We’ve had ten days of pure summer this month, and this after a terrific April as well.  For days and days the sun was shining in clear blue skies and temperatures soared. The beach was hopping and the ice cream kiosks were open. Outdoor living has well and truly begun.

This weekend, intermittent rain and clouds have returned, but after all that it’s not at all unwelcome. The gardens are leafing out before our eyes, flower buds are spiking and the colors of blooming rhododendrons and lilacs are dazzling. I’ve been spending at least 8 hours a day playing in the dirt, digging, planting, trimming, watering, fertilizing and generally having a fine old time.

I have 44 different varieties of fuchsias at last count, and more than than potted up as some are duplicates. The GreenHouse was jammed and crammed with leafing out plants and I was looking forward to moving them out to the Summer GreenHouse, that stretch of pergola covered staging area beside the house. Turns out, I’m pretty much jammed and crammed in there too, and once everything fully leafs out and blooms, I’ll need some creative solutions for where to put everything. Since this is only the second season of the Fuchsia Ranch operations, and the acquisition and propagation bug is far from sated, this is an interesting problem to have.

The Pot House too is thriving. No, not that kind of pot, it refers to my related passion for container gardening. Just counted up 47 different pots in the garden (what else is there to do on a rainy morning), some are plant collections, some single specimen shrubs, and others are perennials or shrubs that are spending a season or two moving around the garden in pots before landing in a more permanent home in the planting beds. I collect ceramic pots the way I used to collect shoes. Flip flops and Muck Boots are now my footwear of choice.

When we moved here there were only a few plants here and there, essentially it was a blank canvas. Another rain day count (E&OE) – 143 trees, shrubs and perennials have been planted, so far. More views from the garden…

Number One Son Steve made an unexpected and very welcome visit last week, the best kind of Mother’s Day present. He was there for our first sail of the season, with me firmly lashed to the mast, quaking in fear. Kidding. Here’s what it really looked like:

The very best part about being back in Canada is being closer to The Boys.