Exploring the world of gardening. Observations, gardens to visit, thoughts on ecology, gardener interviews, and commentary.
A post shared by Davin Risk (@langueverte) on Nov 18, 2017 at 11:34am PST Davin shot this ethereal, slow motion video in the garden last weekend. I believe these were the same midges that danced around me one afternoon a few weeks ago as I was constructing a cold frame over this bed in anticipation …
I wrote this short piece recently as a series of tweets on Twitter and then transcribed it to my Instagram and Facebook accounts. But because too much falls into the social media ether these days, I have transcribed it here with a few small changes. When I was 16, going on 17, I dug my …
The other day, while walking around, exploring the garden, I happened upon a ladybug sitting on a leaf on the black currant bush. Upon first glance I thought the ladybug was alive, but looking more closely I could see that it was unmoving and probably dead. Next I noticed a bruised, wet spot on its …
Today and every day: Grow and eat good food. Find your grounding in the earth and connect to the nature that is in you — the nature that is you. Make space for wildness. BE wild. Tend and be tender. Don’t be good; be defiant. Cultivate compassion and empathy. Hold yourself in strength and dignity. …
A year ago, almost to the day, I wrote about my experiences as a gardener who couldn’t garden due to illness and what that taught me about myself and gardening. I ended the piece by musing on a reassurance from my partner Davin that come spring both the garden and I would be here. Eventually, …
Fall is the season of the spider around here. Well, I suppose that’s not exactly accurate. Summer seems to be the season of the spider in my kitchen. Fall is their season in my garden. Every summer a range of smaller species and one female Cross Orbweaver (Araneus diadematus) sets up shop in my kitchen …
Davin took this photo of me standing in the garden the other day, on the occasion of my 43rd birthday. It was drizzling at the time, but I was elated. It has been unbearably dry and hot here in Toronto for some time. I have never appreciated rain more than I have this summer. In …
I spent about an hour yesterday afternoon perched on a stool in front of a patch of borage (Borago officinalis) with my camera poised to take photos of pollinators as they went about their business collecting pollen. I observed at least 6 different types of bees on this particular plant, many of which were small …
This is how it started (sort-of): Three years ago I found Tobacco Hornworms making a meal of some of my tomato plants. I was fascinated and repulsed. I grabbed my camera and took a few pictures, and then, like a good gardener, I immediately killed them. It wasn’t long before I regretted that action. I’ve …
For flower lovers, spring is the time to visit the woodlands here in Southern Ontario. This time when the forests are bright, just before the trees get their leaves is when you can see an abundance of wildflowers in bloom. Last weekend, we took a short trip just outside of the city to Rattlesnake Point …
The attendance of pollinators and other insect allies in my garden has blossomed in the five years since I first put spade to the earth and dug up the turf grass that dominated this yard. Over the years, I’ve had many gardens in a range of urban settings, but none have been as alive as …
Many years ago, not long after gardening came to me* and stuck, I read a statistic that said something to the effect that just looking at a plant lowers our heart rate. This was so long ago now that I no longer recall the exact phrasing, nor where I read it, or why. Regardless, it …