Call Me Lazy : A Look at my Flower Garden

c="http://www.loulou.to/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/clematis-purple.jpg" alt="clematis-purple" width="640" height="425" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-18714">There are some parts in my life where I admittedly devote less effort than perhaps I could or should.Thanks goodness science has shed some light on the fact that messy people probably think more clearly, because the chaos around them forces them to concentrate. A recent study, discussed here, revealed that people who have an untidy workspace tend to be more creative and original in their thinking. Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it ... Because I am sure as heck not pulling out the vacuum cleaner this weekend.Of course, my mother is one person who has always been aware of my tendencies, and when she stays at our home to sit with Eddie Boycat when we're away, she sticks to my request, 'cross-her-heart', that any doors that are shut when she arrives remain shut throughout her stay. I know how I am but would be horrified to have anyone, other than Nick, see the extent to which I am a creative thinker.Lest you get the wrong impression though, my messes are very contained to my parts of the home, and the rest of the place is kept looking lived-in but neat enough.But this story is about my flower garden and how I have become a lazy gardener and not my desk and how it could rightly be deemed a disaster area.Before I moved to a place with room to do some gardening, I used to daydream about the beautiful outdoor spaces I would create with flowering plants, just like those I saw in magazines. However, moving forward 12 years, I have accepted that you can either work your butt off every single spare moment of the spring, summer and fall, to make that happen, or you can just let nature take its course. Because gorgeous gardens filled with a variety of flowering plants throughout the seasons are just plain hard work.It's not that I'm not into hard work though, as I have put a lot into my yard over the years, but the reality of plants is that they are very picky about their environment and will only thrive where they want to thrive. Each needs the exact right conditions to grow, which involves the mix of soil and level of moisture, amount of sunshine, and most importantly the year round temperature level (known as your 'hardiness zone'. Toronto is zone 6). So no matter how much you try, there are some plants that will just never do well in the conditions you have to offer.And while I can walk the 'hood and get serious garden envy (hello yard filled with gorgeous Dahlias. and other yard with the busiest Aster bush I've ever seen.) I have learned by now that my particular situation is greatly effected by the huge maple trees that ring my garden. They suck up all the water and make things very shady. In short, they just won't let many things grow.So basically, after an initial 7 year period of trying different plants, babying them, moving them if they didn't seem happy, I have simply reverted to laziness. Nowadays a laissez-faire attitude prevails, and if those pretties want to grow, they will, with or without my assistance.Finally realizing this certainly takes a load off. And while I wish I had more flowers out there, I am quite happy with what I have. I have also learned that supplementing with a few annual flowering plants (which will only ever last one year) grown in pots keeps things pretty enough for me. Even if the Snapdragons have stopped snapping early this year.Of course, being a good neighbour means keeping everything trimmed and tidy, and not a wasteland of allergy inducing plants, so I am out there regularly with my clippers and rake, but really, that's about it these days.I would call the Purple Clematis Vine (pictured above) my personal biggest success. I planted it the first summer we lived here and throughout the years is struggled but was still alive. So I read up on them and found that they like to be planted in spots where the roots are in shade but the top is in sun. To paraphrase ... 'they like cool feet and a hot head'. I moved it and for the past 3 years it has been a big show off, with hundreds of flowers.It has a partner Clematis, with darker red coloured flowers, but it only had a couple of flowers on it this year, so I think it is calling it quits.

Bits and Pieces : July 2013

Hello and welcome! Here is my monthly post where I put up photographs taken during the previous month that I liked, but that didn't find a home in any other story. I try to choose interesting shots and I hope you agree that they are.

Party Food : What We Ate – Olive, Cheese and Tomato Hors D’oeuvres

↑ The recipe for these is at the bottom of the post ↑

Everyone seemed to quite enjoy what I served at a recent Ladies' Get Together.

I prepared a lot of the food the evening before the party, partially because it would be easier on party-day, but mostly because it was good to let the flavours develop overnight. Then all I had to do was assemble the separate elements right before the party started.

The fruit and the vegetables, which, of course, are better served fresh, were washed and cut about an hour before the party began, and kept in the fridge, stored in resealable bags, until it was time to put them out. Note, if you're including raw broccoli, store the pre-cut pieces in their own bag or container, so the green bits don't get all over the other veggies.

Party Drinks and Big Fancy Ice-Cubes

This is a post about what we drank at my recent outdoor party, where 13 of my lady friends and I got together on a lovely summer's evening for no reason except to relax and enjoy each others' company.

After looking at a couple of vintage cookbooks for party drink ideas, I decided that I'd make some punch. I wondered about spiking the whole batch, but instead chose to make the punch without alcohol and then add it later to make individual cocktails. This definitely turned out to be the way to go, because it was so handy to have a lot of a good tasting beverage that everyone could enjoy.

But before heading down the punch route, I had to first find something to serve it from. Of course, a punch-bowl was the obvious choice but in spite of seeing many of them at thrift stores in the past, I didn't have one. Also I had seen those large glass containers with a stand and a spout made especially for large parties, but I just couldn't justify having one of those or a punch bowl, as this certainly wasn't a kitchen item I would be using often and I just don't have the space to store one.

So I improvised with a glass salad bowl and a soup ladle. I did go a bit fancy with the ladle borrowing a cute one with a curved handle from my parents. But I'll be giving that one back so will now be on the lookout for a nice ladle at the thrift stores, because I will surely be making punch again.

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