Gordon's Garden Diary

25 Jan '08 7:09 am

Oh, Gordon!! I am sorry for those past weather news!! But I am SO happy about your thinking of moving to that magical, serene place, with those gentle people! Thinking about your happy plans ahead, it feels so good, I know!! I wish you , to realize in joy, creativity, and inspiration, ALL your plans/dreams!

25 Jan '08 1:59 pm

Glad to hear that you are back online, Liza! Yes, planning for the potential move is exciting for me, however, one never knows. . . once I actually GET there, I may not like what I sense around me. That is very important to me, as I seem to have a knack of sensing whether or not a place will be good for me in the long run. Anyway, I'm off to an "Eco-Fair" this weekend to learn more about solar panels, micro-hydro, grey-water reuse, etc. It should be fun!

I'll let you know how it goes.

Cheers!
gordonf

25 Feb '08 5:15 pm

Hi, all!

I had no idea that a month has passed since my last post here! For weeks I haven't been getting notification of any posts to the forums (fora??) that I was watching so I assumed that everyone was otherwise occupied.

Anyway, spring is finally showing her head around here, and my snowdrops, crocuses and aconites are beginning to bloom. Also, the succulents on my front roof garden are beginning to take on their late winter/early spring colouration. I have some pictures of them that I took yesterday.

Today, while taking my neighbour and Joey for a Sunday drive in the hills, we encountered some very unexpected snow and ice and became stuck for an hour and a quarter! While I was too occupied to take pictures of the car crosswise on the road, I did get some of the frozen lake just below and of the early flowers there! I'll try to post them tomorrow. Anyway, here are the succulents and a couple of other plants from the roof garden.

Cheers!

gordonf

26 Feb '08 8:16 am

Nice to see all those colours, Gordon. And give the hebe a hug from me! Many of its cousins and aunties and uncles are enjoying the summer sunshine here. They have a beautiful leaf geometry, with pairs of opposites. A great design!

I like succulents - they can be quite understated plants, just going about their business, no fuss. I'd like to try a rooftop sedum garden on the old dog kennel. thanks for sharing, and yes - the 'fora' or 'fori' (??? help, someone who can decline correctly) have been composting quietly this last month. But, like the weeds, even if we're quiet we're still here!

26 Feb '08 5:58 pm

Hi, Moosey! It's been a long time since I heard from you. Yup - I think your idea of a succulent roof on the doghouse is a great idea. Also, it's good to start small until you get the hang (!) of it.

As I was saying yesterday, I was stuck in the snow and ice with a friend and I took some pictures to post today. here they are. Unfortunately, there are none of the disabled car, but there are a couple of good ones of the frozen lake with its rotting ice cover and of Joey and the flowering gorse beside it. Here they are.

Cheers!

gordonf

4 Mar '08 3:42 pm

So melting ice-cover is described as rotting??!!

Frankly it still boggles my mind that one can sit in the sunshine next to a vast body of water covered in ice. Here we understand bird-baths freezing over! And rue the winter's day that the temperature DOESN'T rise above 10 degrees Celsius - we think the end of the world has come.

Having said that, family friends who spent two years in the Canadian hinterland came back for a visit in the middle of a particularly cold spell in SA and claimed that they had never been as cold in Canada - simply because we are not set up thermally; we have drafty single glazing and mostly no insulation in the ceiling.

I complained recently of no weather - well last week we had over 3 hours of solid electric storms, during which I had gone to lie downstairs with my big dogs, both of whom hate thunderstorms.I eventually gave up on sleeping at 4 am after a lightening strike that was VERY close. My poor terrified big dogs! As I stood making coffee, stared at by a forlorn and hyper-ventilating border collie, an almighty stench hit my nostrils. Doubly was wetting himself he was so terrified - a huge puddle laced with canine adrenalin - or whatever the fear chemical is... I didn't have the heart to fight with him, just fetched an old towel.

Luckily we had perfect weather for the 24-hour Triathlon, and I have posted a picture on my summer thread!

4 Mar '08 4:30 pm

Hi, Jack;

It's good to hear from you again! Yep, we refer to melting ice cover as "rotting ice". It even LOOKS as if it is rotten! And, yes, one can get a tan while sitting surrounded by snow at this time of the year! That is, if you can put up with the cold breezes coming across the snow.

In the garden, my Iris reticulata are in full bloom, but even the hellebores are having difficulty in opening their buds this year! Things seem to be moving unusually slowly in the garden.

It's rather windy here tonight and my black bamboo is bashing itself against the bedroom window. Sometimes I think it wants to get inside to the warmth!!

I've begun repotting the bonzais, beginning with the 3 pinus bungeanas, whose pot broke in the frost this winter. I also put the oak seedling into its first true bonzai pot. Next on the list is the sumac seedling that is going from a gallon pot into its first true bonzai pot as well.

I guess it's tomato seeding time as well (indoors, of course!), and this year I'm growing only Black Krim and Padova varieties. Black Krim is Russian and has a wonderful smoky sweetness about it, while Padova is Polish and is rather like a Romano on steroids! It has HUGE fruit! I also have a new (to me) native carex variety which has seed pods that look a lot like the business end of maces. I collected the seed last summer by the beach near here, so we'll see how they grow!

During my visit on the weekend to the bonzai nursery, as well as new pots, I was given cones of a Japanese larch and a purple-leaved barberry to try to seed. I've already planted them and I'm waiting anxiously to see whether I get any sprouts.

So that's it from me today. Keep us posted on your lovely garden!

Cheers!

gordonf

25 Apr '08 4:52 pm

Well, greetings again, everyone!

It has been almost 2 months since I last posted here. I've been on my trip into the Interior and back, spring has come, rather reluctantly, and I'm preparing for another trip to the Interior and getting ready to sell my home here on the Island.

My trip was a wonderful experience, and the Valley seemed to me rather like the mythical musical village of Glockamorrah that appeared only once in 100 years (in the Broadway play and movie of which I can't remember the title!) The people there were wonderful to me and my health improved in just 4 days, with my sinus and hay fever problems disappearing and, at 2500 feet altitude, my head generally felt clearer than it has felt in ages! I'd post pictures, but I seem to have lost them in the computer somewhere. When I locate them, I'll post a few.

Back home on Vancouver Island, spring has been the coldest in years, with frost continuing at night on a pretty regular basis. Gardens are very slow here, but I still have a few pics to share with you all. I hope you like them. Later, I'll take a stroll through Moosey's and try to catch up on all of you.

Cheers!

gordonf

25 Apr '08 9:38 pm

Took me some time to remember that! Welcome back - we look forward to hearing all about it!

26 Apr '08 3:24 pm

Hi, Jack!
Count on you to remember the title of that musical/movie!! I thought and thought about it and just COULDN'T remember it! Thanks!

It was a nice, springlike day here today, at last, so I got out into the front garden and spent another couple of hours weeding. Yesterday I passed a pleasant 3 hours at the same activity in the back garden!

I just received the application forms for the Spiritual Community by email tonight, so I should have them completed and back in the Canada Post on Monday. Now I'll really have to get myself in gear to get this place ready for sale. Sure hope I find a purchaser who likes gardening!

Cheers!

gordonf

Gordon's Garden Diary

So happy to learn your last news!...

How Quickly a Month Passes!!

Hello Hebe

Succulents and Snow

Other people's weather...

Rotting Ice and Other Things . . .

It's Been a Long Time!

Brigadoon!

Brigadoon!