Category Archives: drought tolerant

attracting birds, drought tolerant, months 04-06: spring, months 07-09: summer

Surviving Drought With Rock Rose

07/28/2016 svseekins 2 Comments

In the heat of summer I’m more interested in camping than staying home to water the garden.

cistus, sunset rock rose, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Happily the spring extravaganza of bloom was mostly bulb, and being spring ephemerals, they’re content to dry up & hibernate until the rains come again. But I’m not content with a brown garden in July.

Rock Rose to the rescue.

Once established, Cistus ‘sunset’ has proven to be one tough-as-nails, evergreen shrub.
it’s fuzzy leaves make the most of any dew or moisture they find.
Our local deer find it unpalatable.
The butterflies & other pollinators gravitate to the energizing magenta flowers.
The honey fragrance of the blooms makes it a good choice to plant near a high-traffic area.

Those 5 reasons easily convinced me that Cistus is a keeper for our landscape.

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drought tolerant, evergreens, garden visits, gardens with wildlife, projects, public art, urban deer

Nix the Lawn 3

01/28/2016 svseekins Leave a comment

meditation labyrinth Oak Bay front yard maze 2 garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Getting tired of all the work a lush lawn requires?

mowing
raking
watering
fertilizing
aerating
top-dressing
de-thatching
more mowing

labyrinth meditation Oak Bay front yard maze garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Relax.

Take some time to contemplate your navel.

A labyrinth is meant to increase peace and serenity. What a lovely shift in perspectives.

It looks like creeping thyme is a fine choice for separating the pathway. It’s tidy, low growing, deer resistant & smells lovely when disturbed. I think it’ll be striking in bloom. The bees should love that.

Simple wood chips make the path itself.

I wonder how often weeding becomes an additional style of meditation for this gardener? Or edging? Those forms of meditation always work well for me.

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

Meadow Blooms 6 – Snowdrops

01/13/2016 svseekins 6 Comments

Snowdrops are the wonderful winter blooms that last through the dark season.

galanthus, an acre of snowdrops at the Fireside Grill garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Their January promise pulls me outside again & again to delight in their tenaciousness. Each year I plant more bulbs around our garden to extend seasonal interest. In my dreams, I imagine a meadow, like the one Dad & I just came across in real life.

Initially home to a tea house, but better know as Maltwood Manor estate, it’s no wonder the attached Garry oak meadow inspired art.

Who knows when these snowdrops were planted? (Maybe 60-70 years ago?) Happily, they’ve naturalized, spreading through at least 1 of the 3 acres of property at the Fireside Grill.

snowdrops blooming 2013 12 27, galanthus, garden Victoria BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Now I’m curious to see the seasonal progression of this meadow. What other bulbs are planted here? Do any of the native wildflowers of the Garry oak ecosystem remain? And – – what’s the name of that cat who so obviously enjoys this garden??

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P.S. Here are some other snowdrop patches I admire: