My trip Home to Nova Scotia

Mom's dwarf irises

My Mom's rockgarden

When my Mom tells a story it never moves in a straight line from start to finish; instead is zigzags off in all crazy directions and sometimes doubles back on the same path for a second or third telling.

There seems to be a certain urgency to her stories these days. On her birthday in October, she'll be ninety. 

Usually at this time of year, Mom likes nothing better than to be out working in her garden, but a clogged artery, which hinders the flow of blood to her heart, has left her weak and without energy. She is so thin and frail that it seems as though a strong gust of wind might blow her away.

Last week, I spent as much of my time at home in Nova Scotia as I could listening to her stories.

Rhododendrons and gorgeous azaleas, like this pale pink one, were one of the many 

beautiful sights in Truro, N.S.

One afternoon, we two gardeners conspired to drag my poor old Dad up to Truro to see the famous rock garden (seen above). On another morning, Mom and I drove out along the south shore to the Chester Basin to visit with Brenda, who turned out to be just as lovely in person as she is in her blog.

Though Mom was as excited as I was to visit some of these local gardens, being active quickly took a toll on her. Half was through our visit to my friend Donna's garden, Mom got winded and had to take a seat while I finished taking photographs. 

I fear poor Donna, who kept her company that afternoon while I worked, heard as many of my Mom's stories as I did!

I arrived back home in Toronto last Thursday night. 

On Friday morning a small fleet of trucks and heavy equipment arrived to take down the two trees that were damaged in last winter's ice storm. This task took a team of eight burly fellows a full day to complete. Hubby took these pictures of the big event:

One of the finer moments from this year's Through the Garden Gate tour

Then on Saturday I was off to Through the Garden Gate, which turned out to be hugely disappointing for the first time ever. Those multi-million dollar homes and their gardens simply didn't hold a candle to some of the gardens I had just seen in Nova Scotia. 

It just goes to show you that money really can't buy everything! A little creativity and a genuine love of gardening go a long, long way.

False Indigo, Baptisia in my garden

In my absence, my garden seems to have grown by leaps and bounds. Among other things, I missed taking pictures of all the purple alliums and lilacs in flower.

Gas plant, Dictamnus albus in the front garden.

So far this spring, I have barely touched the front garden, but it seems to have soldiered on without me.

All my peonies are starting to open, including this fragrant white one. 

As well as weeding, I have an absolute ton of photos to sort though from my trip to Nova Scotia.  Here is a preview of Donna's wonderful garden:

Donna's garden

Geum

Donna has an amazing collection of rhododendrons and magnolias.

Primula in Donna's woodland garden.

And then there is Jacquie's garden. Here's another preview:

The upper terrace in Jacquie's garden.

Columbine shining in the light of early evening.

Jacquie's "Flower" fairy who presides over the lower part of the garden from 

top of a stump of an old crabapple tree.

Geum in Jacquie's garden

I also have a whole slew of pictures from the rock garden in Truro, as well as pictures from the Halifax YMCA's annual garden tour to work through.

And in the coming week, I hope to catch up with all my blogging friends. 

Flying Home

I am flying home to Nova Scotia today to visit with family and friends. Bren is putting the kettle on and Donna has promised to show me her garden.

See you in a week's time!

Through the Garden Gate

We like to think we can do what we want on our own property, but truth be told, city hall often has us on a fairly tight leash.

Recently we looked into adding a small garden shed and discovered that there were a long list of rules and regulations governing even these simple structures. (In the city of Brampton a shed must be located in the backyard and cannot be placed at the front or side of your house. It must also be located at least 2' inside the property line, and unless you obtain a special permit ($$), can be no bigger than 8' x10' and no higher than 9.5'....)

Last week a sneak preview of the gardens on this year's Through the Garden Gate, the Toronto Botanical Garden's annual tour of Toronto's best private gardens, got me thinking even further about the rules, both real and unspoken, that govern our lives.

This year Through the Garden Gate features gardens located in Hogg's Hollow a small enclave in the heart of the city that has managed to retain much of its original charm and character. 

A much sought after address, the homes here are grand and ostentatious. 

Very often professionally designed and maintained, these gardens are all 

scrupulously groomed and ordered.

What a surprise then, to come across a garden like this one (also included on this year's Through the Garden Gate tour):

Now here was a garden rebel; a homeowner who dares to swim against the current. In this particular front garden, there wasn't a blade of grass in sight!

Instead the garden was free and unstructured; some might even say "wild".

 Alliums

There was a time when "natural" front gardens were highly controversial. 

That was years ago though! Surely we have moved away from the limitation of thinking the only thing that belongs at the front of a house is a lawn and a few tidy flowerbeds? 

Or have we?

So for fun, I looked up the regulations governing front gardens in my own city.

Bleeding Heart, Dicentra spectabilis

The City of Brampton website states that homeowners must: 

"Cut grass and weeds regularly to make sure they don't grow higher than higher than 20 cm (8 inches). If you don't cut your grass and weeds, the City will cut them at your own expense. The cost for this is at least $313."

Hmm....this speaks more to traditional lawns. But what about "natural" grasses and gardens? What is one's man's weed is another man's flower!

I decided to call the City for clarification.

Siberian irses and daffodils

When I finally got another human on the other end of the line, she immediately seemed to be flustered by my questions about "natural" front gardens.

"No one has ever asked me about this before!" she said apologetically, "I am going to have to put you on hold while I ask someone."

When she finally came back on the line, she told me a little uncertainly,"There are no regulations in the City of Brampton restricting you from having a natural-style front garden. Did you want to file a complaint?"

That's funny, I thought! She thinks I am calling to turn in one of my neighbours. " No, no!" I assured her, "I was just curious about the rules and regulations."

When I hung up the phone, I couldn't help but think back to all the by-laws concerning the garden shed we want to build. 

Now, our neighbours have a huge garden shed that's practically a cottage. Hardly regulation! But the cottage is somewhat hidden at the very back of the yard, so the only ones who are likely to turn them in for by-law infractions would be us. But we have never complained, nor do I imagine we ever would. Sometimes, I think it is okay to turn a blind eye.

Is that the true hurdle to be overcome then: keeping the neighbours happy with whatever you choose to do in your own yard, so they don't make life difficult by filing a complaint against you?

Gosh! Does that mean that we really do have to worry what the neighbours think at least on some level?

More information and links:

Through the Garden Gate is one of Ontario's largest and certainly is its grandest garden tour. This year there are 19 private gardens in the secluded and quite enclave of Toronto known as "Hogg's Hollow". 

" This neighbourhood was selected for the extraordinary mature gardens that punctuate its hill-and-dale topography and for the winding roads that provide stunning views around every turn, "explains Mark Cullen, 2014 Honorary Event Chair. "This is truly 'where the river meets the ravine', just steps away from Yonge Street and the urban core of North York. Hogg's Hollow shows once more that Toronto is a city of gardens."

Date: Saturday, June 14th and Sunday, June 15th, 2014

Time: 11 sm to 4 pm

Tour headquarters: Tour headquarters are located at the north end of York Mills Park. Access is adjacent is adjacent to the south exit from York Mills subway.

Free shuttle buses depart from tour headquarters along two garden tour routes. Show your wrist band and hop on and off the buses as many times as you like.

Tickets to Through the Garden Gate:

One-Day Pass: $45/TBG members $40

Two-Day Pass: $60/TBG members $55

New student pass: One-Day Only $25 ( with I.D.)

Order online here.

Little Puffs of Smoke

 

This diminutive perennial is a native plant I have wanted to add to my garden for sometime. This spring I was delighted to finally come across a plant at my favourite local nursery.

All of these photos were taken at the Toronto Botanical Gardens

The feathery seed heads have given this tiny wildflower a couple of common names; one is Old Man's Whiskers and the more common is Prairie Smoke. 

The proper botanical name is Geum triflorum.

The fern-like foliage is semi-evergreen and turns red, orange or purple in late fall.

Nodding, rose colored blooms appear mid-spring (April to June depending on your location) 

and continue throughout the summer.

The somewhat crazy looking seed heads, which do look rather like puffs of smoke or the silky whiskers on an old man, unfold as the flowers fade.

Geum triflorum: Height: 30 cm, Spread: 40-60 cm. It tolerates most soil types, but like most perennials, it will be happiest in well-drained soil that has been enriched with some organic matter. Full sun is best. Once established Geum triflorum is pretty low maintenance and is very drought tolerant.

 Geum triflorum is one of those plants you just want to reach out and touch!

Daffodils and Tulips

Spring has been a long time coming, but finally there is a reason to take photographs!