Author Archive for Donald McClure
He can tickle your funny bone or tug at your heart strings. County people may know him as a chronicler of everything that happens (or should happen) in the garden, but his interests stretch across the natural world. His unique sense of observation takes in a wide expanse of living and may even point out some truths about our own condition as managers of the world around us. With Loyalist antecedents in his family tree his roots go deep into the Ontario countryside.
A talk with your plants could prove enlightening
The temple bell stops but I still hear the sound coming out of the flowers. – Basho, 1680 Is it possible to communicate with the plants and flowers in our garden? The idea is not new and whether we individually are able to get our minds around the concept or not, there are a lot […]
Hummer or moth? Summer of mysteries
Last week a neighbour reported the sighting of an unusual hummingbird in his garden. He described it as a basic brown colour with a lighter band in evidence. My first inclination is that he had spotted a humming-bird moth, which roughly meets his description and has the fast humming wing motion to carry off the […]
Butterflies buffeted by climate change
Walked through an incredible garden in the heart of King Township north of Toronto last weekend — with fantastic floral displays. It was a warm sun-filled afternoon, a day after a good rain had freshened everything into a summer lushness that would lift the spirits of any gardener. Only thing missing: the butterflies. In all […]
All time and forever flower of June
Whenever peony heads get together there is invariably someone who asks about their personal favourite. Taking a leaf from Will Rogers book I will have to confess that “I have never met a peony I didn’t like.” But if I could only choose one to have in my garden it would undoubtably be the venerable […]
Silent Mojave desert reveals its secrets
About 20 miles from the sizzling streets, clunking slots and exotic atmosphere of Las Vegas there is a quiet glimpse of another world with links to human activity going back thousands of years. Beautiful Red Rock Canyon in the nearby Mojave desert is a welcome respite from the unreal world of the city. And according […]
Trees – the seed of new hope
Alone with myself The trees bend to caress me The shade hugs my heart -Candy Polger It was a perfect spring morning last Sunday when the Prince Edward Stewardship Council set up their offertory tables under the porch of the cattle barn at the Picton Fair Grounds to hand out native trees to the public. […]
