Country Gardener

From cold and rainy to steamy and wet

August 12, 2010

Last year in southern Ontario July was cool and rainy, but this year July was hot and humid and almost as wet, according to Environment Canada. Last month we enjoyed (at least I did) more than 130 mm of rain (over 5 inches), which is 50% more than we normally get in mid-summer. The upshot [...]

Read the full article →

Still summer, but there’s a bit of fall in the air

August 9, 2010

When I was out this morning with the camera, it struck me that the shrub border was looking positively autumnal. With the hydrangeas in bloom and a few fallen leaves from the nearby weeping willow, this picture looks just a bit fall-like, doesn’t it? I know that this is not welcome news to most people, [...]

Read the full article →

Garden Walk Buffalo: inspiring urban revitalization

July 19, 2010

Recently, along with about 60 fellow garden bloggers, I had the privilege of an advanced peek into gardens featured in Buffalo’s popular Garden Walk. (If you’re up for a trip to Buffalo, this event is held annually on the last weekend in July. The 2010 edition is Saturday and Sunday, July 24 and 25th from [...]

Read the full article →

In bloom mid July, photos from our garden

July 17, 2010

I have been busy playing catch-up after a great trip last weekend to Buffalo to meet up with other garden bloggers. Upon coming home, we had to get the garden ready for two back-to-back bus tours. So here — better late than never — is my contribution to Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. When people come [...]

Read the full article →

In bloom now: pale coneflower (Echinacea pallida)

July 6, 2010

Echinacea pallida, or pale coneflower, is a graceful perennial native to eastern North America. In our meadow it brings the first show of color each season. It begins blooming in mid-June and carries on into early July. The pale echinacea begins to flower about a month before the common purple coneflower, Echinacea purpurea. It grows [...]

Read the full article →

Photos: our garden in late June

June 25, 2010

The garden is in a quiet phase, after the spring show of bulbs, crab apples, rock garden jewel tones, and the peonies of June. There’s a bit of lull until all the meadow flowers of mid-summer come into bloom, and all our ornamental grasses come into their own. Thankfully, we have had plenty of rain, [...]

Read the full article →

Summer night magic: fireflies cast a spell

June 21, 2010

On this the first day of official summer, it seems fitting to celebrate fireflies. For several weeks now, we have had an unusually active firefly season here. I have never seen so many of these magical insects as I have this year. You could almost take their show for a display of twinkling Christmas lights. [...]

Read the full article →

Barn swallow wars: Nature, red in tooth and claw

June 20, 2010

It seems to be the general feeling these days that man is malign and nature nothing but benign. Man makes war, but animals don’t. Not true, of course: over the weekend I witnessed nasty barn swallow wars. We always have barn swallow nests in the barn, but sometimes a pair insists upon making a nest [...]

Read the full article →

Rainfall — we got a ridiculous amount this week

June 6, 2010

Oh-my, how the weather has turned! Not so long ago I was fretting about too much heat and not enough rain. This week has changed that in a big way: it has rained five times and we’ve had a little more than 5 inches in total. As I write this on Sunday morning, the temperature [...]

Read the full article →

What will rid us of this plague of dandelion seeds?

June 3, 2010

I was interested to read that a British train was brought to a standstill by a cloud of dandelion seeds. It’s been that way here in Ontario this spring too, although as far as I know, our trains are still running on time. Shelley, who works with me in the garden here, told me that [...]