Just in for a long winter's nap

It might have seemed like I died. I actually didn't. I just had to set aside a full year for a recovery for spinal surgery. I had to put in a resignation to my beloved job, not because I wanted to, not because they wouldn't have modified the job for me, but because it's just one of those signs in life where your body says stop and you need to listen. I've done my garden center work since I was sixteen years old. I have extensive knowledge in perennials and annuals (especially the quirks of growing and maintaining annuals, who to buy from and who does the best). Does this mean I'm out of the garden center retail life for good? No way jose! I may not be able to be the greenhouse's worker anymore, but those bloodlines are still coursing through my veins with a passion.

Currently, I'm going back to school. I have my diploma for highschool and I'm going to bring up my grades in all the sciences, refresh my mind and dive into University for a degree that I've always wanted. There's always an intense hunger for knowledge and learning and though the changes are drastic over here, it's never been the type of drastic that I can't handle. I've always been the look before I leap type of person and while I might not have the body to leap, I certainly have the passion for it and the drive to take the change and mold it into nothing but a positive experience. Can you tell I'm chomping at the bit?

Spring is upon us. After long days of extensive cold, we're finally having a break with predictions of rain, warmer weather and the promise to melt away all those high snow banks we've build up on either side of our driveways. I know I look outside right now, out my front window and take in my beautiful weird looking beech tree that all my neighbors seem to loath. They don't understand why I planted this ugly weeping beech on the front of my property and I've said to them a hundred times, Justttttt wait. Wait and you'll be eating those words in five years. The birds certainly love this beech, because its the wirey type. One summer, the branches are going one way and then, before you've realized it, that branch has flipped over and gone the other direction. It's weird and I love it. I loved it so much I twisted christmas lights all over it. I didn't love doing that so much. Now I'm impatient to get them off. Much like the same way I'm impatient to see what survived last years drought. Now I say drought because we had a dry fall and it was slightly unforgiving. I remember this because I was turning my sprinkler on in November for my other very ugly looking beech that is also on the front of my property.

With that being said, the sun has been making sporatic appearances but I foresee this soon being a regular thing. The moon was out last night and it's a good sign.

Let's hope for a wet spring people!

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil...

We, the unknowing....

...led by the unprepared....

....are doing the impossible....

...for the ungrateful .

I, Andrea Scott, dug to china (with my husband and baby) as threatened and woe to discover more clay! (And interlocking underneath). While I was sick, I thought it would be a good idea to move the soil pile to the garden. Good idea? Wrong!

I'm paying for it now by being sicker and sore. Amen to Nyquill.

Seven things you wish you didn't know

Here you go Joy! The Seven weirdest things I can think of for you! (and hopefully you still talk to me afterwards).


I'm a HUGE fan of John Barrowman because he's A)Gay B)Gay activist C)Married to Scott Gill and D) he's in Torchwood. There's a dozen other reasons but he is definitly an idol of mine.




I suck at counting and can't have anyone talking to me while I count or I lose my place.






I write. My blog that I just started is here and I think I love it even though I havn't posted anything yet (havn't had time) but I write Gay fiction literature (tacking literature on the end of that sounds nifty) and I just applied to a grant to get a book published but I possibly won't get it because of my subject matter and the issues I address. I like to write gay fiction because I find a lot of people don't address the issues properly and it's made out that everyone doesn't want a family, a stable life and that all queers live the party life. Honestly? I just like writing because I love to read and I can hit up all sorts of subjects all across the board (fantasy, mystery suspense) but there isn't enough gay fiction writers out there and I'd like to be one of them.


I'm a star trek geek. Somewhat. Im a huge fan of Next Generation though I can easily get into the other star treks. I don't collect anything but I can't help msyelf but watch a rerun if its on that day and nothing else it on. Its essentially my fall back TV show that I watch.





I draw, I play music, I just don't sing, but I went to school for animation and dropped out into the second semester because I realized it wasn't what I wanted to do with my life. I still draw and in the winter, I go to lifedrawing classes twice a week, and sometimes it makes me crazy because three times I've flipped my donkey (the thing you sit on) and had my almost finished oil painting land face down onto the floor.

My husband and I never fight. We've been together almost three years now and I can honestly say, I can count on one hand how many times we've fought (3) and they weren't really fights. More like... unhappy moments where we didn't talk because miscommunication or one of us wasn't pleased with the other. We met on Lavalife where my friends coaxed me to join. But then I quit and they pushed me to join back up again. Not two weeks into it, I was going to quit again, the day before I was about to (but too lazy to), Ryan messaged me. We met up at Second Cup where we were kicked out because it was closing. We moved to Tim Hortons and was also kicked out form there because they were closing. It's a match made in heaven.

I'm a huge supporter of Gay Pride, Gay marriages and essentially everything that has GAY in it (gay feather, gay paree)... Queer as folk, Shelter and my home page for my internet explorer is http://www.gayclic.com/ which is in french, evne though I can't always understand it. And if this condemns me from being your friend, it wouldn't be the first time it's happened.



I tag new Sprout, Wicked, Deborah, Ryan and I can't think of anyone else at the moment. Im all busy like that.

New Layout, new boots and TGIF

We're enjoying our Friday. TGIF.

Simply put, I hate my new boots. Maybe hate is a harsh word because I don't usually say it and yet when I do, I usually reserve it for the latest 80's song I've heard on the radio, or asking myself how many times Pitbull tells me I should know he wants me. My other coworker has them and though I know she got blisters countless times, I thought that I could pass this unfortunate rubbing by wearing two pairs of socks. Now given, I always wear two pairs of socks, even on the hottest days of the year. It keeps my feet nice and cool.

Side note here: if you work outside or in any kind of heat, wool socks over sweat socks is the way to go. Sweat socks absorb the sweat and the wool pull that sweat away from your feet, keeping you cooler. In all my years (since I was 16, I'm 29 now), I've never once had a foot problem, nor do my feet EVER stink (nor my footwear either). Try it. It's a beautiful thing.

Carrying on, these new boots rub the top of my foot and it rubs the back of my heel, wearing down my sock in almost one week. I think Im going to end up taking them backand you may see a new website thinger up above, replaced.

Originally I tried hydrangeas (City Line Venice) in my picture but it looked funny. I tried our spot, the duck pond and it looked busy. This one also looks awful but I dont' have another picture, that or I'm too lazy to go and find one. Either way, I don't particularly like my layout or the pictures or the colours but Im making due with what I have at the moment until I do something better.

Right now I'mtrying to write something up for a grant and its going very slowly, if not happening at all.

Asiatic Lily Beetles

I've heard lots of people having problems with these and my very first lily 'Matrix' got eaten at this year by them. So next year, I'm going to pick up some Neem Oil, which I've heard all across the board that it works (aside from the usual picking off the parents from your plant). Now I don't know plenty about bugs on plants, but I was recommended that to get the parents, you put newspaper down under your plants, leave and let the bugs go back up on the plant. Next time you come around, give your plant a little shake to get the beetles off. Though from what I hear, they fall on their backs when they see you coming and blend in with the dirt. The idea is to catch them in the newspaper and wrap em up! Take those suckers away.

Someone on a site mentioned using Bayer Rose? Or Garden spray and Bonnie Punch began what they like to call a 'soap box' lecture which I found really informative and wanted to repost what they said:

"Diazepam is a sedative that is more commonly known as Valium. The active ingredient in Bayer Rose and Garden Spray is Carbaryl.

Bringing it across the border into Canada is likely illegal.

There are several problems with recommending this spray. Firstly it is banned in many places. The entire province of Quebec has banned its use cosmetically, as have more than 60 municipalities across the country. Why it's banned - it's highly toxic to honeybees and other beneficial insects, moderately toxic to many species of fish and wild birds, and moderately to very toxic to humans when it is inhaled or ingested. Contact with the skin can cause burns, and it is readily absorbed through the skin. It is a cholinesterase inhibitor, which means it is a neurotoxin. Prolonged exposure has been linked to birth defects in some animals (including humans), and it is a suspected carcinogen.

Carbaryl has a half life of 3-10 days. That means you have to spray again after that because the chemical has broken down.

The threat to honeybees is probably the most severe one. Honeybees are declining in extremely rapid numbers, and they may be in danger of becoming wiped out in North America. Bees are the most important crop pollinators we have. If you eat an apple, have cereal containing grains, veggies with your dinner, you are eating foods pollinated by bees. Even the steak or chicken breast on your plate was fed by bee pollinated crops.

So before you dust your lilies, please think about what else you may be killing. "

Neem Oil seems to be the safest way and you can get it online (also recommended by another poster) http://www.ghorganics.com/SupremeNeemOil.html

Just a thought for the day, especially for next year in using preventive measures for bugs and such.

Wow Factor lacking

It's wedding season so I thought I would do up two wedding planters. Pictures never do them justice and at first, I hated these but I got the flowers down right and now they look okay. This is the second one.

The first one didn't turn out as well obviously....

A bit boring but that's what wedding planters are. Wow Whites without the WOW factor. Boring.....

Pink Skies, pink Hydrangeas and tons of plants

These are all sitting at the side of my house, watered and getting a lot of sun but honestly, I havn't planted anything. ha! I'm going to rip up the front and do the garden there, but its going to take me a bit.... a bit....

this is my fullshade hanging basket that seriously, I only ever water once every three days, if that. It's doing amazing

This is the hydrangea group at work. I bought three. I think I need three more.

our my backyard...

Trials Date

I know! I have a lot to post but I can't wait!!! It has to be now and I've a lot to catch up on!

Grower Trials are coming up August 12th! LOTS of pictures to follow and information! I WILL keep you posted on varieties to look for, for 2010!

http://www.focusgreenhousemanagement.com/sawayagardentrials/

Lots of growers there. Looking forward to it!

New Annual grass for next year - you know you want it

Pennisetum Fireworks. We planted it. We're waiting to see what it does. 2 feet, zone nine which means we need an insane amount of heat in a zone 5 to get this baby flowering. So far, slow as hell due to cooler weather conditions and rain. Like we're in august now people. What the heck is happening? We're having October weather here! Anyways, I think we're going to heckle our grower to do this one. VERY excited.

The rain storm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05ip-N0H1Ig