It’s my rule never to plant annuals. They’re a waste of time because the plants die in their first year. They must be planted again & again, each year, hence the moniker: annual.
photo by SVSeekins
But every once in a while there’s one I think worth that extra effort.
Sea Blush tops my list of favorite annuals.
And when I don’t want to spend packets of money buying seed, or can’t find packets of seed to buy, even more work is required.
photo by SVSeekins
At first, there was the effort to acquire the wildflowers for our garden. Happily those transplants survived the move & seeded themselves around a bit. I celebrated the discovery of a couple more blooms the following year. These little successes make me happy. 🙂
photo by SVSeekins
Once a patch of Sea Blush was establishing, I wanted to be sure I wasn’t doing anything to ruin it. The seeds germinate during our coastal winter rains, and start showing up with the first wave of weeds early in the new year. l didn’t want to pull any out of the garden by mistake, so I learned to identify a Sea Blush seedling .
photo by SVSeekins
Now that additional plants are surviving, I want to speed the spread of them around our mountain (rocky outcropping) even more. As the flowers fade, I’ve kept a keen eye on the patch in order to collect seed. The plan is to sow the seed in some similar mossy crevices.
I’m surprised that the Sea Blush goes to seed so early – – it’s not even June yet – – a full month before summer begins!
photo by SVSeekins
Some of the seed stalks are harvested & scattered on other slopes of our mountain.
Other stalks are left in place – – just in case the seed isn’t mature enough yet. These will self sow when they’re good & ready, confidently guaranteeing some plants for next year.
But, cross my fingers, that every seed is viable. Hopefully allthis effort pays off & there’s even more patches of Sea Blush on the mountain next spring.
C, SM & I are exploring Dean Park when I drop to my knees to check out (& photograph ) the pretty spring flowers,
I’m delighted.
SM is charmed.
C smiles indulgently & waits …
photo by SVSeekins
The vibrant magenta colours look so perky! How can these delicate cyclamen-style blooms be tough enough to survive our temperamental spring weather?
Further down the trail there’s pollen everywhere – in the air, along path edges… even settling on plants & making them look different. At first glance I thought I’d found a special variegated salal. Check out the leaf with pollen & without:
salal leaf formation highlighted by pollen -photo by SVSeekins
salal – with the pollen shaken off -photo by SVSeekins
I’m not sure exactly where the pollen is from. There’s so much of it I figure it’s got to be from the most dominant species of tree in this park. Perhaps the douglas fir?
photo by SVSeekins
Cones mottle the ground. SM confirms they’re douglas fir. She tells me a story about the little mice that hide inside the cones, with only their tails poking out between the layers. Pretty cute, eh?
In another small clearing is a meadow of fawn lily (erythronium).
photo by SVSeekins
I’m used to seeing them in a more open meadow at Beacon Hill Park, so it’s nice to see them prosper in the dappled shade of the forest edge too. Of course, I need a closer look. This time C smiles indulgently but continues on his way. (He’s here for the fresh air & exercise).
photo by SVSeekins
It’s a bit tough to see into the face of the fawn lily because of its nodding head but I reckon that is its way to protect those private bits from the occasional downpour. Can’t you just imagine the bees taking refuge under a fawn lily umbrella? Keeping company with a fairy or two ….
photo by SVSeekins
There are many wild violets growing in our garden, some pink and some blue. Years ago I heard about a wild yellow violet. I finally saw a small clump in a Washington State Park last year. But that’s pretty much it. Today SM points out one to me. It is so tiny! I’d easily have missed it completely, walking right past none the wiser. It’s so nice to see them growing locally.
photo by SVSeekins
Then SM spies a wild orchid. OMG !!!
I’ve only ever heard of the fairy slipper (Calypso bulbosa).
We’ve got to invite SM along on our hikes more often. 🙂
I’m running around with the camera – up & down… this angle & that one… Bucket list moment !!
C misses the entire thing.
photo by SVSeekins
He’s down the trail. When he comes across another native plant he knows I’ll be excited about, he decides to sit until I catch up…
Trillium Is not your typical flower. When the bloom first opens, the petals are white. Over time they turn pink. It’s two plants in the space of one.
photo by SVSeekinsphoto by SVSeekins
Trillium is from the Latin ‘in 3’s’.
3 leaves circle the stem.
3 sepals frame the flower
3 petals highlight the bloom
the stamens are set in groups of 3.
there are 3 chambers to the seed pod
I reckon it looks slightly alien.
With so much interest in the groundcover, I’ve barely looked up at all.
photo by SVSeekins
SM asks me about a tall, rangy shrub just coming into leaf. This time I’m the one to help with ID. Salmonberry is one of the early spring shrubs. I first noticed its flowers while horseback riding through the Sooke Hills.
About the time these bright fuchsia flowers bloom, the rufous hummingbirds return for the season. Kismet.
photo by SVSeekins
I once planted salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) in our garden but later realized that a pretty flower & tasty berries didn’t balance with my aversion to growing anything with thorns. Now I just enjoy salmonberries in the wild.
March, April & May are fabulous times to view the native flowers around Victoria. Before I’m ready, many of them disappear into dormancy. It’s their way of surviving our long dry summers. Seems kinda backwards, doesn’t it? We often wait for the summer warmth before heading outdoors, and before it even gets too hot, the big show is over.
Victoria’s Natural History Society hosts a full schedule of nature hikes throughout the region, sometimes even heading off-island in search of the best blooms.
Garden Variety Life 