Lise's Ramblings

Major grocery, hardware and department stores stack bags of mulch and top soil near entrances to signal that gardening season is upon us. But, those stores mainly carry the mass-market essentials. For me, the season arrives when the local nurseries and garden centres open their greenhouse doors. Wander indoors to see delicate flowers, fragrant herbs and colourful annuals, or brave the elements and step outside to see hardy perennials, award-winning plants, trees and rare shrubs.  If you don't have hours to spend researching info online, but you want to track down a botanical oddity, graft a tree or nurture seedlings, then consult the experts. Fortunately for me, I can visit knowledgeable folks at places like Van Kampen's Greenhouses, Island Pride Garden Co. and Jewell's Country Market. They can answer my questions and recommend new finds. Even if you aren't a gardening fan, you can enjoy a trip to a green...

"But we, insofar as we have power over the world and over one another, we must learn to do what the leaf and the whale and the wind do of their own nature. We must learn to keep the balance. Having intelligence, we must not act in ignorance.  Having choice, we must not act without responsibility.” ~ Ursula K. Le Guin, The Farthest Shore (book three in the Earthsea trilogy) Amen. That quote from a talented author spells out what I wish I was eloquent enough to write today. I want Mackenzie to inherit a healthy world to explore. Do you think we can ever grasp how fortunate we are to have Earth, our life-sustaining planet?  We're surrounded by our world's beauty and bounty. If not for yourself, then for the sake of future generations, choose to nurture and balance this precious place we call our home. Happy Earth Day!   Tropical beauty at Vancouver's Bloedel Conservatory Evergreen and deciduous trees in British Columbia ...

As if being in my library  isn't reason enough to smile, my shamrock from Lise T. adds a dash of purple and fun to the room. When I moved to Atlantic Canada, I traveled with precious plants packed with care. For a few weeks, unexpected delays prevented me from getting the keys to my home, so I carted pots of all sizes in and out of hotels and B&Bs.  Why go to such lengths? I cherish my plants' lineage. For these plants came from friends, colleagues and family, and form a living bridge between my past and the present. Some are indoor plants grown from cuttings. Others are perennials unearthed from gardens. Whatever their origins, memories sprout whenever I tend to my kinship plants, which include my: Goldfish plant ( Nematanthus nervosus ) from Laura P. Yucca from Burgi Forget-me-nots ( Myosotis ) from Alex Assorted tropical plants from my hubby  Bee balm ( Monarda ) and Malva from Louise and Dad Purple Shamrock ( Oxalis r...

Maple sugar heating pan Photo credit: Ronald C. Yochum, Jr., Creative Commons 'Twas an early spring day, when all through the woods, Many creatures were stirring; they were there for the goods. The tin pails were hung from the tree trunks with care, In the hopes that sticky sap would soon be there. The children were bundled all snug in their coats, While pleas for sugarbush treats escaped from their throats. But mama gathered them all when she said with a clap, “Now you settle down or you’ll go home for a nap.” Then, alongside the cabin there arose such a clatter, They sprang to the heating pan to see what was the matter. Evaporating water takes more than a flash, Toppled trees for cords of wood must burn to ash. Pour a taste test of syrup on new-fallen snow. Twist a wooden stick to catch the cooling flow. When, what to their wondering eyes should appear, But golden taffy or as the French would say, tire.    thegreatcanadiangiftcompa...