Summertime!                                      

All gardeners can probably sympathize--the summer season is a busy one outdoors with little time to be at the computer blogging.  How come I find time to put up short snippets and pictures on facebook and not write here?

As per my previous entry summer had a late start but once it arrived the plants grew and continue growing in leaps and bounds.  Spring flowers were so abundant this year I began to think that the plants thought they would not survive the harsh past winter and they had to quickly reproduce in large quantities.  The shrubs and trees in Bunn's Creek Park were spectacular in such glory that I had never seen in 35 years of residing with it in my backyard.
 
Out at the lake a similar quantity of bloom showed its fancy dress-pincherries, saskatoons, plums, hawthornes and blueberries.  We are now reaping the rewards of those berries!

My mesclun lettuces continue to feed our family and guests this summer with the French filet beans being harvested and enjoyed too.  A woodchuck was discovered (and hence chased from) in one of the chicken wire fenced gardens having gnawed through the wire.  Good that daughter was in close proximity to do the chasing!!  With a kale leaf in his mouth he went a waddling.

The container plantings are showing their beauty with my Muskoka Sunset dahlia topping out at 6 feet.  The bloom is gorgeous!  A few of the plants are being munched and after numerous investigative looks I still have not found the culprit.   I am suspecting a climbing cutworm but he is doing an excellent job of hiding.  I guess he has to eat too!

At home in the city my favourite delphiniums are unbelievable!  The Asiatic lilies are finishing their blooming with a few markings from the unsquished red lily beetle--a constant source of consternation with any lily grower here.  When will a product be placed on the retail market?  So far I am using neem oil and it is a somewhat good deterrent but one must be vigilant.

The blueberries are calling me either to do more picking or baking--pies, muffins etc.

Springtime!

This past Monday a very rude awakening as I opened the curtains on this 'spring' day in Winnipeg.  I should not be complaining as I am a snowbird and have been home only two weeks.   But this snow has to go so the outdoor gardening can begin.   I think that spring will not be experienced this year.  We will go from winter to summer.   Thank heaven I am a gardener who does clean up my yard in the autumn.  Yes, I chop down the Hostas and many other perennials.  I especially do not enjoy their sloppy leaves after being frozen.   I do leave some perennials with wonderful seed heads to offer food for the birds and winter interest to the yard.  Eupatorium, Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and Rudbeckia with their stiff stems are the chosen ones to remain.

As a true gardener not to be dismayed by the snow falling outside, I headed down to the basement to do my seeding of plants that I enjoy growing that are not readily available for sale in the nurseries.   Some are just very easy to grow and this guarantees that I have them in my repertoire for planting season.  Tomatoes are my favourite to seed;  Park's Big Whopper, Sungold and Black Cherry.  Miscellaneous vines;   Adlumnia fungosa, Cobaea, Tropaeolum peregrinum (Canary Vine),and  Ipomoea sloteri (Cardinal Vine) are seeded.   One plant that I have yet to see at a nursery is Park's Mirabilis 'Limelight'.   It grows large and has stunning electric chartreuse leaves with brilliant fuschia flowers.  A beautiful addition to one's sun garden!

Playing further in my downstairs den I plant my favourite Dahlias 'Park Princess', Cannas 'Red Futurity' and Dahlia 'Muskoka Sunset' which I received in my goodie bag at the National Master Gardener conference in Huntsville, Ontario last weekend.  It is not for sale to the public as of yet.   I will be looking forward to its bloom.

As you see gardeners make the most of what nature hands them and are always positive thinking regarding their gardens.  They are dreamers who are always thinking and planning their next sojourn into their gardening world.