He who plants a garden, plants happiness - chinese proverb

Shall we compare our hearts to a garden
with beautiful blooms, straggling weeds,
with swooping birds, sunshine, and rain -
and most importantly, seeds ...Grey Livingston

Valentine's Day is rapidly approaching.  Love is in the air...and, if the wind here in Powell River doesn't die down, all that love will be heading over to Texada.  Chinese New Years also falls on February 14th this year.  More reason to celebrate! 

I have a beautiful book by Lillian Too, called The Complete Illustrated Guide to Feng Shui for Gardens.  It states, 'Fuchsias are deemed to be extremely auspicious as they look like red lanterns.  They are not regarded as weeping flowers, but are prized for their precious Yang energy.'

We were fortunate to have a few fushsia magellanica (bush fushsia) in the garden when we purchased the house and I immediately went to work propagating more.  These fushsia can be propagated by softwood or semi-hardwood cuttings.  To take a cutting, select a soft growing tip, 6-10 cm long, from a healthy plant.  Make a clean, sharp cut just below a node.  Remove the lowest leaves, leaving just enough at the top to continue the photosynthesis process.  To achieve maximum results, dip the cut stem into a rooting hormone (you can use a tincture of willow as a rooting stimulator) to assist in the development of roots before placing it into a good starter soil mixture.  Misting frequently is essential or create a miniature greenhouse by covering with a clear, plastic container or bag. 

We have been busy in the garden already.  Barry has added an addition to the 'nursery bed'...it just wasn't big enough.  We have decided to stay with the raised sod bed idea...seems to be working.  He also created a circular bed for growing a heritage pole bean called Brita's.  These bean plants reach a height of at least 6 feet so need plenty of support.  The actual bean is about 1 foot long and can be eaten as a fresh snap bean or dry bean.  I like the little circular bed so much I have put in a request for more.  They would be perfect for growing individual mints.  Mint can be very invasive if not controlled.    Last year I grew our mints (we currently have 4 different kinds) in old washtubs. 

We have established a drowning bucket for weeds, that way we can reclaim the nutrients they sucked out of the soil. 

The mild weather this winter has encouraged early growth.  We were compeled to move a floribunda rose, Livin' Easy, right away before it broke dormancy.  Why have such a lovely rose hidden at the back of the yard?   We have discovered hundreds of crocus growing in the yard.  Nice surprise!  We planted hundreds of bulbs in the fall and are eagerly awaiting their arrival.