tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-208319492009-11-29T01:36:25.563-04:00A ruthlessly eclectic cottage garden of thoughts, tips and occasional tantrums on gardening.jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comBlogger431125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-9147241102013655772009-11-22T14:02:00.004-04:002009-11-22T14:50:41.545-04:00

Have I mentioned that despite my best efforts, I really don't like November. Yeah, I know, only every other breath. Today the sun is coming in and out from behind the heavy woollen blanket of clouds, and part of me thinks I 'should' go outside. The other part thinks staying in my office, blasting Bon Jovi and tidying up the chaos, is a better idea. So we'll go with plan B for the time being.I

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-861986961089681852009-11-17T07:55:00.004-04:002009-11-17T08:48:16.289-04:00

Being as how NOvember is living up to its reputation as being a long, grey month (at least the cloudy days seem interminiable), I thought it was time to have fun with colour again. The colour du jour: Orange, in its various manifestations.Orange: It’s a mixture of yellow and red, a secondary colour, named after the fruit by the same name. It’s a curious colour, because it’s been my experience

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-46875975667404020102009-11-02T19:34:00.006-04:002009-11-02T20:21:49.728-04:00

It's not a secret to anyone who knows me or who follows bloomingwriter that autumn is not my favourite season. The vanishing light does bad things to my moods although I do cheer myself with the thought that as soon as we make it past Solstice in December, the days will be lengthening again. Usually autumn in Nova Scotia is a thing of wonder and glory, especially in September & October. This year

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-14112196244123120322009-10-31T14:15:00.002-03:002009-10-31T14:23:00.363-03:00

see more Lolcats and funny picturesIf it's not one thing it's another. Been buried in work (which is good and fun and interesting and pays the bills) but also down-a-quart, healthwise. So I've been missing in action again. I told the catchildren they could do the post for Halloween but most of them weren't interested, being busy sleeping. We don't get trick or treaters here now, because the local

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-50899181549939604102009-10-19T12:06:00.003-03:002009-10-19T13:16:53.548-03:00

The weather here continues to be more like November than October: cold, wet, dreary, windy, rainy, repeat as necessary. It's been annoying because the great fall colour we often get has been somewhat beleaguered by excessive wind and rain, so that many leaves are just getting to their good colour when the wind shreds and sends them away. I've done nothing outside, but am declaring a day off

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-72699112299600446142009-10-10T19:34:00.003-03:002009-10-10T20:03:50.729-03:00

I've mentioned before that autumn isn't my best time of year, as the daylight shrinks and the garden winds down. Normally I do something to sort of prepare for the coming of winter, a yearly ritual like putting the garden to bed, filling the woodshed, and so on. It's amazing how it fortifies one's mind and soul. This year is no exception, and thanks to my longsuffering spouse's generosity and

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-44643198025645082622009-09-28T12:32:00.006-03:002009-09-28T14:32:26.771-03:00

I've been working on a couple of assignments that mention seedheads, berries, and other fruit forms, and that necessitated me taking a walk around the yard with my camera, looking to see what has or is in the process of setting seed. I'm not the tidiest of gardeners, and while I deadhead my container plantings, I tend to leave the perennial beds alone so that they can set seed to provide food for

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-47664835668532764062009-09-24T16:05:00.003-03:002009-09-24T17:55:18.831-03:00

So I'm outside this afternoon, walking around psyching myself up for my first post of autumn and determined to take the high moral ground and be cheerful and all that. I'm taking photos for a post about fruits and seeds when something on the red osier dogwood catches my eye."Curious," I say to myself. "How on earth did a bird manage to poop on the underside of a leaf?" I look closer and realize

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-39889305483085679232009-09-18T13:25:00.000-03:002009-09-18T13:27:37.583-03:00

It was something of a shock to discover, a few years ago, that I had fallen in love with asters. Not only that, but the love affair continues to grow and flourish. And become even broader based than I had dreamed possible.Let me qualify that. I fell in love with the perennial, fall blooming type of asters, whether they're tall or small, blue or purple or magenta or hot pink. I've never grown

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-21852011432333556552009-09-08T19:37:00.003-03:002009-09-08T19:59:45.459-03:00

Nothing makes me happier than to see schools, community organizations, and others get behind a good cause. Take monarch butterflies, for example. It's no secret that I'm a fan of them, and of other pollinating creatures, and have been writing about them for a few years. We often have them in our garden, which is extremely butterfly/pollinator friendly, and many times I've sat mesmerized watching

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-33326713479845892702009-09-05T12:39:00.004-03:002009-09-05T13:19:20.726-03:00

I've tried to ignore the changing of the months by not changing my office calendar, but to no avail. Denial isn't working, as a quick stroll around the overgrown, overwhelmed garden will attest. It's definitely September.The plants tell me even without a glance at the calendar. This willow gentian doesn't put in an appearance until September has broken over the horizon.Ligularia 'Desdemona' is at

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-65158020076575671602009-08-29T12:07:00.005-03:002009-08-29T13:31:10.147-03:00

The symmetry and beauty of flowers does a lot to calm us when we're in the middle of turmoil. I love nigella, and this white one does a great deal to just make me feel better about life in general. Although Hurricane Bill wasn't so much of an event, it did manage to make a mess in the garden. And this has been the week of electronic tantrums, too.My digital SLR camera is acting up so it's on its

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-65220691962600832992009-08-21T23:21:00.006-03:002009-08-22T00:11:56.466-03:00

We interrupt your possible weather tantrums for some important news...bloomingwriter is absolutely crazy about coneflowers, and they're approaching peak bloom in her garden. I can't repeat often enough that one of the absolute ultimate perennials in our garden is the coneflower. I loved them when we had only two choices, (purple and white); I lost my mind for them when the new colours started

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-35411345370767869042009-08-16T19:30:00.000-03:002009-08-16T19:34:32.137-03:00

I mentioned a couple of lilies in my last post, but since then, they've all started popping open in earnest, and the yard is awash with fragrance and colour. Mind you, with the Oriental lilies I have, the colours are mostly variations on a shade of pink, but that works fine for me. Let's have a walk around the yard and smell them all, shall we? We'll begin with Orienpet 'Purple Prince', which is

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-46095371672558118182009-08-11T22:11:00.005-03:002009-08-11T23:00:58.897-03:00

In my last post I remarked about the crankiness of the weather this summer, and how it sort of compensated by creating humungous and gorgeous hydrangeas. There have been other plants that have reacted rather marvelously too. For one reason or another, getting good photos has been a challenge some days. It's either been grey/foggy/dreary, or else I've been busy and haven't been able to get outside

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-54614308802559101902009-08-06T15:25:00.000-03:002009-08-06T15:25:55.419-03:00

One of my favourite novels is one that came out some years ago by writer Bailey White. Quite a Year For Plums is a delightful read, (and a novel I re-read regularly), but I especially love the title, and borrowed from it because it seemed apt for this post. Hydrangeas have the Greek for 'water' (hydra) in their name, and this year, all the water we're getting seems to be inspiring them more than

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-3061197543632852132009-07-31T01:54:00.000-03:002009-07-31T01:54:43.253-03:00

I'm with Irish poet William Butler Yeats who extolled life in the 'Bee loud glade' in his poem The Lake Isle of Innisfree. I WILL arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made; Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee, And live alone in the bee-loud glade. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-5237079975108259602009-07-26T20:25:00.008-03:002009-07-26T21:15:21.948-03:00

Today felt like summer, in earnest; hot sunshine, little wind, and the garden smiled in relief, stretching towards the warmth. And the gardener smiled too. There's been a lot of wind and rain damage, and some plants are looking traumatized and threatening to rot because of all the wet. But others are doing just fine, thank you.I roamed around the yard this morning for a little while and just

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-16359141085447429962009-07-24T10:03:00.000-03:002009-07-24T10:38:38.684-03:00

As I mentioned in my previous note, daylilies are a plant propagator's delight, which is why there are more than 60,000 named varieties out there. There are some very famous breeders, including the late Steve Moldovan, whose partner carries on his work; Frank Smith, whose plants are simply awesome in the extreme; James Marsh, who created the 'Chicago' named series of hybrids (and others) such as

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-7086097474669445322009-07-22T21:48:00.007-03:002009-08-29T23:46:12.455-03:00

I met a lovely woman the other day while I was out poking around a couple of nurseries. She confessed that she didn't particularly care for daylilies. I suggested that she take some time in the next week or so and get to Canning Daylily Gardens during their official open garden week (though visitors are welcome anytime, it's just that they're heading into peak bloom shortly) and see if she didn't

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-15004189418824791052009-07-20T10:45:00.007-03:002009-07-20T11:48:35.821-03:00

Yesterday dawned a little foggy but also sunny, and since I was feeling pretty good, we decided to go to Liverpool, collect the rest of my stuff, and put that chapter of my life (happily) far, far behind me. As we got ready, I looked outside, told longsuffering spouse I'd be a few minutes, and took off outside with my camera.Some mornings we have what I call 'breathing fog.' It's very odd, and

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-20606238852685578882009-07-16T21:16:00.005-03:002009-07-16T22:05:31.852-03:00

Over the past couple of months I've had several opportunities to drop in to the Rock Garden at my alma mater, the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in Truro. While the weather hasn't always been ideal in this soggy spring/summer, I can't resist taking photos and sharing them with readers. If you're ever in Truro: GO to the AC and visit the Rock Garden. I'm serious. It's fabulous. These gentians

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-61345906149752888122009-07-08T14:43:00.004-03:002009-07-08T15:51:50.987-03:00

Regular readers know that I’m just as crazy about interesting foliage as I am about flowers when it comes to my garden. So it will likely come as no surprise to find that I’m enamoured of ninebarks, partly for their whimsical name, partly for their reputation as awesomely handsome and tough, four-season shrubs. The ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) is native to parts of Canada and the United

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-77302510012668912722009-07-05T14:08:00.006-03:002009-07-05T14:34:13.826-03:00

Today is Sunday, 5 July. Belated but heartfelt Happy Canada Day to my compatriots; hope everyone had an awesome Canada Day with lots of "true patriot love..." and lots of red and white!and belated but equally heartfelt Happy Fourth of July to my American neighbours. (My Red, White and Blue tribute follows...)Assorted bouquets, hugs and apologies to regular readers and to my fellow bloggers who I

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-82677024527571688802009-06-26T01:51:00.000-03:002009-06-26T07:35:09.746-03:00

As so often happens, life got in the way in recent weeks and I neglected to put up the most recent letter from Sylvia in our Letters Across the Pond series. My apologies to all those who are following our conversation and of course to Sylvia, to whom I think I now owe 2 letters. But she's in good company with other friends I owe correspondence to. Something like the shoemaker's children going

jodi (bloomingwriter)http://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com7