Oh, the Indignity of It All
Tags: cat, Wordless Wednesday
March 10 2010 | Garden Therapy | 4 Comments »
Magnolia Bud
Not sure a macro lens was needed for this orange-sized magnolia bloom but it sure got some beautiful detail. Hubby took the photo while I was off too busy chasing the tiny dog around the garden while admiring all the beauties about to bloom. I think the stormy grey sky actually compliments this pretty pink bud.
Tags: magnolia
March 09 2010 | Flowers and Photography | 4 Comments »
A Little More About Me: Interview
I’ve been contacted quite a bit lately by people interested in the therapy part of Garden Therapy. Most of my posts contain the results of therapy as the gardening, cooking, art, and writing are all about connecting with myself and others and that is the healing path for me. I have touched lightly on therapeutic benefits of gardening for me but I often feel so full of joy when practicing these art forms that I don’t focus on the journey of hardship and suffering that has led me here. So when Virginia from Container Gardening Made Easy asked to interview me, I found it a great opportunity to share a bit more.
There is much to be said about the healing magic of digging in the earth and I plan to share more of my experiences—both the joy and the pain—as well as the stories of others like me who find gardening gives them back something they couldn’t find elsewhere. In the meantime, if you would like to read the interview you can find it here. And thanks, Virginia, for asking.
Tags: interview
March 06 2010 | Garden Therapy | 4 Comments »
Flora Friday & Hellebore Hurrah!
My Flora Friday pick this week is the Hellebore.
Not only are they blooming everywhere right now in so many different sizes, shapes and striking colours, but also Phoenix Perennials, my favourite nursery, opens today with their annual Hellebore Hurrah! Starting today and running all weekend, The Hellebore Hurrah is “Celebrating early spring and all things Hellebore” with a wide selection of hellebores on sale, a free workshop both Friday and Saturday at noon: “Hellebores in the Garden: Secrets of Success with the Lenten Rose” presented by Shelley Brignall, and a first glimpse of all the great stuff they have at Phoenix Perennials for 2010. I can’t wait!
Tags: hellebore
March 05 2010 | Flowers and Gardening and Vancouver | 3 Comments »
Purple Cauliflower Chaos
It’s been a year now that I have taken on the new adventure of growing purple cauliflower. I started the seeds indoors in March 2009 and tenderly cared for them until they could be hardened off. I grew a bunch, maybe twelve, so I put two in my back garden beds, took six more to the community garden and gave the final ones away. The ones in my back garden grew and grew and grew into monstrous proportions and finally started to rot and stink over winter so I composted them. That was hard to do after ten months of anticipation for a purple crown of deliciousness but the backyard patio area smelling like rotten cabbage was a strong motivator.
The ones at the community garden were basically in shade because my plot—unbeknownst to me when we took the plot in the late winter of 2009—was totally shaded by a huge tree until 2PM every day. Not the best spot for growing veg. Nonetheless, four of those plants seemed to be staying healthy albeit quite small so I potted them up and brought them home and forgot about them. One day I had a bare spot in the front garden so I put four of them in the ground and a year later to my great surprise I have purple cauliflower!
Each plant is looking a little different today. Two have golf-ball sized crowns, one has melon sized crown and one, in this photo, has started to set a bunch of florets instead of a crown.
Cauliflower Gardeners out there: what should I now do with my purple cauliflower? I couldn’t imagine after the treacherous life these plants have had that they would provide me with something edible, but they have, and now I wonder if I should harvest them or let them grow larger. Could it be that each one could become it’s own crown?
This certainly is no ordinary tale of planting a growing cauliflower, and I would not recommend it, but this sort of chaos is to be expected as I try new things and stray from the traditional ways of doing things (like gardening in rows – for shame!) I’m sorry to those experienced gardeners with dedicated vegetable plots that are carefully organized and planned that I am making cringe with my tale but for me any experiment that ends with a tasty meal is a success. And I’m hoping for a tasty meal soon.
Tags: cauliflower
March 04 2010 | Community Garden and Gardening and Growing Food and Harvest | 5 Comments »
I Say Narcissus, You Say Daffodil…
Tags: narcissus, Wordless Wednesday
March 03 2010 | Flowers and Gardening and Photography | 4 Comments »
Gold Canada Gold!
Right after the hockey game we jumped on the skytrain downtown and what a sight! The crowds, the singing, the cheering, the high fives – it’s a massive street party. I’ve gotta go party some more, but here is a few snaps of what it’s looking like downtown right now!
Tags: Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
February 28 2010 | Vancouver | 1 Comment »
Go Canada Go: Mitten Sweater
To show my support for Canada in the gold medal hockey today, I made my dog a sweater out of a red Olympic mitten. He gets the other one as a toy. He’s happier than he looks in the photos. Go Canada Go!
Tags: Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
February 28 2010 | Vancouver | 3 Comments »
Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Day 16: Vancouver Skyline is Gold
Canada won 3 gold medals today tying for the most number of gold medals won by any country during the Olympics. If we win gold in hockey tomorrow, we will set a new record. Our friends to the South also broke records today winning the most medals by any country in any Olympics, with 37 medals (including hockey) for the US. Way to go North America! The beautiful Vancouver skyline as seen from Stanley Park shows the Olympic rings in gold to celebrate our success today.
Also, on a much less cheery note, the rocky waves in the ocean tonight were a result of the earthquake in Chile. We are thinking about everyone affected by natural disasters lately and are hoping for safety to those in tumultuous areas as we watch the restless sea.
Tags: Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics
February 27 2010 | Photography and Vancouver | 3 Comments »
Radishlings on Toast and Egg
My radishes are growing so well under the umbrella greenhouses that I started thinning them this morning. Not one to throw away fresh greens, I topped my breakfast with the culled radishlings. With all the pepper in me now, I think I’ll go do some gardening!
February 25 2010 | Growing Food and Photography | 7 Comments »
