Tag Archives: spring meadow

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

Meadow Blooms 4 – Fawn Lily

04/09/2013 svseekins 10 Comments

How could I have missed this? For years I lived right across from Beacon Hill Park! I celebrated their fabulous meadows every spring. Daffodils & tulips in March & April; later, the camas meadows in May…. But somehow, this Fawn Lily meadow had eluded me – until now!

Fawn Lily meadow at Beacon Hill Park — photo by SVSeekins

I first became aware of native fawn lilies when a naturalist pointed them out during a spring wildflower walk around Elk Lake. The fawn lilies grow along the forest edges of the walking paths there. I was particularly charmed by the leaf pattern: dappled spots just like the back of a fawn. (Aw… Bambi flowers…)

Fawn Lily bloom & leaf CU — photo by SVSeekins

Since then, I’ve also noticed fawn lilies along the trail around Cedar Hill Golf Course. Later, I was delighted to discover them growing wild in the backyard at the Cedar Hill Road house.

Of course, when we planned our move to the Richmond house, it was IMPORTANT to bring some of those fawn lilies with me to the next yard.

They had such long taps (6 inches or more) that led down to thin, elongated bulbs. They were really tricky. Most broke off & stayed rooted where they grew, but I did get a few.

Only a couple survived the transplant trauma. The 2 successful specimens are in the border near the driveway. For the first 3 years, they just produced leaves. Last year one bloomed! I’m coddling them (go figure).

3 x fawn lily at Beacon Hill Park — photo by SVSeekins

I’ve also been buying seeds from the Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary & scattering those willy-nilly. So far, no luck, but I have dreams.

One gardener from the Native Plant Study Group tells me that she seeds them into trays & lets them sit outside for a couple of years. That way, they’re easier to identify when they come up, & she doesn’t weed out the tiny babies by mistake. She’ll eventually be able to move them into her beds to naturalize.

I might just have to do that myself – – if I can muster the patience. I have lots of dreams but little patience. 🙂

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© SVSeekins and Garden Variety Life, 2013

P.S. Here are some other meadow faves:

boulevard garden, drought tolerant, evergreens, garden visits, months 04-06: spring, perrennials

Meadow Blooms 3 – daisy

03/25/2013 svseekins 5 Comments

English Daisy meadow WSO — photo by SVSeekins

My breath caught when I turned the corner along a wooded trail revealing this spring meadow. Doesn’t it evoke images of butterflies & unicorns?

In my quest to ID this tiny smiling flower, I sent these photos to Saanich Parks’ horticultural supervisor, Kelly Mulhern. She quickly confirmed my suspicions: English Daisy.

Kelly says it originated in Europe but has naturalized all over the world. Although many folks enjoy it, “lawn purists” don’t.

The Cedar Hill Golf Course is home to this particular meadow. Their white drift of spring bloom laughs in the face of the perfect golf green.

English Daisy meadow CU — photo by SVSeekins

I reckon it might be a new version of a sand trap. The plant grows in a low rosette shape, almost making a cup; perfectly suited for catching & cuddling a golf ball. And wouldn’t it be a bugger to find a white ball in this sea of white daisies?

The Royal Horticultural Society supports this daisy’s usefulness for planting in a wildflower meadow. I’m with them (surprise surprise).

But the debate rages. 🙂

C says he prefers the even texture of uninterrupted grasses. He’s one of those purists. How about you?

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© SVSeekins and Garden Variety Life, 2013

P.S. Here’s some other meadow faves:

boulevard garden, bulbs, drought tolerant, months 01-03: winter, projects, urban deer

Meadow Blooms 1 – Crocus

03/05/2013 svseekins 13 Comments

Crocus happily mingled throughout the grass!! That’s my happy place. 🙂

Crocus in lawn 2013 — photo by SVSeekins

planting crocus in lawn — phot by SVSeekins

the crocus meadow in 2012 — photo by SVSeekins

We started with a Dandelion Dilemma in the fall of 2011. The chosen solution was digging out the weeds & dropping crocus bulbs in the subsequent holes.

After all that digging, the lawn looked pretty rough through the winter.

Then there was some tentative success with crocus blooms in the spring of 2012. Perhaps the bulbs hadn’t had time to root well before winter came?

And the lawn still looked like it had been attacked by gophers. I had hoped it would recover more quickly.

12 mnths after dandelion digging — photo by SVSeekins

It probably would’ve been better to have given that whole area a good layer of top-dressing. But that would’ve cost more money & taken more effort, too… So I didn’t.

Over the summer, the grass recovered on its own. Isn’t patience a beautiful thing?

Only a few of the dandelions came back. I’ve tried to jump on those as soon as they show up. Perseverance is a good ambition in these circumstances.

Now I’m reassured that spring is on its way because the crocuses are here & doing their happy dance. As sunshine beams down, they open up. They quickly close when a cloud passes over. When the sun caresses them again, they open back up. They’re so whimsical & busy!

What a lovely reward for all that digging 18 months ago. 🙂

P.S. Here’s a post from another writer who did a very