funky flowers

I just love this Witch Hazel that flowers in the early spring. We used to buy what was probably a tincture in a bottle to swab on mosquito and black fly bites. It worked. And then there was Witch Hazel in the Little Lulu comics. Now that dates me.

vine

There are poles such as this in my garden. If I plant grape vines by them, how long will it take to produce this lovely effect? I have so many dreams for my garden - and so little time.

winter returned

I took these on Saturday, but the website was balking at posting them. It was sunny but bitterly cold. I loved the patterns of the ice hanging from the vines in the afternoon sun. Still I preferred the spring-like weather that preceded it. I think that spring is my favourite season.

mud plop

These are a couple of grandchildren. They are standing on a fairly high bank throwing rocks into the tidal mud below. It makes a very satisfactory plop, and disappear below the surface. much better than tossing the rocks into the water. We were waiting for the tidal bore to arrive, when, with a wave, the river reverses direction.

Here is a tourist video in the same location:

artichokes

I read that there was a commercial artichoke farm up the valley. I had to try it. I bought a mail order packet of seeds. There were 22. It was expensive. They said to treat them as annuals as they only over wintered in zone 7 and higher. But I know that they are really perennials, so if I mulch them well and cover them for the winter - could I do it? I made newspaper pots and set them out. This is my artichoke farm. I had to bring them back to the apartment so I could keep them moist. These are travelling artichokes. Stay tuned.

back field

We went exploring the back field last Friday when I was back home and came on this cluster of granite rocks. They must have come from elsewhere, because on the North Mountain and down to the shore we are on columnar basalt. It is a volcanic dike pushed up when Nova Scotia, which came over separately, collided with the rest of North America. We are actually only attached by a stretch of marshland. We're very special here.

crocus

My first crocus. This gives you some idea of the soil with which I struggle. But stuff does grow, including croci, if the rabbits don't eat them.