Category Archives: gardens with wildlife

living around wildlife

evergreens, months 01-03: winter, perrennials, urban deer

Flower Count – day 7 – hellebore

03/27/2012 svseekins 8 Comments

It’s sometimes called the Winter Rose, but isn’t actually a rose relation. The flowers really do remind me of the wild rose, but mostly it gets that name because it blooms in winter, some even by Christmas!

Typically the Christmas bloomers have boring white flowers that slowly age into interesting light green flowers before setting seed. We gifted Mum with one of those hellebore this past Christmas & it’s still looking great on her balcony.

Helebore - Blackthorn strain - evergreen in February border — photo by SVSeekins

There aren’t any Christmas blooming hellebore varieties in our garden. At that time of year our hellebore are just happy evergreen perennials that the deer leave alone. I think they’re wonderful just filling in the borders so winter doesn’t look completely desolate.

These come from the new hybrid varieties that have appeared in nurseries over the past couple years. The hellebore suppliers have presented blooms in pinks and even dark colours that seem almost black. Those types seem to flower later in the winter.

Hellebore - February promise — photo by SVSeekins

By February our hellebore are starting to show promise. That’s my cue to get out there & do a bit of pruning.

The new bud stems shoot up from the centre of the plant, pushing last year’s stems over a bit. It’s those older stems we need to check out closely. Some get a bit of gunk on them & that could infect the new growth. It’s wise to remove any with those issues. This sample below shows it even better…

Hellebore Pink Frost - early February buds & old growth — photo by SVSeekins

That poor hellebore really was looking worse for wear. I cut away all infected old stems, knowing that the new growth would arrive in hardly any time at all. Here’s what it looked like shortly after its trim:

Hellebore Pink Frost - late February flowers after pruning — photo by SVSeekins

Hellebore - creamy buds in February — photo by SVSeekins

Another variety was showing buds in February at about this same time. I checked closely but didn’t find any issues on the leafs, so it didn’t get trimmed back at all. My intention is to let it alone unless it starts to look poorly.

In the meantime I’m really enjoying the fat double blooms it’s producing, even though they’re that boring creamy white colour.

Hellebore - Mardi Gras double & hand — photo by SVSeekins

I’ve heard that hellebore will slowly spread through the garden, & that’s fine by me! To add some extra encouragement, my plan is to collect their seed pods & help out a bit with the distribution.

It’s just a delight to have a good show of blooms so early in the year! That’s why I’ve kept a couple in big pots by the back door. I seem to need that promise of the flowers & warmth that will arrive in a couple more months if only I can hold out that long.

Helebore - full bloom in march — photo by SVSeekins

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Flower Count

attracting birds, boulevard garden, bulbs, months 01-03: winter, projects

Flower Count – day 5 – crocus

03/06/2012 svseekins 3 Comments

snow crocus in February — photo by SVSeekins

We can’t get through Victoria’s Flower Count without mentioning the good old snow crocus. They’re the true harbinger of spring. In this area they usually start to show themselves by Valentines Day. This year there were these pastel hints of them at Valentines.

I enjoy watching their dance. If a beam of sunlight hits, they open their flowers. As a cloud blocks the sunshine, they close up again. On a windy day, when the clouds are really moving, crocus can get really busy. It must be exhausting.

They look so delicate, but they’re pretty tough considering the weather they thrive in. Snow is part of their name for a reason. I’ve seen them survive a dump of snow without a shiver. As soon as the sun shows up, they’re even gutsy enough to open their bloom right then & there.

early crocus in peony bed — photo by SVSeekins

I planted some brighter colored varieties in the peony bed. The other day I noticed those were coming up, too. I’ll have to tidy up the old peony stems, to better show off these spring bulbs.

Soon enough the new peony sprouts will be reaching for the sun themselves. By the time the crocus finish, the peonies will take over the bed & give the crocus some shade to rejuvenate in through the summer

dandelions out - crocus bulbs in — photo by SVSeekins

Last fall I started an experiment trying to naturalize some crocus in the boulevard lawn at the same time as digging out some dandelion. After all that digging, the lawn looked worse for wear, but as the grass is just showing signs of growth, I’m hoping it’ll be looking better soon.

crocus sharing space with moss & grass — photo by SVSeekins

The good news is that the crocus are starting to grow too. Dividends – Yippee!

The blooms so far look pretty small in comparison to those growing in the flower beds, but there is plenty of growing season to come. Hopefully they’ll take off this first year & be even stronger next year.

C is talking about the possible need to mow the lawn. That will be another test.

In the meantime, I’m delighted to see the snow crocus. Before we know it, daffodils will follow – then it’ll really feel like spring!

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attracting birds, bulbs, months 01-03: winter

Flower Count – day 4 – iris

03/04/2012 svseekins 6 Comments

I’m not spending much time outside today. There’s a chilly wind. It’s not raining, and for that, I’m grateful. I’m also grateful to be washing dishes, believe it or not. The hot, soapy water is warming my fingers. Handy.

The kitchen sink is also a handy place to stand & gaze out at the garden. When else do I take the time to stare out a window? For this reason, I’ve heavily planted this garden area with early bulbs.

Today I’m rewarded. Iris reticulata.

They’re quite small, only 4 to 6 inches high. Especially at this time of year, I’m thrilled with flowers of any size. These are bright enough to notice from my vantage point in the kitchen. Here I go again, to grab the camera & hunker down on the cold earth to get a closer look.

These are not my mother’s iris. Those have tubers running along at soil level, leaves that grow knee-high, and blooms in late spring. These miniature iris grow from bulbs, show little leaf at this point, and started to appear in late February! How can they even be related?

Mom’s iris are called Russian or Siberian iris – – maybe? I’ve since heard of Dutch iris, Japanese iris, and these Dwarf iris. Maybe there are even more kinds. Mind boggling. Either way, these iris reticulata are definitely the earliest in our garden.

dwarf iris & winter aconite — photo by SVSeekins

The deer seem to leave them alone, so I’ve also planted more bordering the driveway. That way we can appreciate them as we come & go.

Iris strike me as exotic, with such frilly petals & rich colour They seem so out-of-place in the cold. I can’t stop a big smile & I welcome them with a warm heart. Maybe I’ll stay out here just a little longer… I hear now’s a good time to feed the bulb beds with a little lime and bone meal to encourage more spring growth.

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