Thursday, 27 February 2014

First we Dream.

                                     "Winter, 
                            a lingering season, 
           is a time to gather golden moments,
          embark upon a sentimental journey, 
                     and enjoy every idle hour."





  As we sit in the middle of a deep freeze it is hard to remember warm summer days. If you are anything like me, you will have had enough of winter and long for warm summer days, cicadas piercing the night air with their summer song and the fragrance of flowers softly floating on a gentle breeze and the renewal of all of nature.















  I for one have been thinking a lot about flowers and what I would like to add to my garden this year. I have been scanning magazine's making plans for the different areas of my garden.
  I have also been searching the internet for garden furniture for my new patio and looking at simple water features that I might add.













 "Nothing happens 
       unless first we
          DREAM"
                            -C.Sandburg



  Remember, it is never to early to start planning and it really does help to make these chilly, dreary days go by a little faster.
  We have twenty, yes that is twenty days until spring arrives. Hard to believe I know but never the less it will soon be upon us and if we do a little planning we will be ready for when the cold gives way to warmer days and we can get our hands into the dirt.
















   So, I thought I would share with you some pictures taken of my garden over the past few years. I hope it will help inspire you, make you dream of sunny days to come, make you feel the warmth of spring and smell summers fragrant air.


























Happy Planning, Happy Gardening!!


Wednesday, 5 February 2014

Dream in Flowers



Flame of the Woods-Ixora


'Time stands still in the presence of
nature's beauty.'


Bougainvilla




 I recently had the pleasure and privilege of traveling to St.Lucia.
   So today, as I look out my window to a cold, blowing snowy day I thought I would brighten yours by sharing some of the islands beauty.


Bougainvilla
Bougainvilla and Chalice Flower














  
I consider this a perfect day to look through gardening magazines and books or maybe to scan the internet for plants and ideas for the garden. Not only will it cheer you up but you will be prepared when spring decides to show up and you can get out into the garden.

Lollypop 

      













   Some of these plants such as the Bougainvilla and Lollypop plant can be grown as annuals so, if you don't live in a tropical climate, don't forget to check out the tropical section of your garden centre when looking for something unique for the garden.


Heliconia

Heliconia- Crab claw









  
Heliconia
 
    So don't get discouraged when you look outside, consider it a snow day for doing nothing but dream of sunny days to come.
    It is only 42 days until spring and if you think how fast the days fly by that is not that far away. 
    
     Happy Dreaming and Happy Gardening!!

















Croton
Blue Jade Vine

Ginger Lily














Ginger Lily


Tuesday, 21 January 2014

Winter's Beauty





Ice covered branches
 "Of winter's lifeless world
 each tree now seems a perfect part;
       Yet each one holds summer's secret
             deep down within it's
                       heart."
                                   -Charles G. Stater
Snow covered Clematis and Birdbath









  January, it's that time of year when the excitement of the holidays has passed and we are left with days that are cold and bleak.  As the cold days set in and we long for summer days it is hard to appreciate winter's beauty. But, every morning as I take my dog outside I look around and winter casts her spell. It's like looking at your garden through a different lens, one that takes the dead and throws a blanket of white over it and gives it new life.
  Now I'm not saying I like the cold that winter has thrust upon us  but I do enjoy the magic it creates with its icy, snowy days.



   Going for a walk after a fresh snow fall has covered the trees and ground can make that winter day so much more enjoyable. The world gets transformed from a bleak grey to a beautiful wonderland of crystals sparkling in the sunlight.
    It's a great time to take your camera and capture some of the trees and plants that catch your interest, getting ideas for your own garden. One of the things to always keep in mind when adding larger plants such as shrubs and trees to your garden is how they will look in winter, think of what interest they will add to your winter garden.

Sumac covered in ice and snow.














  It's also a great time as January draws to a close to get out your wish book and write down all the plants you want to try this year. Draw out your plans for new flower beds or color schemes you want to try.

Weeping Japanese Cherry
Ornamental Grass





















  Some people like to go with just one colour which can have a great impact, just make sure you have different variations of that one colour and a good assortment of plants and textures.
  If you want an all white garden, besides the snow covered one that is, think of adding different shades of green to it as well, the green shines, tucked among the white. Ground covers such as Sweet Woodruff with it's tiny white bloom adds great texture and it's leaves stay green long after the bloom has gone. Hostas are always a good choice when trying to impart green to a garden.
  An all blue or lavender garden brings a calm and relaxation to your garden. Red is bright and bold adding a certain kind of energy to it surroundings, the same goes for an orange themed garden. Yellow is like sunshine, bright and cheery.

Gingko Biloba Tree

    We only have 57 days until the first day of spring so use those days to dream of summer days ahead.  Curl up in a cozy chair with a cup of tea or a hot toddy and if you're lucky by a warm fire, pull out your gardening magazines and books and start planning for a new garden season. But don't forget to get outside once in a while and enjoy the winter garden and get inspired.


Happy Gardening! Happy Dreaming!

Friday, 13 December 2013

A Long Winter's Nap






Perhaps
      what moves us in winter
 is some reminiscence of
      a far off summer.
                                   -Henry David Thoreau



  










 Now that our garden's have all been tucked in and put to bed for the winter it is time to relax a little and enjoy the stark beauty of a winter's landscape.




     I for one love the look of winter. The trees exposed in all their glory, showing us their true shape. Each one bare, you get to see each twist and turn of the branches and the trees true character.
 I also love that all the birds nests which are usually tucked away from sight, hidden among the leaves, are now exposed for all to see. I am always amazed at the size of some of them, so tiny and intricate.  
  And then there are the squirrels nests, mounds of leaves formed to provide warmth on cold winter days and a place to put their winter stash. They aren't to afraid of the cold and it is only on very cold days that they tuck themselves away. I am always amused by the way they scurry up and down the trees jumping from one to the next. It's like a jungle gym for squirrels.













  
  Hopefully, you had the chance to cut back your perennial's, cover-up any delicate plants and plant your spring bulb's. I for one did not get around to planting any spring bulbs. I had good intentions but delayed it to long. I will just have to plant extra next year. I always try to put at least a couple of dozen in each year so that I always have a lovely spring display. Bulbs get old or get replanted by some meaningful squirrels ( or so I like to think)  So, if you add some every year,  you will always have something blooming for you in the spring.














       I did manage to cut back all of my plants and put cones around my roses and more delicate plants. I know some people like to leave their clean-up until spring but for me I like to do it in the fall. One of the reasons is that I find, especially in the past few years, the plants are coming up early and if you have left clean up for spring they tend to get lost among the old garden waste. Also, there is always a lot to do in the garden in spring so why add to it. Having taken care of it in the fall you can get right to things without having to clean up first. I'm all about the easy, plus I don't really like old wet soggy leaves.














      So now that you have all that work out of the way you can use these cold winter months to sit back and start planning your garden for next year. It's a great time to flip through gardening magazines and books and think of the things that did or did not work for you last year. Keep a note book and that way you won't forget what you would like to add or change. I like to keep a garden journal, I actually have a couple, with pictures and notes.  It makes life easier and helps you remember what everything looked like thus making it easier to know what needs to be changed. If you find pictures in magazines of a garden, garden accessory or plant you like, cut it out and put it in your journal. Write down names of plants, seeds etc of things you want to have a look at, try or find out more about.


  











  I have been looking at a few food blogs and have decided I would like to try and add a few more vegetables to my garden. This will take a bit of juggling of plants but I have time now to figure out what I have to do to make it work. One of the blogs I was looking at is called 'dishing the dirt' and another is 'white on rice' both great blogs and worth checking out.
     So use your free time from the garden to plan ahead. Enjoy the winter landscape, take a walk and see what plants other people have that are adding winter interest to their yards. Take time to relax and enjoy the break and dream of summer days to come.

Happy Gardening! 


Wednesday, 6 November 2013

Autumns little glories

Halloween  display

"I love Autumn, the one season of the 
year that God seemed to have put
there just for the Beauty
of it."
                                         -Lee Maynard
                                    
Blooms from succulents

   In the Autumn when we start to see our gardens die off there are always a few plants that seem to hang on. This is a perfect time to enjoy those last few blooms by bringing them in. 
I don't know about you but I hate to see those beautiful flowers sitting out in the garden not being appreciated by anyone. Also it gives us a chance to grasp the last few days of summer by brightening up our homes. 

Blooms from succulents
Climbing Rose
     I always seem to have roses that want to hang on, not giving in to cold nights and frosty mornings, so why not help them out and let them thrive inside. This red rose below is that lovely rose of mine that has such an intoxicating scent, there is no way I could leave it outside given the chance of smelling it one more time. 

Shrub rose


Pineapple Sage flowers

  This bouquet is the flower of Pineapple Sage. Unfortunately it seemed to bloom very late this year and so when I started to clean up my garden it was just in full bloom. Instead of cutting it down I decided to bring it in and I do think it makes a lovely display. Just remember the ants love this plant and hide in the deep throats of this flower.
    So give them a good shake and check them carefully or you might have ants crawling about the house.



   And then there are the grasses. They make a great display for Thanksgiving and Halloween.  I love the Northern Sea Oats because you can bring them in, place them in a vase without water and they just dry beautifully. They add lovely colour and texture to your Thanksgiving display and will remain that way until you throw it away. Talk about easy. You can do the same with Hydrangea's and Sedum blooms which make a lovely fall bouquet and would look great among the Sea Oats.


Northern Sea Oats


   The tall grasses are perfect for Halloween, especially the ones with feather like blooms. Just cut them and place them where you want, as they dry they have more character so it's a good idea to cut them maybe a week before Halloween.
    I also left my urn with it's grasses out for Halloween which made a colourful and interesting and not to mention easy display. All I did was add a few plastic skulls and faux leaves and I was done.

   So before you start tearing your garden down, look around and see if there is anything you can bring in, allowing you to savour summer for a few more days.

Happy Gardening!


Porcupine Grass 






Zen and Now


If you are having trouble seeing clearly,
take a moment to relax
and just enjoy
the view from where you are.


Zen garden/ground covers















  I don't know if you remember me talking in a previous post about my Zen garden but I had mentioned the fact that it was a great deal of work. 
  As you can see in the pictures it was very full and required many hours of weeding to keep it looking good. Now being a Zen garden I found it was not providing me with tranquility but frustration at the speed in which the weeds would grow.
  Even though I did love the way it looked and all the lovely ground covers,  I needed to change something.  So as the garden season came to an end I decided it was a good time to do just that and make my life a little easier. 

Zen garden
   I decided to make good use of the space and at the same time retain some of it's character. I left quite a few of the grasses on the edge of the garden and also my new Japanese Maple.















  This is my now empty Zen garden, it makes me a little sad to see it this way but I know I will enjoy the extra time I will have to spend elsewhere in the garden.
  I managed to move quite a few of the ground covers to different areas of my garden so I will still get to enjoy them, just not in such abundance. I also managed to give away most of the grasses so I feel good about that. Waste not want not.






    And this is my new patio. I am so happy with the way it turned out and can already picture how it will look with my planters and furniture in the summer.  As you can see some of the grasses are still there but it all looks much neater. I love the way my Japanese Maple is centre stage and hopefully it will thrive in that spot.


 I also find that the patio makes the whole yard look bigger and the area itself looks so much bigger even though it is almost the same size as before. 


    In the spring I will use various planters to add colour and character to this new 'Zen' type patio. I plan to put my stone bench back, maybe along the window wall and hopefully add a water feature as well.
   I  am also really pleased at how well it works with the deck, especially the colouring. It has a nice flow and turned out just as I had pictured.



  One thing for sure is I already feel more Zen just thinking of relaxing in that spot rather that being on my knees weeding.







  So remember, fall is a great time for making changes and if you are planning something like this I highly recommend the fall. I was not anticipating the amount of dust that would be involved and would not want that in the spring if it can be avoided.












  Also, when the snow starts to melt and those lovely spring mornings start calling you outside, the work is already done.
  You can sit back, relax and watch your garden come to life once again.

  I think that 'Zen' is already working for me.

Happy Gardening!