Category Archives: bulbs

bulbs, drought tolerant, garden visits, months 01-03: winter, perrennials

January Meadow

01/31/2019 svseekins 6 Comments

eranthis, winter aconite, cyclamen coum, galanthus, snowdrops, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

This is my January happy place – – And I didn’t have to go on an extravagant vacation to find it!

Under a leafless Garry oak blooms a winter meadow. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Yellow winter aconite (Eranthis),
Purple Cyclamen coum,
White snowdrops (Galanthus)

All flowering in the crisp sunshine. Isn’t it grand? I’m in awe of the expanse & fullness of the planting.

All of these winter gems grow in my garden. Each is planted in its own patch, and certainly not in a magic carpet like this.

Plans to copy this at home start percolating in my mind. (I’m not too proud. After all, isn’t imitation the highest praise?)

In Victoria, all three of these perennials are winter ephemeral. In other zones, they’d be called spring ephemeral. They pop up at this time of year, put on a show, then go dormant – – disappearing under the soil until next year. By summer, this will be a barren patch shaded by the oak…. unless other perennials spring up to cover the same space?

cyclamen coum, in January, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Managing an overlapped planting must be quite the skill. Even digging around the borders to put in summer annuals could disturb or destroy the sleeping plants.

Weeding in our garden the other day, I found some snowdrops that were really out of place. In shifting them to a more suitable spot, I learned they grow well even when planted quite deeply. Perhaps that’s the answer?

galanthus, snowdrops, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Planting the ephemerals deeply would undoubtedly lower the risk of disturbance whenever I put a spade in the soil…

I’ve mistakenly covered over some sleeping cyclamen, and they still found their way to light when the time was right… I don’t know about Eranthis, though.

Hellebore in January, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Very soon, the Hellebores will add to this show. Several are spotted through this bed. Their blooms will carry the colour through the spring. The leaves will help fill space through the rest of the seasons…

By summer, the oak will shade the south-facing bed from the hot sunshine. What other perennials will emerge to carry the show?

-30-

P.S. Here are some other meadow faves:

bulbs, drought tolerant, garden visits, months 01-03: winter, urban deer

Snowdrop Variations

01/24/2019 svseekins 1 Comment

Each January, I’m on the lookout for the first blooms of the New Year.

Here, on southern Vancouver Island, it’s the snowdrops that take centre stage. Our urban deer leave them alone, so there are patches of the winter blooms all around Victoria.

Our garden club was treated to tours of 2 members’ winter gardens. Carol & Jennifer introduced us to some of the many varieties of Galanthus… Who knew there was more than one kind of snowdrop?

galanthus elwesii snowdrops, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

I start looking more closely at the pure white helicopter blades with their protected cockpit. Analyzing means kneeling down in the wet grass, camera in hand.

Low & behold, one clump of blooms has double green markings on each of the outer petals. (The inner trumpet is quite green, too.)

Hello, Galanthus elwesii 🙂

Farther along the path is another clump – – this one with wee green tips on the outer petals.

Another G. elwesii variety.

galanthus elwesii poculiformis snowdrops, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

And then, there’s a patch with the standard white outer petals – – but there are 6 instead of the usual 3.

I’m pretty sure these are called Galanthus elwessi poculiformis.

galanthus st annes snowdrops, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

My favourite way to ID plants is via plant labels – which are great as long as they don’t go missing – – crows like to claim them as booty.

This label clearly states that this particular snowdrop is Galanthus St. Anne’s. From a distance, it appears a typical snowdrop, with white outer petals & a small upside-down heart on the inner trumpet…

But here’s the reason I don’t mind getting dirty from kneeling on the grass:
Check out the inner petals!
This is how botanists are born, & become addicted to looking at plants soooooo closely.

galanthus nivalis bagpuize virginia snowdrops, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Peaking inside some more blooms, I find another delicate flower with an even more ruffled trumpet. For such a tiny flower, this snowdrop has a ridiculously large name: Galanthus nivalis bagpuize virginia.
How’s that for a mouthful?

galanthus plicatus wendy's gold snowdrops, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Protected from the others, is a pot of snowdrops with yellow markings. This is the first one I’ve noticed with a yellow ovary above the dangling flower. It’s Galanthus plicatus ‘Wendy’s Gold’.
Quite a treasure.

galanthus elwesii barnes snowdrops, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

In the collection, I spied a clump of snowdrops that were already going to seed! Although most snowdrops in Victoria bloom through the winter months, some snowdrops start crazy early in the fall. Carol’s G. elwesii ‘Barnes’ begins blooming in November!

(It’s reported that G. reginae-olgae is a September bloomer & G. elwesii ‘Potter’s Prelude’ blooms through Halloween.)

The final mystery of my tour is a variety with green stripes on the outer petals. The label was there but washed out.

Perhaps it has a name like ‘Greenish,’
or ‘Green Tear’??
Any other guesses?

Only a galanthophile can be sure. 🙂

-30-

bulbs, garden visits, gardens with wildlife, months 04-06: spring, natives, perrennials

Playfair’s Camas In Bloom

05/13/2018 svseekins 3 Comments

Playfair Park Camas meadow, great camas, Camassia leichtlinii garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

There seems to be a buzz about Playfair Park this spring – and it’s not just the pollinators. Several people have told me about how spectacular its Camas meadow is. Of course, I had to check it out.

Playfair Park Camas meadow garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

I used to think that Camas meadows were beautiful gifts from Mother Nature, but it turns out she’s had a helping hand. First Peoples farmed Camas for its food value. Their work created more intense swaths of blue each spring. Left untended these fruitful fields decline & are overtaken by more dominant species.

Playfair Park Camas meadow not restored garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

The Camas fields that are now Playfair Park succumbed to invasive grasses and introduced species. Fortunately, volunteer Colleen OBrien came on the scene around 2010 with grand ideas, determination and stamina. Over many years she’s gained the respect & cooperation of Saanich Parks, and their Pulling Together Program.

Great Camas, Camassia leichtlinii garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

The Common Camas bloom (Camas quamash) was pretty much over when I arrived, but the Great Camas (Camassia leichtlinii) was in full glory. I stopped in my tracks, slack-jawed. It was so much more intense than I’d expected.

Seablush, shortspur, rosy plectritis, Plectritis congesta garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

What a joy to wander the paths of this paradise. The over-the-top spectacle of the Camas is complemented by a striking variety of native companion plants:

photo by SVSeekins

Seablush (Plectritis congesta) on rocky outcrops will grow happily at only ankle height. In a deep soil meadow, it reaches my knees in little explosions of pink joy.
photo by SVSeekins

Spring Gold (Lomatium utriculatum) is the most recognized punch of color contrasting the Camas. Even its ferny foliage contrasts the long straps of the Camas leaves. The flat tops are great landing pads for pollinators to gather their wits until they decide where in this smorgasbord to head next.
photo by SVSeekins

Western Buttercup (Ranunculus occidentalis) is the royal relative of the common creeping weed that is the bain of Seekers-Of-The-Perfect-Lawn. This tall cousin also has a long bloom but is welcome in my garden anytime.
photo by SVSeekins

Pacific Sanicle (Sanicula crassicaulis) is a sturdy plant with palm-shaped leaves at its base & small pom-pom flowers on tall stems. Its deep tap-root reaches moisture even when the summer drought kills off other plants.
photo by SVSeekins

Fawn Lily (Erythronium oregonum) blooms early, often with the first of the common Camas. The white of the lily is a dramatic pop of contrast against the blue of the Camas. By the time the taller Great Camas blooms, the fawn lily bloom is completed and it’s setting seed.
photo by SVSeekins

Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon hendersonii) are spectacular on their own with their delicate, cyclamen-like blooms. They’re early bursts of colour in rocky outcrops and path edges. Once the taller Great Camas start to bloom, the Shooting Stars are easily overlooked.
photo by SVSeekins

Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria affinis) is much larger in stature (knee-high) but its color is so muted that it’s also easily overlooked among the blooming Camas. Sightings are few & far between. SM spotted a patch of them beneath a tree & pointed them out, otherwise I’d have walked past unknowing. Perhaps there are more around than I realized… perhaps not.
photo by SVSeekins

Yellow Montane Violet (Viola praemorsa) is the darling of the meadow. When Colleen first started the restoration, she was over the moon to find this endangered plant surviving. It’s red-listed in BC. Now, because of her attention, others have taken up the cause & also work at restoring populations.

Yellow Montane Violet , Viola praemorsa garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

This piece of land has gone through many changes since colonization. I’m glad that it was protected from more intense development. In the 50’s the park was ear-marked for an arboretum, but that didn’t go beyond the incredible planting of rhododendron that’ve made the park famous for decades.

I don’t think anyone really expected that those spring-blooming Rhododendrons would ever play second fiddle to this renewed native landscape. Colonization meets nature in this lovely garden.

-30-

Other places to see Camas Meadows: