A noun. A verb. A blog.
Today was the first day of the Through the Garden Gate 2010 garden tour in the Beach. Despite having walked 21K in the heat this morning, I couldn’t not try to catch some of the gardens with my darling sister Sarah – although, afterwards I did feel as if all the bones had been removed […]
Welcome to the Microgarden this Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day. Hope you like my new cushions… and enjoy the jasmine fragrance of the Hall’s honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica ‘Halliana’) by the front porch. I wrote recently about the nice perfume of the black locust tree. Well, Hall’s honeysuckle is yet another of those highly invasive plants with […]
Through the Garden Gate is the major garden tour that’s an annual fundraiser for the Toronto Botanical Garden. Today, I attended a press preview. It was hot, it was bright (the worst kind of day for taking garden pictures), but it was oh, so worth it. I’m not saying this because it’s on my home […]
Hello, I’m a Red Admiral butterfly, and I’ll be your host on May 15, 2010 for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day. As you can see, I’m enjoying the last of the lilac nectar this sunny morning. Now that I’m a butterfly, it’s one of my favourite foods. (When I was just a caterpillar, I preferred eating […]
Set in the Arboretum of Burlington’s Royal Botanical Gardens, the Lilac Dell is bursting with early blooms in 2010, due to the unseasonably warm spring. The RBG boasts the largest collection of lilacs in the world, 800 species and varieties from around the world. At dusk, apparently the best time to bring your nose to […]
When our youngest daughter was in 6th grade, she had to write a two-page short story. At page five, she was still writing, so I asked her why. “I can’t help it,” she exclaimed. “Things just keep happening!!” Things just keep happening on the garden calendar, too. Sunday, May 2nd is no exception, and one […]
Toronto’s Open Gardens 2010 program begins this Sunday afternoon in Parkdale with a chance to see the wonderful garden of gifted plantsman and all-round exemplary gardener Barry Parker. Don’t be put off by a little rain. Sarah and I visited Barry’s garden last October in the rain, which gave the plants an extra level of […]
A geophyte seems like the perfect kind of flower to post in celebration of Earth Day’s 40th Birthday. The etymology of the word geophyte is Greek: from geo- (meaning earth or ground) plus -phyte (plant or growth). It relates to the plant’s underground storage organ. Yes, geophyte is a fancy word for bulb, corm, rhizome […]
Parents of high school students likely know that to graduate in Ontario kids need to complete 40 hours of volunteer time. Some do more. If yours are still looking for ways to contribute their time, read on. From April 18 to May 7, 2010, Change the World: Ontario Youth Volunteer Challenge hopes to get 10,000 students […]
Our visit from the Galloping Gardener resulted in her great post on Allan Gardens – and inspired me to drop by myself in search of Toronto’s reluctant spring. And there it was, in all its splendour! In fact, it was gearing up for the Easter Show next weekend, when the lilies will be trumpeting their […]
Various blurry heads of Garden Writers Association members, with cameras (mostly hidden), as well as the famous head of Martha Stewart Brush with Fame, Part One: While at the Garden Writer’s Association Lunch at Canada Blooms, one of the highlights was a visit from Home & Garden Goddess Martha Stewart. (Read about how our hero […]
I really could title this blog post Pay No Attention to those (thousands of) Gardeners Behind the Curtain. I’m talking about the people who put garden shows together. The masses of people. However I must start by acknowledging my perennial pet peeve about garden shows; then tell you how joining in with flower show worker […]