attracting birds, months 07-09: summer, urban deer

Belief In Magic

10/22/2019 svseekins 5 Comments

It was one morning in September 2006 when I realized fairies are real. Dancing in the autumn chill beneath the birdbath was a flurry of naked ladies.

I found them enchanting…
surely elves & pixies would pop up any minute.

Only a month had passed since we’d purchased our home. I’d done nothing in the yard, besides delivering a few pots from our old home. This magic just ‘happened‘… unprompted.

We were crazy-busy, making the house our own. It would be a long while before much time could be spared for gardens…
yet I knew, then & there, this circle of fairy dancers had to be incorporated into our landscape plans… Somehow.

Given the birdbath & tiny flower bed was awkwardly adrift in a sea of lawn, I needed imagination. It took me a while to figure out what to do with it.

birdbath bed 2008 01 — photo by SVSeekins

Finally, we moved forward, creating a corner border. Rock edging started at the forsythia & gate (to the right / east)…
encompassed the birdbath, & cherry tree at the end of the driveway (center-right)…
then followed the northern fence line to the rhododendron (far left). (photo: Xmas 2007)

birdbath bed 2009 08 — photo by SVSeekins

Early on, it felt like a giant, near-empty space that would take forever to turn into a real garden. The new shrubs seemed tiny & lost. The local deer nibbled the Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo). They nearly destroyed the Bottlebrush (Callistemon) with their antlers. Happily, the fairies came back every autumn to dance in the shivery sunshine. The deer gave them peace. 🙂 (photo: August 2009)

birdbath bed 2013 09 — photo by SVSeekins

Five years in, it was starting to look like something more. The Rhodo (far left) loved the company – growing almost as much as the newer shrubs. Those shrubs were now large enough to stand up against the deer a little better, so I removed their cages. The birds & fairies were enjoying the extra privacy as the garden grew up around the birdbath. (photo: Sept. 2013)

birdbath bed 2019 09 — photo by SVSeekins

After a dozen years, the party continues. The shrubs have matured into small trees. The border has grown into a mini-woodland. The birdbath almost disappears in the dappled understory! I reckon it’s even more magical than before. And each September, the fairies come to dance. (photo: Sept. 2019)

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public art

More Than Sculpture

10/12/2019 svseekins Leave a comment

A new public art installation is just a few blocks away at Cedar Hill Rec Centre.

Earth Drums, Saanich, public art, Carey Newman, Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Three squared totem poles mark a junction in the walking trail.
But these poles are more than just sculpture. They’re hollow boxes suspended on posts – –
box drums!
GIANT box drums!
How cool is that? Interactive art!

At the official opening, the artist, Carey Newman, said a few words about these Earth Drums. Then he introduced his brother to play a First Nations’ composition created especially for these drums.

After years of living on the West Coast, I recognize the raven on the tallest pole. The frog, on the shortest pole, is also recognizable. It’s tougher seeing the wolf on the 3rd pole, but eventually, I catch on.

The audience at the Official Opening was appreciative. I wanted to play with the drums right then, but shyness made me decide to come back when the crowd had thinned.

Yesterday the sun was shining & I explored the different tones of each instrument. Hikers seemed curious & interested in the dynamic installation, too. Its placement is a blatant invitation to play. Can anyone resist?

Then a gaggle of pre-schoolers surrounded the poles. A low burble of music ensued. 🙂 No, really – – it was music. The pitch was low enough… the frenzy actually became a pulse. It was more like music than any Christmas drum-set I ever played. (The neighbours need not worry.)

There’s some lovely public art in Greater Victoria. I’m glad my municipality (Saanich) promotes it. I’m especially pleased Carey Newman has the vision & skill to bring this kind of magic to our neighbourhood.

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Other Public Art I Like:

bulbs, drought tolerant, months 07-09: summer

Back From the Dead

10/03/2019 svseekins Leave a comment

We were away camping for most of August + early September. The garden had to survive through the dry heat all by itself.

Amaryllis belladonna , Madonna Lily, Jersey Lily, Amaryllis rosea, Brunsvigia rosea,, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Imagine my delight returning to a cloud of pink blooms hovering above the parched bed beside the front gate…

Granted, it’s only one stalk – – but what a cluster of flowers! AND the deer hadn’t feasted on it as they had the surrounding daylily & crocosmia blooms–Bonus 🙂

To be honest, I’m shocked to see this resurrection. For the past 10 years, I’ve resigned myself to being a Crinum killer.

The original bulb, a giant, came to me via a garden club plant sale. It was labelled Crinum × powellii (aka Swamp Lily or Cape Lily).
Now I’m thinking it might be Amaryllis belladonna (aka Madonna Lily or Jersey Lily).

I planted it, thrilled at the first year’s blossom, then searched for signs of life the following year…
None…
Nothing the next year either…
After that, I just stopped searching.

Perhaps a hard winter froze the bulb… (Crinum is zone 7: A.belladonna is zone 4.)
Perhaps too much drought shrivelled the bulb … (Crinum likes moist summers; A.belladonna prefers dry.)
Perhaps it had been crowded out by the crocosmia… (Both Crinum & A. belladonna, like nerine lilies, prefer their necks exposed to sunshine… last winter I’d removed excess crocosmia)

There are so many ways to fail in the garden. I resigned myself to losing another gem.

Now I’m thinking, it might have simply been a miscommunication in labelling. Both Crinum & A. belladonna have similar tendencies (pink clusters of bloom… bloom time… toxicity… origins in South Africa… ),
But there are some significant differences, too (A.belladonna leaves die off before it blooms).

Either way, I’m grateful for whichever bulb I have. It’s one tough cookie. It patiently waited years until the conditions were just right!!

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Here are some other pink autumn bloomers: