After two days of waking up to snow, today’s frosty morning is turning warm. Will this be the story of this spring, a seesaw of temperaures to keep us all guessing?
The bloodroot (Sanguinara Canadensis) that almost burst into bloom with our record-breaking temperatures last month then went into arrested development, the club-like shoots holding on tightly to their tip of white but already this morning I’m seeing a little softening.
I got my sign out this morning – if you’re driving down Flos Rd. 10 E., you won’t miss the bright orange Return of the Native sign. I hacked away at the lilac roots that are spreading into the driveway. Word to the wise: if you are committed to lilac, get the French hybrid rather than the species. My French hybrid lilacs have interesting colours and are well-behaved, sending no outrunners to challenge rival shrubs and colonize the lawn.
Lilac is an old-world shrub much lioved by early settlers who brought cuttings with them on the arduous trip across the Atlantic and into the bush. When you come across a lilac bush and a rhubarb patch on a hike through the forest, it may be all that’s left of someone’s shattered dreams of a prosperous farm on the thin soiils of the Canadian Shield. Poke around to see if you can find the remains of a well or a stone wall.
So – what’s this website about? It’s still under construction so bear with me. The plan is to have a regular blog about my garden and why I choose to grow mainly native, information about the small mainly native plant nursery that I have on my property and other material like book reviews, links to useful webiste and details of events that would be of interest to people in Huronia.
The sun beckons and I have many jobs to do, I'll be back… there will be more, including a catalogue of plants I have for sale.
