To perhaps no one’s interest at all, other than my committed peony growing readers or perhaps my siblings, I am most delighted to announce that my Mother’s peony survived my drastic efforts last fall, (https://deergarden.me/2018/10/13/wearing-a-harness/) and is now blooming on our front deck. First bought at the UBC botanical garden in 1994, it spent it’s life in the garden at her front window until her passing, when I clumsily moved it here. She bought a pink one and I bought a yellow on a special June day we spent together for my birthday. The yellow came with me when we moved here and brings my Mother to me every spring.

Her pink one sits now nestled beside a white Tommy Lipton rose given to me by my friend when my Mom died, a mock orange from a cutting from our house in Ladner and a variegated weigela from another friend here on the island.

I broke down yesterday and went to town. I needed tomatoes to plant and I couldn’t put it off any longer. I had fun picking out some different ones. Kind of like buying wine for the catchy name, (Arrogant Frog Ribet), I bought tomatoes the same way. I figure any tomato called ‘Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter’ or ‘Black Sea Men’ has got to be worth giving a try. I will let you know how they all taste. So combined with the one Heinz I grew from seed, donations from island gardeners and yesterdays adventure, I will have twenty tomato plants in the garden by the end of the weekend. Half what I usually put in but I think one of my previous problems is that I had been over crowding them.. so let’s see how this works.

Yesterday, E started to dig holes for the concrete footings he will need to pour for the bunkie, you know, if we decide to go ahead with the project. Piper was a lot of help

I have discussed before the joy that gardeners experience repeatedly from plants shared with friends. I recently received a text from my previous next door neighbour with a picture of a rhodo I had given her from my garden when I moved. She wanted to thank me for visiting her garden. Isn’t that awesome? I love to think that when I share plants, it reminds my friends of me when they bloom. Believe me, and I mean this sincerely… I often can’t remember what a plant is called but I ALWAYS remember who gave

it to me.