drought tolerant, garden visits, months 04-06: spring

Verbascum Challenges

08/03/2020 svseekins Leave a comment

verbascum thapsus, great mullein, common mullein, cowboy toilet paper, wooly mullein, velvet dock, moses blanket, feltwort, Aaron's rod, Sheppard's club, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

It was on a road trip in the arid Okanagan Valley that I first came across great mullein. The statuesque yellow torch stood tall across the dry pastures. I was smitten. It reminded me of the blooming spires of foxglove crossed with Wile E. Coyote’s saguaro cactus. Groovy!

Of course, I wanted one.

It even grew happily on the gravel verge of the highway. What a tough plant! I like the idea of growing plants that don’t require me to drag out the hose.

C thought I was crazy, but he honoured my request to stop the van. I bagged a torch. When we got home, I sprinkled the seeds across our rocky outcropping.

If mullein grew in the semi-desert, would it grow in our temperate climate of the Pacific Northwest?
The next year – – No luck for me. 😦

On another trip, I marvelled at the velvety leaves when we ran across Verbascum Thapsus at the rest stop on the crest of the Cascade Mountains. That highway shuts down through the winter season! Mullein has to be an extra-tough plant if it handles baking summers AND freezing winters.

It seems great mullein grows in a great many places. We saw more in flower in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho & further east near Lewis & Clark Caverns in Montana.

The simple flowers open individually. Each bloom for one day before fading while another matures, extending the season.

Some folks wrinkle their noses at common mullein, considering it too mundane & even invasive. Others argue that its usefulness outways its issues.

verbascum, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

In Grande Prairie, Alberta, JM had to remove a beautiful border of great mullein because it’s considered a noxious weed in her province. I’m relieved that mullein is not on the regulated list in our part of BC. Maybe there’s a reason why the seeds I scattered didn’t flourish?

Some garden nurseries sell other Verbascum species as garden ornamentals. Those varieties are much more glamourous:

Some bloom in different colours, like pastels, reds, purples & oranges…
Others flaunt more flower spikes…
Or a bigger rush of flowers instead of the gradual display of a few flowers at a time that common mullein presents…
A few varieties even promise to be perennial rather than biennial.

They’re all lovely, but I still covet the Verbascum in the wild.

Last fall, I was delighted to find a furry rosette of leaves growing on our rocky outcropping. It looked like a foxglove, but different. I had my suspicions & crossed my fingers.

To my relief, it pulled through our soggy winter & put on a spring growth spurt. Thankfully, the deer left it ungrazed

By June, it was blooming!
🙂

OK, I know it’s kinda puny in comparison to those on our travels…
(Vancouver Island’s spring is not nearly as sunny or hot as the interior.)
I celebrated anyway.
It’s been easily a decade since I scattered those seeds.

By the time the heat came in July (25C), the bloom was pretty much complete.

I ever so carefully tipped the torch toward a paper bag, collecting a whoosh of seed. The process was graceful enough that the stem didn’t kink.

It still stands today. There’s even an occasional flower that opens near the top.
I’m leaving it to stand.
My sentinel on our hillside.
Who knows, it might even hold up as winter interest.
And hopefully, in the spring, there will be just a few more on our rocky slope… I dunno, am I crazy to invite them in?

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garden chores, months 01-03: winter, months 04-06: spring, months 07-09: summer, months 10-12: fall

Kneeling In Comfort

06/27/2020 svseekins Leave a comment

garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC Pacific Northwest — SVSeekins

It did not take me long to realize that weeding from a standing position was only a short-term exercise. Kneeling down to dig out roots is so much more effective…
but not without its challenges.

The search for solutions was a journey of several years.

foam kneeling pad

kneeling pad, kneeling mat, foam gardener kneeling pad, knee protector, garden knee pads review, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

(about $10)

The first step was a simple, inexpensive one, protecting my knees from wet, mud & rocks. The rectangle piece of foam is lightweight and easy to move around. I just throw it into the weed bucket with the rest of my tools for handy storage at the end of the day.

folding kneeling bench

Then came a birthday gift …. (catalogue listings for $50+)

This is a luxurious option. It has the protective benefits of a simple kneeling pad plus the bonus of handhold assistance while getting up & down from the ground– surprisingly useful & appreciated even after a few hours in the garden.

Inverted, it becomes a stool. I’m hard-pressed to recall using it that way — but I’m sure I did a couple of times at least.

I like that it folds up for storage.

It’s a bit cumbersome to lug around the garden, but this is just whining on my part. I quickly gave up the simple kneeling pad & used this instead.

Eventually, I found the bench was just too awkward for slopes & confined spaces, so I searched out other options.

foam knee pads

About 10 years ago, I got a $30 pair of knee pads from a garden centre.

It’s so convenient to strap them on & not have to reposition a kneeling bench whenever I move about the garden. That said, knee pads are not trouble-free.

The strap highest on the leg is elastic with velcro closure. It’s comfortable as my thigh flexes but stretched out quickly. The velcro clogs up. The non-stretch webbing of the lower strap works well to keep the knee pads from sliding down my calf. The strap adjuster loosens during use, so I need to tighten the belts throughout the day.

When planting from a kneeling position, the gap between the pad & my bended knee collects soil resulting in filthy jeans.

The cloth outer surface of the knee pad wore out long before the usefulness of the other components.
Duct Tape to the rescue. 🙂
Fashion sacrificed. 😦
I recovered the exterior several times before finally giving in to vanity & looking for a better solution.

pants with built-in knee pads

I’d already used C’s logger pants for blackberry bashing. (Purchased long ago for who knows how much?)

Logger pants - viewed inside out,, pants with padding over thigh and knee, knee protectors, garden knee pads review, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Logger pants are designed to be tough-wearing. They protect thighs & knees with extra quilted padding sewn right into the pants. (Here’s an inside-out view of them.) They’re heavy & HOT. I get so dirty that they need to be washed every day. I reckon the washing machine would wear out agitating that kind of bulk longterm. So its a pass.

I found some carpenter pants with knee pockets to hold removable foam knee pads. Sensible idea, but I dismissed them because of cost ($100+). I get my garden jeans at the thrift store inexpensively – this costly new option was too much of a price difference for me to get past.

Confident there’s another way, I set out to create an apron / chaps invention from thrift store materials. Unfortunately, it was beyond my sewing skills / patience.

Then I remembered something I already owned…

Hiking Shell Pants

Living on the Pacific “Wet” Coast teaches a person about enjoying the outdoors, even in the rain. Gortex is my friend. One breathable rain jacket I bought came with a handy pair of hiking pants. (The set cost $200, but I would’ve paid that for the jacket & felt the pants were almost a freebie).

tough shell hiking pants with full leg zippers, knee protectors, garden knee pads review, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

The pants are a rain-resistant version of snow pants. A full-length zipper runs along the outside of each leg. When I’m walking through tall, dewy grass, the wet wicks off the material. I unzip along each leg to allow air circulation & cooling as needed. Snaps at ankles & waist hold the pant legs in position, so they continue to protect.
Lightbulb moment – – I can wear knee pads under these hiking pants.
No soil ingress behind the knee pads.
Cleaner jeans. 🙂

This works a treat during either end of the gardening season. After dividing perennials, I throw my lightweight outer shell into the wash & come inside with relatively clean jeans. 🙂
One problem: Double layers are not the answer for summer gardening.
So close…
The search continues…

gel knee pads

My 2nd pair of knee pads came from a lumberyard for $50.

flexible accordion rubber shell with gel liner knee pads, industrial knee pads, knee protectors, garden knee pads review, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

The gel padding is a lovely upgrade from the garden centre knee pads.

The hard outer shell is much tougher than the cloth covering of my 1st pair, too. The accordion-shaped upper ridge reminds me of something from a spacesuit but is much better at blocking soil ingress. My jeans stay cleaner. Moisture collects behind the shell, so the knees of my jeans get wet.
Sweaty knees – who knew? A minor inconvenience.

I first worried that the adjustable rubber straps with their buttonholes would be the weak point of the product. Over a couple of years, the straps stretched a bit, but not beyond their usefulness. That flexible strap makes wearing comfortable, yet it stays firm enough that the pads don’t slide down my calf. It was the button itself rather than the belt or buttonholes that turned out to be the weak point. One day it just sheared off.

C came to the rescue this time with a small drill bit & some zap straps to bind the belt permanently in position.
Crisis averted. 🙂

A few weeks later, a button on the other knee pad sheared off too. That’s when I noticed a crack opening along the edge of the accordion joint. I guess they’re pretty much done for, even though they’re otherwise in good shape.

These tough kneepads have been such steadfast, comfortable workhorses. I’d hoped to be set for life.

Back at the lumberyard, exact replacements are nowhere to be found.
Curses!
These knee pads were so well suited for my tasks – – what now? The options on the shelves were designed for roofers & floor installers – – all too big & bulky for me. I don’t want to go back to the garden centre knee pads – too problematic… What have I missed? What do you use?

Finally, I searched online & was directed to a local industrial safety outlet. I picked up a new set of the gel knee pads & am back in business – for now…

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Leopard’s Bane Through Four Seasons

05/31/2020 svseekins 4 Comments

bloom

Doronicum, Caucasian Leopard's Bane, Great Leopard's Bane, Plantain Leopard's Bane, leopard's-bane, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

As the last of the daffodils open (mid-April in Victoria), Leopard’s Bane joins the spring cacophony of colour. The sunny-faced flowers sway on tall stalks above the burst of Bluebells, Tulips and Hyacinths.

They’re happy yellow flowers -undaunted by seasonal showers.

The exuberance of Leopard’s Bane (Doronicum) lifts spring to new heights.

seedhead

By mid-May, their enthusiasm wanes, but the show is certainly not over. For me, the progression is beautiful. The varied stages of seeding are almost as enchanting as the flowering.

First, the petals of Leopard’s Bane wither a bit.

Then, somehow, the rays turn to fluff & float away…

The fluorescence of the central disk holds out for a while longer before it also turns to fluff and flies off.

Even the remaining bracts are decorative – still catching enough breeze to add movement in the beds. That’s a couple extra weeks of pleasure & value.

summer hibernation

By the time school wraps up in mid-June, Leopard’s Bane has dispersed its seed. The heat withers its foliage. Doronicum disappears on holiday, too. Summer perennials elbow into its space as if it were never even there.

fall emergence

By the time we’re carving Jack-o-lanterns in October, the leaves are falling from above. It feels like the garden is dying, too. But autumn’s moisture tickles the rhizomes below the soil. New leaves peek out. Leopard’s Bane is re-awakening. As so much else fades away, Doronicum stays fresh, green & alive right through the doldrums of our West Coast winter.

In our garden, Leopard’s Bane is indispensable because:

It has happy yellow flowers.
Our brazen urban deer ignore it. (It’s reputed to be poisonous, but also medicinal !?!)
I never have to water it – – it’s summer drought-tolerant in the Pacific Northwest… and yet, it’s not invasive.
It’s as happy under shade trees as it is in full sun.
It’s an unusual cool-season perennial:
- - - It comes to life when the rest of the garden dies back in the fall.
    - It stays green through our mild coastal winters.
    - And it promises the return of vigour in the spring warmth.
It boasts 8+ months of interest in a garden –one of the longest-lasting spring ephemerals.
It’s low maintenance.
And, most of all: The deer ignore it.
🙂

PS – For clarity, I must point out that Leopard’s Bane can be a bit of a thug in an irrigated garden. It is rare to get any rain through summer on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Many folks choose automatic irrigation that delivers water 2-3 times a week, keeping the soil evenly moist. That often equals an inch of water each week. I only hand water when it is absolutely needed. Our Doronicum is happy but doesn’t spread much. If the clump gets too big, it’s easy to dig out & shift elsewhere (or remove altogether).

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Other indispensibles: