"You Are On The Right Path!"

I love this quote about gardening...

From Two Women and a Hoe

but this  quote is more 

indicative of the reality of gardening.

(though, if you were to quote me,

there would be some extra choice words inserted

between 

"but" and "weeds!")

A slow start hitting the gardens this year resulted in a rampant

overgrowth of weeds, 

shrubs needing pruning and 

plants needing dividing.

August is normally a month that I give gardening a rest

...it's just too damn hot, but I am still out there

slowly tackling one garden at a time.

We spent too much time, effort and $$$

over the years to have our park like

gardens go wild.
 I'm just not ready to abandon them now,
but life would be a lot easier if
the hubby could help with
the "grunt" work.

...oh well...one day at a time!

Aside from the grunt work,
I am having fun making some new additions to the gardens,
like this old  watering can
 I picked up at a yard sale for 50 cents.
...love cheap!

I made three stump gardens today.

This one is my favorite.

Using rocks I already had scattered around the gardens, 

I cobbled together my own little inuksuk
for my road side garden.

 Inukshuk, the singular of inuksuit, means 
"in the likeness of a human"
 in the Inuit language.

The traditional meaning of the inukshuk is

 "Someone was here" 

or

 "You are on the right path."

A closer up view...and I know what you are thinking but I assure you
...it was totally unintentional!
Actually,
it shows up in the picture more than when you
are looking at the figure itself.
I am giving my inuksuk a name,
"Mellors"
after the games keeper, Oliver Mellors from the book,
"Lady Chatterley's Lover."

As for that "stone",

 I may just keep my eyes open for a more realistic looking one 

to replace it with.

After all, if the Louvre in Paris, France can exhibit "theirs"

 and call them works are art...

I should be able to display mine!

 

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff

I've always found this to be a great mantra

 to follow from day to day to help 

keep everything in perspective

...because, 

no matter how overwhelming things seem

...there's always 

bigger shit around the corner.

So, instead of letting the little stuff get to you, 

it's best to conserve your energy for 

the big one!

I've had to apply this to my gardening as well.

I have too many and not enough time to

stay on top of things to keep 

them looking good.

We gave the gardens a good pruning,weeding and edging

in the early spring, but already, things are out growing their space

...and the weeds!!!

I spent a couple of hours last night weeding some of the gardens,

pulling only the weeds six inches or taller, 

not worrying about getting the little ones

...they can wait for another day.

Some garden photos
 

Why Do I Garden

...it keeps me grounded

...it's good exercise

...while gardening is a lot of work, 

it slows me down and mostly, I find it meditative 

...I like the quite and solitude, even when gardening side by side

with hubby, we are deep in our own thoughts and

don't have to listen to each others yakking

...it's the only time I get to wear the same sweaty, 

soiled clothes two days in a row 

without feeling crappy

...it's the only time I wear perfume... "eau de OFF"

...the palette is constantly changing

...it's cheaper than therapy

...it's less depressing than religion

...gardening keeps me healthy, 

not only because of the exercise benefit,

but because digging in the earth and getting my hands dirty is good for me. 

It exposes me to lots of micro-organisms that 

keep my immune system strong.

...and yes Mr. Kipling, 

it does take time and sweat to keep one's gardens

 looking beautiful, 

and perhaps there is less time for sitting in the shade

...but all that hard work 

just makes the sitting more

 enjoyable.  

TANGLED GARDEN

We woke on Sunday to dark skies that looked pretty ominous for our plans for Father's Day, but it wasn't until I cursed the Gods for ruining our outdoor plans that all Hell broke loose...the black clouds released a turret of rain, thunder and lightening. Fortunately, by the time we finished our lunch the storm had past and things started looking up...the weather Gods were good to us. Donning rubber boots, we were on our way.

Grace and Issy   

One of our stops for the day was the Tangled Garden (on highway #1 just past Wolfville and the turn off to Grand Pré National Park. Tangled Garden is on the right, just before "Just Us Coffee Roasters".
Although Tangled Garden has been there 20 years, this was our first visit.

The welcoming view from the parking lot.

                                  

Herbs from the garden hanging 

from the ceiling to dry 

before being used in jellies and infused oils they make and sell from the shop.

The smell when you first enter is amazing

and I really enjoyed seeing the array of herbs. 

They were hanging so compactly that I couldn't help but wonder 

how many mice could be nesting among

the dried foliage.

Dried sunflower heads.

Jellies and oils on display.

Then into the garden to explore...

...you never know who you might meet

 ...or what you might see.

As we were leaving, we noticed these little creatures

peering at us through a shop window. 

They seemed to be wishing us a safe

journey home.

IT'S A JUNGLE OUT THERE

Not only does it feel like the tropics
with all the heat,
rain
and humidity
we've been having lately,
it's starting to look pretty tropical as well.

...the dense foliage of the cucumber bed.

I've conquered the slugs and cucumber beetle
and now
the zucchini plants
are towering above the compost bin
and producing
a steady supply of zucchini.
There will be plenty of
roasted zucchini,
fried zucchini and onions,
pickled zucchini,
and to keep the beast of the jungle happy
and to calm his savage soul,
... some zucchini muffins,
zucchini breads
and chocolate zucchini cake.

Ta ta! ...our mammoth size tomato plants!
I have never seen tomato plants
this large in my life
...must be the combination of
plentiful rain,
the mushroom compost we added
and the special compost tea I've been brewing every week.
There seems to be quite a few tomatoes there,
whether they ripen or not
is yet to be seen,
but we hope to have lots.
If not,
we will be eating
fried green tomatoes,
Nova Scotia Chow Chow,
and
Green Tomato Mincemeat.

SMUG SLUGS INDEED

Have you ever been up close and personal with a slug? Can I take back my heart felt apology on my previous post to all slugs in the slug world , or would doing so bring me down to their level? The devious little buggers were quite happy to be let off the hook for a while, but I’m on to them now. Yes, cucumber beetles may have left their mark on my zucchini plants but I now know they were not acting alone but were in cahoots with the slug from the get go.
The last few wet days have brought the sneaky little sods out of hiding in droves to feast heavily overnight. Back from my morning walk today, I discovered in my zucchini patch a whole army with smirks on their faces and bellies fat from gorging. I know a smirking slug when I see one although the ones I usually encounter are of the two legged family member variety. After this morning I’ve come to love the feel of squished slug underfoot, although the slim left on my fingers from picking them up is totally gross and doesn’t wash off easily even with a good scrub with soap and water. (must wear gloves next time)
So, as of today, all bets are off…apology retracted. The line is drawn…a pox on them!

Little Known Slug Facts
Slugs go about .007 miles an hour.
Slugs sometimes are both female and male, and if no one else is around, will mate with themselves.
Slug slime can take away the sting from nettles.
Slugs can stretch out 11 times their normal length.
Slugs mark their homes with their own scent so they can find their way home after dark.

For a good article on dealing with slugs read THOSE CREEPY SLIMY SNEAKY SLUGS & SNAILS by Bruce Zimmerman

THEY SAID IT COULDN'T BE DONE

They said it couldn't be done but yours' truly has just shot that theory to hell. About ten years ago we, or I should say I, decided that we need gardens. Before we started, careful consideration was given to garden size and shape, the mature size of the plants, which plants would tolerate our poor soil conditions and which plants would be hardy for our zone five climate. Water requirements were also important to me, not so much for water reduction as for energy conservation...mine.

I wanted roses, lots and lots of roses. Not the hoity-toity hybrid varieties, but shrub roses that would require little effort on my part. After being reassured by the gardening specialist "You can't kill these, You can go over them with a lawn mower and they will come back," I chose several Rugosa and Explorer varieties and went happily on my way confident that I would succeed. After all, what damage could a few misplaced pruning cuts do compared to a mower's blade.

Over the years we added many more, eventually ending up with a total of 36 shrub roses of various sizes and colors. Over all they have done quite well until this past year. Although they haven’t fallen prey to a mower’s blade, they have suffered from years of neglect. I have some major kissing-up to do. Although hardy, I can no longer expect them to survive, let alone flourish, in our poor clay soil. I have lost three this year and some of the others are looking very tired. I have a lot of work ahead of me.

MY KISS UP STRATEGY
1. We have been working hard all week spreading four half ton truck loads of mushroom compost over all my flower beds.
2. I sprinkled ¼ cup Epsom Salt around the base of each rose bush.
3. I have spread granular fertilizer over my beds.
4. I have been brewing a special compost tea to pamper my roses. I have read that roses like banana peel but since I didn’t want to attract four legged critters I decided to try compost tea. Instead of throwing our waste into our back yard composter, I put them directly into the freezer until I have enough to brew a large stock pot of tea. This doesn’t take long as we eat a lot of fruits and vegetables plus my daycare kiddies go through a tremendous amount of apples and bananas in a week.



COMPOST TEA
(The first time I made this I tried to pass it off on my husband as “recession soup” but he wasn’t buying it.)

Throw all your veggie and fruit scraps (and don’t forget to add your old tea bags) into a large pot and add water to cover.
Bring to a boil and simmer for half an hour.
Let sit over night.
Strain the liquids into a bucket. Use a small plate to press down on the solids to expel as much tea as possible. Add enough water to the bucket to fill it up and pour around the base of your roses. Throw the solids into your compost pile.

Here’s hoping my roses are forgiving.

“GOTTA GIT DEM DER WEEDS!”

Yes sir, this weekend was the perfect time to attack those tough little bastards. You know the ones…they don’t seem to die off but are there the moment the snow melts as if to ask, where in the hell have you been all winter? Nope, not even our frigid Canadian winter can kill these suckers. So with edger, trowel, cultivator and dandelion digger in hand, we tramped outside to whip our gardens into shape. This is no small feat as we have several garden areas on our one acre lot but it was a beautiful day, we had a radio outside and it was quite enjoyable. Hubby and I spent the entire day at it and probably got half the gardens done…more left for another day.




The proof is in the puddin'...The hubby helped all day...must either want something or he's kissing up!



The music was good, especially Matt Anderson. If you've never listened to him you should download his version of "Ain't No Sunshine" He's a BIG man with a gigantic voice and the best guitar player there is.

CORKSCREW WITCH HAZEL- A REBIRTH

CORKSCREW WITCH HAZEL- A REBIRTH
A few years ago I planted a Corkscrew Witch Hazel in my front flower garden in an attempt to had extra winter interest during the long, cold winter months. While quite unassuming during the summer months, they really come into their own in the fall after dropping their leaves to reveal an interesting display of twisted and curled trunk and branches. Considered a hardy tree, I expected mine to grow and flourish, providing years of enjoyment. Alas, this was not to be. Last spring, only half my tree leafed out, withered and fell. I knew in my heart of hearts that my little tree had perished due to root rot. Not willing to say goodbye, I left my barren little tree planted with the small hope that it would miraculously come back to life the following spring. However, after a long winter of more than the usual amount of snow, my last glimmer of hope was dashed. When the long awaited spring melt finally arrived, it revealed my little tree, it’s trunk snapped at its base. Sadly I carried it into my basement, allowed it to dry, then mounted it onto a block of wood and potted it. It has now become my Daycare’s new Holiday/Seasonal tree that the little ones can decorate with crafts they create. My little tree that had given me so much pleasure while growing in my garden, has earned it’s right to a second chance, and I fully expect it to be fruitful. A little birdie has told me to expect our little tree to bear little green frogs any day now.

NOW I KNOW IT'S SPRING

Yep" It's finally here...never mind what the calendar date is, spring is never officially here until the clothes go out on the line. Love the sight of clothes flapping in the breeze and the fresh spring smell that seems to linger on your sheets for days. I don't do line drying during the winter mostly because it's too difficult to access my line due to our patio door swelling and sticking and partly due to memories of helping my mother bring in clothes frozen stiff as a board, then hanging them around the house to thaw and continue drying...not to mention all the ironing that was involved. There are limits to how "Ecology Friendly" I am willing to commit to. You won't catch me boiling my dental floss for reusing.

My husband and I spent the rest of the day pruning our rose bushes (all 27 of them) and shrubs. I pruned, he cleaned up after me as he is unsure of where to make cuts would like to keep it that way. As he is always saying "you wanted them", but he is usually quite ready to lend a hand. I worked in front of the house to the music of honey bees visiting my crocus (we have an apple orchard across the road that the owners raise bees for pollinating so we get the advantage of having them skip over onto our property) and out back to the tune of clothes drying in the breeze. It's funny how something so simple can make a day wonderful and other days...well they're just shit, no matter what.

The two pictures below show a lot of wishful thinking on my part.
What we have at the moment is
lots of snow but I can still dream of garden flowers to come.