My Everchanging Garden
Gardening That Grows With Me
Welcome to my garden blog
I love to garden. I also love to experiment. Throw the two together and you have my everchanging garden.
In 2004 we purchased a little over 2 acres in the country in Southern Ontario. My garden has taken many twists and turns since then and I have made many discoveries along the way. My blog is a simple record of how our garden landscape has changed over the years. I also post our family recipes, something I can refer to easily and share among family and friends.
I post here for my own garden record. It’s my garden journal and bullet journal of to-do lists and goals. If you manage to stumble upon a page or two, I hope you enjoy a little of what is here.
Latest from the Blog
Redoing the Bird Sanctuary Garden Patio
Category: Let's Talk Gardening
It never ceases to amaze me how much a garden evolves over time. When we first moved here in 2004, our gardens were pretty bare, with just a few small evergreens and a lot of ground cover. Bit by bit, I started adding different features and creating separate garden spaces. One of my favourites was… Read more »
Pork or Chicken Stuffing Ideas – Dinner for two
Category: Let's Talk Recipes
I’ve been into stuffing either a port tenderloin or 2-3 chicken breasts each week with a different stuffing. This works out to a good serving size for two people with a little left over for a lunch. My general recipe is a vegetable, cheese, some herbs along with some kind of spread. The method is… Read more »
Butternut Maple Soup
Category: Let's Talk Recipes
Almost everything tastes better with home grown maple syrup! This was a small batch soup made with left over roasted butternut squash and made just after finishing our maple syrup for the season. Measurements are very rough INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon butter 1/2 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped large bunch thyme, left on stems… Read more »
Maple Cookies with Butterscotch Chips and Pecans
Category: Let's Talk Recipes
It’s hard to get a strong maple flavoured cookie without maple extract. Since I only make these cookies once or twice a year (definitely right after making our own maple syrup) I don’t feel like buying maple extract. To boost the flavour a little I added butterscotch chips which I always have on hand. I… Read more »
Roasted Cauliflower & Pancetta Soup
Category: Let's Talk Recipes
I bought a gigantic head of cauliflower this week so decided to make a savoury flavoured soup. It turned out quite well. The pancetta adds a real deep flavour and the zest adds some nice acidity. INGREDIENTS 1 large head cauliflower, break into florets 200g pancetta 1 onion, chopped medium 2 stalks celery, chopped fine… Read more »
Garden & Landscape Bucket List for 2024
Category: Let's Talk Gardening
My garden landscape has evolved over the years. When I first started, I focused on designing a garden with shrubs and trees, thinking woody plants would be low maintenance for my big yard. I worked hard to add trees and shrubs that bloomed at different times during the season or offered interesting foliage. I supplemented… Read more »
Mushroom & Onion Meatloaf
Category: Let's Talk Recipes
These measurements are rough since I never measure when I cook. The recipe fills a 5 x 9 loaf pan completely, and it took almost 1 1/2 hours to cook at 350°F. Next time, I’d make it in a larger baking pan or make two to cut down the cooking time. INGREDIENTS: 2 pounds medium… Read more »
Extreme Cold: How Did the Greenhouse Radiant Floor Hold Up?
Category: Let's Talk Gardening
This is my first winter with radiant floor heating in the greenhouse, and our first extreme cold front of 2024 is here. During my first winter with the Hartley, I had only electric heaters in the greenhouse. Unfortunately, when outside temperatures reached negative double-digits Celcius, the greenhouse temperature fell to 2°C. It was also expensive… Read more »