June in June

June in June

June is one beautiful hosta.  Not only is the leaf pattern great but the growing shape is full and neat.

Here's June on an rainy day in June.

Not Gone Entirely

Several years ago, I had a lovely, pink tree peony that just seemed out of  scale for my small space.  I dug it up and gave it to a friend.  Deal done, I thought.

About three years later, I notice peony stalks springing up where the tree peony had been.  What the heck -- I let them grow.  The little stalks grew and gave strength to the root.  Now I have a pink, single peony growing from the original root stalk, and I think I love it.
Sometimes what is at the heart of the matter is more valuable than the externals.

Now It's Spiders!

Having a macro lens opens a whole new world.  Our latest love is spiders.  When you can see them super close, you realize the hairy little guys are really pretty.  And look at all the eyes.  Who would have thought that a spider could have 6 or 8 eyes.  No wonder it's hard to catch them.

This little guy we found on the wall of the lanai where we stay in Florida.  He's a hoppy little guy with the cutest striped outfit.  He's quite small and you'd can't see how attractive he is with just your eyes.

Spiders keep many insects in control and are definitely needed in the home and in the garden.  Think twice before you kill them. 

The Grasshopper And The Ant?

We feel a little like the grasshopper!  Our mutual roof has leaked during winter melts for the last couple of years.  When it's summer and there's no leak, we forgot about it.

As winter approached, we remembered the leak and decided that we should do something about it.  Would you believe they will shingle a roof in this cold weather?

The roofers arrived this morning and shoveled off the roof before they could begin to remove the old shingles.  By 10:30 the old shingles were gone and the roofing could begin in earnest.

This time we are having them put a membrane under the edges to prevent ice dams from leaking into the roof proper.  They are going to put a couple more vents in and reseal around the chimney.  The chimney, I feel, was the major culprit.

Poor workers having to be up on the roof.  Lucky us that they will do the job.  An ant would have had the job done in September -- the grasshopper, in December.  Happy Christmas.

What Time Is It?

It's wintertime

I woke up this morning to a blanket of snow.  The first snow of the year is the best snow.  A topping of snow alters your viewpoint. Common things are changed overnight and the garden is brand new.

Garden elements that you didn't notice yesterday are precious the morning after the first snow.  The flagstones are outlined with puffs of white where grass or moss existed yesterday.  Old seed heads become delicate ornaments in the garden. Rocks and benches and bits of leftover gardening look like dainty additions. Snow dresses up the garden.  

Flagstones with grass look great

Tree branches stand out much more with an icing of white, and my neighbour's roof seems to be waiting for someone to make snow angels on it. Photographs become black and whites.

Culver's Root with snow

Of course, this glorification of snow will only last for a week or so.  Then it's into a long Canadian winter of boots and shovels.

Solomon's Seal -- A Plant For All Seasons

Solomon's Seal in the spring is a wonder to behold but in the fall it's magnificent, too.  As the leaves prepare to fall, they turn a wonderful golden colour.  Sun on Solomon's Seal in the fall shouldn't be missed.

Solomon's Seal does really well in dry shade -- one of the few plants you can use to liven up a dull and shady corner.  Because it is a native plant, it's not choosy about the soil quality nor the planter's expertise.  Plunk it into the ground, and it will grow.

In Spring, before the leaves are out, the growing points of Solomon's Seal peek out of the ground.  That's the time to divide the clump and give some Solomon's Seal to your neighbours or spread it around to other parts of your yard.

Bees love the flowers that Solomon's Seal produces in the spring.  Bumble bees especially like the fragrant bells that hang from each branch.

So there you have it -- a plant for dry shade that is pretty in spring and fall and stands up nicely for most of the summer.  A winner, I'd say.

Coming or Going?

This picture from Carole Sevilla Brown shows a scene often repeated at curbsides across North America.  But the question is, are the bags put out to be collected by the municipality or are they the results of gleanings the evening before?  In other words, are the bags of yard waste coming or going?

I hope they're not on their way out to the municipal dump.  Imagine growing a crop and tossing it away.  Good stuff taken in by the plants and resident in the leaves is so often gathered up a thrown into bags to be taken a way to the civic compost pile.  And then...we pay to get the compost back!!  How silly is that?

My wish is that these bags have been gathered from neighbours and will be chopped to be used on the gardens.  All the good stuff stored in those leaves will be taken into the garden over the winter and next spring.  Sustainable gardening in action.