This space has been an aspirational bog (that didn't work), but a very successful sedum planting until recently. We think that too much rain and extreme low temperatures decimated the sedums.  There are a few holding on.   But we decided today to try transplanting some woodland wildflowers and ferns into what's become an increasingly shady space.  I'm crossing my fingers!  My gardening companion, watering things in ..read more

We have numerous bloodroot plants flowering now;  they're beautiful, as always.   It seems like an early mild spring here, but checking Places of the Spirit for bloodroot posts confirmed the normal flowering time is March, perhaps we're edging up a bit, but not much.   These are just two of our plants.  From our initial transplants from Clemson years ago, we've divided clumps, but more importantly, ants have dispersed bloodroot seeds, so we've had successive seedlings to move around and establish. A search here on Natural Gardening brought even more posts about bloo ..read more

This is a decent harvest, at least of green tomatoes.  There are lots more to harvest, but they're still relatively small.  This is Eastern Quebec, after all. I'll try to speed up ripening of the green ones before we head south, hoping to roast and freeze them for next winter ..read more

 In Quebec, we have a short growing season.   This year I put in two tomato transplants; one a Sweet Million cherry tomato, the other a San Marzano paste tomato. Even in a warming climate, Eastern Quebec doesn't impress me as an excellent tomato growing environment. Remarkably, they've been growing well and I collected the first ripe tomatoes from the Sweet Million plant today, along with some Sugar Snap peas. I wish I'd harvested broccoli leaves as greens earlier, as the developing heads look a bit puny.  But my climbing squash plants are doing well, as is the spinach I s ..read more

Our garden now is providing small treasures: berries, rhubarb, and garlic.   I've harvested all the cherries I can reach now; we're eating the cherry crisp today and tomorrow.  (Cherry jam is already in the freezer). Dealing with cherries ..read more

As it's emphemeral, my sister and I were glad to see clumps of Ghost Flower (Monotropa uniflora) earlier this week.  This will be my Wildflower Wednesday contribution ..read more

Vegetable gardening in a short season climate is a challenge for a gardener who's used to the 4-season pattern that I've had in the Southeastern U.S. in the past.  I've had four years here now to experiment.  This is a new one. I've already put in lettuce, swiss chard and broccoli transplants, along with a pepper and two tomatoes.  Even though tomatoes are wildly popular here to grow, frankly I'm limiting myself to Sweet Million and San Marzano.  This is really not a great tomato climate. I did snag a tomatillo transplant.  Really, I thought?  I'll see how it does ..read more

I’m so enjoying my cool-season greens this spring:  spinach, lettuce, kale and swiss chard.  I’ve planted an assortment of tomatoes (San Marzano, Better Boy, and Sungold) along with an Italian pepper and Pingtung eggplant for our summer tenants. I’m delighted that they’re both interested in growing vegetables!  My raised bed are great, even as we’ve converted some of my former vegetable-growing areas to native plants as we now have a northern garden to tend, too ..read more

The cool-season greens in my raised beds are doing well, thanks to cool weather and the addition of mushroom compost and sustained release organic fertilizer after we returned from Quebec in early March. I’m a happy gardener when I can share a bunch of beautiful purple kale, harvested yesterday, with a good friend this afternoon and harvest chard for this evening’s dinner. There are harvests to come thais month, so plenty of kale, chard, and spinach ..read more

 In full flower now ..read more