plants | My Lovely Garden … Mon Joli Jardin

July 13, 2013
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Saturday, July 13, 2013

The hot sunny weather continues … these are the lovely long days of summer! Here’s a pic of my first attempts at braided garlic. As I went along, braiding rope after rope, I began to imagine how easy it would be to incorporate coloured ribbon, flowers, all sorts of things. That will be my goal for next year.

For now, I’m happy with the rustic look. These will be gifts to friends .. and for me, a reminder of the summer. A complete day given up to sorting this years garlic crop. Hours spent, trimming the roots, brushing away the surplus soil. Sorting into sizes and beginning my attempts at braiding! A very happy day. Oh .. and I must select the largest cloves for planting this fall!

All the garlic is now braided or bunched and hanging to continue the drying. I stood there amongst the garlic … savoring the tranquility and enjoying the feeling of accomplishment. Oh, and I also dreamed a bit. Of moving to a place with more land so I could grow more garlic. I’m also growing shallots, they are easy to grow .. so would like to plant more of that also. A gal has to have a dream, right?

One of the zillion busy bees in the garden. Industrious creatures are bees …

Shasta daisy .. a cheerful sight to behold in the front yard. Modest flowers, I don’t notice them growing away until they burst into flowers adding so much beauty . . asking for nothing in return, save a bit of water in order to grow.

The edible peas are growing into giants and I harvest some daily. Still magical, isn’t it .. one little seed produces so much food. And such beauty. These vines have grown quite tall, over 6 feet in height. I’ll be saving some seeds for next year, you can bet!

I love this sky .. reminds me of a giant bowl of clouds being stirred around ..

Now .. this is an impressive cloud …

I watched as it evolved quickly, growing and spreading … see the cavern in the center? There was rain hours later …

A happy view of the suns rays beaming down onto this developing formation …

My favourite channel to tune into .. the sky … every changing and breathtaking ..

The Pawnee coming in for a landing .. it is the tow plane for the sailplane (glider). Having released the happy pilot & passenger way up in the blue skies .. it will land in a few seconds. Lovely plane. Formerly used for crop dusting, now it has a happier life towing sailplanes! The only thing that should be spread on crops is compost tea!

Ohhhhh .. a baby, wispy cloud.. how ethereal …sky art.

Look Dick, see Jane and hey Spot .. here is the Pawnee …

Nothing cheers me up like the sky does. No matter what is happening down here .. there is always something beautiful to see up there. Not man-made .. just nature doing its thing!

Yesterday I spent some time bracing up my bean crop. Using cut lengths of bamboo .. I made a makeshift frame and began running strings from the horizontal bamboo to tie onto the beans and peas to give them something to hold onto as they began their upward growth.

I was wearing my gardening outfit, muddy as usual and kneeling on the ground, focusing on ensuring that the string was snug when suddenly there was a flapping of tiny wings and a young sparrow landed on a length of bamboo that was just inches away from me. I think it got caught in the strings and then decided to cling to the bamboo to get its bearings. I scarcely dared to breathe and didn’t make any movements as we locked eyes .. Me looking at this tiny little innocent bird as it, in turn, stared, wide-eyed back at me. Complete silence for a brief moment of time.

The little tiny feet couldn’t quite get a grip on the smooth surface of the bamboo and he twirled and swirled in graceful minute arcs, round and round. Quickly he flew away and I, just as quickly, added some yellow plastic ties to warn other winged creatures that the strings were there.

Later on I stood quietly watching birds in the cherry tree .. munching away .. and saw the same sparrow. It had to be the same one, as he continued to swing in circles around branches. A fledgling member of the Cirque du Soleil, perhaps?

There are always unexpected surprises in the garden. Whether these be unexpected flowers, playful encounters with my feathered friends .. or something like this:

Honest to Pete, I had tried my best EM treatment with this Mexican Orange tree. It was one that I had neglected and it was really nothing but a stick with a few branches, nothing green whatsoever. I applied a liberal dose of EM about a month ago, but nothing happened. I was going to chop it up for composting, but, just hadn’t gotten around to it.

Yesterday, moving things around in the back yard, I happened to see this strong new growth.

It was one of those magical gardening moments and I just felt again the impact of the forcefulness of nature, the resilience of plants (and the power of EM). This was awesome and in so many ways it was a sign of encouragement and of not giving up. Truly an inspirational moment and humbling at the same time.

A mini-miracle that gave me such joy. And affirmed once again the positive power that we all discover in the garden.

🙂

July 5, 2013
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Friday, July 5, 2013

Life is just a busy fun place to be and sometimes I speed up when I really should slow down. And that is where friends come in!

I have been busy working on the little garden at the Dakota Cafe for the past 3 mornings. One day spent weeding and digging through the plants with my pal D to help me out. The next day was intensive weeding and planting. And this morning, a frenzied time of cutting back Rex Rosemary which had grown to be too high for the windows of the cafe .. it was getting difficult for customers to spot planes through the windows.. so a massive cutback was done (sob). I’ve taken most of the cuttings home and will try to propagate them. No photos really, but once the little flowers start blooming, I’ll be clicking away.

It sure felt good to work intensively for 3 hours or so at a time … and I was spoiled and given tea by lovely Jess .. so I happily drank my tea and gazed upwards at the blue skies. Lots of planes, eagles, turkey vultures and other birds. Sheer heaven.

Then time for a visit with D and her son … she gave me some great clay pots and I plan to make a crooked planting, arranging them on a section of rebar in the garden. Then she showed me a little ladybird dragon that was morphing into a ladybug on the nasturtium leaf… how very magical! Also, she has a Garry Oak growing in her hop plant ….I forgot to take a photo, but believe me .. it is there and very healthy. How exciting!!

Then D wanted me to go to see the amazing boulevards in the Haultain area and here is one that is just spectacular .. I think that the homeowners were advocating boulevard gardens years ago, they were very hardworking. And from the look of their boulevard gardens and their private gardens they haven’t slowed down a bit! Very impressive and inspirational.

And they have provided a lovely rustic area for passersby to relax …

Colourful nasturtium flower peeking out from the feverfew ..

Along another boulevard … labelling helps identify the plants, such as this one:

and here is the California Tree Poppy (listed above):

I love this “secret” front door …. well done!

Then it was time for refreshments … at a lovely little table outside the coffee shop … see the darling dog in the background? His doggy parents were making sure he was in the shade, had access to water and he was one happy little guy!

Yea .. coffee grounds for the garden .. happy to see ..

I’m betting that the coffee grounds/compost material doesn’t stay around for long, there are many gardeners in the area so I counted myself very fortunate to have this bag. Oh, see the red/white polka dot bag behind this? It’s my special surprise purchase from today.

There is so much to see and do here in Victoria .. here are some posters showing some of the activities, music, dance, drumming ….

Ok .. this is where my special unexpected purchase took place. As D and I walked down the street, past little shops, I noticed some clothing on a rack outside of a high-end hair dressing establishment. Couldn’t see anything in particular .. and as I know that normally clothes that are displayed outside these types of shops tend to be expensive, I wasn’t expecting to be interested in anything. However, something compelled me to move closer. This shopping bag is quite interesting, thousands of cut pieces of fabric knotted onto soft burlap. Nope, I wasn’t interested …

But then I fell in love with this very funky dress .. it is from Italy! The owners of the shop had taken a trip there and brought back some clothes to sell. Not sure if this photo does the dress justice, but this dress is me! It’s raggedy, swirling, colourful and I love the uneven hem. See the round circles on the front, showing the colourful fabric beneath . .these aren’t pockets, just design circles. This is my new sunshine dress and I plan to wear it a lot this summer! I’ve been looking for a nifty dress and so happy now I found it! This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t gone for this walk with D!!! I can’t imagine not having this lovely fun item of clothing! See the pea flowers along the right of the dress … they match!

And here is my sparkly hat (gold threads woven through that just shine in the sun!): So now I am all set for the summer!

Then it was time to check out a lovely new little grocery shop and they have a machine that will grind up grains …. well done.

Back at home, there was just a little more garlic to harvest. Time passes so quickly, it just seems like yesterday when I was planting the cloves in October. Now we have gone full circle.

The garlic is now outside, curing in the sunshine .. and I plan to try to braid the soft necked garlic.

Well, it’s been a busy day. D and I parted ways .. I went shopping for groceries and beer .. promised myself a wee glass of wine when I got home!

And now I must go outside to see if the sage cuttings (from Dakota) are doing well and to put them in a bucket of water .. tomorrow I will taking cuttings of them, the Rex Rosemary and some Wormwood cuttings also.

Also, lately I’ve been buying more plants. I know, I promised months ago that I wouldn’t and I have not yet kept that promise. However, a few days ago, when D and I were returning from gardening at the Dakota Cafe .. the traffic was quite heavy on the highway. So she suggested that it might be a good time to turn left and go visit the Art Knapp garden centre at Mattick’s Farm.

What the hey, I thought, so my car dutifully turned left and .. drum roll … once again I did not keep my plant promise. Due to the heat .. there were a lot of plants for sale. I should mention that we’ve been undergoing a heat wave and plants are just going crazy.

Anyway, there were a lot of deals and I bought all sorts of veggies, 3 different squash plants, a tomato, and many others. Besides some interesting berries, a purple raspberry and I just can’t remember the others. Oh, red onion sets, white onions, a dill .. countless others. They have been soaking in EM and water since yesterday and tomorrow I can plant them in the areas now vacated by the garlic.

Speaking of which, I harvested the last of the garlic .. kind of a nostalgic moment .. and it was a very satisfying feeling to think back to last fall, culling the largest cloves for planting. Then the process of preparing the beds, planting them. Covering with the seaweed that D helped me collect last summer. And then I watered with EM at various times.

Well .. it’s been a day .. just really wanted to share my fantastic dress, really, I just love it!

🙂

June 19, 2013
by thedogwalkinggardener 1 Comment >

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Funny how the days speed along .. I quite lose track of the date and have to check with the paper or Outlook or the bottom right corner of my little Asus to see the numbered day of the week. Cool, being retired. In my previous life (since I began working during my summer jobs which began with my 15th birthday and continued till (ahem) a little over 2 years ago … the date and the time was paramount in my life.

Tied to the hands of a clock and a calendar, I sped through the weeks, months, years that carried me along as I struggled to keep up with all the things that life brought me. Work. Fun. Love. Gardening. And it’s the last 3 that carried over into my retirement phase.

Love of my darling and fun DH who makes my life such a wonderful experience.

Fun … yeah .. laughing and enjoying all that this most wonderful world has to offer.

Gardening. A universe that fills my life with it’s wondrous beauty, adventures,insight into the many sub stratas of insect, bird, plants, seeds .. oh how I love this part of my life.

Anyway.

Lately I’ve been very occupied with sorting out our yard .. the sides, the back and next, the front.

So much to do.

Quite enjoying the transformation and all that is entailed with that.

And part of my lovely life includes the most marvellous fun of flying .. high in the sky .. my DH at the controls and I at his side, the co-pilot who is able to snap pics and enjoy the beauty of being aloft and floating like a feather through the air.

This leads to the activity of sky-gazing and quite often I spend so much time when I “should” be gardening .. looking upwards at the ever-changing scenery of clouds, plane watching, bird sightings .. all those terrific things that happen in the air.

Now here is a sky-shot from yesterday.. how very magnificent and ever changing ..

and .. like .. wow ….open welcoming sky arms .. I embrace you ….

and then .. back to the garden .. some play time!

ok … earthward bound now. For just a little while I have no concerns about what to plant where. No worries about weeding. Where watering is needed. Sorting out plant pots to give away .. I do have quite a supply. I just simply played.

My pal D and I had wandered around the Sooke Harbour House (beautiful) gardens and saw many playful art sculptures in the garden. One that I particularly liked was the random placement of pots on a length of rebar. A few days ago I was perusing Pinterest and came upon the same design. So I thought .. well, I have the rebar, I have the pots, I have the time .. so a perfect opportunity to create some art in the garden!

I had a clear area in the garlic forest, where I had recently dug up some garlic .. and here is where the fun began. And I am so fired up about this type of gardening that I am really hooked!! So very, very simple.

Select a length of rebar, hammer into the gr0und (at least a foot into the soil, to better stabilize the column of pots). Place the largest pot over the rebar, settle on the ground and fill with soil. Add another pot. And so on. As each pot is filled, it’s a piece of cake to position the next pot at an angle. On my first column I realized later that I could have balanced the second pot on the edge of the first pot and would have had more planting area. sigh. Oh well.

D told me that people add designs, colour, text .. on the pots. Exciting … more worlds to explore.

And that reminds me .. I have a very large supply of sparkly beads, tiles, all kinds of wonderous things that I could decorate pots with … the possibilities, as they say – are endless!!!

Anyway. I planted 2 of these, sowed the seeds, labelled and now will await the results.

This is so fun, I just love this! … lots and lots of ideas about this type of gardening . … how very very energizing!

Time for morning munchies .. I love dates …

Oh, almost forgot .. I brought out my seed supplies and began sorting them out onto my newly purchased gardening table .. more on another day about that!!!

Sorted into suppliers. Interesting to lay out the packets and see what I had bought over the past few years. There were quite a few from Richters (I love Richters!!!) , local seed suppliers, quite interesting to see. Whatever doesn’t get planted this year …. will try to plant them next year. 99% are listed Organic! 🙂

I placed some bamboo lengths in the “Kentucky Wonder Beans” and overnight they began climbing!!! The magic of nature at work.

And .. look at the most beautiful Art Deco teacup and saucer that D just bought! It matches the Blue Poppy seed packet that I picked up at the Butchart Gardens! Very striking.

Well … time is marching on .. time to go about my day …just thought I would share some of my happy moments .. lots more to come .. I have been quite busy taking photos and love to share them!

🙂

June 4, 2013
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A sunny walk at Swan Lake .. my daily walking adventures continue!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Lovely summer days, not sure if it is officially summer yet ..but we’ve had quite a few (more than 3!) days of warm sunny weather.

And, yeah, yesterday I began again my lovely long morning walks. I’d started the year out well, walking and exercising .. however, that had to be put on hold for a number of months while DH and I worked on the landscaping of our rental.

Now that is complete and my walking adventures continue!

Lovely border flourishing at the edge of the local allotment gardens!

And this garden area looked most welcoming .. very friendly and open.

Farther along .. I think this is Cottonwood fluff … looks a lot like snow!

Lovely cheerful sunlight lights up the leaves …

Can you see the tiny little dot to the left of the tree trunk? A spritely little Robin poses for a minute.

At very long last .. closer to Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary!!!! Feels like I”m going home for a visit .. it’s been awhile!

Aptly named, eh?

Not many people out as I walked along the pathways. Serious birders have most likely come and gone. I passed a few joggers and some teenagers .. but otherwise, it was a lovely quiet moment in time.

All is quite peaceful at Tuesday Pond .. I’ve missed the baby ducklings and goslings. Noticed this couple of Mallards, quickly snapped a photo and silently backed away .. to leave them undisturbed, although they knew I was there. This is their home, after all, and I am but a visitor there. Respect.

How splendid .. all growing things are fully leafed out …

I tiptoed along the little bridge spanning Tuesday Pond, not wanting to disturb the bathing ritual of the little Robin below.

One of the million or so wild roses blooming .. scenting the air with their most beautiful perfume ..

Dainty little wild flowers have been lovingly planted in spaces along the rock’s surface …

Next I notice the hawk perched high above .. overseeing the Sanctuary . . he knows I’m there and turns his heard around several times to stare at me as lift my little camera to take a photo. Decides I’m not going to cause any trouble … so that’s a good thing!

Time for a quick grooming …

A loose feather is plucked out .. and I watched as it tumbled … floating gently into the blackberry bushes below. I was so tempted to wade into the chest-high grasses to retrieve it, but decided to leave it. I even stepped a few feet into the grass, but realized that the odds of finding the feather in the thick growth of blackberries that surrounded the base of the tree were slim to none.

Leaving the Hawk to continue his search for breakfast .. I continued on my way.

Beautiful … beautiful .. beautiful …

No birds about .. must signify that the eagles are nearby …

The little observatory .. and I searched for the remains of the Marsh Wren’s nest, but couldn’t see any …

What a wonderful way to start the day! And then I spent the rest of this most marvellous day playing in the yard. Mulching the garlic beds with the seaweed that D & I collected last week. This garlic crop is stupendous. Some of the soft necks were growing out of the ground and they were huge! Also. although I’d planted the cloves some distance apart, somehow, during the winter, some of them had converged into groups of 2 and 3!!

Ah well .. time for another walking adventure and backyard gardening!

🙂

April 12, 2013
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Feels great to be tapping on the keyboard again .. and I’m sharing some of the lovely sights I’ve seen today! Oh, there is more, much more!

Friday, April 12, 2013

Funny how time just flies when life is just rolling along, similar to a nonstop whirling round and round and round and I just want to stop! 🙂

Times were kinda slow at the beginning of the year .. I was focused on getting fit for the summer by going for very long walks and exercising. Then our lovely tenants had to move and my focus totally changed and I stopped my lovely exercise regime and DH and I began the task of preparing our sunny rental into a home for new tenants. This involved (me) scrubbing and repainting all the rooms and cupboards and DH worked on the hard-scaping and landscaping (a huge job).

The task is slowly nearing the end. I’ve kept track of our daily adventures and although it seems a very long time ago (beginning of February) as I look over my notes I remember the forgotten tasks. Selecting and taking home 8 huge cedar trees from the grower’s fields (oh wow they were tremendously heavy). Together DH & I carefully unloaded one tree at a time from a lovely trailer that a friend lent us. I love this trailer. Anyway, we’d carefully put one cedar on a tarp and made a pathway of other tarps so we could (ever so slowly) slide one cedar at a time to the back yard. Where we’d dug deep holes for them. Added some magical organic fertilizer to assist the roots in their growth.

And I won’t bore you with the other details. About how I (ahem) transported one ton of nave-jack from the trailer at the front of the house by shovelling 7 scoops at a time (this stuff is very very heavy) into my trusty new yard cart and made a bazillion trips, slowly, walking backwards to the yard and slowly created a mini mountain from which my DH would scoop some with bags of cement into the cement mixer and began the creation of a sidewalk. Similar with the heavy sand for the base of the sidewalk.

So exhausted I just didn’t have the creative energy to post anything .. so have decided to get back in the habit of that.

We still have a way to go before the yard is finished, but, since we both have other projects on the go .. we have been taking a few days away from yard transformations and I have had the joy of spending a few days in our own yard.

So a few days ago, I was digging out weeds and bluebells from the back side-garden, when what did I see! This was growing up from under a large rock, which I rolled away so I could get at these precious bulbs, you can see the indentation below.

Somehow I missed digging up a few garlic bulbs, how on earth could I have missed them! And so they grew and so I dug them up. All planted now amongst the flowers and I will keep a sharp eye on them this summer!

Really, I haven’t a clue as to what this mystery plant is .. must have planted it last year, no tag, tsk tsk!

We had sun for a day .. sigh

So I took some time out and just stood there, staring up at this beautiful sky …

The manner in which this little leaf was laid ever so carefully on a branch of the tree reminded me of laundry hung out to dry, perhaps one of the wee little garden sprites had been busy and had forgotten to bring in this leaf or .. perhaps I startled them and they disappeared!

So today .. I went to visit my pal D, for tea in one of her fancy tea cups. She has quite a beautiful collection of the most dainty beautiful items. Doesn’t this look so pretty .. and creative? Well, you are right, it was!

After a few hours of sipping and nibbling at the cashew mixture and a delicious sourdough sandwich, we decided to go for a walk in the rain.

And thus I began to learn more about the little neighbourhoods of Fernwood and area .. here is a pathway at Bowker Creek (blush, I hadn’t visited this area before!)

This magnificent and majestic Willow tree rising out of the creek bed was an Avatar moment for me.

Another surprise was the sight of this Eucalyptus tree, regrowth from the base of the seemingly dead trunk! Lovely.

Many many burls on this massive tree ..

Someone had placed a live tree in the centre of this trunk ..look at the size .. how old this tree must have been …

Look, D said .. see what joins these houses together! Solid rock that wasn’t blasted away when the houses were built! Solid foundations!

Gigantic Rosemary .. taller than D . . to the left!

When I saw the size of this Flowering Red Currant (so enamoured by Hummingbirds) I began to rethink where I was going to plant the 3 that I have at home!

Ha ha .. tucked away in the front yard of one home .. the crow was chilly and so wore his toque and scarf today!

Two similar houses ..one all prettied up and the other … sadly neglected .. mirror images..

And some lovely little homes:

I so totally fell in love with this one! D told me that new owners had changed the yard from neatly trimmed lawns to this current wildly artistic happy yard. We saw two cats sleeping on the front porch. In the back there is another small home plus several little buildings. This is the most fascinatingly magnificent home and yard I have ever seen.

Well .. after this most lovely long walk … my first in a long time .. I felt my happy creative energy start to flow .. my goal now is to emulate the happy carefree spirit of this yard above …

Back home .. I found myself creating lovely foods for supper .. it all started as I began to clear out the fridge .. but I’ll share those happy items tomorrow!

Feels great to be back blogging again …. 🙂

February 9, 2013
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Why I take the photos that I do … Well .. here are some of the reasons!

Saturday, February 9, 2013

There is so very much beauty in this world …. everywhere …up above in the sky. Scenery. Trees. Birds. And photos of these all make the most loveliest of memories for later on.

Such as this tiny bird, perched, ever so briefly, on a branch (I think this is a Golden-crowned Kinglet). I was out walking and surprised to see a few of these darlings twittering about the tree. They didn’t stay still for very long, so I was lucky to get this pic.

And a surprise entry pathway that I’d not noticed before. It was only due to the fact that I chose another route to my destination and discovered this one.

The joy of walking along an undiscovered route heightens the enjoyment of my lovely daily walks.

And the overhead canopy of branches seem to delicately and gently welcome me along the way. Soon these will be wearing their summer finery and provide shade from the summer’s heat.Imagine, this pathway was here all along and I’m happily making my way …the highway and sidewalk are way to the left and while people are busily starting their busy trips to work and shopping, I’m quietly discovering more of Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary!!

After a few minutes I found myself actually at the allotment gardens, a good opportunity to see these plots up close, so I opened the gate and went in.

So this is, I believe, part of Swan Creek .. lots of water and the reason for the bridge (above) 🙂

This area is vast .. so beautiful to see unique gardening plots .. lots of work.

Each gardener has their own unique way of gardening. Variety, as you know …

Along the way, I’d gone shopping at Thrifty Foods .. and my visit was made much better by the lovely daffodil that I was given! It was a surprise and I felt great just walking along with this bright and cheerful flower nodding along in my shopping bag. So, I just had to stop and take a photo.

I liked the look of the mossy covered tree trunks. But just looking at this picture with Saturday morning eyes .. I think they also resemble great big giant legs with mossy green slippers! Just squint your eyes a little and you’ll see what I mean.

I wonder if the Downy woodpecker is thinking about gathering some moss for a spring nest. Or perhaps something else has caught her attention?

For now, though, time to dine!

Now .. this chubby little Robin .. is quite the robust little bird, isn’t he? Dining al fresco on an apple nested snugly in the branches.

Then he (she) is gone .. leaving the apple for other birds to dine on. They aren’t greedy.

Walking downtown, here is this great, gnarly tree, outside of St. Andrew’s Cathedral. Talk about character .. gadzooks!

And the remainder of a delicate little frost. Not heavy enough to freeze the water so the birds can still sip. Grateful for the lack of snow which is causing misery throughout the rest of Canada.

And sometimes I take pictures like it’s my lifelong ambition to capture every single moment of activity around me. Sometimes, if I’m visiting someplace new to me .. I want to capture the feel of the place. What it looks like, sounds like, feels like.

Wanting to remember the crunching sounds made by my shoes as I walk on a gravel topped pathway, mixed in with those sounds are the lovely pine scent of the nearby conifers, the cheerful chirping of birds hidden from sight.

When I see the lovely dogs, stop and have a chat with their owners … seeing the happy faces of well-loved pets … brings joy to my spirit.

These are some of the reasons why I take the photos that I do.

But .. Saturday rushes in and I have lots to do today .. .no time for a walk .. that decadent treat will have to wait for another day.

🙂

January 23, 2013
by thedogwalkinggardener Leave a comment

About the pleasures of walking, new routes. Lovely dogs met. And I now own a dandelion weeder, it’s great.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

I’ve been discovering such a variety of walks in my neighbourhood, makes for such a fun opportunity to strike out and get some exercise. Plus I keep on meeting some lovely dogs and see such a variety of birds.

I just love walking. In the rain, in snow, under cloudy skies and on sunny days. For 30 minutes, an hour, 2 hours .. all day! And I try to keep up a brisk pace and only stop for short periods of time to watch birds or talk.

Ok, I don’t mean to say that “I” talk .. by myself .. well, that would be a little strange.

However I’ve noticed quite a number of people out in public, seemingly talking away on a hidden earpiece which is connected (I hope!) to some kind of new-fangled cell phone or whatever. I wonder if people know how weird this looks .. out in public by themselves .. talking away .. looks a little strange. I always try to steer away from these people. They reveal so much about their personal lives .. not realizing that we can hear them … ick.

No .. I mean to say that when I’m out walking and stop and talk to doggy parents and their dogs.

Today I decided that I’ll vary my time walking .. so instead of leaving at a specific time for a specific route .. I’ll endeavor to add variety .. which is the spice of life.

Just a quick calculation on walking routes brought up at least 10 choices at least, from our front door.

From a to b or a to z .. which one I take will be up to me! 🙂

Yesterday, after just 10 minutes out . .. I met a lovely little dog named Miko (sp?):’At first she was very very shy … and then … less and less so ..

Till finally, I was kneeling on the sidewalk and she had jumped up, put her little paws on my arm and was giving me kisses! Lovely darling little Miko.

Her new family had adopted her from the local SPCA, about a month ago .. what a wonderful Christmas gift she is.

Cloudy skies yesterday .. so I’ll slip in a photo from a few days ago just for fun.

I was so excited about seeing Jupiter on Monday night! I’d contacted the Dominion Observatory and received the information that on Tuesday, the Moon would then be on the left side of Jupiter .. so I was quite looking forward to seeing that. Unfortunately, with the overcast skies that didn’t work out. Here is a NASA site, click on the video to see more about Jupiter and other planets close to the moon in January (how exciting!):

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/index.php?id=1178

Here s one of my latest greatest gardening gadgets. I’d always wanted one and it was on sale at Lee Valley!!! Bonus. Plus, the instructions are printed on the handle. How clever is this.

Easy to operate, see how the grippers open up … you place these in the center of the dandelion which is happily growing in the lawn, and then step on the lever

This action causes the grippers to close tightly around the dandelion

And all you do then is to lift the digger from the ground and see … dandelion plus the tap-root .. successfully removed!! No chemicals needed. No pouring of vinegar into the soil – which not only kills the weeds, but also upsets the balance of soil life and kills the worms that are so important in chewing through the soil

See … complete dandelion removed. And now . .. you can just lay the whole plant at the side of the garden, to let the plant dry out (and the goodness of the plant will be absorbed by the soil). Then you can just add the dried plant to the compost pile. No, it won’t re-grow. It will break down into the lovely compost. All natural.

I was also very fortunate on another great gardening tool … a compost turner. I was going to buy one and lucky to find that there was one in the sale bin, half price. Oh, happy days.

Robust Robin, tucked away in the tree ..

And later on, found this happy Robin … munching away on the apples that have fallen from the apple tree (wild root-stock, apples are not tasty at all .. but the birds don’t mind).

Ms Downy Woodpecker is nibbling at one of the suet blocks … here she has a blob of suet on her beak … hmmm… I don’t think that she meant this to happen.

Ms. Townsend’s Warbler patiently awaited her turn at the suet block.

And the Anna’s took to their new hummingbird feeders right away. This is part of a double feeder, which has the option of being used separately also. Supposedly these feeders deter ants and hornets. Well .. we shall see.

Some snowdrops growing away .. luckily without the snow.

Oh .. and my garlic crop has been growing away. I’d tried to deter this by piling on more seaweed and chopped oak leaves .. but yesterday, decided that I can’t fight Mother Nature. So I carefully lifted away the heavy top layer. Some greens broke off, but I figure more might grow. Anyway, just another example of how growth will continue, despite my efforts to deter it. Thus, a lot of the greens are actually white and spindly, crooked from seeking the sunlight. No worries. After a few more days .. they will be strong and green. Then it will be time for another photo session.

While I was busy doing this work of removing the top composted layer .. I suddenly noticed some loud thumping noises coming from the back fence … in some bay and laurel bushes. What the hey … it sounded like some animals having a fight but I couldn’t figure out more than that.

Suddenly a form flew out and landed on one of the big sturdy branches of my wild and crazy tree (the wild pear rootstock, now a huge tree). It was a huge hawk. Looked to be about 2 feet in height and only about 10 feet away.

I said a few expletives out of surprise and we just stared away at each other I saw some orange colouring in the tail feathers and was admiring the charcoal and white variegated body feathers. Then it swiftly and quietly flew away. I couldn’t see anything in the beak so don’t know if the bird that was attacked got away. A few minutes later I went over to the bushes, but could only find 2 tiny black and white feathers. So, while I hoped that the hawk hadn’t caught one of the Downy Woodpeckers, I couldn’t be sure that he had captured something.

Now this is something that must go on daily in the yard .. but to be actually outside while it was happening ….was pretty darn exciting. True nature.

Then I spent time sorting out the stones that were caught up in the seaweed that D & I had gathered…. to use in a garden feature. Tedious work sorting through the piles of seaweed over my soil sifter .. but well worth the effort. Once I figure out what the garden feature will be like. No worries though … the ideas will come when I’m working with the soil. They always do.

🙂

January 15, 2013
by thedogwalkinggardener Leave a comment

About an eagle looking down at me; icy pathways; Mallards being delightful .. and bicycle eating trees!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Chilly days, some frost happening, sometimes blue skies … and still I continue my lovely daily walks. Many years ago I used to walk and walk everywhere .. for I hadn’t a car! Fast forward and I’m back to daily walks again. And loving it.

So many places to go. Things look so different compared to driving, I’m discovering streets and neighbourhoods that I hadn’t known existed. And learning names of streets.

Decided that I’ll strive to continue my daily walks to the Swan Lake Sanctuary .. there are a variety of entrances/exits that I can take that will add variety to my walks so they don’t ever get to feel boring.

So yesterday at Swan there were still flooded paths, frozen sections. Signage up to show everyone how to take alternate routes.

Found myself near a huge old oak with the female eagle perched atop. Looking for lunch. Looking down at a nearby duck-filled marsh.

Decided to walk across the grassy meadow in order to get a closer look.

and so I decided to get a closer look

What the hey … perhaps I can get closer yet .. ok .. I think this is close enough. She is giving me the “eye” and I read body language enough to understand that she doesn’t like me standing beneath the tree .. so close. Bye bye ..

This is part of the Sanctuary, where she was seeking a good tasty morsel for lunch … and below there was a marshy area full of Mallards .. swimming and just having a good time. Hopefully they were ignored.

Some lovely colour ..

Ice edged the shoreline of Tuesday Pond

I’d successfully walked through the deep puddles, I was heading to the little bridge at Tuesday Pond .. a little water wasn’t going to stop me!

Nor was a patch of ice going to deter me.

However, I have my limits and then I turned around ..

Tossed some flatted oats on the icy sections for the Mallards to feed on.

The mysteriously banded Mallard is still here .. no one I’ve spoken to at the Sanctuary knows where she came from, last year.

Party time ..

The eagle wasn’t out at this time .. and I couldn’t see the hawks .. so all the ducks were out, enjoying the water.

Some icy covered rocks along the way

Brrrrr

The sun tried to shine through ..

And the Robins chirped merrily along.

Ok .. now I can talk about other things. I’m still in the process of decluttering. And discovering that hindsight is great. I had a number of Anne Perry books which I hadn’t read, so bundled them all up for donation to the Blue Box (reading program). Kept one book …and tried to read it. Historical novels have never held my interest. So, although I’d collected Anne’s books, I’d not made the effort to actually read one.

Oh, well …. what can I say. One page read, started the next and the next and a few pages in, I’m totally hooked. Her characters are rich and she shows such a wealth of human understanding that I am hooked. I’ll definitely be looking for more of her books at the next library book sale. Never say never .. that saying is true.

While in the process of choosing which books to keep and which to give away .. I had to flip open the books and scan the first page .. to see if I’d read it before. If I had (and they weren’t written by Maeve Binchy – which I keep for re and re and re-reading, they are so very wonderful) then away they go into the box.

Now for my gardening books. I’d already given away quite a few of them. Now that I’m “enlightened” in my gardening ways, I’d decided to give away all of those that don’t fit my new way of gardening. Still .. I have many, two bookcases full. So I’ll need to go through the books again and just be firmer with myself.

As I’ve looked through some of the really old Organic Gardening books (the small format) .. I’ve read articles on soil and what lifeforms live in the soil. Before I took my Organic Master Gardening course, I’d just skimmed over these articles The same information is also (I am finding) written about in great detail in quite a number of my gardening books. Ok … so the information was there all along … and I’d ignored it. I only paid attention when I paid good money and took the course . … which I’m glad I did .. otherwise ….

And sometimes, I just wish that I wouldn’t look through books before I decided to discard them.

Case in point the 2011 Farmer’s Almanac. Leafing through the book, saw an article on page 91 “Hungry Trees” and read that on Washington’s Vashon Island, there was a tree which grew around a bicycle. The bike had been left leaning against the tree, decades ago. Now the tree has grown around it and the bike is 7 feet off the ground. Incredulous, I searched for any verification .. and sure enough, it’s true.

Although there are many blogs which mention this (and other strange tree happenings) … I found this delightful blog: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/vashon-island-bike-tree

An amazing blog site: http://www.atlasobscura.com/about-us one I plan to visit!
🙂

January 9, 2013
by thedogwalkinggardener Leave a comment

Walking in the rain .. under a sky blue lined umbrella .. enjoying the peace and quiet .. how very lovely yesterday was!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Yesterday, the rains poured down from the heavens .. and this was a perfect day for a walk .. so I set out. However .. firstly .. here is a little photo of the little Fox Sparrow, who had a serious problem with his left eye. Today I noticed that the problem is much worse and, sadly, I saw another with the same problem with his right eye.

I’ve read, from some birding blogs, that these issues are more readily viewed when there are bird feeders closer to the house. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be noticed. Nevertheless, I brought most of the birdfeeders & suet holders inside for a good scrub, a light bleach rinse and lots of clear water rinsing. Amazing the amount of seeds were tucked away tightly. Washed, rinsed, dried and fresh seed & suet. The world was a little happier place.

Next, at the front of the house, I’m just about ready to leave when I notice a neighbour’s cat .. very friendly … came up the front stairs … apparently quite ready to come inside for a visit. However, a branch from our Christmas tree appeared to capture his attention.

Sorry, sweetie .. another time … love that face!

I began my trek … along local pathways … no one else out at this particular time .. so only me and the rain and my umbrella .. quite tranquil time .. loving this.

I love walking in the rain … especially with this very cheerful umbrella … the top side is solid black and the inside is blue… with fluffy cumulous clouds .. very happy indeed. So in contrast, the sleet ridden roads all of a sudden don’t seem to be so gloomy.

This pathway is new … it allows runners/bikers/walkers to enter Rainbow Park more easily and it opens right off of McKenzie Avenue. This is the first time I’ve walked this way .. kind of curious to see how it works out .. previously, this was all a grassy hillside.

Just before this , though, along McKenzie Avenue .. is a lovely little green area with magnificent trees …

And further along .. a massive amount of ferns growing along .. very lush and beautiful …

And more berried bushes .. food for the deer? Lovely to look at ..

What a cheerful sight .. lots of flowers …

And .. just a few minutes from starting my walk I arrive at Rainbow Park .. a lovely place, well named.

And what do we have here … another route to my favourite place! There are quite a variety of routes to Swan Lake Sanctuary and it’s fun to try a different one for each visit.

At the little observatory (once I reached it!) I could see a little Mallard out in the middle of Swan Lake .. and I think he saw me ..but, alas, I hadn’t brought any flatted oats with me .. so I left before I could draw him over in false hope for food ..

Farther along .. you can see the fence posts, still here, from the dairy farm that once flourished here. My pal D remembers this quite clearly .. she and her family used to purchase their milk from the store that once existed. Kind of nice to see these posts, though, a salute to previous times.

I love everything about Swan Lake .. and there are some areas that are just so much more awesome than others. This is one .. and see the nest up in the tree to the right? Cool.

Rain .. rain .. rain .. everywhere. But I’m not worried .. my waterproof walking shoes are about the only dry apparel that I have .. it’s taken me awhile to walk these shoes into a comfortable state of being .. and I can quite enjoy them now.

Some Mallards enjoy the peace and quiet.

Moi mes souliers ont beaucoup voyagé (grace a les mots de Felix Leclerc)

And this signage just never gets tired!! See the last line .. so true.

Sigh …

January 4, 2013
by thedogwalkinggardener Leave a comment

Thursday was a gift of a day .. sunny skies .. spent more time working in the garden ..

Friday, January 4, 2013

The sun was shining brightly yesterday and I spent some timeless time in the garden .. really got a lot done.

Moved more of the Miracle Mulch, placing some as mulch in the side perennial gardens and some around the potted trees. Almost done. Plus there are more containers full at the side of the house. Whew …I’d ordered a lot a few months ago .. moved it all from the driveway to the back … and then just left it all for a while. The earthworms have already moved in, working away to turn the mulch into beautiful soil.

More time spent gazing upwards at the changing beauty up there ….would ephemeral describe these wispy clouds? I think so.

Some temporary garden art! I removed the ice from the top of a container of water and placed it in front of one of my garden signs.

The birds, all of them, from the European starlings to the Chickadees .. have feasted from this apple and still there are lots left for them to nibble on.

More of that lovely eye candy ..

Containers of strawberries .. I need to plant them in the ground soon before the frost! Even then, though, I’m not worried.I’d been standing in the kitchen earlier, looking out the window at the birds visiting the little feeder. Notice that one little Fox Sparrow had problems with his left eye. Don’t know whether he’d been attacked or was ill, but his vision was gone in that eye and there was a raised section of pink around the bottom and side of that eye. Poor little guy.

Once outside, I’d noticed the same little Sparrow still in the feeder. Guarding the space for himself. I was glad he found some refuge for awhile.

He ate steadily .. keeping his good right eye alert for any intruders. DH & I watched him for a while.   His feathers were fluffed out and he seemed to be breathing quite heavily, his little chest would puff in and out, like an accordion. I was sure he was ill and glad he had a place to rest. Although .. he was back today, glad to see!

After awhile .. he left the feeder and flew up to the roof … perched there for a while. Looking around.

A few times he would look straight down at me .. I wondered what he was thinking … was he aware that I was supplying the food? Back in the feeder .. and I don’t think he really noticed this intruder, pecking away at the seed .. he didn’t seem to mind him being there.

As usual . there was a waiting line outside the feeder.

Once again .. another bird waited, closer ….but when he finally flew towards the feeder .. the little Fox Sparrow quickly spread his left wing out straight to ward him away! This happened so quickly. It was definitely a fighting stance.

And it worked … the other bird was deflected and flew away.   I stood for a while and watched as the Sparrow continued this defensive activity. At times he would fling out both wings, straight out! The body language was unmistakable.

There is still a flat of sage plants (and roses also!) to plant … where does the time go!

Brrr …. ice still on the surface of the bird’s watering hole (one of those upturned tomato cages with a shallow bowl!)

Time for a tea break. I love this … being outside, rain or sun … mug of tea, music …

Soaked up all the beautiful skies that I could yesterday .. as the weather reports indicate rain for a few days.   Enjoy.

At the base of the cherry tree, Calendula plants growing everywhere, fresh mulch applied.   Found one of those lovely glass globes that we used to be able to buy at Capital Iron. I have a few more scattered somewhere .. green .. gold .. amber

Another lovely day .. time spent in the yard … and all that is beautiful around it!

🙂