In the Garden

Mistletoe gardening and other forms of wizardry

Terry OShaughnessy — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 22:45:33 -0500

Single women everywhere are wanting to know: is it too early to hang the mistletoe? My mistletoe is right in front of me, and I’m wondering. It’s not real mistletoe, of course, it’s the plastic kind from mainland China via Canadian Tire. But it has already paid the dividend of giving me some Canadian Tire money which will please my nephew, and more importantly, ensures that some sort of seasonal kissing will now be inevitable for his aunt.

A bird-brained scheme?

Terry OShaughnessy — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:14:15 -0500

The question is: is it decent for a bird bath to be brought inside from the garden for the winter? I'm not talking about being 'stored' inside, like in the basement, or anything so logical or preferable. I'm talking about bringing a bird bath inside and setting it up somewhere in the house and using it as part of the decor. What I need to know is whether it's a bird-brained scheme to have a bird bath indoors where there are clearly no birds flying around to use it.

The garden thief

Terry OShaughnessy — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:31:46 -0500

Here is what they won’t teach you in any gardening book: now is the time to steal hollyhock seeds from neighbours and perfect strangers so that you will be able to recreate this Victorian beauty in your own yard next summer.

The barefoot winter gardener

Terry OShaughnessy — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 18:41:53 -0500

Of course, who wouldn’t prefer to enjoy flowers in their particular blooming season? But there is something quite special about spring flowers blossoming on the windowsill in January as snow falls on the other side of the windowpane.

Birds of a feather

Terry OShaughnessy — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:19:26 -0500

My grandmother always said that birds bring messages of death. And I was thinking of this in the garden after the news came today that one of my best friends had died. It had been a beautiful day, just like yesterday, with the sun shining on the brilliantly scarlet leaves of the Burning Bush in my garden that was fully living up to its name.

The yin and yang of the common pumpkin

Terry OShaughnessy — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 22:25:56 -0400

I harvested my accidental pumpkin this week—the one that grew in the middle of my yard this summer, suddenly sprouting itself one day though I had not knowingly planted any seeds. I can only guess that what happened was that when I chucked my old Halloween pumpkin out on my compost heap last year, Mother Nature took things into her own capable hands.

Michaelmas daisies finish off summer for another year

Terry OShaughnessy — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:59:44 -0400

A few weeks ago, the natural world was exactly in balance. When the autumn equinox clicked over on that late September day, the calendar turned to the brief point in the year when exactly 12 hours of darkness and 12 hours of light measured the day.

As usual, the unique equilibrium of the fall equinox was marked by heightened activity.

Squirrelling away for the winter to come

Terry OShaughnessy — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:57:17 -0400

I went into battle this weekend. Armed with only a small garden implement and cloth gardening gloves covered with cheery yellow flowers, what I did was plant more than 100 tulip, daffodil, bluebell and snowdrop bulbs. It was a cheeky thing to do, seeing as how the squirrels in the trees were no doubt killing themselves laughing at the vision of me presenting them with their favourite pre-winter food — delectable, delicious bulbs — right on a platter.

Almanac squashes myth that there's no cure for a bore

Terry OShaughnessy — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:38:11 -0400

I like the Farmer’s Almanac. The language is direct and to the point, and even a bit bossy. Maybe it’s a leftover effect of having been to a strict Catholic school called Immaculata, but I seem to need that slightly scolding tone to get me going when I’m in my garden where there is always too much to do.

A cut and trim for the garden

Terry OShaughnessy — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 22:16:18 -0400

It’s like suddenly deciding out of the blue to get a haircut. That feeling when you can’t stand your long, hippy-esque locks any longer and you crave a sleek new look—and you need to do it ASAP. This is how I feel in my garden right now, though I don’t really understand why.