Plant Profile: Zinnias
Zinnias, or Asteraceae, originally from Mexico, are a lovely annual plant to grow from seed. They come in many vibrant colours and are great for cut flowers. Plants prefer full sun and well drained soil. Trim off faded flowers to … Continued
The Cowbirds
~ The brown headed cowbirds are a smaller blackbird. Their name comes from the fact they they will follow herds of cows eating the insects that swarm around the cows. They aren’t a bird that I love to see in … Continued
Plant Profile: Rudbekia
Rudbeckia or black eyed Susan, brown eyed Susan, gloriosa or rudbekia. I love this native/wildflower that grows in the garden each year. There are over 20 varieities, sometimes called coneflowers. I have at least 6 different varieties, but don’t know the … Continued
How Do You Do That?
Tipsy Pots – How do you do that? Lots of visitors to the house ask this question. I’d like them all to think I’m a genius at stacking the pots but there is an invisible secret. I’d also like to … Continued
The Sun Ramp
On one of our favourite walks down by the bay we noticed something new had been added to the pond. As well as all the old tree root stumps that are anchored in the pond there was a new ramp … Continued
There’s a Hole in my Bucket
There’s actually more than a hole in one of the buckets … the bottom is totally rusted out. That gives a whole new meaning to the bottomless pit concept. Then I have 3 other buckets that each have 4 … Continued
Chipping Sparrows
This cute little sparrow is a year round visitor to the garden. It is a smaller sparrow, about 13 cm. long, easily identified by the reddy brown cap and the black eye stripe. The wing markings are similar to those … Continued
Meet Jack and the Mrs.
I know you have all heard of Jack Sparrow. But did you know he lives at our house? In fact he’s lived here for years raising his families. Yes, I say families, as this Jack Sparrow is none other than … Continued
Poppin’ Poppies
P is for Poppies. The seedlings pop through the ground in April. They are little hairy leaves that grow quite quickly. Those green fuzzy heads start popping up in early May. They are quite fascinating to watch as they slowly … Continued
White Throated Sparrows
The white throated sparrow is another species of sparrows that can be overlooked. This little guy is not to be confused with the white crowned sparrow. The black and white head stripes are similar, except the white throated has little … Continued