Sailor Moon - June!

The moon was full June 29 at 8:30 am. Elsewhere people were calling it the Strawberry Moon, but it was Sailor Moon for me! We set out for Waupoos early in the morning on the 28th and anchored by the Cobourg Pier, we watched it rise in the sky, red to gold to silver. When we were dockside at Waupoos marina on the night of the 29th we saw it rise behind the trees on Waupoos Island. Love these uncluttered night skies.

June Splendour

June! My garden seems to offer a new delight every day. I'm happy to stay put in the city and enjoy the show.

First the tree peonies bloom, then in the back garden we have bleeding hearts, beauty bush and Rogersia plumes. 

Tiny fish and water striders in the pond. Iris starts to bloom, clematis opens and the geranium pop. Hostas still untouched by slugs.

The evening primroses open at dusk calling the night moths. I tried planting nicotania seeds this year but no results. Next year I will start indoors and plant near the primrose to create a night garden space. West Coast Seeds has jasmine tobacco that grows 3-5 feet tall. Maybe under the bird feeder? Or a pot behind the irises? An annual in our zone.

The rose is exceptional this year, bursting into flower. Rob cut it back quite vigorously and fertilized... Elizabeth obviously loves the attention. Sage bursting and onion chives perfect to pick. 

Everything so, so green.

2026 Theatre Notes

Primary Trust  / Crow's Guloien Theatre (June)

"Winning the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Primary Trust is a touching and tender play by Eboni Booth. The story follows Kenneth, a thirty-something man whose safe, predictable routine is upended when his bookstore closes, forcing him to confront buried grief, step out of his comfort zone, and embrace human connection." Crow's Theatre.

Rob and I brought Alex and Penny along for a night out. They are not as frequent theatre goers as we are, and thoroughly enjoyed the play. "What was the significance of that bell ringing?" "Great set." "How do the actors manage to memorize all those lines?" 

We really did empathize with Kenneth throughout the story, and when he revealed how his imaginary friend Bert came to join him when he was ten, I could see many people wiping the corner of their eyes. Kenneth really doesn't want Bert to leave him, but Bert somehow knows it is really the only way Kenneth will be able to make real ones. A tender-hearted story.

Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary / Crow's Guloien Theatre (April)

"Blending ancient scripture with her trademark incisive, contemporary wit, Erin Shields (You, Always) reclaims the stories of four women who stood at the gates of revolution—only to be sidelined by history." Crow's Theatre.

Feminism and religion can be a dangerous pairing. I thought it would be too moralistic, earnest and shrill. This was not one of my original picks for my season ubscription. A friend went, and said it was worth seeing. Tickets came my way, and I'm glad they did. 

This was a World Premiere. Definitely something I appreciate about Crow's is how they help develop and feature new works. The Surrogate another example.

I didn't love this play, but I agree it was worth seeing. There were a lot of things going on, it was a bit of a mish mash. It wasn't particularly cohesive. It alluded to biblical events, not always in sequence, and made strong conjectures (the miracle of the loaves and fishes was aided by women smuggliers). There is a dance scene - Salome's 7 veils - that seems a bit gratuitous but also turns out to be one of the highlights. The play's strongpoint to me is that it does make you wonder why women are so little-mentioned in the bible itself, when of course they would have played pivotal roles in the revolution that was taking place.

I always avoid reading reviews until I've seen the play, but headlines I glimpsed were not very flattering. Perhaps that was why the theatre was only about half full, but the actors performances' were as though playing to a full house. Now to read those reviews....

 Clyde's / Can Stage Bluma Appel (April)

Clyde's is a Broadway play written by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage. Premiering in 2021, this comedy-drama focuses on formerly incarcerated kitchen staff seeking redemption while working at a truck stop sandwich shop, often cited as a companion piece to her play Sweat. Cincinatti Playhouse in the Park

Loved the allegory of the quest for the perfect sandwich and the idea that prison is also a state of mind. Clyde's anger confines her and in the end becomes the catalyst that sets her workers free.

Fire and flames lit and licked the stage in the kitchen, conjuring hell and purgatory.

Fabulous ensemble cast; most gathered for a talk-back after the performance.

The Surrogate / Crow’s Nest Studio Theatre (March)

 

"Set over the course of a single sleepless night, The Surrogate is a 21st-century exploration of privilege, and the complexities of modern family-making in a world where the rules are still being written." Crow's Theatre.

Although themes were highly charged (ethics of surrogacy, state-side politics, nature of relationships) this didn't feel moralistic or didactic. Told the story and then left you reeling.

The Slotkin Letter review was critical of playwright Moishin Zaidi's debut  for having too many threads running through it at once; however I didn't feel it overwhelmed or clouded the story so much as depicted how complex and multi-faceted life and death can be. What a fabulous first effort!

The Studio Theatre was the perfect venue. The more intimate space suited the personal themes. A nice touch in the set design was drawing the audience in with the choice of seating - hard white chairs that would easily suit a hospital waiting room. Appreciated this detail.

Talk-back after with actors and director (Christopher Manousos) gave some insight into how the stage play was crafted and evolved.

Produced by Here for Now Theatre, Crow’s Theatre, House and Body and b current

You, Always / Berkeley Street Theatre, Can Stage (Feb)

Canadian playwright Erin Shields tackles some tough themes in this play about sisterhood: cancer, MAID, divorce, eating disorders. 

The stage was stark and minimal, which allowed it to morph easily from one place into another. 

The two actors were challenged to jump quickly between childhood, adulthood, and adolescence in a series of rapid vignettes, and they pulled off the transitions well, using a lilt in their voice or a shrug of the shoulders to help frame their age. 

Conflict between the two sisters gave rise to arguments beginning with "You, always...." While I know conflict is the dramaturge's friend, I could have used a few more scenes featuring their love and support for one another to even the balance. My favourite scene was when they donned the costumes from childhood stories, and it was well placed in the arc because their yelling at each other was getting a bit one note. 

By the end of the show, there were many people crying in the theatre but personally, I couldn't help feeling a tad manipulated. 

Natural Concept Pruning

When Todd Irvine spoke ar our monthly Master Gardener meeting October '26, I wanted to learn more, so I booked him to give me a lesson in my own backyard. 

• Understand how trees and shrubs grow.
• Choose the right tree/shrub for conditions
• Know why you are pruning
• Prune for good structure and health
• Use proper pruning cuts

It helps to have a basic understanding of how trees and shrubs grow. Their trunks pull up nutrients from the soil, and the leaves serve to photosynthesize and provide transpiration. Trees will naturally prune themselves back to where they are shaded, as those areas that don't get sunlight die back. If you prune the branch of too many of its leaves, the branch will not be able to feed itself properly and will die.

When Todd arrived, Rob and I were pulling our ficus onto the deck for its summer vacation, so began the lesson there.

What is it you want to accomplish? Shape it, make it smaller, prune for health? Yes to all of the above. The ficus needed some serious trimming. By examining the new growth we could see this specimen had already grown 4"- 6" since the start of spring. At about 7 years old, it was a bit too mature for pruning that would influence early growth habit; in fact like many ficus sold the trunk had been braided, and we could see how it had fused together. There were lots of inner branches crossing and Todd advised not to get too fussed about it, as a more mature tree, it was a little too late to address its basic structure.

 

Always prune to growing points, or nodes. There are two types of cuts

• Removal (whole branch), smaller branch to bigger
• Reduction (reducing length by nodes), bigger branch to smaller

Start minimally! Once you've cut that branch off, it's not going to grow back. Lots of small cuts are easier for the plant to handle.

Look at the growth increments. Usually the inner branches do not grow as rapidly, they aren't getting as much sun. We certainly saw that on the ficus! So, 'thin' by thoughtful reduction on outer growth vs. removing the inside centre.

Generally you want your pruning to go unnoticed.

There are lots of oversimplified recommendations, such as 'no rubbing branches', or 'no crossing branches' but they don't always apply. 

For example, the 'no topping' rule. Rob and I already ignored that advice on our dwarf white pine, when it was getting too high for the sight line. Now it is a matter of trying to keep some space between the white pine and balsam next to it. Minimal cuts on the balsam did the trick.

I had left my daphne alone until Todd's visit. I thought it was scorched, but on closer inspection, we saw branches had been broken by the weight of winter snow, so removed them. But we left the centre of it alone, hoping it will naturally fill in with new growth over the season. We then crawled underneath the weeping Japanese maple in the front and trimmed out the dead branches underneath. Since parts of the juniper and maple were infringing on the driveway, we removed them.  A branch on the Japanese maple in the back was bending in on itself, it didn't need any cutting as it was young enough to manipulate it to grow free.

Very useful tips. I especially like the advice to avoid over-generalizations. If I followed the 'right' method, I would lose the beautiful seedpods that overwinter on the tree peony - instead I cut them off just as the buds begin to form in spring. The peony doesn't seem to suffer for it! Ditto the hydrangea.

Todd took a moment to show us how to sharpen the blades on our tools by staying flat to the edge. I'll be ordering a sharpening stone and may even treat myself to a pair of #8 Felco Pruners.

Now, after Todd's visit I am less intimidated by the prospect of pruning. It's a real art, one you learn by doing. Now I can practice more confidently.

Peony Power

This year the peonies started poking through buds May 26 and by June 4 the petals were on the ground. I had pulled up a chair to admire them on the Thursday and decided to send out an invite to people to come for a garden pop-up on the Saturday. Several people were able to drop by. 

I greeted them in my fancy garden hat and we toasted to enjoy these fleeting moments of beauty.