Category Archives: gardens with wildlife

living around wildlife

boulevard garden, months 04-06: spring, months 07-09: summer, natives, urban deer

California Poppy

06/28/2012 svseekins 5 Comments

I like the saturated orange of the California Poppy bloom. It’s bright and happy.

Even more, I like that the plant survives well on roadsides & rocky areas. A plant that doesn’t need nurturing – bonus!

California Poppy at Snake Rock, garden Victoria BC — photo by SVSeekins

This little patch of poppies lives just down the street at Snake Rock. It blooms in mid-spring & continues well into the dry summer.

Of course, the thought occurred to me, “We NEED that in our garden!” Can’t you imagine how lovely a wave of bright orange would be in the shrub border?

California poppy - seed pod, garden Victoria BC — photo by SVSeekins

Even C is encouraging. He really likes the bright orange blooms, too. So, for the past 5 years, I’ve gathered seed from the roadside, then spread it through our gardens.

There’s been the occasional reward, but mostly I’ve had little success.

The California Poppy has a long tap-root, so where ever it pops up, that’s where it has to stay. It does not like being moved. And it doesn’t seem to like being watered either. Nor fed. Nor coddled in any way.

The shrub border had a fair amount of fertilizer, mulch & water over the past few years, as the plants were all so new & getting established. Maybe that’s been too much attention for the poppy.

The most successful patch is on our rocky hillside. It’s a well-drained site and bakes in the sun. The California Poppy will grow in the soil, but seems even happier in the gravel of the pathway! Go figure.

California Poppy in gravel path, garden Victoria BC — photo by SVSeekins

So far, I’m resisting the urge to weed it out of the path. I’ve decided that it’s ‘whimsical’ growing there.

I’m happy about growing a local wildflower. I’m also delighted that the deer, who spend their afternoons on our little mountain, leave the California Poppy alone.

My plan is to keep spreading seed in the rest of the garden & be happy with whatever we get. That’s the true definition of ‘low maintenance,’ isn’t it?

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garden visits, months 04-06: spring, perrennials, urban deer

Ted Baker’s Iris

05/25/2012 svseekins 9 Comments

It was so overwhelming, I didn’t know where to start. It was my equivalent of a candy store. Where to look first?

Ted Baker's iris bed 01 — Ted Baker’s iris bed

Our garden club was visiting Ted Baker’s garden on Saltspring Island. He likes iris. A lot.

Inside the Iris Societies BC & Canada, he’s a celebrity. He was instrumental in bringing the 2011 American Iris Society national convention to Vancouver Island. What a treat to explore his garden!

Who knew there were so many variations of iris? It was a kaleidoscope of exotic blooms & colours. With names for each plant, it was an enthusiast’s dream.

It’s too much to try to show you everything.

“Focus – Focus!” I thought to myself, entering Ted’s main iris field. I decided to concentrate on a single theme.

Yellow. I like Yellow, it’s a happy colour. So, get ready, here’s only a ‘Baker’s dozen’ of Ted’s 250+ bearded iris. See if you think the name matches the flower.

iris - golden ecstasy — iris – golden ecstasy
photo by SVSeekins

iris - dazzling gold — iris – dazzling gold
photo by SVSeekins

iris - leading light — iris – leading light
photo by SVSeekins

iris - pirates quest — iris – pirates quest
photo by SVSeekins

iris - catalyst — iris – catalyst
photo by SVSeekins

iris - aura light — iris – aura light
photo by SVSeekins

iris - tour de France — iris – tour de France
photo by SVSeekins

iris - Mexican holiday — iris – Mexican holiday
photo by SVSeekins

iris - pirate ahoy — iris – pirate ahoy
photo by SVSeekins

iris - crackling Caldera — iris – crackling Caldera
photo by SVSeekins

iris - dream team — iris – dream team
photo by SVSeekins

iris - solar fire — iris – solar fire
photo by SVSeekins

iris - sunny and warm — iris – sunny and warm
photo by SVSeekins

The morning visit to Ted’s garden was fun. It certainly proved there was more to iris than those delightful purples that still grow (un-tended) in Mom”s & Grandma’s gardens. Which do you grow in your garden?

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months 04-06: spring, natives, urban deer

Youthful Blush of Spring

04/20/2012 svseekins 2 Comments

Last spring, I came across the loveliest drift of foamy flowers that I’d ever seen. It grew on a rocky outcrop. Pink blooms smothered the moss-covered rocks. It was as if the hillside was blushing.

grape hyacinth on hillside — photo by SVSeekins

“That would look great in my garden!” I thought.

We have a rocky slope that blooms with grape hyacinth at this same time. Wouldn’t the pink & blue combo look fabulous?

My friend SK had similar thoughts. Little green plant-coveting monsters chorused from our shoulders, encouraging us both to forage some of this wildflower.

It was a group consensus.

We just took a few plants. We only took them from crevices already overflowing with the pink population. I felt a weensy bit ashamed by our boldness – but only for a moment.

The plants were tucked into similar mossy crevices in my garden as soon as was possible. Fingers crossed for their survival, I went inside to search out the details on the plant.

It turns out that it’s named appropriately. Sea Blush. Blooming on rocky hillsides throughout the Pacific Northwest, it’s a native wildflower.

I certainly hadn’t noticed any unusual smell from the flowers, but when I read about it, I hoped there might be just enough to deter the deer from feasting. Deer frequent this part of the garden more than any other. Time would tell.

It was disappointing to find out Sea Blush is an annual. Since we’d moved it while it was in bloom, I figured there wasn’t much chance it would set seed.

What a delight to find it blooming this spring! Was the winter mild enough that the plants survived? Did the seeds develop even though I’d set it back by transplanting? I’m not sure how it survived, but I’m thrilled it did.

Now I hope it’ll spread across the rocks & produce the blushing spring meadow of my fantasies.

Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary offers classes on native plant gardening. I took one last weekend. The instructor, Pat Johnson, listed Sea Blush as one of her plant picks for native gardens. She has superwonderful photos of gardens on Vancouver Island that benefit from the use of native plants. I definitely recommend the 1/2 day class if you ever get the chance.

Swan Lake also has a native plant sale coming up this weekend. Imagine –

getting coveted plants without scavenging…
and raising funds for a local park.

Win-Win
Even better than foraging, don’t you think?

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