Two of a Kind

Jazz FM knows a lot of musical stuff.  The other day I found out that Paul McCartney tried to meet Johnny Mercer to collaborate with him in the 1970's.  But Johnny Mercer was already ill and near the end of his life.  Johnny Mercer had remarkable musical accomplishments besides being a composer- he was the co-founder of capital Records, where the Beatles were signed in 1963.  JazzFM frequently plays is Mercer's "Two of a Kind" - and Mercer sings it with Bobby Darin. This is the most famous version. Two other American vocalists sang this - Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.  Recently I think John Pizzarelli and Harry Conick Jr covered it.  Here are the delightful lyrics of this American classic. Two of a kind For your information We're two of a kind Two of a kind It's my observation We're two of a kind Like peas in a pod And birds of a feather Alone or together you'll find That we are two of a kind What's so wrong thinkin' life is a song and reachin' for a star And who's to say if we'll go the whole way - at least we got this far Sharin' our lot, our vittles and viands, we're two of an ilk Say, what if we've got rare Chateaubriands or crackers and milk Makin' it plain Explainin' it fully We're simila-la-larly inclined Because we're two of a kind Two of a kind When he's out of rhythm, I'm singin' off key (I never heard ya do that, John) Say, never you mind, cause I'm stickin' with 'im, to C above C (He's-a for me) Oh, need we explain When he warbles sweetly, I'm flat and completely behind Because we're two of a kind I get kicks when I meet the cute chicks who hang around this lad And especially when they whisper to me, "Hey, honey, who's your dad?" Two of a sort Like two pomegranates from off the same tree I'm with ya sport, whatever you plan it's-a goes double with me (It's-a goes double with you, huh?) (Yeah!) Yeah, I got a terrible thought Most frightfully upsetting And yet we are getting resigned To being two of a kind We're two of a kind We like workin' single Or workin' in twos Keep us in mind, give us a jingle, we've got taps on our shoes (We'll dance!) We're both of us like, the Tower of Pisa I'm-a lean-a like he's-a inclined Because we're two of a kind Because we're Two of a kind So our pictures today show the CosMic orchid growing facility in Beamsville.  More than 800,000 orchids in production with Mike in front of their well know branding.  Maybe Orchids and Poinsettias are two of a kind.

Adirondack or Muskoka - What's in a Name?

"The beloved Muskoka chair started out as the Westport chair, named after Westport, New York, where it was patented.  It later became known as the Adirondack chair, in honour of the mountains of the same name in New York state, where tuberculosis patients were sent to relax and take in the fresh air at a convalescent home." Over the years, improvements were made, such as using slats instead of a single slab for the seat and back. No one knows who brought the first one to Canada or the start of the term Muskoka chair.  But there it is: Muskoka or Adirondack - nothing different.  Both are the epitome of summer comfort and relaxation. What better way to enjoy the calendar's slide between July 1st and July 4th!

Private Open to the Public

I made a special trip to Toronto yesterday to see the well-known garden of Marion Jarvie.  She describes herself as a 'Plantswoman'.  When you walk through the garden of thousands of plants you experience a connoisseur of plants.  She travels to England and Europe regularly for visits to hybridizers and growers and to make plant selections. Marion has Open Days throughout the garden season, and this past weekend was her first opening. Her garden a private garden open to the public by permission.  This is one of those surprise gardens for those who aren't avid gardeners.  I will be including this garden in 'Great Public Gardens in Your Own Backyard.' It is a presentation that covers public and private gardens open to the public within 150 km of the GTA. This garden is a special one though - it is richly planted with only the most interesting and often rare plants.  It is a botanical garden experience of distinction. Her website is marionjarvie.ca  and she offers workshops and presentations.  Plants are for sale during the open garden days, and I was able to purchase a few bulbs of the red flower you see below - a corydalis.  The little purple flowering plant below the corydalis is hepatica, and the final border plants are early crocus.

Countdown to Christmas - Entering Longwood's Christmas Conservatory

At Christmas, Longwood Garden announces the celebration to come at the entrance to the Conservatory with its Winterberry branches.  Winterberry bushes are everywhere outside and in.  They are intensely red with their berries on bare branches.  Once inside, the showstopper display stops people right there.  It's a brilliant design - there's so much to take in - the foreground has the splashing pool with gardens around it.  Then in the middle ground, the leading line of the watercourse takes one's eye far out to the background display.   A promise of lots more to come.   The Conservatory always has a Romantic sensibility.  For Christmas, with its exuberant colour scheme, it is maintained through a limited colour palate.  Here we see underneath, white carnations as decorations in the trees, red amaryllis beneath the trees, and then red winterberries along the watercourse.  It resounds with elegance.

Open Doors Grimsby - A Look Into Grimsby Beach

Grimsby had its Open Doors Day yesterday and I went down to Grimsby Beach to see the Painted Ladies interiors and back gardens.  It was worth the trip - lots of fun with interpretive actors standing at corners, telling tales of Grimsby Beach.  And of course, the houses, so beloved by their owners. 

Here are a few images of living on the beach in Grimsby.

August Grimsby Gardens

I live in a town of 25,000 in the heart of the Niagara Wine region.  Award-winning Tawse Winery is just 10 minutes away, as are a dozen great Niagara Wineries.  Grimsby started as a place of orchards - we're well known for our peaches, and our sports teams favour the name Peach Kings.

It makes sense that a town that was the site of the 1813 Battle of the Forty would have some lovely homes and gardens.  This first garden, with its park setting, is in fact located on Park Street - the road that travels up the escarpment.  Under the escarpment, with a full canopy of trees, this is a gracious and elegant garden with a stone bridge and natural waterfalls.

This next front garden, in town, demonstrates what August abundance is about - golden sunflowers and pink Echinaceas all crowded into a butterfly-attracting display.  The subtle fence makes a pretty boundary for the garden to overflow.

This grand house is on Main Street.  It is an example of using the garden to emphasize the distinctive elegance of the architecture.  White on white seems perfect here.

There are many more Grimsby gardens to come - and they span from the 1700's through to the present. A big boom in the 1950's and then again in the 1980's put the peach orchards on the outskirts.  Then the collapse of the peach canning with the last plant closing in 2008 resulted in more vineyards.  There are still lots of peach trees to see in the countryside.  There are great peaches at the market now - at the end of August.

Lakeside Living

This house was on the Grimsby Garden Tour (July 5th 2014) and the Hamilton Garden Week…it is on Lakeside Drive in Grimsby.  Wouldn't that be a wonderful experience in the bunkie overlooking the lake at sunrise...

Welcome to opengardensniagara

It's April 1st, 2013, and this is a traditional day of fun and pranks.  In European countries it is celebrated with chocolate fish!  

This is the first edition of opengardensniagara, a blog celebrating the Niagara region and its natural and cultivated gardens!  The objective is to showcase Niagara area gardens with an open gardens scheme in the style of Britain's Open Gardens Scheme  - Gardens Open for Charity.  You can find it at http://www.ngs.org.uk

There's also the Australian equivalent and I had the privilege to meet the CEO, Richard Barley, at the recent Garden Tourism Conference in Toronto.  They are at http://www.opengarden.org.au.

While Britain's and Australia's scopes are nation-wide, I am going to concentrate on this beautiful Niagara region - from the Niagara river with its wonderful Niagara Falls, through to the Hamilton and Burlington area.

I am going to start today with an appreciation of Niagara Falls and the Niagara Parks Floral Showcase.  Here is one of my favourite images from the conservatory at Easter time 2 years ago.

I'll introduce myself tomorrow and tell you more about opengardensniagara.

Marilyn