Category Archives: garden seasons

joy in every season

garden chores, months 01-03: winter, natives

Don’t Pick The Flowers

02/15/2016 svseekins Leave a comment

How many treasures disappear over winter & re-appear in spring?

unusually early crocus in January, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

It’s magic.

How many are then weeded out by mistake?

Tragic!!

Some treasures, like crocus, send out blooms straight away, so they’re safe.

Others, like cyclamen, have really distinctive leaves, so they’re safe too.

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

But there are so many others…

The wee Blue Eyed Iris is one treasure I’ve weeded out. (I mistook it for grass…. turns out its also called Blue Eyed GRASS! Go figure. )

Shooting Star is another victim. (I mistake the young leaves for dandelion.)

From these tragedies, I’ve become a little more cautious.

young sea blush Plectritis congesta in leaf garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

The other day I was crawling around on our mountain (rocky outcropping), looking closely at plants growing in the moss.

So what is this – – Treasure ? Weed??

My twitchy fingers pluck out those blades of grass, but cautiously hold off on the other little plants.

young sea blush in flower, native plant, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Today I rejoice! They’ve proven themselves to be the native annual: Sea Blush. (I can recognize the flower.)

Yippee!
Caution pays off.

Thank goodness they’ve thrown a couple early blooms. I don’t know how long I’d have held off from weeding them. Now I’ll carefully tidy any competition around these gems & look forward to the moss blushing a lovely pink this April.

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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:

at Abkhazi Gardens, Oak Bay in November
at Haultain & Forbes, Fernwood, in February
at Fort Street & Leighton Road, Victoria, in February
along West Saanich Road in February

P.S.S. And here are some other meadow faves:

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bulbs, garden visits, months 01-03: winter, months 10-12: fall

Embarrassment of Riches

12/31/2015 svseekins 4 Comments

It felt so awkward, I couldn’t talk about it – – – until now.

At first, I was in disbelief. Here I am with errands done & time on my hands. What to do?

Check out Abkhazi Garden. 🙂 Each visit, I pick up a few more seasonal tips. It is always lovely, no matter the month.

snowdrops blooming at Abkhazi Garden November 20, 2015 garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

This time, even before walking through the gate, I’m awestruck.
Snowdrops!
At this time of year?
That’s crazy early.

I dig out my camera to prove the sighting.
An embarrassment of riches.

Now, I’ve heard the Oak Bay area is within the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains (just across the Straits of Juan de Fuca). Under the rain shadow, there’s more sunshine & less rainfall than anywhere else on Vancouver Island.

It’s real. My buddy RG, who lives only 3 km down the road, and on the border of Oak Bay, has crocus 3 weeks earlier than we do.

But these snowdrops – – these are super early.
Unbelievably early.
November 20, 2015.

I asked gardening expert Jeff de Jong about them & he said they were regular snowdrops… no unique species or cultivar… just well established, in a prime location & very happy to be there. Wow.

I wanted to tell y’all about the blooms, but though it might be taken as bragging instead. For a while, I contemplated El Nino, & stewed about global warming.

variegated camellia blooming in mid Februarygarden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Then Jeff posted a picture of a variegated camellia he spotted on December 14. (Similar to this one I’d come by mid-February last year). Perhaps his is a natural fall-blooming variety, but the posting took me by surprise anyway. Even by Victoria’s standards, It felt too early. Under our grey skies, this seemed an omen of climate change.

Daffodil blooming mid December at Deep Cove Chalet garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by Bonnie Manning

Then on December 20, BM posted a shot of daffodils blooming at Deep Cove Chalet.

Are these a super early variety?
Or just well established and happy in a prime location?

Again, I’m awestruck.
On the last day of Autumn – before winter even begins – –
blooms!

Snowdrops, camellia & daffodils before Christmas? Seems crazy.

Now that Solstice & Christmas have passed, and we’ve delighted in a few days of sunshine, the snowdrops are just starting to bloom in our garden. I’m looking at the world with fresh eyes. No matter El Nino or whatever else is going on, I’ve decided to enjoy the flowers along the way.

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PS Here are some other snowdrop patches I admire: