Just your average Garden Variety

The New Place

2007-03-24T13:59:00.000-04:00

With the move, selling of the house, and the gruelling work schedule I have decided to rid my clutter.
My blog has been moved to http://pavementtoprairie.wordpress.com

Hope to see you there.

Spring Fever!

2007-03-23T20:12:00.000-04:00

I can feel the rush begin as soon as the sun hits my face and I feel warmth on my cheeks instead of the bitter cold of winter.

Today was 15 degrees and I began to itch to get my hands dirty. The snow has almost all melted, and I was able to better asses the vole damage. what appeared as a maze of a million tunnels criss crossing the lawn and a small square inch of bark missing from my tree. I knew they were there, as I was greeted at the front door by one of these little vermits a few weeks ago. I could only cross my fingers and pray for the 200 or so bulbs that I planted in the garden. Thankfully, it appears as though there was not a piled of bulbs found as it was at my neighbours house, where the voles decided to make a pantry out of their bulb collection and keep them in one place.

I began the tomato and pepper plants indoors a few weeks ago, and while the tomato plants have flourished, I am still waiting on many peppers to poke.

We have more news, we are looking at moving, so my little garden might be passed to another novice or even an expert that will see my baby flourish.

First Snow in the Garden

2006-10-24T23:46:00.000-04:00

200 bulbs

2006-10-23T16:55:00.000-04:00

Wow what a long garden blogging break.. I can't believe many people still checked in on me. I want to thank everyone for the compliments on my photos over the year, I am currently taking my digital photography designation and have decided to incorporate my photos with this blog.

I am afraid that with my mother fighting breast cancer, 2 deaths in the family, the IVF that forced me into bedrest due to ovarian hyperstimulation the garden has been last on the agenda. Most of the plants fended for themselves and thrived, others did not fair so well. I fear my peonys might have gotten brown spot, pouted and are not speaking to me anymore. My roses surprisingly have thrived and love their home. There were soo many tomatoes, that the neighbours were over daily picking their fill.

It seems like the entire month of October has been raining and cold. What happened to our Ontario Indian summer? Finally Saturday morning brought a break in the clouds for the morning hours and I was able to clean out the garden of unwanted plants and get everything ready for winter. Then I looked at the amount of bulbs C had purchased for me.. 200, tulips, hyacinths, alliums.. I had 2 dilemmas, 1 where was I going to plant all of these, and how badly was my back going to hurt after planting all these bulbs. I managed to dig the last hole just as the skies opened and the rain returned.

I am confused about the lavender though, if anyone has ideas on how I am to overwinter lavender, then I will gladly follow it.

White Cosmo

2006-08-04T20:54:00.000-04:00

Through a new lens

2006-08-04T20:42:00.000-04:00

Some photos from my walk this evening I thought I would share.

Prince Charming

2006-08-03T19:02:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we had some serious weather here in Ontario.. this cloud took over in less than 5 minutes everything went pitch black... seconds later we lost power, and the neighbours outdoor dining canopies flew around smacking into walls and I was not sticking around to see them smash into windows too.. we retreated to the basement.. Where we found....

Prince charming!!!! my little toad and tomato gaurd!!! He had saught shelter from the storm too in my basement window well. He looked so desperate to come in, but I couldn't risk letting in his friend the mouse too so we just made faces to one another and kissed through the glass while the storm went on..

Prior to the rain I took my new Nikon D70 out for a test spin in the field, actually in search of a butterfly, which I never seem to fidn when my cameras are cocked locked and loaded. (why is it that the second I put them down a Monarch appears, fluttering aimlessly and precariously close to me). I did find Thistle in fields of milk weed.

Blame it on the heat..

2006-08-03T04:09:00.000-04:00

I have been flipping terrible at keeping up on here. Everything is moving soo fast right now.
I will catch up later this week but I got my new Nikon D70..
Here are the first pics taken with it.

Friend or Foe?

2006-07-13T20:25:00.000-04:00

It was such a killer hot day today, I decided to let the plants suffer through the extreme heat and then give them a good drench this evening. I am glad I did, because had I wasted water and done the watering this morning I would have missed this. The catepillars must have just hatched for I caught them feeding on one rose leaf and the egg sacs are at the tip. You can actually see the eggs in the upper left hand corner (looks slightly shimmery) anyhow, I have no idea what they are, although I have a sneaking suspicion that they are fall web worms, and they can cause a lot of damage ( a lot more than what they already did to one single leaf in a few hours). I put them in a mason jar, then I clipped the stem around this leaf just in case one of them was fast to leap to another feed source.
Anyone know what they may be?

Edited to Add: I also found a few green aphids on my roses, I transferred the ladybugs over to the rose bush and I set out yellow sticky notes covered in vaseline. If this doesn't work tomorrow I will look at other options.

My Confession..

2006-07-11T19:47:00.000-04:00

I grow weed. Lots of it, in fact if I don't harvest the weed soon, it will expose itself to the neighbours. This side section of my yard was completely ignored, not by choice, but because I was *told* by the builder that the swails were to be dug up and redone this spring. Apparently I misunderstood and I figured the swail that had craters from the poor soil and bad drainage job was to be the swail to be dug up and redone, apparently that was a misconception on my part, instead the swail that was redone was fine and had no erosion whatsoever (until they dug up the sod and left the exposed soil for a month). Is it the builder that has no common sense? Or is this supposed to be the case.

In other Garden news, I have ladybug babies! Well hey if I can't procreate at least something in my garden can. I hope these ladies bring me as much luck as they can muster.
I also caught site of this by the tomato plants. Now let me confess.. ... I Cannot stand spiders. Even after photographing this (I apologize for the poor quality, I was not sticking around to photo over and over again, besides I sent a branch in to help out the ladybug right after I shot the photo since I saw some leg movement) but even now an hour later I still feel itchy and tingly. I know there are lots of spiders in my garden, I keep a keen eye for them when I am rummaging about. I know they are beneficial and blah blah blah, they are creepy and scarey to me, they are lucky to be so beneficial, but I would rather do without them. Just to let you know the ladybug did escape, but I am unsure if the spider wounded her with venom. My clematis, oh my clematis, I understand you like to grow your vine so high, but one flower, show me one flower just to know you want to shine.

Clematis

2006-07-08T13:55:00.000-04:00

While enjoying a few drinks at a friends yesterday I couldn't help but admire the white clematis she has trailing along an arbor in the back of the property. Her purchase was $5 a pot (I shelled out $20.00 for mine) and hers are in beautiful bloom. I have height, but no flower to mine. I loved these, She said the sale was continuing for a while, I might find a plant or two left.

We have success!!!!

2006-07-08T13:49:00.000-04:00

How exciting!!! I checked on the tomatoes only to see a whack of fruit growing upon their vines. I must shield them from the corn child from here on in. Every plant has a few tomatoes growing on them, with all of our setbacks, to see them progress this far is soo exciting.

Wild Weather

2006-07-06T22:51:00.000-04:00

This week was an absoloute rollercoaster for the weather. Did I mention that if you didn't like the weather you should wait ten minutes? Well that saying was proven yet again as we experienced everything from hot muggy stifling temperatures to incredible lows, severe thunder, wicked winds and hail. The thunderstorms were so severe my two pupheads were found cowering in bed with C when I got home from work and normally they are not fraidy pups. The lightning was so distracting on my drive home I had to remind myself NOT to stare out my passenger window but to keep my eyes on the road itself. I lost a few plants to the wind, namely a blooming stalk of phlox and a few weak stems on the tomato plants. The poor tomato plants also took a major beating in the hail storm and have scars on the stems where the hail pelted at them, the Canna Lilly also has torn leafs where the hail ripped right through to the ground. The hydrangeas in the flower boxes wilted in the suffocating heat and I thought they were goners for sure. It does appear that all plants have however managed to continue to live and thrive in the garden, despite the wild weather and mounting odds against them. The storms have since parted (hopefully for a few days) and the weather has been a comfortable 20 - 25 degrees, absoloutely perfect for sharing a drink in the backyard with neighbours (all of whom are watching my tomato plants with a careful eye- remember no fence), or taking the doggies for a walk along the lakefront. Bryan and Kaycee normally suffer through the summer months with their hot black fur coats, and since Byran believes that it is unregal of him to have a wet coat, he suffers most. Yesterday the weather was a perfect sunny but bearable day for the doggies so I strutted out to the waterfront for a stroll. All three of us were very happy to meet Sammy, a fellow Berner sitting with his Mistress and keeping watch of the grandchildren playing in the park.

Keeping up with the Jones'

2006-07-06T15:53:00.000-04:00

I have been a terrible journaller as of late. Things have been just soo hectic around the house that I have not had a moment to myself to post the pics of the garden as it grows. Now that the weather is soo nice I want to spend all my time IN my garden and not writing about my garden. But I digress, there have been a few changes to my little front garden. The cabbage that was destroyed by the little white cabbage butterfly larvae was sent for compost, but today I saw this.. Laying more of her destructive uninsatiable babies again.

There are some other "pests" that have made my garden their home, for example, this petunia was never planted by me, but the seed (I suspect from my neighbour since she has a tonne of these) somehow ended up sowing in an empty container I had. Something told me not to bother pulling it as a weed. I am actually glad I didn't. now I have a free container!

Remember that hydrangea I thought I had killed? One of them has bloomed, the other is much slower, I have yet to see buds, but I will let it be. I remember from my mom's garden that it took several years for the hydrangea to blossom into this huge 6 foot tall bushy shrub. (I am not sure I want it that big)

The hosta has also began to bloom, I really adore these flowers. They have such a delicatness to them but hang on a sturdy stem.

He loves me, he loves me not..

2006-06-27T19:21:00.000-04:00

Boy this would take a while to play that game.

Total destruction

2006-06-27T19:12:00.000-04:00

My poor flowering cabbage.. those savages, the little green worms must be saught revenge. This feast literally occured overnight

Passion Flower

2006-06-22T20:23:00.000-04:00

When C thought he was helping out and watering the plants by leaving the sprinkler on to drown my roses and clematis (I think this was the last battle for the clematis and it is heading to a better place now) . I had no idea the sprinkler was left on. When C finally awoke and told me I jumped up and out the door to survey the damage. Any loose blooms on the roses were gone, a few leafs on the peonies, and clematis were completely water logged. Well if this did not open us to disease I thought. I was soaked by the time I reached the shut off, dripping and saddened. C bought me this passion flower plant as a truce, and a promise to not water the plants again.
I love the strange beauty to the passion flower.

"It is immortal, but keeps death within;
Nobody has ever seen the bloom of a greater flower,
And if you long to know its name,
As it resembles Jesus, the flower is Christ."- Flos Passions (Signor .F.B., In Jacomo Bosio, 1609)

The passion flower actually has no connotation of romance but instead of religious notion. The 'passion' of the passiflora is that of Passiontide (The last 2 weeks of Lent). When Jacomo Bosio was studying in Rome in the 17th century he was introduced to the drawing of this odd flower from Mexico, since nothing like it had been discovered in Europe he believed it to be unreal. After many confirmations of the flowers existence he believed that the flower represented the cross of cavalry, as well as past mysteries of the passion. The central colum represents the cross itself, and the corona gleaming from the base represented the plaited and twisted crown of thorns (there are 72 filaments, same number as thorns in Christ's crown) The filaments are slightly pink representing the beating that drew blood. The 3 stigmas topping the column represent the 3 nails driven into Christ's body. And 5 red blotches on the stamen were believed to be blood from his 5 wounds. Later , the story was to include the 10 outer petals to represent the 10 apostles present at crucifixion (Peter and Judas absent) And the 3 bracts were the trinity. The leaves are the hands of Jesus' prosecutors, and the tendrils are what bounds him.
In non Christian influenced cultures it has also been representing a clockface flower and most oddly a homosexual flower because it artistically represents the anus.
I think I will stick with Jacomo's depiction.

As a side note, I have discovered that my fairy roses are under nourished.. I put down some more compost, a few coffee grinds and some rose food. I hope that the blooms get fatter soon (I did not think this was a minature rose) SEE!! I jinxed myself, the moment I had said I always saw heartache with rose growers!!!

The legend of the Passiflora from Plant Discoveries, a botanists voyage through plant exploration, Sandra Knapp .

Bontanical Painting by http://www.leadonvalefinearts.com/BotanicalVol1.htm

The Full Monty

2006-06-19T21:23:00.000-04:00

In the heat, the Ausblush rosebush has unwhirled some of its tight buds and is totally showing off. I love the smell, I love the colour and the pompom style heritage rose. I remember about 5 years ago my mother planted a heritage rose in her garden that blew me away, prior to this planting, I was naive. I thought that roses only came in the hybrid tea variety, red, pink, yellow, boy was I WRONG! When that first bloom opened up I was in love. The smell was so intoxicating I remember sticking my nose inside the bloom and inhaling the sweet fragrance. I was hooked.
I have always been intimated by roses. I always found many gardeners complaining about the hardships of raising and caring for their rose gardens to be such time money and heartbreak. I can recall a few times where my mother had given up on the bush and tossed it to the garbage heap. So when C's mother became treasurer of the Canadian Rose Society, she steered me towards the tips for Canadian Rose growers on the Rose society website. I have taken the advice to heart. I contacted the local chapter and heard which roses were best for my area, and I checked out a few local growers. I decided on the Ausblush rose for the cotton candy pale pink and citrus rose scent, as well as the fairy rose for the lower grown variety. These are the only 2 bushes I have planted in the garden, but wait until the back is ready.

On the tomato front, the plants have grown hog wild! I think I am going to have to sheild them from the wind if they pick up again though. I had a few broken limbs this morning after last nights thunder storms. I had to restake them as they have begun to outgrow their current supports. No sign of tomato yet, but lots of little yellow blooms about.

My Very First

2006-06-18T10:30:00.000-04:00

I am soo excited!!! I just want to sit outside and stare at it, and stick my nose in its beautiful blossoming face. This is the first rose I have ever grown on my own. This is the first bloom and I wish I could share its sweet smell with you.

Shaken not stirred

2006-06-18T00:07:00.000-04:00

Things EXPLODED in the heat we had today. Some plants relished the strong sun. The tomatoes, clematis and lambs ears I swear doubled in size today. The containers however withered and looked rather parched. True to their form however the cosmos went wild!

I am actually excited to come home from work tommorrow night to see if my rose has bloomed (it is just sooo close) this is the ausblush heritage rose that I adore.. such a pale pink with a wonderful fragrance.

Theraputic planting

2006-06-16T01:15:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was the worst day in memory. I found out my mom is not superhuman afterall, and our plans for a summer IVF have been pushed back. I was feeling pretty low. To try and get my mind straightened out I planted a few dozen cosmos under my little maple tree to cheer me up. It distracted me for a while and gave me solitude to put things into perspective. It is said that people make clearer and more correct decisions when they have had time for their subconsious mind to mull all the information over before acting on anything, for me its the distraction of planting, deadheading, feeding the plants that seems to ease the mind.

The Upside of Down

2006-06-12T22:33:00.000-04:00

Wow, What a week! I am soo glad my mom and I managed to make that trip out to Hockley before because I have barely sat down since.
I had work matters in court which is the pitfall of my employment, by the time I came home I barely made it in the yard to water, nevermind tend to the actual garden. Oh well. Now that my days off have come (and almost gone) I have still barely stepped foot in the garden! C and I have been working like mad to get the deck going and we are truckin right along! 3 more joists need to be hung, a post or two and then we are off for a finishing run of some skirting and the floor boards (looks like I may enjoy a deck this year afterall .. did I just JINX myself or what?). The builder that came about 3 weeks ago in the cold rain and dug up the sod between the house (on the best side.. they left the shitty side alone.. go figure) still have not returned to re-lay the sod so we are left with a mud swail next to the house (lovely).
Did I mention that if you did not like the weather you should wait 10 minutes? Was it just not a little over a week ago that I was complaining of heat stroke and shovelling 4 yards of gravel in 40 degree weather? Well now I am back to just a mere 10 degrees and the wind is furious. My poor tomato plants.. they are holding on for dear life in the back with no fences to protect them from all the wind (I am sure we have a few casualties).
On the upside it would appear that I have successfully moved the calla lilly that was being strangled by the flaming spirea a few feet to safety I hope it works.

Containers

2006-06-12T22:26:00.000-04:00

The containers have really made quite a show!

Creme Caramel

2006-06-12T22:18:00.000-04:00

Pink Lavender

2006-06-12T22:10:00.000-04:00

Un-named

2006-06-07T23:32:00.000-04:00

We still go unnamed, but this Iris has caught my heart, I love the muted colours. I think it matches the house brick a little too much though.

Last Peony

2006-06-07T23:27:00.000-04:00

The last Peony has bloomed, I will have to wait until next year to see their splendor in my garden, but I will be enjoying them in others that have not bloomed quite yet.

Anemone seed explosion!

2006-06-07T23:23:00.000-04:00

This seed head, caught my eye when I walked to the house this evening.. amazing! I wonder if any will be successful next year.

calla lily

2006-06-07T23:21:00.000-04:00

I used to beg my mom to plant these in her garden, but when it came time for them to be dug out, I always forgot and they never overwintered.. I swear I will take better care this time..................really.

June 5, 06

2006-06-05T20:30:00.000-04:00

I am only posting photos due to work interference...

The Gardens at Hockley

2006-06-04T15:40:00.000-04:00

A great deal of the flowers found are actually wild flowers found at the edge of the property. More photos can be found at my flickr account.

The Queens of Sheba

2006-06-04T15:00:00.000-04:00

My mother is my best friend. She is always there for me and I am so lucky to have such a close relationship with her. After all the stress that she and I have been through lately we decided to get away for an overnight pamper-fest at Hockley Valley Resort . Just an hour from my home we were already relaxed when we arrived. We were treated like Queens as soon as the front door swung open, and boy did we ever feel special. The spa was absoloutely Fab, the service was fantastic and the treatments were memorable. I have not had a spa experience quite as fantastic as this. After getting a much needed swedish massage and pedicure (we both suffer from gardeners feet), we trekked back to our room to enjoy a bottle of wine and get ready for dinner. At the Horizons restaurant we were served by the most cordial and friendly staff, our server Michael really made the dinner all that more enjoyable. I feasted on such amazing dishes as mussels in gorgonzola cream sauce to begin, followed by Lamb 2 ways for which the meat melted in my mouth, the mashed potatos were not even ordinary, the chef had prepared both white and sweet potatoes to make such a tasty combination. My meal finished with maple creme brule, so soft and silk that my mouth waters at even the thought of it. We were never rushed, and we enjoyed every bite. Our taste buds were not the only senses guiding us here, the sites and sounds of the resort were tranquil. There are swallows nesting everywhere in the crannies of the resort and they swoop and fly, the ovenbirds sing a song and the hawks glide over the horizon. The getaway mom and I used was the spa deal, $187.pp /pn included a $75 spa gift certificate, 3 course dinner and buffet breakfast. I want to convince C to go in August for golf/spa weekend.

Whats your Name??

2006-06-03T09:26:00.000-04:00

I seem to have gardeners amnesia, as I cannot find the tag for this iris and I just have NO idea what it is.. Uhm I could swear it was pale pale pink though.

Whats growing

2006-06-03T09:23:00.000-04:00

Bowl of Beauty

2006-06-03T09:21:00.000-04:00

Garden Visitors & Residents

2006-06-02T13:26:00.000-04:00

There are a great number of garden visitors lately (they must see something I do not) yellow lady bugs? I have never seen them and they appear rather shy, but the garden is full of lots of ladybugs and I am unsure if my garden itself is infested with what they enjoy feasting on, or if it is because my garden is was slightly more mature than many others in the neighbourhood to take up residence. The birds come on Fridays (garbage day) and feast usually on some poor residents garbage bag contents. But since I sprayed the nematodes they have been coming in rgeat numbers to eat the wormy things you see in the chops of this hungry wingman.

Lambs Ears

2006-06-02T11:46:00.000-04:00

Lavender

2006-06-01T12:54:00.000-04:00

I love Lavender, in case you did not know from before. I wish it overwintered better than it does, but that does not stop me from planting several varieties in the garden. I have some enligh lavender, munstead and grusso, as well as a pink variety called coconut ice. One of my favourite lavenders is butterfly lavender. It is beginning to bloom in the hanging basket by the door.

The roses are beginning to bud as well, and I cannot WAIT to see them in their glory, I am a classics kind of girl, irises, lavender, peonies, and roses, this is what I enjoy in my garden. My roses appear to be really happy where they are I keep hoping that I luck out on this catch.

Natures surprises

2006-05-31T09:57:00.000-04:00

One thing I really enjoy about gardening is the surprises that mother nature can give you in the garden, this morning I was greeted with another bloom from the "I've got Rythm" Iris that I had just written about getting the last bloom on, it was hidden until this morning.

The other thing I always find fascinating in the garden is the way that mother nature surprises us with variations in the colouring in one plant such as the pansies.. The combos seem endless in the baskets and I love exploring what she has come up with in the baskets each day.

If you don't like it, wait 10 minutes..

2006-05-31T08:54:00.000-04:00

When C lived in Calgary we used to hear the weatherman say that we were expecting a little bit of snow today, a bit of sun, its going to be hot and cold and expect some hail/thunder showers, the saying there was "If you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes". I thought that was isolated to Calgary, but when we moved here to Barrie I have found that this is the case here as well. Yesterday was such a muggy scorcher, absoloutely hard to bear outside and today is beautiful temperature wise. What awoke me however was a familiar rumbling noise, (had I still been living with my parents their 115lb gaurding shepherd would be in my lap with his head buried beneath the pillows, my puppies never even bat an eye) - so my warning system is in failure for this. The thunder has come and I had one thought.. The Peonies... I furled out of bed to see if I could salvage them, and that familiar normally sweet musty smell of fresh rain was in the air, but this morning it was cause for concern. I was releived to find that the rain had not come yet and the decision was made to cut the blooms to enjoy indoors as fat raindrops began to hit my back. C came home from work and said that it was raining something feirce in Alliston and was most likely headed our way.

Now that the peonies are safe inside and in a vase on the entry bookcase, the rain never really materialised, the thunder rumble has subsided and the clouds have separated. C and a friend of his are shovelling more of that gravel ( I stole some this morning for my walkway..I was caught shovel handed when C came home from work.. but the deed was already completed)

In a separate note, I am not sure if my pink peony is a "Sara Bernhardt" as identified on the label, it would appear to be way too dark a shade to be this, hmmm what the heck is it then?

Peony

2006-05-30T10:22:00.000-04:00

The hot weather prompted 2 of the peonies to bloom, the Sarah Bernhardt and the Duchess de Nemours have decided to show off their wares for all the nectar loving insects which are just buzzing and fluttering about them.

I have learned that my butterfly visitor from yesterday was an Eastern Black Swallowtail.. possibly a male since there was significant yellow and little blue in his pattern. If your interested in identifying some of the butterflies in your Ontario backyard http://www.web-nat.com/Butterfly/ has a great resource website devoted to butterfly watching in Ontario. I was not handy enough to grab the camera to catch a picture of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail fluttering about the garden this morning, as it seems they are much more humble for humans than the black swallowtail I saw yesterday.

Some Like it Hot..

2006-05-30T10:12:00.000-04:00

Well ask and ye shall receive. Was I not just complaing about Frost over the May 24 weekend? And Now here I sit in a tank top and shorts crying for a little breeze. The thermometer is reading 25 º (and a suffocating 44º with the humidex), so why not build a deck in this weather? So this is what we are going to do before heading off to work. Haul gravel.. .....Lots of gravel.

Butterfly

2006-05-29T10:20:00.000-04:00

Ladybird Ladybird, Fly away home.

2006-05-27T11:04:00.000-04:00

"Ladybird, ladybird fly away home. Your house is on fire and your children all roam."

In many cultures the precious little ladybug (called ladybird by the English) has been believed to bring good luck. To the English farmer and the French vintner it signals good weather. They received their name centuries ago in Europe when farmers found aphids invading their grapevines. Prayers to the Virgin Mary for help were answered when thousands of little red beetles appeared and ate the aphids. The farmers named the helpful beetles in honor of Mary, also knows as "Our Lady."
If one lands on a person’s hand or dress it will bring good fortune, and If one lands on you when you are ill, it takes the illness away. The more spots on the back the better the luck; each spot represent a lucky month. If a young girl catches a ladybug and then releases it, the direction in which it flies away will be the direction from which her future husband will come. In Sweden, a ladybug on a young woman’s hand signifies that she is being measured for wedding gloves. And children just love them, and seem to communicate with them directly.

Gardening makes Berners very sleepy...

2006-05-27T00:56:00.000-04:00

Can I sleep here tonight Mom? Puh--leeease????

There ain't no flies on us!

2006-05-26T14:28:00.000-04:00

There ain't no flies on us!,
No there ain't no flies on us!
There might be flies on some of you guys!
But There ain't no flies on us!

I know I had written about protecting your dogs at the cost of an arm and a leg, but this is you now. Thankfully we scathed through blackfly season unharmed for the most part, but the worst is yet to come... Mosquitos should be at peak come May 31, but the deer and horse flies are in full swing come tommorrow.
See I KNEW why I had planted all that freakin lavender!

How to make your own Organic Bug repellent.

1o to 25 drops essential oil
2 tablespoons olive oil (Grape Seed Oil/Walnut Oil work great too!)
1 tablespoon aloe gel / 1/3 cup water (spray version.. just watch clothing)

Combine the ingredients in a jar. Shake to blend. Dab a few drops on your skin or clothing.
Here are some beneficial essential oils:

Bug Repellent Essential Oils

Caution: Pregnant women should consult with their doctors before using.

Ticks First Choice: Rose Geranium Other: Palmerosa, bay, eucalyptus, European pennyroyallavender, tickweed (American pennyroyal)
Mosquitoes: Pennyroyal, lemon balm (citronella), thyme, lavender
Blackflies: Sassafras, lavender, eucalyptus, pennyroyal, cedar, lemon balm (citronella), peppermint
Head Lice: Tea tree, rosemary, lavender, eucalyptus, rose geranium
Fleas: Orange oil

The Hideous Ones..

2006-05-26T07:45:00.000-04:00

Here is my submission for Gardening While Intoxicated - Your Least Favourite Plant: pelagonium or geraniums.. I used to plead with my mother everytime we attended a nursery to replace those hideous plants. My aversion to them really has no logic except for the fact that I can't stand them. When you mention geranium I always think of those potted white plastic hanging baskets left out to wither and die, murdered by most Canadian homeowners for their ease of care. It says easy to care for, but it doesn't look after itself. Many Canadians buy great numbers of these hideous white plastic hanging baskets and then leave them out to die, by mid-June these scorched martyrs look pathetic and beyond quenchable thirst. I believe that these sacrificial geranium plants are provided in nurseries across the land just for the sole purpose of sacrifice to the sun gods and warn many plants to not grow here. In defense of my mother, she never purchases or keeps them in these white geranium coffins, but instead always in a tasteful display with much colour and care. I know these can be beautiful flowers and have seen them in great arrangements. The Martha Washington variety never lasts on the nursery shelf for longer than 1 week, and most scented varieties are gone within 2 making the killing almost sport like. I will just not be participating in the geranium sacrifice this summer.
Photo from Martha Stewart Living

The Tomato Files

2006-05-26T02:01:00.000-04:00

This Just in...

I have decided to follow many a garden book advice and plant my tomatoes in pots on the premise that they actually enjoy this location and that tomatoes flourish in containers. We shall see...That is, if I can get the fence up before the first hint of a tomato peaks through, otherwise I am sure the child of the corn will quickly help himself, I know he was eyeing them and asking a great number of questions, followed by "I don't have any tomato plants, I sure like tomatoes".

Evening Light

2006-05-26T01:58:00.000-04:00

Taken this eve on a drive by the lake..

Pansy Paradise

2006-05-26T01:54:00.000-04:00

If you look close there is a hint of that easter Hydrangea hiding in the pansies

On a Sadder note..

2006-05-25T13:41:00.000-04:00

Anyone know what this could be on my clematis? I think one is a bit of frost damage, but the black I am not so sure...

I've got Rythm!

2006-05-25T13:37:00.000-04:00

The last bloom of the "I've Got Rythm" Iris has bloomed. I was really impressed with this flower from start to finish.. Definitely will be a favourite for years to come. This is a VERY tall bearded iris, the stem on mine managed around 3 to 4 feet in height. Not bad for a first year planting. I still have that pale pink iris to come, but for some unknown reason I have misplaced that plant tag.

Growth Spurt

2006-05-25T13:32:00.000-04:00

Only a couple weeks ago my decorative cabbage looked like this..

Now it has flourished somewhat and the changes are happening quickly.

The Nematodes are coming, The Nematodes are Coming!

2006-05-25T13:09:00.000-04:00

With wet weather setting in yet again and the appearance of a few European Crane Flies The time is pressing to lay the nematodes so after a dry out scorcher of a day yesterday I soaked the lawn and flower beds and then sprayed the nematodes. In a similar note it would appear that the powdery mildew succumed quickly to the heat of yesterdays sun, I am not sure if it will return with a vengance with the cloudcover for the next few days, but there is hope.

A Lawn of Epic Proportions

2006-05-23T23:31:00.000-04:00

I feel as though I should just put it out of its misery.
Pull and cut and till away every blade at this point. I awoke this morning to an infestation of powdery mildew on the lawn.
Powdery Mildew (Erysiphe graminis):

Powdery mildews are common on many kinds of plants. Although they may look the same, each kind of plant is infected by a different species of powdery mildew fungus. Powdery mildew fungi on grasses will not infect lilacs, phlox, roses or other garden plants.

Symptoms: Powdery mildew may appear quite suddenly, usually in shaded areas, and most commonly on Kentucky bluegrass. The grass blades look as if they were dusted with flour or lime. The white to gray powder is a combination of the mycelium and spores of the powdery mildew fungus. The mycelium grows over the surface of the leaf, absorbing nutrients from the plant. Later, the leaf may turn yellowish and begin to dry up and die, but the leaves often support the presence of the powdery mildew fungus for some time without significant injury. Powdery mildew is most common in turf from July to September, and occasionally in the spring. It is most common during overcast periods of cool, moist weather.

Powdery mildew on turfgrass Close-up of powdery mildew fungus
on grass leaves.

Life Cycle: Powdery mildew fungi overwinter on infected grass plants and in survival structures on dead grass. Spores can infect leaves in less than two hours, and new spores are produced in abundance in about a week. Air currents carry the spores to new grass plants. Disease development can be so rapid that powdery mildew may seem to appear very suddenly.

Cultural Management: Powdery mildew is usually a disease of shaded turfgrass. Similar grasses growing nearby in full sun usually will remain free of powdery mildew. To reduce shade and increase air circulation, prune shrubs and tree branches. If grass is thin or weakened in shady areas, re-seed with shade-tolerant grass species and select cultivars resistant to powdery mildew. If grass is growing very poorly due to shade, consider its replacement with shade-loving ground covers such as hosta, pachysandra or lily-of-the-valley. In moist, shaded areas of lawns, powdery mildew may be prevented or reduced by careful lawn care. Avoid excess nitrogen fertilizer, raise the mowing height and water deeply but infrequently. Avoid frequent, light sprinkling.

Chemical Management: Fungicides are not recommended for powdery mildew control on lawns. - Environment Canada

Hmm, I really hope that this clears out soon. There is a few articles relating to watering the lawn with Milk (1 part milk to 9 parts water) to remove powdery mildew from plants, but I am not sure how effective this is on Lawns.. I can only hope that warm dry weather nips this pest in the ass.

Casualties

2006-05-23T23:24:00.000-04:00

I was too late. I did not cross my driveway until 0536 hours and the cold weather had already claimed its victims. It would appear that my clematis did not like the cold snap of weather we had and a few exposed leaves have some frost damage, a ranunculis also gave sacrifice to the frost gods, but thankfully all other plants seem to have managed without Scathe.

Victoria Day Snow

2006-05-21T23:31:00.000-04:00

Instead of a show of fireworks mother nature has decided to hammer her own celebratory confetti to celebrate the Queens Birthday. Snow!! Just when I thought I was safe, Environment Canada has yet dropped another Bomb. Snow!! Tonight! With a risk of frost, this means at 4am when I get home from work I will be running around the yard putting up sheets.

New Look

2006-05-21T03:05:00.000-04:00

I'm tired of the forget me not display..had to stay up late to change everything.. again.

Big BUG!!

2006-05-21T00:08:00.000-04:00

I have a HUGE bug in my garden!! It is infested and it threatens to steal all the enjoyment I get from my garden. It is one of the most annoying pests I have ever seen and eradication from it can only be done through moving, and even then there are no guarantees that you will not get a repeat infestation. One of these bugs alone can destroy everything in the garden, worse than Deer damage, this pest can overturn every rock remove every bud and kill every blade of grass. They can be found world wide and years of infestation may allow your garden to recover, but reinfestation could recur at any time. These garden killers are usually attracted by the biggest, showiest, brightest blooms, it will swoop down and cut the bloom from its stem in its powerful claws. My infestation comes in the form of a Daniel, a male of the species, can also be commonly named a Chris, Adam, Derrick, Taylor etc, females commonly can be Tanya, Julie, Sandy or any other human name. Daniel is at the peak of destruction at the age of four years, and is capable of sending C or I to the loony bin at any moment. This pest will insistently ask "WHY?" regardless of the response it is IMPERATIVE that this pest be stopped before you get to my level of infestation. I cannot step over the threshold of my doorstep before he is standing on my driveway wanting to know what it is exactly that I will be doing outside my house. He will follow C or I around while we do yardwork without words. We have no fence, he has no boundaries, he stands at my kitchen windows looking in and sits on my porch while I BBQ and talk to my mom on the phone. He pulls out plants he thinks are pretty and my poor ranunculis blooms have been a casualty today, followed by an "oops".. The dogs are also a target, he peers in my window with others of his breed and make faces, no shade or window covering is helpful, and I am afraid that he will hang from the deck framing and fall and hurt himself someday soon. Then I will be liable. I have laid grass seed and compost down only to return the next day to find a layer of gravel on top. I am considering sending the parents of this Daniel a bill for daycare, it $25 an hour standard fees? It might cover soon of the damage already inflicted on my garden and sanity.. My biggest fear will be when the peonies bloom.

If the next after shot you see has a for sale sign, you'll understand.

Trillium

2006-05-20T20:47:00.000-04:00

A Weed is merely in the eye of the beholder...

2006-05-20T12:46:00.000-04:00

"A weed is not so much a plant in the wrong place, it is a plant growing where it is not wanted" - Gardening Manual for Canada

I have to agree that I am not a vigilante weed murderer. I used to be, until I tossed 6 or 7 flourishing oriental poppy plants.
Since then I tended to be a bit more lax about what was growing in my garden.. Many herbs and useful plants are weeds by definition, but some can actually benefit the garden or gardener. I live between a field of hundreds of acres of unkept, unmaintained lands, and a county forest, which depending on the direction of the wind, I could have trilliums growing in the shadier portions of the yard, to ugly plantain plants. Some weeds are down right ugly, and others are actually pretty attractive, field poppies are gorgeous in bloom and can very easily get out of hand, but they attract hover flies and insect eating birds. Certain clovers benefit garden soil by adding nitrogen through their roots. Other local weeds provide cover for birds and other wildlife. Sunflowers are weeds, yet they attract birds and provide us with seeds, not to mention they are very beautiful in fields.

First poppy bloom

2006-05-19T21:18:00.000-04:00

Calm before the storm...

2006-05-19T21:08:00.000-04:00

The weather has been less than fantastic for this holiday weekend kickoff, the rain and cool nippy air really put a damper on the Friday rush. C and I had to load that less than a year old mower into my wagon and send it to the repair shop, who are 2 weeks behind turn around ... as everyone elses mowers in town are sitting there waiting to get fixed too! Thankfully our neighbour a few houses down lent C their electric lawn mower and he happily went to work while I trimmed the bed edges. The lawn is C's passion, its his responsibility, I don't like to get involved. After the grass was cut C looked and said the bare patches were healing O.K. and that we could skip the sod (he made me buy) for some more seed and compost.. The seed is NOT doing well on the hump by the front door and I wanted to sod that badly, but again I say, its his lawn, I have free reign over the garden, he has it over the lawn.. so I digress, tomorrow we are laying seed. C helped me by hanging up the brackets for the aromatherapy basket and the decorative shelf for the herbs by the front door (No your not imagining it, one of the decorative spikes broke under his pressure).. It took no less than breaking 3 masonry bits to hang that sucker up, so I really can't complain, a little compound adhesive wil fix it anyhow. Here are the results.

Happy Birthday Honey

2006-05-19T20:21:00.000-04:00

The older we get,
The more I think about what really matters in life.
And so many of the things that once seemed important no longer even make the list.
What really matters to me now, is the 2 of us...
sharing our lives, reliving our memories, dreaming our dreams... together.

The Garden At Night

2006-05-19T01:20:00.000-04:00

As it would seem that Mother Nature has decided that the rain must go on, and on and on here, I finally had the chance to gaze through the garden at night (Boy I really can't wait to set up shop in the backyard, with a fence, the neighbours already think I am nuts) So when the rain paused and the sun had gone down I went hunting.. in search of a few pictures to capture the garden at night... I was hoping to catch a few snails, spiders or other creatures, but I guess the rain had them all shacked up. The pics were actually taken blind, I only saw the picture after it was taken, and these are the best results. I am sad that the rain has conquered my first poppy bloom in the garden, saddened and sagging. I am anxious to see more blooms now.

Its a Jungle out there..

2006-05-18T10:49:00.000-04:00

One garden chore I know is easy but I am just not comfortable with is mowing the lawn. C does an amazing job of it and usually mows a nice pattern. Yesterday we had a break in the rain and I had C convinced that the grass jungle was beginning to get out of control. I have given up on many grass seeds and I bought 3 rolls of sod to finish the patchwork. When C got home he quickly went to work on mowing the lawn, the only down side? The lawnmower wouldn't start (I knew I should have pushed harder for the push mower, He called me whilest I was in Home Depot to gte a new spark plug and some fuel additive to which he might as well have been speaking some alien language that only guys can understand. "Get the JM19R20FCIFUCNRMBRTHSNMBR spark and octane booster fuel additive for a Murray 9453lt3 model, I'll need a new RM1999494396025860296032 style filter too, Got it?" ...after a long silence.. "uh,I'll see you when YOU get home from Home Depot".

Aromatherapy Gardening..

2006-05-17T22:36:00.000-04:00

Exactly what the doctor ordered. I used to be a skeptic, I used to think that people who saught alternative therapy were somewhat unstable to actually believe that drinking tea or eating a root could heal the ailments. Until I began working with Tracey , now my mind has opened up and changed. I had written previously about the focus of my garden is to please my sense of smell primarily, sight and touch are actually second. All the fragrant plants are closest to the porch and walkway to gently brush against.
I have promised myself to wait for any other perenial purchase (with exception to the flowering almond tree I really want) on restrain for a little bank book recovery. I was in the Zhers garden centre boggled over the "gicantico" super sized tomato and other anual plants on display when my nose led me to a basket hanging in a corner. I am hanging my basket by the front door to greet me home. As I was paying for my treasure the scent had tipped off a few keen scent lovers in line, asking me where I had found the treasure, but sadly it was the last one!

Busy Like Bees

2006-05-17T22:30:00.000-04:00

I must apologize for being so unavailable for comment as of late. C and I have had many buzzings about for getting organized for our late summer baby quest. Thankfully though, the bees have been doing their part in the garden busily..Kaycee had one land on her nose today, I sadly did not have the camera on. >shucks<

Thank you, Show Off!!

2006-05-17T16:15:00.000-04:00

I wanted to reply to Karen's blog about garden blogging, but I thought it best that I did so here on my own blog, to cut down on rantings from other comments and such. I too read the article Karen had critiqued about Garden Voices and how it was "mainly people showing off their gardens..." To my response is, good, I am sooo glad someone is showing off their REAL LIFE garden. I must admit I browse the garden magazines, I have several garden books, and I ogle and drool over the super perfect displays at botanical gardens and photo feature spreads in Home and garden shows. I will even admit to watching Martha Stewart Living. I wonder what it would be like to pull up to a home with a few acres devoted to separated gardens, "and this is the antique rose garden darling.. Its absolutely fab! You must come by in fall to pick your own pumpkin from my patch, shall we dine in the courtyard or the English garden today?". I mean really! I am sooo happy to get REAL advice, real commentary, and see real garden ideas for a backyard the size of a ping pong table like mine. I enjoy hearing tips and tricks that save me cash from being green in the gardening realm and buying expensive items for that I read in books or mags thinking that every great gardener has one. Thank you to the ladies and Men that have posted their secrets to success and warned of failures, you have probably saved me hundreds of dollars and effort already!

Iris

2006-05-14T14:51:00.000-04:00

Pincusion Flower

2006-05-12T07:29:00.000-04:00

Filling the Generation Gap

2006-05-11T12:59:00.000-04:00

Recently I have read what seems to be a great deal of discussion both on many blogs and in magazine articles regarding gardening as a leisure activity on the decline. While most points made by all authors are very valid, substantiated and well thought out, can't really be determined correct one way or another. However judging by the drones of gardeners of all shapes and sizes and abilities packing their wagons, minivans, trucks, and sedans with all that grows at nursery centres accross the land, I would say that leisure polls have dropped the ball on this one. I know that May 24 weekend is fast approaching and the Garden Gallery Will yet again require no less than 5 or 6 police officers to direct traffic through the intersection from Friday until Monday Eve to accomidate for the massive rush and urge to play with dirt ensues. For May 24 weekend in Central Ontario marks the real beginning of gardening season.. its the last of the frost.

In celebration of mothers day, my mom and I had a day out together yesterday, grazing over the abundance of flowers at her local nusery. I owe most of my gardening knowledge and skills from my mom, she has been faithfully reading my progress with this new garden, and making many suggestions along the way. She has been so excited about this blog craze (after reading many of the amazing garden blogs) she has begun her own to chronicle her own garden. My Secret Garden is my moms garden journal, and while I bend her ear for plant suggestions, she bends mine for blog instruction.

Thrift

2006-05-11T12:36:00.000-04:00

Nemesia

2006-05-10T22:50:00.000-04:00

Anticipation

2006-05-10T20:39:00.000-04:00

Maple

2006-05-10T20:36:00.000-04:00

SnapDragons

2006-05-10T20:35:00.000-04:00

Flowering Cabbage

2006-05-10T18:39:00.000-04:00

Catching Drops

2006-05-10T18:29:00.000-04:00

Kaycee loves the hose sprayer, here she is trying to catch the drips from the window box drainage.

The Deck..

2006-05-09T07:37:00.000-04:00

This is my deck.

It has stayed like this for 6 months.
I hope to one day have C finish it.
I have dreams of what I am going to plant around this deck.. in the backyard and along fence beds.. I have dreams in this backyard to someday enjoy a garden and grow a few veg.. I have dreams where Bry can enjoy the shade without Kaycee tugging on his tie out. >sigh< one day.

My (big) Little Garden Helpers

2006-05-08T09:55:00.000-04:00

Come Play!!

Here little Birdie...

Peony

2006-05-08T09:54:00.000-04:00

Mischevious pansies

2006-05-07T23:08:00.000-04:00

I always see faces when I look at pansies..Like they are smiling and giggling.

Work,

2006-05-07T09:57:00.000-04:00

Ugh, is all I can say.. Sundays are the hardest days to drag myself out of bed and into work. Sundays beg for me to laze around drinking vanilla cafe and sit on my back deck. (That is if C Would ever finish the back deck, or the builder would ever fix the grading)...So I will have to wait for a few weeks to see a Sunday off to laze around in.

Frost!

2006-05-07T00:09:00.000-04:00

Just 2 days after I was sweating wearing shorts and a tank top in the garden getting burnt walking through the park with the pupheads, the temperature dropped to near freezing and I am left coming home from work tonight to scramble some sheets to cover the flower beds. EEk!!! I brought in the window baskets, and containers, here is hoping that the covering for the flowers outside is enough.

Sunset

2006-05-06T09:09:00.000-04:00

My husband surprised me by taking this photo and leaving it on the digital card in our Camera.

I can't wait for the summer sunsets of gold and red

The Community Compost Saga Continues...

2006-05-06T07:39:00.000-04:00

I received this reply from the city regarding my woes about this new program and this was the response I receved.

I have received your inquiry regarding the Organics Collection Program and have provided an answer below.

You are correct in noticing that the same collection truck that collected your garbage also collected your organics material; however the collection truck that you saw does not mix these materials together. This truck is a "split-truck" and has two separated units for two different types of materials. It is an 80/20 split inside the truck. So the majority of the truck space holds garbage, while 20% of the truck division will hold the organic materials. The collector places the garbage material into the larger section of the truck, and the organics into the smaller separated side. I can assure you that these materials that residents take time to separate are kept separate the whole time and are not intermixed. Once the truck is full the materials are taken to different areas, the organics are taken to our processors in Arthur, Ontario, to be turned into compost and the Garbage is taken to the Landfill.

A similar "split-truck" also collects your recyclables. Your container items are placed into one separated area, while the paper recyclables are placed into the other separated area. So although it may appear that these items are being mixed together after you spent time separating them, they are not. These trucks are split this way to make the collection more efficient instead of having one designated truck for each collected material. These materials stay separated the whole time as to not contaminate the materials that residents spent time separating properly.

Many residents have the same question, and we provided an explanation for this in the Organics DVD, and the Organics R' Waste Fact Sheet that was provided with your Organics kit, anticipating that residents would be questioning why the same truck collects these materials.

I hope this answers your question. And if you did not receive the above mentioned materials that explain the "split-truck" concept, than please let me know and I will have them sent to you. I can also suggest that the next time you see this collection truck in your area, ask the collector if you can see the split in their truck, and it will give you a better visual of how it works.

As for the concern you have of the cost of the paper bags to line your bin with, these paper bags are not required to participate in this program, however many residents want to use some sort of liner for their bin to keep it as clean as possible. There are other more cost-efficient alternatives available besides the bag to earth bags, one suggestion is to wrap your organics into newspaper before placing it in your bins; when grocery shopping ask your grocer to pack your items into paper bags instead of plastic and then use those paper bags as a liner for your bins, as well any kind of paper bag that you come across throughout your day such as any paper fast food bag (from MacDonald’s for example) can be used as a liner, or even boxboard (such as cereal boxes) can be used. I, myself, save these types of items and use them as liners in my organics containers.

I hope I have answered your inquiries. If you should have any further questions please feel free to contact me.

Thank you,

I could swear that the garbage all mashed together, I was looking right into the container from my bedroom window. (I have a long standing love for our garbage collectors here...NOT!, thats a very long story tho).. Secondly, yes I attempted that "Just use any paper bag" thing and when I threw out the bad strawberries and they turned to liquid mush my paper bag ripped and dropped my garbage all about my kitchen floor sending my dogs into a frenzy to see what tasty treats lay awaiting for them. I did receive the materials that explained the split truck idea and watched them. Ugh! those governement workers!!Both C and I are Government workers LOL

CutWorms

2006-05-05T13:07:00.000-04:00

I found them, they are there, dark red, and white.. I have seen the enemy.
Now, how do I wage war?

One Year ago

2006-05-05T12:37:00.000-04:00

Last year I was hopeless.. We had just celebrated our year of living in our new home.
We worked on the inside as best we could, no painting because the dust was soo bad from no grass and Bryan (we only had him at the time) was tracking in dirt, gravel and chocking on Contruction worker coffee cups on walks.
Here is the house back then.. YES we still had the Christmas lights up.. the ground just dried here to make it safe for retrieving them (It was like quicksand and too dangerous for a ladder previously). Ignore the rest of the crap lying around, we didn't want the good stuff to get "dirty"

OK so finally they laid the sod at the END of June in 30 degree weather, and they rushed through everything.. Apparently there is a By Law in Barrie stating that after 10 homes are completed they must be sodded and graded, so the Builder was refused permits untilt he sodding was completed.. So they hurriedly put our grass down and of course.. the grade has failed miserably, luckily we are not ones with water in our basement, but others when it rains they have their own private lake. The side of the house is disgusting, the grass did not even take in the littlest bit and there is a CRATER where my sump pump has been pumping away all the water from the foundation. I can't even look there. Did I mention yet that my neighbours on one side are renters? about 5 or 6 or 10 bachelors, who, although display a garden knome upon the front porch don't appear to notice that there is grass underneath the cars they park (Apparently 2 car garage, 4 car driveway, which they have managed to squeeze 6 on is not ample enough parking). The parties are a whole other story.

So this is my front now.. a slight improvement... 25 months after closing

There is Hope..

2006-05-05T12:31:00.000-04:00

I was unsure if my naivety killed my hyderangea planted last year late in haste after we finally got grass. But I checked them out and here I see green!!

On the topic of reduce, recycle, REUSE..

2006-05-05T11:57:00.000-04:00

I have figured a way to reuse used negative hpts (I know my fellow infertiles have a stash)

Follow up to the organics program...

2006-05-05T09:23:00.000-04:00

Tell me why I just spent the first week of this organics waste collection program carefully sorting, saving and spending $4.99 + tax on only 5 paper bags specific to this program only to watch the garbage man this morning take my green bin and dump it with the regular trash. We were extremely careful as to what we put in the bin, and the garbage collecter never even looked, just threw it all away.

I am not a strong believer in the program, from a pest spreading point of view, I will personally never purchase or use this compost, but I am rather miffed at the cost of the paper bags to line the bins, and then to see them thrown away! I would have been more ahead if I had just purchased a garbage tag!

Mozzy Season

2006-05-04T21:49:00.000-04:00

Well as sure as death and taxes The great Canadian Mozzy is going to return this year and there is no better proof than the bill I recieved from the vet to cover both Bryan and Kaycees heartworm testing and medication $300.00!!!!!!!
(true to Canadian form about building big roadside (dis)attractions this one is in Karmarno MB (Karmarno actually means Mosquito in Ukrainian.. how fitting) you can find out more about these Canadian uh... big things at Great Canadian Roadside attractions Here in Barrie we have the big spirit catcher.. as far as tacky roadside giants are concerned its not too bad on the eyes. It sits at the waterfront overlooking the city from the bay, but watch a few quills have fallen in the past, and they do sway in the wind. But we Canadians are not limited to the nickle (sudbury) the Loonie (Echo Bay) the Twonie (Cambleford) , there are bears, chairs, spiders, ducks, balls, fish, frogs, beer taps, moose, beavers, bugs, trucks, fruits, skiis, shoes, Hoes , Camels.. yes Camels. .."Honey. Pack your bags, I want to take a picture of us next to the worlds largest Curling Stone.. Now THATS Canadian !Mozzy photo courtesy of roadside attractions.ca

My Hortiscope..

2006-05-04T20:57:00.000-04:00

Ok no wonder C and I can't agree..
I am Cancer, C is Taurus.. what are we to do..

Cancer - The Crab: June 21-July 22

The style that best suits you is the "classical" style of gardening, with its roots in French and English estates. Formal borders, well-manicured lawns and conventionally beautiful blooms appeal to your conservative nature. Even the vegetable garden is laid out in an orderly fashion, reminiscent of more ambitious projects, like formal herb gardens. Neoclassic statuary plays an important role in the landscape, and patios are often crafted from stone. Avoiding the fickle nature of fashion is your primary concern. Like a crab who carries his home on his back, you should expect to live with your garden for as long as nature allows you to.

Your flower: The lilac flower spikes of Salvia farinacea Evolution (AAS 2006) provide an attractive alternative to lavender in cold climates. Take advantage of their uniformity and line them up like toy soldiers in beds and borders

Taurus - The Bull: April 20-May 20

The cottage garden is a perfect match for you, because this sentimental style invites a little neglect. Comfortable patio furniture has a special place in your landscape, too, and you probably enjoy it more than the flowers. Compensate for your decadent nature by choosing plants that don't require rigorous maintenance. Taurus is associated with flowering fruit trees. If you're not going to use the fruit, find varieties with a lighter yield, or it may be rotting on your lawn next spring. Fall cleanup is not your specialty!

Your flower: Hollyhock Queeny Purple (AAS 2004) is not only shorter than the hollyhocks that bloomed in your grandma's garden, but it's also the first purple variety available as a single colour. Its carefree habit makes it a must-have for the carefree Taurus gardener.

Whats your hortiscope?

I think that they might have us confused though, C really loves Lilacs and formality to a Garden.. I really like that cottage feel. Maybe its because I am the one to water, weed, feed and do fall cleanup after a 20 hour shift.

Public Service Announcement..

2006-05-04T20:19:00.000-04:00

Ok here is MY OPINION (Not that of my employer, the Government of Canada, or ANYONE ELSE On the green bin organic collection for communal compost.
As if our farmers don't suffer enough!. Our city has introduced the "improve our space, reduce the waste" program and the County itself has had the program running for around 2 years already.

The principal sounds great, it does reduce the waste and provides compost and a beautiful reduction in waste to the dumps.

Here is the downfall in my eyes. *I* Will never use this compost, I will never recommend my friends use this compost, and I pray that no farmer uses this compost for this single fact.

From an Inspectors point of view (me).. People are selfish, and silly. On a daily basis hundreds of Grandmothers, Mothers, Fathers, Grandfathers, Children, Singletons, Couples are smuggling dangerous cargo to Canada. That Apple you forgot to throw out on the plane from a foreign country? That is one deadly bullet in a compost bin, somehow you managed to "forget" to declare your smuggled fruit (up to $200.00 per banned item, 1 apple and a sandwich can run you $400.00), you throw it out in your green bin and it becomes a part of the city compost, that compost later gets bought and used by a local apple grower, and that apple you threw out just happened to have a micro organism that we just don't have here (Ie Japanese Apple Rust, or Painted Apple Moth), and with the compost might you be able to introduce it to our Canadian Farm.

Think it Can't Happen?

Think again - A simple sausage can cause a lot of damage . . .

Foot and Mouth Disease is an acute, highly contagious viral infection of cloven-hoofed mammals such as cattle, goats, sheep, and pigs. The disease spreads rapidly and easily, causing major losses in infected herds. An outbreak of this disease in Saskatchewan, in 1952, is believed to have been caused by a small amount of infected sausage meat imported from Europe which was fed to swine by a farm worker. The outbreak was not extensive and was quickly eradicated. However, eradication costs approached one billion dollars at the time ($30 billion in 1995 dollars) and many farm families lost their herds and liabilities as a result.

Many foreign species of plants and animals have been introduced in Canada and are now major pests to humans, agriculture and the environment. Some of the best known include the Black Garden Slug, the European Starling, Japanese Beetles, Gypsy Moths and Dutch Elm Disease. One thing these species all have in common is that they have been introduced accidentally and are multiplying in the Canadian environment. They have become major pests that cost our agricultural industry and economy millions of dollars annually and cause harm to our environment.

I am bitter about this because I have seen people go to GREAT lengths to conceal, and smuggle food into the Country. I have been assaulted more times, spat on, screamed at and watched more tantrums at taking away some powdered milk, a chicken bone for some type of religious purpose (This excuse does not work either), a link of sausage whatever it may be than arresting someone for smuggling a narcotic to Canada (And these are the ones that are facing a 7 year jail sentence).. Unbelievable.

The smell is sooo inviting..

2006-05-03T22:08:00.000-04:00

Well, if you know me, then you know how much smell affects my senses. I have planted a whack of lavender (some hopefully will overwinter) because the smell is apparently an aphrodesiac (and lets face it, after almost 4 years of infertiltiy, I could use all the help I can get), Other plantings include lily of the valley, lilac, peonys and the wonderful container I have by the front step.
I have just the spot for some Sage to be brushed by while walking through the garden to release its amazing scent. But I have to wait for another overtime cheque.

Gigantico Annuals

2006-05-03T21:09:00.000-04:00

Now that I have planted this, we will get snow.

Anemone sylvestris

2006-05-03T20:56:00.000-04:00

I had the perfect spot for it. I just wish it would bloom all year. I absoloutely could not give this beauty up.

Killbear Prov Park

2006-05-02T09:58:00.000-04:00

Do you mind if I snap a pic of your dogs?

2006-04-28T22:31:00.000-04:00

Do you mind if I take a picture of your dog?

We often get requests about the breed of puppy we have. They are Bernese Mountain Dogs, Named after the capital city of Bern Switzerland. You can learn a great deal about them here Berner org as well as see tonnes of puphead pics and downfalls of the breed. I love my silly furballs, (doesn't everyone love their pet and think its just the greatest?) Anyhow Kaycee went to her first flyball lesson tonight and I was AMAZED at how well she did.

We had been practising all week long with a plastic sour cream container lid for her to paw the lid in order for me to give her a treat on a "hit it" command, the first day she looked as though this was a monumental task that she literally looked lost on, I thought I had just wated $125 bucks on these classes.. then at once the light buld went on, and the other night C dropped a lid on the floor by accident and she busted from her seat, bounced across the kitchen and dove onto the plastic piece that had just hit the floor seconds before.. C just laughed, I told him that he owed her a treat now for being soooo good.

Well tonight was her night to shine, lets hope the knowledge stays.. when we introduced her to the jumps she wasn't annoyed by them, she never avoided them, in fact she never JUMPED over them, she just ran THROUGH them.. I think after a few knee bashes she has discovered to pick up her feet slightly.. but she was determined to shine. She never flinched when the noise of the flybox went off next to her and although at the class we had zero interest in the ball, that soon changed in the evening in our basement..

lookout superdogs, Kaycee is coming through the jump.