A noun. A verb. A blog.
Like this mixed-up sunflower, my November 2016 NaBloPoMo has developed a hiccup in its middle. An extra-busy weekend, a tech update for the blog that took longer than expected, and a day escorting my beloved mother-in-law to cataract surgery have meant that I missed yesterday, and have almost missed today. Well, nevertheless, I’ll continue to try to post […]
Have you seen the Chihuly glass exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum? I have been meaning to go since it opened, and I’m glad to hear they’ve extended it till January 8, 2017. (Looking up ticket prices this week, I learned you can get a good price by combining it with the Wildlife Photographer of the […]
On Remembrance Day, we remember all who served and sacrificed – and who survived – with the symbol of the red corn poppies that bloomed on the fields of Flanders after the First World War. None of these are corn poppies. Some are Oriental poppies, some are Iceland or opium poppies. Some are perennial, some, […]
My adventures in urban wild bee hospitality have appeared on the blog before. Right now, other than some passive carpenter bee action on our shed, I’m out of the bee hotel business. But I’d like to get back into it. Over my garden travels, I’ve been collecting bee hotel pictures for inspiration. Hoping these inspire you, […]
A little beauty for a day that has left us speechless.
These colourful bugs have long been replaced by huge mural on the railway underpass on the south end of Monarch Park in Toronto’s east end. As much as I’m in love with the replacement (and do intend to write about it one day), I’m also glad I preserved these smiling faces for a day like today. It’s election night 2016 in the […]
The pesky squirrel problem makes people want to stop planting bulbs. Those darned critters seem to have radar, and know exactly when and where you’ve planted your bulbs – then they dig them up and either eat them, or plant them in someone else’s garden. Grrrrr. But don’t despair. I used to be one of those people, […]
Ever experience a strange coincidence? Like mine, years ago, when backpacking around Europe, I met two Australian girls who gave me that old line: Oh, you’re from Canada? We know someone from Canada. Uh huh, I thought, sure you do. Then they named my ex-boyfriend. This week I read that, statistically, coincidences like this aren’t really […]
Hello, I love you, won’t you tell me your name? Of course, I was talking to this beautiful tree in its red cloak, spotted in an East York garden not far from home. Every step slowed as I walked towards it and looked way up. Was it a Freeman maple (Acer x fremanii)? More and more are appearing along Toronto’s […]
If you’re a creative person (as gardeners often are) it’s easy to get hung up on perfection. Rather than appreciating the garden that is, you compare it with the garden that exists only in your mind – your dreams. And you grumble. I love your garden, people might tell you. While, grumbler that you are, you give them […]
Yesterday, I wrote about a “crocus” that seemed to bloom in fall, not spring. Here’s another seemingly out-of-season bloomer that’s also doing exactly what it’s meant to do. It’s the re-blooming, tall bearded Iris germanica ‘Immortality’ that puts out its main show in June, then returns for an encore performance in fall. This one was showing its […]
SEO language be damned. I can never resist turning a blog title into a bad pun or a song by the Bonzo Dog Band. In this case, both. The other day, a friend posted on Facebook with a picture of what she thought was a crocus, all mixed up in its seasons. Ever since, Colchicum-a-kama-sutra has been playing on my […]