It's raining...It's snowing....

...At least my garden's growing!

Yes, the weather is terrible (-5c tonight!), but my garden is showing signs of life nonetheless. I am so grateful for all the bulbs we planted last fall. Most of them are still little green stems--brave souls--and determined.

Most exciting for me, however, is that teeny deep red spot in the bottom right photo. That, my friends, is one of the five hellebores I planted last summer---wooooo hoooo!!!

If I jump up and down and pump my fist in the air like I'm at a big-hair band concert, you will know I have FLOWERS. Oh, and I will publish photos, of course (of the plant, that is! ) :)

Wishing you all the best with your spring dreams.

The plant that makes you go 'Awwww'

I know the Internet is full of cute kittens and giggling babies doing adorable things, but really, is there anything cuter than muscari? I think not. We planted 30 bulbs of the 'magic carpet' mix last fall in our flurry of last minute bulb planting and now these little guys are popping up in the cutest bunches.

They are a mix of white, blues and combos of various blues and/or whites together. I swear if you listen closely you can hear them singing joyful songs.

If I told you I got down on my stomach JUST TO LOOK AT THEM (not even to take their pictures!) would you understand? :)

Pretty much all thirty of them have come up but it is not enough. I need more.

There is something about their miniature perfection that delights me. They make me feel like a kid again (my dolls would have loved a bouquet of these!). At the same time they are terribly romantic and old-fashioned.

I will be haunting the garden centres at the end of summer to pick up more of these cuties. I mean, really, after a long winter, don't we all need a flower that makes us go awwwww... :)

I Speak Of May

"I thought that spring must last forevermore


For I was young and loved,


and it was May."
~ Vera Brittain, May Morning


Oh why does my Prunus triloba ‘Multiplex’ (double flowering plum) have to bloom its head off this year, of all years? For the last two Mays we’ve been here it has put out a half dozen blooms at best. A sweet but paltry offering, and rather fleeting. Worse yet, it was planted by the previous owners up against the driveway, so that whenever we get out of the vehicle we get caught up in it. I have pruned that side of it as naturally looking as possible and have succeeded at keeping it at bay – for now. I was firm that it was coming out this year. So why is every centimetre of it covered in buds this year? Why does it look so beguiling that even my toddler is enchanted with it, touching the buds each time he goes by? Maybe if I take a course in pruning I can keep it off the driveway and keep it balanced looking. In the meantime, the next week or two promises a blush of enchantment that will not, I repeat, will not, influence or woo me in any way. Not at all. I mean, who likes pink frothy spring blooms anyway? Just in case, though, tell me there's a way to prune this charmer and keep it looking balanced. I mean, my job as resident gardener of this forgotten garden is all about making things work, right?

My Little Side Project

Yes, I've got a little something on the side. ;-)

It's the path between the house and fence as you enter through the garden gate. On the left is the fence (that we put in two years ago) so all plantings on that side will be in northfacing shade. The right side is the house with a man door from the garage and a very ugly white cement block chimney that narrows the path for a few feet. Last year, when we had the landscapers come in to tear up sidewalks, remove gravel and bring in topsoil and sod, we cleared the cement paving stone sidewalk out of there, took out the monoculture of lily of the valley (a plant that needs room to grow, not a tight space like this) that competed with the neighbour's goutweed that was going rogue across borders. We put in topsoil, compost, bark mulch and a half dozen Woolly Thyme. After that, we moved on to begin planning how we would address some of the other spaces.

[photos taken before giant snow fall of May 4]

This year I am adding additional plantings to this area to give it a welcoming woodland feel to suit its dappled light location. I have realized that the shady parts aren't as shady as I originally thought and the sunny, not quite as sunny. The woolly thyme we planted last year made it through the winter with no dieback and looks very happy. To add to the thyme, I needed to go shopping. Yes! My first of the year actual shopping adventure at a garden centre. Tres fun! First, I picked up another half dozen Woolly Thyme to add along the centre of the path. It really does hold up well to foot - and wheelbarrow - traffic.

Then I got a few little groundcovers rated for moderate foot traffic for off to the sides.







And some adorable little sweeties for closer to the fence and house




And, finally, some Aquilegia "Biedermeirer' for height.








It was the 50th birthday celebration at the garden centre so part of the goodie bag for everyone was a 'Tumbler' tomato plant. My little son is going to love this!

And, finally, for another project area I got this Clematis macropetala 'Lagoon'. It is hardy with a double flowered blue bell-shaped flower. However, now I am thinking of putting on the white brick south facing chimney. Does anyone have any experience with this clematis? I appreciate any info you may have.

Now, just as soon as the 'Great snowstorm' of May melts away, I will get to dig in and plant!

Somewhere over the rainbow...

Whilst we wait for our backyard to be renewed, rejuvenated and made of awesome, we cannot ignore the front side of things.

I want guests to feel welcome as they approach my home and I want to have a place to sit to look out at the glorious mornings.

Our front entrance has a lovely, shaded stoop with a deep overhang that nestles you in. It is wide enough for a bench on one side...



And a few pots on the other…



My guiding word for this space is Verdant. I wanted green with just a few shots of brilliant colour to keep it cheery as well as restful.



I want arriving home at the end of the day to make me smile. I want to smile at my neighbours out walking their dogs and pushing their strollers. I want my little son to know that nature isn’t that place we drive to find. It’s a part of us.



And by and by Christopher Robin came to an end of things, and he was silent, and he sat there, looking out over the world, just wishing it wouldn't stop.
~ Winnie the Pooh

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Do you remember that loooooong stretch from Halloween to Christmas, after all the bags of chips and little chocolate bars and even the candy kisses from your Halloween treat bag were gone and still your family hadn’t put up the Christmas decorating? The bright lights of Christmas seemed so unbearably far away and you hadn’t even really had a pretty snowfall yet, and so, you scrunched down into your collar and silently trudged through the grey, cold days of November waiting for signs of the festive season ahead.

And then, one Sunday afternoon a few big, fat snowflakes fell and stayed on the trees in your backyard, you noticed your parents huddling in whispers and looking at your with bright eyes as they stirred hot chocolate on the stove. Soon you even caught yourself humming the song to Charlie Brown’s Christmas special.

My little plants feel like that today. They are now sentinels, potted and shelved, waiting for the landscapers to come and restore their earth.

They know it will be a momentous event that will leave them with the greatest present of all—new beds filled with rich earth and room to grow. So although they are scrunched into their pots they cannot help but glow a little in anticipation.

The dicentra ‘Candy Hearts’ has sent up some rosy buds.

The plants that suffered such a set-back in the cold only a short time ago have now bounced back and are sending up new babies.

Even one of our furry feline friends, Bob, has come outside to roll around and have his belly rubbed.

Surely the big day can’t be too far away now, can it?

May Pleasures

We ventured out into our local ravine yesterday for a hike with the wee toddler. (Hubby has a great backpack-type carrier for the little guy so we can go anywhere!)

The creek has settled down after its spring rush and is moving quite sedately, albeit with a skim of slushy ice pooling on it in the quieter locations. Because we love you, Miss May, we have learned to enjoy all your surprises — even the snow on the streams in the dark, mysterious corners of the ravine.

I love these little nooks who refuse to give up their winter mantle.

Spring is a season of contrasts. So, of course, up on a sunny hill a little later in our trek we saw our first butterfly of the season! Our little guy was delighted and kept pointing as the butterfly flitted about, “budderFLY, budderFLY!” He has only seen butterflies in books (except for last summer which he probably doesn’t remember as he was only one then). I don’t know what this butterfly is, so if any of you astute readers can offer a suggestion I would love to know more. I googled it and it kind of looks like a ‘Green Comma’ (lovely name!) but its wing shape wasn’t quite as ornate.

Out in the garden this morning there are signs of Spring's renewal. The dicentra ‘Candy Hearts’ (fern-leaf bleeding heart) I planted last year is showing vigorous signs of life.

As is the rhubarb, which was here when we got here. . (Looks like the brains of the operation to me!) I think it is gorgeous in full leaf and plan to keep it. I look forward to rhubarb and strawberry pie later in the summer…mmm.

Also, the purple irises (name unknown) that my Dad gave me last summer are coming up.

All these will have to be potted up before the landscapers come to take out the clay and bring in topsoil. Rest assured, little plants, you will all have a home in our new garden!