love is all there is

These two were cuddling in their pen at the park. I think they would have preferred to have a nice hiding spot to snuggle in but they made do with each other instead.

name that grin

What animal do you think this is? Without the wonky eyes, the grin always makes me laugh....

And, this little video might just make you smile:

waiting out the thunder and hail

I've always wondered how animals feel about thunder storms. Some birds continue eating at the feeder during the most ferocious storms. Squirrels don't seem to like getting too wet. This smart teen robin decided to wait on the side of the deck until the lightning finished up.

spiderweb sedum

I'm pretty sure this sedum was called 'ghost sedum' on the label but I think it's more like a spiderweb.



I was about to move it today because it's hidden under another plant but then I noticed these lovely blossoms and I decided to leave it for now. I'd really like to devise a nice planter to showcase the sedums. There are so many fascinating types.



This shot shows the blooms and the mother plant. They seem like pink balloons on strings.

linky dinks #5

Some random gardenish/earthy things:

One
There's lots of ladders in the gardens on the tours this year. I liked the one pictured here with tea pots and kettles on each step. I must have seen at least four old ladders in the garbage last week but alas, my compulsion to add more junk/art to my own garden is waning. It's seems enough right now to keep on top of the ongoing renovations (moving beds and planning new structures) and weeding. I'm mindful to really soak in the summer before winter sets in again like a cruel joke.

Two
Recently my daughter's teacher asked what choices we were making at home with the environment in mind. Our list was long, partly because there's an intrinsic connection between being green and being frugal, and, very often, what's best for the earth is also best for one's health. And ultimately, we don't have to save the earth per se but ourselves. The earth, I am sure, will carry on. Humans with fresh water and clean air: not so sure at this point. [insert dramatic music here]

Here's at good green checklist at lowimpactman:
http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2009/06/taking-personal-responsibility-for-climate-change.html

Three
I enjoy the real funky green houses. This one looks like a dream tree house:
http://www.muskokan.com/article/139916

Four
There's an outdoor contest on at apartment therapy. Some of it's more decorating than gardening for my taste, but there are some actual gardens in there too:
http://contests.apartmenttherapy.com/2009/my-great-outdoors
And, apartmenttherapy is always a great resource for indoor ideas.

Five
I find Laura's Gardens in Desert garden very beautiful. And I love the garden walls.

most beautiful on the way out

Some flowers are simply their most beautiful as they are dying away.



These are/were my pink peonies.



I loved them in bloom.



I love them even more now.

current sweet spots

These are the current sweet spots in my garden:



The tall, tall old blue delphs. They are the oldest plants in my garden and still charm me each and every year. // And the cardinals who are so very affectionate with their babies. This one has two sweet, plump baby girls. He's a fine father.




These lighter blue delphs sprawl all over the pathway no matter how many times I try and tie them up. // The screaming mimis have some fine competition in the bold yellows nearby.



My newest clematis is the most successful yet. Except I bought it for it's bold red blooms which are now steering toward purple. //My messy back path is finding its groove now that the grass is gone-zo and mulch is my new best friend.



Last year's vigorous plantings are paying off now. It was an excellent growing season and many plants leaped to full size in just one season. Now, when I need a plant to suit a blank spot, I can "shop" in my own garden by dividing what I already have. I love making things work with what I have on hand.

These sweet spots are not about getting it right or perfect combinations. It's about the dishevelled mess finding some harmony, here and there and now and then, despite all the goofy choices and dumb mistakes I have made.

Perhaps this is another chapter for that great unwritten book, Life Lessons In the Garden.

a whole lotta garden tours!

There are a lot of self-guided garden tours scheduled for Saturday July 11 and Sunday July 12, 2009 in Southern Ontario (Canada). Another week and they're all done.

Be there or be square (or somewhere else).

See all the listings here.

action cam: cardinal

I don't know who startled more: he or me. I'll call it a tie.

i am not the mother of this squirrel

Sure, he's cute from a distance. But the problem is, he's imprinted on me. He thinks I'm his mommy. I open the kitchen curtain and-



He lunges toward the window to get closer.



I tap on the glass to scare him off-



And he pries his head through the hole in the screen-



No birdseed. No peanuts. Not a scrap of anything edible. Yet he won't stop following me around. I swear the kid is not my son.

the screaming mimi's are out

At this time of year we get a lot of thunder storms that look like this:



And when the sun comes out again the screaming mimi's (my nickname for the extremely orange lilies) look like this:



The louder the better: these colours make me unfathomably happy.



I bought just three of them a few years ago. The have been very happy to be fruitful and multiply. And KNOCK WOOD they are the only lilies I have that have not been taken over by red lily beetles. BUT PLEASE DON'T SAY THIS OUT LOUD OR I MAY BE JINXED. Or maybe they're there but they're blending in to the colour. lol.

garden tour 2009 #9

This house is very old for this area. It's around 180 years old.



The garden looked fairly young but off to a good start.



I noticed the lupines and delphiniums are all 'goosenecking' this year. Must be something to do with the weather....



There's a waterfall and pond by the back porch:




Sedum in a tea cup:



This is another view of the garden by the front of the house:



I would have loved to see inside the house. It was very nicely restored and had huge outbuildings that seemed to be used as additional apartments.

garden tour 2009 #8

After visiting this property we learned that we were actually in the midst of a lot of unusual birds and we didn't see any of them: we were too busy walking briskly to avoid the mosquitoes. Darn!



This farm house is about a mile from the road. It's on a hill surrounded by perennial gardens, veggies gardens, farm fields, forests, and a river. Rather ideal if you ask me.



Raised beds with lots of straw in between. To me, the (minimum) perfect distance between raised beds is the same distance from the knee bone to the toes, so that you can kneel down and work unencumbered.



There are many different ways to support veggies and vines.



There's a potting shed on the side of this building (which had an indoor pool upstairs).



Potting area.



Rock gardens below the outdoor lounge.



A river runs through it. I neglected to photograph the giant beaver dam. It was impressive. I noticed the huge range of bird songs and calls while standing here, but the buzz of blood thirsty mosquitoes drove me away (it had just rained and they were hungry).



A little garden art.



This huge bed has six types of perennials that, we were told, are all going to bloom at once. I would love to see that. It was about 50x50'. Wild! I think I saw coneflower leaves but I don't know what else was cooking there.



Beautiful dry stone wall by the entrance.

And now for something completely different:



Apparently the neighbors across the street like a LOT of lawn! I'm guessing they don't get the same bird show over there. Can you imagine how long it takes to mow? Wowsers. I'll take the farm instead, thanks.

sedum shed roof

We saw this shed on a garden tour.



I hope one day we can eliminate shingles all together and have sedum rooftops on our houses instead.




It's pretty, no?

my veggie beds

We had frost into June so I didn't plant my beds until about three weeks ago. I can't believe how they've grown. Some items were starter plants from the nursery and others were planted from seed. But still, I am amazed.

Growing: red onions yellow onions celery garlic cucumber zucchini pumpkin various lettuces peppers dill peas beans parsley radishes cantaloupe approx 6 varieties of tomatoes

Also growing in the Empire: raspberries strawberries blueberries apples pears peaches

Notes:
-Tomatoes got frost bitten in the first two weeks of June. They're doing ok. Generally this means they fruit fine but look kind of ratty. More sweet golds are ready each day. That's my sweet breakfast. Yum.
-Peppers are struggling: not a good year for them! Last year was pepper perfection.
-Lettuces and parsley are edible now. The guinea pigs are happy about this.

what are they growing?

Anyone know what kind of farm this is? Whatever it is, they sell admission tickets to it....

summer sweetness

Driving home from soccer. Through the country. With my little girl.

Perfection.

garden tour 2009 #7

Every so often we visit a garden where I have this crazy, visceral reaction and I feel like I'm going to cry. Seriously. There's something about the space that carries this huge emotional wave and I get verklempt. Often the garden is very obviously beautiful but there's also an extra something-something that just gets me. Fortunately I don't actually break down in tears but occasionally I teeter on the edge. Not sad tears. Just gutwrenchingly joyful, floating above the worries of the world peaceful happy tears. You know that kind, right?

This was one of those gardens. Ironically, I was so distracted by my earthly body reacting to the beauty that I did not get any really good photos. And then, I chatted with the owner a while and soaked in the details, and my hand evidently became incapable of shooting more photos. I was kind of stunned.

Oh welly-well. Here's what I did get. Here's the entrance to the back garden:



Since I've already confessed my garden joy weepies, I might as well spill another garden-related oddity I have. Smell-o-vision. Yes! Sometimes when I see a photo of a plant I enjoy the scent of, I can smell it. Really smell it. As if it was right there in front of me. In particular, I get this with roses and peonies. I experience this when I look at this next photo, partly because the scent as we walked through this section was divine (remember, you have to pronounce it DEE-vine for the full effect) and partly because, well, my smell-o-vision rarely fails me. I even get it from seed and plant catalogues:



Can you smell it? Anyone else have smell-o-vision? I'm honestly not kidding. I think that's why I'm so photo-centric. My memories are visually centred. I can remember a lot of details from pictures. Without the photo reminders, the past is a mystery to me (just ask Manley!).



Notice the fence. When privacy is not priority and you've got neighbors with great gardens too, these peek-a-boo fences look great.

This yard is seriously sloped, dropping about ten feet from one side to the other. The owners used the slope to create a pond and waterfall in the middle (bottom left of this next photo you can see the water spewing from a pond spitter):



This is the lower back corner:



Frogs in a bird bath:



View of the pond from the deck off the back of the house:



What I didn't manage to photograph in my emotionally-compromised state: there was a beautiful flowering tree beside the deck. The owner said one day she came out to find five baby raccoons climbing up the branches to eat the berries. Each animal managed to snap off a major branch of the tree, setting its growth back several years. It still looked great. Funny story.

I also never managed to get a good overview shot of the entire yard though I had the chance while up on the deck. Oh well. There's always the memories. Ok, not really. I have a terrible memory, hence the constant use of my camera.

But do close your eyes and take in the peonies. Heavenly scent, that is.

garden tour 2009 #3

This garden was a big departure from the usual fare, and had that Wow factor as we entered the back yard. It has a Japanese influence with a lot of rocks and stones, a pond, evergreens, some Japanese maples, and many potted bonsai trees.



The bonsais are kept outdoors year round. In the winter they are protected with burlap and boxes.



The pond is in the centre of the yard. There is a path that winds the whole way around the pond.



The only blooming plants I noticed were some irises in and beside the pond.



This sitting area is in the back corner. I wish I had done a better job photographing the fence. There was an elaborate design to the top of the fence (above the lattice) which really accentuated the theme.



The absence of blooming flowers made the contrasts between the greens much more evident.



The yard is heavily treed and the shade gave a lovely relaxed mood to the garden. The owner was obviously most enchanted with his large collection of bonsais.

Our visit felt like we stepped into another world. I enjoyed it but know that my own eternal fatuation with anything the blooms is far too advanced to ever have the discipline to adopt a theme like this one. But to each their own!

linky dinks #4

I have to laugh when I see the links I've placed here. The topics vary, to say the least!
And be warned, there's actual garden-related content at the end.

Hermits
Our society places a lot of attention and value in very social, outgoing people. As a happy introvert who does not socialize, I am always interested to hear from the hermits:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jun/20/experience-hermit
Go hermits!
Those of us who don't make a big splash in life can't help but wonder if our value is kin to the sound of a tree falling in a forest or the true measure is perhaps left to the judgement of something greater than all of us....

Backyard Chickens
Toronto is talking about backyard chickens. I always cringe when governments look into legalizing stuff like this because it can really backfire on those who have simply gone about their business for a long time without anyone complaining...But urban gardens and livestock are newsworthy right now so onward and upward:
http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/651938

Self-portrait
This is a fun self-portrait:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/somethingtosee/134456334/

What's in Your Shampoo?
Not to spoil any remaining hope you might have for humankind, but this CBC radio interview is another four-alarm wake up call about the harmfulness of common household products:
Slow Death by Rubber Duck
http://podcast.com/show/2685/

What causes cruelty?
This interview explores what new research shows about cruelty. I'm hopeful when I hear stuff like this because it reaches toward root causes and (therefore) the possibility of prevention instead of just vilifying the offenders:
http://podcast.com/show/2685/

David Sedaris
I was working in the garden the other day as I listened to an interview with David Sedaris. He makes my day. At one point I realized I was snorting out loud about six feet from a cable guy who was quietly working on a street box. Happily foolish, I am.
See the Podcast from Monday June, 22, 2009
http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/pastpodcasts.html?42#ref42


Raised Beds
If you have raised-bed-mania in your garden like I do in mine, have a look at Dorothy Ainsworth's article here. There's oodles of ideas and inspiration:
http://www.dorothyainsworth.com/garden/beds.html

pond in a box

A few weeks ago I built three raised beds in the front garden. Two are for veggies and this one is for the little pond (the photo was taken in early June just after construction):



I've always resisted this idea because I really like a pond to look like it occurred naturally where it is. But now that I've got it this way, I really like it. It's very easy to take care of and we see it a lot since it's by the front door. I couldn't excavate in this area so this was my only real option.

I would still love to cover the exterior of the wood with a gorgeous vertical row of thick, dark twigs, but for now it is what it is.

The pond box is 4x8' and that is the full width of my garden in this area. The green grass section on the right is You-Know-Whos.*

I let things settle for a few weeks to build up some yummy scum before introducing some fish. We bought eight 'feeder' fish.

This photo was taken as my daughter was releasing them:



So far they are very happy, zipping around like maniacs. Next I hope to build a good-looking trellis/screen across the back length of the pond so I can a) grow some vines there and 2) block out Mr. Two Shrubs Now One Shrub* in an aesthetically-pleasing way.

*To give credit where credit is due, Mr. Two Shrubs Now One Shrub has become remarkably tolerant of my gardening antics. He's come a long way since I first met him and he became speechless and twitchy when I told him I would not ever use pesticides in our yard and he mustn't either.

first harvest

It seems a little backwards to be showing off the first harvest when I haven't even shown the food gardens I planted recently....but here it is: some ripe sweet gold tomatoes and a few strawberries which the birds kindly sampled first.

The tomatoes are from a nursery plant that was already fruiting when I got it a month ago. All this June rain has fed it well. The 'regular' tomatoes will be ready in August.

I moved the strawberries to the perennial flower beds this spring. I had them in the backyard clay patch but they looked miserable. I must have moved them in time because now they are happily fruiting. They seem to like being sheltered by the bigger plants and the birds have a harder time spotting the fruit. Most of the time.

Delish.

father's day. sort of.

First of all, I wish to confess that I am not a fan of these designated days of sentiment and gifts. Even if you took away all the commercial crap attached to them, it still rings forced and hollow to me. An externally-imposed obligation. Same goes for all the other red letter days of the year. I love my family. I love my time with them. I feel very loved by them. Every day. Not a fan of The Special Days.

That said, all this Dad talk today gets me thinking about my own father who died twenty years ago. I was actually first reminded by this quote that appeared on my Twitter feed this morning:

“Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form.”-Rumi

That was certainly true for me. My father's illness and death was completely intertwined with my own experience as a first-time mom. I had lived in a bubble until he became terminally ill. Despite working in an Emergency Department for several years, and seeing every possible type of accident and illness, I somehow thought that those terrible things only happened to other people. I had managed to get through my first twenty five years without a death in the family. Even family pets seemed to be given away before they ever died! My father's stage 4 diagnosis and my own first miscarriage of a much-wished-for-child occurred on the very same day and that was a defining moment in my life. I realized we're all truly in the same boat and none of us are exempt from the sorrows of life. The bubble had burst. Whenever the grass looks greener on the other side, I remind myself of this again. Or, as REM put it, Everybody hurts. Sometime.

I went on to have a successful pregnancy some months later. My father, remarkably, had a few months of feeling much better, accomplishing some of the best work of his life, before his illness yanked him out of the life he had known once and for all . He was a writer and journalist and worked like a fiend. One of his most helpful bits of advice was, You know the writing is good when the words don't get in the way. In other words, the meaning just flows. The reader understands. When I would get stuck in an essay for school he would say, Decide what you are trying to say and say it. I still use that one every day when my thoughts are jumbled and the meaning seems just out of reach.

When my daughter was born, my parents came to see us in the hospital. My father sat and held her, his own skin covered in a strange purple rash from his chemotherapy. In another irony, we had chosen our girl's name about two years earlier. It's a derivative of my dad's name. I was very teary-eyed realizing how the torch was being passed. A half hour later my mom and dad headed to the seventh floor of the same hospital where he was admitted and remained for the rest of his days. The cancer was winning. It did seem like a cruel and ironic exchange program.

My maternity leave from work enabled me to spend the next six months immersed both in new motherhood and the last days of my father's life. Had I not lost the first pregnancy, the timing would have been completely off. I would have been back to work, torn between time with the baby and time with my dad. Instead, fate intervened and I was given all the time I needed exactly when I needed it. I also managed to have one of those very agreeable babies that nursed like a piglet and never cried so she was quiet enough to sneak into the palliative care area whenever I wanted. The nurses were torn between wanting to reprimand me for potentially exposing her to illnesses and asking to hold her. I basically ignored them on both counts, knowing where I wanted to be and that I had to breast-feed on demand to be able to be there.

Six months later, on what turned out to be the day before my dad died, I came to the hospital to visit him and my mom. I had the baby in the Snuggly. I had just returned to work a few days before. My dad was sleeping and as I stood quietly chatting with my mother, the baby suddenly let out a big coo! My father opened his eyes and smiled at us. Hello, Lovey, he said and closed his eyes again, back into that deep, but unrestful heavily-medicated sleep.

And that's my last memory of him alive.

“Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes round in another form.”-Rumi

I did indeed grieve and still do, but I also see how what was lost has indeed returned in many different ways.

PS: Manley, on the other hand, seems to loves these 'designated days' so we're off to do something to make his Father's Day special.

Garden Tour 2009 #6

This stop on the garden tour was really more about the house than the garden. I was intrigued by the stone walls (and the bold choice of red and black furnishings):



Imagine setting each stone, one by one:



There was a wee snippet of garden by the back patio:



But the main feature was really the house:

Garden Tour 2009 #5

This huge, 160 year-old stone house is up on a hill, surrounded by an acre of land right in the middle of small city. The home has been beautifully restored. The scale of the garden works perfectly with the big old trees and the architectural style.



The brick walkway connects the sidewalk to the front door. It's placed in very wide, sweeping curves surrounded by deep flowering borders. The driveway is at the back of the house so it's all lawn and garden at the front.



Hostas, ferns, a few annuals and my new best friend mulch cover the shady areas:



I was terribly tempted to tell you that's me in the white shorts and top but that would be the biggest lie so I won't. <-random fantasy

This is the side courtyard with Buddha overseeing the pond. Yes, dear readers, I suffered enormous house and garden envy at this one.





In this next photo, just beyond the trees to the right is the fenced-in swimming pool. The breeze below the big trees was divine. You must pronounce it, DEE-VINE, to get the full effect. Very refreshing on a brutally hot day.



Real or ceramic, we're seeing lots of planted wellies or gumboots at the gardens (what are they called where you live)?



This additional patio was at the back of the house. There were three sitting areas in all:



I guess it wouldn't surprise you to learn there was also a coach house and greenhouse, ensuring my envy achieved the deepest green. There was one other beautiful side garden but I don't seem to have the photos. I must have fainted by this point.

It is a thing of joy when money and good taste collide.

Garden Tour 2009 #4

I post these garden tour photos to share ideas. Sometimes the gardens are really brilliant and I get a lot of inspiration. Other times they are not to my taste but I find it instructive to figure out why if it's not immediately obvious. In other words, I might see stuff I want to copy and other stuff I would never want in my garden but either way it can bring me closer to what I'm after. Mind you, it's a bit like chasing the horizon, because a garden is truly never done but that's what makes it so engaging.

I have great appreciation for people who open up their gardens for tours. It's amazing what they endure. Besides the fact that they have worked like fiends to get their gardens looking their best for the big day, they often act as hosts and answer the same questions hundreds of times over through the day.

Some hosts have a specialty such as hostas or dahlias and generously offer their knowledge. Others are like human robots spewing out Latin names and/or forcing their preferences on the innocent visitor until they're ready to curl up in a ball and be eaten by ravens. Most hosts are simply gracious and happy to have their garden admired. Most visitors seem thankful and respectful but sometimes I overhear comments that are so inappropriate that I cannot believe it.

Examples?

"Oh my god: I'd never use that [plant] in my garden! What were you thinking?"

"This plant is a bit large, could you dig some of it up for me to take home?"

"Can I see inside your house?"

"Those tacky ornaments make your garden look like a joke."

"Those plants don't look good together. You should really change that."

You get the idea. I think it's best to pay compliments and give thanks and keep the criticisms private and away from the garden or the gardener. I also try to be careful with my picture taking. I ask if photos are permitted, I try to leave other visitors out of them or anonymous, and I never say the location when I post them here. I am intentionally vague to respect the privacy of the hosts.

Over the years we've seen some gardens so gorgeous it brought tears to my eyes. We've also seen gardens so frightful we couldn't believe they were pre-selected by the tour organizers and allowed to participate. We see a fair number of gardens where it's all about the big budget and boasting about how much they spent on those giant shaped quarry rocks and the import of mature trees. Some are promoting businesses. But no matter what, we thank the hosts for allowing us to come by and see what they've created. The good far outweighs the bad. In fact, it was my first garden tour that made me realize that I too could create something I really love. Prior to that, I thought good gardens were for other people with perfect locations and unlimited bank accounts. Now I know it's about working with what you have and following what the plants show you.

-------------------------

Here's a few pictures from a small town garden we recently visited. Most of the plantings are at the front of the house:



The pool pretty much gobbled up the back yard. While not a treat from the gardening perspective, as a life long human dolphin/swim fanatic, I admit I felt like jumping in. Which is, of course, yet another faux pas on a garden tour (and I have heard people ask if they could come swim later!):




See the stairs on the right side of the pool photo? I noticed right away there was no handrail. I hope it's on its way....

Here's another view of the front. Some gardeners are amazingly tidy. That would not be me:



In the next photo on the left you can see a bit of the climbing hydrangea. My hydrangea has fought climbing every step of the way. This one was beautifully arranged up the house wall. Clearly, some vines need daily management to get them where you want them. I tend to plant and forget and thereby end up with crawling hydrangeas. I always mean to conduct daily garden inspections to keep on top of stuff like rogue vines but so far, not so much....



It can be tricky to plant under big trees. Mulch and hostas are a popular answer:



I do love it when the front garden is really eye catching from the street. That's something I'm working on more and more. The great big porch is a big bonus too.



Right now is peak season for self-guided garden tours in Ontario, Canada [see listings here]. I hope you'll look for some where you live. It's a really fun way to spend a day: stealing plants and jumping in pools taking ideas and learning about what is possible in gardening your zone.

linky dinks #3

I gather up these links in my cyber travels. While no theme is intended, there's a few animals this time:


Goats Are On the Way Up
Have you seen The Goat Tower? Personally, I want it to have handrails in case two goats are passing each other, but otherwise, I bet it's fun.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goat_Tower
Goats crack me up when they jump up on things and stand there, happy as can be. Quite unexpectedly, our guinea pigs do the same thing. They are very nimble jumpers and like to hang out on "perches" (shelves hung in their cage for this purpose).

The Frog Prince
This one is very sweet: a frog rescued a drowning mouse and someone got the photo. It's a variation on the fox and the goose:
http://www.frogboys.com/frog-humor/friends-forever/
Admit it: that was very cute.

The Friendly Dinosaur
If you're taking fruit to a potluck, this might give you some creative ideas:
http://blogs.three8six.com/flavor/2009/05/carve-a-watermelon-t-rex.html
I recently took fruit to a get-together. Instead of cutting it up and putting it on a tray, I made small fruit cups and provided cutlery. People seem to really like this: no need to pick up the food by hand (hygiene alert!) and no drips or mess. Next time I want to incorporate the t-rex idea with the individual servings. Fun is where you find it.

Bang Zoom
We're in thunder storm season here. There's some amazing photos and facts about lightning here:
http://www.stumbleupon.com/s/#25xbog/www.flixya.com/post/MysticBren/1418133/Stunning_Facts_About_Lightening/

Duck and cover.

mail bag

my front garden (top) and the part I share with my neighbor (bottom), June 2009
(the back yard looks just like this except barren and ugly-lol)

Warning: this is a long-winded group response to a bunch of well-intended recent emails I have received.

Dear Writers of Emails to Me Regarding My Horrid Clay Soil:

Before we go even one step further, I must address some recent happenings in the royal mail box. You may recall I posted my annual solicitation for garden pity post showcasing the pathetic substance purporting to be soil from my backyard. It's rocky and lifeless and I have a lot of it.

I mentioned that I'm pretty much done trying to coax the backyard into allowing perennials to grow and I'm thinking about adding some trees instead.

Now I know most people who pop by are probably here for a short time and do not know the history of my ten-plus-year battle with the back garden, but I did find it rather amusing how many emails I got saying, Try Compost! Or, more succinctly: "COMPOST COMPOST COMPOST!"

So I'm here to confirm that yes, World, I have composted. And composted. And composted. And added top soil. Year after year after year. Many, many, many loads. And many loads more. And each year I think it's starting to succeed because it starts looking lush and pretty [see it here] and then we get some big rains or a long, snowy winter and it all washes away. The punch line is that my yard is small and on an sloping easement leading to a storm sewer. What happens in the garden, leaves the garden.

My yard is the lowest land in the neighborhood. All storm waters run through my garden to the sewer, carrying all that soil and compost with it. And, to make matters worse, as you now know, the yard is situated on this freaktstastic clay deposit. No one else around here has one. I drew the short straw. If it was a more private area, I'd probably look at getting some spiffy permanent raised beds and build the gardens up. But it's wide open. Hence the Plan B: Plant Trees.

In summary, the basic math is: sloping grade + clay soil = washed away!

So thank you all you compost recommenders. If only it was that simple. And to the people who said, Why would you want trees? I say, Why would you not want trees? I have no trees! Except my newly planted baby fruit trees. Just bare open yard that gets boiling hot in the summer. The thought of eventually having some tall, full trees shading the back garden and offering some privacy from the neighbors sounds downright heavenly to me. I have total tree envy.

In the mean time, I will COMPOST COMPOST COMPOST my ever-thriving front and side gardens and save up for some good trees for the back. Most of all because it would please Sir.

Sincerely,
The Empress of Hard Clay Soil Dirt

PS: I will take some photos of the clay wasteland soon.

Now:
Is this your lost cat?

books I've been reading

I am a reading fiend. Admittedly, I read a bit like a starving soul at times. I've tried to reform but it's a lost cause. I am most content when my reading pile is toppling over from all that waiting-for-me goodness. Here's some books I recommend:

Ride the rising wind : one woman's journey across Canada
by Barbara Kingscote
I actually read this one two years ago but I think it's worth repeating because I still think about it quite a bit.
It's a memoir of a 20 year-old woman's journey alone by horseback across Canada in 1950. She set out one day on the east coast with her best horse and some sandwiches in her knapsack. She left her future meals and accommodation to fate and the kindness of strangers. This is the only book I've ever read that really captures what it's like to know and love a horse. And not in your typical girl meets horse love story kind of way, but in a much deeper, awesome way. If you've ever loved a horse or the whole riding experience, you know what I'm talking about. The way a good horse communicates with its rider is an exceptional experience. It's also a brilliant story from the viewpoint of what it was like to undertake such a journey as a young woman in the 1950's.

I'm not sure that it's in print anymore but check your local library if you're so inclined.

I recently read the revised Ecological Gardening: How to Garden With the Planet in Mind by Marjorie Harris.
It's a combination of making a clear case for responsible/green gardening and a lot of tips for managing gardening problems without using chemicals or disrupting the balance of the eco system. I found myself nodding and exclaiming, Yes! Yes! as I read it. Marjorie is well known in Canada for her gardening expertise and I find it comforting when the pros are completely tuned in to the urgent call for more responsible gardening and landscaping methods.

I thought to find the book again because of this piece that Marjorie wrote a while back for a Canadian Gardening magazine that has stuck with me:
"Here are the steps you can take to protect your gardens from drastic climate changes...." [read more]

There's been some turmoil in our area lately because the residential use of cosmetic pesticides has been banned during summer months. The push is on for a year-round ban. I see letters to the editor from unhappy lawn care enthusiasts who see this as an assault on their personal freedom.

They say that the chemicals are approved by Government Agencies and deemed 'safe' under controlled test situations and see the ban as a left wing movement to defeat the businesses who produce them. After reading their letters I found myself trying to think up some way, any way, to express the true danger of these chemicals in a manner that they might actually listen to. I mean, it's one more way that we are introducing unhealthy chemicals into our water systems. And into the water means into the air. And from there it's into everything we eat and breathe. But to the guy who loves his plush lawn, it's just between him and his maker. I wish I had the words to build the convincing bridge but so far I do not. And that's why I keep reading in a quest to find a presentation of the facts that might ease the Lawn Guys out of the rage....

Marjorie also keeps a gardening blog here though she's on a break right now while she writes her next book.
http://marjorieharris.com/blog/
Have a look at her gorgeous shade garden. It's big on leafy contrasts in colour and texture.

My Natural History: The Evolution of a Gardener
by Liz Primeau
Liz is another well-known Canadian gardening expert. This memoir chronicles her life story through her own development as a gardener. I saw myself in a number of her experiences.

Liz also aptly captures the common evolution of a gardener in six stages ranging from the impatient lover of annuals, seeking instant gratification, gradually morphing into the more patient gardener who recognizes the value of great infrastructure and soil. Oh that I'd had that maturity and patience when I started out. But don't we all wish that at some point?

City Gardens: Creative Urban Gardens and Expert Design Ideas edited by Liz Primeau
When I was fifteen my family moved from a small town to an old Victorian townhouse in Cabbagetown (Toronto, Ontario) where my parents stayed for about ten years. My mother had always kept a garden and she set to work creating one in the tiny front and back yards. At the time, there were few city gardens and her efforts were regarded as a novelty. Sometimes her giant window boxes and urns would be stolen without a trace. But she just kept going, adding beauty to our little piece of the city.

A few years ago we heard that the house was once again for sale and we went to the open house to have a look. I had not been to Toronto or Cabbagetown in a very long time. I was delighted and amazed to see the volume of front yard gardens. It had become the norm rather than the exception. Whole streets formed collective showcases of everything that is wonderful about gardening. It was so much more lush and beautiful. Once again, my mother proved to be way ahead of her time.

City Gardens is a collection of garden photos and profiles from urban Canadian gardens. The range of styles is broad and the photos are nice and big so there's lots of inspiration to be found.


The Thrift Book: Live well and spend less by India Knight
Written by a reformed compulsive spender, this book as a lot of ideas for saving money and becoming a happy non-consumer. It's written with humour and offers an abundance of how-to's as well as leads to useful websites and blogs for further inspiration.

I recently lost all my subscritions in Google Reader. While reading this book I stumbled upon the names of blogs I hadn't been able to recall to resubscribe. That was a handy coincidence!

As a rather thrifty Empress, I can't say I found any new tips in the book, but again, I must be needing reinforcement these days because I was happy to read it and confirm how much I already knew. If you're thinking about changing your ways because your finances are in bad shape, or you're tired of seeking happiness in the shopping experience, you may enjoy this book. Take the ideas, get creative, and have some fun changing your ways.

I think it's no small thing that what's good for your wallet and health is also good for the earth. Make better use of what you have, consume less, and be happy. Or less poor and unhappy just the same. lol.

The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-sufficient Living in the Heart of the City (Process Self-reliance Series)
by Kelly Coyne (Author), Erik Knutzen (Author)
I bought this book while we were on holiday last summer. If I can't be in my garden I apparently need to be reading what I could be doing with it. If you've been here before you know I love urban farming. I love the fact that my neighbor keeps chickens. And I get to live somewhere where it's ok to grow veggies in my front yard because that's where the sun shines. This book provides basic how-to information on all sorts of aspects of urban homesteading from growing and canning food to raising farm animals and eco-positive and thrifty, efficient ways to live the good, urban farm life. The authors live and farm in downtown Los Angeles, California.