flowers – The Trials and Tribulations of an Urban Farmer

Late Bloomer

19 Sep 202118 Sep 2021

She is smaller in stature thanThose whose long necks and yellow petalsBrazenly lure hungry wasps with colour and scent. The late bloomer wears fragile pink,A symbol of kindness, service, beauty,…

The Meaning of Pure White Flowers

29 Aug 202129 Aug 2021

In spring, I added leftover wildflower seeds to the planters along with alyssum and dahlia seeds. When I was forced to remove the snapdragons from the front garden bed due…

Snapdragon Rust

25 Jul 202129 Aug 2021

Yellow spots were visible on my snapdragons a few days ago. On closer inspection, I noticed dark spots of the underside of some of the leaves. Some plants had over…

Dahlias from Seed

18 Jul 202118 Jul 2021

Flowers remind me of people and places I have loved. Dahlias are no exception. I first discovered these beautiful flowers when I was a teenager working my first full-time summer…

Sowing Poppies for Wally, John, Ben and Jean

11 Nov 202015 Nov 2020

Originally posted in November 2019, I share again. To the names, I add Ben, another brother of Wally and John, who I recently learned was also a veteran. We will…

Rudbeckia Flowers

19 Jul 202018 Jul 2020

My children first spied Rudbeckia at Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village in Whitby. They thought that was a wonderful name for a flower since it combined their version of the…

Snapdragons for All

12 Jul 202012 Jul 2020

I have not planted snapdragons for four years but thanks to bees, I have a beautiful crop that is completely self-seeded. With hues ranging from ivory, pink, white to burgundy,…

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Tips for Container Gardening

28 Jun 202028 Jun 2020

Like most other things this year, the garden workshops and tours I booked have been cancelled. While in person events are on hold, zoom has filled some of the void.…

The Peony: Unforgettable Ephemeral Beauty — Emanuel Melo torontonian azorean writer

25 Jun 202027 Jun 2020

The Peony: Unforgettable Ephemeral Beauty Peonies visit the garden each June. They blossom for a short while, filling the garden with a quiet beauty that although understated, lasts in memory…

Sweet William

21 Jun 202022 Jun 2020

From its shape and colour, you may have guessed that Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) is part of the carnation family (Dianthus). Dianthus is derived from the Greek words dios (God)…