Jules in the Garden
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juliwils.bsky.social
Jules in the Garden
@juliwils.bsky.social
500 followers 280 following 440 posts
Cat-less cat-lady 🐾 Alliteration aficionado ✒️ Mother of two littles ❤️ All-round nature lover 🐝🦋🪶 On a journey to grow/plant native species that support the pollinators 🌿🌻
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juliwils.bsky.social
Twinkle, twinkle

#wip
#handmade
#christmasstar
A beaded and sequined felt star lays on a brown table awaiting the final step of sewing the felt pieces (that will make up the tree topper) together
November 30, 2025 at 3:42 PM
juliwils.bsky.social
This is a far more ambitious project than I realized

Though I'd probably get done faster if I stopped twisting it around in the light every 10-20 minutes or so

#wip
#handmade
#christmasdecor
A white felt star is mounted on hoop. It is slowly being covered with various silver-lined and translucent Aurora Borealis beads, and sequins. Once completed, it will be sewn and filled to make a Christmas tree topper
November 26, 2025 at 1:00 PM
juliwils.bsky.social
My tabby had such pretty eyes

#cats
#caturday
A brown tabby named Tink 🌈 lays on a bathmat, looking up. Her bright green eyes are nearly turquoise around the pupils
November 22, 2025 at 3:19 PM
juliwils.bsky.social
Hope

#seeds
#flowers
#nativeplants
The seed pod of a butterfly weed has split, revealing the white tufts and brown seeds. The side of the pod is dotted with the dark bodies of dead aphids
November 20, 2025 at 4:55 PM
juliwils.bsky.social
A little bit of sunshine in the shade

#plantSky
#yellowThursday
A single dandelion pokes out from bright green grass and brown twigs and leaves on a mid-November day. The deep yellow immediately stood out from this patch of lawn that was deeply shaded
November 20, 2025 at 9:06 AM
juliwils.bsky.social
The closest thing I have to #redWed is this blanket flower but it looks more like Jack Nicholson at the end of The Shining

#frost
#nativeplants
A blanket flower (that was in the process of blooming before all the snow, ice, and cold temperatures we've had lately) has layer of frost covering it
November 19, 2025 at 2:16 PM
juliwils.bsky.social
I asked my friend to send me a picture of her cat because I want to make her a Christmas ornament based on him

On the left is the picture she sent

On the right is the almost finished ornament

I mean, it's almost uncanny, right? 😹

#wip
#cats
A black cat giving a look with the level of disdain that can only achieved by felines A felt ornament of a black cat. Eventually he'll be added to a felt Christmas-themed box
November 19, 2025 at 12:38 AM
juliwils.bsky.social
The last few days have been gray, wet and cold

Then while walking past a green space yesterday, I saw bold colour peeking out from the bare branches and browning grasses

One way #nativeplants are amazing: we've had snow, frost and freezing temperatures in recent weeks, yet some flowers persist
The purple rays of a New England aster droop in the brisk weather conditions, yet the plant didn't show any signs of turning brown yet The yellow bloom of a goldenrod still looks fresh in early mid-November
November 17, 2025 at 7:37 PM
juliwils.bsky.social
It's taken almost three years but today I was able to go through pictures of my late cats

Since one of the best parts of Bsky are all the cat accounts, I'm sharing some with the cat fans

This is Rogue 🌈, a sweet and quirky tortie, who had the soul of a corgi in a cat's body

#cats
#CatBoxSunday
A long-haired tortoiseshell cat lays in a box, nearly bleached out by the intense sunbeam she found. She is clearly deep in thought, pondering the mysteries of life (or wondering how much longer dinner will be)
November 17, 2025 at 12:36 AM
juliwils.bsky.social
Crisp frost yesterday
Thunderous drab clouds today
Fall in Canada

#greenSat
#nomowlawn
#Canadiangardening
Frost covers bright green clover and red and orange-brown leaves. The sugar-like coating makes the colours pop
November 15, 2025 at 8:08 PM
juliwils.bsky.social
Frosty floral Friday

#flowers
#bloomscrolling
#flowersonFriday
From back to front, frost sits on the burgundy bloom of a sedum, the yellow flowers of a yarrow, and the fading purple spikes of a lavender A close-up of frost on the star-shaped blooms of an Autumn Joy sedum Frost coats the buds and foliage of a yellow yarrow
November 14, 2025 at 5:40 PM
juliwils.bsky.social
The snow is gone (for now), but here's a #tbt to last weekend, when the colours refused to be stifled by the falling snowflakes

#trees
#plantSky
#yellowThursday
A image of a yellow-leaved tree on the side of a road. Behind it is a snow blanketed field with a line of trees in the distance. Several of those trees still had either orange or yellow leaves. The ditch leading up to the field is a collection of browned grasses and faded goldenrod. The sky is white with snow clouds
November 13, 2025 at 2:36 PM
juliwils.bsky.social
I'm not mentally or emotionally ready for all that winter brings but I can't deny that it's pretty

#trees
#clouds
#landscape
A sunbeam breaks across a snow dusted field. In the background, a cornfield stands in front of a line of trees which nearly conceal a band of snow clouds in the distance
November 13, 2025 at 2:27 AM
juliwils.bsky.social
My tiny shrub looks more like a prisoner than something under protection

But, despite three days of intermittent snowfall, it seems to be doing ok

(With no signs of squirrel sabotage as yet 🤞)

#nativeplants
#Canadiangardening
A small deep green shrub dusted with snow is being guarded from wildlife by a few layers of garden fencing (apparently its roots are tasty)
November 11, 2025 at 6:52 PM
juliwils.bsky.social
It's Remembrance Day

My partner and I went to Vimy Ridge in 2018

I knew its monument was massive but in person the absolute magnitude of it was just heartbreaking

Yet it doesn't seem big enough to truly represent the depth of sacrifice or the immensity of loss and devastation that comes with war
An image of the Vimy Ridge memorial in France, taken from a distance in order to include as much of it as possible in the frame. It was a chilly and gray day, appropriate for how sombre our visit was A man stands near the base of the two pillars, and appears very small in comparison, giving an idea of the overall size of the structure The monument includes the names of the 11, 285 Canadian soldiers without a known grave
November 11, 2025 at 4:54 PM
juliwils.bsky.social
(Snow) powder pink for #pinkMon

#flowerreport
#bloomscrolling
A snow crusted rose bush still has some light coloured buds among brown spent flowers
November 10, 2025 at 9:49 PM
juliwils.bsky.social
Since none of my native grasses amounted to much this year, I put out a few long bamboo skewers to create some additional landing spots in my pollinator garden

Uhhhhhh, success?

#nativeplants
#Canadiangarden
A close-up of a very small flying insect sitting on the end of a bamboo skewer that was intended as a potential perch for dragonflies
November 10, 2025 at 8:34 AM
juliwils.bsky.social
Not sure which one was more excited, the husky X or the toddler, to see the wintery white stuff this morning

Both wanted to "say hi to the snow" (that's a direct quote from the human child)

Meanwhile I'm grimacing on behalf of the #nativeplants I've put in the ground the past few days
A tan dog and a blonde-haired both look longingly at the accumulating snow through a patio window
November 9, 2025 at 10:32 PM
juliwils.bsky.social
The glowing colours and the deep shadows of a late summer's evening

#BlueskyArtShow
#landscape
#evening
An image of a lowering sun behind dark rain clouds in the distance. The sun broke through enough to cast long shadows of a late summer evening across a farmer's field. The photo was taken from the side of the road so a guardrail post is in the foreground of the image
November 8, 2025 at 11:33 PM
juliwils.bsky.social
I can't tell in the dusk if the, uh, fortification of my New Jersey tea shrub is overkill or not

But bunnies are always lurking

And I've made enemies out of the backyard squirrels this past week...I wouldn't put it past them to be petty

#nativeplants
#Canadiangardening
A small green shrub, freshly planted, is surrounded by several layers of garden fencing, creating a triangular formation
November 8, 2025 at 10:37 PM
juliwils.bsky.social
#Canadiangardening this year has been fun:

I've removed
- 4 rose of Sharons
- 6 walnut saplings
- dozens of invasive/unwanted plants (periwinkle and lilies of the valley are truly horrid)

I've found
- 5 railway spikes (I live by a railway)
- soooo many shells (I don't live near water)

#plantSky
Before: a garden at the very back of my yard, in front of a line of tall, skinny cedars It is mostly hostas (several different varieties, none of which I can name), but growing underneath is a mass of periwinkle and lilies of the valley Also in this mix are six tall walnut saplings which had started to deeply root I've been able to save some native species (phlox, goldenrod, white vervain, and black-eyed Susans), but the hostas were removed in order the eliminate as many of the invasive plants as possible After: most of the garden has been cleared away, save for a few large hostas and some native species which will stay where they are Some potted plants sit on the ground (blue false indigo, butterfly weed, and Sweet Joe pye weed), which have since been planted The new goal of this space will be to grow host plants for caterpillars and food sources for pollinators, choosing as many native or near native plants as possible
November 7, 2025 at 7:19 PM
juliwils.bsky.social
I miss the bees

It's a Thursday

So here's a throwback

#bees
#flowers
#Canadiangardening
A close up of a small bee nectaring on the tiny white flowers of a coral bell. This photo was taken over a month ago now
November 6, 2025 at 1:14 PM
juliwils.bsky.social
The last tree in the neighbourhood to have brightly coloured leaves is almost bare

The ground below is now a beautiful collage of warm jewel tones

#trees
#autumn
#redWed
#plantSky
So many red, orange, and yellow leaves are on the ground that the bright green grass underneath is completely obscured
November 5, 2025 at 5:18 PM
juliwils.bsky.social
The remaining blooms in my front yard are not just surviving these cooler wet days, they're thriving

#flowers
#nomowlawn
#bloomscrolling
#tinyflowerTuesday
The vivid flowers of a 'mango tango' agastache, which are a peachy orange colour, stand out against the surrounding bright green foliage A close-up of the tiny purplish pink bloom of thyme
November 5, 2025 at 3:06 AM
juliwils.bsky.social
I played in the rain yesterday

Actually, I'm demo-ed an overgrown garden, to make way for as many #nativeplants as possible, in the pouring rain

But my boots are now basically giant mud-and-leaf pies

#Canadiangardening
A very muddy pair of brown boots sit in the sunshine in a sunroom to dry out. The heels are caked in dirt and leaves after a few hours of digging in the rain-soaked earth
November 4, 2025 at 11:26 PM