Almost Lilies

Pictured: A pleasing combination of the tiny pink flowers of Saponaria ocymoides (Rock Soapwort) and Aster alpinus 'Goliath' both started from seed last year. Both never flowered last year.

Pictured: Primula acaulis started from seed in 2005 and planted out this spring. Grown in part shade next to coral bells.

Here's a random smattering of plant shots from this week. It is the post-tulip, pre-lily period and somewhat lacking in pizazz. On the other hand, the dianthus and hardy purple rose are starting to bloom.

My Delphinium elatum "Summer Skies" will be blooming soon, but they are few in numbers this year as I chopped a few off at the base early in the spring and they haven't developed any significant buds. I had started them indoors and they were quickly growing out of my space, but next year they'll probably grow normally.

Pictured: Armeria pseudarmeria 'Joystick Lilac' (Thrift) started from seed 2 yrs ago. Some people will mistake it for chives, but unlike those unwieldy onions, these don't seed themselves all over creation and will perpetually stay tidy.

Garden Fauna

Well, no garden would be complete without wildlife. My not-so-wild furry friend is a Siberian Husky x Alaskan Malamute. She escaped the yard by digging under the fence this week. We think she found this deer antler in her morning "on the lam". Who knows where she found it? If it's one of the neighbours' cherished garden decorations...well, sorry about that! I think the dog is cherishing it more at the moment.
Last week we woke to hear the dog barking (VERY unusual for her and for the breed) and found this woodchuck cornered. It eventually got out of the yard, after we got photos of the stunned animal. I looked it up on "Hinterland Who's Who" (they have a website now, for those Canadians who fondly remember the TV clips...) and learned all about this type of marmot (http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?cid=8&id=109).

The Bigger Picture

Pictured: Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium caeruleum) and I think that's a yellow jacket collecting polllen...

Well, I have deemed the yard "green enough" to get a bigger picture of the yard with the lawn and raised beds. Previously, the bigger raised bed has looked mostly empty. I will be working on filling it in over the next year.

A colorado spruce and crabapple are the large trees and amid some tiny holes in the lawn you can see the "Carmine Jewel" tart cherries.
The dry stack rock raised beds contain only perennial flowers. At foreground are "Maureen" white Single Late tulips. I also have a few hostas, blue and white Jacob's ladder (Polemonium caeruleum and P. caeruleum album), a purple-leaf rose, "Double River Wye" daylily, yellow Gaillardia and other perennials in the same bed.