Tag Archives: native plants

garden visits, months 04-06: spring, natives, perrennials

Spring Wildflower Walk

05/10/2016 svseekins 6 Comments

I bet you can guess my response to this meadow of shooting stars? (Dodecatheon or Primula)

broad-leaved shooting star, Henderson's shooting star, mosquito bills, sailor caps bloom, American cowslip, mad violets, Dodecatheon hendersonii, primula hendersonii, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

C, SM & I are exploring Dean Park when I drop to my knees to check out (& photograph ) the pretty spring flowers,
I’m delighted.
SM is charmed.
C smiles indulgently & waits …

The vibrant magenta colours look so perky! How can these delicate cyclamen-style blooms be tough enough to survive our temperamental spring weather?

Further down the trail there’s pollen everywhere – in the air, along path edges… even settling on plants & making them look different. At first glance I thought I’d found a special variegated salal. Check out the leaf with pollen & without:

salal leaf formation highlighted by pollen, Gaultheria shallon, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — salal leaf formation highlighted by pollen -photo by SVSeekins

salal - with the pollen shaken off, Gaultheria shallon, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — salal – with the pollen shaken off -photo by SVSeekins

I’m not sure exactly where the pollen is from. There’s so much of it I figure it’s got to be from the most dominant species of tree in this park. Perhaps the douglas fir?

mice tails inside douglas fir cone, Pseudotsuga menziesii, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Cones mottle the ground. SM confirms they’re douglas fir. She tells me a story about the little mice that hide inside the cones, with only their tails poking out between the layers. Pretty cute, eh?

In another small clearing is a meadow of fawn lily (erythronium).

white fawnn lily meadow, Erythronium oregonum ,garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

I’m used to seeing them in a more open meadow at Beacon Hill Park, so it’s nice to see them prosper in the dappled shade of the forest edge too. Of course, I need a closer look. This time C smiles indulgently but continues on his way. (He’s here for the fresh air & exercise).

white fawn lily bloom Erythronium oregonum garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

It’s a bit tough to see into the face of the fawn lily because of its nodding head but I reckon that is its way to protect those private bits from the occasional downpour. Can’t you just imagine the bees taking refuge under a fawn lily umbrella? Keeping company with a fairy or two ….

yellow violet, viola, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

There are many wild violets growing in our garden, some pink and some blue. Years ago I heard about a wild yellow violet. I finally saw a small clump in a Washington State Park last year. But that’s pretty much it. Today SM points out one to me. It is so tiny! I’d easily have missed it completely, walking right past none the wiser. It’s so nice to see them growing locally.

Fairy Slipper Calypso bulbosa orchid, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Then SM spies a wild orchid.
OMG !!!

I’ve only ever heard of the fairy slipper (Calypso bulbosa).
We’ve got to invite SM along on our hikes more often. 🙂

I’m running around with the camera – up & down… this angle & that one…
Bucket list moment !!

C misses the entire thing.

western trillium patch, Trillium Ovatum, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

He’s down the trail. When he comes across another native plant he knows I’ll be excited about, he decides to sit until I catch up…

Trillium Is not your typical flower. When the bloom first opens, the petals are white. Over time they turn pink. It’s two plants in the space of one.

western trillium, Trillium Ovatum, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

western trillium bloom, Trillium Ovatum, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Trillium is from the Latin ‘in 3’s’.

3 leaves circle the stem.
3 sepals frame the flower
3 petals highlight the bloom
the stamens are set in groups of 3.
there are 3 chambers to the seed pod

I reckon it looks slightly alien.

With so much interest in the groundcover, I’ve barely looked up at all.

salmonberry shrub coming into leaf, Rubus spectabilis, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

SM asks me about a tall, rangy shrub just coming into leaf. This time I’m the one to help with ID. Salmonberry is one of the early spring shrubs. I first noticed its flowers while horseback riding through the Sooke Hills.

About the time these bright fuchsia flowers bloom, the rufous hummingbirds return for the season. Kismet.

salmonberry flower, Rubus spectabilis, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

I once planted salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) in our garden but later realized that a pretty flower & tasty berries didn’t balance with my aversion to growing anything with thorns. Now I just enjoy salmonberries in the wild.

March, April & May are fabulous times to view the native flowers around Victoria. Before I’m ready, many of them disappear into dormancy. It’s their way of surviving our long dry summers. Seems kinda backwards, doesn’t it? We often wait for the summer warmth before heading outdoors, and before it even gets too hot, the big show is over.

Victoria’s Natural History Society hosts a full schedule of nature hikes throughout the region, sometimes even heading off-island in search of the best blooms.
Friends of Uplands Park often host interpretive walks during the spring bloom.
Walking distance from downtown, Friends of Beacon Hill Park host an annual Camas Day.
Habitat Acquisition Trust host a Native Plant Garden Tour each spring.

-30-

garden chores, months 01-03: winter, natives

Don’t Pick The Flowers

02/15/2016 svseekins Leave a comment

How many treasures disappear over winter & re-appear in spring?

unusually early crocus in January, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

It’s magic.

How many are then weeded out by mistake?

Tragic!!

Some treasures, like crocus, send out blooms straight away, so they’re safe.

Others, like cyclamen, have really distinctive leaves, so they’re safe too.

cyclamen leaf bud in January, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

But there are so many others…

The wee Blue Eyed Iris is one treasure I’ve weeded out. (I mistook it for grass…. turns out its also called Blue Eyed GRASS! Go figure. )

Shooting Star is another victim. (I mistake the young leaves for dandelion.)

From these tragedies, I’ve become a little more cautious.

young sea blush Plectritis congesta in leaf garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

The other day I was crawling around on our mountain (rocky outcropping), looking closely at plants growing in the moss.

So what is this – – Treasure ? Weed??

My twitchy fingers pluck out those blades of grass, but cautiously hold off on the other little plants.

young sea blush in flower, native plant, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Today I rejoice! They’ve proven themselves to be the native annual: Sea Blush. (I can recognize the flower.)

Yippee!
Caution pays off.

Thank goodness they’ve thrown a couple early blooms. I don’t know how long I’d have held off from weeding them. Now I’ll carefully tidy any competition around these gems & look forward to the moss blushing a lovely pink this April.

-30-

garden chores, months 07-09: summer, projects

Gathering Seed

08/22/2015 svseekins Leave a comment

For me, the most difficult part of collecting seed is holding off long enough for the seed to ripen on the plant.

grand camas seed head garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

great camas in flower, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Sometimes I just want to tidy up the garden, so I’ll take the flower stalk while the camas heads are still green. I tuck them into a paper bag & leave them in a warm dry place to ripen. Apparently the early collection leads to lower germination rates, but better that than nothing at all…
photo by SVSeekins

photo by SVSeekins

Other times I’ll harvest Lupin seed a bit early just to make sure I get some. If I wait just a touch too long, it’s suddenly ready, pops open & is gone-gone-gone.
Again, better a bit early than nothing at all.
With the lupin, I make sure there is lots of room in the paper bag for air circulation. It’s no good if crowded pods go moldy.

photo by SVSeekins

photo by SVSeekins

The snapdragon holds its seeds in little rattles. When they’re mature little holes open near the top of the capsule & the seeds can escape when shaken. Because there’s less ‘spillage’ I’m more comfortable waiting for the seeds to ripen on the plant. I cut, upend the stalk the paper bag, then give it a good shake to collect the seed.
photo by SVSeekins

photo by SVSeekins

With some other flowers, like calendula, the individual seeds set on the flower. I wait until the seed head is brown to collect. Even still, I use a paper grocery bag to collect the seed heads. After a good shake most seeds dislodge & all that’s left is separating the seed from the chaff.
photo by SVSeekins

photo by SVSeekins

Shasta Daisy is similar but has a copious amount of seed in comparison. Once ripened, the seed drops with the slightest shift, self-sowing all around. KC once told me to NEVER-EVER-EVER let Shasta self-seed, or else I’d NEVER-EVER-EVER be done with weeding them out of the garden. I take her advice to heart & deadhead early.
Rather than collecting seeds at all, I figure I can divide the healthy clumps I already have whenever there’s a need for some in another location.

photo by SVSeekins

photo by SVSeekins

Some plant’s flowers turn to fluff when they go to seed. In the case of clematis montana, it’s so decorative that I can’t bear to cut off the seed heads.
photo by SVSeekins

photo by SVSeekins

Goldenrod seed head isn’t quite as pretty, but because it is native to this area, it’s a fabulous food for the local birds. So I’m a little torn about collecting the seed. The plant divides fairly well, so that’s what I do when I want more clumps around the yard.

photo by SVSeekins

photo by SVSeekins

Some plants produce berries hoping birds & animals will eat them and spread the seed around in their droppings. Oregon grape is a good example. I’ve found that trying to transplant this shrub hasn’t worked well… but there are a few oregon grape babies in the garden, so collecting the seed is worth a try.
Gather some berries, mash them & rinse the pulp from the seeds with cold water in a fine sieve. After that, it’s super important to thoroughly dry the seeds. Spreading them out on a paper towel helps to stop them from clumping together & moulding.

photo by SVSeekins

photo by SVSeekins

And then there’s the nuts. Those are best collected when they fall off the trees. So many Garry oak acorns drop in the early autumn before the leaves fall that it’s easy-peasy to collect them.
I prefer to plant them into litre pots right away as the seedlings will start quickly. They really don’t like the fragile tap root being disturbed in transplanting so I skip the smaller pot sizes altogether.
After that, the trick is leaving the pot outside to get the natural temperature & rain… but still protecting it from those hard-working squirrels.

Yup. I guess I’m not the only one bent on gathering seeds.

Does your harvesting spirit spark at this time of year too? What are your collection tips & techniques?

-30-