New Blooms? No Way!

Phew! All is okay with the world (in my garden anyways). The Iris reticulata "Harmony" is NOT late this year. I saw two blooms today. I love these mini irises. They are so bright and vibrant, but I find that deep blues and purples can't be seen from far away, so drivers-by probably can't see much of them.

Of course, more of the crocuses are blooming and you may be seeing photos of these for a few more posts. When spring finally comes, it is hard not to be excited. These lovely perfect flowers are a gift from the great gardener up above!


Meet the newest member of the garden team, "Chief Flower Inspector". That's a promotion from last year's position of "Chief Taster of Dirt". She's a fan of the rock garden, can't you tell?

Kona presides over the daily snow-watch while soaking up the sun and looking smug. Resident-lawnmower-man spent last evening collecting her "organic deposits" from all over the backyard. Now that's a demonstration of love for man's best friend.

First Spring Blooms

April 15th is the official date of my first outdoor blooms (large flowered crocuses). The first crocus bloom has been on April 16th for the past two years, according to my dutifully kept computer-records of such momentous events. The Iris reticulata (mini irises) are a bit behind this year though, as they usually bloom days before the crocuses. I also have one lonely snowdrop in bloom, but its solitary show is too pathetic to photograph.

More basement impatiens under lights:

My dwarf Gerbera daisy, which I started from a seed last fall. There are two more flower buds at the base of this plant.

A couple of "Red Robin" small cherry tomato plants. These ones stay nice and bushy and make sweet tomatoes. I grew a few over the winter for the occasional fresh snack.

Lake Ice and Crocuses

This is the paradoxical state of weather currently in La Ronge: The sun is shining, my crocuses and dwarf irises are in full bloom, snowmobiles cruise by on the lake ice, and it will be another month until all the ice is melted.


Our snow-munching doggy is now sleeping at the foot of the largest spruce tree in the backyard. While this habit makes her smell forest-fresh, the sticky spruce gum on her nose attracts dirt and looks terrible. Oh well.


I just had to post a few more pictures of the crocuses. They are lovely yet so fleeting.

First Spring Flowers

I am back from a two week trip in BC and SK. Today is sunny and beautiful, so I had an opportunity to admire the first spring flowers. Resident lawn-mower-man (aka dear husband) was commissioned with recording the date of the very first bloom in my absence. The dwarf irises bloomed on April 15 this year. From my "extensive archives", first bloom was April 18 in 2005 and April 10 in 2006.
The Pulsatilla vulgaris (prairie crocuses) have buds but no blooms. The botanical tulips (Tulipa tarda Daystemon, Tulipa turkestanica, Tulipa pulchella Eastern Star) are about 2 inches tall and will bloom in mid-May. I hope to see more of them this year, since botanical tulips (aka species tulips) are extremely long-lasting and are supposed to multiply each year.
The first of the snow crocuses started blooming today. Snow crocus "Advance" has a tiny little yellow flower, the whole plant being barely over one inch tall. I have planted several clusters of these itsy-bitsy crocuses, but unless one studies the rock garden very closely, one could easily overlook them. You would probably have to plant at least 100 of them in a cluster to make an obvious show.
Of course, the regular purple, yellow, and white large-flowered crocuses are enjoying the sunlight today, with clusters of them planted at the bottom of the large bank of sedum.
Thankfully, the mosquitoes are still asleep in their mosquito lairs. Soon I'll be putting the bug spray out with the garden tools!

Crocuses and Pulmonaria

The lake is still covered with vast sheets of floating ice, but it is hard to wait for the lush green lawns of June. Fortunately, the early spring blooms can be found in a few spots of the yard. Next fall I plan to plant even more crocuses. Their tiny blooms really only have strength in numbers. The yellow and purple large-flower crocuses have short-lived but bright blooms. This is the first blooming year for my Pulmonaria saccharata "Mrs. Moon", whose blooms are initially pink, turning to blue as they open. It is in a shady terraced rock garden.