The author’s last draft is the editor’s first draft. That’s when the work begins for both the editor and the author as a team together. For the author, it’s different from writing; it’s trying to see it more through the eyes of the reader, as guided by the editor. Some authors say that the editing stage is the hardest stage, because it’s when other eyes are looking at something very personal, very close to the author’s heart.
What Is a Hedge?
A hedge is “fence or boundary formed by a dense row of shrubs or low trees.“ So says the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
I grew up in South Wales where every little row house, semi-detached house, single dwelling house, or even castle sported its own fence, often of bricks, railings, or plants.
The hedge idea continues. If it is to be a plant, how does one choose? Should the plant be evergreen or deciduous?
Now that we are in April, all the deciduous hedges are sporting
A Yellow-Flowering Shrub from Japan
At the beginning of April I saw for the first time this yellow-flowering shrub from Japan: Japanese kerria, also known as Japanese rose. Another member of Rosaceae, the rose family, this shrub’s scientific name is Kerria japonica.
What a beauty!
Cherry Blossoms, a Chocolate Vine for a Hedge, and Rhododendron ‘Crest’
It’s almost April, the most prolific month for trees that grow perfect blossoms–“perfect” means they have both male and female reproductive organs in one flower.
The Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival has begun with the Big Picnic and the Blossoms After Dark events. Much more to come. Here to enjoy the excitement are
(1) Prunus ‘Snow Goose’; there is a row of them edging Ceperley Meadow, west of the Pitch & Putt in Stanley Park;
(2)
An Atmospheric River at the Equinox
It is official: it’s spring. And yes, it has been raining buckets.
As I go by a mound of fragrant daphne, Daphne odora, I have to go back and smell again. A heady fragrance that is so pleasurable beside an entrance, stairs, a path. The dark-green evergreen leaves are simple, pointed at both ends, but the four-petalled flowers range from pale to deep pink, and they smell wonderful.
In our lane, the magnolias are blooming again: star magnolia (Magnolia stellata)
An Atmospheric River at the Equinox
It is official: it’s spring. And yes, it has been raining buckets.
As I go by a mound of fragrant daphne, Daphne odora, I have to go back and smell again. A heady fragrance that is so pleasurable beside an entrance, stairs, a path. The dark-green evergreen leaves are simple, pointed at both ends, but the four-petalled flowers range from pale to deep pink, and they smell wonderful.
In our lane, the magnolias are blooming again: star magnolia (Magnolia stellata)
Turkey Tails and Tiny Blossoms
It’s always a treat to come across turkey tail mushrooms growing on tree stumps.
I came across two clusters this week; this is the most colourful one, even though it is only various browns edged with white.
With the scientific name of Trametes versicolor, this is one of the most studied of the fungi. It is saprotropic, which means it decomposes what it grows on–wood. Turkey tail is well known in traditional health practices in China and Japan, because it benefits our immune health.