I left all my words in the garden last evening

I found I could say things


with colour


and shapes


that I couldn't say any other way


-things I had no words for.


~Georgia O'Keeffe, Artist


It is warm and sunny and the late afternoon light is dappled through the stand of spruce bordering the west side of the garden. I have a terrible cold and my thoughts are running, I suspect, out my nose. ;) Now I am off to to lay under the umbrella in my garden with my new book. Hope you are all enjoying these fragrant, lustrous days.

Juno, Juno, welcome!

How can it be June! These days are supposed to meander along, not do cartwheels down the hill with pigtails flying! Given that I haven’t had time to do a proper post and most of the photos I have taken over the last couple of weeks are already out of date, I thought I would just post a few of the highlights.

I have been super busy (started a new job I love!), have been out in the garden battling my four nemeses (nemisi?): goutweed (neighbour’s contribution to the ‘hood), lily of the valley (I thought it was gone last year!), ants (how did they find us so fast?), and the caragana runners I had hoped we put the boot to last year (from the ancient hedge we had ground out).


I have also been resigning myself to the losses from our crazy winter while at the same time hoping against hope. Well, my hope was warranted as there are many more survivors than first thought. Both my hydrangeas are alive and only one of my three Russian sage appears to be dead, only one fern is showing no life (well, of only two) and a Vinca ‘Alba’ has turned out to be purple.

[northern maidenhair fern - the cutest, tiniest fiddlehead ever]

My tender hybrid rose, ‘Sterling Silver’ bit the dust and the first bulbs of my life that I planted are mostly all up!

The spiral Dwarf Alberta Spruce ended up getting quite brown by the end of winter but seems to be coming back. All three of my new raspberry canes made it and my rhubarb (that got moved, potted and moved) is coming back great.

[not my rhubarb - a neighbour's]

Powdery mildew has arrived already but I can’t complain because it arrived in the wake of a lot of rain (and, yes, a little snow!) for which I am truly grateful.

[wet crabapple blossoms still smelling so sweet]

There are new squirrels, new rabbits and lots of robins. The sparrows can’t stop singing and I am waking up at 4:00 a.m. to the sound of birds – and I don’t mind! I went to the Saskatchewan border yesterday and saw loads of hawks on the trip.

[Are these Morels?]

I have been getting out for early morning weekend walks through the back alleys and down into the ravine.

[adorable unknown clematis spilling into lane behind a garage - can anyone ID it?]

The scent of all the flowering trees and shrubs has cast a heady spell on me and I join the bees in burying my nose in the boughs that overhang the fences.

Life is good, I want to blog more, but can’t right now and will be out of town for the next few days as well (it does involve visiting a winery so not all bad). Have been popping in on your blogs as much as possible and am thrilled to see how lush your gardens are growing. Enjoy each of these glorious days!

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!

Rain down on me

It’s raining, it’s pouring
The old man is snoring

Bumped his head on the top of the bead

And couldn't get up in the morning

[blurry pic of Heuchera 'Plum Royale' gleaming in evening rain]

Yes! We have rain and I am so happy to see it. As I look at the fragile, hopeful chartreuse blush of the trees, I am chanting, “Please rain, please rain”. The trees in our city are terribly drought-stressed, the soil is so dry that the earth is contracting around peoples homes, causing the foundations to shift. Every day when I cross the river valley on my morning commute, I wince when I see the haggard trees on the south-facing bank that just aren’t even able to put out more than a few leaf buds this year. We have already been deep soaking our mature trees. But there is nothing like dear Mother Nature sending steady rains our way to sweeten the earth. I love the sound of it on the roof when I am in bed at night and the smell of it in the morning air.

Mother Nature, rain down on me. I’ll put on my dancing shoes.

A beautiful song from Canadian band Blue Rodeo's 1992 album Lost Together.