I
heard today that there was a fire at our nearest independent garden
center in Prince Albert. John's garden center had a fire yesterday, but
their website indicates that
many plants are okay and they plan to set up a temporary sales area to
salvage the rest of the season. That's sad news for them. Hopefully we
will still be able to pick up plants there soon. I am planning ahead to make sure there are lots of fall colors.
 |
| Freshly mowed lawn with alpine bed in foreground. |
 |
| Raised bed with three compact Viburnum trilobum shrubs on the left. They've grown to look like they've had bad haircuts. The tulips are looking good, though. |
 |
| Lewisia "Regenbogen", a favourite in the alpine garden. |
It rained this weekend and the temperatures are supposed to drop to 2 degrees tonight, which is a danger to the peppers, tomatoes, and pumpkins. I've covered some and the rest will be dragged indoors. Locations north of us have predictions of snow. June in the north! I hope the weather is at least unsuitable for the no-see-ums (biting midges) that chewed up my hands as I took photos last night.
 |
| Lewisia "Little Plum": These are all seedlings of the original plant. |
I use the macro lens for the next two shots. Having to use the tripod and manually focus the lens meant too much time sitting still as a target for blood-sucking insects. The no-see-um bites are not visible, which makes one look looney for complaining of all the itching at normal-appearing skin. I desperately searched the cabinet this morning for the tube of hydrocortisone ointment...ahhhh...
 |
| Pink lily of the valley |
I should point out that I absolutely HATE the biting insects here. It makes me wonder at the people that actually claim to enjoy camping. Camping here in the north, that is. I've camped on the Pacific coast and in the southern Okanagan and that was okay, so it's not just the camping itself. Just thinking about the insects makes me itch. If only you could have the serene scenery without the bugs. My mother bought me a bug-mesh jacket, knowing my feelings about the nasty critters, but I always feel half-blind and constricted in those things. The only relatively bug-free outdoor recreation around here is boating (and only when you're not near shore). Well, and maye scuba-diving, though I've never seen anyone doing that around here. Here's to more and more use of DEET...
 |
| Aquilegia glandulosa |
Posts
2 comments:
So sad about your garden centre. Hopefully they'll rebound quickly. And, thank you for sacrificing your poor hands for our enjoyment and pleasure. The rock beds are looking fabulous. Let's hope you get some warmer weather soon.
Both of those Lewisii are great looking plants. You've has a good progression of blooms in your alpine bed.
The bugs usually aren't as bad here in Edmonton, but last summer the mosquitoes were ferocious and I gardened in a bug jacket some days.
Post a Comment