanted afternoon in 2011, when I saw this bright blue swordfish across a crowded room – garden room, that is, during the Gardens of the Beach garden tour. Now most people browsing a vintage shop would look at a swordfish […]
Having survived late dumps of snow and ice pellets, the spring planters are growing a great crop of Optimism It’s Garden Bloggers Bloom Day – or it was yesterday – when every 15th of every month, Carol of May Dreams Gardens invites gardeners around the world to show what’s growing their way. If you were […]
Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) in the Westview Terrace at the Toronto Botanical Garden What is a native plant? We weighed in on this complex discussion – or argument – in 2011. Let’s just say that the four lesser-known flowering shrubs in this Friday’s Idea File are native to North America. All are hardy in Toronto’s […]
The nodding bracts of prairie smoke (the actual flowers are hiding inside their pointy nose) blooming in May Don’t be entirely fooled by the name. The wildflower called prairie smoke (Geum triflorum) isn’t restricted to prairies and is native to some parts of Ontario, the eastern limit of its natural range. As you’d expect, it […]
Who wouldn’t want to sit in this shady nook? But wait, there’s more. This Friday’s Idea File contains a single idea, but hopefully one that provokes thought. Sometimes we have our best ideas by turning something on its head. Go on, think of something. Now think of its opposite. Does it make you rethink your […]
The cactus house at Allan Gardens Conservatory The Easter Show is on now at Allan Gardens. As the winds pick up for one last wintery blast, head over there to remind yourself there really is such a season as Spring. But I’m going to walk you backwards through the greenhouses, starting at the end with […]
Show’s to go, you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. We miss the grand entry gardens like this one from 2011 Helen: First, right out, we support Canada Blooms, and want it to succeed. We know how much goes into it, especially volunteer time (800+ volunteers in 2013). Plus, money (lack of) and […]
An ad in the Yonkers Herald Statesman [PDF], March 30, 1961 1962-3 was a stressful year for our family, full of upsets and changes. We’d moved again. Ten times in my ten (and Sarah’s seven and a half) years. But somehow, that spring, this pair of rootless sisters became owners of a Punch ‘n Gro. […]