One of my favourite native wildflowers is Monarda fistulosa, wild bergamot. It’s the slightly plainer sister of the showy red-flowered herb M. didyma or bee-balm. M. fistulosa produces lavender-coloured flowers and is called wild bergamot because the whole plant smells like a bergamot orange. … Continue reading
My neighbour disapproves of me gardening before the end of May. He doesn’t say so directly, but makes sidelong references to inevitable cold weather and the threat of frost. I don’t argue but carry on like the ant in the … Continue reading
The first Cosmonaut Volkov tomato ripened in time for us to take to the cottage on Thursday, and we came home Saturday to a proper beefsteak onslaught. This is a superb heritage tomato for short summers. The cherry tomatoes alongside … Continue reading
Click the arrow to the left or right to navigate through a gallery of 24 images. Guelph Horticultural Society held its annual garden show on the weekend. Here are some highlights of what we saw there. … Continue reading
I’m surprised to note I’ve posted only a little about my new vegetable garden. Granted, we’ve had a lot going on since we moved to Waterloo in March, so it’s easy for things to slip by. One of my challenges … Continue reading
The harvest begins with early spinach before our last frost date. I’m amazed at how much food can come out of raised beds.
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Click a photo to view the images in a carousel. Several of this week’s photos portray a new raised bed we installed last weekend for vegetables and herbs. I confess I was so preoccupied with the project that I missed … Continue reading
This morning while digging the last potatoes from the garden, I disturbed this vole. At first sight, it darted from a clod of earth I’d dug into the straw. But then a few minutes later I saw it again, shuddering … Continue reading
I know few better ways to start the day than by wandering into the garden on a misty August morning to collect herbs for breakfast tea. This is a pleasure I discovered one long summer long ago in the first … Continue reading