Monday, December 8, 2008

Frozen Ground


Very still this a.m. on the lake - the little dots are Canada Geese - lots of 'em. They used to fly south - no longer - apparently Oakville is just fine for the winter.
For the first time ever - I've managed to get all my bulbs in before the ground froze - just a little over 600 of them. Today it was -13C without the windchill, with a little snow expected this afternoon - definitely boots and hat weather. Thought I might get a couple more maintenance videos done for my other site - alas, outdoor gardening has come to an end, and frankly by December I think I'm ready, to sit by the fire and plan for next year.

One of my favorite seed catalogues arrived on Friday - Veseys Seeds from Prince Edward Island. I visited Veseys a year ago - seed packaging in many cases is still done by hand. The gal in charge had a canister of various sizes of little spoons and wee paddles that she used for many of the flower seeds. After the seeds are packaged, they're arranged on shelves. The orders are then picked by staff who use lovely old baskets that are made (and maintained yearly) by the areas Mi'kmac Indians. The trial gardens are beautiful and well worth a trip if you're ever in Prince Edward Island.
We were visiting friends for dinner on Saturday night and found this wonderful house just down the street - just had to put in a photo to share!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Barbara, how interesting that your geese are no longer flying south, what does that mean??? The vision you have painted of the ladies at Vesey's packaging the seeds, with fabulous baskets no less, sounds like something from a fairy tale! Love it!
Frances

Glädjekällans Trädgårdsblogg said...

Barbara
Here it is raining and this evening we have +7C.
Next year I am planing to not buy so many different seeds. Hope I can keep that.
Birgitta

Anonymous said...

I love Christmas lights - I admire all the effort people put into them. It's only reached -3C here, mostly at night. The thought of -10 degrees cooler makes me shiver (lol)

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...

Hi Barbara, a lovely, peaceful scene by the lake. The stark winter light brings home to me how cold it can be. You have been diligent planting so many spring bulbs. I am looking forward to see them flowering. The "Christmas house looks very festive.

Barbarapc said...

Frances - we haven't had reliable snow cover in years because it's just that much warmer so the geese are able to find food. The city & towns that border the lake have border collies to chase them away & in certain areas the eggs are oiled to prevent them from hatching. Veseys was indeed a delight - it was a lovely trip.
Birgitta - We're scheduled to be as warm as that today. I simply can't be trusted around seed catalogues. I make the same promise to myself every year...not so many seeds!
E.G. I'm going to go back to see what else she's done - had a feeling that it was a work in progress - can't imagine her hydro bill - but lots of fun for the neighbours.
Titania - I do indeed look forward to enjoying and sharing my bulb blossoms - just 4 more months to wait!