I have used the 23-ring binders made by Semikolon, a German company, ever since I discovered them. Unfortunately I can no longer get these binders in Canada.

A Recklessly Record-less Year

For the last sixteen years I’ve kept a record of what happens each year in the garden. I’ve conscientiously photographed each project I’ve undertaken, each border as it changed from season to season, each modification I made or was thinking about making. I’ve stuck these photographs into albums and written comments —  about my intentions for a project, or the weather, what I…

We cleaned up this section in the woods for the first time about ten years ago. I

When Less is More

Is less more? I associate the familiar phrase with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, one of the founders of modern architecture and a proponent of simplicity of style. But when I went to confirm this, I found to my surprise that the phrase was first used in print in Andrea del Sarto, a poem by…

The road separates two parts of the so-called trout pond. The pond was the first obstacle of a 9-hole golf course that was part of Glen Villa Inn.

Repairing the Dam(n) Damage

No, this isn’t a political post, although governments are involved. The non-political damage that needs to be repaired involves the dam at Glen Villa, my garden in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, and the pond the dam created. The pond dates back well over 100 years, to about 1870 or so, when a stream was dammed…

Photo courtesy of the National Gallery of Australia.

Remembering the Dead

With Remembrance Day fast approaching, I’m remembering people who were important in my life and looking at how the Memory Posts I painted in their honour are faring. The inspiration for my Memory Posts came from a visit to the National Gallery of Australia and its Memorial Hall.  Created by indigenous artists from Central Arnhem Land in Australia’s…

Formally clipped trees line a perfectly edged walkway in front of Ascott house.

Ascott: A Garden Review

Note: Recently I became aware of a technical glitz that was causing problems with the delivery of this blog. It has now been resolved. To those of you reading a blog post for the first time, even if you subscribed many months ago — my apologies for the delay and welcome to the Site and Insight blog! I…