Rhodos Will Always Remind me of Capt. Steele

As the Rhodo's make their show, I am reminded of a visit last year, to Captain Steele's. His daughter drove myself and two young B.C. plantswomen, up up and up the rough and rugged road behind his nursery in Rose Bay, N.S. The woodland was alight with a bazillion beautiful blooms; the beauty of this, I will never forget....and I can't help but believe Dick's spirit lives there.

We were gifted that day, with some of those blooms. I don't think I will ever look at a Rhododendron without thinking of him! He was a master hybridizer and a fine man.

Fields of Tulips on PEI

Lucy Maude Montgomery described her beloved Prince Edward Island, in jeweled colors of Ruby, Emerald and Sapphire. Judging by the vibrant fields of tulips we visited on Mothers day weekend growing at Pownal, the description could expand to include gold, garnet, amethyst and diamond. From the highway to the shore, rows and rows of tulips shimmered and glowed in the sun.

Vanco Farms, situated on P.E.I. grow potatoes AND tulips. This is their big season, when moms like myself keep fingers crossed...nothing says spring and I love you, like flowers. Thanks Vanco and dear friends, for my Mother's day field bouquet xo .

Shocking Beauty

I have a great fondness for purple highlighted with acid yellow, black and mauve and even a little pink thrown in to lighten.

The Rheum Palmatum Atrosanguineum is just "rising" in all her glory.

This is one plant Thomas Hobbs admires in his book..."Shocking Beauty". He states, "it rises from a bed of harmless Forget Me Nots, in Rosemary Verey's garden at Barnsley House" in England. The photo in his book moved me to buy it, although, it doesn't rise to the magnificence it should, for lack of moisture when the season get's growing.

Too hot to work in the garden!

Yes, today I was supposed to work ALLL day in the garden. At about two o'clock, the thermometer in front of the house said ninety degrees. My head was aching, my heart was pounding, my face was a red and sorry sight...so I did what any sensible girl would do...had a cold shower and laid in the the hammock with the Chief.

The old plum tree was a mass of bloom, covered with bees, bugs and flitting birds. You can imagine the scent...heavenly.



The row cover has officially come off the early hardy greens; they had a nice deep watering tonight. In a few days, we will put in new seeds and hopefully, in a week, the plants we have been nurturing in the summerhouse can go to the big garden and grow.

Bancroft Farm..Garden in a BOX???

So how's this for ingenuity and garden spirit? Bancroft Farm, New Brunswick, Canada, is sharing a new concept for container gardening. Graeme Bancroft constructed small greenhouse boxes, germinated his seeds in soil blocks and placed them all together in the boxes as herb selection or garden veg selections! The only thing I have to do, is take care of the babies till they are big and strong and then, plant them out in the garden. I love it! Easy peesey as they say..)))

Saltscapes was great! Being a gardener, I would have liked more garden content. Jodi was there, and gave a great presentation. There were a few garden booths, and my fav garden fire pit booth, but I must admit, Graeme gave me that spark of green inspiration and hope,... a young man knowing the value of good honest home grown food, and a commitment to making his young farm prosper.