The key to successful winter gardening is knowing the average date of the first killing frost in your region and planting winter vegetable crops early enough to reach their full maturity before that frost. Gardeners here grow over 20 kinds of hardy winter vegetables. They know what to grow, when to plant (late June to early August) and they employ simple cold protection methods like cloche covers. Continue reading
Winter Snowfall
In western Canada winter is a bit milder the closer you are to the Pacific Ocean. Thanks to the warm Japan Current, southern British Columbia enjoys the mildest winter temperatures in Canada. B.C. is the only place in Canada where golf can be played year-round.
Blues Be Gone Aromatherapy Bubblebath Recipes
The Blue Suntory Rose was created by implanting the gene that leads to the synthesis of the blue pigment Delphiniiun in Pansies.
The color blue is a mentally-relaxing color that has a pacifying effect and encourages relaxation. It’s frequently used in bedrooms and hospitals for calming hyperactivity and evoking sleep.
The calming effect is also uplifting on a spiritual level for the color blue is associated with water, with the sky and the universe beyond.
But there’s another kind of blueness. It’s estimated that 15% of Canadians suffer from a combination of lack of sunlight and activity and experience the symptoms of winter blues AKA Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Overcoming the winter blues is challenging and part of my strategy for coping is aromatherapy.
Celebrating the Greenman Archetype
The belief that we can manage the Earth and improve on Nature is probably the ultimate expression of human conceit, but it has deep roots in the past and is almost universal. — Rene J. Dubos, (1901-1982), The Wooing of the Earth, 1980. Continue reading
