A Quote - about blogging?

"Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self."
- Cyril Connolly

The 2010 Olympics... in Bloom

Yes it is February but the garden city has created a buzz to celebrate the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. Stepping off the plane, the first thing tourists will notice is the newly planted green wall at the International Airport in Vancouver. Obviously brand new but very cool.

Downtown the Cherry trees are in full bloom.... how did that timing happen? It is a gorgeous welcome to the tourists that were thinking winter - not spring- when they were thinking Olympics.

A drive through Stanley Park ( Vancouver's large urban park) had me scratching my head. A small white Hellebore was in bloom - it did look quite dirty from the car but a walk by inspection later included a label. This is the new release Candy Love Hellebore (Helleborus x nigercors 'Candy Love') and it has been introduced by the Vancouver Garden Club just in time for the Olympics. Unlike the cherry, this is a plant that normally blooms late winter so it was designed to be in bloom for the games. For drive-by viewing it probably would have looked better with a dusting of snow but close-up it is a pretty little flower ideal for cheering up the Vancouver tourists on their way to the events!

PS The non-gardening themes at the Olympics were fun as well.

Spring on the Island

Hate to brag but gardens are not created equal and right now - as I write - several things are in bloom on Vancouver Island. Yes my garden in Calgary is still in the deep freeze but out here I have been taking the temperature of my compost, watching the flowers bloom, harvesting the last of the Brussel Sprouts and seeding lettuce...If this doesn't sound like very much excitement then you are not a true gardener!

Of course watching flowers bloom doesn't take up all my time. I am proceeding nicely with my new book series - I decided "a book" wasn't going to cover all of my interests so I am breaking it up into little bits and pieces. I am co-writing with another garden writer from Toronto and we have made great progress. I have also been watching TV - it is the Olympics after all! No -seriously - I was sent a review copy of the movie "Dirt" and have watched that and will be reviewing it prior to its airing on PBS March 20 of this year.

Okay back to the series - it is going to be of main interest to Urban Gardeners mainly because the rural gardeners I know already know more than I do.... send me a note if you disagree!

Seedy Saturday in Salt Spring

Today was seedy saturday in Salt Spring Island so if you missed it check your local area for a future seedy saturday. It is a great chance to exchange seed or to buy it! Demos of products and items for sale made it all the more fun.

Weeds in Hollywood!

Yes I am back - it was a marvelous sabbatical and I am sure I will be publishing bits and pieces of my escape to New Zealand over the next few weeks as I sort through my pictures.

Today I present a surprise. It is a common weed that we all know. I remember standing in E & M Woodland gardens last spring when a client asked the owner Ed what to do about this greedy weed and native plant that had taken over her farm near Sundre, Alberta. Imagine my surprise when on my flight home through LA we popped off the plane for a few hours to stretch our legs and we saw horsetail - yes common horsetail - in use in a very elegant flower shop in Los Angeles.

Of course I quizzed the owner of the store. "Aren't you worried this little weed will escape and become the next environmental disaster in LA? He laughed and said most of his clients kept it in pots and we moved on. So, if you have been wondering what to do with the weeds on your property consider a hollywood move - or at least trying them in a pot.