Down a long, narrow, brick-encased passageway, I leave Victoria’s chinatown behind and explore Dragon Alley.
photo by SVSeekins
It’s a townhouse complex built inside the shell of a big-old, historic building. It’s a funky maze of teeny, ground-floor businesses with living spaces above. This builds on the trendy ‘tiny house’ theme, creating a hip, ‘tiny town’.
photo by SVSeekins
Cool, eh?
And what does any tiny town need? A library. Woo hoo! Another public book exchange.
Take a book. Leave a book.
Imagine the adventures we can find inside a book we find inside the tiny library of tiny town…
I like the friendliness of this community. I also like the whimsy. Check out the spin on the classic “No Trespassing” sign on the stairs.
Snowdrops are the wonderful winter blooms that last through the dark season.
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.
photo by SVSeekins
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.
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:
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.
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.
photo by SVSeekins
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.
photo by SVSeekins
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.
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.
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.
Garden Variety Life 