Tag Archives: Victoria

attracting birds, evergreens, garden visits, months 01-03: winter, months 04-06: spring, months 10-12: fall, urban deer

Early Camellia

01/14/2014 svseekins 7 Comments

Camellia is one of my favourite broadleaf evergreens. It blooms early, then works hard as background support the other 3 seasons. Several birds make themselves at home in the camellia in our courtyard – – AND the shrub is deer resistant! That’s my kind of plant. 🙂

camelia in december, at LD downtown — photo by SVSeekins

A few years ago, I spotted a hedge of camellia in downtown Victoria, beside London Drugs. They were almost finished blooming in mid-December! I have no idea how early they’d started… November? October??

Who’d have expected blooms in autumn?

Camellia japonica apple blossom, Joy Sander, Camellia sasanqua,, garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Not long after that, KC gifted me with a fall-blooming camellia. It starts blooming before Christmas and has even more flowers through January!

Yeah, Baby!

Once I knew it was possible to have blooms so early in the year, I kept an eye out for even more samples around town:

camellia, february, at the legislature, cu, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest

photo by SVSeekins

camellia, february, at the legislature, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest

photo by SVSeekins

It was delightful to find another variety of camellia starting to bloom in mid-February sunshine near the BC Legislature.

camellia, march, near the YM-YWCA, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest

photo by SVSeekins

Just a month later, in March, I notice these camellia blooming in a yard not far from the YM-YWCA downtown.

camellia, mid april, waterloo, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest

photo by SVSeekins

A block or so away from our place is a camellia that flowers through April.

camellia, courtyard, may ms garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest

photo by SVSeekins

Then there is the camellia in our courtyard typically begins blooming in April & is in full blossom in May.

Autumn… winter… spring…

Who knew there are so many cultivars with differing blooming schedules?

-30-
© SVSeekins and Garden Variety Life, 2014

attracting birds, bulbs, months 01-03: winter

Snowdrops – January Gems

02/16/2012 svseekins 13 Comments

The first year at Richmond House I was ecstatic to see snowdrops blooming on January 11. Months earlier I’d planted some & the early pay off was thrilling. Happily more were proving that they’d previously been naturalizing around the yard.

The following year, having a better idea of where to seek out the delightful little blossoms: January 1 – discovery!

Another winter it was December 27.

But this year, even searching vigilantly through the Christmas & New Year holidays, it took until January 11 for my first snowdrop encounter.

With West Coast’s winter being dull and drizzly, a promise of the spring to come is like a ray of sunshine. So even though white flowers are not usually near the top of my list, I celebrate January snowdrops.

These plants are treasures. When hit with snow for a few days in the middle of the month they barely twitched. If anything, by the time I went back outside, more were blooming! In the cool days of our winter snowdrop blooms last for weeks & weeks – well through February.

I like to get down close to the earth & take a close look at them. It’s fun to discover the little green tatoo on each petal. And who knew there were so many varieties?

Clusters in my garden haven’t yet become abundant enough to divide, but now is the time to do it. Usually the recommendation is to wait until a plant is in dormancy before moving it. With snowdrops that rule doesn’t hold true apparently. That’s pretty handy, because once they die back I can never really remember where they are.

I’ve used this time of year to shift snowdrops into different locations, as it was a mistake for me to attempt growing them in a spring-flowering meadow. Although they bloom before the grasses start to grow, their leaves are still busy storing up for next year’s flowers when C has the uncontrollable urge to dust off lawn mower in late February. Zip, there goes the meadow.

Shorter bulbs, like crocus, might stand half a chance in our lawn, but not snowdrops – – nor daffodils. Those are best left to naturalize in our beds & borders.

-30-
© copyright 2012 SVSeekins

boulevard garden, garden visits

Haultain Common – sharing common ground with common folk

10/28/2011 svseekins 1 Comment

Welcome to Haultain Common garden Victoria BC — photo by SVSeekins

They’d hoped it wouldn’t cause concern that they were expanding their garden empire. It was only removing the fence delineating their yard from the street. It was only replacing some weedy grass with dry habitat native plants . Wasn’t it beautifying the neighborhood, safeguarding water resources, and educating the community about our natural environment?

native plantings along Asquith sidewalk garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Happily, the neighbors welcomed the expanded forest glade. Passers by often complimented Rainey Hopewell and Margot Johnson as they tended the public area beside their home on Asquith street, not far from the downtown core of Victoria, BC.

borage Haultain Common herb garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

The dynamic couple encouraged neighborhood involvement. The boulevard grew into an active native plant urban demonstration garden with volunteers, workshops, and planting parties..

Building on that success, expansion spread to include the boulevard on the Haultain street edge of their corner lot. This time the intention was to bring to mind issues of local food security. The community pitched in, developing the common area into a shared food garden,

calendula Haultain Common herb 2 garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Now known as Haultain Common, the boulevard between the sidewalk and curb was first sheet mulched. Over a west coast winter the mulch smothered the grass and weeds below it, developing into nutrient rich, composted soil. By spring it was ready for planting.

Haultain Common veggie patch garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

To start, they chose vegetables that often volunteer in a compost pile: tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkins & squash. They share with whomever chooses to join in: parents & kids learning to grow food, seasoned gardeners exploring permaculture, and even urbanites tasting their first home-grown tomato. All are welcome to share in the harvest.

Haultain Common garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Some neighbors donate plants, and even more contribute leaves or compostables on a regular basis, gaining a sense of ownership & belonging in the common and in the community.

Haultain Common, Asquith at Haultain, garden Victoria BC Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Over the past several years Haultain Common has grown in profile as well. It’s not unusual to see a university class exploring the garden one day, and a Day Care tour on another. It’s been so well received that a local irrigation company & a landscape company donated the equipment & installation of a watering system for the Common.

Boulevard gardens have cropped up on other properties along Haultain street. They’re also growing in other neighborhoods around the city. To Margot and Rainey, its been an experience in growth in so many ways.