Memories of Summer

My photo for Mosiac Monday is a reflection of summer flowers in the garden. Looking at them reminds me of days of warmth and sunshine. Be sure to visit Mary at the Little Red House to see mosiacs to excite your senses from other bloggers.

Green and Brown

It has been rainy and pretty blah out lately but we have not had any snow yet.  The weather people tell us this is a rarity for this area.  We usually have at least one snow fall by now.  When I was out poking around the yard I noticed that there is still green plants that are holding up quite well.  This Donkey Tail Spurge looks lovely with its bluey-green foliage.

The Heuchera 'Marmalade' looks pretty perky yet and provides a little colour.

The Elijah Blue Grass looks great.   The worry I have in the long run is whether this winter we are going to have a good snow cover.  I noticed lots of bare spots where I have not mulched enough and if there is not sufficient snow cover these plants will suffer and perhaps die.  I must make an effort to get out there and find some compost or leaves to insulate them them from the cold. 

Change of Season Mosiac

This weekend was unseasonably warm so my husband and I put some Christmas lights up and I did my winter urn up with greens found in the yard.  Please visit Mary at the Little Red House at http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/ to see mosiacs from other creative bloggers. 

A Walk in the Park

Last week my friend Judith and I took a workshop on Garden Writing at the Toronto Botanical Garden in Toronto.  The traffic getting into the city was light that day and we made great time so that we arrived in lots of time before our class.  Judith opted to get a coffee and get settled but I had brought my camera with me.  The TBG is a wonderful place to visit at any time and there is always something to see. I opted to make a quick look around.  The containers at the door caught my eye right away.  Paul Zammit the new head of horticulture must have had a say in this one.  He is an amazing guy creating fabulous container displays. Of course this one was a fall design with a pom pom conifer, colourful kale and grasses.

I went directly down the slope to the shores of Wilket Creek to find things of interest to photograph. Even though there are no flowering plants on display at this time of the year there is still colour in the foliage of the shrubs and trees. The rocks make a wonderful addition to the look.  The shape and texture of the plants make for a memorable photo.

And of course there was a little falls that was interesting

And as I was heading back to the main building I rounded the corner by the greenhouse and spied this little guy peeking out the window.  How cute!

Webster's Falls on Mosiac Monday

Monday of last week was a sunny and warmish day for this time of the year. My friend Jennifer, her Dad and his friend and me took a day trip to Webster's Falls. It is on the Niagara Escarpment in Greensville, Ontario in the Spencer Gorge. There are two falls side by side. One is Webster's Falls which falls 41 metres, just a few metres short of Niagara Falls and the other Tews Falls that is a little bit smaller. Both are worth seeing. It would have been more majestic a few weeks ago when there was colour in the trees. I tried out my polarized lens which is supposed to take the glare off. It will take more practice to get the feel of it. We took our lunch and enjoyed the day.

Be sure to stop at Mary's Little Red House to see the mosiacs created by other skillful photographers. It is a wonderful way to peek into what goes on in other parts of the world.

Christmas Cactus

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It is still a few weeks away from Christmas by my Christmas Cactus or Schlumbergera Scatellairia has decided to bloom. They come in such pretty colours. I have an orangy one and a white. The picture above is a lovely pink one that died last year. I think I treated it too kindly and overwatered it. My Mom has a huge pink one for years that she took outside to the screened in porch each summer and brought it back in again in the fall. It would always be loaded with blooms. My Mom passed away three years ago so it is now up to my Dad to maintain it. This lovely seasonal plant is particularly adapted for fertilization by hummingbirds in their native Brazil says the The House Plant Encyclopedia.

Remembrance Day

My Mother and Dad both served in World War II in the Royal Canadian Airforce.  My best friend's son arrived safely back from Afghanistan.   Please remember to give thanks who served, are serving and will in future serve our country to keep us safe.  God Bless Us.

Banana Muffins for Mosiac Monday

Each week I make a batch of banana muffins for my husband to take to work in the mornings. It is just my way of getting him to eat more healthy than grabbing something off a coffee truck. These are his favorites at the moment. For more mosiac madness (this is an addiction you know) visit the many fabulous additions at The Little Red House. You might be come addicted too.

My Thoughts on Garden Clean Up

One particular day last week when it was rather nippy out but sunny I was out for my walk about the neighbourhood.  I was dressed warmly so with my mp3 player cranked to my favorite tunes I set out.  I took my small pocket size camera along in case I saw something inspiring.  It is my usual practice to take notice of all the gardens along the way.  At this time of the year there is not much happening in terms of flowers. What caught my eye that day was the garden ornaments that perhaps were secondary to the plants in summer.  They were there as an added attraction but not the focal point then.  Now, they stand out when everything around them is finished.

I belong to the camp of gardeners who do not clean up the garden in fall.  Oh I get rid of diseased plant material and clean up weeds but I do not strip the beds clean and chop everything down to a neat little pile of sticks.   My garden theory is that the plants provide seed heads for the birds and shelter for birds like the Junco who prefers to be in and about the plants on the ground.  The spent plants hold the snow and so insulate against the freeze and thaw process.  They also give me something to look at when the ground is white.  In the spring I know where a particular plant is by its remaining stem.  When I look out at the garden from my kitchen window throughout the winter months I have a reference for my wish list of new plants or extensions for the next spring.  It works for me.

As I approached the front door of home that day I noticed that in the container by the garage door that held Chrysanthemums that I planted in summer had produced their second bloom.  Such as wonderful addition to a glorious day. 

Barns

This week I was not out and about with the camera so I thought I would look back at some pictures we had taken in the last year. I found these pictures of old barns that are in the area. There is one that is no longer there as it was torn down to make room for a future shopping mall. It is too bad as barns are dying out in the landscape. Farmers are putting up newer structures for storage and livestock. Barns are wonderful and unique structures. Join Mary at the Little Red House for more wonderful mosiacs as part of Mosiac Monday.

Barns

I was not out and about with the camera this week so this is a compilation of pictures that were taken last year showing barns. Barns seemed to be dying out on the landscape. It is sad really as they are quite unique. Visit Mary at The Little Red House for Mosiac Monday to see other wonderful mosiacs.