SUNDAY STROLL

 On warm, sunny Sundays at this time of the year we enjoy a little stroll around our landscape, checking the progress of blooming shrubs and perennials.  This beautiful Muckle Plum is an early bloomer and lives just opposite our back door.

A little farther toward the vegetable gardens at the back you'll find the Double Flowering Plums, just beginning to burst into bloom.  That's the deep pink at the center, in front of the Blue Spruce.

At the front near the road is a very tall Spruce that was here when we bought our acreage in 1997.  I was surprised to see these bright buds at the tips of the branches.  Are they cones or just new growth?  (I live at a Garden Centre, but that doesn't mean I know a whole lot about plants!)

Then it's time to look into our three greenhouses and admire the healthy plants there.  Here's what we call the #1, just because it was the first one we built.  We keep the annuals here.  This greenhouse is the largest and has two gas furnaces to bring the tender annuals through the frosty nights.  The thermometer stood at 0ºC this morning when we got up, although now we're enjoying what feels like a summer afternoon with the temperatures well into the 70's (F).

The #2 greenhouse (second one we built) is almost as large, but a simpler building.  We keep our perennials and some shrubs in this greenhouse.  The heating, when needed, is provided by an old wood stove that used to be in the house and a propane heater that Jim refers to as "his flame thrower."

And last on today's tour is the #3 greenhouse, quite small and not heated.  Right now it's home to our pansies, which prefer cool weather and can even stand some frost and some snow. 

 

A WORD ABOUT COMMENTS: I would like to hear your input on my posts, but it seems that it's difficult to post comments.  I have the settings for accepting comments done correctly, but there's some kind of gremlin there.  If you have anything to say, you can email me at grammilou@hotmail.com and I will post your comments where we can all read them.  I'd love to hear from you!