Time flies when it is SPRING!

Oh my gosh! Where is the time going? I have had a busy time, working at the nursery, new jobs sites and planning and planting my own little patch of earth.
I have planted here in Grafton 3weeks ago my strawberries which are doing quite nicely.

Crows

Crows are one of my favourite birds. I think they are smart and organized. Today is Earth Day and crows are my way of celebrating it. I have a nest in my backyard of crows, well, actually they are at the top of spruce tree in my neighbours yard. This makes it all so convenient though, as I can watch them with my binoculars coming and going from the nest.
Here is some news from the CBC today about crows.

CBC News - Technology & Science - Clever crows can use 3 tools

Mother Nature's in Charge Here

Twisted Sister

I am so bad and should not be working at a nursery. Everything special that I wanted is coming in, plus a few other things including Juniperus chinensis torulosa! This is my twisted sister or as it's known by it's other name Hollywood Juniper. I am sure this is the Juniper I saw in San Francisco and San Diego that changed my whole demeanor about junipers. I love the form of this small tree. It's vase shaped, with fat twirling upright branches, it's origins are from Mongolia, China and Japan, suits me just fine. I don't have it home yet and I have told myself I can not bring it home until I plant my Robin Hill Serviceberry. It's freezing out there now and dark. Tomorrow I have to go look at a job site, yes, it's Sunday but to a pantheist that means nothing, I work Sundays folks and happy to do so.
Looks like Monday I will plant the Robin Hill, I have already put in a Crimson Frost Birch and a Reliance Peach this year. So I can bring home the Torulosa on Tuesday and get in the ground!! Then I set aside an Akebia vine, Calycanthus shrub, a Callicarpa and I am not going into perennials yet as my head might explode!! Tomorrow I will get a pic of my Twisted Sister and post the photo. I will sleep tonight knowing that I am expanding my collection of trees and shrubs. Yipeeee!

Baby it's Cool outside

I am wondering what if any after effects will happen because of the volcanic eruption in Iceland. They say it's the ice is melting into the volcano and this is the cause of the large eruptions, just like when an ice cube is put on a hot frying pan, it pops! I have a friend who is England and was to come home yesterday. He had invited a group of friends over to his house for dinner tomorrow night and he had to cancel. He is not leaving England anytime too soon.
I wonder if our summer will be cool because of this eruption, if you look at the map of the path of this dust, it has covered most of Europe and it does not appear to be dissipating any time soon. What is needed a good strong wind and that will scatter it's dust evenly everywhere. Hmm, what is going to happen to our temperatures this summer and amount of sun we receive. Last summer our sun was cut by 40% and it showed in our plants and plans for the garden!! We had too much rain, too little sun so it was a weird year. We may be in for another year of a not so sunny summer and cooler temperatures. I hope not!

Whew!

Busy, very busy these days. I am working a Baltimore Valley Garden Centre and everything is being brought to the store now, you can check out their blog by clicking here. I wrote about what is in the store last night after I got home, ate and bathed.
Working in the veggie garden the other day, weeding and heeling in some trees I was surprised by the soils movement beside me and out popped this girl! How do I know she is a girl, she is huge! Female toads are larger than male toads and she just sat  there soaking up the sun and watching me work.

This week I purchased three bare root trees and I am so happy! I got a Betula pendula 'Crimson Frost' birch, which now resides at the front of the house, I am sure it will be quite happy there and really help with my curb appeal.
I also have a Robin Hill Amelanchier and a tall one at that, it's has to be almost 12' tall! It is the one that is heeled in the veggie garden and I hope to get it in today before I go into the Centre. The last tree I purchased was a Reliance Peach, I really wanted one of these for many reasons. First you get amazing peaches and yes this tree is more than hardy here. The leaves are lanceolate probably 5" long, with a glossy green finish on top. The blooms are pink, heck the roots are pink and the leaves turn a peach colour in the fall. Bonus is that you get lovely peaches to give to your friends so they can make pies for you!!
I have to go out and plant the Robin Hill Serviceberry now and then it is back to work. signing off for now.

Ready Set Grow!

Seeds to sow and grow for your veggie garden can be started now. I know it seems impossible when you think of the weather we have had the past few days. On Friday, Bo and I on our walk encountered sleet, snow of small flakes, pelleting sleet again and then once we got home snow of the large flakey kind! I knew it would do something this week. How did I know? I have a brother who's birthday is on the 6th of April and it always snows the week of his birthday! Here is Bo on the walk and he was not bothered about being blown and pelleted!

It's hard to believe that you can direct sow seeds in this weather but you can. Flower seeds to be sown now are Larkspur, Poppy, Sweet Peas, nicotiana. For

This mornings walk

Here are some photo's I took on our walk this morning. Most are in my backyard, but not all.
First one up is the black willow which I can see from my backyard but this was taken from the block behind my house.

 I love the drape of the branches and this photo of course does not do justice to the drape or colour of this branch.
I had a better colours on previous photo's but Bo was tuggn' on the leash so they are out of focus.

Busy, Busy, Busy

It's the all or nothing season, I am in the greenhouse planting like mad, everyone at the nursery is busy one way or another. Setting up, pricing, planting, digging trees and shrubs, what is there not to do?
I have some photo's that I have managed to take of spring around me. I noticed my first Blue Heron flying north yesterday, the Turkey Vultures are soaring in groups now, no alone.  This past winter was so dry here, with little or no snow that dry conditions are a real concern. Yesterday it rained for awhile, it was not enough. This morning it is raining again which is good. The weather is so warm though, that spring could be over in a nano second. They are saying we could get frost before the weekend. I love spring, cool mornings and this is what the lilacs and other springs bloomers need in order for their blooms to last. We will see what happens, in the mean time here are a few pic's.

This sulphur butterfly was on my front porch yesterday. I really like getting a close up of insect

Sedum and salix.