Vincelli's Garden Centre

The entrepreneur who wanted to build a 12 story mixed condo/commercial building on this site was defeated in a referendum.The fact is this is a poor location for luxury living, it's beside a huge rail yard with the noise of trains shunting, trains coming and going, and cars and trucks entering and leaving the area; as well, the small strip mall across the street from the proposed condo has never been a success, it's maybe half occupied, so who will shop at the stores in the proposed condo/commercial area? And, finally, this is a low density area of single family dwellings, not condos, not apartments, but families with parents, children, the elderly, working people, all living in homes they rent or own; it is an isolated location unless you have a car. The local residents are hostile to the proposed building they attempted to impose on their neighbourhood, they voted against it; who would vote in favour of a year or longer of construction -- danger to their children caused by large trucks, noise, and dirt -- followed by a needlessly large 12 story, or even a six story, building looming over one's home and community and an influx of strangers? How does that affect one's property taxes? How does that affect the quality of one's life? It doesn't. The age of the 12 story complex in this area has come to an end, but what will be proposed next?

Honey bees and asters

    It’s October, summer has ended and with it early daylight. I noticed these asters full of honey bees and decided I will plant asters in my garden next year. 

A garden on the corner of Terrebonne and Mayfair

I've walked by this house, on the corner of Terrebone and Mayfair, for years. I usually stop in the summer to take photographs of honey bees in the hydrangea but the owners have transformed their property into a beautiful garden, no grass, just many different types of plants. Earlier this summer, when I was planning what next to do with my garden, I bought a hydrangea to fill in a place as you enter the side gate, only today did I realize that the hydrangea I bought is the same type as found on this corner. I look forward to having more honey bees in our garden because of this. 

Land snails

I don't remember seeing any land snails in Montreal. That has changed this year, now they're everywhere. I am even stepping on them in the grass or on the walk by the side of the house. Is the increase of land snails because of climate change? It is hotter this summer and we are having more rain than in most summers.

The Canadian cottage garden in mid-August, 2023

Not a large garden but a cottage garden; not manicured and trimmed and finely rounded edges and borders, but a garden that makes its own shape, that makes its borders temporary, they may be different next summer, or they may be the same. More of a comfortable old chair with a throw and an open book on the floor than a formal garden with box hedges and roses. A garden of flowers, large displays of flowers, all perennials to reduce the work but also because perennials have a soul unto themselves, they return, they multiply, they are frugal in work but great in display. They return and return and always give more than they take. A place of solitude. A place of insects, butterflies, bees, and spiders, and of birds visiting the bird baths. A small garden that contains much. A garden born from where it began, a place where little was growing, a place of grass and a single old apple tree. Now, it is a place of walks between garden beds, flowers, and giving the appearance of being larger than it is.

Scenes from a Canadian cottage garden

 Photographs taken the evening of September 7, 2023.

Evening, and the light is coming in diagonally and preparing 
for ever diminishing brightness

Phlox are back for a second bloom

 

On the right, that's a sumac tree that self-seeded
and in three years is at least 15 feet high

The brown-eyed Susans are reaching
the end of summer, the cone flowers
are mostly finished

See those little things towards the right?
They are a cloud of little flies one sees 
in the summer

Sometimes the dying and dead flowers
can be attractive

There is that sumac again

A hollyhock, they are a lot more difficult to grow
than they should be; they were weeds in my youth,
now they are biennials and celebrated when flowering

A huge hosta, as though I have some special
ability to grow hostas... well, they grow themselves
and the best advice is to leave them alone and they'll get it right

The house is covered in vines as though old people
who don't maintain their home live here. . . someone tells
me they are bad for the brick work and I plan to cut them back

Some planning can go a long way

Black currants I planted three years ago

This did so well

My wife planted this gingko tree about fifteen
years ago beside our front lawn, it has done well