Pink Potentilla and Columbines

The columbines are blooming now and I'm braving the blowing fluff from the cottonwood trees to take photograph them. Sneeze, sneeze, sniff...I started several of these Potentilla x "Helen Jane" two years ago. They have an intense raspberry-pink flower. In good soil and full sun, the largest plant has gotten about 90 cm wide by 50 cm tall. It is not a compact plant, being rather open, but not quite "sprawling".

This is the neighbour's dock across the street. I'm assuming the grandkid's bicycles are destined for a splash in Lac La Ronge. Here are the three sandcherries we planted two years ago. My grand plan is to facilitate cross-pollination between all the cherry trees/shrubs in the yard: Nanking cherry (Prunus tomentosa), Pincherry (Prunus pensylvanica) , "Carmine Jewel" dwarf sour cherry and sandcherry (Prunus x cistena). The dwarf sour cherry apparently can self-pollinate, but I understand that the other trees all have better yields when cross-pollinated. I'm not sure if the Nanking cherries are going to make it this year though, as they haven't leafed out yet! Good grief!

Garden Questions

I know there is a wealth of gardening information out there, and in the hopes that gardeners out there might pass by my little blog -- here are some of the questions I have been pondering:

SHRUBBERY:

Should I avoid planting near evergreen shrubs because their roots suck all the moisture/nutrients away from other plants? i.e. I noticed that the Siberian irises near a juniper looked smaller than the others (then again, these ones may get a bit more shade too). Also, the Polemonium next to a globe cedar looks puny compared to its lush compadres lounging around the raised beds.

DOES SIZE MATTER?:

How high of a structure do you need to grow pole beans? I stuck my steel obelisk (about four and a half feet tall) in the garden, but then jammed a rough piece of 7 foot lumber in there too just to be sure.

UGLY VISITORS:

How do I deal with pear slugs? I noticed these on the sandcherries and tart cherries last summer but didn't know what they were till I read the Sherwood greenhouses blog about these little monsters. I sprayed them with insecticidal soap and maybe some permethrin last year, but they didn't look deterred by this effort.

GOING CATTY:

What is a good replacement for a drift of catmint (Nepeta cataria, no particular variety)? The catmint looked really nice in front of some pink tulips for the first two years, but now looks a bit tired (after it spread its seed all over the raised bed). I was wondering about Veronica spicata. My criteria: blue/purple flowers, about 8 to 18 inches tall, flowers in June, hardy to zone 3, and does not become invasive. I especially hate the plants that spread quickly by their roots, like the ladybells I am still trying to eradicate from the yard. Also, I prefer plants that I can grow from seed because these are usually easier for me to obtain.

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!

Guerilla gardener goes on vacation

I am sitting here in the beautiful Okanagan, British Columbia, visiting family. The Okanagan is known for its favourable climate, which is ideal for growing tree fruits and grape vines. A drive into any agricultural area is startling though. Fruit trees are being sawed down and burned. The contours of the land are recreated by machines and acres of milk cartons sheltering little grape vines are springing up everywhere. The wine industry obviously is more lucrative than apples and apricots. It's sad but true.

While here, I had to visit the local garden center to see the fresh spring offerings. The bare dirt at the folks' place was gnawing at my gardener's heart. How could you live in zone 6 and have nary a hellebore or rhododendron in your yard! So you have the occasional urban deer who grazes on your plantings? Throw in some fritillaries for their stench and some pretty spring daffodils.

The bare containers made the place look so stark, so I filled two of them with pansies, yellow narcissi, and tulips. Yes, potted tulips. Ordinarily, I would have a problem with the laziness inherent in buying a pre-chilled and greenhouse-grown potted tulip, but I suppose that's why you pay more for the potted plant than the bulb. I also considered that this uncalled-for planting is as near as I have come to guerilla gardening -- a political, nonviolent gardening action done on someone else's property. I'm not sure what my political statement was. but you can be sure there was no violence involved.

Germination Determination

Currently, I am in the spring manic phase of seed starting. I am planting far more seeds than I could ever grow, and potting up as many seedlings as I could possibly have room for. Some seeds germinate easier than others. As yet, my Pulsatilla, Cleome, and Campanula carpatica have been a no-go. Currently, they are sitting on the garage window sill in hopes that fluctuating temperatures might help do the trick. The only thing that is growing in these pots so far is moss!

My Saxifraga mix seeds are potted and in a ziploc bag in my fridge until May 1. The package says they need cold stratification to germinate and I've had success with the refrigerator in the past. So far, no guests have noticed the little pots of dirt in baggies in my fridge...

The pretty little green and pink-leafed plants are Coleus Kong Rose. These were fairly expensive seeds, but luckily, all germinated easily.

Of course, it is still rather cool and snowy outdoors, but I am quite proud of my lettuce and herb project. These are growing very well indoors and I uploaded a picture of a basement-grown salad I made last weekend. I didn't grow the cucumbers and tomatoes, but the basil, parsley and lettuce were all homegrown. I do have 3 grape tomato plants under the lights though, and they're going to be planted outdoors in June. Hopefully we'll get to eat vine-ripened tomatoes this year, though that is a real challenge in this climate. Last year, we picked nearly all of them green to save them from the first frost. The season is just too short for tomatoes, unless they get a real head-start.

Lawn and Garden Forecast

It's a beautiful sunny day outside today. I took the dog for a walk on the slushy roads and noticed the streams of water making their way towards storm drains. I can see a few plants uncovered by the melting snow next to our garage. These Sweet Williams (Dianthus barbatus) are evergreen, so it is wonderful to see green things emerge in March.



Have you ever noticed the "Lawn and Garden Forecast" on the Weather Network website? I checked it today and you can all be happy to know the garden forecast here is "fair" for tomorrow. This is symbolized by the spade on the yellow background (orange = poor, green = excellent). I think this is the first "fair" for the year. The forecast also indicates that the ground is frozen and watering needs are "medium". Good thing the snow is melting, because our pipes are probably still frozen. Honestly, I don't know what kind of outdoor gardening tasks I could do this Saturday, other than shooing snowmobilers off the lawn. Incidentally, Vancouver's forecast shows no "fair" gardening weather for another 3 days, though Penticton's forecast for today is "fair", but poor for the next week. Poor them. They could be gardening in La Ronge!

Plants in my Basement Abound

The inevitable urge to start growing more varieties of seeds has taken hold for yet another year. I know I am not alone. I have heard of other gardeners who have the same problem. Well, it's only a problem so much as one tends to run out of room to house the little plants.


At the moment I am germinating some Viola "Sorbet Violet Ice" seeds (don't they sound so delicious?) as well as Digitalis mertonensis (Strawberry Foxglove), and a rock garden dianthus mix. In the little pots, I have Zinnias, annual Salvia splendens ("Salsa light purple"), Matthiola incana (Ten Week Stocks Cinderella Mix), and Arabis caucasica. As of yet, there are no aphids or gnats hovering around my plants, but I have the soap spray on hand just in case.

Speaking of aphids, the indoor cannas seem to have them (pot on the right), but because of the large leaves, it is easy to crush most of them and spray the rest. The cannas seem to like the new sunlight and warm temperatures in the bedroom bay window. I potted another banana plant (dwarf Musa Cavendish) in the center pot. I have 3 banana plants now, and several more new ones growing at the bases of the plants, if anyone should want one.

This last picture is of a water droplet on a small banana plant. I find these plants interesting because the water droplets form spontaneously on the leaves. Sometimes they coalesce and run down the leaves and make little wet spots on the floor. I know it's water and not some kind of sap because I've tasted it! I'm not sure why it does this, but it's rather pretty.

Basement Seedlings

Spring of 2007 is 22 days away! Of course, this doesn't mean much up here where we've had some 54 inches of snow so far this winter and it still sits in heaps along the roads. If we're lucky, I may see little green shoots peeking from beneath the snow towards the end of March. Dwarf irises are always first.


I have started the light garden growing again. Lettuce and various herbs are growing under the lights in my basement. Just like the outdoor experience last year, the dark green Paris Island Cos Romaine lettuce is growing the best of the lettuces. I harvested a few leaves for lunch today. It is a nice break from the nutrient-poor pale pathetic iceberg lettuce at the grocery store. Next on the agenda: starting annual and perennial flower seeds!

Burying fall treasures

I planted bulb number 192 today and have 100 crocuses yet to go (but they're small and you can bury them in groups). Today's bulb plantings include Eranthis (Winter aconite), Tulips, and Scilla campanulata. This picture shows the planting of the Tulip "Skagit Valley", a frivolous botanical splurge for bicolored purple and white may-flowering tulips. I use the manual bulb-planter I bought in BC last year, a replacement for the cheap one that broke on last year's muddy soil.

The fluffy backyard companion is happy to have company outside, but would rather go for a walk than supervise bulb-planting from behind the fence!

I dug up 3 of the cannas from the whiskey barrels today. I am not really intent on drying and saving the roots for next year (because it's more fun just to buy new ones every year!). However, I brought the 3 plants into the garage and potted them up. One has buds on it and I will feel cheated if I never get to see a bloom out of the poor tropicals that tried and ALMOST made it in this forelorn northern climate.

The fall colors are cheerful as some of the trees still cling to their leaves. The Siberian dogwoods have brilliant red leaves and the spirea shrubs are bright yellow. This pretty seed head belongs to Pulsatilla vulgaris (Prairie crocus) which rebloomed late in the season, after its big showing in Easter.

At left is the full bloom of Aster dumosus "Alert", a late-season bloomer. It is certainly the only plant with such a floral show in October! In another two weeks it will likely be covered in snow. It works much better here than the standard chrysanthemums, which never did bloom before snow and hard frosts.

Fall seeds and leaves

Well, fall is officially here today -- at least that's what the Autumn Equinox and colored leaves are telling us. I have left almost all of the dead flowers and foliage on the perennials to keep them hardy over winter, as they will trap more leaves and snow that way.

The squirrel has found the dried up sunflowers and made quick work of the seed heads.



I planted most of the first box of 135 bulbs from Botanus. Triumph Tulip "Negrita" (dark purple), Single Late Tulip "Florissa" (dark pink), and a bicolored purple/white "Skagit Valley" Tulip are the large bulbs of this fall. I also ordered/planted mini botanical tulips, crocuses, narcissus, and a few others. The show of bulbs in May/June is sure to be pretty next year!

September Garden Colors

My garden is still a work in progress and I have yet to fill in the perennial beds. However, several plants are blooming now whether through natural processes or fortunate accidents creating out-of-season flowers.

(Right) Blue flowers of Gentiana dahurica, a small perennial with lovely true-blue flowers.




(Right) The Japanese pink-flowering crabapple has tiny red apples on it. The tree is really just ornamental, as the little apples aren't really worth picking.





I was suprised by the delicate-looking yet tough little primulas in the perennial border. They have bloomed from spring to late summer! These are yellow "Spring fever" primulas.





Potentilla "Helen Jane" is one of the new color varieties of the plain-old common yellow potentillas of shopping-mall-parking-lot landscaping.




Wild and domestic roses are making bright red rosehips. We discovered that the doggie likes eating rosehips! Her diet will be certainly be complete in vitamin C.

Echinacea and Bee Balm

Two well-known perennials are blooming this week. Both are big butterfly favourites and grow as wildflowers elsewhere in the world.

Pictured: A purple Mondarda didyma (Bergamot, Bee Balm). This plant does spread by rhizomes, popping up several new plants around the base, but it is not yet the worst of the garden thugs. If you have this plant, you need to either regularly hack up the growth around the base or give the new plants away to friends.

Pictured: Pink Echinacea, some melon-colored short lilies, and a background of pink Malva Moschata (Mallow).

My Echinacea is the old fashioned type whichI grew from seed. Of course, now they have the hybrids with orange and yellow flowers, double-flowered and double-decker flowers, and ones that can operate heavy machinery...

July's Colors

The large and bold flowers are the theme of the month. Four-foot pale blue delphiniums bloom around the yard, though I'd like to add some deeper blue and purple ones for next year. (They are started in the basement already).

The containers on the deck are growing well. I started the Petunias, Lobelia, Nicotiana, and Osteospermum from seed. All were quite easy to grow under lights.

Pictured: The large-leafed plants are Nicotiana sylvestris. People visiting the house want to know the name of this giant flower-- "Tobacco", I say..."the ornamental flowering kind". As much as I was enticed by the promise of sweet-smelling flowers, the overwhelming tobacco smell of the leaves doesn't allow you to enjoy any flower scent.

Pictured: Bright blue Delphinium grandiflorum "Blue Elf" and pink Malva Moschata. I am wondering why I put these in the rock garden, because they are both almost 3 feet tall and require staking. Hmmm. Resident-lawnmower-man says they look fine, but I think this situation may keep me up at night...

Lettuce Lamentations

I made an interesting observation in the vegetable patch the other day. Apparently, the bugs have selective tastes for leafy greens described as "gourmet". At first, I thought all my lettuce was doomed and that I would either have to rely on store-bought lettuce or install high-tech lettuce-protectors.

Pictured: At left is bug-eaten Green Oakleaf or Arugula; at right is Paris Island Cos Lettuce looking perfect!

Now that the lettuce has grown, I wish I was a little more careful in not mixing the seed between the rows. I planted Arugula (technically a type of mustard), Green Oakleaf Lettuce, and Paris Island Cos Lettuce. All were from Richter's Herbs in Ontario. I now see that the Paris Island Cos Lettuce is doing well but one or both of the Oakleaf/Arugula are looking like moth-eaten socks.

Smokey the Garden Bear

dThe before and after pictures: We got crushed rock and spread it over the driveway last weekend. Much improved I say, because it makes my plants along the driveway look even better!

The Sask Environment website lists 26 new fires in the La Ronge Fire Center area today and the smoke is quite heavy. It has caused the moon to be an eerie shade of orange.
It sounds like the fires are just north of town but not threatening the town of La Ronge directly. Regardless, the resident-lawnmower-man decided not to go plant shopping with me at the nearest garden center (2hrs 20 min away) in Prince Albert.
[Incidentally, would you believe Superstore is selling apricots for $2.48 per lb!! Another excellent reason to move to B.C.]
I'm believing that lawnmower-man planned to heroically guard the garden with a hose in case of disaster (or maybe he just wanted to be home with the ice cream).

Flower Color Clash

Can flowers or plants clash? This is the garden question of the week. Of course they can, I say, and the situation should be remedied as soon as possible! Mr. Resident Lawnmower-Person disagrees. He is of the opinion that any combination of plants looks good together and flowers blend by the mere commonality of their "flowerness" (not his exact words). Of course, this same man requires consultation on which pants and shirts look okay together...

So tonight I set about moving plants all over the yard in a need to restore color harmony. One particular color combination was polluting the garden aesthetic: Blue/purple-flowered Jacob's ladder and the Purple-leaf rose (Rosa glauca). How could I have left these two together for so long? I retch at the ugliness. I searched the net and found this pearl:

(1) Purple-foliage plants combine well with blue-grey foliage plants.
Plan: Remove Jacob's ladder. Will add an Artemisia schmidtiana "Silvermound" (from division of existing plants) in front of rose next spring. Divided a few Lamb's Ear (Stachys byzantia) and placed next to rose. Move a bunch of silver/purple leafed Coral Bells (Heuchera) to between rose and blue oat grass (blue-grey).

To illustrate my point: Center photo = bad combo, Side photos = show better options to combine with the rose (seen in center photo).

Other garden pearls from my yard: NEVER plant tansy. It is an invasive weed that even several applications of Round-up can't destroy. Any bit of root grows a new plant. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a close second in that regard.

First Lilies

My first blooming lily is this Oriental Pot Lily 'Farolito', a fabulous pink lily. I got it as one of Botanus' bonus gifts with an order this spring. The blooms are amazing and I will have to keep this one around for a great show in the raised bed next year.

In the background are the yellow flowers of the "wall of sedum" that divides driveway and lawn.

Red Ants and Herb Signage

Pictured: Filipendula hexapetala/vulgaris (Dropwort), a 2 ft perennial wildflower with fine fern-like foliage and delicate puff of flowers on thin stem. Started last year from seed.

The poplar has blown its fluff all over the lawn like a shedding polar bear. I'm starting to cut spent blooms off the columbines and Polemonium.

The tiny herb garden/raised bed is growing well in part shade. Next year I'll probably grow lettuce there. I've just read that lettuce does well in that kind of lighting. The stoneware signs from Gardenscape add a little artistic detail. I have four more signs in the back herb bed, marking basil, thyme, dill and oregano.

If anyone knows how to eradicate red ants from the yard, please let us know. Two old whiskey barrell planters and one corner of the house are infested with them. I'm thinking they like old or rotting wood -- and the flesh at the back of my knee. I could post that photo as well but I'll save you the grief.





















Pictured: Dianthus deltoides "Flashing Lights" (dark pink) and "Arctic Fire" (white/pink) in the rock garden. I can easily divide these and have moved bits of them around the yard.