More Spring Flowers; Gardening Sessions in La Ronge

Indoor plant starting is running in high gear at the moment.  Vegetables, annual flowers, and a few perennials are starting to grow in pots under fluorescent lights.  I like growing my plants in re-usable plastic pots in trays lined with felt-like wicking fabric (I bought mine at Lee Valley Tools).  I water the plants by pouring water in the front of the tray and the fabric wicks it up to the bottom of all the pots.  I have a fan keeping the air circulating in the room, reducing problems with fungus. 

Light garden in full production.

Bunny sitting among the Primula auricula.

Unknown variety of Draba in flower.  This plant is three years old but still would fit within the palm of my hand. 

The hairy flowers of Pulsatilla vulgaris (left) are adding to the color of the crocuses.

Tiny yellow Iris danfordiae is said to be a zone 5-9 plant, but it made it through our recent mild winter just fine.

Ruffed grouse on the compost pile.

Kona out for a walk in the forest.  Snow remains in shady areas.

I was unaware of the habits of the grouse, wondering for days what the repeated drum rolls in the backyard were all about.  It didn't seem to be of human origin, yet it seemed too loud for an animal.  I could hear the drumming at night, from my bedroom.  Finally, dear resident-lawnmower-man told me that it was the sound of the grouse.  I did finally see the bird flapping his wings in his eager efforts to attract a mate.  His choice of location just meters from the fence containing our grouse-eating dog was interesting, however. 

If you are a local person interested in gardening, we are lucky to have "Gardening Wednesdays" sessions at 7 pm in La Ronge. 

• May 9 is Planting Seeds and Propagation at Churchill Community High School, 
• May 16 is Flowers in the North at Churchill Community High School
• May 23 is Creating and Gardening in Raised Beds at 1312 Houghton Place, and 
• May 30 is Container Gardening at 1331 Kowalski Place.  

I'll won't be able to attend, but am excited that local gardeners are out spreading the word about growing plants here in northern Saskatchewan. 

Sled Dog Grouse Predator

There was a little bit of excitement in the backyard yesterday as our furry friend ate a grouse! We saw our recreational sled-puller carrying a large brown bird around in her mouth, but figured she'd probably injured it too much to bother rescuing it. Besides, as soon as we went outside, she ran into the bushes to munch on her meal in seclusion. Later we went to check on her; there were only a few feathers left.

The question is, who actually caught the bird? We had a chocolate labrador retriever over for a visit with our very social Malamute-Husky and I think it was a team effort. The lab (being a good bird dog by nature) probably caught the bird, and our dog took it from him and ate it. Simply by size, our dog tends to be the dominant dog in the yard. Of course, I don't bother to grow any plants in the backyard with the dog. Digging is probably their second most favourite team effort. It's mostly bedrock back there anyways, with wild blueberries growing in the crevices.

The second picture is of our furry friend and another buddy: a miniature Daschund that we dog-sat for a day earlier this month. Our dog wanted to play with him and tried to gently nudge him into action but I think the cold of the snow on his sagging obese belly put him off outdoor activities.