Blooms that chase the snow away

By the middle of March, we northern gardeners are chomping at the bit to get our hands into the soil. Some of us scratch the itch by poring over seed catalogues, starting seedlings in sunny windows, or just obsessively watching HGTV. Growing season for most of us is still a month or more away. But […]

Birthday time for bruins

We tend to think of hibernation as a sleep that lasts for months, but deep in their dens black bears are doing something really important: the moms are giving birth to tiny, tiny bear cubs. It’s just one of the amazing things that characterize bear hibernation, a months-long sleep that really has no parallels in […]

Bringing garden ideas home

It’s easy to get jealous if you spend any time in subtropical gardens this winter. Everywhere you look you’re surrounded by gorgeous plants that just won’t grow in Muskoka. We know because we often get photos from our clients, showing us gardens they’ve seen on their travels and asking if we can create something like […]

Seeing shapes in winter

Photography isn’t just about capturing what you see: it can also be a way of changing the way you look at the landscape. To get a truly different view of Muskoka this winter, try photographing it in black and white. Black and white landscape photography has a long and honourable history. Ansel Adams is undoubtedly […]

Blueberry galette

Blueberry pie is one of the delights of summer. Heck, any fruit pie is a perfect dessert when the fruit is in season. You can make pies year-round with frozen fruit, of course, but somehow they just don’t taste… summery enough. Maybe it’s because the effort that goes into making a perfectly shaped pie is […]

February 2020 events

THE ART IN ME Until Feb 28. An exhibition by the art students of Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes Secondary School and Saint Dominic Catholic Secondary School. Sometimes it is easy to forget what it was like to be a teenager. This exhibition not only showcases the local emerging talent, but also allows viewers much insight […]

Cue the trumpets

Trumpeter swans are among the world’s most magnificent wildfowl. They are enormous birds, with an eight foot wingspan and a deep, resonant honk that gives them their name. At one time there were over 100,000 trumpeters in North America, so many that early explorers said they dotted the mud flats “like lilies.” But the birds […]

Crops on the windowsill

All summer we’ve been talking about growing herbs. But who says you need to stop now that winter is here? Herbs are perfect for indoor gardening, giving you greenery as well as a taste of summer freshness. And best of all, they can be incredibly easy to grow. As long as you’ve got sunny window […]

Gifts for cottagers

Buying the perfect holiday gift can be a challenge. But if you have a cottager on your gift list, you’re in luck: there’s no shortage of ways to enhance their enjoyment of the cottage or to remind them of the things they love about Muskoka. In-Person in Muskoka If you can get to Muskoka before […]

A Christmas party in your mouth

Most holidays don’t have their own special baked good – there is no grand tradition of whipping up a batch of Victoria Day Jam Tarts, or a Labour Day Pound Cake. But Christmas and Hanukkah… now you’re talking sweets! From fruit cake to rugelach to gorgeous houses made of gingerbread, this is the season to […]