Time & patience make a beautiful combination.

Well over a century ago, someone planted crocus in a garden at  Hillside Farm.  In the late 1880’s much of the farm became a subdivision. Then, 90 years after that, the original home site became Summit Park.  Even though the gardens are no longer there, the crocuses are.  They’ve survived & naturalized in the Garry Oak meadow.

Seeing the tiny blooms peeking out of the grass as the sun shines down on them delights me.  Crocus isn’t as showy as the native fawn lily & camas that bloom here in April & May, but their energy is exuberant.  In February, I need this excitement.

Snow Crocus (Crocus tommasinianus) is reputed as the best of the 90 Crocus species for naturalizing.  A decade ago, I planted bags & bags of mixed snow crocus in a patch of lawn outside our home. It’s doing okay but not up to Summit Park’s showing.  I wonder if the Hillside homesteader had access to bags of bulbs way back then… Perhaps, s/he ordered catalogue seed?

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Here are some other meadows:

• Meadow Blooms 1 – Crocus
  
• Meadow Blooms 2 – Chionodoxa
• Meadow Blooms 3 – English daisy
• Meadow Blooms 4 – Fawn Lily
• Meadow Blooms 5 – Camas

  

• Meadow Blooms 6 – Snowdrops
• Meadow Blooms 7 – Wild Violets
• Meadow Blooms 8 – January Meadow
• Meadow Blooms 9 – Daffodils
• Meadow Blooms 10 – July Meadow
• Meadow Blooms 11- Winter Aconite