Winter is too long here in Montreal. It's almost April and the snow has just melted, some plants are beginning to grow; spring has arrived but it feels like winter is still here. One month less of this would be perfect. Top photos taken in 2013, bottom photos this year on 27 March 2024:
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Friday, March 15, 2024
A Canadian Cottage Garden on 14 March 2024
It’s been a very mild winter and spring will soon be here; so far, among other things, I’ve seen many Canada geese in their V-formation, cardinals singing in the early morning just before sunrise, and crows looking down at us from telephone wires. I’ve already raked the front lawn and done some work in the backyard before we had some snow a few days ago. Soon garden centres will be open and we’ll begin planting this year’s garden. 14 March 2024
Thursday, May 18, 2023
The garden, early May
It was Coronation Day, 6 May 2023, and the garden was coming to life. After a lot of rain and cold in April the sun was bright and the sky blue, birds had returned to the bird bath, hostas and ferns were growing fast. Trees were turning green, the lilac bush was ready to flower.
There isn't much to the garden this early in spring but it is coming back to life. After months of cold, short days, snow, and more or less being housebound, spring had returned to Montreal. I've already planted six new hostas (and I'll plant another six next week) and we now have a second bird bath. It looks like we'll have a nice garden this year!
The fence has enclosed the garden and I've begun planting a second row of hostas |
That bench is sixty years old but still in good condition, I look forward to sitting outside on it and getting a different view of the garden |
A new, second bird bath |
More ferns than ever this year |
Saturday, April 15, 2023
Return of the crows
Tuesday, April 4, 2023
The garden on April 4th, 2023
It's April 4th today and the snow is still here, but rain is forecast and perhaps by later this week the snow will have melted. Our gardening season is short here, it's from May to October. Winter is from January to the end of March and then overlaps into April, and then it is still cold but at least the snow is melting. May 1st comes suddenly and people begin installing their window air conditioning units; at last we can open the windows and turn off the furnace. Here, we all listen to daily weather forecasts, and we wait for this cold weather to end.
In the sun the snow has already melted |
Tulips are already coming up |
This is a hollyhock coming up |
In the sun, where plants are protected and the snow has melted, tulips are beginning to grow |
Tuesday, June 21, 2022
Last day of spring, first day of summer 2022
Here is my garden over the last week or ten days, as seen on these last days of spring, 2022.
In summer let the flowers bloom!
These are miniature irises |
A bird bath is a great addition in any garden |
A border of hostas I planted last fall have excelled my expectations! |
Hosta |
Foxglove |
On the left is a sumac that self-planted about two years ago |
Foxglove I planted this spring, doing better than foxglove planted two years ago |