Lower Rose Bay: Vivacious Viburnum!

Lower Rose Bay, NS

Sept. 7, 2013

These colourful berries are ripening all over the place.  Take a look in a ditch on your next drive and you'll probably spot one or two.

Viburnum Nudum (or wild raisin, as it is known locally) is easy to find in the fall as the berries ripen and start to turn purple and begin to resemble raisins.   

Viburnums are a great native species to plant in your yard and provide an important food source for birds that feed on fruit like the gorgeous Cedar Waxwing!

Check out this informative post which has some great images of the berries in the various stages of ripening.

Signs of Spring: One Massive Forsythia

Bayport, NS

May 4, 2013

This year, I managed to capture an early Spring shot of this massive forsythia bush in Bayport.  I'll try to get more shots of it while it blooms.

It's not easy to distinguish, but there's a nice weeping willow behind the forsythia.  It's got lime green buds popping out at the moment...with all this warm weather I'm sure the leaves will be out any day.  Today?

Big 'ole Forsythia

I marvel at this massive forsythia bush on my daily commute.  Unfortunately, I didn't catch the blossoms at their peak.  I included the shed in the shot to give a sense of the sheer size of this roadside shrub.  Not your average forsythia, that's for sure!

Blossoms....blossoms everywhere!

Gorgeous azaleas abound everywhere in Lunenburg County these days.  Last weekend, I spotted these shrubs  in full bloom, lining the driveway to the Bayport Cemetery.  You can see shadbush trees blossoms in the background.  


Shadbush are aptly named, since their blooms coincide with the annual shad fish run.  Shadbush (aka serviceberry, wild pear and its latin name; Amelanchier) fit in to that weird category of 'shrubs that can grow to the size of trees'.  


Shadbush are blooming everywhere right now, they are pretty easy to spot.  If you see small white blossoms (5 petals) on shrubs/trees in the woods right now, they are likely shadbush.  A beautiful counterpoint to the electric, lime green of new buds and leaves.  Stay tuned for shots of this new growth, set against the grey/brown of trees that have yet to unfurl their lovely leaves....

Home and Shrubbery: Forsythia & Flowering Quince

Spotted on the Mason's Beach Rd, just outside of Lunenburg.  Loving all the flowering quince bushes that are starting to bloom!

Home & Shrubbery

The first in what I hope will be a recurring series on the 'ole blog. 


I'm loving all the spring time blossoms, and turns out....so do a lot of home owners in the area. 


Big or small, modest or fancy, seems like everyone has at least one flowering shrub in their yard. Long live Spring!

Jolly holly

Call it what you like: Nova Scotia holly, Canada holly, winterberry or its 'proper name': Ilex verticillata. I can't get enough of this shrub!

This year has been a particularly good one for berry production. Next time you are driving around, keep a keen eye on ditches and other wet areas beside highways. Chances are you will spot clumps of these gorgeous, scarlet berries.

When harvesting these for decorations, leave some for our feathered friends. They love to feast on the berries and are an important winter food source for many many species of birds.

Mmmmore marvelous mountain ash

I'm trying to shoot as many pics of the mountain ash trees in my neighbourhood before the nice green foliage fades, enjoy!

Magnificent Mountain Ash!

These gorgeous shrubs, some the size of trees, are currently laden with gorgeous red berries. Stop and soak in the vibrant complimentary colours if you spot a good specimen.

I'll be posting more shots of mountain ash in the following weeks, stay tuned!

Good 'ole golden chain

Golden chain trees are....glorious.

After the forsythias have bloomed, after the kerria bushes have come and gone, it is another welcome splash of yellow in yards around the county.

Sadly, their blossoms are starting to fade this week. So check out this two story beauty, shot on June 22.