A noun. A verb. A blog.
I’ve no idea what these city-owned strips of (sometimes) grass or (too often) weeds between the sidewalk and the street are called: swales? easements? Anyone know? [Ed: Technically, they’re called “boulevards” but the common name for them is “hellstrips.”] All I know is that more and more gardeners in our neighbourhood have started to cultivate […]
I don’t know why it is but I often seem to like things not for the thing itself, but for the thing that goes with it. Like certain types of food, I only like because of the condiments that go with it: curry – you get to have chutney, fried bread (yes! ancient English tradition!) […]
If you plant lily of the valley, you had better love lily of the valley. And your neighbour had better love it, too. If not, your neighbour had darned well better love you. Lily of the valley (Convallaria) is a plant that doesn’t do things by halves, and it’s no respecter of fences. Given the […]
A concrete bunny watching over this poor downy woodpecker. This Saturday morning, as I was peacefully reading in bed, my cat’s head popped through the cat flap. I realized with a sick thud that she had something in her mouth. Something big and animal sized. I let out a “Noooooo” and went chasing after her […]
***UPDATE**** June 4, 2009 First 9 trees are in the ground at Ben Nobleman Park, site of TO’s first community orchard: pears, plums, and cherries. Hooray! ************** I just learned about wonderful proposal to plant a community orchard not far from the Eglinton West Subway station in Ben Nobleman park. This initiative is spearheaded by […]
No, don’t stay at home waiting for the petals to fall off your magnolia. There are far too many things to do and see this weekend after your weeding. F’rinstance… May 2nd: • The tulip celebration (all weekend, 10 am to 5 pm, and for the following two weekends) in the rock garden of the […]
This clump of hellebores (Helleborus orientalis) started to open up a week or so ago, towards the end of April this year. But I could see the flower buds marshalling for the big push under the leaves as early as March. That’s why a common name for this flower is the Lenten rose, because it […]
I wrote about these hyacinths last year. Someone gave them to me at the birth of my daughter, a long, grown-up-and-moved-away-from-home time ago. It amazes me that they’re still coming up, looking cheery and perfuming the garden air after nearly a generation. Hyacinths to feed my soul, indeed.
Well, let’s look at the criteria – or, shall we say, critter-ia? – for superpowerfulosity in squirrels. It certainly appears they can fly. Just try to place a birdfeeder somewhere they can’t reach. In a single bound. They have a secret identity. Sure, they look cute and fluffy, hopping along the fence like Pepé LePew. […]
It’s too long since I’ve had the joy of seeing a sea of trilliums brighten up a woodland floor. This is one of my fond memories of childhood, having spent part of our youth living near wooded areas in different parts of Southern Ontario. However, I do have a few in the garden. This year, […]
This is the lovely bouquet Sarah brought me from her country garden yesterday. But, sadly, Narcissus or daffodils, don’t make very long-lasting cut flowers. Today, most of them have expired. Best to enjoy them in the garden… If only we could put far-off places on wheels and yank them closer, our gardening lives would be […]
Let’s call the whole thing … a really splendid harbinger of spring. Actually, most people say “fors-i-thia” when we’re talking about Forsythia. But I always see Mr. Forsyth’s surname fossilized in there. He was the royal gardener who introduced this Asian native shrub to the west, around the time when Jane Austen was a girl. […]