papa cardinal

This guy raised three baby girls this summer. They're now much bigger than he is and ready to move on. He is one hard working Papa bird.

everything's coming up daisies

At this time of year, the front garden is all about the daisies. I didn't really plan it this way. They just happen to be the one plant that thrives in varying conditions here, year after year. I've tried many other plants but nothing has had the same staying power so far. So daisies it is.

the facts of life

In ten short years we've gone from zero squirrels to this mayhem. Here's yesterday's loiterers:

This is Dr. Evil. He has funky eyelids and mouth fur that looks like fangs:



Here's Olga Korbut (who?). She's the most athletic and agile squirrel we've ever seen. She hangs from her toes and devours ridiculous amounts of birdseed (grrrrr!):



Smarty Bum hides in strange places and jumps out to scare the giblets out of me about three times a day:



Boobster stands around supervising. My daughter took this one (it's a familiar squirrel pose):



This is Son of Sir. I assume the genetics because of the grey mouth fur (the original Sir is long gone but you can see his saucy little mug here):



And, as I've learned, if you think there can't be one more squirrel hanging around, you just have to look up. There's always Bat Boy lurking in the rafters just waiting to startle me:



I suspect this is the price you pay for building a big garden. Everybody wants in. The whole freaking circle of life.

You take the good, you take the bad the squirrels, you take them both all and there you have the facts of life...

Kelly just had a birthday and loves squirrels. Oh how I wish I could put red bows on each and every one of them and send the to her!

On another note, this was a very sweet squirrel moment:
Salutation to the Sun

country living

I just wanted to pop by to say that gardens like this one from this month's Country Living magazine make my heart sing:



[source]

rain birds

It's been a cool, damp July. On this particular day I was out on my deck watching the rain and suddenly noticed where several birds were taking shelter:







Unusual weather means an unusual growing season with unexpected hits and misses. Things that normally thrive in our humid, hot summers are not up to par, and other plants that love wet feet and overcast skies are thriving.

I'm going to document this year's hits and misses in an upcoming post so I have record of it for next year when some other set of weirdities will undoubtedly set in. When I was in nursing they would say, 'If it isn't written down, it didn't happen' (i.e. you could get in a lot of trouble for not keeping thorough nursing notes). In the garden, it's 'If you don't keep track of it here in the blog, it might as well have not happened because you will most certainly not remember it!' I use my archives a lot to remember what I have planted and where I put them. And what the weather was like. And what the heck I was thinking. And so on.

When I hear about various heavy rain and drought areas around the world, I have to say, I have no complaints here, just slug-filled observations.

Is the weather weird where you are?

Note to self:
The Bank of Canada says the recession is over.

garden junk art whimsy stuff

It's time for a refresher. I've got junk-making fever once again.

Garden art. Garden junk. Garden decorations. Garden whimsy. Garden accoutrement's.
Photo credits: photos you see here are from the sites I have linked to.

Whatever you want to call it, there's a whole world of ideas out there just waiting for you to dive in and start making stuff.

I started making garden art/junk when I had a newly planted, barren-looking garden and wanted to fill in some spaces while waiting 2-3 seasons for the plants to grow. I love the idea of taking items that would otherwise be tossed in the landfill and turn them into something beautiful and/or interesting and/or functional in the garden (hopefully scoring at least two out of three on these points!).



Possible supplies include: dishes, cutlery, utensils, pots, pans, lamps, bed posts, any metal or iron objects, bikes, tricycles, mystery items from the thrift store that just look interesting, marbles, glass, windows, springs, furniture, cars...you name it. If it works for you and it can withstand the weather, it can be made into something great.

Here's some of the resources I enjoy. If you have others to suggest, please add them in the comment box.

photo credit: Fancy Totem by toomuchglass (gardenweb)

Gardenweb Garden Junk Forum, FAQs and Photos
The Gardenweb Garden Junk forum is a great resource for both garden art/junk making ideas and friendships with other garden-art-junkies. They are a very enthusiastic and creative bunch.

The photo album is a collection of member's creations. Categories include:

-bottle trees
-bowling balls
-cement in stone creations
-fairy 'n' gnome homes
-flower planters in containers
-for the birds
-glass creations
-metal creations
-ponds
-tipsy pots
-totems (like the glass totem pictured here)
-wood creations

You can browse the photos here:
[Gardenweb - Garden Junk Forum Photos]

Garden Junk How-to's / Instructions
How do you glue pieces of glassware together?
How to you make a mosaic bowling ball?
How do you drill holes through dishes without breaking them?
What can I make from old cutlery?
You will find answers to these burning questions and many more in the Gardenweb Garden Junk forum Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.s) section. [see them here].






Garden Junk Forums
[Gardenweb - Garden Junk forum]
[Gardenweb - Garden Accoutrements forum]
[Gardenweb - Landscape Design forum]
[Junk Revolution: rescue/reuse/reimagine/inspire]
[Gardenjunk.org: a community of garden artists] MSN used to host a very good garden art/junk forum and when they shut down their groups, others, like this one, popped up elsewhere.
[Gardenjunk.org photo albums here]
[Craftster Yard Art / Gardening Completed Projects]
[Crafster Yard Art / Gardening Discussion and Questions]
[HGTV trash to treasure forum]
[Dave's Garden trash to treasure forum]

Instructions
Easy Garden Craft How-to Videos
Short videos on making garden art, trellises, arbours, and gates
[see them here at e-how.com]


Inspiration
Google image search
[garden + junk]
[garden art]



Blogs with creative garden art/junk makers & their creations
CiNdEe's GaRdEn
Chiccottagejunk
Crafty Gardener
Robomargo

My Garden Art/Junk
[page one]
[page two]
[page three]




And the best news? You can decide how far you want to go! Yikes!

rain beauty tips

I'm not the only one who looks like a wreck after spending time in the rain:



But all it takes is a little beak finesse to get things back in shape:



And within a minute or two she's ready to devour worms once again:



I could use some of these grooming tricks.

shade raspberries

My shade raspberries are starting to ripen. Snack time now involves both going through the front raised beds for sweet gold tomatoes, peas, radishes, and lettuces, and then a quick forage in the backyard for dessert i.e. raspberries. Delish. No dishes, no cleanup. This is what fast food should be.

The raspberry patch managed to double its size since last year. I may have to come to terms with this soon or world domination may soon be upon us.

ivybean104 makes my day

Ivy is 104 years old. To follow her, is to love her.

making a fence taller or work around it

The fence at the back of my yard does not offer much privacy because it's at the bottom of the slope. At six feet tall, City rules dictate that I can only go as high as eight feet tall. Which is why I got it in my head that instead of trying to heighten the fence, I would build in front of it instead, neatly bipassing the rules and regs.

I've been sketching ideas for tall, free-standing structures that could offer interest, privacy, an artistic touch, and growing support for vines. Ever since I dreamed this up, I've been noticing this type of structure in other places. I'm hoping to do something about four feet in from the fence and about twelve feet high, right across the back yard. Something the birds will love to perch on. I'm still at the planning and saving-up stage, but I like what I see in my head.

Here's some pics of similar structures from recent garden tours. This first one is actually an on-fence extension that offers some (psychological) privacy and interest. They've extended the 4x4 posts and added the elaborate lattice work. The green window boxes fill in the space between the fence and the lattice:



This closeup shows the metal support used to hold the 4x4 addition posts:




This next garden has many tall structures with boxed lattice hanging from the supports. I'm sure they devised it to draw the eye to the garden and away from the neighbor's houses behind them:



Here's more of them from another angle. They really went to town with it:



This one has denser lattice. So many decisions to be made!



These ones are really just decorative. The placement made me a bit twitchy:



This one is a fence. This kind always looks good to me:



This next one is the closet to what I have in mind. It's in from the fence and just has lattice at the top where needed. They have supports running from the privacy structure to the fence. I don't think I want to do that. I'm thinking I want four legs instead of two, both for extra support and to have 3 sides. Am I making any sense? Don't answer that. At some point I'll post a sketch so I may be somewhat coherent. I have a vision. Trust me on this. I just have to pick a style.



I haven't come across one that is exactly what I want. I'm still mulling over how plain or fancy, elaborate or simple, how private or semi-private, and so on. It's a big commitment and I want to get it right. Bottom line though, I like it when I see other gardens where they seem as privacy-obsessed as I am. Those are my kind of people. Except we never meet because we all enjoy our privacy so much.

looking up

There are a couple of flickr groups for garden photos taken from unusual vantage points, focusing on the stuff we don't normal dwell on, like dirt, slime, insects, and decay. I like this reminder to always consider different perspectives. Otherwise I seem to take the same photos over and over again.

This one is taken below my newly opened lily. I grow it in the shade and it always makes an appearance after the others are done. I quite like its viewpoint.

head of the tomatoes

The Honorable Head of the Tomatoes, 2009

I wish to announce that the Head of the Tomatoes is once again on duty this year. Having provided most thorough and dedicated service during the 2008 tomato season, she has now been promoted to the front garden. Should you find yourself passing by, do give a wave. But please kindly abstain from the temptation to grab her fruit. We would not be amused.

my little pond

It's very nice to have the pond near the front door of the house so we can hear the gurgling fountain and see the fish rushing about many times a day. It used to be in the back, and while I liked it there too, we didn't get to enjoy it nearly as much.

When I'm on garden tours I notice a lot of ponds way in the back of the yard. The gardeners always say, We had no idea we'd love it so much and want it closer to the house/patio. Besides wanting it closer, people also say they wish they'd made the pond much bigger. Mine can't be bigger or closer to the house so I guess I'm good on both counts.

reading, making, watching, and me

I try to take one self-portrait in the garden each year. Here's the latest:



The delphs all tumbled over in a recent heavy rain/hail storm. Each year I promise myself I'll devise tall ring stands for them to counter these assaults but I always forget. Next year....

Recent books I've enjoyed:
Non-Fiction
A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table
by Molly Wizenberg (see her Orangette blog here)
I go through stages of obsessively cooking everything I can dream up to living on a raw food diet for months at a time, but no matter what, I always enjoys the tales of a real life foodie.

The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food
by Judith Jones
Judith was a foodie from birth and writes very enjoyable stories about her life and cooking adventures. She was also the woman who had the foresight to get Anne Frank published in the U.S. and published Julia Child's infamous Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Two fine feathers in her cap, no?

While on the topic of Julia Child, a few years ago I read:
My Life in France
by Julia Child
I'm sure this book will be totally hyped up this summer since the Julie/Julia movie is coming out soon, but regardless of all that hoopla, My Life in France is really enjoyable. Julia's tv show kind of scared me when I was a kid, but I really came to love her through this book.

I think the three books go great together. I'd read Julia's, then Judith's, then Molly's. Just saying. You can thank me later.

Fiction
The Housekeeper and the Professor: A Novel
by Yoko Ogawa
This book is receiving some good hype in the reading underground so I was pretty excited to get my grubby little paws on it. As it turned out, it's good, not great, but there's a slow wind-up to the story telling that was so simple in nature that it had me going to the end, convinced something big was going to happen. To say more would spoil it, so I won't. I'd give it 2.2 stars out of 4.


Handwork
At a very young age I decided I could sew anything. I was also pretty sure that I would never be able to understand a sewing pattern (who writes those instructions anyways? I swear they're written by mean-spirited goblins!) so I never bothered trying to learn. I just pictured what I wanted in my mind and, well, made it. My mother let me know what seam allowances are and how to wind a bobbin and I was good to go. I also figured out how to knit doll sweaters using four thick toothpicks as knitting needles. This fact reveals both how stubborn and determined I can be when I want to make something without having to learn it conventionally. I really do struggle with many written instructions. If you can't go through the door, by all means, climb through the window....

Sew What! Skirts: 16 Simple Styles You Can Make with Fabulous Fabrics
by Francesca DenHartog
This book nicely covers all the possibilities for making your own skirts. I am not a skirts-wearer but I do love to sew the clothing ideas that my oldest daughter dreams up. The book didn't show me anything I hadn't already figured out from all these years of trial and error but I'd definitely have loved it as a teenager because it's not written in that painful, secret language that I call Vogue SewSpeak. Instead, it's just clear and simple and will get you sewing what you want to sew.

DVD
Summer and Jane Austen always go nicely together. Manley and I enjoyed this BBC version with Colin Firth, though the lead actresses' facial expressions can be distracting (mind you, I don't know what one would do with the scripted silent reactions). Firth's Darcy is almost comically hostile but it all works somehow:
Pride & Prejudice DVD (BBC DVD)

Got Book?
If you've got a book or dvd to recommend, please do! I'm always on the hunt for something new and juicy to fill my porch swinging shifts.

garden tour 2009 #10

This garden was like an outdoor art gallery.

The backyard was designed to be low maintenance so there were tons of rocks and stones. And lots of art. The owner said all of the stained-glass pieces were given to him. Lucky duck. They had obviously paid big bucks for pieces including metal work and sculptures. I didn't take photos at the entry but the two garden gates were big, old (200+ years) window grates imported from Egypt and looked fabulous.

Here's the lower patio:



Below (left) is a water feature on the patio wall. On the right is yet another stained-glass piece. I was quite taken with the patio drapes. I love big grommets. It made me want to do this with my upcoming deck curtains. My photos aren't great due to trying to avoid getting people in the pics but suffice to say this garden has a lovely, sophisticated feel to it.



This piece (left) is an old window on the fence. Two of the panes have frosted glass. A lot of the art in this garden is similar to yer typical garden art/junk but upscale versions of it. And I say, if you got the dough, by all means support the artists of this world!

There were several beveled mirrors on the back fence:



The mirrors nicely doubled the effect of the stained glass colours:



The full-sun side garden has some plants, lots of mulch and a few art pieces. The owner said all the neat-o rocks came from his cottage property (lucky dog):



The shed is in the back corner. I love the scale of the metal pieces: lusciously substantial. The stained-glass in the window came from a house in England. It's 130 years old. The previous owners were spooked by the ray of light cast by a little red section in the upper part and gave it away to this man, so he could be spooked too, perhaps (kidding, sort of). I'm telling you, he has great gift luck. My photo is overexposed but believe me that the orange paint trim looked great with the copper art:



I like this mosaic bowling ball. (I made some a few years ago with lamp globes as the forms and dollar store flat-bottomed marbles as the decoration. They've held up very well in this brutal land known as Canada.) This one is stained-glass pieces with grout:



The front yard was actually rather plain Jane (hence no photos). It gave no hint of the fun going on in the back. I would have liked to stay longer and really examine all the art but it was a crowded tour and it was hard enough to get photos without swarms of garden nuts like me lovers in the frames.

We saw a few other backyard jewels on this tour. Stay tuned for more garden tour fun and adventure.

Also:
Here's oodles more tours. Take these ideas and have fun.

radish

It seems like I just put the seeds in the ground and here I already have my first radishes. There are no words for amazing it all is (seeds, earth, sun, rain, birds, insects, life, growth, death...). It's impossible not to sound too sappy when trying to articulate the basic wonders of existence....Though I was a bit grounded when I bit into it: tangy/harsh, it was! Crunch.

PS: I've been to some more gorgeous gardens in the past week. Photo recaps coming your way soon!

frog

garden tour frog, july 2009

I think it's really neat that when people build ponds, frogs seem to find their way to them and settle in. Where do they come from and how do they know?

Because my pond is in a raised bed, I'd be totally amazed if a frog showed up there. It's doubtful, but you never know....

Random Empress fact:
I once met astronaut Buzz Aldrin. (My father was involved in several television shows that involved many famous people. My mom and I got to host the Green Room.) And it's the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 expedition. Wowsers.

Out on a limb opinion:
While space travel is intriguing and informative, I honestly believe that the planet cannot afford it anymore. Not just the expense (yikes!) but the environmental consequences as well. Just the volume of orbiting space junk is horrific, not to mention the pollution generated. And so on. And so on.

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.