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Haiku
Blue moon that shines soft Rustle of silk on the floor Cherry blossoms drift

Early Spring Blooms
Almost everyone is familiar with snowdrops, those wonderful little bulbs that pop up as soon as they can, but there is another early spring bloomer, Hamamelis or witchhazel. A shrub not commonly found in nurseries, grab it if you can find it. It has clusters of yellow to bronzy red flowers with strap shaped petals

Snowdrop
Who are you to brave the bitter cold With your ethereal beauty? Virginal white and celadon green, A delicate perfume catches At my memory. A slender beauty swaying in the Howling gales of winter’s final gasps, The first kiss of spring’s sunlight fingers Caress your translucent blossoms Rising from the snow. You huddle close against

Happy New Year
Well another gardening year has passed and we look forward to a new year of growth and plant prosperity! I always reflect on what did not succeed in my garden last year and console myself with gardener’s porn…newly arrived plant and seed catalogues!! This year I sprayed my dwarf alberta spruce, roses and pretty much
Hummingbirds
Saw a very fat hummingbird sipping nectar from the flowers on my seven-son shrub so its a great shrub for both bees and birds!

A shrub for now
A wonderful large shrub or small tree for now is Heptacodium miconioides or seven-son flower. It flowers from August to October, bearing clusters of tiny fragrant white flowers. The bark shreds, giving winter interest and the shrub forms an open slightly tiered effect. Fall colour can be muted but the calyces, the bits left over after the

Late summer glories
Welcome to a late summer heat wave here in Southern Ontario! Starting to feel a bit like my days in Dubai. I managed to snap a photo of an all too rare sight this year, a monarch butterfly on my tall purple aster. This is only the second I saw this summer. Remember to plant

Garden Path
Have finished my informal Japanese garden path along the side of the house. It is made up of larger and smaller stones set in a winding pattern and a bit bumpy in order to slow the stroller so one can appreciate the garden more. Informal Japanese path and photo of flagstone path leading through the

High summer
The dog days of August are upon us and fall is just around the corner! A second flush of roses is coming but much lighter this year than before, I think the plants struggled to start after such a hard winter. In the meantime the phlox are blooming and for a wonderful carefree annual be