garden star of the week

Garden Star of the Week: Rain

/ sweetsaraline

Rain. When the temperatures are high and the plants are thirsty, rain is every gardener’s dream.

We want to hear the rain tapping on the roof and the windows, letting us know that it’s here. We want to go outside and look up and feel the cool water on our hot faces. We want to see raindrops glistening on our tomatoes and the delicate petals of our roses, we want to see soil dark with delicious, fresh water.

Some of us want to take our shoes off so we can sink our toes into the softened and refreshing dirt.

Too much, of course, can be a bad thing if you’re on low ground near a body of water. But when it’s not too much, why not celebrate it? Just be sure to help out any earthworms that have ended up on the pavement, because we want them in our gardens, too.

Congrats, rain, on winning Garden Star 🌟 of the week, and thank you for everything that you do.

Garden Star of the Week: Phlox

/ sweetsaraline

A previous owner of my house planted these, and I am always happy to see them bloom.

Phlox can come in creeping varieties that are used as ground cover, and also standing varieties that stretch above your other plants. I have one of the tall varieties.

My phlox (phloxes?) are a pretty and light purple colour. They stand out against the dark brown of the wood siding on my house, and they also attract butterflies. Who doesn’t like butterflies?

The flowers are also star-shaped, which seems as good a reason as any to name this attractive plant Garden Star 🌟 of the Week. Welcome to the club, phlox!

Garden Star of the Week: Tomatoes

/ sweetsaraline / 2 Comments

For many gardeners, the part of summer when the tomatoes are ripe is the best time of year. There is nothing more delicious and rewarding than a fresh tomato from your garden. Whether you grew them from seed or acquired some small tomato plants, you did it, baby! It’s time to enjoy the benefits of your labour.

Maybe you plan on making sauce, or maybe you just plan on having salads and sandwiches that are more tasty than usual. At this time of year, I just add fresh tomatoes to basically whatever I’m making. I’m making pasta? Throw in some tomatoes at the end. Omelet? Oh look, now it’s a tomato omelet. Cheese plate? Who doesn’t love tomatoes with some fancy cheese? You get the idea. We love tomatoes! It was inevitable that they would be named Garden Star 🌟 of the Week.

Garden Star of the Week: Baby butternut squash

/ sweetsaraline

It would probably make more sense to give butternut squash the distinction of being Garden Star of the Week at harvest time when we can actually eat it, but look at how cute it is!

This is also the farthest I’ve ever gotten when growing squash and it is very exciting. I’ve had lots of big, beautiful, orangeish-yellow flowers, and then nothing. On the advice of several gardening books I have even used a paintbrush to help with pollination but it still did not work. I meant to try that again this year, but I didn’t get around to it yet, and look at what happened! Sometimes all you have to do is nothing.

My little baby butternut squashes will be delicious eventually. I like them roasted in the oven with some butter, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. I also like them roasted in the oven and then made into a comforting and creamy soup. Fall is going to be tasty this year, all because of my butternut squash, which is why it is the garden star 🌟 of the week. Congrats, cuties!

Garden Star of the week: Beans

/ sweetsaraline

Perhaps you know it as the musical fruit, despite the fact that it is a vegetable, but the bean also enriches your soil by adding nitrogen to it. Because of this magical ability, it is an excellent growing companion for almost every plant. Just try to avoid anything in the onion family. Since they have a short growing period, you can plant beans two or three times in a growing season and have beans all summer and into the autumn.

Beans make an excellent snack or side dish, and they even make delicious pickles. Try planting purple ones so you can enjoy the pretty purple flowers near the start of the growing season.

There are just so many reasons why beans are the Garden Star 🌟 of the week. You did it, beans!

Garden Star of the week: Raspberries

/ sweetsaraline

When I was a very small child, we had neighbours across the street who had a big garden with large paths. In the summer, they would give me a basket and let me pick as many raspberries as I wanted.

The raspberries in my garden are starting to ripen, which means I get a tasty, sweet, and tart treat every time I go outside. It’s like eating candy, but with fewer cavities. Nothing tastes better than a fresh raspberry. I hope to one day have enough of them to make jam. Congrats, raspberries, you are the Garden Star 🌟 of the week!

Garden Star of the week: Whatever the fuck this is

/ sweetsaraline

Here is a tip for Montrealers with out of town visitors: take them to Jean-Talon Market. It’s sure to be a hit, and it will be very convenient for you because you can pick up a few things for dinner while you’re there.

This is what my husband and I did yesterday. As we were all leaving the market carrying our goodies, I saw a sign that said “anti-écureuil”* and I floated towards it like a sailor being drawn to a big pile of dangerous rocks by a murderous mermaid. And there it was, a display full of this plant. The market seller told me that all I had to do was leave them in their pots and place them about five feet apart, and my garden would become like a Bermuda Triangle for squirrels. I didn’t even ask what the plant was called, I simply paid the man immediately and went on my merry way.

I have no idea if it will actually work, but I can’t resist any possible opportunity to one-up those pesky rascals. And that is why whatever the fuck this plant is has earned the distinction of being the Garden Star 🌟 of the week. Congrats… you.

*Anti-squirrel

Garden Star of the week: Basil

/ sweetsaraline

Basil is a fragrant and versatile choice for your garden. Although the plants are difficult to start from seed, once you have one, all you have to do is stick it in the ground outside and leave it alone. Since it repels some insect pests and since it is tasty, it makes a great companion for tomatoes in the garden and on your plate. It’s also a good companion for pizza, pasta, and ricotta cheese, especially if the ricotta cheese is in a lasagna, which is actually the real reason why basil is the Garden Star 🌟 of the week. Nom nom nom, basil!

Garden Star of the week: The hibiscus flowers that survived the squirrel attacks

/ sweetsaraline

Hibiscus flowers are bright and beautiful and taste really good when they’re used to make iced tea. Unfortunately, squirrels also like them. They bite the flowers off of the plant so that they can suck the juice out of the stems. Sometimes they do this before the flowers even get a chance to bloom. This may sound like a reason not to get a hibiscus tree, (or at least a reason to keep them inside all year round), but when a flower actually makes it and is able to bloom, it is certain to be the star 🌟 of your garden for the two days that you’ll get to enjoy its beauty. You did it, hibiscus!

Garden Star of the week: Roses

/ sweetsaraline

Roses are popular with gardeners in several localities, and also with people who like the idea of gardening but don’t actually want to do it. Having them in bloom allows you to immerse yourself in an aromatory experience every time you venture out your front door, and yes, I did just make that word up, because what’s in a name, am I right? They’re beautiful, they’re edible, they’re world famous and have even been referenced by a little old playwright called William Shakespeare. And the best part about roses? Because of their famous sharp thorns, they’re completely squirrel-proof! And that is why the rose is our Garden Star 🌟 of the week. Congrats, roses!