Tag Archives: autumn blooms

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:

at Maltwood Manor, Royal Oak in January
at Haultain & Forbes, Fernwood, in February
at Fort Street & Leighton Road, Victoria, in February
along West Saanich Road in February

months 07-09: summer, months 10-12: fall

Alice In Wonderland Mushrooms

10/31/2015 svseekins 2 Comments

orange mushroom toad stool Alice In Wonderland, garden Victoria BC pacific northwest — photo by SVSeekins

The scorched grass of summer morphs into verdant lushness.
The air sparkles.
Leaves tremble.

I’m Alice In Wonderland, admiring a toadstool.

Am I too big?
Or are they too small?
Looking around, I’m disappointed there’s no bottle labelled ‘drink me.’

Still, I’m enchanted.

Anything this beautiful must be magical – – but NO.

Research says this is probably Amanita muscaria. Hallucinogenic, YES. But not in a good way. Bad. Very BAD.

cap of orange mushroom toad stool Alice In Wonderland, garden Victoria BC pacific northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Fungus & mushrooms are a mystery to me. Our rainforest abounds with their fruiting bodies each autumn.
They’re so exotic looking – so tempting.

Haida Gwaii (also known as the Queen Charlotte Islands) is mushroom heaven. I went there one September to visit friends & forage chanterelles. We found so many varieties I lost count. And the 2 volumes on Mushroom ID just made me even more nervous about proper recognition.
So many. So similar. So tasty. So deadly.
Too risky.

orange mushrooms toad stool Alice In Wonderland, garden Victoria BC pacific northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Each year the South Vancouver Island Mycological Society host a Wild Mushroom Information Day at Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary. Perhaps I should be brave this year and give it a try.

Or maybe playing with my camera in the woods is more my style. Hmmm.

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garden chores, months 10-12: fall

December Garden Activities

12/27/2014 svseekins 1 Comment

photo by SVSeekins

By December the garden is wrapping up for a little bit of a rest. It’s almost as though it’s giving me permission to step away & make extra time for the holiday festivities… and then maybe a little nap myself.

Yup – It’s Still Fall

The garry oak drop the last of their leaves in early December, so the first weekend I rake for the final municipal leaf pick up of the season instead of hanging outside lights.

The Clean up

Parks Department vacuuming leaves, garden Victoria BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Hellebore are prepping their blooms for the new year, but some older foliage can detract from the show. Trim back the ragged or blackened leaves.
The rains have softened the ground for digging, so it’s easy to stomp the edger between the beds & lawns.
A few plants, like crocrosmia & calla lily, hold up later than most – – sometimes even past Christmas! But if we get a snowfall, that’s it. They get sheered back when I can find the time. If I cut it back now, the fallen leaves are so easier to rake up around them – – plus the area will be nicely cleared to show off the snowdrops that’ll be blooming soon!

Pruning

licorice fern, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

It’s almost shocking to see the blooming Hardy Fuchsia react to a snow flurry. The poor thing withers the moment a flake touches it. But no fear – it’s really only hibernating. Just the same, I trim back the skeleton & dream of the renewed spring growth.
The evergreen Strawberry Tree blooms & bears fruit right up until the snowfall too. When it’s hibernating is the time I like to tidy up any unwieldy branches.
Collect a variety of evergreen trimmings to make wreaths & decorations.
As they go dormant, now’s a good time for serious shaping of deciduous hedges & trees.
Be proactive in pruning out any dead, diseased, or damaged wood before the wicked wind storms bring it down instead.

Planting

Chinese lantern in December garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Once all the leaves are raked & the beds are tidied, I turn to the plants that I’ve nursed in pots in the courtyard since summer. (I knew I wouldn’t have watered them enough if I’d planted them out in the beds when I’d first got them. ) Now that the rains are here, it’s safer to move them to where they belong. They’ll settle in naturally without extra work from me.

Tools

berberis, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Keep those pruners & clippers sharp
It’s best to clean pruners between bushes. Spray with a 10% bleach + water mixture. This helps prevent the spread of diseases through the garden.
Now that mowing is on hold for a couple months, take the opportunity to give the mower a good cleaning before putting it away.

Veg / Berry Patch (& Orchard)

hellebore, crocrosmia & goldenrod seedheads, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Some tender plants will survive longer if they’re protected under row covers
It’s astonishing how well some vegetables survive in the cool if protected from soggy ground: beets…. carrots… kale… chard… leeks…

Seasonal Color

trees: holly… mountain ash…
shrubs: corkscrew hazel… sarcococca (sweet box)… viburnum bodnantense…. winter camellia… jasmine… early witch hazel… pyracantha (firethorn)… beauty berry (callacarpa)… heavenly bamboo … berberis… cotoneaster… Mahonia… hardy fuchsia… snowberry… strawberry tree… winter heather….
perennials: Virginia creeper… heuchera… erysimum (wallflower)… variegated yucca… primulas… hens & chicks, sedums…
ferns: Hart’s tongue fern… sword… deer… licorice…

winter jasmine, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Planning & Events

The CRD Parks department teaches a handy-dandy wreath making workshop before Christmas. They also host a hike or two to help wear off that turkey dinner.
And as a gift idea….
Victoria’s Master Gardeners host a full day of garden speakers in January every couple of years. A ticket in a Christmas stocking would be a pretty sweet treat (and calorie free!)