Hey You!

Oh, hello there!  What are you doing there, on the edge of a commercial parking lot?

Who me?  Just hanging out, lookin' pretty!

Winter / Spring Cleanup

First it was the teens with machine guns, then the computer distracting me, and suddenly the window of sunshine (which probably lasted only 30 minutes) was gone.  But it was still pleasant - cold, but calm - when I finally got outside this afternoon to cut more blackberry vines for my stick bugs and spiny leaf bugs.  The machine guns?  Oh yeah, it's not really that kind of neighbourhood.  One of the teens in our neighbourhood was in the cul-de-sac, filming scenes with some of his friends.  I recognized the villains' vehicle as his parents' van, and they were holding up some poor guys driving his dad's delivery truck.  No actual shooting.  Perhaps the scene didn't need it, or they will add that sound later.  They apparently were on their lunch break, since they were gone by 1 o'clock.

Anyhow, once I did get out to clip blackberry vines, I was happy to stay out longer, to trim and clean up my front gardens.  I notice there are some tulips just starting to push through the soil, which gives me hope that Spring will arrive soon.  But when I suggested that to the local newspaper delivery man, he reminded me that we often have snow into March.  So true, but I'm ready for Spring anyhow. 

In 1 hour I easily filled the 48 gallon container which the city provides for yard waste recycling.  I always think that I wish I had a larger container, or was able to borrow one of my neighbours', but then when I come back in the house, I realize it was just about the right amount of exposure and exercise for now.  Besides, I have a list of a dozen items I need to get done inside the house, and I've only crossed off the first few.

Scary Gardener and other Musings

I have to admit, I am scary when I'm gardening.  I find it amusing to read blog posts or advertisements for cute gardening boots, or pretty gloves.  No matter how much I tell myself I will only do "light" gardening, I nearly always return to the house frightfully dirty, wet, sweaty, and with twigs in my hair.  My garden gloves are all in a state of disrepair (most of them should have been thrown away long ago), wet, and dirty.  All three of my garden clippers are crippled in some form or another, and I keep going with them too.

Today I decided to take advantage of my day off work, the beautiful clear skies and balmy 8 C (46 F) weather - rain/snow is forecasted for the next few days - to "tidy up" the front yard a bit.  At first I started with pruning some wayward branches from my shrub, which would otherwise sag across the walkway once the snow weighs it down, and picking up leaves and twigs which were cluttering the garden or walkway.  But by half hour into it, I was cutting and struggling out large branches with the pruning saw.  I even started to cut a few branches which were above my head.  The last couple of times I did that, I ended up throwing my neck out of alignment, and needing a chiropractor to straighten me out.  After I cut two branches, I felt an odd feeling in my neck, so started praying and doing some neck exercises which could help.  I seem to have come out of that okay.  A bit stiff, but I think the neck is still safely in place.

Not deterred by that close call, I kept going with the pruning, and cutting out large grasses and other branches, until my large garden clippings bin was completely full.  I considered asking one of the neighbours if I could keep going and fill theirs too, but by then, my attention was turned to the driveway.  It was a great day for pressure washing the driveway and walkways.  So I fought my hose off the hose cart, and started spraying down everything in sight.  Although it is not a real pressure washer, we have one high pressure hose connection which does a pretty good job of spraying off most of the grime and certainly the sand and leaves and other debris.  I've always wanted a real pressure washer, but it's probably a good thing that I don't have one, since I've heard the horror stories about people who accidentally chop into their legs or other body parts with the pressure washer.  I'd be very likely to struggle with the hose, or get distracted, and do that to myself.  So I stick to my hose, and dream about one day hiring someone to do some real pressure washing.

I learned a few things when building our house, such as the importance of those grooves in the sidewalk and driveway, to allow the concrete to expand and contract.  So ever since then, I've been very careful to wash out those grooves a few times per year.  (Fortunately for him, my husband, who was less involved in the building of the house, is unencumbered by the need for any type of house or yard maintenance, happy to leave these matters in my capable hands.  On a good day, he's the first one to suggest going to the park or another nice place.  What does he think I'm trying to create in our own yard?)  Winter and very early spring are my favourite times, since I don't have to feel guilty about using water.  At this time of year, the water reservoir is more than full.  By summer - almost every summer now - there is crying about water shortage, and restrictions on its use.  It seems pretty funny, in a city which probably gets more rainfall than any city in North America, and which probably pays more local taxes (or any taxes, for that matter!) than any other.  Somehow, all those taxes we pay end up being squandered - I mean spent - on other activities, with not much planning on expanding the reservoirs which are now serving a population which is likely multiples of what it was when the reservoirs were built.  Anyhow, this time of year, I felt quite okay spraying good clean water down the driveway, clearing it off.  That allowed me to cool down a bit, since I had gotten myself a bit sweaty doing the garden cleanup.

When I'm deep into the driveway cleanup, having a solid line of dirt and moss and other gunk which I am systematically spraying down the drieway, I hear the phone ringing inside.  I turn off the hose, and head toward the house.  By then, my cell phone is ringing inside.  I catch neither, and notice only that it is from the office.  Most likely my husband.  So I phone him (busy), send him an Instant Message and email, and finally a voice message, asking if he is trying to contact me.  (An hour later, I hear back that yes, he was trying to call, and he answered his own question.)  By then, I have taken off my gloves, which are soaked through with cold water, but can't bear to put the cold wet gloves back.  So I decide to go with bare hands to finish the driveway and walkway.  The water is freeeeeezing cold.  Wow, I didn't know how much the cold wet gloves had helped to keep my hands warm.  But I am determined to finish, despite the cold hands.

By the time I arrive back in the house more than 2 hours later, I notice the bottom of my jeans are wet, and take them off.  By then I am shivering, sore, and otherwise feeling like I have been run over by a small car.  If I had been successful in borrowing a yard waste bin from my neighbours, I would have felt like I had been run over by a truck, which is the state I usually find myself in after being in the garden for a few hours.

It's funny, when I am in the garden, the cold or pain or anything other sensation is only a minor distraction or amusement to me.  I am so focussed on the task at hand that I lose myself quite completely.  I am not in the least bit lady like.  In fact, I don't feel much of a female at all, and hardly even human for that matter.  I am just determined, fighting, struggling, making progress one handful at a time.  I must be a pretty entertaining sight, if any neighbours were to notice me.  Not to mention that my standard gardening gear consists of my Victoria's Secret tank-style bra top with lace back, and a cut-off (yes, the real thing) pair of jeans.  Pretty scary sight, at my age and size, come to think of it.  In the winter, I add a T-shirt on top, and wear full length jeans.  But no matter what I wear, I almost always need to change, and often take a shower too, when I return.  But I wouldn't change it for a moment.  I love the challenging terrain (more on that in other posts) and the feeling of losing myself completely, to where I can only keep struggling away, musing about various things while I work.  But not thinking of what else there is to do - my TO DO list keeps growing longer and longer, despite how many items I finish and cross off.  There is no energy to spare for that.   Just the musings.  That's one of the things I love about gardening.

Happy late-season garden cleanup, everyone!

Taking Time to Take Photos

Time flies by so quickly, sometimes the only way to make it stop, for a moment, is to take some photos to remember it by.  My daughter just started Grade 7 (oh my, how did that happen?), and one of her school projects is to make a poster all about her.

She has no shortage of interests and activities and topics to cover.  Her pet rats, her interests in music (flute currently) and photography, her belly dancing, her toys, her faith (she will display her new parallel NIV / The Message bible which I gave her as a first day of school gift), her new ATV (wow, she has her very own one, and has already put 200 km on it).  Not even mentioning her previous experiences in singing, piano, guitar, TaeKwonDo, her hamster, and math awards.  (I guess you can tell, I'm very proud of her.)

First of all, she decorated her poster board, with black paint, fluorescent spray paint, and splattering of neon and glow-in-the-dark colours:

Now she will add photos of her rats, Sammy :

...Jenny :

...Bear :

...and Archie :

And some photos of her riding her new ATV the week before school started :

She will also add some photographs she made this summer which were pretty funky, giving a fresh perspective to some very ordinary objects :

When you look at that second photo, do you see the lock protruding out, or recessed in?  It is a bit of an optical illusion.

Yes, time is surely flying by, ever more quickly, but for just a moment today, it stopped and allowed us to reflect on what is fun and meaningful to us.

PS. Sunday Sept 18 : It didn't seem right that we didn't get a photo of Jenny in the tissue box, so we tried again today, and got a cute photo of her in the box :

Weeds in the Garden of Eden : Part 2 : Types of Gardeners

Garden of Eden Source unknown - used without explicit permission

If you happened to already read Part 1, bear with me in the weighty conclusion today...

There are two types of gardeners:

Homo contentinhumus - The true gardener, who is truly happy being up to the elbows in soil and plants, and often doesn't even care that he or she will later suffer from allergies.  This is the gardener who has a garden (noun) so that he or she can "garden" (verb) there - pulling weeds, moving plants, amending soil...  He or she may set up a bench in the garden, since it sets off the colours and textures of the plants so nicely, but has no time to actually sit in it.  In utter but euphoric exhaustion, he or she is often found instead sprawled on the porch of the shed, or kneeling for a while in the soil, or leaning against a fence while catching his or her breath and picking the leaves out of her hair.

Homo Hortaverbosa - The pretend gardener, who spends a couple of hours twice a year, but talks about how much he or she worked in the garden for proportionately too long.  This is the type of person who tries to sound interested in plants, but elects only the "low maintenance" ones chosen and installed by his or her landscaper.  He or she may walk about the yard occasionally to inspect the "garden" (landscaping), but quickly retreats to the comforts of the deck, and home.  He or she thinks of gardening (verb) as a chore, done only to have a nice "garden" (noun).

I'd venture that anyone who has made it this far into my blog post, is not only the true gardener, but is probably resting at the computer after exhausting yourself in the garden earlier today.  Besides, it's already dark, so not much more can be done in the garden tonight.

By definition, the Garden of Eden was a place of perfection, where all creatures existed in peace and love and fulfillment.  So I would venture that when God commanded Adam and Eve to be "fruitful and multiply" and to garden there, that the gardening and the playing around (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) in the garden was enjoyable to them.  (Okay, the scriptures don't explicitly refer to gardening (verb), but I'm sure that they were not only to eat the fruit there, but they must have also tended to the garden, since later the curse was that the gardening would be a "toil", and they would need to deal with "thorns and thistles".) 

So if the gardening was a source of fulfillment, then Adam and Eve were true gardeners, who enjoyed this activity.  So by extension, true gardeners also enjoy moving plants about, and "weeding" out ones in favour of others.  Even if Adam may have been content with harvesting fruit, and leaving things where things were planted, Eve must have had some ideas of how the planting arrangement could be improved.  After all, it's not only a woman's prerogative to move things about, but it is a God-given gift to imagine and create and effect change.  (Certainly not a result of the fall into sin.  I'd venture that the effects of sin was the subsequent reluctance of the man to help her anymore with making the changes she still imagined, and leaving her to "toil" on her own - oops, getting too personal here!)

Since all plants bear seeds or runners or other means of propagating successfully, they all need tending to keep them organized, and keep any garden area from becoming totally overgrown.  Especially for fruit-bearing plants, they need tending and pruning and "weeding" around them to keep them bearing successfully.

Okay, where am I going with all this?  Since the definition of a "weed" as set out in Part 1 is a plant growing where we want it not to grow, and the first couple - who were true gardeners - enjoyed moving things about and changing planting arrangements, and cleaning up the garden to allow for successful fruit bearing, then it follows logically that they must have needed to remove plants from the garden.  Therefore, there were weeds in the Garden of Eden!

This thought makes me feel pretty good, and I'm up to my elbows in dirt again today, removing weeds.

Weeds in the Garden of Eden : Part 1 : What is a Weed?

Occasionally while I am up to my elbows in dirt and weeds, I muse about whether there were weeds in the Garden of Eden.  Today I came to the conclusion that there were indeed weeds in the Garden of Eden, and can logically prove it.

First of all, what is a weed?  By definition, a weed is simply a plant we don't want growing where it is successfully growing.  Newbie gardeners may be surprised by that.  One of the common questions of a newbie gardener is "Is this a weed?"  It's a weed if you consider it a weed.  Plants by their very nature are not "weeds" or favoured garden plants.  There are simply plants which are too successful and too prevalent for our gardening conditions, that they are considered "weeds".  Case in point : When I used to participate in seed trading forums, I remember someone posting that he was looking for dandelion seeds.  In his gardening zone/conditions, the dandelion was a difficult plant to grow, and thus desirable to attempt in his garden.  In my gardening conditions, my lawn would be all moss and dandelions if I would let nature decide.  If it weren't for its rampant success, I'd be planting dandelions in my garden also, since it displays the prettiest and most vibrant yellow of all the plants I can think of. 

Many of our "weeds" may even be plants we've introduced to our gardens intentionally.  In my early days of gardening, I brought home many treasured plants from plant trades, which would later, after taking over much of my garden, become weeds which I now remove on sight.  Most notably for me is the Carex pendula (Weeping sedge) which I brought home from a plant trade, and planted it on our moist hillside.  It was pretty, and even seeded itself about the garden.  The first couple of years, I was bringing the strong, green seedlings to plant trades myself, and finding good homes for them.  It wasn't until it proceeded to seed itself by the millions, at which point it had grown to such a large and strong clump that I couldn't dig it out myself, that I became alarmed and called on my neighbour to help me remove it.  I am still pulling Carex seedlings by the hundreds, years later.  (My neighbour ended up planting the clumps, but I don't believe they were successful, or just marginally so, so we are still on talking terms.)

At our last home, our neighbour (on the other side of the duplex) was an elderly lady who enjoyed occasionally inspecting her "garden" which was composed of a wild overgrowth of plants which many experienced gardeners would consider "weeds".  To her, they were her pride and joy, growing successfully with almost little effort on her part.  Funny, although I was amused by this, I also brought some of her weedy plants with me when I left : Hyacinthoides hispanica (Spanish bluebells), which formed the basis of my blue shade garden, until I filled it in with other blue shade plants, and Lysimachia (Yellow loosestrife), which formed a colourful clump (see photos) in my wild garden at the far back of my yard for some 5 years, until only last year, when I cleaned it up as part of my raspberry garden renovation. 

So really, a "weed" or a treasured plant is only in the eye of the beholder.  A "weed" is simply a plant growing successfully where we don't want it to grow.

Virtual Wildflower Garden

Can't wait until Spring?  Tired of snow?

My sister sent me a link via email, to grow my own flower garden.  It's fun and easy, just drag your mouse where you want your flowers to grow.  Click refresh to start another flower garden.  Here's one of mine.  Isn't it pretty?:

Wonderful Gardening Day

Today was an amazing gardening day.  On Thursday, it snowed lightly, then yesterday and today, we have had amazing weather - crisp but sunny, and clear blue skies.  Since my son is sick with a cold, we kept him home from soccer at noon today, and I went out in the garden instead, wearing a tank top and shorts, to get as much Vitamin D as possible.  I'm sure I'm terribly deficient, and have also had a sore throat and cough the past couple of days.

First I managed to squeeze in one hour, since my husband offered to make lunch.  Then in the afternoon, he wanted to enjoy the weather by going for a walk in the park, but I begged him to let me stay home in the garden instead.  So he ended up taking my daughter for a bicycle ride, while my son spent 2 hours in the garden.  I pulled lots of weeds, removed old flower stalks, trimmed back my grape vines to visible growth buds, and fought for a long time with the butterfly bush.  My son was a great help to me.  I chopped and pulled large branches down (it is over 10' tall), and he chopped up the branches for me.  I keep many of the straight segments of the branches I cut down.  That's what I used to build the fairy house years ago, for the fairy garden (photo on right from last summer), and I'm sure I'll find lots of uses for them in the garden, staking plants, etc.

It was not windy, so warm enough to continue to work in my tank top and shorts in the afternoon, as long as I stayed in the sun.  In the shady spots, there was still a light covering of snow on the ground.  By 4PM, it started to get windy and cooler, so I finally gave up.  It was only after I got inside that I realized how exhausted I was, and was glad that I had finally come inside.  But I think those hours to relax and soak up sun has already helped.  I am tired tonight, but my throat is no longer sore.

I feel sorry for my friends and neighbours who think of gardening as a chore.  Or my husband, who thinks that when the weather is nice, he needs to go away somewhere else.  When I am in my garden, working hard, it is one of the few times that I am completely at peace.  There is lots to do, but if I can't finish it all today (ha ha!), then it will patiently wait for me.  I often think of tunes or amuse myself with what I would like to blog about, but my head is not racing with problems from work, or other issues.  Even when I am trying to sleep, I am not at peace in that same way.  I often wake up in the morning trying to solve problems, or making notes to myself of all the "to do's" I need to accomplish.  If there is gardening in heaven, for sure I'll be there.

I have been trying out my Cobrahead Weeder and Cultivator recently, and have been very impressed with it.  I would like to say more about it some time, but it's getting too late.  I'll visit my husband at the TV for a bit, and then go to bed.

Five Year Blog Anniversary - and Thanks!

It's hard to believe I've been writing this garden blog for 5 years now.  It was my blog's 5 year anniversary this past week.  No hoopla.  No big giveaways.  But lots of good memories, photos and reflections on my garden to look back on occasionally, and an appreciation for the wonderful people I've "met" along the years, who share my love of plants and bugs and crafts and gardening.

I remember when I started my blog in January 2006, thinking that I would offer gardening advice and share my expanding plant knowledge.  My early posts included such advice as "Flowering Shrubs to Hide an Ugly Fence", and articles like "Mint : Lovely, useful and invasive!".

Very early on, I also discovered the joy of just posting "Garden Glimpses" or photographs of my garden and plants throughout the various seasons.  I still enjoy looking back on these, and comparing the garden and blooms from year to year.

In early 2007, I started my Garden Painting project, and posted my step by step series of additions to the painting, until I finally hung it on the wall, half finished, where it remains today, waiting for my next period of inspiration.

Early on, I used to track my visitors, and what searches led them to my blog.  Early on, it was photos and descriptions of my espalier trees which seemed to bring the most visitors.  Now, other than my regular readers, it seems to be Google Images searches which brings about 100 visitors per day.  Many who click further, and others who don't.

For the longest time, it felt like I was writing mostly to myself.  My brother checked occasionally whether I was making any progress on my garden painting, and then eventually gave up on me entirely.  Then somewhere along the line, I discovered the occasional joy of visitors to my blogs who actually left comments.  One of my first regular visitors and commenters I remember was Irena from My Roots Run Deep, a fellow Canadian gardener in the Toronto area.  I treasured those comments, which were a sign that someone "out there" actually cared enough to read or look at my posts.

I discovered the joy of reading and "following" other garden blogs, and leaving the occasionally comment to let them know, too, that someone cared and appreciated their posts.  Now I can spend entire evenings just following my regular blogs, and following their links and commenters to discover more good blogs to "follow".

In my reading, I discovered that although I loved reading about plants and enjoying photos of new plants (and bugs and crafts and recipes and photography...), I also enjoyed little glimpses into the blogger's world, their moments of pride or joy or sorrow, and quirky observations or discoveries or personal anecdotes they were willing to share.  That has helped to open up and share little quirky thoughts and experiences from my life also.  Whenever I have done so, I have felt very supported and encouraged by my regular readers and other blog visitors.  It is for EACH OF YOU that I am so very thankful, for you have enriched my life as I have poured a little of myself and my love of gardening into this blog for these past 5 years.

Squirrel Attack Makes a Snack of Jack

This post is not for the faint of heart.  Remember that fearless and menacing Jack O'Lantern we set out on Hallowe'en? 

He has met his match.  He has been reduced to a cowering, whimpering, suffering Jack, his eyes and teeth and chunks of his head viciously chewed by the real dark menace - the neighbourhood squirrels.

It's a funny thing about squirrels.  They wave about that big bushy tail, and we all think they are the sweetest thing.  Even I have been known to fall for their sweet mischievous looks.  And judging by how the squirrels shamelessly mobbed us the last time our family took a stroll through the park, many others have succombed to their charms as well.

I have to admit, even when rushing straight towards you, isn't this one cute little creature?

Or look at this little charmer.  Who wouldn't agree that she's adorable?  Even if she's only after your nuts.  Or in my case, my apples, pears, cherries, plums....

On the flip side of the rodent family, there are the rats.  Since we have added 3 rats to our household, we have found them to be friendly, gentle, inquisitive, intelligent, and very affectionate - snuggling and licking and enjoying being handled.  Quiet, clean, and full of fun.  Look at this little face, isn't he a cutie?

Or this little girl?  Wouldn't she just melt your heart?

But when God was handing out tails, and the squirrel picked his big bushy tail, the poor rat picked the wrong one.  The one which makes us gasp, to stop and stare, or to just turn and run in fear.

Poor dear rats.  If only they had picked the bushy tails, I'm sure they would been the hit of the small pet market.  But instead, sadly, most of those born in captivity are destined to be snake food. 

Castor Bean Plant

Until recently, I had only seen photos in gardening books and seed catalogs, but the castor bean plant (Ricinus communis) is a stunningly beautiful plant.  See photos here.

Soon (next summer) I hope to have photos of my own, since my mom gave me two young plants which I have happily planted into my garden, one at the front of the house, and one waaay up at the back, near the shed.  Some gardening friends of hers had bought some of these beautiful plants (the beautiful reddish "Sanguineus" variety), but then got scared by the description that they will grow to 15'.  I am not sure in one Vancouver BC weather what to expect for growth, and winter survival, for that matter.  I have only very recently spotted this plant (I don't believe I've ever seen it in "real life" before), growing beside a nearby police station.  Funny thing, I thought, with this plant's reputation for use in chemical warfare and terrorism.

The toxicity of the bean (due to the protein ricin) has discouraged me in the past, but realistically, my kids are old enough now, and I can't imagine anyone picking and eating the beans (kids nowadays have plenty of food, and aren't looking for such culinary adventures).  Except hopefully the squirrels, which are cute little buggers but are becoming a bit too much - this year they picked all my apples (except the few unripe ones I picked first), asian pears, pears, and many of my plums.  In past years, they have eaten all my daffodils and many other bulbs (I don't even think I'm going to try planting bulbs this year).

As for winter hardiness, I am beginning to worry...  I read that it is perennial in zones 8 - 11, but elsewhere I read that it likely will not survive the winter in zones 8 & 9, but will propagate by reseeding.  Mine don't have seeds developed yet, and the winter is already setting in - there was snow on the local mountains yesterday morning.  So I am not sure if I should hedge my bet by digging one of them up, and trying to overwinter it in the basement.Vancouver is usually pretty mild, but the predictions are for a severe winter this year (to make up for last year, when snow had to be trucked in to the local Cypress Mountain for some of the Olympic events).  Does anyone have any advice? 

Garden Glimpses : Mid-August 2010

Before I show off photos from the garden, I was reminded yesterday about how important friends are.  Sometimes in the busy-ness of life, I tend to forget about the imporant people in my life.  I was driving home at 3:20pm to pick up the kids from camp at 4pm, which is normally about a 35 minute drive, across the Knight Street bridge from Richmond into Burnaby.  But as soon as I turned onto Knight Street, I knew something was wrong.  It was a parking lot.  I had a sinking feeling, that there was not even any way to turn off (without doing something illegal and dangerous), so I had to just inch along and hope for the best.  But within 15 minutes, I realized I had no chance to make it back in time to pick up the kids, so tried phoning my parents.  No answer.  So I phoned my friend Andrea. 

By the time I explained to her where they were, and she looked them up on Google Maps, and headed out, needing to pick up gas along the way, she arrived about 15 minutes after the camp official end time.  But still within an acceptable period of time.  Meanwhile, back on the bridge, I was just crawling along, approaching and crossing the bridge (which usually takes 10 minutes) in 1 hr 50 min.  So if Andrea hadn't saved me with her quick action, to pick up the kids and take them out for pizza at the Mall, I can't imagine what would have happened if I had left them there for almost 2 hours!  I didn't even have a phone number to call anyone at the Camp (which is an outdoor adventure/canoeing camp this week).  Thank you Andrea!

Tonight I picked some more tomatoes from the garden.  I started some from seeds I collected from a small container of specialty tomatoes (purple, striped, etc) which I bought at the grocery store last year.  I seem to remember a few plants of a small purple variety, but they must have been hybrids and not have come true from seed, since the tomatoes I got are considerably larger and less purple than I remember.  But they were still juicy and sweet.

The yellow pear tomatoes (bottom right) are one of my favourites for their unique look and mild flavour, and I grow them almost every year.  The turnip-shaped one on the bottom left must have been one from my specialty tomato purchase, although I don't remember it.  It is very pretty also.

The Italian Plum tree is doing very well again this year.  There are lots of small plums lying under the tree, as it goes through its self-pruning process, but it looks like there will still be lots of fruit for our family to sample also.

This is the first year I bought a number of flowers and seeds through mail order, and I have to say, the results have been quite disappointing.  I may expand on that in a later post.  On the other hand, I made some purchases in the Spring plant sales which have turned out very well.  I also picked up a small pack of bulbs (corms) of the crocosmia "Emily McKenzie" at our local garden shop, Gardenworks, and I was pleased to notice it blooming tonight.  Although maybe a bit deeper orange than I expected, it is certainly as beautiful as the photo portrayed, and I am surprised by the large size of the blooms!

This was a good find, and addition to my garden!  I may seek out some yellow crocosmia next year.  I already have the common orange one, and the tall red crocosmia "Lucifer".

Life's Peachy - I Have Much to Give Thanks For

I've been a bit discouraged lately.  Too much pressure at work.  Too much to do at home.  Not enough hours in the day.  A husband who is travelling every week now, and even leaving in the middle of our weekends.  More problems recently with my neck.

But when I stop to reflect, I have much to give thanks for.  In many ways, my life is even "peachy".  Despite some long hours, I have kept very healthy, as have my family.  My kids are wonderful, smart, happy, bring me much joy, and shower me with love.  My husband still shows that he loves me also.  Our business, although too hectic, is very successful.  My garden is full of wonderful surprises, and gives back much more than I give it.  We finally got the rain we had been waiting for, so as I dug around in the ground tonight, the soil was moist - a very refreshing change to the recent dryness.  Recently, I even received a miracle related my neck.

Speaking of peaches, though, I was showing my neighbours John and Sandy my garden this evening, and they convinced me to pick my single peach before the squirrel picks it, as he does with many of my apples and cherries and such.  Ha, maybe for a change he will be out there cursing tomorrow that I picked it before it he got to it!  Anyhow, the peach already had wonderful colour, so I took a chance that it is ripe enough to come inside and finish the process on the kitchen counter.

I like this photo of the peach from tonight, the onions are courtesy of the book "Play with Your Food" by Joost Elffers.  It is a wonderful book we bought long ago, which has provided amusement to us and the kids over the years.

Here is the peach in hand, to give a sense of its size.  The lighting was not good, since it was already dark outside when I took the photo.

As for my neck, it was about a year ago that I first put it out of alignment, and after weeks of pain in my arm, found a chiro who was able to ease it back into alignment for me - see original post here Sadly, I have put it out again three more times over the past year.  The second time was in February, and I was reaching up and pruning my gigantic butterfly bush, trying not too look up more than necessary (since I had been warned that this could put it out again), and reaching up and pulling down those big branches.  I knew it right away.  Sadly, it required three visits to my chiro before the adjustment "held".  Each time, I went through the stiffness and soreness for a couple of days after the adjustment, only to be disappointed that the discomfort in my neck (it feels like burning at the base of my neck on the right side) and the pain in my arm was still there.

This most recent incident, I was doing some sort of reaching up and lifting something.  I can't even remember if it was in the garden, or pulling pots down from my pantry, or what.  There was no pain in the arm as such, just a funny aching feeling, but the familiar burning on the side of my neck.  I have been to two adjustments this time, and as the stiffness is wearing off, I'm trying to decide if I'm good now, but sadly I'm still feeling some funny sensation in the neck, so I may need to go back for another check and possible adjustment.  Which makes me appreciate even more the miraculous healing I received the last time my neck went "out".

It was the end of June, and I was packing and preparing for the trip to Mt. Hood.  My husband was arriving late that night, and we'd all be leaving the next morning.  So I was packing for the 3 of us, and trying to get as much laundry and such done so he'd be able to pack easily the next morning.  It was early evening when I realized that I had put my neck out.  It was unmistakable.  But even if I could phone for an appointment, I wouldn't have been able to get in at such a late hour, and we couldn't wait the next morning, since we had some 7 hours of driving ahead of us, and were determined to arrive in time for dinner.

So I laid myself down on my side, trying to remember the position my chiro had laid me in, a number of times already.  Then I prayed that the Lord would have mercy on me and heal me, so that I would be able to enjoy my family and going hiking, and all those good things which we had planned on our trip together.  Praise God, He did heal me.  Although not for any reasons or anything I did, but just because He chose to do so.  When I sat up, I was stiff, just like I am after an adjustment by the chiro.  But later that evening, all the pain and discomfort was completely gone, and I wasn't even sore for the next couple of days, as I usually am.  The adjustment worked, and wonderfully.

So a couple of weeks ago, when my neck went "out" again, I tried a number of times, lying down and praying for healing.  But each time, the answer I seemed to be getting was that I should get off my butt and phone my chiro for an appointment.  Which I did.  Funny enough, it is the repeated failed attempts to adjust it now which have made me more grateful for the healing which I did receive.  Just in case I believed it was so easy just to lie on my side, and the neck would go back "in" on its own.  Yeah, just in case.  God is good.

Don't They Ever Sleep?

A couple of weeks ago, my husband phoned from the department store, asking if he should buy a tent.  The kids and I answered "NO".  He bought it anyhow, along with a second air mattress.  Then next thing we knew, we were setting it up in the back yard, and the 2 kids & I all slept in it that night.  It's a huge tent, with an optional divider in the middle which makes it two rooms, each with its own door and two windows, and with plenty of room for a double air mattress on each side.

I know when we keep our windows open at night, I sometimes need to close them by 4:30 or 5am, since the birds are so noisy it is hard to continue sleeping.  But I was surprised that in the tent, the commotion starts much earlier.  At 3am, I already heard swallows flying.  Then at 4am, a small bird started singing in earnest.  By 5am, the crows were on the move, and calling loudly to each other.  We were all quite ready to get up by 7am.

This weekend, our nephew stayed with us, so we set up the tent again on Friday night, and the 2 boys slept on the one side, while we girls slept on the other side.  Same story.  By 3am, sounds of birds stirring.  (If anything else had wandered by earlier, I must have been sleeping and didn't hear it.)  The weather had also changed from a clear sky (and view of the full moon!) at midnight, to totally dark and overcast by 3am.  Good thing it didn't rain, so allowed us to take down the tent while still dry the next morning.

I was just about to go to sleep tonight, when I noticed a bird singing outside.  He's been singing for over half an hour, since I noticed him (it's now past 11:45pm).  I'm wondering what he's thinking.  It got dark at about 9:30pm.  Or are there enough lights in the city, that he is staying up a little longer than he should?  Anyhow, even though the "camping" is fun (and we hope to do more of it this summer, maybe invite some of the kids' friends over), I'm happy that I'll soon be crawling into a warm, comfy bed.  And if this poor confused bird keeps singing, I can close the windows.

Should I Pack, or Wash the Driveway?

Do you ever start out to do some planting in the garden, and end up washing the driveway? Well, if you're like me, it happens more often than not.

Having just returned last weekend from our Whistler conference / vacation, with the suitcases still not fully unpacked, I need to focus on getting some things finished up so I can pack for a 7 night Alaska cruise which starts Saturday.

It has been a crazy week at work. Not that any week is not crazy anymore, but there were three sets of visitors to our office and a Board meeting, so my husband had not only long days, but also long evenings entertaining. I don't think he's been home before midnight yet this week. Myself, I am within a couple of weeks of a product release, trying to pull documentation together for it, and deep in planning stages for the next release.

I was blessed two weekend ago, to attend 3 plant sales, so I have been trying to get all those planted in, whenever I have the opportunity, which has so far been the occasional evening. Tonight was one of those opportunities, with good weather, and a bit of time after my daughter's piano and voice lessons, and dinner, before chasing them to bed.

Remember the gaps in the front yard, which I was looking to fill? I decided to plant the sunflowers, which my mom graciously allowed me to start on her windowsill, and which were already about 10" high. But before I did that, I needed to water that area, since it is under the porch overhang, so is completely dry.  But before that, I needed to pull some weeds, so I wouldn't be watering those.  And next thing I knew it, I had almost filled our gigantic yard waste bin (equivalent to about 2 1/2 regular garbage cans) with weeds and cuttings from the front yard.  Then I dug & watered the holes for about half an hour, and finally planted them in.

By that time, it was getting dark, and the mosquitos were biting.  But since I had the hose out (it is a beast to handle, even  though we have it on a nice hose reel), and I was a bit wet anyhow, I decided to wash down the driveway.  I do it every Spring, to clean out the lines in the concrete.  I learned from our builder that the lines are actually functional, allowing for some movement in the concrete, as well as drainage.  So every Spring, while there is still lots of water, more than the city can handle in its reservoirs, I wash down the driveway with a hose.  It seemed funny, though, thinking of how many things I have left on my list for work and around the home, which I am trying to get done in the remaining day before we leave.

I guess with work, I finally came to a place today of resignation (no, not that kind of resignation, but the one where I realize that my efforts are futile, and I instead need to lower my expectations to match reality).  That, and my email letting people know I would be gone after Friday, which has given me some sort of peace, that at least I've let people know not too expect too much in the one remaining day.

Then there's the blogging.  Filling an entire post with my musings about how I should be thinking of packing, or doing the laundry so I have something to pack, or adding to my list of what I should pack....  Anyone ever start out overwhelmed with how much is left to do, and end up blogging?  If you're like me, it happens more often than not.

"Low Maintenance" Plants and Gardens

Today I snuck out into the garden for an hour between morning and afternoon rains, and did some more cleanup. While I was there, I was musing to myself about the concept of "low maintenance" and "no maintenance" plants and gardens.

It seems a number of my newbie or wannabe garden friends, or perhaps more accurately not-sure-if-I-wannabe-but-I-still-want-a-garden-like-yours friends ask for advice on "low maintenance" plants they can start with. I suppose that really comes down to how "low" your meaning of "low maintenance" is. My lower neighbour (next to us on the downhill side) makes a REALLY big deal about her garden cleanup activity, which is maybe one or two times per year, that she gets out to weed between her low maintenance (heathers, daylilies, etc) plants, which [I know this sounds snobby but...] I wouldn't think of as a "garden", it's really more like "landscaping".

For me, "low maintenance" means perennials, so I don't need to reseed or replant each year. If I can keep it under control with an average of about 1 hour per day about 250 days of the year, then it's pretty low maintenance, or at least pretty reasonable. After all, that's why I have a garden, so I can go out and do gardening!

As I cleaned up dead leaves and branches, pulling the weeds hiding cleverly beneath, I mused about a neighbour on the other side of the duplex where we previously lived. She was an elderly lady, and not able to get out and do much in her "garden" - which looked like weeds to just about anyone else who looked it it - but she would come out occasionally and really enjoy her "flowers". She had found a real gem of a secret in gardening - if you learn to enjoy whatever grows, then you are guaranteed to be happy with your garden. In the extreme, if you think about what an abandoned lot looks like... There is always lots growing, that's for sure! So if you like that garden "look", it is not hard to achieve success and gardening happiness.

Then I mused about my dear friend Betty. She is a definite wannabe, but lives a very busy work and social life. She has a beautiful garden on both front and back of her house. In fact, she had been enticed to buy the house by the previous owner's fresh planting of a HUGE numbers of tulips, and a nice brick deck in back surrounded by a semicircular garden and two beautiful palm trees. But the deep rich soil meant that very soon the weeds also found it a nice place to grow. So she quickly began the search for "low maintenance" plantings to compete with the weeds. I was happy to provide her with some of mine which clump or spread to cover an area quickly (which is one strategy for keeping weeds under control), but the following year she took further steps to bring in ornamental grasses which were even lower maintenance. Over time, by careful planting and holding the occasional weeding party with friends, she has come to where the garden is manageable to her, and still enjoyable.

My idea of "low maintenance" are plants which need care only once or twice per year (usually Spring and Fall). Some of my strategies for keeping things under control are:

1) Start weeding early, after thaw, but before the plants are really actively growing. In Vancouver, that often means January or February. Pulling away dead leaves and twigs from last year reveals bright green weeds hiding below. This time of year, the ground is moist and soft, and the weeds (except the taproot ones) pull up quite easily.
2) Get to the weeds before they have a chance to reseed. I can never achieve this 100%, but aggressive weeding early in the year can avoid a bigger load of weeding in the following year.
3) Cover the soil. I happen to like the look of no soil showing in the height of the growing season. But it also helps to suppress weeds between plants.
4) Grow only perennials. No replanting or re-seeding. I love perennials which expand and clump over time. Evergreen ones are even better.
5) Deadhead anything which reseeds too freely. Unless you want more of the plants to use in your garden or trade with friends, then deadheading can also avoid a lot of weeding out later.
6) Be at peace with what you have. It may not be "perfect", but then again it depends on what "look" you are trying to achieve.

Photo Flashback

While searching for some older photos, I came upon this set from Spring 2004, so 5 1/2 years ago. We were still at our "old" house which was a 50 year old (700 s.f.) duplex, and finishing the construction of our new (4700 s.f.) house.

Here we are at the back stairs, leading from the small yard to our open parking area (click any photo for a larger view).


...and on the side yard, where I discovered that the small garden between the sidewalk and west-facing wall of the duplex was great for growing cherry tomatoes - one year I had something like 18 plants. My daughter was really fond of tomatoes back then (and still is), so used to help me pick and eat bowls full of them.

My neighbour on that side had a wonderful flower and medicinal herb garden, and I enjoyed her bright yellow & orange Meconopsis cambrica (Welsh poppies) growing along the fence.

Here we are at the new house, undergoing the final stages of construction and very rough landscaping.

Wow, the back yard has come a long way since this photo.

Here it is in May 2009 (I don't know why I didn't take any full-yard photos this summer!).

What wonderful memories. And what a lot since then to continue to be thankful to God for - wonderful kids, beautiful house, big welcoming yard, beautiful gardens, good health, happiness, and prosperity.