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8 Friday, June 7, 2019 brooklintowncrier.com Blooming in Brooklin By Ken Brown ...and one last thing... I planted potatoes the other day though they're usually planted in the last week of April. Now I wonder if we'll enjoy them before Labour Day. Apparently there have been just two days in May that reached or exceeded the average temperature for that day. It may have bothered me less than most gardeners because my non-functional right arm, and the weather, have greatly contributed to my garden's lateness The arm improves every week but I still can't operate a wheelbarrow. The new variety of potatoes, Clancy, that produce a good crop from seeds is doing interesting things in the cold frame although they should be in the garden. A potato's tubers are not part of the root system but rather are lateral underground stems. Mine are producing small lateral stems from their bases just above the soil in their cell paks, which is encouraging. They'll be in the ground on the next sunny, or even non-rainy, day. Those awful beetles The weird weather does have some benefits. I love my lilies but chasing the voracious red lily beetle is a constant task. I've seen few of them this year and so the lily stems are growing strong and tall with almost perfect leaves attached as opposed to the Swiss cheese leaves that we usually see when the beetles enjoy their banquet. Hooray for weird weather or whatever is keeping those nasties in check. Rabbits: how can something so devastating be so cute? I've had particular problems with them in my vegetable garden and have watched a pair of significant sized fur balls enjoy the fruits of my labours. I've purchased chicken wire to keep them from places they don't usually go. Lately I've been startled, but not surprised, by many of their progeny appearing from under the heavy cover of the mass of tulips in the front perennial beds. I pointed one out to my four year old granddaughter and, of course, she thought it was cute. I didn't show her the traps I've set up to catch them, a very difficult task. What could I possibly use as bait in a trap when there's a huge banquet available to them wherever they look? So I just carry on supporting the chicken wire industry. Some positives I continue to try to enjoy the few advantages cool wet weather provides. The water bill is somewhat smaller, hopefully a greater reduction than the increase in the gas bill. The weather has made my significant tulip and narcissus collection put on a fabulous show that's lasted for several weeks. The iris are bringing up a large quantity of bloom stalks that will hopefully open in time for the Brooklin Horticultural Society's iris show on June 12. It should be a fascinating and colourful display. Come out and have a look. And finally... Now to the final paragraph, and it is, indeed, the final paragraph. After 12 years (yes, it's been that long) of contributing to Rhonda's little newspaper, it's time to leave. It has been a great run and I appreciate all of my readers who have made personal connections with me. Writing this column each month has been a delightful chore. However time and circumstances change. Goodbye - and enjoy your gardens! If you want to continue to follow my gardening adventures, then go to my web site, www.gardeningenjoyed.com, and sign up for my regular ezine, Dallying In The Dirt. It will find its way to your inbox most weeks, keeping you up to date on gardening happenings. Editor's Note: Ken's contributions to not only the BTC but also to the community's awareness and knowledge of gardening have been significant. His passion for the craft shone through in each and every column as he shared his adventures. There are holes in our gardens we may not know how to fix, but now there's also a hole in this newspaper. Thank you, Ken, for making gardening come to life. May's Trivia Champs! Left to right: Maggie, Paul, Carol, Steve, Pat, Terry The next Trivia night at MichaelKelly's will be on Sunday, June 23. Then we'll all give our brains a summer break, resuming on Sept. 29.