Companion blog for http://ourenchantedgarden.net/ourench1, with photo updates & info.

   Here's an update on What's Happening in the Garden, for MindSay readers and Website visitors alike, with promises the website will get some more attention this week. In the meantime I hope this blog adds enough to the site to keep things interesting for the curious!
July has proved a challenge in the garden this year. Once again we have an issue with the hygiene of some ants that want to live in the corner of our garden and they are encouraged by the high temperatures and drought conditions  our region has been experiencing.
  
   Several of the tomato plants I planted to honour my brothers efforts have died from a fungus infection that is spread by the ants. Though other plants are doing well and setting fruit now. We have a few back up plants growing in pots near the garden and we'll be transplanting them into the main garden after we treat the area where the old plants were growing. We'll be using vinegar to treat the soil and a good soaking of water to discourage the ants. Vinegar won't upset the delicate balance in the garden but does seem to discourage mold and mildew and is a natural disinfectant.
  
   We have been picking other delicious goodies so the season is not a total loss. Cucumbers and Zucchini are beginning to produce well and there are plenty of spring onions, radishes, green beans and lettuces to enjoy. The strawberries have gone dormant but may provide a second batch of berries in late September depending on how the weather goes.
  
   And the grape vines are growing well, the grapes are filling in and their bunches are getting heavy. The coolest thing is that the dragon is still there crouching along the fence. It's such fun! The rest of my family can see him there too though of course they just shake their head at my fascination with him! I have fun seeing him there and it's brought back a fun memory about a dragon and a play in a summer camp production we put on when I was just 8 or 9 years old. The play was based on a story about Belinda and her pet dragon. We were at Queenston Heights , part of the park system in Niagara Falls, near Niagara on the Lake.
  
   Today we are heading to that same park for a little family get together and it will be fun to re-connect with the memories I have of the area from when I was a young girl. I'll be bringing my camera and hope to share some nice shots with you all later. The park also marks the very beginning of the Bruce Trail which is a tract that runs along the Niagara Escarpment right from Queenston Heights all the way up the tip of the  Bruce Peninsula to Tobermory on Georgian Bay.

   I'll share more later after we get back! Niagara Falls was once known for it's gardens and trails and beautiful sights, (there's far more than a Casino there) so I hope I'll have a few good images to share!