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June 7. 2004

It has been generally wet and cool with the odd nice day to give us hope.  Today it was actually hot.  The lilacs are finished blooming.  They were spectacular this year.  They
bloomed profusely and the blooms were larger than usual.  We pruned quite a bit last summer which may have given the tree more vigor.  Other shrubs didn't fare so well.  The rambling rose and the potentilla had a lot of dead wood.  I must have cut off half of
each of them.  The irises are doing very well.  There are several clumps of them and all are flowering nicely, except for one I transplanted last year.  There is one flower bud but it isn't opening.  The lupins were attacked by aphids I sprayed them and hope there isn't too much damage, some yellowing leaves and the flowers haven't opened fully yet, but they should recover enough to give a few flowers.  We were given two huge cement planter last summer which we painted and this year filled with ferns, mimulus and hypoestes.

 
November 24, 2002
We've had our first big snow storm, though it has already melted away.  Everything is cut back, covered and tied up that needs to be (or at least as much as I could get done before the snow fell.) The leaves began falling so late this year that the raking was concentrated into a shorter time than usual. Everything was looking so green and healthy I left it to the last few weeks before the snow fell to cut them back. The chrysanthemums looked wonderful into late October. The delphinium planted in September had blooms into November as well. 
 
September 16, 2002
Although we have had a few rainy days and the nights are cooler, there is still plenty of warm, sunny days. The alyssum are finally looking better.  The loosestrife has finished blooming but the phlox and echinacea are still flowering.  The big disappointment this year has been the astilbe... the dwarf one died after transplanting and the other one only got some puny brown plumes, not the feathery mauve ones of last year.  The wildflower patch is still blooming.  I planted two delphinium this weekend and some seeds in the spot where we used to have our woodpile.  Since we rarely use the fireplace we decided to get rid of the pile which has been sitting there rotting for years.  The chrysanthemums are just beginning to flower. 
 
August 18, 2002
The hot weather hasn't been great or basil.  And the flat leaf parsley is not as bushy as the curly leaf variety I planted last year.  The lavender's was more fragrant later in the season, marjoram, creeping thyme and sage are doing well.  The gaillardia has been blooming all summer. (I wrongly called it rudbeckia in July).  The peach coloured miniature rose by the front walk has been producing flowers on and off through July and August.  The loosestrife has been blooming for about five weeks.  The phlox are full and very fragrant.  The gladiola are blooming but some are falling over and we really need more to make a better showing.  We keep waiting for a respite from the heat but it seems it won't end any time soon.
 
July 3, 2002
We cut off a main branch from the double-blooming lilac and it was completely hollow.  Most treatments seem so toxic and it may be late this year to treat the infestation. I presume it is the lilac borer. I have pruned the other lilac and the spirea. Someone gave me a very pale mauve iris, large flower, ruffled edges.  The lupins will have to be moved.  The spruce grew so much that they are hidden. The mock orange was spectacular this year.  The clematis is doing well, flowering nicely.  The lavender has lots of flowers this year but the scent is not as strong as I expected.  The rudbeckia is full of flowers.  Primrose, mallow, matricaria and chamomile all blooming now.  The peach coloured miniature rose by the front walk is blooming nicely.  A lovely pastel colour.  Day lilies are just starting.  The pink roses are full and almost finished.  The weather has been scorching the last four days so I haven't done any gardening.  Just filling up the water fountain and bird bath and watering the containers.  We expect a little respite this coming weekend.

 

June10, 2002

The lilac blooms have come and gone.  The double- blooming ones were spectacular this year but short-lived.  The common variety didn't make much of a show.  The spirea has also finished blooming and needs pruning.  The purple iris look good this year despite a problem last year with iris borer.  The yellow ones still have very few blooms. The lupins are blooming well.  Although I thought all the seed was from a red flower, I have purple ones as well.  The rambling rose and mock orange have just started blossoming. The pelargonium sangineum is blooming well this year.  I left a clump of bachelor buttons.  I spent years getting rid of it when we moved in because it overwhelmed much of the flower beds but will try to keep it in control.  I have only put annuals in flower boxes this year.  Planted some stella d'oro hemerocallis.  Everything seems a little late this.  It is so much cooler than it has been for the last few years at this time. The clematis started to show signs of disease so I sprayed with a fungicide a few times and removed affected leaves.  So far it looks alright, many blossoms, waiting anxiously for them to open.  There don't seem to be as many slugs this years as last but they do seem partial to the echinacea.  In the herb garden I have planted rosemary, parsley and basil alongside the perennials: sage, marjoram, pink flowering thyme, chamomile and lavender.  It looks like the lavender should produce a lot of flowers this year.  The rudbeckia is budding and the aquilegia, which never got more than 4 inches tall last year, is blooming!

 
May 6 , 2002
The arabis are in full bloom, as are the variegated tulips. The muscaria are opening up.  Only a few daffodils bloomed again this year.  I will try to be more conscientious about fertilizing them.  The hyacinth blooms were lovely.  However, I made a mistake last fall.  I read that putting chicken wire over the bulbs would protect them from squirrels while allowing them to grow through the mesh.  Not having any chicken wire, I used a heavier, stretchy wire mesh.  When I only saw one hyacinth sprouting I lifted the corner of the mesh to discover they were all flowering under the mesh and earth.  I gently lifted off the wire and replaced the earth.  Although both the foliage and flowers were yellow they began to get their true colours with a little sunshine.  I've done some weeding, mowed and put compost around the bulbs but won't start planting for a week or two.
 
April 16, 2002
Ah! the promise of spring.  This year some crocuses bloomed  where they haven't before.  The first blossoms appeared on the arabis and the lungwort. The miniature roses all survived and most of the chrysanthemums.  Today is hot and humid, more like June or July than April.  I did a bit of cleaning up on the weekend and Harold made the wall around one of the mounds a little higher.  The perennials I planted last year also seem to have survived.  There even looks like some aquilegia has sprouted again.  They were planted from seed last spring and never got more than a few inches tall, and no blooms.
 
October 13, 2001
There is very little flowering in the garden.   The miniature rose and chrysanthemums, a few impatiens, geraniums and of course the alyssum which like the cooler weather.  The chrysanthemums planted last fall are really spectacular, especially the yellow ones.  The ones planted this spring are flowering nicely as well. We haven't had a frost yet and the leaves are only slowly turning colour and falling.  The morning glories still have a few blossoms but were rather disappointing. This weekend I will have to do some fall clean up in the garden. My neighbour gave me some flower seeds some of which we don't know the name of so I am trying to identify them.  I will prepare a new bed for them and plant them in the spring, as hers did well from spring planting.  The salvia I planted in September has been eaten by slugs and hasn't done well, I hope it lasts through the winter.  The miniature rose bush with pale peach coloured flowers planted at the same time has a flower bud on it.  It would be nice if it bloomed before frost gets it.
 
September 3, 2001
The purple loosestrife and echinacea are still in flower.   The clematis has a few buds and one flower, but it is very small.  The long hot dry spell is finally over and the annuals and lawn look much better.  The morning glories finally have a few blossoms. The phlox are are are still in bloom.  I extended the flower border in front of one of the peonies and plan to put the gladiola bulbs there next spring. The yellow chrysanthemum is flowering and the white one has a few blooms.  We moved the fountain onto the deck this week and with the addition of a drip edge on the upper level the sound of the water is now audible from the kitchen window.  I spent the morning digging up the goutweed from around the dark purple lilac and plan to put a shade garden there next year.  I also dug up a lot of canes from the common lilac.  I couldn't resist the 63 cent sale on perennials at the garden center and got a salvia and a heuchera.  I also bought a miniature rose bush with pale peach coloured flowers.  the red one I planted earlier this summer is still blooming but has some mildew and will have to be sprayed.
 
August 12, 2001
The purple loosestrife and echinacea are still in flower.   The astilbe flowers have finished.  The sweet peas are showing signs of life, too late for flowers this year but should come back next year.  The clematis is also growing again.  The long hot dry spell may have helped keep the fungus or blight away.  The morning glories planted from seed are finally growing but still no blossoms, rather disappointing. The phlox are are in full bloom.   So far the leaves of the phlox still have yellow between the veins.  I don't know if it is too late for this year but will try another application of lime.  A few of the gladiolas are blooming but it is not a spectacular showing.  Next year I will try planting them elsewhere and put more together.  The chrysanthemums have flower buds.  We visited the botanical gardens at Niagara Falls and now have a list of plants to research for possible inclusion in the garden: heliotrope, sorrel, alumroot, black mondo grass and butterfly bush.  The weather conditions aren't quite the same here in Montreal, so I want to be sure they are suitable for our area.
 
July 25, 2001
The daylilies are just about finished blooming but the achillea and purple loosestrife are still in flower.   The astilbe are finally fully open.  Unintentionally, I have got the loosestrife, astilbe and echinacea... all purple... planted together and blooming at the same time.  I moved the gaillardia last weekend, I hope it wasn't too hot but will keep them well watered.  The sweet peas don't like being moved, they have died back, including the part left in place.  Hopefully it will rebound but the vines that were moved are definitely dead.   The phlox are just beginning to bloom.  One clump seemed infested with something so I sprayed with a mixture of water, canola oil, baking soda and a dash of insecticidal soap.  The pests seem to be gone but that particular clump also has yellowing leaves.  I have scratched in some lime and gave it a feeding of Epsom salts.
 
July 7, 2001
The mallow are still blooming in several places in the garden, except for the ones under the ash tree in front, as are the sweet william and chamomile.  The daylilies and achillea and purple loosestrife are also in flower.  The clematis had to be cut right back.  Some new growth is coming at the base and I am applying a mixture of baking soda and water now on a weekly basis.  The astilbe blossoms are not at all plume-like.  I will probably have to move the gaillardia I planted this spring.  There is some new growth but no flowers.  It may need more sun and/or richer soil.  I planted a miniature rose bush this morning and moved some sweet peas.   I also raised a clump of iris that was not blooming.  They were planted too deep and the ground was low and not draining.  I moved another clump which had borers.  Most had to be discarded.  I hope the transplanted ones weren't infested.  The corms looked alright but we'll just have to wait and see.  The echinacea is full of buds which should open soon.  The annuals are beginning to bush out.  The perennial dusty miller has flowered, though they are not very showy.   I have had a few flowers on the orange geranium but just moved it where it can be better seen.  It was hidden behind some very bushy phlox.  The sanguineum geranium hasn't flowered.  I am hoping it will come back next year.  Perhaps it doesn't flower the first year.  It is supposed to tolerate almost any kind of soil.
 
June 23, 2001
The peonies have only a few blooms left.  The rose bush is in full bloom with some leaves eaten.   I have found green caterpillars on the rambling rose but not on the the other bush.  The iris is also finished but the primrose fireworks and the lysimachia are still blooming.  The mallow are blooming in several places in the garden as are the sweet william and chamomile.  The lysimachia is infested with another kind of green caterpillar.  The worst news is that the clematis has developed a fungus after beginning to bloom.  I have already cut back all but one stem and applied fungicide but this morning it looked like the remaining stem will have to be cut back as well.  I hope that it survives, I have wanted a clematis for so long and it was beginning to look like it would take off.  I pulled out some of the mallow which was growing too close to the clematis.  The astilbe blossoms are still small.  The loosestrife is beginning to blossom.  The first daylilies are in bloom.  The rhue is finally blooming but the flowers are not very impressive.  The slug wars continue.  I have even found them climbing up the lilac tree and munching on astilbe leaves, which I thought they did not like.
 
June 4, 2001
Another patch of iris seems to be infected with the iris borer but it is still blooming nicely, so I only dug up the middle bit that was yellowing and had no flowers.  After they've finished blooming, I'll dig up the the rest of the patch.  The patch at the corner of the house still looks okay, though overcrowded.   The cedar bark doesn't seem to be deterring the slugs, I've found some right in the middle of it, maybe due to all the rain.  Apparently when the bark is wet it doesn't bother them.  I think the problem with slugs has been worse the last few years because we put some bricks down with no gravel or mortar underneath.  We are providing them with a cosy environment. There are a few blooms open on the pink and on the white peonies and lots of rose buds.  Aside from the iris there is not much colour except for the annuals (begonias and a few impatiens) and the cool weather is slowing their growth.  But the peonies and roses will be spectacular once they are in full flower.
 
June 9, 2001
What a difference a few days makes.  The peonies are full of flowers and the lysimachia are blooming and the irises are still flowering.  Even the annuals are beginning to fill out.  As for the slugs, I pulled up the forget-me-nots so they won't be able to hide under them now,  I put dryer lint around the echinacea a while ago and it seems to be the most effective in keeping the slugs out, although it is not very attractive now that it is no longer hidden by the forget-me-nots. I think I will put some alyssum in front to hide it.
 
May 29, 2001
I wasn't able to do any gardening this past weekend and while I wasn't looking the iris began to bloom.  The patch that had the borer damage last year only has a few buds, although the foliage appears healthy.  The patch at the corner of the house that I didn't touch at all has the most blooms.  The spirea is blooming nicely but won't last much longer.  The forget-me-not are starting to go to seed and will need to be pulled up soon.  The ajuga is still looking good.  The lilacs are past their prime, time to snip off the dying blooms. It has been cool and rainy which helped with the grass seed, which is sprouting.   The ammonia solution for slugs works when sprayed directly on them but with all the rain it would need constant reapplication on the earth for deterrence.  I have put cedar bark, which is supposed to keep them off, around the most susceptible plants.   I had to pull down some of the Virginia creeper, which was starting to get under the flashing of the roof.
 
May 21, 2001
Checking last year's notes, I see that I still had tulips blooming last year at this time.  I hope next year they will do better again. We had more rain last Friday, so don't have to water, except for the new plants.  I finished putting in my annuals this weekend.  They herbs I seeded indoors didn't look very good, but put them in anyway and will hope for the best.  I have been waging war on the slugs with a 10% ammonia solution.  I hope it works, they are eating up the echinacea and doing some damage to chrysanthemums and iris.  The morning glory seeds have sprouted.  The arabis and lungwort are about finished.  The clematis is growing well and climbing up the trellis.  I am anxious for it to bloom.  The iris seem to have more buds than last year.  I hope the borer doesn't get to them.  The front lawn looks terrible, lots of brown patches.  I have put down seed but think more work is needed, aerating, fertilizing.   There's always something to be done.
 
May 12, 2001
Looking up from the computer I can see the flowering crab apple tree across the street.  We are finally having some rain showers, so won't have to water the garden this weekend.   With all the hot weather we were having I couldn't wait for May 21st and went ahead and bought some annuals and perennials last weekend and started planting.   I dug up a patch of lawn and put in a very small herb garden.  Most of the herbs are annuals: parsley, sage, lavender, thyme.  Although the basil seedlings are looking a bit spindly I will put them in next weekend and hope for the best.   I also planted some morning glory seeds by the fence and in a flower box on the deck.  If they come up I will nail a trellis up for them.  The daffodils and tulips have finished blooming, if it stops raining I'll go out and cut off the flowers.  With the purple and  mauve lilacs, pink honeysuckle, purple muscaria and blue forget-me-nots blooming the back garden is looking lovely. Along with the arabis and lungwort, there are now some pink lamium blooming in the rock garden.
 
May 2, 2001
With the arabis, lungwort, muscaria and some tulips and daffodils blooming the garden is beginning to come to life.  So many daffodils and tulips have no buds yet and I suspect they won't produce flowers this year.   I will have to add some compost to the soil.   Only a few Bee Balm have sprouted, I hope those that did will survive.  It has been hot for the last few days 26-30 degrees C and dry.  I watered the flower beds today.  The lungwort always droops when it is dry and I use it as a kind of "canary in the coal mine."  The clematis vine planted last fall is putting out new growth.  I was worried it wouldn't come back.  The perennial dusty miller is also doing very well.   The patches of lawn that I seeded last year are brown.  Obviously the seed was not a hardy variety.
 
May 6, 2001
Rained yesterday, sunny this morning but has clouded over again.  Repotted a few geraniums and put them outside.
 
April 21, 2001
Uncovered the chrysanthemums this morning and was pleased to see some foliage sprouting through the earth I piled around them.  The lungwort is starting to flower and the arabis is full of buds.  The crocus are just about finished.  A few clumps bloomed nicely but many more without any signs of flowers. I was able to rake the front yard this week but it is still to damp in back.  The second batch of seeds planted indoors have all sprouted except the Bee Balm.  It is supposed to rain later today but now it is sunny and very warm.  I cut back some of the dead foliage I didn't get to last fall and pulled up some maples seeds that are coming up in the spirea.
 
April 13, 2001
Spring is finally here.  We've had about two weeks of warm weather,  with just one cold day with a few flakes on April 6th. Only one crocus blooming so far.  The snow is completely gone from the front yard and most from the back.  I have to resist the impulse to go out and start cleaning up; but the lawn is much too wet.  In the low places there are pools of water.  I have started some more seeds indoors: Thai basil, tomatoes, cerastium (Snow In Summer) and Bee Balm. 
 
April 1, 2001
Well, it looks like an April Fool's joke outside my window.  It seems every time we get a hint of spring, we get more snow dumped on us.  Only the Ancoli and Basil seeds have sprouted so far.  I bought a pot of miniature Iris.  The blooms faded quickly but the foliage is getting tall.  Where the snow has melted away from the southeast wall of the house some tulips are pushing up.  I keep telling myself it won't be long now, but I've been saying that for about a month.
 
March 17, 2001
Winter has seemed to drag on forever this year.  Although the snow is starting to melt there is still several feet of it on the lawn.  This time last year, due to a mild spell, there were tulip and crocus bulbs starting to push up.  I was probably a bit premature, but last weekend went ahead and started some seeds;  some seeds from France called Ancolie "Etoile variee"
which are bright  five petal flowers in various colours (white, yellow, purple, also, just for the heck of it, some herb seeds and primrose seeds that have been lying around for a few years.  Except for dreaming and maybe planning a new spot for my herb garden, there is not much else I can do for at least a month.
 
November 11, 2000
Two months since I've updated this page and a lot has changed.  Most of the fall chores have been done.  The perennials are cut back, most of the annuals have been added to to compost bin along with the leaves I've been raking.  It's a little warmer than average but still very much a late autumn day... gray and damp.  The echinacea has provided a few late blooms which opened only about two weeks ago.  The plants from last year didn't survive but seeds came up.  It's unfortunate only one plant flowered and so late I doubt it will have viable seeds. The alyssum is still blooming and a few of the annual daisies we planted in the spring.   The chrysanthemum is fading.  The only other colour in the garden is from the rose hips.  A little more raking and digging up a few weeds should be the last of the garden work until spring.  Until spring I'll just be thinking about the changes and additions I want to make.  The garden could definitely use some later blooming perennials, maybe some asters.
 
September 9, 2000
It's time to be thinking about all the fall chores that will have to be done, although today has been sunny and very warm.  I was out in the garden early this morning hunting slugs.  The have been very prolific this year.   The potentilla is still flowering and the pink and the white phlox.   The mallow is still flowering and the matricaria.  The pansies I dug out of the lawn and put in the flower bed in front are doing nicely. I have two portalucas growing, one has had a couple of blooms.  The loosestrife is putting out new leaves and looks healthy.  I've transplanted the tulip bulbs and put in some new narcissus.  The coleus in front of the house has finally bushed out and looks nice with the perennial dusty miller which I planted near it.  The dusty miller is spreading phenomenally, creeping across the front walk.  I've put in a couple of chrysanthemums to provide some fall colour.  This year I will cover them in hope that they will survive the winter.
 
August 25, 2000
It seems as the summer progresses I drop by here less frequently.  It's been more than a month since I've updated this page.  The Lysimachia Punctata has been almost completely eaten by some bug so I've cut it back to the ground.  Only one bunch of wild daisies are still blooming.  The Achillea are turning brown.  The potentilla is still flowering and the pink and the white phlox are in full bloom.  One branch of the clematis died back but otherwise it seems to be doing well and has had a few blossoms continually.  The mallow is still flowering and the matricaria.  The pansies I dug out of the lawn and put in the flower bed in front are doing nicely. I have two portalucas growing, one has had a couple of blooms.  I planted portalucas as an annual several yeas ago and about three years later they popped up again.  Now I get a few plants every year but they never come up in exactly the same place.  They seem to be seeding themselves. The caterpillars are attacking the rose bushes but not as badly as last year. The rambler has also had some mold and that little red ball that turns into a furry green ball.  (I just can't remember the name of it right now). The blooms on the hydrangea are turning green.  The annuals continue to disappoint, due to the lower than normal sunshine, except for the alyssum which like the cooler temperatures and the little daisies.  In general the perennials seem to prefer the cooler, rainier weather we've been having.   The beer didn't deter the slugs.  I will try a friends suggestion and put eggs shells around the plants.  We had some friends over to split some plants last Sunday. They get new plants and I thin out my perennials.  Another friend gave me some loosestrife, which I've planted near some day lilies.  I've transplanted the astilbe from behind the juniper to the shade of the lilac tree.  It was doing well where it was but couldn't be seen because the juniper has grown so much.  It is about time now to dig up the tulip bulbs that are planted under that juniper and put them where they will be more visible next spring.
 
July 22, 2000
I have been neglecting the garden page.  It's been three weeks since I've updated it.  The Lysimachia Punctata has just finished flowering The primrose were finished about a week ago  and the mock orange about ten days ago. The wild daisies are still blooming though fading.   The Achillea are in full bloom and the Day Lilies.  The potentilla is in bloom and the pink phlox are just beginning to bloom, the white ones show no buds as yet. The clematis is beginning to put out new shoots and even has a flower, though it looks a little more on the mauve side than I expected.  The rose bush finished flowering this week.  It was quite full this year and has been spreading.  There weren't as many caterpillars as last year.  I'm not sure if it is the weather or the organic pesticide I've been using. This morning I dug up some of the side shoots.  Last week I dug up my iris bed and found that the iris grub has been at work.  I discarded all the rotten corms added some new soil and replanted the healthy looking corms.  The small bunch of iris in front which was also affected I have replaced with lysimachia punctata.  The old fashioned hydrangea in the corner of the garden is full of white blooms this year.  The annuals continue to disappoint, due to the lower than normal sunshine.  In general the perennials seem to prefer the cooler, rainier weather we've been having.   Now I have to put out some beer to catch the slugs that are eating my herbs.
 
 
June 30, 2000
The white & pink peonies are still flowering and that yellow one whose name I didn't know.  I saw it at the garden centre, it's Lysimachia Punctata. and is quite spectacular this year.  The primrose are blooming.  They are a buttercup yellow with red underneath which shows when they fold up at night.  They seem taller and the flowers seem larger this year. The pinks are  open but they don't seem to be spreading very quickly and only about a half dozen flowers.   The mock orange is still flowering and was also exceptional this year. There are wild daisies in several spots throughout the flower borders.  The Achillea are beginning to bloom and the Day Lilies.  We planted a pink Clematis last weekend.  I have wanted clematis for a long time.  It is against the east wall on the south side of the chimney.
June 24, 2000
Summer has finally arrived.   The peonies are still flowering and that yellow one whose name I don't know.  They are about 18 inches tall with flowers all along the stem. The primrose are blooming.  They are a buttercup yellow with red underneath which shows when they fold up at night.  The pinks are just beginning to open.  The Alyssum are beginning to spread.  The mock orange is flowering, it will need a lot of pruning this year.
 
June 17, 2000
The weather has finally warmed up, in typical Montreal fashion, from cold and damp to hot and humid.  So much has changed in the last three weeks. The lilacs and honeysuckle finished blooming about two weeks ago and the forget-me-nots this past week.  Now the irises and peonies are flowering.  We have another flower, a yellow one whose name I don't know.  The spirea is finished flowering as well and I have trimmed it back.  I also trimmed the dead flowers from the lilacs.  Except for the lobelia, the annuals haven't really taken off as yet.  Not enough sunshine I imagine.  The remaining geraniums seem to be doing alright.  The rambling rose is full of pretty pink blossoms and the other rose bush has plenty of buds.  The mock orange is just starting to bloom.  Although I like the garden best when the lilacs are in bloom, it looks very pretty right now too.  Wouldn't you know it, I invited the family for a barbecue last weekend, just after the shrubs were past their prime and before the other flowers came into their own.  The iris were blooming, but only one patch is doing well.  There are two bunches that haven't got a single bloom on them.  I will have to dig them up to see what is happening under the soil.
 
May 28, 2000
Last weekend I was busy planting my mother's annuals so didn't get a chance to update this page. The weather has  been very rainy and cold for the last two weeks.  The plants don't seem to mind as much as the humans do.  The garden is at it's prettiest at this time.  The pastel pink tulips are still blooming. The lilacs, both common mauve and double-blooming purple, are in full bloom, as is the honeysuckle and the ajuga. The forget-me-nots are still in flower too.  The arabis and lungwort are finished leaving the rock garden all green for the moment. But the spirea hedge in front of the balcony began blooming this week, so the front of the house looks good. The shrub at the end cascades prettily over the driveway wall.  I lost some of my geraniums.  They seem to have got some kind of stem disease.  I hope the remaining ones will stay healthy.
 
May 14, 2000
The last week was very rainy but it cleared toward the end.  Today is sunny and warm, perfect for finally getting started on the planting. The pastel pink tulips are now blooming behind the juniper, which has grown so much that I think we will have to move the tulip bulbs.  The grape hyacinth are looking much better now. The forget-me-nots are blooming beside them.  The winter is so long that I am always a little impatient for things to come into full bloom. The variegated tulips are just about finished.  The daffodils really didn't do well this year, probably the big snowfall in mid-April, which followed mild temperatures in February and March, was to blame.  I am really pleased with the rock garden where the arabis and lungwort are blooming alongside a few tulips and daffodils.  There are also pinks, mallow plants (spreading everywhere!), oregano, chamomile and marjoram.  I have put my geraniums outside.  They should be alright even if the temperature dips a little.
 
May 7, 2000
The temperature got considerably warmer last week and our red and variegated tulips responded by opening up.  There are more daffodils blooming as well, although the old ones aren't putting out any buds and will have to be replaced.  The grape hyacinth are blooming but should be moved.  They can barely be seen where they are.  They would better in front of the house where we could enjoy them as we come and go.  A few but not all of the annual Dusty Millers I planted last spring are sprouting new growth.  I gaze enviously over the fence at my neighbour's gorgeous magnolia tree, but it won't be too long before my lilacs and spirea will be blooming.
May 1, 2000
The weather has been very changeable this year, with very mild weather in February & early March and cool in late March and April.  The arabis which was planted in Fall 1997 and produced only a few nondescript blooms until now has suddenly sprouted a profusion of flowers.  The lungwort seems to like the cool weather and has lovely mauve and pink blossoms.  Only a few crocuses bloomed, very disappointing.  Only one daffodil has bloomed so far, but more buds should open soon.  All the tulips have flower buds and should give a wonderful display shortly.