tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16005470163631162112024-03-12T23:39:30.772-03:00Canoe CornerHome of Thistledown SeedMargueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.comBlogger463125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-74909969399958080782022-11-16T22:39:00.000-04:002022-11-16T22:39:17.971-04:00The 2022 Tomato Review<p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfGTaHisFLomDP94ON_Ir28DZsgxzCciFv_LCbmipC3bvEcXX-KFVHErk2cL4eGyytR5nvLuLAnvWrKdbH8FQ4fg_p9zpj1ti08eaLl_dB0x__Um5DLmfl3_lw6MjB5ZSGoo2SALlBqyaVBHB_tOsns6Nxpib1QuoR5CVyql6Kpwgoql06ruUP6tDm6Q/s3135/20221116_220242.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2240" data-original-width="3135" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfGTaHisFLomDP94ON_Ir28DZsgxzCciFv_LCbmipC3bvEcXX-KFVHErk2cL4eGyytR5nvLuLAnvWrKdbH8FQ4fg_p9zpj1ti08eaLl_dB0x__Um5DLmfl3_lw6MjB5ZSGoo2SALlBqyaVBHB_tOsns6Nxpib1QuoR5CVyql6Kpwgoql06ruUP6tDm6Q/s320/20221116_220242.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes that tomato is 1 lb 5oz!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>I know you've been waiting. Those who have read this blog over the years know I do a tomato review at the end of the season. I love heritage tomatoes. There is so much variety. You can pick from an assortment of attributes such as taste, size, colour - there's a tomato for everyone. When I had to decide what I wanted to grow for seed this year I had a hard time choosing. Some are old favourites but I also gave a few new plants a try. </p><p>On a side note, I used red plastic mulch this year to see if worked to ripen fruit earlier. Advertising says it does but in my garden it had no effect. Instead I found the sun created a greenhouse effect and weeds grew very well under the plastic sheeting causing it to rise like a ghost in the garden. Certainly not what the advertisers proclaimed.</p><p>What did work well was bio film. This black film is made out of biodegradable products like cornstarch and not only kept weeds at bay but made a recognizable difference in the health of the plants. I occasionally have trouble with early blight and there was not a spot to be found this year. But I digress - on to the tomatoes!<br /></p><p><i>Minis</i></p><p>I'll start with the smallest. You may have heard me list all the things I love about <b>Mexico Midgets</b> before but I'm here to tell you again. These tiny little morsels are simply packed with sweet flavour. The size of a blueberry they are excellent for fresh snacking or sprinkling across a salad. They work well in pita pockets too. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHA0fivVkZoM_gUEGRKCyxC9XB_hnUbCfIp6woeKHl6uD8-CnrJdiMLRpPD2jZO5G_iUsUoJn4lVJu5xoasIoH7KmNMtKlUI56BINGFP7365yZARiAGCMiL4pJPX7TFz5YJ74Z8IcE13X9yE7zzLY_INet1PFMyGEYy65dElEZ4_y1Z6GfxDyjM4vQg/s2131/20221116_212327.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2131" data-original-width="1462" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTHA0fivVkZoM_gUEGRKCyxC9XB_hnUbCfIp6woeKHl6uD8-CnrJdiMLRpPD2jZO5G_iUsUoJn4lVJu5xoasIoH7KmNMtKlUI56BINGFP7365yZARiAGCMiL4pJPX7TFz5YJ74Z8IcE13X9yE7zzLY_INet1PFMyGEYy65dElEZ4_y1Z6GfxDyjM4vQg/s320/20221116_212327.jpg" width="220" /></a></div><p>I will admit the plant is not small. Unlike most tomato plants the Mexico Midget grows more like a shrub in a horizontal direction. Branches will grow up to ten feet if you let them. I would suggest regular pruning to keep the plant in check and the fruit accessible. </p><p><b>Yellow Pear</b> is another regular favourite. They look like miniature pears with a bright citrus flavour. Super cute and they taste good.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VwPFU7NJDJLc4XPTtcA3pxvc4jfbV1elZmInICvPAb5g3zohMTw4ju-QVnL1UMnTZ7y_90R5TVwUeEdFXcROYx9GorPLdDA9xGIzfQXzhLoKqSTIT6v0K7IxV0Ib7Ta5PLBm4IsBLrFJ5pRq7ddc7wuWYJPBn9fZrVhIRS7tWgSUQ3qZu8cPetLD5g/s3679/20221116_213030.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3679" data-original-width="2240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VwPFU7NJDJLc4XPTtcA3pxvc4jfbV1elZmInICvPAb5g3zohMTw4ju-QVnL1UMnTZ7y_90R5TVwUeEdFXcROYx9GorPLdDA9xGIzfQXzhLoKqSTIT6v0K7IxV0Ib7Ta5PLBm4IsBLrFJ5pRq7ddc7wuWYJPBn9fZrVhIRS7tWgSUQ3qZu8cPetLD5g/s320/20221116_213030.jpg" width="195" /></a></div><p>These tomatoes are aggressively healthy. Indeterminate plants reached up to 8 feet high in my climate before frost finally killed them back. Even after frost green tomatoes ripened and produced more tomatoes than I could pick.<br /></p><p><b>Sugar Lump</b> is a cherry tomato I have tried in the past and I gave it another go this year. While I liked the meaty texture and ultra sweet flavour our tomato connoisseur was not as impressed. Himself prefers a more acid taste. I found the plants grew very quickly but weren't unusually tall - 4 feet at their maximum - and produced nice clusters of fruit, albeit a little late.<br /></p><p><b>Acadian Cherry </b>is a diminuitive plant. Barely 6 inches tall the plants are very sturdy and produced clusters of tart fruit. But you can't produce much when you're so small. Jody loved the flavour of these, and I admit they would make great plants for baskets, but there's just not a lot of tomato for each plant and they were late to ripen so I'm not sure I'll try these again.<br /></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHh8SMCqqbh7u12LOHOxGR3_X1YZHguXuj797QZKwwA6M2lqw2B46-PgS8S_ea8fe0qK19MM_d0jYXsMRC7kHdyyEJxRIpffFvLXzqz-rh9FqwpuJGShTqkLUGRKJoRJ0WBPkpEQWe59QQ79CK_iYh-ir1t7IQUsZb9VOjNm_idEGFsxNE263bsl6WVw/s4608/20221022_155534.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="2240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHh8SMCqqbh7u12LOHOxGR3_X1YZHguXuj797QZKwwA6M2lqw2B46-PgS8S_ea8fe0qK19MM_d0jYXsMRC7kHdyyEJxRIpffFvLXzqz-rh9FqwpuJGShTqkLUGRKJoRJ0WBPkpEQWe59QQ79CK_iYh-ir1t7IQUsZb9VOjNm_idEGFsxNE263bsl6WVw/s320/20221022_155534.jpg" width="156" /></a>U</div><p><b>Black Plum </b>is<b> </b>possibly my favourite tomato ever<b>. </b>They are susceptible to blossom end rot which is a shame but with a little care produce amazing tomatoes whose flavour cannot be beat. They are a purple tomato with dark green shoulders that has a bold smokey flavour. They make a perfect sun dried tomato or addition where you want a big punch of rich tomato flavour.<b></b></p><p><i>Mid-Size</i><b><br /></b></p><p>So I know I just said Black Plum was my favourite but for a big tomato<b> Cosmonaut Volkov</b> is my other favourite. It's early, productive, and healthy. Everything you want in a tomato plant. Not only does it produce early, it keeps producing. Perfectly round gorgeous red fruit that can weigh close to one pound each. For value there's nothing like it but they also taste wonderful. Just like a tomato should.<b><br /></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_DxvPFTfbAfebxnhE5V5mbMv5PWuYhqLjNQPeRddUp7EWmZ5FeEUIEypvknPgyE7NrGQRckTyni_L_nG___T1TiwVPuHJpjHA-rUL66NehIiuUC2qbXau7bmMrYTRyufHPBpVDTPN6ybjXOIIp4RN1rK6pd0sA0Q4U2avYUUNMQEMzj571Zo5_8u6Ow/s6240/DSCF1171(1).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6240" data-original-width="4160" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_DxvPFTfbAfebxnhE5V5mbMv5PWuYhqLjNQPeRddUp7EWmZ5FeEUIEypvknPgyE7NrGQRckTyni_L_nG___T1TiwVPuHJpjHA-rUL66NehIiuUC2qbXau7bmMrYTRyufHPBpVDTPN6ybjXOIIp4RN1rK6pd0sA0Q4U2avYUUNMQEMzj571Zo5_8u6Ow/s320/DSCF1171(1).JPG" width="213" /></a></div><p>I've grown<b> Copia </b>before and was frustrated with the difficult plants. They are susceptible to early blight, fruit produced late, the stems were brittle and broke easily. So why try them again? Because they taste AMAZING. Jody called them the champagne of tomatoes and the taste cannot be beat. For a fresh BLT this is the tomato you want. They have a bright citrus flavour that's acidic and melts in your mouth. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9utsgCWo_pKYSixj8xrlXzYeirzFxGhqQNExrzMk7RmeVs8qX0BwOCGfT2J-gG2XuHmk8PXLClzJYell6wFC9mU-YdmaBhHWbeN6J1ku5EOZqC0ysZHpBZI9j3yJFl3Trb8vvMPTNRF-4-ZCm6TpaV4uB-r0xWxqalKgnjDfScCv0dtzZpR7ujcHVQ/s4608/20221116_215619.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2240" data-original-width="4608" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9utsgCWo_pKYSixj8xrlXzYeirzFxGhqQNExrzMk7RmeVs8qX0BwOCGfT2J-gG2XuHmk8PXLClzJYell6wFC9mU-YdmaBhHWbeN6J1ku5EOZqC0ysZHpBZI9j3yJFl3Trb8vvMPTNRF-4-ZCm6TpaV4uB-r0xWxqalKgnjDfScCv0dtzZpR7ujcHVQ/s320/20221116_215619.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Plus they're beautiful. Bright yellow with red striping both inside and out<b>. </b>For this reason I'm working on the seed - collecting only the best and hoping the plant health improves because this tomato is worth it.<b><br /></b></p><p>A new challenge this year was<b> Ruth's Perfect Tomato. </b>They were supposedly the perfect red round tomato. Plants were definitely healthy but the fruit experienced some issues, such as blossom end rot. It was also the last to ripen in my climate and I found myself cropping plant tops in attempts to get them to ripen before the weather got too cold. Generally the tomatoes were a good size, taste and colour but there was nothing wonderful about them and considering the other complications I wasn't impressed.<b><br /></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUx8JK40_6NzYN-8-j76YcoeqWhvGyZ08MaWU8n_bgPNJOUv7li3x1fQsy7x2la5czALJ-rMGUgtRcAJwymEKsh7xrNCtUsy4RW7VWxOZR4e5WxHHhWdACEfhKnh6W7sLOBVug1z-9YEy4mlTlHLovapF7Sj6UCfiNY8imfwssEBkOzIZm9mFIkTguVg/s4608/20221009_161633.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2240" data-original-width="4608" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUx8JK40_6NzYN-8-j76YcoeqWhvGyZ08MaWU8n_bgPNJOUv7li3x1fQsy7x2la5czALJ-rMGUgtRcAJwymEKsh7xrNCtUsy4RW7VWxOZR4e5WxHHhWdACEfhKnh6W7sLOBVug1z-9YEy4mlTlHLovapF7Sj6UCfiNY8imfwssEBkOzIZm9mFIkTguVg/s320/20221009_161633.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The last tomato was also a new to me challenge<b>. Amish Paste</b> is known as the largest paste tomato out there and surely it was a monster. In fact it did not look or taste like any paste tomato I've ever grown. Indeterminate plants were 6 feet in height but were quickly pulled down by giant fruit. The tomatoes themselves were plagued by stink bugs which suck the fruit juices, and blossom end rot. The fruit was also inconsistent, to the point where I wondered if there were multiple plants growing together. Some were perfectly round, while others had the more traditional paste tomato shape. I'm not overly fond of paste tomatoes anyway so the flavour and texture wasn't something I was impressed with. I think I'll stick to more traditional paste tomatoes in the future.<b></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2aMoaHXgg6FJUn0RvHb0uMNN7etDKSVSHTn19v1GZpb9jwGW6OiAaTzgyaTOnUFXV-UmkoBzfWjNOE90JGmHlSO5PuaAP9AUfvzmyjicQMOTup5b2fgWT-Cn6O4MqzHJWP4yhlY7XbWDOqN_dpZGhOIeSWuAZR6ExUdSHOXNky50bSb43X_P4E-H6mA/s1967/20221116_220534.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1967" data-original-width="1728" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2aMoaHXgg6FJUn0RvHb0uMNN7etDKSVSHTn19v1GZpb9jwGW6OiAaTzgyaTOnUFXV-UmkoBzfWjNOE90JGmHlSO5PuaAP9AUfvzmyjicQMOTup5b2fgWT-Cn6O4MqzHJWP4yhlY7XbWDOqN_dpZGhOIeSWuAZR6ExUdSHOXNky50bSb43X_P4E-H6mA/s320/20221116_220534.jpg" width="281" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">welcome to tomato alley<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>That's a wrap for the 2022 season. I hope you enjoyed this and let me know if there's a favourite tomato you have that I should try next year!<b><br /></b></p>Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-90261059458726257502022-10-04T22:14:00.000-03:002022-10-04T22:14:19.346-03:00Goodbye Fiona<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTxx4b682CA057rEAaPVx9PhLQabqht0jLM24F9tcFPSnJ55M6uZLOVnqH368zWSw4rWQzi1buqL4joqBGiLfLY-CwHFNFQktdLTb-RjzM-vW-LTQPZp7nmvEFyo6PqKSweTGJ4bC8l6Xvxlm5FtZnfA3YGjjIR2guPsLGzbNb7HV-_mZ5GUA_cJqeQ/s3984/20221004_215005.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3984" data-original-width="2240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTxx4b682CA057rEAaPVx9PhLQabqht0jLM24F9tcFPSnJ55M6uZLOVnqH368zWSw4rWQzi1buqL4joqBGiLfLY-CwHFNFQktdLTb-RjzM-vW-LTQPZp7nmvEFyo6PqKSweTGJ4bC8l6Xvxlm5FtZnfA3YGjjIR2guPsLGzbNb7HV-_mZ5GUA_cJqeQ/w225-h400/20221004_215005.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The garage stuffed with plants pre-hurricane</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table> </p><p>Some of you may know that Hurricane Fiona touched down in the Canadian
Atlantic Maritimes in the wee hours of September 24. It was a long
sleepless night but it's been an even longer recovery. Personally we
were without power for 11 days after the storm, at the height of harvest
season, with frost on the horizon. To say we're exhausted would be an
understatement. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We are incredibly fortunate, the house weathered the onslaught of wind
admirably. Shingles were torn loose but no leaks. The attic windows
blew out but it appears the insulation didn't get overly wet. Trees
came down, but nothing on a building or car. <br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIOSFZ3emMOlwP4pKAeckcdWiQMekPf3-oV4_PBAUu-3IJLCp2vXgSp1qEHr6kD_IjGbUG66zYDyjWvpYitcDYdnsZlm8uPgXQ1jtP-gDDwQ9uAuMKQz2FjPFYgDJFnYfNZcvsdvonxwqtIrEpAWbediz0y4xRsxcsnWEVXZGVb3LXZx5qXjAwOVbAA/s4608/20221004_182322.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2240" data-original-width="4608" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIOSFZ3emMOlwP4pKAeckcdWiQMekPf3-oV4_PBAUu-3IJLCp2vXgSp1qEHr6kD_IjGbUG66zYDyjWvpYitcDYdnsZlm8uPgXQ1jtP-gDDwQ9uAuMKQz2FjPFYgDJFnYfNZcvsdvonxwqtIrEpAWbediz0y4xRsxcsnWEVXZGVb3LXZx5qXjAwOVbAA/w400-h195/20221004_182322.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apple trees were no match for the wind<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p> Sadly across the island others were not so lucky. Barns collapsed, animals were hurt, roofs came off, crops were flattened, cars and homes were damaged by falling trees. I am still in shock when I look at all the destruction surrounding me. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYskjH8wP2liOJG34rClWkNvnTTHCddkVgPIebG_vSv_ImHZymrRI5rdkyYm9Dzxn9VaauSwF-Mfa5CWGHlEKTdPGalCaSyofcPrLyZuMyv_9xQQfUozDNm0fxQoXZbyVqw87_jnUmIcscSv1eio1s72EdpfZDVF1uqLb1gAPh1jCnhforSZq4ilW2rQ/s4608/20220925_144710.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="2240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYskjH8wP2liOJG34rClWkNvnTTHCddkVgPIebG_vSv_ImHZymrRI5rdkyYm9Dzxn9VaauSwF-Mfa5CWGHlEKTdPGalCaSyofcPrLyZuMyv_9xQQfUozDNm0fxQoXZbyVqw87_jnUmIcscSv1eio1s72EdpfZDVF1uqLb1gAPh1jCnhforSZq4ilW2rQ/w195-h400/20220925_144710.jpg" width="195" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The attic window broke into pieces<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>I have thought many times in the last two weeks how crazy I was to try and start a seed business. This year of all years, as I stand looking at my fallen sunflowers, tomatoes thrown across the yard. Was this the right thing to do? I don't know if it is but I do know that I will continue to try. There are seeds crammed into every nook and cranny of this house right now. Beans drying on racks in the garage, sunflowers basking on trays in the living room, buckets of tomato seed fermenting. Despite the many setbacks I know as a gardener, this is what a growing season looks like. Some plants don't make it, there are surprises and hurdles. You experience despair, frustration and glorious happiness. The perfect carrot. Sun setting on a flower. Bees swirling around blooms. These all make it worthwhile. So while my harvest isn't setting any records, it is there. And I can't wait to share it with you.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWUNXWYsW7747BAwV9zHO07R3SLrKpaEOx1EGnCPIHGsQtKWutMpWweHDp7dd_YXaQERwSok3h4BWKyxk62VXEyYPl1eKoHQ4-agkMV6M2gnYJSgxGY5hesZuINy1Bubn2KsW7b9KGgiCP1BJXuQZm4GCuiAaHgoFLMnIRe4iaQ8X_wbinr8GC-PIkw/s3121/20221004_215901.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3121" data-original-width="2236" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWUNXWYsW7747BAwV9zHO07R3SLrKpaEOx1EGnCPIHGsQtKWutMpWweHDp7dd_YXaQERwSok3h4BWKyxk62VXEyYPl1eKoHQ4-agkMV6M2gnYJSgxGY5hesZuINy1Bubn2KsW7b9KGgiCP1BJXuQZm4GCuiAaHgoFLMnIRe4iaQ8X_wbinr8GC-PIkw/w286-h400/20221004_215901.jpg" width="286" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today, after winds and frost, a couple blooms still remain<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-14789621588569501682022-08-28T11:37:00.000-03:002022-08-28T11:37:04.171-03:00Weeds and MulchWe all have to deal with them - weeds. The question is how. Any healthy garden soil will produce great plants but inevitably the weeds love that good soil too. Gardeners spend a lot of time weeding and trying to prevent weeds. Mulch, I believe most everyone would agree, is key. If you don't want to spend your summer on your knees pulling weeds you need to put something down on the bare earth to slow their growth.<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUxYwepKOd5kC7j3dccBTFMmgVcuN4Y5MgMdgvCvrNC6cTG7a0bfCzIWVzAyfKDMobHhnoTROMx3MxBAy_pfynKs7m1vWHGWub6nBm5xRGYhU_mnHTQZm9mSxq7l9ndqBybIDqCBxJJdOcBSGzVdr_5L4Ob3K4yLNyDGTiSoPuDhnNx7MAtYsyfPY-g/s4608/20220808_131600.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2240" data-original-width="4608" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUxYwepKOd5kC7j3dccBTFMmgVcuN4Y5MgMdgvCvrNC6cTG7a0bfCzIWVzAyfKDMobHhnoTROMx3MxBAy_pfynKs7m1vWHGWub6nBm5xRGYhU_mnHTQZm9mSxq7l9ndqBybIDqCBxJJdOcBSGzVdr_5L4Ob3K4yLNyDGTiSoPuDhnNx7MAtYsyfPY-g/w400-h195/20220808_131600.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More than a few weeds here!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Flower gardens typically use cedar mulch. It comes in a variety of colours and allows water to seep through to the ground below. It can also define the edge of garden beds in an attractive way.<br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7r-f8FiqCtNiZTiJmyYm6BQnTvuWZJDLUkqiXTaZo41HCJFnxiCghxkAAw8Fh_S2MfHE7etIa8hqd17mc8JpuSlJJpVkeM9IOznRYWYODLyICHoeOMt7beHuv-yzI0neGEDEod30kCkMBifh1nOOtQfyhve5S8dy6NfU3XoCVFVXcf8NEdxiSzPPjg/s640/ridley%2003.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="428" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw7r-f8FiqCtNiZTiJmyYm6BQnTvuWZJDLUkqiXTaZo41HCJFnxiCghxkAAw8Fh_S2MfHE7etIa8hqd17mc8JpuSlJJpVkeM9IOznRYWYODLyICHoeOMt7beHuv-yzI0neGEDEod30kCkMBifh1nOOtQfyhve5S8dy6NfU3XoCVFVXcf8NEdxiSzPPjg/s320/ridley%2003.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black cedar mulch defines beds<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />In my vegetable patch I have traditionally used straw to mulch my plants. Like cedar, it's an organic material that allows water to seep in, but unlike wood chips it breaks down quickly. This is actually a benefit as it can be left in place and adds nutrients and structure to the soil over time. <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-gpAF0R1p9KGya3BRlNrLNODi5Zy7wzBftTbZa7LUj_6IYCXN8i3Y8tnNH-F6FGHgMKpiD0KGe6X4uzFz5FhEu7oQzxjGG-Hw8bJGqvHfk2iTQtZ6IuPjKUsO1cXLCCy_OZiNu4Y83Kac_62CBg7WPKTrrXmGcF2caAcUFdI6Max9BLhymYtPFjFKA/s640/Raised%20strawberry%20bed.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="640" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY-gpAF0R1p9KGya3BRlNrLNODi5Zy7wzBftTbZa7LUj_6IYCXN8i3Y8tnNH-F6FGHgMKpiD0KGe6X4uzFz5FhEu7oQzxjGG-Hw8bJGqvHfk2iTQtZ6IuPjKUsO1cXLCCy_OZiNu4Y83Kac_62CBg7WPKTrrXmGcF2caAcUFdI6Max9BLhymYtPFjFKA/w400-h268/Raised%20strawberry%20bed.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strawberries mulched with straw<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>This year, faced with a much larger garden space, I had to determine how best to combat weeds. Wood mulch is expensive and I find that straw itself often starts to sprout and weeds take hold. Given I was tearing up a piece of ground that was inhabited by goldenrod and thistles last year I figured I would try something a little different. Plastic. </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wcQWV-4X4RPqv7tB4L_3HSH_nu9zAWUJxfUG7aETQ10aFmSBjzOy-ragemCHScj19nIllmnNM8kOSjvLK7Vnv3hBmZ1UhYCozP2GX-2AWBdIT7HVSih47qvM7GWL5JAPKwBf8Y15pfTQcl4vg7XyLeYNIyRdACq8jDuMeIBs5jToowM95Tx-MFslhA/s4608/20220612_194039.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="2240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wcQWV-4X4RPqv7tB4L_3HSH_nu9zAWUJxfUG7aETQ10aFmSBjzOy-ragemCHScj19nIllmnNM8kOSjvLK7Vnv3hBmZ1UhYCozP2GX-2AWBdIT7HVSih47qvM7GWL5JAPKwBf8Y15pfTQcl4vg7XyLeYNIyRdACq8jDuMeIBs5jToowM95Tx-MFslhA/w157-h320/20220612_194039.jpg" width="157" /></a> </p><p>Now I realize it's not organic, and it doesn't breakdown. Plastic can be detrimental to sea life, clog up landfills and we need to find ways to reduce using it altogether. These are all good reasons not to use it as mulch.</p><p>But on a small scale farm plastic can be used repeatedly if you're careful. It warms the soil in a way that other mulches can't. It completely blocks out weeds and provides a clean surface when your growing melons and squash.</p><p>After weighing the different factors I decided to try it as an experiment.</p><p><br /></p><p>I didn't use just any plastic though. I found something called Bio Film. It's a 100% compostable, biodegradable film made from cornstarch. It looks like and acts like plastic in the garden. However, by the end of the season it starts to break down. What hasn't degraded can be tilled back into the soil, broken into smaller pieces and left to degrade completely. </p><p> </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvY8s58e25t_mzWX8VrE8s5Vr8v6gendRNFUYkvaWsd5xlKX6dIJgA0Q2HW04iJa2SAhhmftjeE70zpTQeX4487KwrDEPdfK7qenVm6aOORWyD0fdtdp-Ow4puNuzE6jRKGOfz3KR6HEQCJhKjlgoWMgrVWmI91n1Ae_pRbdWU8JWr1RFE6SsIL_sa7w/s4608/20220612_193938.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2240" data-original-width="4608" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvY8s58e25t_mzWX8VrE8s5Vr8v6gendRNFUYkvaWsd5xlKX6dIJgA0Q2HW04iJa2SAhhmftjeE70zpTQeX4487KwrDEPdfK7qenVm6aOORWyD0fdtdp-Ow4puNuzE6jRKGOfz3KR6HEQCJhKjlgoWMgrVWmI91n1Ae_pRbdWU8JWr1RFE6SsIL_sa7w/w400-h195/20220612_193938.jpg" width="400" /> </a></p><p>I wasn't sure how to lay out such a large space and using plastic was actually quite useful to me for this task. Four foot wide plastic was easily laid out and tucked into the dirt creating clean rows. <br /></p><p>I did find working with the BioFilm had some quirks. As it isn't really plastic at all it has different qualities. It's thin. You can put a finger through it without pushing too hard. You can see where there are rocks in the beds it stretched the film. I had to start removing as many rocks as possible to save my film. Strong weeds will actually push through the film and pop right through it so it doesn't create a perfect weed barrier.<br /></p><p>You also can't direct seed with plastic. So some rows were bare and I used the plastic strictly where I was putting transplants. A quick cut with an exacto knife created the hole for the transplant. Sometimes the hole got a big stretched by my hands trying to dig plants in though. <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOObcmiH7KYKko6LjNerZys4DAyNq5BeTMewFNnv6b_biiUZ1XO6igJODXPcADNuhohmjESXbW2_6a0lPL96s502ajdJ1M5rcq3nBFFlJQpYEIgGjvh3ElQzL0R2kYISBvgk2n-rnZ2-wxo33s5TfOGVSy_vNBwihcUA2s-LKXd3bIrm7kJyXlpOX2LA/s4608/20220711_193235.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="2240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOObcmiH7KYKko6LjNerZys4DAyNq5BeTMewFNnv6b_biiUZ1XO6igJODXPcADNuhohmjESXbW2_6a0lPL96s502ajdJ1M5rcq3nBFFlJQpYEIgGjvh3ElQzL0R2kYISBvgk2n-rnZ2-wxo33s5TfOGVSy_vNBwihcUA2s-LKXd3bIrm7kJyXlpOX2LA/s320/20220711_193235.jpg" width="156" /></a> It worked though. I would absolutely use this film again. The black colour warmed the soil really well. Well enough that I grew watermelons for the first time this summer! Additionally my melons are clean as they are not sitting directly in dirt. Although I will admit some watermelons got so heavy they broke through the film just by their sheer weight.<br /></p><p>A few holes have appeared in the film and weeds broke through in places but nothing so bad that I had a real problem. It will remain to be seen how well it breaks down in the ground over winter. I will keep you posted on its environmental impact.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p><br /></p><p>In addition to the BioFilm I also tried a row of red plastic. This is a traditional plastic but the red colour supposedly boosts growth in tomato plants and increases your yield. If I'm careful this plastic can be used year after year.<br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUGz902KTxq1kYsV7fbGCObYGvsOuxuiykEejIkz9FtLv8PajS7OM2_Bg67vi2TrwLYosi-ZXUZLLSVYw9F9hFkHXVIGs-4tTe1BwuJHB4t3m8-HVJjFmsjujrFmH_K8-tv9Kh-GuhVuOd8mo2-hL1F6jFdrK_7jgWo_DUTp60yrs5IlSuJPUXdldCw/s5472/DSC01635.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5472" data-original-width="3648" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUGz902KTxq1kYsV7fbGCObYGvsOuxuiykEejIkz9FtLv8PajS7OM2_Bg67vi2TrwLYosi-ZXUZLLSVYw9F9hFkHXVIGs-4tTe1BwuJHB4t3m8-HVJjFmsjujrFmH_K8-tv9Kh-GuhVuOd8mo2-hL1F6jFdrK_7jgWo_DUTp60yrs5IlSuJPUXdldCw/s320/DSC01635.JPG" width="213" /></a>It's hard to tell if it's been a help to the tomatoes or not. They have begun to ripen in the last week but honestly it's been a banner year for all kinds of plants. We've had lots of rain and heat and my tomatoes are 6 feet high in places and 4 feet wide. Where they can't climb they have stretched across rows. So regardless of the plastic I will be bringing in a productive crop. <br /></p><p>What I did notice about the red plastic is that it promoted weeds. Too much light was able to seep through, unlike the black, and it created a greenhouse effect under the plastic. The weeds growing underneath literally lifted the plastic off the ground by 3 or 4 inches. I had to reach my hand in the plant holes and try to rip out the weeds underneath in a sweeping action. It was a giant pain and not something I particularly want to do again.<br /></p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lSLxbvd6JcRT0ore_GKWNVtZ6HqOzTxMHi1Dy9wgaJICG4PKPlvxgcLkZeC-tPqEnXdXf0RnGKCG2lGLJ7p3DqFUhOtOm9GKfHjmQZ70bBdOxREJKpqzKBguBl_n9lW2iFr3QHJLyl7SkE41JEx8qcvV8aOVenodg50B1KbD2sXEcMK_fikPI8v0cA/s5472/DSC01710.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5472" data-original-width="3648" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lSLxbvd6JcRT0ore_GKWNVtZ6HqOzTxMHi1Dy9wgaJICG4PKPlvxgcLkZeC-tPqEnXdXf0RnGKCG2lGLJ7p3DqFUhOtOm9GKfHjmQZ70bBdOxREJKpqzKBguBl_n9lW2iFr3QHJLyl7SkE41JEx8qcvV8aOVenodg50B1KbD2sXEcMK_fikPI8v0cA/s320/DSC01710.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Attempting to weed UNDER the plastic!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The other issue with plastic is watering. Generally when you're using plastic people use drip irrigation. There's no other way to get water to plants easily under that barrier. I couldn't afford that so decided to do things a little differently. Again, my garden is relatively small so I can get away with this. In a larger scale farm it would not work. I hand watered down each plant hole for much of the summer. This allowed me to check plants regularly for health. My husband said if we do this again we need to mark the holes with a stake as we couldn't find the holes by August! The other tool I used was water stakes. You can see pop bottles sticking out of the ground in the photo below.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYP0lv4h9lRIZ-tasz4RcTotsc-OXoRg-OGfnD1fKgcIDYzIAt6aBFRs8hCUSXdvDhUOimofEipN98W7h0foz6FMCo7BWYTig94WBTGp_Wlvc9NJEOtO9OWXC0NrbftjI6Z2P7Vn1jplmx_USEI-4UdAX7WEvUB5FM74uZQ_x53D6sEiu61C3E_AyijQ/s3788/20220828_112910.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1483" data-original-width="3788" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYP0lv4h9lRIZ-tasz4RcTotsc-OXoRg-OGfnD1fKgcIDYzIAt6aBFRs8hCUSXdvDhUOimofEipN98W7h0foz6FMCo7BWYTig94WBTGp_Wlvc9NJEOtO9OWXC0NrbftjI6Z2P7Vn1jplmx_USEI-4UdAX7WEvUB5FM74uZQ_x53D6sEiu61C3E_AyijQ/w400-h156/20220828_112910.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Each pop bottle is attached to a plastic stake with holes drilled into it. You fill the pop bottle and it drains slowly into the stake and seeps into the ground. They are easy to see and fill and give a slow deep watering to plants. This little tool was my life saver this year.<br /></p><p></p><p>If you're interested in the BioFilm I found it at Williams Dam Seeds, located in Ontario, Canada. Plant stakes are available through Lee Valley. I would recommend both. Happy Gardening Everyone. I hope you're having a great season wherever you may be.<br /></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p>Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-14281017848191428822022-08-15T16:49:00.000-03:002022-08-15T16:49:10.827-03:00Poppies - A Classic for your Wildflower Meadow<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 40px; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 40px; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWcj3b2GwuXGMk8u4IU-7BKPW5wgD1NNZiRFMJJdTsiYw_v3ZRzh2Sy5K3WI5Qc1BL_CzgX8wPT_0KGh6KCJDaoc-UFU77rmQlPFhz3zIVrCKm1ABUfsuFwN7pIadJRZ-euhx7tAb55cDpbxCGX1WRjKEHSuL8WOKB--vvDP7LwS8tzDjLQZPZls5aA/s2592/image000000(91).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="1423" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWcj3b2GwuXGMk8u4IU-7BKPW5wgD1NNZiRFMJJdTsiYw_v3ZRzh2Sy5K3WI5Qc1BL_CzgX8wPT_0KGh6KCJDaoc-UFU77rmQlPFhz3zIVrCKm1ABUfsuFwN7pIadJRZ-euhx7tAb55cDpbxCGX1WRjKEHSuL8WOKB--vvDP7LwS8tzDjLQZPZls5aA/w250-h454/image000000(91).jpg" width="250" /> </a>Poppies have long been a favourite of mine. There is something decidedly elegant about their tissue thin petals, when the sun hits in just the right way you can see right through them. They appear so fragile with their large flowers waving atop tall thin stems. Yet poppies are incredibly resilient and are probably best known as a common addition to wildflower meadows. Not exactly the place for a fussy flower.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I have been playing with poppies this year. I have been growing a simple pink variety for some years but decided this was the year to expand my horizons. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcpU8bb5siIw_hXWYwYvIWDE5lY4fOBMG1nADD3LvViK7kwPh1HXt07x20nEsSnU3VEj7i8foc_vg3W2GlVLDJCIRAX8JNHA38l5SWScTWhwXdp_eAfsWjszEFbmog0PWBD2xz8e4zlsqwzE2RZwz7GlHEJ0e8Csv5Ufv9MRbTzBUOZ8UGiYA385esw/s2046/20220711_180622-COLLAGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1535" data-original-width="2046" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcpU8bb5siIw_hXWYwYvIWDE5lY4fOBMG1nADD3LvViK7kwPh1HXt07x20nEsSnU3VEj7i8foc_vg3W2GlVLDJCIRAX8JNHA38l5SWScTWhwXdp_eAfsWjszEFbmog0PWBD2xz8e4zlsqwzE2RZwz7GlHEJ0e8Csv5Ufv9MRbTzBUOZ8UGiYA385esw/w400-h300/20220711_180622-COLLAGE.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My standard pink poppy</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Papaver somniferum is of eastern Mediterranean heritage. They have been known by many names throughout history. Breadseed poppy for their edible seeds. Opium poppy for their drug producing capabilities. For those who love flowers they are known for their beauty. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2240" data-original-width="4608" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBOweWaPjOHZF0XBRARpAYzgS-ZeghCpcPj8aFXKAKKh3Szf2xDfA0EA9Ip916MI9360pWXM_NkJGYM1vUikmUbbJJliX1EqW-Lxip3pjA-L6OnKtYdM_MHKO7etMy_0F-6ZN7WiTxXinp17ooJzmMrqzPCNPhKESmF8pLiIIRuTpCV0KSCA7upvnqg/w400-h195/20220808_131113.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corn poppies<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now there are a number of other poppy species. California poppies, Icelandic Poppies, Corn Poppies, Himilayann Poppies, Oriental Poppies. The list goes on. All are beautiful but I have focused on the Breadseed Poppy as a personal favourite. This is an annual flower that combines well in my country garden. Flowers appear in my veggie beds as well as the flower beds and are equally at home. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_isW7DlArNKPjcC9ncupZSz3CfTQ0jZy32k7SBaCmWzN0Bq4Andv0cHbRvEEDMfK3xd7X9avanSehhBmes5bySS4uT6umB5X786gwbemCzIrmTvAjh30uCFE8Z1iWIQjJ-pgkLwWIXPUkUYurSEGIn-sp12Xf-Z57aINl2Yw2C1__bpIDlZhB8NkTA/s2592/image000000(72).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2592" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_isW7DlArNKPjcC9ncupZSz3CfTQ0jZy32k7SBaCmWzN0Bq4Andv0cHbRvEEDMfK3xd7X9avanSehhBmes5bySS4uT6umB5X786gwbemCzIrmTvAjh30uCFE8Z1iWIQjJ-pgkLwWIXPUkUYurSEGIn-sp12Xf-Z57aINl2Yw2C1__bpIDlZhB8NkTA/w400-h266/image000000(72).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not only are the flowers gorgeous but the seed heads are equally interesting. Dried they make a great addition to fall bouquets.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsXPQIhnNe0suGO-gIdaxh8XaOrFYnqwIb1L1Jd-YKfpKXbzK8u93MU1ExK6dFAjGtff-7WHBcdk0tBoMrTNRsV9xZKbkdc2FIGgfABgEfciGiZ-mAEP-WKwNm6HR67jz9Mufp7fmFSZGTDzyi_jfQzHRjWHy329Wq1acZfW1IRr0r1bMESvj-NNksug/s2592/image000000(88).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2592" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsXPQIhnNe0suGO-gIdaxh8XaOrFYnqwIb1L1Jd-YKfpKXbzK8u93MU1ExK6dFAjGtff-7WHBcdk0tBoMrTNRsV9xZKbkdc2FIGgfABgEfciGiZ-mAEP-WKwNm6HR67jz9Mufp7fmFSZGTDzyi_jfQzHRjWHy329Wq1acZfW1IRr0r1bMESvj-NNksug/w400-h266/image000000(88).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This year I received a packet of poppy seed as a gift. As poppies can be crossbred and there are numerous cultivars available I thought I would give it a try to create my own cultivar. My mother had a double variety growing in her garden for years that I loved but I was unable to replicate the conditions of her garden to make it happy here. So I planted seed from a number of different sources this year to see what I might create. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKY9Oo_rdBNt4I8n_u3FJdt3omcOPjASgZZJEVgWMpNpXD3Svb6lc9T5Pw2vfbsm-qitc9Jns-DiQu0LidQJCReb2MZPr6MzBfP2qf40IwmSKbRufDYhGkLrfY2XMgbnAHMHuc3ZOxcb2F_7FPv4t1zdS9-RQkMgYKYCw83CHF_wKcKf_QQo49cnvjvQ/s2046/DSC01688-COLLAGE.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2046" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKY9Oo_rdBNt4I8n_u3FJdt3omcOPjASgZZJEVgWMpNpXD3Svb6lc9T5Pw2vfbsm-qitc9Jns-DiQu0LidQJCReb2MZPr6MzBfP2qf40IwmSKbRufDYhGkLrfY2XMgbnAHMHuc3ZOxcb2F_7FPv4t1zdS9-RQkMgYKYCw83CHF_wKcKf_QQo49cnvjvQ/s320/DSC01688-COLLAGE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bees love poppies and simply planting them together can create conditions for cross breeding. Dusting poppies together by hand can also work. The possible combinations are endless. Colour, petal shape, doubles. Each year I intend to select for beauty, sturdiness and health in our maritime climate. I don't know what the end result will look like but I'm excited about the possibilities.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I started collecting seed in the last couple weeks. I fall planted numerous poppies so I have seed already. Poppies easily dry on the stalk and it's a simple task to shake them to release the seed into a bucket.<br /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW8xD7NX8Dp0U7mwSX-v7nwAyxh068NrxY3VvsAufpMDBAluYMlXFHBPJL9a750E888kHgA5jTH8sr4DTJHX6zPbwUgS20ax7wGYOhujUmjOf5SkQZaCwQXTJXFJChjjewDyE3JP7yP7V_WitV_dcsaJagaK6yLqzi4vGVQBYQ3kS12K9ueN6Er_DqMA/s2592/image000000(68).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2592" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW8xD7NX8Dp0U7mwSX-v7nwAyxh068NrxY3VvsAufpMDBAluYMlXFHBPJL9a750E888kHgA5jTH8sr4DTJHX6zPbwUgS20ax7wGYOhujUmjOf5SkQZaCwQXTJXFJChjjewDyE3JP7yP7V_WitV_dcsaJagaK6yLqzi4vGVQBYQ3kS12K9ueN6Er_DqMA/s320/image000000(68).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2r4sNNTnD9Y8nQd2ba94KMrHOTOjzKGEk9NEa0y-cEUR5RNpI591BOqiEz-WBzJURu6AIYku7A_RtBmBwp6V_HysxVxIvzW0g8bOHKdHQSJV5PsSP7Pzt_3EaOCMWRMCIvPiPWMwZvntaw6K9B5CbDQnoOvZaJaidvHUkKCTn0yWPpF-zLDSTeh0beQ/s2592/image000000(69).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2592" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2r4sNNTnD9Y8nQd2ba94KMrHOTOjzKGEk9NEa0y-cEUR5RNpI591BOqiEz-WBzJURu6AIYku7A_RtBmBwp6V_HysxVxIvzW0g8bOHKdHQSJV5PsSP7Pzt_3EaOCMWRMCIvPiPWMwZvntaw6K9B5CbDQnoOvZaJaidvHUkKCTn0yWPpF-zLDSTeh0beQ/s320/image000000(69).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The weather being a bit rainy I did snip some heads and laid them to dry in the garage so mold wouldn't take over.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkI3Ppb-M-uTCmfgCN7QXpTe3gcFBwlLr5Jvf42cPL1AuCU_fnJs5xotW7V0aFTw44f9-cAgkxdfI89LGgeMhCcHOB_5QQIrWAeImuKyTGbZSahuok6uyEUon7HIMqRp1UMxoDjRZEzOC8r-XrYjWIYFCs88FnMy2nUDTFNN8Te4L-D04k9UdM1fzRtw/s4608/20220814_142956.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="2240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkI3Ppb-M-uTCmfgCN7QXpTe3gcFBwlLr5Jvf42cPL1AuCU_fnJs5xotW7V0aFTw44f9-cAgkxdfI89LGgeMhCcHOB_5QQIrWAeImuKyTGbZSahuok6uyEUon7HIMqRp1UMxoDjRZEzOC8r-XrYjWIYFCs88FnMy2nUDTFNN8Te4L-D04k9UdM1fzRtw/w195-h400/20220814_142956.jpg" width="195" /></a></div><br /></div>I'm looking forward to next year already. What exciting flowers will surprise me I can't wait to see.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmc5b-Q0HePqIA0fubifbi1pww7J4ZYieQK1CD1W092CkMBp9_hCoNeNOKrnyYIZ1XvevFNJ49SEC_aBbdbVFu1tcja8h7LIYN__zmg7E72aip9UgQQs_cKfOn_9f-ZUzZ_D8gafdEiaKbokZmUXNt-U31KGo-uiYc_35Ewp9DAhSvnFAx8gdNF7Tpg/s4608/20220808_131144.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="2240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmc5b-Q0HePqIA0fubifbi1pww7J4ZYieQK1CD1W092CkMBp9_hCoNeNOKrnyYIZ1XvevFNJ49SEC_aBbdbVFu1tcja8h7LIYN__zmg7E72aip9UgQQs_cKfOn_9f-ZUzZ_D8gafdEiaKbokZmUXNt-U31KGo-uiYc_35Ewp9DAhSvnFAx8gdNF7Tpg/s320/20220808_131144.jpg" width="156" /></a></div><p></p>Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-41181630509966967212022-07-31T09:19:00.000-03:002022-07-31T09:19:55.064-03:00My Love for Borage<p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ccaFyxDEgldPPEzhK0uH9RF8pWICmCcqdWvBcgWB5CeHrOaRW0C3lApaMlvV1PpsADdTxngWkLJ7_iKrPDcA-LNZOYVrAq7wKYvh7LTgRXcglcaWezr9DiQv_T-eTKUhf4mh9-S5eIn3Z7qH3M7GZSLa0ASNTYHoZse5251i_uW1JQ5MTq92dZrv-g/s4608/20220730_193153.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Blue flowers" border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="2240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ccaFyxDEgldPPEzhK0uH9RF8pWICmCcqdWvBcgWB5CeHrOaRW0C3lApaMlvV1PpsADdTxngWkLJ7_iKrPDcA-LNZOYVrAq7wKYvh7LTgRXcglcaWezr9DiQv_T-eTKUhf4mh9-S5eIn3Z7qH3M7GZSLa0ASNTYHoZse5251i_uW1JQ5MTq92dZrv-g/w157-h320/20220730_193153.jpg" width="157" /></a></p>Borage isn't a common garden flower. There are no poems about the beauty of its petals. No songs waxing poetic about it as a symbol of enduring love. That's fair really. The flowers are only a couple centimeters large, forever facing downward so that you don't normally see their fair faces. Worse still they don't bloom in large masses, creating a riot of colour. Rather the bunches of flower buds open one by one, just giving us a glimpse of sky blue petals. For these reasons I don't believe borage has ever risen to great heights of popularity.<br /><p></p><p> </p><p>Yet I still plant it each and every year. Not in my flower beds, but in my vegetable garden. Not that these starry blue flowers wouldn't be at home in any flower bed. Woven through other plants the bright spots of blue (and sometimes pink) flowers are eye catching, and the soft silver coloration of the leaves provides a welcome and interesting foliage addition. Personally though I like to plant it in large clumps. This year I have one such clump on the far edge of the small vegetable garden. Another large clump is smack dab in the middle of my tomatoes.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgzdH9BKR9rV4NaDEutth-HMdtqZp34l1RMNcUu17IKDii44jKSu4qZvN7pVHA19EHMtbuz9DeFViYz32G5UmMsmIUYp9SvAODFs0zuDqi892ox15LHoMzaN9SRCRIu41qTCwjMBenShg1eigHIG5r-9hb09-pr6JlZwWFtrjtjOb65jCA3Qg2eHYiA/s4608/20220730_193131.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Borage plants" border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="2240" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgzdH9BKR9rV4NaDEutth-HMdtqZp34l1RMNcUu17IKDii44jKSu4qZvN7pVHA19EHMtbuz9DeFViYz32G5UmMsmIUYp9SvAODFs0zuDqi892ox15LHoMzaN9SRCRIu41qTCwjMBenShg1eigHIG5r-9hb09-pr6JlZwWFtrjtjOb65jCA3Qg2eHYiA/w195-h400/20220730_193131.jpg" width="195" /></a></div><p>There's a reason for this. Some of you may be aware that borage is edible. Flowers make a pretty garnish on drinks and desserts. Flowers and leaves can be steeped for tea. You can cook the leaves like a green, or even make soup. There are plenty of medicinal properties as well. Borage is classed as a herb and can be used in poultices and salves.<br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5nwe7TZ7YTXgEHvRCm7JTVxX9-WbFoq6LQqtc_PPu3DUU-DqkA9nCV2XeUg2Pw6FNNssEzyapHPrsd0JWoCb0KpFSqrMFPF3M2D7UyqZZHfYy4LlUiF07q3Weu8UTBU0_ZlKc9YGapUA25THdjvu44dEbLb4bZuStnNqsP9fvPg2SwY-U4w627sL0fg/s5472/DSC01597.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="field of borage" border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5nwe7TZ7YTXgEHvRCm7JTVxX9-WbFoq6LQqtc_PPu3DUU-DqkA9nCV2XeUg2Pw6FNNssEzyapHPrsd0JWoCb0KpFSqrMFPF3M2D7UyqZZHfYy4LlUiF07q3Weu8UTBU0_ZlKc9YGapUA25THdjvu44dEbLb4bZuStnNqsP9fvPg2SwY-U4w627sL0fg/w400-h266/DSC01597.JPG" width="400" /></a></p><p>I've tried eating it and wasn't too fussed honestly. The plant has fine prickly hairs from tip to toe and I didn't particularly like that texture. What I really love about borage is what it does for my other plants. It attracts pollinators. <br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2bEWVKJUsMfKJT3s136_s9lYfsRNZ2Ps-m-nFfXUATBHyP1Hfh8OJkXDAVPGmqFlRpRE-Vjb8Hk0qxB4IhKRcb9L2dIuGgZt4r2eVXKfMXKKiK_pDt-bACQQqNISDzd9SSAZVSpUQuWFrZlcSeuz__fo7Emqt0WXwjytO_8z2Va__qcpDacU9RAOhg/s5472/DSC01606.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="bee on borage flower" border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2bEWVKJUsMfKJT3s136_s9lYfsRNZ2Ps-m-nFfXUATBHyP1Hfh8OJkXDAVPGmqFlRpRE-Vjb8Hk0qxB4IhKRcb9L2dIuGgZt4r2eVXKfMXKKiK_pDt-bACQQqNISDzd9SSAZVSpUQuWFrZlcSeuz__fo7Emqt0WXwjytO_8z2Va__qcpDacU9RAOhg/w400-h266/DSC01606.JPG" width="400" /></a></p><p>If you have a vegetable garden you want to make sure that your plants get pollinated. I have found over the years that bees love borage and will visit my garden in droves when I plant it. Subsequently they venture into my tomatoes and do some good work there. By planting borage I ensure good pollination of my crops and provide a healthy food source for bees. Since borage doesn't bloom in one quick explosion, it also means that insects are able to find food all summer long. A mass of plants provides flowers over a two or three month span in my climate. </p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVY_cZWnYh0S8tyPAWmfitpRgPesmYS1TtyHVlLZLC0qkMW1Su0asoD7JRuB30l7sxFZTl0NITubaiELMqtLuzVFPmLg9f5ijVbPVwG3OeGO9UMJGUcv_9bBmohlb3r8td7dkNrgVCHckVWQ2257cYV8OhxQfXq3VL5unTWN7r9_HU3PSXhUndYBY02w/s5472/DSC01603.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="borage flowers" border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVY_cZWnYh0S8tyPAWmfitpRgPesmYS1TtyHVlLZLC0qkMW1Su0asoD7JRuB30l7sxFZTl0NITubaiELMqtLuzVFPmLg9f5ijVbPVwG3OeGO9UMJGUcv_9bBmohlb3r8td7dkNrgVCHckVWQ2257cYV8OhxQfXq3VL5unTWN7r9_HU3PSXhUndYBY02w/w400-h266/DSC01603.JPG" width="400" /></a></p><p>One downside as a seed collector is that seed ripens very haphazardly. Some is ready to drop while other flowers are just starting to bloom. For the home gardener it means that borage will spread on its own and you will never be without plants if you grow it once. The seedlings are easy to spot with their large silver leaves so if you don't like volunteers they are relatively easy to pull. <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhaPenDaVdiJ4B4EUZLhEZMdHvHemuRDwpzvFFxP4r91zGWVc0z_kfr0BSb0jHxy5r_uUyu2p6bZQmjZ1ZPyrbPAHl63AXaZkmXS2RZX1VNIDxJbb32uhIot2garqZSAsSDnd0G-XkDRp8i6OidUu5A0npa_MKlsmPrV0SH0pIdP9sNvgBeGgClYZyYg/s4608/20220730_193121.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="2240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhaPenDaVdiJ4B4EUZLhEZMdHvHemuRDwpzvFFxP4r91zGWVc0z_kfr0BSb0jHxy5r_uUyu2p6bZQmjZ1ZPyrbPAHl63AXaZkmXS2RZX1VNIDxJbb32uhIot2garqZSAsSDnd0G-XkDRp8i6OidUu5A0npa_MKlsmPrV0SH0pIdP9sNvgBeGgClYZyYg/s320/20220730_193121.jpg" width="156" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Borage has become a standard in my garden. I look forward to those bright blue flowers every year and watching the bees hum along from plant to plant. I hope it becomes one of your favourites too.<br /></div><p></p>Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-40274030452090764512022-07-27T22:02:00.002-03:002022-07-27T22:02:35.807-03:00A New Garden<p>You may be wondering if I dropped off the map again and that would be fair. I'm surprised to see that several months have gone by and I haven't managed to write a word. The reality is that I have been obscenely busy!</p><p>Turns out starting a new garden is hard work. Some of you may recall that back in 2010 I started my first vegetable garden here in PEI. It was just an empty spot of land then, situated between the house and the garage.<br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxLHlXqgeFtS928swTUNeMfVDAooINyY88G9DvLdAxO0U2z1vuBShdrTEJwJizFUvCqdAkoRo-1H5O2pBbCJYOnUCcDJoU-ngGawX99ngGGLp5CmEsNF6nXYQnh4yyd7X1s5mppPKhaQMI_NY75jlLpDVI2WPtbzEF4jp1Zdra4Ol2Zcb5gjgCsRMlA/s400/veggie%20garden%202010.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxLHlXqgeFtS928swTUNeMfVDAooINyY88G9DvLdAxO0U2z1vuBShdrTEJwJizFUvCqdAkoRo-1H5O2pBbCJYOnUCcDJoU-ngGawX99ngGGLp5CmEsNF6nXYQnh4yyd7X1s5mppPKhaQMI_NY75jlLpDVI2WPtbzEF4jp1Zdra4Ol2Zcb5gjgCsRMlA/w400-h300/veggie%20garden%202010.jpg" width="400" /></a></p>It's so funny to look at that empty space now. It feels like so long ago. It took me several years to go from an empty bit of lawn to a garden. I wasn't in a hurry and I wasn't sure about shape, tilling, or raised beds at first. I took my time trying out various methods and in the end I did both. Some beds feature perennials, others are dug each year. Raised beds have proven wonderful for carrots and other root veggies. I added a plastic hoop tunnel, trellis, and compost bin. Today it looks like this.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUP0QhlSf5W7ZC0WUsu8B9KBV3KrDq85MA_S7olpPluWMzq0KwsYY2rzyV2DlQjwjYh7kEaaVd6o9-vzmrPH5wWtRLFTv3yDsQrbiL9c5SGzulfmI5bAZa22JXao1WUq1TQBTGEClWXoXsfSMfXdIs9lo60ogZWuMwkBfYFuohmErx79aFIuIUMPTusw/s4608/20200726_161132.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2240" data-original-width="4608" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUP0QhlSf5W7ZC0WUsu8B9KBV3KrDq85MA_S7olpPluWMzq0KwsYY2rzyV2DlQjwjYh7kEaaVd6o9-vzmrPH5wWtRLFTv3yDsQrbiL9c5SGzulfmI5bAZa22JXao1WUq1TQBTGEClWXoXsfSMfXdIs9lo60ogZWuMwkBfYFuohmErx79aFIuIUMPTusw/w400-h195/20200726_161132.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p> </p><p>I experimented with different plants over the years. Corn has become a favourite. Strawberries got the boot for requiring too much effort. Certain varieties of plants like Queensland Blue Pumpkins and Mexico Midget tomatoes are planted again and again.<br /></p><p> </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_SHKAx7KPH3zKJqGvo_MZxOY5TxXE3hBxQiIYjXvvwsfTmRNlAY2FQCbGUI4MJ4tyviE2ILX4xVJV94SBwRc0jPp3U5AXPc4eUsRGWCWXS_qB6QOtHU5cNlDiESqiajyKi5hQBJWPgSG9hW_aUWryT7LYmZ6ZcvkEUuXVBUSmkno8M-C-ltkA_extg/s640/veggie%20garden%202013.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="640" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK_SHKAx7KPH3zKJqGvo_MZxOY5TxXE3hBxQiIYjXvvwsfTmRNlAY2FQCbGUI4MJ4tyviE2ILX4xVJV94SBwRc0jPp3U5AXPc4eUsRGWCWXS_qB6QOtHU5cNlDiESqiajyKi5hQBJWPgSG9hW_aUWryT7LYmZ6ZcvkEUuXVBUSmkno8M-C-ltkA_extg/w400-h196/veggie%20garden%202013.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p> </p><p>This year has been very different. The garden you see in the photo above I now refer to as the small garden. The real work has occurred in the field to the right.<br /></p><p></p><p>Tractors were brought in back in April. First they plowed the ground, then they came back and tilled. And tilled again.... and again. Leaving me with a beautiful patch of dirt to really work at.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNTI1EQxjPEpAQpO-NM0ASpFIqa-_FcoaYGPlsqMMO8GAGGyjLfCseK9L_wyUg0vgb67YAHjEawb3JITgpmiqu1IP2yGkw2rq2TYJw7mZPM6uZH6fp_EZZ0quOre3rYEyskx7HrBAir_9B8pR6Y0MYZ9AyTgktLHymc62dNzhU5WVl9bD1CfeDqqFMQ/s2076/Resized_20220419_164429.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1009" data-original-width="2076" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNTI1EQxjPEpAQpO-NM0ASpFIqa-_FcoaYGPlsqMMO8GAGGyjLfCseK9L_wyUg0vgb67YAHjEawb3JITgpmiqu1IP2yGkw2rq2TYJw7mZPM6uZH6fp_EZZ0quOre3rYEyskx7HrBAir_9B8pR6Y0MYZ9AyTgktLHymc62dNzhU5WVl9bD1CfeDqqFMQ/w400-h195/Resized_20220419_164429.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first plow<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Since then I've had to make lots of decisions in short order. How do you weed this amount of ground? How do you water? What should I plant? Rows or blocks? Plastic or straw? It's a lot to take on but I've been enjoying every minute. Today the field looks like this.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpGSlwgAErEPgrpaUtX6atrks5IXSJtxpjyCrSipGZuBleo8MfbE5Ocz0VdPxPqG-p8CDbORi9A8QdVtQagbjHHzvvHgMyfUssCZrIxmLKPZX_wzlADyJ3FEceMPmrRQSOkldS7HCn2xtDA7-fspgve1CibWDdOoLQNHvOKiO3H47jKqUdquC1lY68g/s5472/DSC01632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="5472" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmpGSlwgAErEPgrpaUtX6atrks5IXSJtxpjyCrSipGZuBleo8MfbE5Ocz0VdPxPqG-p8CDbORi9A8QdVtQagbjHHzvvHgMyfUssCZrIxmLKPZX_wzlADyJ3FEceMPmrRQSOkldS7HCn2xtDA7-fspgve1CibWDdOoLQNHvOKiO3H47jKqUdquC1lY68g/w400-h266/DSC01632.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p>It's been quite the journey but well worth it. Despite having gardened for many years I'm still learning. I love that. Just when you think you know how to do this mother nature throws a curveball. Some of it's not fun. I had a cucumber beetle invasion this year. It decimated my pumpkins and I wanted to cry. But some is amazing. Like discovering a watermelon seed that works in my climate!! I can't wait to try delicious fruit in the very near future. I'm hooked on my new space and thrilled with how much I can grow here. Like any good gardener, I'm already planning how to rearrange, change and expand next year!<br /></p><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p>Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-19530845187513430272022-03-26T19:38:00.000-03:002022-03-26T19:38:07.176-03:00The Argument for Flowers<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been making difficult choices lately. Gardeners will know right
away what I'm talking about. There's a pile of seed packets and only so
much space.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPfN7TFDLLRIcbZ1tzFZoIjeoxsjrP1TmQVcXCXflGCxChuLPceWHWPwufi1uJ9paCE-cG-LG0lvB-Zq33VCXbzreeoKgBtTA_2Gx-eQQbz1o4PRlGSzCIFgS3vJr0WGTq_i6-FiZeWFtPGz_RH2crDulQrhr7-kdr-F8ZkejxbUz_z-Q4NX-yF1VAjg=s4000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPfN7TFDLLRIcbZ1tzFZoIjeoxsjrP1TmQVcXCXflGCxChuLPceWHWPwufi1uJ9paCE-cG-LG0lvB-Zq33VCXbzreeoKgBtTA_2Gx-eQQbz1o4PRlGSzCIFgS3vJr0WGTq_i6-FiZeWFtPGz_RH2crDulQrhr7-kdr-F8ZkejxbUz_z-Q4NX-yF1VAjg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So how does one decide what to plant and what to save for another year? Food is always a priority in my garden. I love vegetables, feeding myself and my spouse with organic fresh food. There's nothing better than pulling corn from the garden and throwing it straight into the pot to cook. This year particularly my priority is vegetables as I intend to grow out seed for sale. Home gardens have taken off in the last couple years and there's a lot of people looking for vegetable seed. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxtdjXY6F8a9B7xfQ_6Zabwdjh9WtV7u8XC1Hoa3a3ySYqAAau5bTZsPVLq8dfNDddSr9A5I3aklk-W3spo05GpeavOraCcizxVWkUh4ASSjN-HHzPiALwWV-AYOhl6Fj-pDu6Tij-v3ITFecLx_kIKSWcexYIQJgM3qCPsPd2NAtKxhRk0YLqZ0BVFw/s3872/IMGP0693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3872" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxtdjXY6F8a9B7xfQ_6Zabwdjh9WtV7u8XC1Hoa3a3ySYqAAau5bTZsPVLq8dfNDddSr9A5I3aklk-W3spo05GpeavOraCcizxVWkUh4ASSjN-HHzPiALwWV-AYOhl6Fj-pDu6Tij-v3ITFecLx_kIKSWcexYIQJgM3qCPsPd2NAtKxhRk0YLqZ0BVFw/s320/IMGP0693.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I remember my mother telling me that when she grew up on the farm
flowers were a luxury. Food crops got the high priority space and
flowers were an afterthought. It was always more important to feed your family and her family considered flowers wasted space that could have grown food. Yet I'm still attracted to flowers. Their beauty lifts the soul, they invite you to look and they attract insects. Yes you read that right. They attract insects. That's a good thing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4g4fy_E051XiJpehAvZ24or5XzHCBjIWM1pG-EZ6vA2f9Wpuuec31UW3xJl1T-VRGdjs60Wm1AiP5-9zZhgKTemmN6n_nfE3P62aY5tAoMMoN2lm-Vg7-v1xNgiVXN2ZHFVX15oxtz_xn6TeMLf7EkirJ_3dYf63khz8su32aD84zt64VBVX9Hn2GMQ/s3872/IMGP0516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3872" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4g4fy_E051XiJpehAvZ24or5XzHCBjIWM1pG-EZ6vA2f9Wpuuec31UW3xJl1T-VRGdjs60Wm1AiP5-9zZhgKTemmN6n_nfE3P62aY5tAoMMoN2lm-Vg7-v1xNgiVXN2ZHFVX15oxtz_xn6TeMLf7EkirJ_3dYf63khz8su32aD84zt64VBVX9Hn2GMQ/s320/IMGP0516.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's true mosquitos make me itch, and I get queasy at the sight of a june bug but the reality is that vegetable gardens require bees and beetles and
all manner of flies in order to bear fruit. If we don't plant flowers
what will attract the bugs that pollinate our food? So in addition to zucchini and tomatoes I will be making room for flowers. Between the tomatoes and the corn there will be simple flowers with open
faces to attract insects. Double blooms are too difficult for many insects to access so I will plant single poppies, cosmos, and borage. Borage particularly attracts beneficial insects such as honeybees and beneficial insects such as ladybugs. Bees and butterflies love poppies.<br /></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiG5LgO-CNzkMA1FDk3op1Rgfua425DEOBf65h4Iy4ASfJku_hLrZeQsxMxyrQXM8yh-y8HCyI2k4gaBgMuhpF0mrXytw71b9LJWQVm5SBFdhLvoxIe_fsW0ZKCOZW4hEmd_0EzegWZ3qtSZx3dTbwt8WPr72btq7aq_TjW7IwVUrMiFMpiv6oDISi6Vg=s3872" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3872" data-original-width="2592" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiG5LgO-CNzkMA1FDk3op1Rgfua425DEOBf65h4Iy4ASfJku_hLrZeQsxMxyrQXM8yh-y8HCyI2k4gaBgMuhpF0mrXytw71b9LJWQVm5SBFdhLvoxIe_fsW0ZKCOZW4hEmd_0EzegWZ3qtSZx3dTbwt8WPr72btq7aq_TjW7IwVUrMiFMpiv6oDISi6Vg=s320" width="214" /></a></div><p></p><p>My sea holly is always full of bees and hover flies. By drawing these insects in I am ensuring a good harvest and my garden will also be a thing of beauty.<br /></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_8hrDjUqu1iBVhYNQ2_kiqEfFKBhI6F6ZTlLW0mkrtw6zznBZTgKV5MH1NcBaVWelioznbyCVF29R272Ib4blbjAC5LIVXun--wEIIRZIZTGv8Zqwp0KWMYPPP6fc8zWfD2M5K2CeTReP-GHDKdZ2P0ARLX6MlBTVjLyDEso1S9MzG9_nSA7SmftcA/s3872/IMGP0419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3872" data-original-width="2592" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_8hrDjUqu1iBVhYNQ2_kiqEfFKBhI6F6ZTlLW0mkrtw6zznBZTgKV5MH1NcBaVWelioznbyCVF29R272Ib4blbjAC5LIVXun--wEIIRZIZTGv8Zqwp0KWMYPPP6fc8zWfD2M5K2CeTReP-GHDKdZ2P0ARLX6MlBTVjLyDEso1S9MzG9_nSA7SmftcA/s320/IMGP0419.JPG" width="214" /></a></div> Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-53259301813270585102022-03-09T21:28:00.000-04:002022-03-09T21:28:21.566-04:00Accepting Change<p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">The world feels broken right now. For many reasons.<br /></span></p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><img alt="Close-Up Photography of Hand Near Window" class="photo-item__img" data-big-src="https://images.pexels.com/photos/1264438/pexels-photo-1264438.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&h=750&w=1260" data-image-height="4000" data-image-width="6000" data-large-src="https://images.pexels.com/photos/1264438/pexels-photo-1264438.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&h=650&w=940" data-tiny-src="https://images.pexels.com/photos/1264438/pexels-photo-1264438.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&dpr=1&w=500" data-tiny-srcset="https://images.pexels.com/photos/1264438/pexels-photo-1264438.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&dpr=1&w=500 1x, https://images.pexels.com/photos/1264438/pexels-photo-1264438.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&dpr=2&w=500 2x" height="266" src="https://images.pexels.com/photos/1264438/pexels-photo-1264438.jpeg?auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb&dpr=1&w=500" width="400" /></p><p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here in Canada, the population's conflicting medical and political views recently resulted in an angry mob descending on our capital city and conducting a volatile sit in. While I appreciate a good protest this was different. What I have seen in the last months is not just frustration with medical protocols but includes threats, intimidation, racist, sexist, and homophobic behaviour. People are expressing not just frustration but hatred toward points of view they don't share. There is a level of intolerance that, while it doesn't completely surprise me, is disturbing in its size and vitriol. <br /></span></p><p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Why this has occurred is something the experts will probably analyze for years to come. I am just one voice among many but it seems to me that the world
has changed quickly and there are many who don’t like or want change. I will
admit I have a hard time with it too. I’m getting older and change
doesn’t come quite as easily as it once did. I find myself frustrated
at times, why am I always having to learn something new? Why can’t
things be consistent? Good grief, I even have to learn new
words. I have a pretty broad vocabulary but I feel out of touch many days. </span></p><p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rapid change can be unsettling and, I think, cause fear. Fear leads to anxiety, aggression, or panic. It can be expressed in negative ways such as hostility, or anger. The world has experienced so much change these past two years. People have lost jobs, their daily schedules are altered, new rules are imposed, they fear for their health and the health of their loved ones. Sadly these fears are being expressed as hostility and directed at people who inadvertently represent change. Immigrants, nurses, politicians, people of colour, minorities and the LGBTQ community are some of the many who have anger directed at them. </span></p><p class="x_MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-upload-width="350" height="223" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xj_LTaeistoPX1ZH1rGzZpEcNc4=/0x17:350x250/1200x800/filters:focal(0x17:350x250)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15438213/gay_pride_flag.0.jpg" width="312" /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p></p><p class="x_MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">What is happening is not okay. You can be frustrated with policies, you can protest to preserve rights. But threatening people because they are unlike you and don't share your beliefs is unacceptable. We need to do better as a society. I can't change the world but I personally can change. I have previously been uncomfortable with the declaration of pronouns. I didn't think it necessary. But it has occurred to me that it is necessary for some people. By displaying their pronouns they are putting themselves at risk but also proudly expressing who they are and asking for respect. It's a small step but what better way to show support, to let people know that I am a safe haven and respect them. Let's leave hate and fear behind and let our fellow citizens know they are loved and supported. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;">Let's tell the world we have their back. Change can be good.</span></p><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"> Marguerite</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />She/Her </div>Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-77610519943551798332022-02-13T19:22:00.000-04:002022-02-13T19:22:00.265-04:00A New Adventure<p style="text-align: center;"><br /> </p><p style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="" class="hCL kVc L4E MIw" height="267" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/77/72/18/777218490c5b4176614d2a9086e6243f.jpg" width="400" /></p><p>There was a time I thought about removing this blog from the internet completely. At one point in my life it brought me joy to share my journey in what was my new home. But life moved in other directions and it's been years since I've put it to use. When I looked at the stats though I saw that it was of use to others. Weather patterns, seed collecting, the best kinds of tomatoes. People have found bits and pieces of useful information so I have left it be. </p><p>Now here I am years later and this blog has found it's place in my life again. The world isn't quite so simple these days. Changing climate, pandemic and civil unrest. There is a lot to be anxious about, and frustrated. In the last weeks I turn on the tv and become angry. The state of Canada is shocking to say the least. There's a lot I would like to say about that. Things I would like to shout from the rooftops. But there's already a great divide in this country and a lot of people saying a lot of things. For better or worse.</p><p>So instead I will note that when life gets you down you must choose how you respond to it. I'm choosing to respond by changing course in a positive manner. Years ago I had thought briefly of working in the agricultural sector, perhaps sharing the seeds that brought me so much joy. That thought was pushed aside at the time in favour of my nine to five job. I have continued to garden, and save seed. Many of those seeds gifts from other bloggers and readers. And now I am making myself ready to try a new adventure. The garden is expanding this year. Currently my vegetable garden contains a half dozen raised beds and as many in ground as seen below. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="hCL kVc L4E MIw" height="194" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c7/9b/4c/c79b4ca7d2a3f20d16fd3d3747463e50.jpg" width="400" /></p><p>This spring, part of the field beside the garden will get turned over. Approximately 3600 square feet to start. My favourite heirloom seeds will be planted with the hope to preserve them for future generations. Over the last two years people have begun gardening in earnest. Growing fresh healthy and cheap food for their families. I hope these seeds will find their way into those hands for people to enjoy for years to come. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="hCL kVc L4E MIw" height="194" src="https://i.pinimg.com/564x/b3/e1/81/b3e1813409ace6c6e83c1425470b484d.jpg" width="400" /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-27945028678720825442017-05-22T23:05:00.000-03:002017-05-22T23:05:48.223-03:0011th Annual Canoe Cove Plant SaleIt's the best time of year. Spring. Trees are leafing out, plants are unfurling, the sun is warm. There's nothing like sitting in the sun after a long winter huddled indoors. Spring also means it's time to get in the garden. If you are looking for some new plants to add to your collection the Canoe Cove Plant Sale is the place to go. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESNnyvD8E5aWKa03HYEE4ITtbXqD4uFvxOs6RDJsAAkNWtJCigpLxkgK-mjd5G8YCRkg8ZTj3Kid5rG43_3-OZa5vdO0ndcYbUGNojGN5w-SKntifWAykH-pb7ElDMYXqzJR48eXf0nQv/s1600/Plant+Sale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjESNnyvD8E5aWKa03HYEE4ITtbXqD4uFvxOs6RDJsAAkNWtJCigpLxkgK-mjd5G8YCRkg8ZTj3Kid5rG43_3-OZa5vdO0ndcYbUGNojGN5w-SKntifWAykH-pb7ElDMYXqzJR48eXf0nQv/s400/Plant+Sale.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
A little bird told me this year the plant line up includes martagon lilies, hostas, hardy geranium, anemone, siberian iris, lady's mantle, sea holly, solomon seal, lilacs, and asiatic lilies.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLUixRLO3bgq6A-r9BIheQZz0_T_59X6RwnmqyZXUjZFLG8ijYvWH7fJS-hKZMpJH7N114EdV_F-PWy78M8rYYbMUN6IXIhVs6g-2-HBMLeZBA7nTYDmx_dxrNz0UsqlazrAgaGOCCj0z/s1600/native+iris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLUixRLO3bgq6A-r9BIheQZz0_T_59X6RwnmqyZXUjZFLG8ijYvWH7fJS-hKZMpJH7N114EdV_F-PWy78M8rYYbMUN6IXIhVs6g-2-HBMLeZBA7nTYDmx_dxrNz0UsqlazrAgaGOCCj0z/s400/native+iris.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Siberian Iris</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUt-FcC5i3ADs5odTErC5f2HhVvHCdEPoDwZWkmHWtSXimlnvwB4rKfxSsU6jM7qxigccTQhTh3-tT5DypK1ggUOzC72cvSQg-IW4wUgbGS6N50-8ukpqEJ5RCZcsx09Es-1Xe5qfgGY3t/s1600/varigated+hosta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUt-FcC5i3ADs5odTErC5f2HhVvHCdEPoDwZWkmHWtSXimlnvwB4rKfxSsU6jM7qxigccTQhTh3-tT5DypK1ggUOzC72cvSQg-IW4wUgbGS6N50-8ukpqEJ5RCZcsx09Es-1Xe5qfgGY3t/s320/varigated+hosta.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hosta</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJqzCym9eWN48eW3_x2FbXN6kMrnmULWNWfIt1F4grezg-_s-MuZNAu2JXkpMiBrdHpIJH7JmO2sCQJK0SF9FEG_MMww2GpdwDuv-WWc-UFMRoscZZbxH3YZjwHuln5BNcTXDCDUf8Ctd/s1600/IMGP8386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUJqzCym9eWN48eW3_x2FbXN6kMrnmULWNWfIt1F4grezg-_s-MuZNAu2JXkpMiBrdHpIJH7JmO2sCQJK0SF9FEG_MMww2GpdwDuv-WWc-UFMRoscZZbxH3YZjwHuln5BNcTXDCDUf8Ctd/s400/IMGP8386.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hardy geranium</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvtnoxKm7IRNUN3IfgsvfTBf0GXMFR_3iLzfiE8cHlagB_AI7-r82FAaReUKDH3xUuSbCt_pHRHbYGELDJhr-w60jehov2CeKxhKTvpRZcX2cXkPgoFQtUvsGURxqsk8aZ_slsSLQcGtre/s1600/IMGP0063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvtnoxKm7IRNUN3IfgsvfTBf0GXMFR_3iLzfiE8cHlagB_AI7-r82FAaReUKDH3xUuSbCt_pHRHbYGELDJhr-w60jehov2CeKxhKTvpRZcX2cXkPgoFQtUvsGURxqsk8aZ_slsSLQcGtre/s320/IMGP0063.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lilacs</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgog6jV1um4aXovhjj2mhTczoZHFuR-q36g4jxhUL9lYW_23zFQ4UagMguud0RPRPhBiNdrtx62BdMf5-cWeVScsEm15WpGDJZ-qTeyTc0iGd5qqzqb9-txglNgR-zEDKbluhiwrftPhKbi/s1600/IMGP0265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgog6jV1um4aXovhjj2mhTczoZHFuR-q36g4jxhUL9lYW_23zFQ4UagMguud0RPRPhBiNdrtx62BdMf5-cWeVScsEm15WpGDJZ-qTeyTc0iGd5qqzqb9-txglNgR-zEDKbluhiwrftPhKbi/s320/IMGP0265.JPG" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea Holly</td></tr>
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In addition to plants there's aged manure and compost, plus the canteen will be open to keep you fed and of course the playground is available for those looking to keep little ones occupied.<br />
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Directions to the Cove are shown below. Take Route 19 from Cornwall and when you enter the Cove signs will be posted to get you to the park.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m28!1m12!1m3!1d44190.601860087365!2d-63.291239646395795!3d46.192297553636614!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!4m13!3e0!4m5!1s0x4b5fab603ddc86dd%3A0x2b6e058ad520a5b8!2sCornwall%2C+Prince+Edward+Island!3m2!1d46.2294978!2d-63.216991099999994!4m5!1s0x4b5faa834b3c628f%3A0x3b0eebd95c69aebd!2sCanoe+Cove%2C+Prince+Edward+Island!3m2!1d46.154768999999995!2d-63.295404999999995!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sca!4v1495504781840" style="border: 0;" width="400"></iframe><br />Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-81107723273210047042017-02-20T12:04:00.000-04:002017-02-20T12:04:01.228-04:00A Theatre by the Sea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This past summer didn't involve much gardening. We opened a theatre in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. I worked as the
general manager, while hubby produced, directed, and acted. I spent the bulk of the summer looking at this.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVDyBTXd6Hi4wuv8z21fLH76SJmfQqoh0kIL1I-7ZolFbRpAqthgxE7txZo7jQK9fZ6XKAVoty3afrdroTnwl2_tzz1b5o5fQJ-M9GfdnrGnRX2MvRHze1tPNPabNYbYxCIb8_V6D9lNJ/s1600/IMG_0026%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVDyBTXd6Hi4wuv8z21fLH76SJmfQqoh0kIL1I-7ZolFbRpAqthgxE7txZo7jQK9fZ6XKAVoty3afrdroTnwl2_tzz1b5o5fQJ-M9GfdnrGnRX2MvRHze1tPNPabNYbYxCIb8_V6D9lNJ/s320/IMG_0026%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is the set for our production of Souvenir. It's a tale of friendship, music, and living out your dreams. Featuring the formidable Florence Foster Jenkins. I loved that show. I watched it around 50 times this summer. It never got old and I still cried at the end every time. If you ever have the chance to catch a production of it, please do. And don't let that awful Meryl Streep movie turn you off. (full disclaimer, I'm not a fan of Meryl's acting) This script is far better. In the right hands you will laugh and you will cry.<br />
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If you have no idea what I'm talking about then this is your chance to discover something amazing.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The real Florence Foster Jenkins</td></tr>
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Florence Foster Jenkins was born in 1886 and was something of a child prodigy. Playing piano. However, she dreamed of being a singer. She desperately wanted to be a singer. She begged her father to send her to Europe to study singing. He refused and rightly so. Florence might have been good at piano but a singer she was not. She was actually an incredibly bad singer. But she was young and impulsive and so she ran away and eloped with a man her father did not approve of. All because he wouldn't let her sing. Her father was also impulsive and he refused to provide Florence with any money, although he was quite a wealthy man. Sadly Florence's husband left her and she was reduced to living in near poverty and teaching piano to pay her way. Florence had tenacity. Then her father died and suddenly she inherited a family fortune. <br />
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Can you imagine what Florence did? Oh yes. She sang. She moved to New York and formed her own musical society. There she met Cosme McMoon, who became her accompanist and lifelong friend. They made an unlikely duo. An elderly woman of questionable musical skill and a young talented gay man. This play features their friendship and all the ups and downs that a friendship brings. They laugh, they tease, they argue but most of all they are there for each other, supporting each others dreams. Right to the end.<br />
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It still brings a tear to my eye. Life isn't always kind but it all comes down to what you make of it. Believe in yourself and have fun. People who love you will always be there for you.<br />
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If you're interested, this is an an excellent and fun interview with Souvenir's playwright, Stephen Temperley. It features clips of Florence Singing and comments from her dear friend Cosme McMoon. <br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="290" scrolling="no" src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/337096164/337096201" title="NPR embedded audio player" width="100%"></iframe><br />
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<br />Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-62574657586383939082017-02-16T17:55:00.000-04:002017-02-16T17:55:09.294-04:00Hello AgainThis is rather embarassing. It looks like I just up and left without saying goodbye. The computer says I haven't posted here since June of 2015. That's almost two years gone by and not a word from me. What a disgraceful lack of manners.<br />
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I have no excuse but I can say that in the course of two years a lot of life can happen. Gardens flourish, and then are neglected. Jobs change, moves occur. In the last two years I began courses toward a degree in legal studies, took a new job working in law and then changed course and opened a theatre with a husband. I moved to New Brunswick, and then came home again. There have been arguments, illness, joy, tears and laughter. <br />
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and then the other day I saw this photo<br />
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and suddenly it was time to write again.Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-39278142524656334902015-06-25T21:33:00.000-03:002015-06-25T21:33:32.320-03:00Spring has SprungWell at least I think Spring has come. Where there was one bunny<br />
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Now there are two more, one of which is a baby. <br />
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The guy at the shop did warn us they multiplied. I guess cold weather doesn't deter them. <br />
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It hasn't been a warm spring, that's for sure. Just last week we had a frost warning. Frost, in mid-June!!! I have struggled getting the vegetable garden in because I was afraid to plant out the warm weather plants like basil, peppers and pumpkins.<br />
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It was a good year for tulips though. They like it cold.<br />
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Last summer I moved all of my spring flowering bulbs and plants to one side of my flower bed and grouped them together. I was looking for impact and the results were beautiful.</div>
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Just as I had hoped, cushion spurge mixed well with pink and white tulips, the hostas opened up and complemented the daffodils.<br />
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The anemone has finally spread into a considerable mound and provided a fantastic backdrop to pink and purple tulips. <br />
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Of course, there's always a few hiccups along the way. The late frosts killed off the majority of our apple blossoms. and the daffodils appear to be dwindling. Usually daffodils multiply and expand but this variety seems to be dying off. So I will need to try a different variety next year. Something a little more robust. Any suggestions for a favourite daffodil and where to buy them?Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-78497841295577960942015-06-13T11:02:00.000-03:002015-06-13T11:02:09.670-03:00A Big Hug and Many ThanksIt was a cold and rainy morning but despite the weather it was a great day to shop for plants.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little rain was no matter for these shoppers. <br />
Just put on your wellies and pick your plants!</td></tr>
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I want to say a heartfelt thank you to all the many many people who, once again, pulled off an amazing Community Plant Sale.<br />
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To my fellow committee members, Beatrice and Donna, thank you for the time you commit each year to making this event happen.<br />
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A warm hug to Melda and Anne for handing out coffee and muffins, keeping us fed and caffeinated throughout the day.<br />
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Many thanks for all the hands that shovelled manure including Bill, Cliff, Ben, and Tapani.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYgYT6o35nU1X4ubltXf-dH_ChyphenhyphenHXrerxkc8uBTYKqwQ69OhmjXsAmm8ocXzoe17nJ2szGWUAUr6BDZohg0sGwN0FaUa2bEOTK-7TC3NfdSzYsA0CfTJHKNZ44Ubz8676bre22KbFNLxM/s1600/P1050012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYgYT6o35nU1X4ubltXf-dH_ChyphenhyphenHXrerxkc8uBTYKqwQ69OhmjXsAmm8ocXzoe17nJ2szGWUAUr6BDZohg0sGwN0FaUa2bEOTK-7TC3NfdSzYsA0CfTJHKNZ44Ubz8676bre22KbFNLxM/s400/P1050012.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our manure loading area</td></tr>
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No one would find our sale if it weren't for JoDee's amazing posters and signs guiding them to the site.<br />
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Thank you to Rhoda for selling raffle tickets and providing her beautiful rhubarb and dahlias.<br />
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Huge thanks to Gordon, Penny, Ginny, JoDee, Calleen, and Mari for a superb sales job.<br />
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For Ira who helped move picnic tables, once, twice, three times over and was our all round 'go to' guy.<br />
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Many thanks to Hayden for picking up a load of compost and to Jamie for providing the manure.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They might be wet but they're having a great time</td></tr>
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A massive hug to the many many many people who donated plants. I don't know all your names but we are truly grateful for your support.<br />
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We had a fantastic raffle once again this year and the prizes were stunning as always. <br />
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Thanks goes out to Melda for her hanging planter and the gift basket, to JoDee and Floyd for the eye catching birdhouse and to Bill Van Kempen of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VanKampensGreenhouse/timeline" target="_blank">Van Kampens Nursery</a> for the lovely iris.<br />
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A special shout out to Gail Kern and husband Joe of The Summer Garden in Argyle Shore. They made an astounding donation of several hundred tomato plants. There was Honey bunch, Juliet, Mountain Merit, Marbonne, Rose de Berne, Plum Regal and soooo many more. I think there was around 30 varieties in total. We all know how much I love my tomatoes so you know I brought a couple home with me to try out.<br />
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And finally, thank you to everyone who came and shopped. Your dollars keep our old one room Schoolhouse a vibrant part of the community.<br />
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Which reminds me.... the Rhubarb Social is on Tuesday, June 16 at 6pm. Location, the Canoe Cove Schoolhouse .... see you there?Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-82139051037970826502015-05-29T22:55:00.000-03:002015-05-29T22:55:24.477-03:00Canoe Cove Plant SaleIt's a sure sign of Spring.<br />
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The Plant Sale is coming..... and that means a raffle featuring a locally made birdhouse, canteen with fresh baked goodies, aged manure and compost, used garden books, a playground for the children.....<br />
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and PLANTS. lots and lots and lots of PLANTS<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjen_wuYJulFk1-MOpLl-OlIpckWVHWV86pSyAsbOiM0ovfglgwIFCQPBYxam9VUxxXIdjvqllzG6K_csPkwrLQWvbNHeleCXzXgArvr6g0RhYFqGwL0xtWT5tLOlvsr2X98cA3OX-aMFd5/s1600/anemone+sylvestris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjen_wuYJulFk1-MOpLl-OlIpckWVHWV86pSyAsbOiM0ovfglgwIFCQPBYxam9VUxxXIdjvqllzG6K_csPkwrLQWvbNHeleCXzXgArvr6g0RhYFqGwL0xtWT5tLOlvsr2X98cA3OX-aMFd5/s400/anemone+sylvestris.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Anemone sylvestris will be available for sale</td></tr>
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Sale begins at 9am on Saturday June 6, 2015 and ends at noon. Rain or shine. In the case of rain we hold the sale in the Park buildings.<br />
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This sale is held by the Canoe Cove Community Association in support of the old Canoe Cove Schoolhouse.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwkI_8s54kL5HukulkN9TVvlKj7qMMw6NOpEDSmo6L_v8K4nvZzg96Wbnvl5smlTD00OyI60wtuj2YgJGOVh0YQVa6W9V166Pf65qffwlD0RABfBmVffC_KxT95RrirdtUb59hpXB80ESM/s1600/canoe+cove+schoolhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwkI_8s54kL5HukulkN9TVvlKj7qMMw6NOpEDSmo6L_v8K4nvZzg96Wbnvl5smlTD00OyI60wtuj2YgJGOVh0YQVa6W9V166Pf65qffwlD0RABfBmVffC_KxT95RrirdtUb59hpXB80ESM/s400/canoe+cove+schoolhouse.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The schoolhouse lit up at Christmas</td></tr>
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If you would like to donate plants or used garden books please feel free to drop them off at Canoe Cove Park on Friday, June 5, 2015 between 6 and 8 pm<br />
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To find the sale follow the map, there will be signs directing you once you get to Canoe Cove<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m28!1m12!1m3!1d88353.28222002606!2d-63.28708070452538!3d46.209657893769624!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!4m13!3e0!4m5!1s0x4b5e52ddd47f83c5%3A0x5a5777b89f519b27!2sCharlottetown%2C+PE!3m2!1d46.23824!2d-63.1310704!4m5!1s0x4b5faa834b3c628f%3A0x3b0eebd95c69aebd!2sCanoe+Cove%2C+PE!3m2!1d46.154768999999995!2d-63.295404999999995!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sca!4v1432950677851" style="border: 0;" width="600"></iframe>Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-27734515737737703352015-05-19T21:58:00.000-03:002015-05-19T21:58:15.937-03:00A Long Cold SpringI was beginning to think Spring would never come. The cold weather clung to us with an icy grip and refused to let go. In mid-April we thought it was starting to retreat and the snow began to melt creating icy rivers of gushing water. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A river of melting snow behind our house</td></tr>
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That wasn't the last of it though. It snowed all day on April 28. April 28. All. day. Thick fluffy flakes. I wanted to cry ... and move South.<br />
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But the cold has now finally passed. The snow has (mostly) melted and plants are beginning to show signs of growth. I have begun the work of winter clean up and spring preparations. <br />
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The first task was to survey the winter damage. The sheer weight of all the snow we had this year took its toll on the trees. Broken limbs littered the ground and I spent hours pruning away ripped and torn branches.<br />
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Some trees were snapped right in half but the majority will survive. Perhaps a little thinner than they were before. Others received emergency repairs. <br />
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A large branch on this birch is partly split from the trunk and is being held together temporarily. My hope is the bark will eventually grow over and heal the wound. It's not a surefire solution but I'm hoping it might work.<br />
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Around the garage I cleaned out the flower beds, removing some old plants and making space for new. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dead plants littered the beds around the garage</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post clean up things are looking a lot neater</td></tr>
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Although the vegetable garden still needs a lot of work I have managed to plant some spinach and lettuce. I'll need to work hard though to get beds ready for the big plant in the next couple weeks. These tomatoes will need to move from their hut on the porch to larger quarters.<br />
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The same goes for the flower garden. Tulips and daffodils are starting to sprout but they are having to work through a layer of dead leaves to get to the sun.<br />
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Lots of clean up is needed to get the garden looking good for summer again.<br />
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And it wouldn't be spring without a few household chores as well. We finally got round to fixing up the front door. After we painted the exterior of the house the door looked pretty ratty. The old wooden screen door kept blowing off the hinges in the winter storms so we found a tight fitting storm door to replace it. Then we decided that ugly old metal door had to go.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The screen door was replaced first with a proper storm <br />
door but that metal door just looked wrong</td></tr>
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We found a perfect vintage door to replace it but it needed some work. Cracked glass was replaced, a new coat of paint was added as well as a brand new lockset. This is the result.<br />
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It looks better than new and suits the house much better too.<br />
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How is spring coming where you live?Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-9616515647550515412015-04-06T14:43:00.000-03:002015-04-06T14:43:12.889-03:00The Always Unfinished Flower GardenSome of you may remember that I promised myself I was going to finish my flower garden last year. After working away for the past 4 years I swore up and down that 2014 was the year I would finally complete it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Siberian Iris 'Caesar's Brother' and perennial Bachelor's Button in June</td></tr>
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I'm here to report. That didn't happen.<br />
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This garden is taking off at the speed of a turtle stuck in a pool of honey. It started out 5 years ago as a small circle around a forlorn apple tree and I thought, well that's just too small. It looks out of scale against this large house. So I enlarged it. A lot. It's now 50 feet long and 25 feet wide. <br />
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It's not that the size was a bad idea. I love how big it is. Passerbys can see it from the street. I can see it from inside the house through my bay windows. But I didn't take into account how much work it would be to plant all that space.<br />
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Oh I tried. I dug and dug, put in yards of compost and plants. I have had some good results. One end of the bed is fully planted and even starting to mature a bit.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original starting point around the apple tree is now filled in with flowers</td></tr>
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I'm quite pleased with some of the plant pairings. Siberian Iris
'Caesar's Brother' and 'Snow Queen' look wonderful together.<br />
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Late in the season Autumn Joy sedum and blue fescue combine for a cool autumn look.<br />
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This unplanned collaboration of Jupiter's Beard and Evening Primrose was a lovely surprise.<br />
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The problem was I didn't plant enough plants, nor did I mulch. And so the weeds took over. For the last couple seasons I have been battling weeds in an attempt to gain my garden back.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">those aren't flowers, those are WEEDS</td></tr>
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I came close. There is just a small corner of the garden left to dig over. I'm ready for that corner this year. I have bags of mulch on hand ready to fight the good fight, and I have pre-purchased plants so once the ground is dug the space will be promptly filled.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> the left side looks good but the right needs some work</td></tr>
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Part of what is slowing me down is that in addition to digging out the weed filled areas I'm constantly assessing and reviewing what I've already done. It's hard to finish the whole garden when I keep going back and changing things.<br />
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That's a garden though isn't it? As it matures we realize what works and what doesn't. There's one thing I found that I really don't like. What do you think of these?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdh-vHrr_etUeSVZVxmXfwWepJkQ3riDMcbITccZuT50sKUJaeXokjOu-6Icbu_wP9tDgkNuhoCAtsD8oHziH4xp2SyEAO23jOrcEIQsinIibq6f3ACcls7JqD7wiEK2WzmeGmSSH__Gb8/s1600/IMGP8931.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdh-vHrr_etUeSVZVxmXfwWepJkQ3riDMcbITccZuT50sKUJaeXokjOu-6Icbu_wP9tDgkNuhoCAtsD8oHziH4xp2SyEAO23jOrcEIQsinIibq6f3ACcls7JqD7wiEK2WzmeGmSSH__Gb8/s1600/IMGP8931.jpg" height="400" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rudbeckia hirta</td></tr>
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It's not that I don't like Rudbeckia. In fact they're great flowers. The bees love them and they grow easily from seed. But they are SOOO ORANGE. At least they look really orange when they're planted next to a bright pink flower. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filipendula and Rudbeckia clashing in the August garden</td></tr>
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These seeds were originally tossed in as filler and I think it's high time I removed them. Jody likes them but every time I look at those flowers I cringe. I have yellow in the garden but the Rudbeckia is not the right shade of yellow in my eyes. What's your opinion, would you pull them or keep them?<br />
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Another issue that was giving me trouble was the spring flowers. Originally I planted spring blooms all over the bed thinking I should spread them out. It didn't work. Cushion spurge sat alone in an island of not quite living perennials. Tulips sprang out of a sea of dead foliage and looked quite lonely. So I moved them all. Grouping them together in one section I planted anemone and columbine, spurge, February daphne, tulips and daffodils.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjen_wuYJulFk1-MOpLl-OlIpckWVHWV86pSyAsbOiM0ovfglgwIFCQPBYxam9VUxxXIdjvqllzG6K_csPkwrLQWvbNHeleCXzXgArvr6g0RhYFqGwL0xtWT5tLOlvsr2X98cA3OX-aMFd5/s1600/anemone+sylvestris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjen_wuYJulFk1-MOpLl-OlIpckWVHWV86pSyAsbOiM0ovfglgwIFCQPBYxam9VUxxXIdjvqllzG6K_csPkwrLQWvbNHeleCXzXgArvr6g0RhYFqGwL0xtWT5tLOlvsr2X98cA3OX-aMFd5/s1600/anemone+sylvestris.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anemone are early bloomers in my garden</td></tr>
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I'm hoping for a spring explosion this year. I don't want to hunt and peck all over my garden looking for flowers. With any luck this will give more impact in one area and later in the season the other areas will take over.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyi6fRzbNbyCPbh5OdPmW7fMrZxyOfzZU7IIBIcxfwEcHMEMQfT9kHYEEcIK3e1mkCjWZZS1_hlZ_QIHyT_sl_pz_VRW1bOUHEEmH7Q6IMDX93yFZSNv930zausa1tR5PWbFmPtTyhtK-/s1600/IMGP8483.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyi6fRzbNbyCPbh5OdPmW7fMrZxyOfzZU7IIBIcxfwEcHMEMQfT9kHYEEcIK3e1mkCjWZZS1_hlZ_QIHyT_sl_pz_VRW1bOUHEEmH7Q6IMDX93yFZSNv930zausa1tR5PWbFmPtTyhtK-/s1600/IMGP8483.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Columbine are the first blooms to follow the bulbs</td></tr>
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And so you see why this is taking so long. I make a choice and then I take it back. And then I change my mind again. By the time I get settled the weeds are back and we start all over again. Wish me luck trying to 'finish' my flower garden this year. </div>
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Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-19635984606104241202015-03-29T20:24:00.001-03:002015-03-29T20:24:37.347-03:00Long Gone BouquetsI'm still digging through my old photos. I took a lot of pictures last summer but failed to post any. I think I lost my blogging mojo somewhere.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHjtAkZrtj8lJzNnsMBHIvAYKHbiYlbfPmoZt6uUnEjUfJTxYkUWiWu0kCdmWWjamR8L9EfqRCvXc6Jy87lhH0YWL6iAPzWUAKGj3jeLzgPPouYPseLiq84A6wZwuy_wpNvPN35dw3IzEC/s1600/IMGP8432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHjtAkZrtj8lJzNnsMBHIvAYKHbiYlbfPmoZt6uUnEjUfJTxYkUWiWu0kCdmWWjamR8L9EfqRCvXc6Jy87lhH0YWL6iAPzWUAKGj3jeLzgPPouYPseLiq84A6wZwuy_wpNvPN35dw3IzEC/s1600/IMGP8432.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">June blooms - Spirea, Filipendula and Scabiosa</td></tr>
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I usually try and pick at least one bouquet of flowers every month out of my garden. I love flowers indoors and putting together bouquets gives me another perspective on my garden. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCvbkXP94T3eEVHno2gGu2wf_8fpZUM1Ot0hZxaTzoUFJJXLEdrxz1pQKjBrocVha6ZVcfetBMAqlcnP-a_NV5zWZFSft8HeC7waIV9Crat_l6VDzYKh6-TqcmQy4rSsO-qZOM4xuCd-1T/s1600/IMGP8802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCvbkXP94T3eEVHno2gGu2wf_8fpZUM1Ot0hZxaTzoUFJJXLEdrxz1pQKjBrocVha6ZVcfetBMAqlcnP-a_NV5zWZFSft8HeC7waIV9Crat_l6VDzYKh6-TqcmQy4rSsO-qZOM4xuCd-1T/s1600/IMGP8802.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A simple bouquet of peonies and lady's mantle in early July</td></tr>
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My theory is if my flowers look good together in the garden they should look good in a vase. But that's not always the case. Sometimes they don't go together at all or I'm missing some critical element and I find myself rethinking my planting schemes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1B3OehwuPVLyF1bfAEwfOgVZnLxl4_Qmat1MxW4QwfpVtxRYUfYp1snXZmSmd73aq3JJZtmvi_Unuv9sAXmvuFuKXuFobyES-2ih7lZiFacqaE0bbC83JilLRdrlXZVWocVmuU7tLm2y/s1600/IMGP8709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1B3OehwuPVLyF1bfAEwfOgVZnLxl4_Qmat1MxW4QwfpVtxRYUfYp1snXZmSmd73aq3JJZtmvi_Unuv9sAXmvuFuKXuFobyES-2ih7lZiFacqaE0bbC83JilLRdrlXZVWocVmuU7tLm2y/s1600/IMGP8709.jpg" height="400" width="250" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Siberian iris and lady's mantle</td></tr>
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Sometimes it's a simple issue of some plants don't make good cut flowers. I don't design my gardens for cut flowers so that's not necessarily a bad flaw.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6W1ivDlBQv2JoyjYEeF2aBZDXis7nUKEzMzx7zqR9f_4v5-0pB1kATs95ohYRZFvGHb6N0FrlflXZu05-Ylc18EkhKumqXf6aWFJm-4in85xVuiOAtIyLJDYZAWMNgRBiOgrhvEB_PFA/s1600/P1030912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6W1ivDlBQv2JoyjYEeF2aBZDXis7nUKEzMzx7zqR9f_4v5-0pB1kATs95ohYRZFvGHb6N0FrlflXZu05-Ylc18EkhKumqXf6aWFJm-4in85xVuiOAtIyLJDYZAWMNgRBiOgrhvEB_PFA/s1600/P1030912.JPG" height="400" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Late July brings Filipendula blooms, Veronica, Pearl and Ligularia</td></tr>
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A mistake I do see though is a lack of green filler. I always struggle to find some green to set the flowers against. The reason is obvious, my garden lacks shrubs and other woody plants.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5XdANnrtLa8lfm7PEwXwaN9SdqPQaHZmj5iVbEN2Lmua_lnXpScOsCSzrRsmiRx4J_Kg838d7lqYCcZqyw1HZ47kQAaSpVniw3X_eJRNKSMQ2kPSOztyPwiDkSsh54r4r_snknoNTwtn/s1600/IMGP8997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5XdANnrtLa8lfm7PEwXwaN9SdqPQaHZmj5iVbEN2Lmua_lnXpScOsCSzrRsmiRx4J_Kg838d7lqYCcZqyw1HZ47kQAaSpVniw3X_eJRNKSMQ2kPSOztyPwiDkSsh54r4r_snknoNTwtn/s1600/IMGP8997.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August bouquet - Asparagus leaves, Rudbeckia hirta and Rudbeckia 'Golden Glow'</td></tr>
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I get caught up in the blooms sometimes and forget that you need a backdrop. The green framework is what the flowers hang on and is very important. Something to consider for this upcoming garden season.<br />
<br />Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-86603009711260887072015-03-23T00:15:00.001-03:002015-03-23T00:15:08.599-03:00Halifax Public GardensVan Dusen wasn't the only garden I visited last year. Later in the summer we made a short trip to Halifax. Oddly enough I always seem to end up in Halifax during the winter. This was my first time there in summer and I knew exactly what I wanted to see. I've walked past this garden many times but it's closed in winter.<br />
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This time I was able to walk right in and see all the sights at the Halifax Public Gardens. This garden is a national historic site created in 1874 when two older gardens were combined. It's a Victorian style garden and very different from the gardens I am used to seeing.<br />
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Victorian gardens tend to be quite formal. They were used to displayed exotic plant collections and often had brightly coloured symmetrical flower beds. Ornamentation was prized and Victorians did it big displaying large gazebos and sculptures.</div>
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The Halifax garden demonstrated many of these typical Victorian characteristics. There were numerous statues and grand water features.</div>
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This very ornate bandstand is surrounded by brightly planted perennial beds.</div>
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Many plantings were impossibly intricate, like this snake that wove through the grass.</div>
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There were several of these snakes winding around, perfectly edged and planted in annuals.</div>
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Even the more natural looking plantings still featured statues and large masses of plants.</div>
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I really enjoyed some of the wonderful plant displays like this one of locally grown dahlias.</div>
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This was a great way to search out new plants for my own garden.</div>
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I did find though that the Victorian gardening technique was a bit stuffy for me. I'm not a huge fan of annuals and I like a bit of a wild look to my gardens. Regardless, I loved being able to wander through this large park in the middle of the city. It's a welcome refuge from the bustle and noise.</div>
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Have you seen any Victorian gardens? What's your favourite garden style?</div>
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<br />Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-66362878735785710672015-03-20T01:37:00.001-03:002015-03-20T01:37:09.754-03:00Van Dusen Botanical GardenSince my world is covered in white these days I'm going to step back in time again and revisit a favourite garden.<br />
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While I was in Vancouver last spring I managed another trip to my favourite public garden. I volunteered at Van Dusen Botanical garden for a couple years and it has held a special place in my heart ever since. It doesn't seem to matter what time of year I visit, there's always something to see. <br />
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It was still early in the season when I arrived and many trees were only just beginning to show their buds but there was still more than enough flowers to keep me occupied for hours. Spring blooms carpeted the garden and there was something to see in every corner you cared to look. A large grove of native trilliums was particularly eye catching. White trilliums are always beautiful to look at but red ones add some amazing contrast.<br />
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Bulbs were prominent on this trip. I particularly liked this combination of soft yellow tulips, pink hyacinth and blue forget me nots.<br />
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Many spring blooming trees, like these magnolias, were underplanted with spring bulbs to great effect.<br />
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Early blooming Rhododendron shrubs were also putting on a great show.<br />
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One of the things about Van Dusen that always impresses me is the scale. Public gardens can do things that would seem outrageous in a small garden. Like artwork. The sheer size, not to mention the quality, of the artwork was impressive.<br />
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This giant minotaur was woven out of wire and towered over us. In the context of the large trees though it appeared perfectly at home.<br />
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A grouping of stone persons gathered in front of a grove of white birches also seemed perfectly natural. <br />
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In the heather garden a series of white figures gazes at you from across the hillside.<br />
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I don't expect I'll be putting any large sculptures in my garden in the near future but I really enjoyed seeing them here. It really emphasizes the idea of scale and context. Plant according to the size of space you have. A large space can accommodate and will look more natural if large trees and gardens are planted. Small sculptures will go unnoticed in a large space so take note of the context and place your art accordingly.<br />
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What is your favourite public garden? Are there any garden lessons you've learned from visiting another garden?Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-33835261569437586932015-03-15T13:53:00.000-03:002015-03-15T13:53:44.041-03:00It's Doing it AGAIN!!!Snowing that is.<br />
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Remember the days when my yard looked like this?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMS7PjyzXzRvKM2Tt0PxV8ytEJE7S8GJwJyZF5852yhHrMImHN8o_kKZbtENh9vTGBZxJXBz6qY7ASI4oui8CHcLStAJuqfEGv8oYebfb0GfvtsLHiDpelowAmP8x7ZBcC3U87e1fxHA1S/s1600/veggie+garden+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMS7PjyzXzRvKM2Tt0PxV8ytEJE7S8GJwJyZF5852yhHrMImHN8o_kKZbtENh9vTGBZxJXBz6qY7ASI4oui8CHcLStAJuqfEGv8oYebfb0GfvtsLHiDpelowAmP8x7ZBcC3U87e1fxHA1S/s1600/veggie+garden+2013.jpg" height="196" width="400" /></a></div>
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See that lovely compost bin on the left hand side?<br />
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Now my veggie garden looks like this.<br />
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Where exactly did the compost bin go?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlByzZt7tzCcKw6aiITI-AM5bMFj89pLlV-nb2iM-EKy0mmHTsLK4EfP5Jakuie4dGeUqQ-s0vvFBxF0iPxZ67MT1z0obb_vXwPIZuqqxUrVN6Ao-2HGA0o8c1UOKzTZGLfxluDkpGMyqP/s1600/P1040822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlByzZt7tzCcKw6aiITI-AM5bMFj89pLlV-nb2iM-EKy0mmHTsLK4EfP5Jakuie4dGeUqQ-s0vvFBxF0iPxZ67MT1z0obb_vXwPIZuqqxUrVN6Ao-2HGA0o8c1UOKzTZGLfxluDkpGMyqP/s1600/P1040822.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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The wood strip you see peeking out of the snow is my bin. That bin is around 4 feet high. <br />
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And what about this?<br />
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I have a series of trellis' that support peas, beans and tomatoes in the summers. They stand around 5 feet high.<br />
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They don't look so big right now and after today I wonder if we'll see them at all. There's approximately another 50cm of snow blowing down on us right now.<br />
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I think we're going to set a record in the garden this winter for most snow. It's the first winter I can remember where I completely lost my compost bin.Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-25404489117678283932015-03-06T22:25:00.000-04:002015-03-06T22:25:36.122-04:00Visiting VancouverAll this snow reminds me of last winter. We had similar cold temperatures and heaps of snow back in 2014. But last winter I grew tired of the 6 foot snow drifts and packed up my bathing suit and headed west, back home to Vancouver, British Columbia. Vancouver is a beautiful city at any time of year but it never looked lovelier to my eyes than it did last April.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KVCBmLEqAEwEvNoLspzibk4rIQeJo0GgS25BDG-l_YAdxR2_iQYulsyEI5KT4k91qpRI0dbVQ23i5vH14Mc-GV8pFqGDAnxUixgGXxvAQ9Qev2AI-f8BE3lmrUgKGD8K76vl0ypElUNK/s1600/Vancouver+skyline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6KVCBmLEqAEwEvNoLspzibk4rIQeJo0GgS25BDG-l_YAdxR2_iQYulsyEI5KT4k91qpRI0dbVQ23i5vH14Mc-GV8pFqGDAnxUixgGXxvAQ9Qev2AI-f8BE3lmrUgKGD8K76vl0ypElUNK/s1600/Vancouver+skyline.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vancouver city skyline</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While PEI was still being ravaged by winter storms I flew to a spring paradise on the west coast of Canada. Vancouver is garden zone 8 and their spring was a good month or two ahead of ours. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNj8D6tmi1m7xdO2NWWiMSQT4Xr_pDisBrQJejzBIt08B95AVprQXbaqDo9GnN-Sb5CdwhKVlTltAYwxye0-P611T7Z7AAXFsPzZNk38z3CamVkl4pr_qpC-xtf-9wgEXG1FJMR5_QiSqC/s1600/Palm+trees+in+Vancouver.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNj8D6tmi1m7xdO2NWWiMSQT4Xr_pDisBrQJejzBIt08B95AVprQXbaqDo9GnN-Sb5CdwhKVlTltAYwxye0-P611T7Z7AAXFsPzZNk38z3CamVkl4pr_qpC-xtf-9wgEXG1FJMR5_QiSqC/s1600/Palm+trees+in+Vancouver.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Palm trees are quite at home in suburban front yards</td></tr>
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While my yard was still covered in snow, Vancouver was
in bloom. Cherry trees and magnolias greeted me each day and I was
beyond ecstatic to be able to walk around without a parka. For two weeks Jody and I walked everywhere, taking in all the old haunts that we used to frequent when we lived here. Stanley Park was one of our stops. It's a major tourist attraction and a beloved park to locals. The park is 1001 acres in total and contains a seawall, trails, swimming
pool, restaurants, tennis courts, beaches and the Vancouver Aquarium.
My favourite part is Lost Lagoon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidUyhXjt92rElkyML-eNcmDhGYHIVwwd3DdOOCGsCxE_ssp_5KQ_5y3-RmMeIvjrSLC-bucm9VXGNyC3Xdlk2m8EoOUj4ibVuMo2HLkqkRaTl231dSPfRFyBGcrNUW2QN4y7z4WoZ3QQIv/s1600/turtles+in+lost+lagoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidUyhXjt92rElkyML-eNcmDhGYHIVwwd3DdOOCGsCxE_ssp_5KQ_5y3-RmMeIvjrSLC-bucm9VXGNyC3Xdlk2m8EoOUj4ibVuMo2HLkqkRaTl231dSPfRFyBGcrNUW2QN4y7z4WoZ3QQIv/s1600/turtles+in+lost+lagoon.jpg" height="281" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turtles basking in the sun (Lost Lagoon)</td></tr>
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We used to live close to the park and
searching for turtles in the lake was a favourite past time. We also spent a lot of time walking the many beaches Vancouver has to
offer. You can literally walk for hours along the waterfront and when
the sun is out the views are spectacular.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjTa5-QOha9TPd7vIy_kzLd3mpwjHJPEkjACyinJaINDufM5Li17XPxkDTePyyr9F64DGj-03724fGNtekY6tsC3vqS9xE9kqBr1j6xlMpN0bblXvRiAra2EUo1npg4h0jwcirYq6rBsK/s1600/P1030092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvjTa5-QOha9TPd7vIy_kzLd3mpwjHJPEkjACyinJaINDufM5Li17XPxkDTePyyr9F64DGj-03724fGNtekY6tsC3vqS9xE9kqBr1j6xlMpN0bblXvRiAra2EUo1npg4h0jwcirYq6rBsK/s1600/P1030092.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry trees in full bloom</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlAGzuJ49HMBj8B8PqQZfHzRoKYTR-ZF8M_nA3_FbSJ504w6kUsgWulv9QzTtkcpXvmW_D5frhEThzBsxEHSugX4EjR-BkWSQRKZq81tXjs4h2fDkHYtCW8K7vHSK5fY4H8eX2VaHseXH/s1600/P1030226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPlAGzuJ49HMBj8B8PqQZfHzRoKYTR-ZF8M_nA3_FbSJ504w6kUsgWulv9QzTtkcpXvmW_D5frhEThzBsxEHSugX4EjR-BkWSQRKZq81tXjs4h2fDkHYtCW8K7vHSK5fY4H8eX2VaHseXH/s1600/P1030226.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous walks along the seawall</td></tr>
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Of course there was no shortage of plants to
look at.<br />
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Everywhere you looked there was plants and flowers to admire. I was particularly taken with the community gardens I saw. This garden on an abandoned railway has been there for years but I always enjoy visiting.<br />
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This is a perfect little hideaway
from the street where people gather to dig, plant and socialize. Plus it features this great sign.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSAVoKZFOV1gRjNwsLtc81MdVsC9rvKaFecM4-3mW2fiUAPgvpuHXvfwI_OhILlvCWjHiqdetAjXeT_3agJYOlrg8ZhsOAVOJDq84qOg1a4s-7yyvGbvKOKBEojrK31bsjMjQiswagdkF/s1600/go+do+things.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSAVoKZFOV1gRjNwsLtc81MdVsC9rvKaFecM4-3mW2fiUAPgvpuHXvfwI_OhILlvCWjHiqdetAjXeT_3agJYOlrg8ZhsOAVOJDq84qOg1a4s-7yyvGbvKOKBEojrK31bsjMjQiswagdkF/s1600/go+do+things.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"You know all the things you've always wanted to do, you should go do them -xxx"</td></tr>
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A new garden I noticed in a very prominent spot was the Davie Village
Community Garden.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqqtsbXS3uymOVBcyBb3jiR_cKtYTqislVD-mwy3RDSXidYKFR_b_C8gNzXrsA7ZQpDyUe0ccjiCyQf8NqSO9TXrHSC1E3CY43IrZgTFcTQgQ9Ef1l-irlYE77xQNvrBkghKhBzjEPTBW/s1600/Davie+Community+Garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOqqtsbXS3uymOVBcyBb3jiR_cKtYTqislVD-mwy3RDSXidYKFR_b_C8gNzXrsA7ZQpDyUe0ccjiCyQf8NqSO9TXrHSC1E3CY43IrZgTFcTQgQ9Ef1l-irlYE77xQNvrBkghKhBzjEPTBW/s1600/Davie+Community+Garden.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What used to be a gas station is now green</td></tr>
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I love love love that this garden is right smack dab on prime real
estate in the city core. Who needs another office building? Hundreds of people are walking by daily and seeing fresh food being grown.
It’s insanely refreshing to see something green growing in the
concrete jungle and Davie is just the community to pull this off. Whoever made this happen I applaud you.<br />
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Looking at all these old photos makes me think of taking a trip again. Winters are long in PEI and I'm dreaming of green daily now. How long is it until spring arrives?Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-62843430859519788022015-02-27T23:11:00.002-04:002015-02-27T23:11:12.084-04:00Winter's ChillIt was a slow start to winter this year. We had reasonably warm temperatures and little to no snow for all of December and January. February changed all that. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHzKemUgC2DnGFd8EQrB-D_OUkYP6X-7M_g2hAc3V0pGQrzEBxU7vailjWHXIl2B4nNe1V_GcPr_5dozfV_6Aq8IRqfnGaqvuTnben1Xvr2MhKFgOYwsp-LHkCkIobmZ2fRsDtMV6QUJ18/s1600/beach+in+Feb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHzKemUgC2DnGFd8EQrB-D_OUkYP6X-7M_g2hAc3V0pGQrzEBxU7vailjWHXIl2B4nNe1V_GcPr_5dozfV_6Aq8IRqfnGaqvuTnben1Xvr2MhKFgOYwsp-LHkCkIobmZ2fRsDtMV6QUJ18/s1600/beach+in+Feb.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lovely day to go to the beach</td></tr>
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A thick blanket of snow fell down and covered the ground. Enough to get out and snowshoe but still quite reasonable.<br />
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The thing was, once it started, it didn't want to stop.<br />
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It seems every couple of days now a new storm blows in. A couple weeks ago saw us receive 80 cm of snow with winds around 130km per hour. Many roads looked like this afterwards.<br />
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We were quite lucky. The wind swirled around our house and created a vacuum. There wasn't a drop of snow on our porch. The shed however will be buried until spring.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where's the shed? oh yes, that roof poking out of the snow</td></tr>
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Several days later we received another 10cm with blowing winds and drifting.<br />
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and then what do you think it did? oh yes, it snowed again<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBsRY11lm5ao4UqyjrYLRpz7crJYocYprQLY3by7bkq2GJV5TyNic1aa44evyaW_37shwQQoQ_n4Q3kJoxyZkaIVoi6HSR5Y9voK2_taLVYNZuSbBlvDC-UVLkNKlgLvjXvDIO8T7JvSu/s1600/P1040806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBsRY11lm5ao4UqyjrYLRpz7crJYocYprQLY3by7bkq2GJV5TyNic1aa44evyaW_37shwQQoQ_n4Q3kJoxyZkaIVoi6HSR5Y9voK2_taLVYNZuSbBlvDC-UVLkNKlgLvjXvDIO8T7JvSu/s1600/P1040806.JPG" height="256" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The flower bed in the foreground and apple orchard in the back</td></tr>
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seems winter is far from done with us yet.<br />
<br />Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-89367920347078174672015-02-15T17:37:00.001-04:002022-02-12T19:07:44.205-04:00Good Kittens Don'tGood kittens don't knock over houseplants (repeatedly)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin2mr3VqmAFRSv5OlJ9bs2C2C9Inirc4_OXcvLNov8fHoftpIEOOBGXBe_JfXJrQ1lRB7wnVhubm5vPrk3-HCLYStcyHFQ9bcA8yAFJ-zwRdH4m_92t-yploJmiwIL83q6QBsdL7-gFQH_/s1600/P1040590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin2mr3VqmAFRSv5OlJ9bs2C2C9Inirc4_OXcvLNov8fHoftpIEOOBGXBe_JfXJrQ1lRB7wnVhubm5vPrk3-HCLYStcyHFQ9bcA8yAFJ-zwRdH4m_92t-yploJmiwIL83q6QBsdL7-gFQH_/s1600/P1040590.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least he's showing an affinity for plants?</td></tr>
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Good kittens don't climb curtains<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkX3RBC1MNghV4cd54Kgb3hNp5nB3puZ-a-RNH1cwjpuWbY54lFxAYqr8tctQbcZthDTXEdVFL61g2cgTnXUgX409o087M6L8LCcFf3bBjSEGU2BjDRnD0aJhYh7qWxGQ-7GQ7YxOvg1y/s1600/P1040595.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJkX3RBC1MNghV4cd54Kgb3hNp5nB3puZ-a-RNH1cwjpuWbY54lFxAYqr8tctQbcZthDTXEdVFL61g2cgTnXUgX409o087M6L8LCcFf3bBjSEGU2BjDRnD0aJhYh7qWxGQ-7GQ7YxOvg1y/s1600/P1040595.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perhaps the view is better from up there?</td></tr>
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Good kittens don't sit on the houseplants and snack on the ferms</div>
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Good kittens don't chew through plastic food containers (this one had cat food inside it. how did they know?!)<br />
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Good kittens also don't jump on hot stoves, practice tight rope walking on the stair banisters or chew your shoelaces.<br />
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Archie and Teddy aren't exactly good kittens. They are highly intelligent, curious and loving kittens which makes them a challenge but an enjoyable one.</div>
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This means they will attempt gymnastics on the antique clothes drying rack.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teddy showing off his climbing skills</td></tr>
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They will refuse to get out of the tub when they have discovered the joys of dripping water.</div>
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And they will play fetch with their mouse for as long as you can throw it.<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/s_vi/Po_WIC914ic/default.jpg?sqp=CNifhKcF&rs=AOn4CLDuVClo0lYXANWMp2atPktFHkkmgA" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Po_WIC914ic?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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I wouldn't trade either one for a good kitten. That would just be boring.</div>
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Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1600547016363116211.post-25937468155084593342015-01-28T22:22:00.001-04:002015-01-28T22:22:50.473-04:00Collecting Mustard Seed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A few years ago someone gave me mustard seed. I don't remember who was responsible for the gift. What I do remember was that I wasn't sure I wanted mustard seed. I had never eaten mustard as a green and didn't know if I would like it. But I can't resist a seed and so it was planted one spring with low expectations. </div>
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Look what appeared.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BTdz3CBaZXFUOXfU3MiEM-qbF8YJcTdtVMn0gNpLB70vTot_IFrRrasoHemSoJ0xxMlfczndEjXvOmQKYr4AKS552toySuFMffQsEANdFvwuQ36NWQzvK6T369LisuPSiQSca2vgQ4R7/s1600/IMGP9308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BTdz3CBaZXFUOXfU3MiEM-qbF8YJcTdtVMn0gNpLB70vTot_IFrRrasoHemSoJ0xxMlfczndEjXvOmQKYr4AKS552toySuFMffQsEANdFvwuQ36NWQzvK6T369LisuPSiQSca2vgQ4R7/s1600/IMGP9308.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant Red Mustard</td></tr>
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From a tiny reddish looking seedling giant red leaves grew. This plant is so pretty you might just want to have it as an ornamental.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">red mustard leaves</td></tr>
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But does it taste good? The answer is yes. It's got a bit of that horseradish kick so we don't eat it in large quantities but when you want to add a little zing to otherwise bland salad greens this is the way to do it. Ever since that first planting I'm hooked.</div>
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Most salad greens are pulled in summer because they bolt and go to seed. But I'm a lazy gardener so I let the plants grow and grow. Now I know why it's called Giant Red Mustard. Not only are the leaves large but these beauties can reach 4 feet tall in mid-summer. Like other plants in the mustard family they produce clouds of tiny yellow blossoms.</div>
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Bright red and green leaves with yellow flowers. Pretty stylish plant I'd say. Once it's done blooming the show still isn't over. Even the seed pods look good. Green pods ripen to red and then brown as they dry. <br />
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Now if you're going to let you plant flower and produce seed you might as well collect some of it. Dried mustard pods are easily cracked open to reveal small round seeds, around 10 seeds per pod.<br />
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So many seeds in a pod makes for easy collection. I simply grabbed a paper bag and ran my hands up the stem of the plant pulling the pods off and into the bag. Some pods broke as I did this releasing the seeds. I wound up with pods and seeds in my bag which I brought indoors and sorted.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using a screen to separate pods and seeds</td></tr>
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Screens are handy tools when cleaning seeds. Drop the bag of seed on your screen. Smoosh it around a bit and the seeds will fall through the screen and the pods will lay on top.<br />
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If you don't have a screen don't worry. Just drop the lot on a piece of paper. The seeds are heavier than the dried pods and will fall to the bottom. Scoop the pods off the top, scraping out any excess seeds that haven't fallen out. Even if you miss a few you will easily have mustard seed for yourself and all your friends.<br />
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Mustard is very easy to germinate and grow. I plant it directly into the garden in early spring as soon as the snow has melted. The plants prefer cool weather and sprout within a week or so for spring salads. Pair it with young lettuce to spice up your dinner plate. or if you prefer plant it just because it's darn good looking.Margueritehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14377516887669269657noreply@blogger.com25