After a time the years all start to run together, and so when I sat down to put this post together, I struggled to remember back to the beginning of the gardening season.
That's one great thing about keeping a blog: you can look back and be reminded.
January and February
We Canadian gardeners learn to be a patient lot. Spring always comes...eventually.
March
You know winter is almost over when it's time for Canada Blooms; the big garden show in downtown Toronto. This display of poppies was my personal choice for 'Best in Show'.
April
In April I made plant markers to identify all my seedlings and enjoyed the first signs of spring in the garden.
Eranthis hyemalis
Blue scilla
May
The garden really starts to come into its own in May. My lilacs have underperformed in recent years, but this spring they made up for it and the branches were covered with flowers.
French Hybrid Lilac 'Paul Tririon' on the left and a common lilac on the right.
Manchurian Lilac 'Miss Kim'
Though I crush the woody stems with a hammer, lilacs never last long enough in a vase.
June
June is the month where my peonies and roses are at their best, but there are also lots of other flowers in bloom.
Gas Plant, Dictamnus albus, Salvia 'Caradonna' and a common spirea in the background.
Gas Plant, Dictamnus albus
Self-seeded Columbine growing in front of the white picket fence.
Self-seeded Rocket, Hesperis matronalis with a pink Beauty Bush in the distance.
More of the 2013 gardening year in review in the next post.
Excellent anthology, Jennifer !
ReplyDeleteA wonderful review. How exuberant your garden is once spring gets going! I wish I could get gas plant to survive for me, yours are so elegant and robust. I may try again. . .
ReplyDeleteJennifer girl this is such a gorgeous display from your garden. I have always wondered about the gas plant in pink .. but now space is tight and my patience is shot ? .. maybe it is just the renos on my last nerve sneaking in on my garden thoughts ? haha
ReplyDeleteLove your beautiful pooch in those shots too .. I can almost smell the lilacs .. heavenly !!
I have to look at some of my 2013 highlights now too ;- ) thanks for reminding me !
Joy
What a beautiful recap, Jennifer.
ReplyDeleteYour gardens are wonderful.
Your garden is STUNNING and is like a breath of fresh air after all this cold weather we have been having here in SO CA. Your pictures are beautiful. Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteMary
A lovely reminder of the past year in flowers - you are right about blogging being great for bringing back memories of just what happened in the garden - fabulous.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice list of the seasons. Beautiful flowers.
ReplyDeleteCiao
Loretta
Oh I did enjoy that post Jennifer. I am sick of bare earth and holly !! Your fantastic photos showed the season gently unfurling. I feel all warm inside now ! roll on next season !
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about blogging - it's a great "garden diary". It's so nice to be reminded of the lush beauty here in the darkness of December.
ReplyDeleteThis is what I love about blogging, too. I keep a garden journal, but I'm not very faithful in keeping notes, so blog posts are a great way to remember what was blooming when. Such a treat to see all these lovely blooms on such a cold December day--your garden is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYes, a blog is a wonderful diary! I enjoyed the beauty here, especially in the bleak mid winter. Those poppies are my favourite.xxx
ReplyDeletesimply lovely... 4 months and counting... ;)
ReplyDeleteGorgeous!
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful! It's reassuring and comforting to go back through old photos when the garden is a dormant blob to remind ourselves of how beautiful it all was last summer.
ReplyDeleteLovely! I'm envious of your gas plant, lilacs and peonies. What is the rose with the white center?
ReplyDeleteI love Iceland poppies, sigh. I wish they could grow well here.
Hi Sweetbay, The crimson rose with the white centre is Marjorie Fair. It is scentless, but on the upside, Japanese Beetles largely ignore it and it blooms from June onward.
DeleteGorgeous photos, as always. Your peonies and roses are my dream garden. And I loved the shot of your dog crowned with laurels (sort of).
ReplyDeleteWhat a super record you have of your beautiful garden, once it gets going in spring, there is no stopping it, I will enjoy looking at the next 6 months.
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you what a breath of fresh air this post was after seeing everything Christmas for the past little while!! Beautiful blooms, and your photography (as always) is just gorgeous. After yesterday's snowfall, it's nice to be reminded that the flowers will be back again next Spring (although I do like winter A LOT). Loved your last post too. I'm sitting here on my "sewing" couch with my little mini Aussie "Cody" dreaming away ... feet kicking, and lip raised ... I wonder where he is in his dream? Your dogs are all so precious. I too am followed everywhere by my little pooch. I tell my family if you ever find me unconscious at the bottom of the stairs, it was the dog (always tripping over him). Here's to our dogs & blooms ;) Wendy x
ReplyDeleteThis made my day as we are snowbound again....
ReplyDeleteSo much beauty! :)
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely Monday.
Oh Jennifer, this post is gorgeous!!! What beautiful views from this past years garden. I loved every amazing photo. I am so glad I came over to see this!
ReplyDeletesending hugs...
Hi Jennifer
ReplyDeleteJust came in from shovelling a lot of snow (again!) and was so happy to be immersed in your gorgeous flower and summer garden photos, remembering happier WARMER days earlier this year.
Thanks!
This was such a refreshing post! I always enjoy looking back over the gardening year. I loved your lilacs and peonies, and also the doggie! I look forward to your next post.
ReplyDeleteGosh Jennifer!!!! How did I miss this post!! Your reflections from this past year on all of your blooms is just fantastic! Your garden feels like a vintage, classic cottage garden! Every vignette is just bursting with color and beauty!!! Inspiration indeed!!! A very merry week to you friend!
ReplyDeletesuperbe ce premier cliché et celui du bouquet rose
ReplyDeleteall photos are simply superb........very nice post,,,,,,,happy blogging...
ReplyDeletehttp://suryambika.blogspot.com/
How lovely garden you have! And fine dogs too!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed very much!
You're making me jealous, this time of year I would normally be going through my own photos but the computer crashed and that's now impossible. Like you I can barely remember what spring looked like now when all I can see is white. The peony photos especially are making me green with envy. Such gorgeous plants, I would love to expand my collection. Taking ideas from your photos of how to combine them with other perennials.
ReplyDelete