Thursday 28 July 2011

Woodchucks and Gardens

Mesclun mix was enjoyed once before our unfriendly local woodchuck chewed through two layers of chicken wire on my raised bed vegetable garden at the lake. Next night he chowed down on some lovely French filet bean plants.
Now the beautiful 'Martha- like' garden has boards around the base of the chicken wire in hopes of deterring said varmint. Temporary for now as the next plan is to use some heavier landscape wire (at least that is what they call it here). Or Annie Oakley could appear from nowhere.....oops did I say that?!

Monday 11 July 2011

Summer Garden Tour



On Saturday I toured the gardens of the Steinbach area. What a beautiful selection of gardens! The Friends of Gardens Manitoba who organized this garden tour, arranged for a bus to transport any who wanted not to drive themselves.

One forgets how beautiful Manitoba is in the summertime. Travelling on the back roads finding the gardens, I loved the brilliant yellow canola fields as far as the eye could see. One garden had a canola field as its backdrop. Not many gardeners can boast having such planted beauty.

This same garden had the best examples of interspersing vegetables amongst the annuals and perennials. So often touted as the 'in' way to plant I can see why it is becoming so popular. We forget what beauty through colour and texture vegetables can bring to a garden. Plus, the added benefit of harvesting said plants for our eating enjoyment. Nothing compares to your own homegrown vegetables.

At the lake I have finally planted curly kale in two of my ornamental planting combinations. I love its look! A few months to decide how I will prepare to savour it.