" Raindrops on Hosta's and candles in lanterns, blossem on fruit trees and rhubarb with custard, These are a few of my favorite things! When the rain comes and the wasp stings and I'm feeling down, ........"
Hosta's are a great addition to a shady spot in the garden. The plants are easy to split when getting too big for the pot or their place in the garden. There are roughly 7,ooo different kinds of Hosta's to choose from. Here in The Netherlands there are a few nurseries that specialize in Hosta's. Along with the garden centre's, small flower shop's and friends one can be spoiled for choice! There is a Hosta Society too! http://www.hostavereniging.nl/ Another site with info and stories about Hosta's is http://www.hostavalley.eu/ . A few of the Hosta nurseries organise a weekend "open house". The public are invited to take a look around, get idea's, see how easy they are to look after and ask the hosta expert's questions and get advice. Yes, you can even purchase one, two or more and in a few years time split them! http://www.hostaworld.nl/ is in Barneveld and has a weekend in June. www.hemerocallis.nl If you have a free Saturday, this one is located in Veenendaal and specializes in Hosta's and hemerocallis. A great day out!

Last night the temperature didn't drop below freezing and the coming nights will also be above 0C! Sunday could even see a daytime temperature of 10C! So I thought that this morning would be a great time to get busy in the garden. I pruned the climbing passion flower plants that grow up and over the pergola, treated the terrace to a good cleaning to try and get rid of that green stuff that seems to take over during our darker, less sunny,winter months(they don't seem to get it in the mexican climate!) and then puttered in the front yard.

Hanging baskets and plants in pots are a great way to add colour to areas that don't have a lot of ground space available for planting. Seems to be more inviting too! Don't you just want to sit here and enjoy a cup of coffee at this cafe in Leiden?

Another view of the same cafe in Leiden. Leiden is another beautiful city to visit if you are here! The Botanical Gardens, market day and a vegetarian restaurant with carrot juice make for a great day out!

Congratulations to all Guides and Scouts!

Today is Thinking Day!!

Today is February 22, the birthday of Lord and Lady Baden Powell, founders of the Scout and Guide movement! Girl Guides and Girl Scouts will be celebrating with activities all over the world. The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts has four World Centres. Nuestra Cabana in Mexico, Pax Lodge in England, Our Chalet in Switzerland and Sangam in India. They are all wonderful places to visit, volunteer and work at! www.wagggsworld.org

Thanks to my sister-in-law in Austalia for sending these photo's! While one corner of the world is very warm and drying out, another is busy with too much snow! Austria had many traffic jams yesterday, one with a lenth of 45 km. A lot of vacationers from Germany, The Netherlands and France head out to the mountains to ski and enjoy winter sport!

Spring is on the way!

A beautiful place to visit is Zwolle, The Netherlands. We were there, last week, on Friday the 13th! There was a garden idea show for the weekend at the Trade Centre. From Baarn the train jouney is only one hour including changing trains in Amersfoort. Then a short 10 minute walk and we were inside ckecking out the "what's hot" in gardening for 2009. Ever seen a hot tub with a built in flat screen T.V. that can be raised and lowered with a remote controle?

After we had seen it all at the Trade Centre and the weather had brightened we decided to head into town. What a great city! I thought we were going into the library but it turned out to be the old Town Hall!

There are more white flakes falling today! No weeds grow in this weather! But don't worry, the March agenda is beginning to fill with garden appointments! So today is a good day to do the wash, a bit of internetting/googling and enjoy a walk! This photo was taken a few days ago when the sun was shining! There was no wind and with the " warm?" midday sun we lunched outside! Our own apre-ski was a Grilled cheese instead of the traditional fondue!

Looking out of the small widow in our loft we have a view towards Amersfoort where the River Eem winds its way to Gooi Lake. We had a beautiful start to the day yesterday with the sun rising and the mist hanging low over the fields.

A lot of barges and pleasure boats use this water way. In the summer months there is one boat that takes people and cyclists along the Eem. Starting in Amersfoort and ending in Sparkenburg or Huizen on alternate days, the boat picks up and drops off at Soest, Baarn and Eemdijk. One can go with the boat then cycle back or cycle there and take the boat back or stay on for a round trip! www.eemlijn.nl

Yesterday evening myself and two other members from the Groei & Bloei 110 year jubilee committee had a meeting to put all the ideas and plans for the coming year's special activities in order. There will be an Open Garden Day in Baarn on June 20th. This give's members and non-members a chance to visit somebody else's garden and to chat with the designer's/owner's and maybe pick up a few idea's. Around 10 addresses take part. Entrance is free and a list of addresses will be available later on the website and by the visitor information.

If you are visiting Baarn during the Summer keep your eyes open for front yards with a strong orange accent! To help the resident's of Baarn, Groei & Bloei Baarn is giving away seeds such as Zinnia's, African Violet's and Calendula's and seedlings from Impatients Izzy Wizzy and Tagetes. Photo's will be made, gardens, balcony's and flower pot's will be judged!

The winnar's will be set in the spot light at our great 110 year party on September 12th. There will be a programme that is not to be missed! All are welcome! Also on that same day the best Lantana camara Orange King plant will be judged. Members are given a seedling on March 28 and are encouraged to take part in this fun competition. www.groei.nl

With gloves and reflective gear on and front and rear lights shining we cycled through the freezing frosty night air with thoughts of green, orange and warm gardening days!

When planning this year's garden don't forget that there is a wide selection of veg available to add colour and height to the design. You can grow it then eat it! Swiss Chard comes in yellow too! Delicious in a stir-fry!

Mondays are not all that bad! My Canadian passport arrived two weeks to the date after I was in Den Haag! The photo's were the correct size. The Canadian pass photo's are just a wee bit different than that of the Dutch pass photo's. The free lotto ticket that I got when I bought a few things at the Kruidvat was a winner at 10 Euro's! The bread machine turned out a good loaf of bread! Warm and with a thick layer of real butter and strawberry jam..mmmmmm

The first garden of the season! Saturday 14 February was sunny and warmed up to 4C! I was eager to get Weeding.nl back on the move in 2009. I have been doing a lot of walking and a bit of cycling these past two winter months but no serious gardening! This photo is of the front garden by the Coach House at Scout Centre Buitenzorg in Baarn. http://www.buitenzorg.scouting.nl/

Snow Drops are starting to poke their heads above ground. I planted a mix of daffodils and red tulips here last autumn to add some colour to the area this spring. There are ferns, hosta's, sedums and other perannuals that will grow again every year in this shadow garden located in the woods! We can split a few of these plants, such as the hosta's, in the spring when they show signs of life. I will try to show the garden's progress with a monthly photo.

By the front entrance there are two trees that have grown to a point where the don't add to the garden but take something away. They are not big but well in the way. Sometimes less is more. Maybe we can move them to a different location on this 15 hectar site and plant lower growing, ground cover or something else. There is so much choice here in this "green" country. Of course I will discuss what we can do with these two trees with, like myself, the other volunteers here at Buitenzorg.

I'm looking forward to those warmer days when we can sit outside and enjoy a heaping plate of nachos fresh from the oven complete with melted cheese, black olives, chopped tomatoes, green onions and peppers and of course those much needed side dishes of salsa, sour cream and guacamole!

Tulips are for sale everywhere here! In every colour! The way they grow out of their vase/container is so art. Spring is fast in house with a bunch or two of these. I planted orange coloured tulips last fall and will have to wait until April/May to see what the real colour is!

The shower area is finished! What a luxury to shower in one's own home! There are a few finishing touches still to do such as putting together and installing the sink-mirror-light unit, hanging up towel-rails and changing the ceiling light! That is it for big renovations in this house! Soon the weather will improve and then it will be time to get out into the garden!!!

Just another snowy afternoon here!

Wireless internet is quite amazing! A bit of plastic, metal and other substances powered by electicity makes it possible for me to sit in our living room and write this blog complete with adjusted photos! Edit, upload, click a few times, rework and save as! Then you, in the comfort of your own home, around the world can read, laugh, think, learn and add comments to this blog!

No, nothing is wrong with your eye's or computer.

I was having fun using Picasa!

The start of the weekend! Time for fresh baked scones, a pot of Earl Grey tea and my favourite CD. February's Gardener's World is in. The winter sun shines through the back window to where my ikea chair waits for me.

The first seeds are in! Groei & Bloei(doesn't translate too well, but means growing and blooming) has a special year ahead. The Baarn branch of the national association Groei & Bloei(http://www.groei.nl/) is 110 years old this year. There will be a few extra special events this year.
To begin with there are free orange annual seeds for the members in Baarn. The colour theme of Groei & Bloei Baarn is orange, as this is the colour of the Royal Family here in The Netherlands. Soestdijk Palace is located here giving Baarn a strong historical conection.
With the help of seeds and free "orange" annuals this spring we will be promoting an "orange" front garden competition, for all of Baarn, to be judged once in the summer! The whole garden does't have to be orange! A corner, an arrangement, two chairs and a table, flower containers or even a balcony will be judged! Photo's will be seen on this blog later in the year.
More activities are planned for the celebration year such as a chance to join in on a nature walk through the Forrest of Baarn guided by the Forrest Ranger and then followed by a cooking lesson given by Jennifer Smits. On September 5th Groei&Bloei Baarn will have a stall at the Culture Festival here in Baarn to promote the national and local association and give out free stuff and maybe attract a few new members.
The biggest event will be held on the 12th of September at the Tree Center in Baarn (http://www.bomencentrumnederland.nl/). Should be a great day there!
For more information about these and other activites that will be happening this year with Groei & Bloei Baarn check out the web link: Groei & Bloei Baarn.

Another week of cold weather and more snow here but that is nothing compaired to England with all the snow that they are experiencing! No winter photos on this blogspot today! I thought I would include a few photo's to get those of us here in colder climates, such as The Netherlands, inspired for those warm days of spring!

Nothing beats eating outside "al fresco" in a tea garden! One that is within cycling distance from where we live is the Tea Garden in Eemnes (http://www.theetuineemnes.nl/) There is also a private garden in Eemnes that is open to the public a few weekends during the growing

gardening months. One wish fom the husband when his wife was designing the area was that there should be no Grass! Well worth the visit! (http://www.hetlandje.com/ ) Another address that I just recently learned about is "De Evenaar Nostalgie". If you like looking around and sorting through old junk/antiques than maybe this is the place. I'll go and check it out when the snow has melted away and the weather is warm enough to wander around.(http://www.evenaarnostalgie.nl/)

Creating depth to a garden by adding a "trick to the eye"

can be done in any space using wood, paint, mirrors and/or plants.

A few simple items in the picnic basket or bike bag and voila,

a picnic to remember!

Rainy days in spring are what make the garden green and grow! These bad weather days are when the well planned gardener takes a trip to the garden centres. When all the "good weather gardeners"are heading to the garden centres on mass on the first warm Saturday of the season the well prepared gardener can enjoy the time in her/his garden!

The Canadian Embassy in Den Haag

Yesterday I took the train from Baarn

to Den Haag via Utrecht.

Public transportation is one of the advantages of living in a

highly populated small country. It is so easy to get around!

Den Haag is worth a visit if you are in The Netherlands!

There is so much to check out!

I'll have to go again after 9 Feb.

when Van Gogh is playing at the Imax.

The winter weather didn't stop me from taking a few photo's.

. Don't forget to look up when in Den Haag!