A noun. A verb. A blog.
The deep red poppies belonging to my neighbour M. are making their brief but miraculous appearance in his garden. Therefore, I must bow down and worship, oh ye amazing Papaver orientalis ‘Beauty of Livermere’. It’s hard to decide which way to photograph them: as here, backdropped by the purple smokebush (Cotinus coggyria ‘Royal Purple’), or […]
Full disclosure: On this Blooms Day in the Microgarden, it’s mostly green. However, you can see my opening statement of columbines; some blue Aquilegia alpina and an unnamed pink of the granny’s bonnet form. Both prefer the cracks in my paving stones, where their feet stay cool and moist. All efforts to get the alpinas […]
On a day when I accomplished scarcely more than half a teaspoon of deadheading, here are things to be happy about: • A cup of tea (Yorkshire red label) in the bee mug • Very hot tea with just the right amount of milk • Very hot tea with just the right amount of milk, […]
Our neighbours G. and W. got a blank slate when they purchased their corner property: a sunny blank slate once their towering Norway maple was devoured by carpenter ants (not all of it, just enough to make removing it a better, safer idea). Look what a dramatic garden they’ve created in place of the old […]
I was always a bare knuckle gardener, at least I was for years. I liked the direct connection to the soil, the feel of the the plant stem; it was the only way I knew I was doing it right – by feel. But somewhere I got a bit fed up with perpetually dirty fingernails, […]
With apologies to Keats, when it comes to garden tours in Toronto, it’s June that’s the season of mellow fruitfulness. Nearly every weekend in the month has something to choose from. Sadly, we’ve missed the Secret Gardens of Cabbagetown (last Sunday). But others are sprouting up as quickly as weed seedlings, but far more welcome. […]
I live in an apartment in the city most of the time, but I have a place in the country, where my big garden is. Oh, the joys of having a Place in the Country! The fresh air, the space, the moon, the stars, the wildlife….the…wildlife that actually lives in your house, with you. Strike […]
Really, the Microgarden reached its micro-acreage set point some time ago. But how could I resist these sky blue Penstemon? How could I not see how perfectly the perfect spiky form and perfect complementary blue would fit between my two yellow-tending hostas, Janet and June? Trouble is, there are already about four things over-planted there: […]
Like this Hosta ‘Halcyon’, many of the prettiest hostas have what’s called a glaucous leaf – with a waxy coating that gives it a whitish frosting or bloom. The glaucous texture intensifies the blue of blue-leaf hostas and gives yellow or white markings a powdery glow. Unfortunately, this coating easily rubs off if the leaves […]
Lemon lilies (Hemerocallis flava) are planted in my garden anywhere I can sniff their heavenly fragrance. Some are on either side of our front steps. Some are tucked by our porch, where they soon will mingle with the scents of the old mock orange (Philadelphus) and climbing Hall’s honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica ‘Halliana’). As an aside, […]
Who says front yard trees have to be boring. Look at this specimen of the Tricolour European Beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Roseomarginata’) growing on the south side of Mortimer Avenue. I love all beeches for their smooth, grey, elephant-leg bark and regal stance. I love the way the juveniles of our native beeches hold their buff-coloured […]
My friends and family should rejoice that this is not my garden. If it were, I might spend half my time sighing with contentment. That’s certain to become annoying. If it were my garden, I’d also be feeling, and perhaps acting, a little smug right now. Ah, the perfect popping of another perfect poppy. The […]