The first rose of summer....

... unfurls her frilly crinoline.

(Well, maybe not the first rose as I photographed this blossom a few days ago, but certainly one of the prettiest, with plenty of buds yet to open.)

Balcony update

Sweet anticipation, flavour, scent & serenity*:

Tomato 'Glacier'

Tomato 'Kootenai'

Assorted green & red lettuces

Lettuce 'Sea of Red'

Assorted thymes: 'Doone Valley', 'Golden Lemon', Tabor', Thymus fastinoi

Compact oregano, Origanum vulgare 'Compactum'

Basil 'Genovese', Basil 'Red Rubin', Thymus x citriodorus 'Doone Valley', French Tarragon, Oregano 'Italian'

Addendum, June 10th: Oops -- forgot to explain the asterisk (*) after "serenity" in the first line. I wrote yesterday's post while roofers finished erecting scaffolding around our condo, floor-installers sawed new baseboards for the apartment in the building next door, heavy machines continued tearing up the side street for new Hydro pipes, and a recycling truck and moving van negotiated for space in the alley behind our building. Yes, my little balcony has become a green oasis that grounds, calms and nourishes me.

Wordless Wednesday

Gardening for the pollinators

 "These seeds will help to provide both forage for beneficial insects and a little more beauty in the world"

Last week I sowed this Pollinator Blend mixture, a thank you gift with purchase from West Coast Seeds, in one of the group (shared) beds at the community garden. Now I'm saying a huge "thank you" to the pollinators & giving them (& us) a boost:

Bees and flowering plants evolved together millions of years ago. We could not have one without the other. Although bees face many challenges in this age of global weather change, at West Coast Seeds we believe that the simple act of sowing the seeds of plants that bees and other pollinators love to forage on is a critically important step in helping to ensure they, the whole planet, and we have a future (source: West Coast Seeds).

Have your viewed "The Wings of Life" & listened to flimmaker Louie Schwartzberg's elegant, compelling commentary? Many thanks to my friend @tessgmarshall for tweeting the link to this amazing, beautiful film clip (a TED talk) about pollination. I can't replay it too many times. 

Pollination truly is the "love story that feeds the earth".

Benches are good

Especially for sitting on after a work-out planting the alpines, herbs & Japanese maple tree you purchased at the plant sale earlier that morning -- a warm, sunny morning. I'm thinking ahead to this Saturday's stellar weather forecast* & the Gwynne Vaughn Park Garden Party & Sale.

Maybe I'll score a Saxifraga as interesting as Kim's 'Gregor Mendel'.

*