May 03, 2013

Spring Gardening

The weather in Southern Ontario has been warm and sunny this week.  Sometimes it feels like we go directly to summer from winter.  The blossoms are starting to pop...

on the forsythia...


on the daffodils...


on the hyacinth and the violets


I knew that little volunteer violet in the paving stones wouldn't last long.  When Mom came outside, she ripped it out first thing.  I have a soft spot for thriving little things that grab a toe hold in an adverse world and hang on tight.


The pulmonaria is so pretty growing in the shadow and protection of the shed. It is always one of my first plants to bloom.  I love the pink and blue flowers on one plant.  I think it must be a flower invented by the fairies so I'm going to build a fairy garden here this year.  Maybe they'll move into the little house I make for them :).


The magnolia should be out in full bloom by tomorrow.  I'm puppy sitting again this weekend so I think I'll take them home with me for the afternoon.  I'm hoping they'll enjoy running free in my fenced yard and that the cats won't get too bent out of shape by their puppy cousins.  The dogs aren't used to cats at all so I'll have to keep them separate.  Lucy likes puppies but not Finn.  Based on his thrashing nightmares, I think he's been chased by a dog or two in his time.


I got a little veggie seed planting done this week.   I was soaking my bean seeds when Finn decided to drink out of the cup.  He's such a help in the garden.  I noticed today that he's messed up my snow peas and Swiss chard so they will need to be planted again.  Those little white discs are basil seeds in planting mats.  I've never used them before so it's an experiment.  I can't wait to be eating my own home-grown vegetables.  I'm even going to build myself a potato tower this year.  When I'm working in the garden tomorrow, I'll take some more snaps for you so you can see the difference in just a couple of days.


The lovely trillium, Ontario's provincial flower.  I have a few in my garden but I wish there was more.

Julie

3 comments:

  1. My gardens are running neck to neck with yours. What a difference a week has made! Is nice you have all that 'help' in the garden. As soon as I dig something up my old cat thinks I've made a new litter box for him. It makes for a few replants for sure.

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  2. I love this time of year in the gardens. Lots of growth and buds and spring blooms. The weather has been gorgeous.

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  3. Hi, Julie. I like your blog. I laughed when I read about Finn drinking the water you were soaking bean seeds in. One of my dogs did the same thing this week to my soaking sea thrift seeds. She left me only 15/50 ! It's a good thing I purchased a second packet. Silly dogs! My husband actually made me welded rebar fences to which I've attached chicken wire in an effort to dog-proof my flower beds. One of them still manages to get in there though. It made me happy to see the troutlily/dogtooth violet photo. They grow wild in the woods where I grew up. Among my favorites, especially the mottled leaves. The ones I planted in my mother's garden still bloom over 30 years after I transplanted them there. Bye now.
    Dee/NY

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