the mid-winter reflections of a landscape architect...

Lately I've been thinking about how this blog reflects my state of mind, my pursuits and my current areas of interest. I've considered how it's evolved over time, sometimes with a focus on design in general, sometimes with a more urban agriculture focus and recently, perhaps, with more of a focus on landscape architecture.  

I've always had a voracious appetite for learning and new things and I'm sure that is being reflected here. Sometimes I feel like I need to reign it all in and focus on one thing at a time, but that's really just not me. I'm a generalist and I think that's a really nice quality for a landscape architect. I once heard someone say that engineers need to know a lot about a few specific things and landscape architects need to know a bit about everything, which is probably why we are such great project managers.

I have finally come to accept that my range of interests - art, gardening, dance, herbal medicine, agriculture, fashion, food, travel and on and on -  inform my process and designs and contribute to my wholeness as a designer. It's about time I embraced that!

ps. This photo makes me so very happy. I'm dreaming of a peaceful home studio with such beautiful light...

baby pics

As promised, here are a a couple of photos of the first seedlings to inaugurate the Bloomfield Community Greenhouse. It's now been three weeks since the first seeds were planted and the photos show the seedlings after one and two weeks. I'm so very happy that they are coming along so well and can't wait to enjoy my first harvest of tender, baby greens

week one 

week two

fall show

Autumn seems to be moving through rather slowly this year - which is fine by me! I love long, leisurely walks through Halifax's older neighbourhoods which afford glimpses of vibrant foliage (like this hydrangea) juxtaposed against colorful, historic houses.

bloomfield community greenhouse

I feel pretty lucky and grateful to have been selected as a participant in the first year of the Bloomfield Community Greenhouse. What a great opportunity to grow food throughout the long, cold Canadian winter! Also a lovely boost for the spirit - the greenhouse was a cozy 42 degrees celsius when I stopped in today (we're still calibrating details like temperature regulation).

The greenhouse is a collaborative project between two community organizations - Imagine Bloomfield and Ecology Action Centre. It's a pilot project with a vision of community greenhouses throughout Halifax Regional Municipality. A handful of us were selected through a membership lottery and now we're responsible for the day-to-day operations of the greenhouse, logging our experiences along the way.

 

Features of this passive-solar design include solar-panels, re-purposed barn boards, solar hot-water heating that circulates under the interior beds, an interior rain barrel, a community message board and a vermicomposter. I'm eager to meet the buider, Zak Miller of Full Cycle Builders, to learn more about the technical components of the building.

I planted seeds about a week ago and they are just starting to emerge. I am so excited to get started with a new crop just when the gardening season would usually be slowing down. I'll be back soon with pics of the new babies!

garlic planting tutorial (it's time!)

Right about now, at least in the temperate north, it is the perfect time to plant your garlic. Here is a simple guide to next season's bounty:

• A stop at your farmer's market will provide you with garlic that is adapted to your local conditions. I bought bulbs of two varieties from different farms in Nova Scotia as well as two red types that aren't local that I am experimenting with.

• Choose large well-formed bulbs. And from these choose the largest individual cloves to plant. Clove size is a better genetic determinant than bulb size of healthy, abundant garlic. I especially like the purple-tinged ones.

• Before planting 'crack' the individual cloves from the main head and choose those big, robust ones.

• This is the time to give consideration to next year's garden configuration. Remember garlic needs full sun.

• Plant garlic (pointy side up!) 4" to 8" apart and cover with at least 2" of soil. 

• Adding a layer of mulch - I used fresh seaweed but straw, hay, compost and leaves will also work - keeps the soil temperature constant. Garlic hates freeze and thaw cycles which are common here in NS.

• That's it for now! In early spring you will start to see your garlic shoots emerging. And in July the tops will start to brown and fade signaling time for harvest. We'll talk more later about harvesting, curing and storage.

plant combinations: cabbage and marigolds

Another gorgeous plant combination: cabbage with marigolds. Spotted in a garden neighbour's plot.

borage cubes

When talking about how to use the borage that has taken over the communal herb garden, my friend Eileen suggested I put the flowers in ice cubes. And so I did. These sweet blue flowers that I often nibble on are the perfect addition to a gin and tonic. I also wonder if the cucumber-taste of the leaves might infuse gin nicely.

coneflowers and bumblebees

The echinacea is in bloom and the bumblebees are loving them, even more than me! They are also all over the borage (more to come). As I was picking borage flowers one ran smack into my arm and didn't sting me. That is the way of the gentle bumblebee.

twined

My fellow community gardening friend, Crispin, has strung up twine through a neighbouring Japanese maple and connected it to his bean poles to allow them to keep 'twining'. It's quite lovely, I find twine to be very simple and elegant.

I tried something similar with my plot: I have been growing scarlet runners up tomato spirals and they too had reached the end of the line. Following suit I connected twine between the poles and my neighbours trellis to create an arbour. Unfortunately someone didn't like my idea and pinched the bean tips. Oh well.

Pesto!

The basil is finally ready and I made my first batch of pesto this season. I used this recipe which I fine-tuned last summer. Sooo delicious!

eggplant and potatoes

I harvested these gorgeous potatoes last night. They were delicious with fresh dill, butter, salt and pepper. I've been hilling my potatoes up with compost and exploring gently with my hands to unearth potatoes near the surface...

I'm also growing eggplant for the first time. Somehow the fruit just snuck up on me as I discovered them with delight a few days ago. These attractive plants caught my eye and I picked up a white variety at the local farmers market. I've chosen to grow them on my sunny SWest facing deck in a pot rather than transplant them into my gardening plot. I'm also growing watermelon and tomato on the 4th-storey deck and they're all thriving.

'happy' gardening

In the midst of a rough couple of days, I stopped by my garden last night in a horrid mood. As soon as I walked onto the sun-drenched site in the early evening I found myself thinking 'I love my garden, it makes me so happy!' Sappy I know, but true. Do you think of your garden as therapy?

pretty partnership

I just came upon this photo on the Evergreen website - cabbage and nasturtiums - what a lovely edible plant combination.

bok choi beginnings

I uprooted my bok choi today, as it had bolted. I meant to post these photos a while ago, when the garden had first taken off. Now they've been harvested and replaced with heirloom tomatoes.

I've started a 2nd sewing of the purple variety. Hopefully it's not too late...

lady birds

Snap of lady bugs on the sweet cicely at my community garden's communal herb garden. Apparently these little ladies have been scarce the last couple of years. The garden was practically teeming with them as they feasted on aphids so perhaps the pesticide bans are helping to bring back the pollinators and other beneficial insects.

happy monday

Happy Monday! I hope you've had a great weekend. I've been happily nesting and being quite anti-social.  We had our first real snow yesterday in Halifax, and although it was just a wee bit, it drove me further into my lady cave. I just don't enjoy winter, hence the gorgeous spring pic. I know it's not even officially winter, but I'm dreaming of budding leaves, and crocuses and ...    

(Photo via what possessed me )

happy monday!

I hope you had a great weekend and are restored and ready for another week! I'm still a bit sleepy, I decided on a late night snack of energy balls that kept me up late. I just had another, so hopefully it brings me around! Here are some pics of sea holly I bought at the Halifax farmer's market this weekend:

happy monday

I hope you had a great weekend. Yesterday was a drizzly, foggy, rainy day here in Halifax. The perfect day to sip tea and catch up on reading, cleaning and cooking. It still amazes me how people keep big houses in order when I find it such a struggle to keep up my 1 bedroom apartment. But it sure feels good starting the week stocked and organized.

I'll be back a bit later with a peek at my little balcony cold frame garden which will hopefully keep me stocked with fresh greens and herbs throughout the winter.

'Halifax Art Week'

I had a tour of the Sobey Art Award short list nominees last week and one of the speakers deemed this week 'Halifax Art Week'. The Sobey award will be presented tonight at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia followed by ArtRising , a late night secret-venue fundraiser for AGNS coordinated by local painter Mitchell Wiebe . I'm super excited for Nocturne , Halifax's art at night event, which takes place on Saturday night. Below are some pics of the Sobey award nominees, a great little exhibit of contemporary art that we don't see very often in this city. Be sure to check it out, it's on exhibit until Nov. 5th. See you at Nocturne!

Beauty shots- my first pm job

I recently completed  a small design/project management job at one of the local universities here in Halifax. It includes a daycare and a couple of entry plazas as well as circulation and storm upgrades. The design was quite traditional, but it was my first project management job and I learned a lot. I was initially nervous about being a woman in a project management position having to check up on the contractors every morning. I once again had  my belief confirmed,  traditionally feminine characteristics such as receptivity, openness and inclusive decision making transfer well into male dominated professions.