Tag Archives: native plants

Devil’s Club

06/24/2015 svseekins Leave a comment

The pyramid of flowers is as tall as a beer stein…

Devil"s Club Oplopanax horridus, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

The leaves are wider than a dinner plate…

The plant towers over my head !

It reminds me of something from Gulliver’s Travels into the land of giants. Where else would I find such drama??

But we aren’t in Brobdingnag. Strathcona Park is a real place (and just as magical). It’s these moist rain forests of Vancouver Island that provide the right conditions for Devil’s Club (Oplopanax horridus).

This could make a great architectural statement in the garden. Shouldn’t I get one?

Actually no. It’s armed and dangerous.

ARMED:
Check out the spikes!
They spiral all the way up the stem and run along the veins of the leaves — on both sides! Yikes!

C had an adventure hiking through a stand once. Can you imagine? WorkSafe BC does not recommend it.

DANGEROUS:
It’s not just the wicked spines. The luscious red berries look mighty tempting but they’re poisonous. Yup. Bears might chow them down for dessert, but if you’re a people, give them a miss.

The original people of this coast have a long history with Devil’s Club. Uses vary widely, from making fishing hooks to tattoo dye. They celebrate its powerfully medicinal as well as spiritually protective charms.

I wonder how many centuries it would take before I gathered enough nerve to ask anything of a plant so obviously stand-offish.

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attracting birds, bulbs, drought tolerant, months 04-06: spring, natives

Mt. Tolmie’s Camas in Bloom

04/24/2014 svseekins 4 Comments

camas blooms cu garry oak meadow garden Victoria BC — photo by SVSeekins

It was well worth the half hour walk up the neighborhood trails into Mt. Tolmie Park this morning. What a sight – – the camas is in bloom!

I like garry oak meadows. They’re especially inspiring when colored with a sea of blue. Spring is really here.

early camas bloom Mt. Tolmie, garry oak meadow, garden Victoria BC — photo by SVSeekins

Who would expect wilderness just a short 5km from Victoria’s inner harbour?

Checking out the wildflowers in April & May is at the top of my list for reasons to be a tourist in Victoria.

early camas bloom Mt. Tolmie, gary oak meadow, garden Victoria BC — photo by SVSeekins

AND if you’re fortunate enough to be around during the last saturday of April, it’s worthwhile checking out Camas Day in Beacon Hill Park. Its hosted by Friends of Beacon Hill Park & has wildflower tours & speakers. 🙂

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Other places to see Camas Meadows:

attracting birds, drought tolerant, gardens with wildlife, months 10-12: fall, natives, perrennials

Garden Chores For Birds

12/10/2013 svseekins 3 Comments

goldenrod & Shasta daisy blooming in august — photo by SVSeekins

So much for the golden haze of summer. It’s been below freezing here for almost a week. That’s not a complaint, because we’re cozy inside, but I feel badly for the creatures living outdoors.

A couple of winters ago C & I started hanging a suet log. The birds love it!

They also clean it out fairly quickly – – which means one of us must refill it. We’re pretty good at that, but not perfect. 😦

goldenrod gone to seed — photo by SVSeekins

This autumn I decided to make a change in garden maintenance that would help out the birds just a little more. I chose to NOT cut back some of the perennials when their bloom finished. I reckon the seed heads might come in handy when the suet log is empty.

Goldenrod has really funky looking seed heads. This perennial is native to North America, so I figure the birds have learned to make use of it over the centuries just as the First Peoples did.

And if the birds don’t eat these seeds, perhaps they’ll use the fluff to insulate their nests?

ernest fenceline in november — photo by SVSeekins`

Lychnis is another with great summer blooms & and an abundance of winter seed. This patch along the fenceline is left standing in hopes it’ll be useful for the birds too.

Happily I’m not worried about those seed heads foretelling a full future for weeding. We mulch the garden beds quite heavily, which (aside from keeping roots warm) has the added benefit of slowing down scattered seeds turning into unwanted plants.

But hopefully the seeds will all be eaten before my pruning hand become so itchy that I just HAVE TO cut the plants back for tidiness sake. (I have good intentions, but I also know my nature.)

Even as we speak the crocosmia & the hardy fuchsia are dying back & will soon be luring me outside to tidy up.

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