Closed for the Season

Winter is definitely here, and this little bird bungalow will remain vacant for the next three months or so.

As inhospitable as it looks, the season's snow and frost does bring its own beauty.  Something to photograph and appreciate during our gardening downtime.

Christmas tree

The spruce tree in our back yard was suddenly decorated with a flock of bohemian waxwings.  It isn’t exactly like a ‘partridge in a pear tree’, but you get the idea … It’s still kinda like an early Christmas present!

Merry Christmas!

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and share with you this poem by Frank Ockert:

CHRISTMAS PEACE

It's Christmas time, I'm sure you know,

The way we all are on the go

There really is no need for me to say;

But, none the less, I wish to you,

In spite of all there is to do,

A little peace, at least on Christmas Day.

When all the cards are in the mail,
Though, if like me, you'll no doubt fail
To remember some to whom you should have sent;
When all the gifts are wrapped and tied
And those you love are all inside
I will suggest how a moment might be spent.

Just find yourself a quiet spot
And read again, if you've forgot,
How angels sang of peace to all mankind;
Then breathe a simple prayer for peace,
Just for yourself, it will not cease
To bless your heart and calm your troubled mind.

Then, as you close your tired eyes,
Direct your last thoughts to the skies
And sense the love of God that comes your way;
His love will bring sweet quietness
And those you love His name will bless
To see His peace, in you, on Christmas Day.

The 2010 Seed Catalogues Have Arrived!

Stokes Seeds and Dominion Seed House catalogues have arrived. And so starts the planning for next year's garden. What new annuals should we introduce?  What worked well last year that we want to continue?  Do we need a bit more punch here or there?

And, by the way, we'll ignore the less-than-helpful notation on the back of the Dominion catalogue that tells us "your hardiness zone is 1".  Who knows where they pulled that from.

Oh well, there's still plenty of time to ponder all these things before the seed order goes in.  In the meantime the holiday season is here and we turn our minds to time with family, to meals together, and perhaps a toast to another successful gardening season.

Welcome to a "Work in Progress"

This blog has entries from when we designed and built out backyard garden a few short years ago.  Check out the slide show for photos from the last two growing seasons. Clicking on the slide show will take you to the Picassa photo album with all the photos.

Late Season Pics

As the summer wore on we started to see some interesting developments in the marigold bed. Over 300 dwarf marigolds (Disco series) had been planted and brought some awesome colors from bright yellow to orange to red. Last year the bed was full of blue and yellow pansies that had dropped plenty of seeds. Over the summer these seeds germinated and by late summer the pansies were in full bloom with the marigolds. Here’s the effect …

Here's the overall effect of the late season garden just before the frosts overtake us ...

The cold September nights have a dramatic effect on the Amur Maple ...

The Cockspur Hawthorn presents us with a similar scarlet color ...

But, alas, all good things must come to an end.  After the killing frosts the annuals are pulled up and the rose garden is put to bed. 

Mini Rose

Usually the little potted miniature roses that you get at the supermarkets die quickly because they seem to become infested with mites and other unhealthy things. However, after repotting and continually spraying with household plant insecticide, we managed to keep one going over the winter. And by putting it in a sunny window we actually got some nice blooms in the spring.The rose was doing so well that we planted it outside to spend the summer in the rose garden. It thrived!


Now that fall is here and there is a pending risk of frost, we'll dig it up and bring it indoors for the winter. Here is a photo of a couple of the last blossoms, cut from the bush a few days ago.