Spring urns

April has been warm and the urge to put in flowers is high. In my Spring urns this year I added some great curly pussy willow and the traditional straight willow.

Daffodills and pansies were all that will handle weather now.

Destructive Beetles

These beetles are singing "all you need is love" right now and they are eating and copulating like the world is ending. Which of course it is for them right now - their life cycle is about up.
Meanwhile they have caused destruction to my climbing hydrangea.  The good news is that they are leaving my roses alone, and the hydrangea is a tough plant that can withstand the devastation.

Brown holey leaves show the effect of the Japanese beeltes voracious appetite. 

They are beautiful with their coppery brown body and green jeweled head.

badly eaten leaves have a lacey quality

Almost every leaf of this large vine hosts a beetle

Perennial Mid summer gardens

Perennial gardens are a challenge. Mid summer gardens can be bereft of flowers, if you don't know your zone and don't plan for changing seasons of colour. There is a reason most gardens tours are in late Spring when things are fresh and green and not eaten by bugs.
Of course you can always take the easy way out and put in annuals which will carry you through this time of year.
Every year I plant morning glories for this time of year and they never fail to impress.

Morning glories and hibiscus

Daylily

Phlox

My favourite phlox

Monkshood, tall and stately, but need to be staked - you don't find this colour of blue on many flowers.

Clematis

What could be prettier - clematis and roses

Clematis with a Cherokee Chief Dogwood in the background

This time of year the clematis are spectactular. Mine is just coming into bloom, but some early blooming ones have already finished. Each week int he garden reveals some new plant coming into it's own. Isn't that what gardening is all about?

Swan Song

Mute swans settling down for the night, assuming their flamingo pose.

I went to LaSalle Park in Burlington, Ontario yesterday to see if the Trumpeter Swans were there in the summer. They aren't. Where do they go? I read that rescued populations don't migrate very far. So are they in Wye March? I have a friend who feeds the swans in Wye Marsh, perhaps they are up there with him for the summer. I  like to think so, that seems just serendipitious.

Tell tale signs

Finally the snowdrops are appearing.  After having the coldest March on record for 100 years I think the worst is over.  I removed the layer of leaves that covered the garden so I could appreciate the snowdrops all the better.
The winter was beautiful with a layer of white snow covering the garden debris and making everything look sparkly and new. But once we reach the brown stage of spring I can't hlep being impatient for the flowers of Spring. I even made an urn with artificial flowers.

Now is a good time to rake the garden.  The ground is still frozen and you don't damage the tender plants.

Canada Blooms

These flower creations look like real cakes!

Sometimes the stars align and things just fall into place.  Imagine our joy when we arrived at Canada Blooms show and found out today was free parking.  It doesn't take much to make our hearts glad.
There were some very unusual displays this year.
My favourite exhibit was the Garfield Thompson Landscape Limited. His use of natural settings and water features are incredibly original.

Such detail!

Water comes out of the stone fountain, across the table, and falls into a recirculating pool. 

Incredible flower dresses.

Loved the use of natural stone.

My favourite exhibit had a fountain which tracks across a table slab. 

Trumpeter Swans

La Salle Park in Burlington has a program to reestablish Trumpeter Swans. There is a colony of about 200 swans in the basin at LaSalle Park.  They are all tagged and hand fed in the winter by volunteers.  You can see how big they are compared to the Canada Geese.  They are pretty noisy, honking, bobbing their long necks and flapping their wings.

Compared to the mute swans they are much taller.  They are easily distinguished by their black beaks.  Mute swans have orange beaks. Trumpeter swans are the largest species of native waterfowl in North America.  They were nearing extinction in North America. In 1933, Overhunting by early European settlers had reduced the numbers of trumpeters to just 77 breeding adults in Canada.
Harry Lumsden, retired from the Ministry of Natural Resources, with the help of dozens of volunteers has brought the swans back to Ontario. He started the program in 1982. There are over 1,000 trumpeters in the south-central part of the province now.  For more information go to: http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/2009/03/29/trumpeter_swans_making_a_comeback_in_ontario.html

Looking across Hamilton Harbour from LaSalle Park. this spot is a haven for ducks, Canada geese, Trumpeter swans and mute swans.

Bobbing, dancing and weaving to their loud trumpeting.

Ice storm

The ice storm was really hard on people.  Many people lost hydro power and some sewers backed up.  But if was beautiful.  The trees and bushes sparkled in the sun and it looked like a wonderland.

Christmas Urns 2013

Balcony before

Balcony after

A group of retired teacher met to do a workshop on Christmas urns with me. What a crew upbeat, eager and open to ideas. In spite of the same materials each urn is as individualistic as the owner.

 RWTO Garden club 2

Example from Sheridan.

back in touch

All of the main buildings are open air.

Our little lOve nest

Definitely a Thai theme here, even the hangers are made of twigs.

the vista

That's us # 501.

After our days at sea we are once again on dry land. Actually it is a volcanic  island, very romantic and out of the way. If it weren't for the rain, it would be perfect. We had a bout of flu. The Handyman spent one day aboard flat on the bunk, not the best space to weather the flu. He missed a whole day of diving. He was a trooper about it and never complained, but i knew it was serious when he didn't' want to eat. I think one young man brought it aboard. I was congratulating myself on not getting sick, I had brought along Lysol wipes, when I was laid low as well, but at least I was back on dry land. I think we have used every one of the pills the travel doctor gave us. And we gave away Advil to those in need.
Tomorrow we are off to James Bond (or James Bon, as they call it here) island and the caves. We'll keep you informed...

Just loafing

I think my bathing suit is bigger than anyone else's on the beach. Mine is the niqab of bathing suits. The handyman said he is tired of looking at all the over 60 jiggly bits here on the beach. The staff are covered head to toe and the 'Farangs' (Thai for tourist) are all dressed in bikinis regardless of age and toning.
The sea is incredibly warm _ warmer than the pool. We swam in 3 out of 4 of the pools and bobbed in the ocean, but the surf was very strong.

Chinese Lanterns

Once you get this plant from seed or seedlings, you have it for life.

Nothing says Fall like Chinese Lanterns,  Physalis alkekengi. The book says: "Plant where they have lots of room to grow." They will wander all over your garden and each year will emerge in a new spot.  It will drive you crazy if you believe in law and order with your plants.  Gardens must really match our personalities or its a battle you can't win.  I have them in a 'wild' section with ferns and don't mind where they emerge.
My trick to make them stand out is to pinch off the leaves that block the lanterns after they develop so that they are seen more easily.
Next year I'm going to put some seedlings in a pot in the Spring and then move them where I want them in the Fall.

Morning glorious

Grown from seed.  Every year I fill this planter with morning glories.

 I tried the new grafter tomato plants this year.  I choose cherry tomatoes one yellow and one red variety.  The grafted tomatoes are grown on heirloom root stock which makes them vigorous but has the superior taste of the newer varietials.  I was apprehensive about the final size of this plant. It is supposed to grow to 8 ft! While the red variety was not as juicy as I would have liked.  The tomatoes matured earlier and started bearing fruit very early in the summer.  Worth growing for that alone! I have a very shady location and the tomatoes probably only get 4 hours a day max. but they managed to produce a fair number of tomatoes.  At between $8. - 12 a plant.  You need a few salads to make it worthwhile!

The red varietal., firm flesh, like small plum tomatoes.

Yellow miniature tomatoes. Delicious!

Fabulous Phlox

When people ask me what plant to add to the garden for Fall colour I have to mention phlox as one of the mainstays in the garden.

Don't know the name of this phlox, but  blooms first and furious.  It starts blooming in July and just keeps on going. 

 Not only is phlox a great scrabble word, but it fills in a provides a great background in the garden. The main problem with phlox is mildew. Phlox paniculata cultivars are very susceptible. Various home remedies (1 tsp baking soda to 1 liter of water) help in the early stages, but eventually the leaves just need to be removed. Local climate and soil conditions affect the fungus, but wet summers like this one, help keep the fungus at bay. Some phlox become more susceptible with age, so it is best to pull then out and start anew.
You can also reduce the chance of infection by providing lots of moisture, good air circulation and by thinning the clumps. So, thin mature plants every Spring.
But before the mildew sets in, enjoy the glorious beauty of this garden joy.  My favourite is the phlox above, but I don't know it's name.  It was a division from my sister-in-law and I have watched for it ever since.  It is usually finished blooming by the time mildew sets in, so you can cut it down and let something else take over.
My recommendation is that you plant phlox in spite of the mildew problem.  The plump greenery of this plant is a great backdrop in Spring and Summer to your other garden choices.

This phlox is a very old variety.  I received it from my mother-in-law.  It is probably from the 1940's or 50's. It opens next in my garden.  

Love the colour of this 'Starfire' phlox.  It has the added feature of emerging in Spring with a wonderful red hue to the leaves and then going green as Summer progresses.

This white phlox is has a almost indicernible pink star in the centre.  I gets badly mildewed as the season progresses.  But for now it is beautiful!

Scarborough Bluffs

Lots of erosion, so stay away from the edge of the cliffs. 

Great time of year to see the bluffs.  Vegetation has not come out.  Note the yellow of the willow twigs.

From Cathedral Park above the bluffs towards the marina.

Looks tropical, doesn't it

The beach at Scarborough Bluffs

Peaking down the ravine from the top

Wikipedia states the following about the geology of the bluffs:

They run 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the foot of Victoria Park Avenue in the west to the mouth of Highland Creek in the east, reaching as high as 90 metres (300 ft), the equivalent of twenty-five storeys.^[4] However, the escarpment continues westward inland, running between Kingston Road and Queen Street East, pausing over the Don Valley, and continuing on the north side of Davenport Road. The escarpment forms the old shoreline of Glacial Lake Iroquois, formed after the last ice age, which left valuable geological records as the part of the escarpment by the lake eroded. The eroded alluvial deposits from the Bluffs then settled westward to form the Toronto Islands.

We had a beautiful day for our visit.  It was a great time of year to see the bluffs without the vegetation covering up the shore line.  We had lunch at Bluffer's Restaurant which is a beautiful setting. We need a restaurant like that in Port Credit!  The serve was off slightly, but not enough to really annoy you, but on a busy day, it might be a problem. 

You have to see the bluffs, especially in the Fall when the monarchs butterflies are massing to fly to Mexico!