My Cottage Garden on Summer Break!

August 3, 2012

How DO people who garden find time to blog about it in the summer? I really struggled last year to keep up with posting and keep up with the reading of my blogrolls, but this summer I have found it too difficult. I confess it's mostly the reading of my friend's blogs that takes the most time, but I don't feel it's right to just 'post and sign-off'. Plus I WANT to be able to have the time to read and comment.

I've decided that the best thing for me to do, is keep taking pictures and notes, while I weed, dead-head, plan and scheme for improving the garden - then blog about it all during the cold, winter months here in Zone 4, while my garden is under three feet of snow!

So I will be back about, oh, let's be optomistic and say the winter will start in mid-November sometime. Until then, happy gardening!

Diane

'Stargazer' lilies with 'Annabelle' hydrangea

Fertilizer Friday Happenings

May 11, 2012


I'm linking up today with Glenda at Fertilizer Friday.  Check out the websites there to meet other interesting garden bloggers and see what's blooming in their gardens!

In mine today, I have (from top to bottom) lovely purple lamium, muscari, some small iris (that I liberated from a vacant lot that used to have a home on it), and some very healthy looking periwinkle (given to me by my friend, Paula). 

Below that is a shot of wonderful hosta poking up and two shots of my side bed and back bed.  As you can see everything is starting to come along. 

Happy Fertilizer Friday, everybody!

What's Blooming in Early May

May 5, 2012

The nights are still cool here in Zone 4, but the days are getting nice and warm.  The perennials are sprouting up quite quickly now.   Every day it is such a joy to make my 'rounds' and see what else is happening.  This is a lovely time of year!

Hyacinth

These lovely hyacinths are making their premiere appearance in my garden.  The scent of them is just lovely and I'm making a mental note to buy more to plant this fall.

Arabis rock cress

I really like the way this little rockery plant is spreading out and around our garden light.  As soon as the snow melted, there is was, as if it had stayed green all winter (which I think it did). 

Chionodoxa Glory of the Snow
in front of
Muscari Grape Hyacinth

Two of my favourite little bulbs, growing very happily (and coincidentally) together.  All part of the fun of gardening, seeing what looks nice together. 

Puschkinia Striped Squill
in front of
yellow Daffodils

What's going on in your gardens?  Happy Gardening!

Sheesh!

April 21, 2012

What can I say? We got 15 cms of snow yesterday! These are my feet (nice, Walmart knock-offs, eh?) while I was looking around to see what was happening this morning.

These little guys are actually the chinodoxia that I showed you in my last post. They are little survivors though, not to worry.

And here is my back perennial border.  I actually kind of like this shot, because you can get a good look at what the shape of the actually bed it.  You can't really see it well when flowers fill it all in!

Wordless Wednesday

April 18, 2012

Beginnings

April 9, 2012

...and it's about time I got my blog going again for the season!

Winter went by relatively quickly this year and we had a really early melt. All that snow I showed you in the last post, melted after a couple of weeks with some summer-like temperatures in March.

Right now I'm at the point in my garden where I love to walk about and see what's coming up. I really need to 'keep my hands in my pocket' as to not disturb things. It's tempting for me to go in and clear away debris and cut down dead stalks, but I really need to wait a week or two, until everything is up enough to remind me where not to tramp.

The crocuses that were so demolished by chipmunks (or squirrels or rabbits) spring, seem to be doing quite well. The ones that were left have happily come up and nothing seems to be bothering them.

pretty crocuses coming up amongst
the iris stalks

darker crocuses (that I don't
remember from last year)
Did a chipmunk move them?

Puschkinia striped squill

Winter in the Cottage Garden

March 5, 2012

Hello Everyone,


I've had a pretty busy winter, getting my Mom settled in new surroundings (a lovely retirement home setting, attached to the nursing home where my father is). I have time now, to get back to reading my favourite garden blogs.  


Life is an ever changing thing sometimes, like a garden!    We're buried in snow here in my part of Ontario and I thought I'd post some pictures for you to see. As you can tell, my spring bulbs are still a little ways away from being able to start sprouting up!

our front yard and driveway

the front of our house with the red-twig dogwood
sticking out of the snow

the side border, with squirrel tracks

our back yard and decked, buried in snow