Gardening That Grows With Me
The lusher our garden becomes, the more wildlife we see. Birds, rabbits, deer, chipmunks, squirrels, even garter snakes are now common place in our yard. Isn’t that great you say? Well perhaps, but couldn’t they be better house guests? I mean if the deer love my red begonias so much they want a closer look,… Read more »
Here’s one way to perhaps feed the rabbits and keep them out of the garden. I woke up one morning this week to find this fellow in a bucket that I use to collect pruned and deadheaded materials before taking them to the compost. Better that than my lettuce!
We enjoyed our first snow peas today fresh from the garden but it was a close call. Two nights ago some deer climbed over our 3 foot fence and decided to have dinner. Their tasty meal consisted of just perfect, ready to pick romaine and boston lettuce after which they enjoyed the tops of our… Read more »
The people friendly Red Admiral butterfly is back in Ontario. I’ve seen quite a few in the garden since early April but several were out today, I guess enjoying the return to good weather as was I. Red Admiral caterpillars feed on nettles, and while I don’t have any in my garden I know they… Read more »
It’s getting a little bit crowded in the neighbourhood. While planting potatoes in the back vegetable garden today my husband spotted a rather lazy garter snake. Despite making noise the snake didn’t move so of course my husband had to investigate. What he found thrilled my two sons — a garter snake in the middle… Read more »
Once again the rabbits enjoyed the tulips in my garden more than I did. In the past I’ve tried repellent and this year did drop a wire planter over a couple patches but with almost two acres to garden I don’t have the time, or the energy, to run around and cover everything up for… Read more »
Well it has been a busy couple of weeks. The early arrival of spring in our area pushed many plants ahead at least three weeks pulling forward my spring pruning schedule. Then the cold weather returned which meant watching the weather network nightly to check for the need to cover plants seeded early in the… Read more »
Despite the wind and cold today, we put on a brave face (well ok, several layers of clothes really) and went out for a walk. It has been a terrific winter for being able to walk outdoors this year. Today we were rewarded for our efforts with a view of some Canada Geese enjoying the… Read more »
It’s cold and windy outside today, a sudden appearance of winter in Ontario. While I sit inside all cozy, the birds have been circling our feeders all day. I imagine they need a lot of fuel to stay warm right now. Most birds thrive on seeds in winter, since insects and fruit are harder to… Read more »
Well it’s that time of year again — the deer are roaming and that means many of my trees are susceptible to damage from bucks rubbing their antlers along the bark. Every year I debate — to cover or not to cover. Bucks rub their antlers on young, flexible trees to remove the velvet that… Read more »