tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-208319492008-09-05T19:01:06.655-03:00A ruthlessly eclectic cottage garden of thoughts, tips and occasional tantrums on gardening.jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comBlogger328125888069http://www.feedburner.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-56706521371192717852008-09-03T14:52:00.007-03:002008-09-03T15:25:31.272-03:002008-09-03T15:25:31.272-03:00

Okay, we're back to talking about plants again. Specifically, native plants of Missouri, on account of I don't know much about them overall. However, part of the reason my luggage was rather heavy on the way home was that I bought two books that will help to shed some light on the flora of Missouri (and Kansas, as we were in and out of that state because of the way the border weaves around the

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-81546976990301415502008-09-01T23:59:00.007-03:002008-09-02T22:57:12.840-03:002008-09-02T22:57:12.840-03:00

(All photos taken by me. Live. IN person. How cool is that?) So I'm back in the land of fog and rain after leaving the land of sunlight and warm people. A stellar time was had by all, at least by the 9 or ten friends that shared the concert part of this trip. And by the 38,000 or so other people who took in the two concerts and made enough noise to register on the Richter scale, I'm sure. It's

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-79168847176516388362008-08-30T13:16:00.004-03:002008-08-30T13:42:20.246-03:002008-08-30T13:42:20.246-03:00

This is an off-topic post, for those who worry about such things. It's also very brief because we got in late and are leaving for the day very shortly. We went to Blue Springs to see the mural that the high school kids from Blue Springs South created to honour their hometown hero, David Cook. He was there with his mamma, his brother, and assorted other family members. It was way, way cool to

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-49865148005088552322008-08-29T09:53:00.007-03:002008-08-29T10:20:26.894-03:002008-08-29T10:20:26.894-03:00

Whew. We had such a full day yesterday that by the time we got back to my friend's place, put our assorted stuff away, downloaded photos, answered email etc...it was time to get a few hours sleep because today is another hectic one. So I'm going to essentially post a pile of pics and promise to write more later. First adventure today was to go out to Powell Gardens, about half an hour's

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-79676670620420407492008-08-27T22:17:00.010-03:002008-08-27T23:34:25.053-03:002008-08-27T23:34:25.053-03:00

Day one in Kansas City, Missouri, and I gotta say, this is a very, very pretty city. But first, I gotta give props to United Airlines, because I had two of the best flights i've ever had today, both on United or its affiliates. Both left on schedule. Neither was full. Both landed on schedule, and my luggage made it from Halifax to Dulles, Washington to KC with me. So take THAT, Air Canada, where

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-91150268192064158412008-08-26T10:04:00.003-03:002008-08-26T16:04:08.403-03:002008-08-26T16:04:08.403-03:00

I'm about to go off on an adventure, so I thought I'd post again before I start packing in earnest. One of the most important parts of gardening for me is fragrance. You can regularly find me wandering around our garden savouring the scent of the roses, running my hands through the lavender or monarda or rosemary and sniffing happily. While not everything in our garden has fragrance by a long

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-40796761797495483822008-08-24T17:22:00.004-03:002008-08-24T17:58:03.550-03:002008-08-24T17:58:03.550-03:00

Finally, the sun has remembered where we live. Even if there's a skein of fog along some of the rivers in the early morning, It's gone within a couple of hours. We've had a baskingly lovely week--not too hot, definitely not muggy, and refreshingly pleasant at night. The garden has yawned and stretched, shaking off its malaise of wetness and those plants that have been waiting for their

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-9330401976057855442008-08-19T13:05:00.004-03:002008-08-19T13:23:58.813-03:002008-08-19T13:23:58.813-03:00

This is truly being the summer of my gardening discontent. The weather is enough to drive a person to drink. While others around the province have been enduring dry yet cloudy and humid conditions, we've been getting wet , cloudy and humid conditions. Fog doesn't bother me, normally--it's here, it's gone. Not this year. So much southwest wind and therefore fog. When everything is soggy wet, it's

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-36311058014062250482008-08-07T23:28:00.005-03:002008-08-07T23:55:27.999-03:002008-08-07T23:55:27.999-03:00

I've whined before about my ongoing problem with hollyhocks. The Reader's Digest condensed version of the story is that I have hollyhock challenges, particularly when it comes to one particular colour. Yellow. I've been trying for years to get yellow hollyhocks. They refuse to bloom that colour for me. It's become a point of some horticultural hilarity in my world. People have kindly sent

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-27895743961585243422008-08-03T13:15:00.007-03:002008-08-03T14:22:39.094-03:002008-08-03T14:22:39.094-03:00

Once again life got in the way this week, but mostly in a good way. Except for the weather, that is. More fog, more heat, but now today it's actually raining. Rain is good. Despite the fog, things are dry, and we need a day of long, contemplative, soaking rain. Although since I'm putting in my request, let it clear off for the performances of my friend Ami McKay's play "Jerome-The Historical

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-51909600727434520842008-07-27T23:34:00.005-03:002008-07-28T08:59:26.934-03:002008-07-28T08:59:26.934-03:00

Just about the time I was beginning to think we were trapped in Brigadoon, we emerged from the fog today into hot sunlight and to a wild yard and garden. I was afraid my longsuffering spouse would have to mow and bale the lawn for hay for the horse and donkeyfrommars, but he managed to get through it all--it had been three weeks since he'd been able to mow, and all that moisture...well, let's

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-27111870826337114852008-07-24T18:48:00.005-03:002008-07-29T11:00:04.389-03:002008-07-29T11:00:04.389-03:00

Wandering around the garden today despite the stinkin' hot weather--we didn't get Cristobal's rainy fury here, just more tropical temps and humidity--I was struck yet again that for someone who claims to not care for pink, I have a lot of it in the garden. Beginning with the profusion of poppies that are scattered all around the yard--my freerange flowers, I call them, popping up everywhere. They

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-39601445783631618782008-07-18T20:39:00.005-03:002008-07-18T21:02:35.728-03:002008-07-18T21:02:35.728-03:00

We're into yet another session of fog here in beautiful upper Scotts Bay. Honestly, this has been the summer of much fog, and while it doesn't bother me at one level, it does get tiresome not seeing the moon at night. Rumour has it that tonight or last night is the full moon, but I haven't seen the moon since last weekend. It's stinkin' hot in the Valley, and not exactly cool up here. But the

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-12556642690124271802008-07-12T23:14:00.007-03:002008-07-13T01:01:27.170-03:002008-07-13T01:01:27.170-03:00

There are very few people who can get me up and going when I'm sick. Especially if it means getting in the car on a hot day and going for a drive to another county. Good thing that Robert Baldwin is a buddy of mine as well as a nursery operator. He called several days ago when I was really in the yuckies, and I hadn't called him back. I was working in my office this morning when the phone rang

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-69288290573760941482008-07-11T22:20:00.006-03:002008-07-11T23:41:15.436-03:002008-07-11T23:41:15.436-03:00

Where does the time go??? Well, it disappears when you're sick AGAIN with diverticu-frakkin-itis and have to spend time in bed. Yuck. I'm cranky about this but also know I'm facing surgery in the not-too-distant future as a result of too many sessions of this in recent months. And as a result of being sick, I'm once again behind in my reading, behind in my work, behind in posting...ever try to

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-90571682891842901642008-07-04T00:49:00.004-03:002008-07-04T01:03:14.238-03:002008-07-04T01:03:14.238-03:00

Three cheers for the Red... White... and Blue! Happy 4th of July to all my garden blogging buddies flung across the United States of America. It's interesting living next door to a country as diverse, as similar, and yet as different as yours is to mine. In the last year, I've learned a LOT more about the US, because of 'talking' with garden bloggers scattered from Maine to Texas, from

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-30870134799580291352008-07-01T22:05:00.005-03:002008-07-02T14:13:03.931-03:002008-07-02T14:13:03.931-03:00

A little different post for this Garden Bloggers Muse Day, brought to us by the ever-talented and muse-inspired Carolyn of Sweet Home and Garden Chicago. Let's see...who is responsible for this current unbearable lightness of being in my mind? Erato? Terpsichore? Polyhymnia? I'm not sure, though I have a theory which Muse has woken me up. A long time ago, one of my cousins gave me an old

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-34680921575755012772008-07-01T09:26:00.007-03:002008-07-01T09:56:36.362-03:002008-07-01T09:56:36.362-03:00

How'd we get here again already? It's Canada Day, formerly known as Dominion Day...which is what this rose was called by the man I bought it from a few years ago for the huge sum of 5 bucks. I recognized it as being a R. pimpernellifolia species, but beyond that wasn't sure what it was. He called it Dominion Dy because the buds are red and white striped, and because in his garden near Annapolis,

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-502015593502303512008-06-28T10:57:00.001-03:002008-06-29T11:44:10.629-03:002008-06-29T11:44:10.629-03:00

When I was in Annapolis Royal a couple of weeks ago, I took some time to go to the Historic Gardens for a visit and research for an article I'm working on. If you've never been to Annapolis Royal, it's worth a visit at any time of the year because it's steeped in history. Samuel de Champlain overwintered in the area back in 1605 and established a colony there before moving further into North

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-22458022842756969322008-06-22T22:45:00.008-03:002008-06-23T00:36:22.675-03:002008-06-23T00:36:22.675-03:00

It's always a great hoot to discover that I've misidentified a plant. About four or five years ago, I bought this little twig of a tree sapling at a fundraiser plant sale at a local school. At the time, the foliage looked to me like it was Siberian pea shrub, as it was small and pea-like. I planted it, tended it carefully, and waited. No, I planted it and ignored it, basically, other than to

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-26426471743813439052008-06-17T18:54:00.004-03:002008-06-17T20:19:06.656-03:002008-06-17T20:19:06.656-03:00

Well this is cause for celebration! EW may be trailing along a little late with the Garden Bloggers Bloom Day celebration here at Sunflower Hill, but we have happy news to report. Thanks to the dedication of Cross Country Television, our locally owned Internet Service Provider (and television provider, obviously)...our Intarnets is fixed. We now have genuine highspeed blazing along here. Steve

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-30230845139650565182008-06-10T14:44:00.004-03:002008-06-10T14:59:58.265-03:002008-06-10T14:59:58.265-03:00

Because Carol is a wonderfully gracious and understanding gardener and blogger, I know she'll forgive me for posting a bit of a bloom day report ahead of schedule. Because with our weather, who knows what will be happening by Sunday, when Garden Blogger's Bloom Day is really scheduled to happen? Things are chaotic here. Not only am I busy with work, etc, backed up with emails to answer and

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-6082208810611132922008-06-06T21:04:00.004-03:002008-06-06T22:07:06.224-03:002008-06-06T22:07:06.224-03:00

Just back from a flying trip to Rothesay, New Brunswick, where I had the great pleasure of meeting with the Fundy Gardeners, a great group of gardening enthusiasts. Thanks to Steve Nason, the president, for the invite, to Lynn and Peter Kinsella for hosting me at their wonderful house, and to the highways of New Brunswick for being so great to travel on. Lynn had told me that her husband was

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-4476530816404475382008-06-03T17:53:00.005-03:002008-06-03T18:32:09.087-03:002008-06-03T18:32:09.087-03:00

Like most of us, life gets away from me sometimes, and I don't have time in my day to do all the things I normally do at the time I like to do them. Take reading the newspaper, for example. Normally, I read it while I'm eating my breakfast, assisted usually by a cat or two. Simon Q is especially fond of the paper and has been known to devour sections of it before going to sleep in the middle of

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-69744136015568255002008-06-01T00:52:00.001-03:002008-06-01T00:52:01.841-03:002008-06-01T00:52:01.841-03:00

It can never be said that I don't have rather eclectic tastes in music. From Alison Krauss to Albinoni, from Cowboy Junkies to Chopin, from the Tragically Hip to U2 to anything by Bach but especially the Goldberg variations, the only music I adamantly despise is urban/hiphop/rap. It's just not me. And I'm not crazy about bluegrass or real hurtme-twangy country music, but I do LOVE Steve Earle.

jodihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.com