Tiny Spring Bulbs & Flowers

The lawn is still brown, the lake is still frozen, and the shrubs have yet to grow any leaves. The broad landscape looks dismal on this rainy day, unless you look closely. On a small scale, there is beauty in the tiny flowers of the early spring bulbs. I only have a few of these, but enjoy them nonetheless. All the tiny spring bulbs should be planted in clusters, for maximal effect. I'm hoping my bulbs rapidly divide and bulk up their clusters, so that they can be appreciated from afar (and not just my flower-seeking camera).
Scilla siberica:

Tulipa humilis violacea will be opening soon:

I have these tiny pink botanical tulips planted on my rock garden slope, which they appreciate for its good drainage. These are not picky or demanding little tulips, and have survived the worst winters here.
Fritilaria meleagris has emerged from the soil:

While the rest of Canada's daffodils are probably long past, mine will probably bloom at the end of May. I suppose there are not many other gardeners waiting longer for spring blooms than us here in zone 1b. Beyond this zone, I don't know how many bulb would even survive! Any Siberian gardeners out there?

Lovely Little Species Tulips

I came home this afternoon to be pleasantly suprised by the opened flowers of one of the species tulips in the rock garden.

This is Tulipa humilis var. violacea (a.k.a. Tulipa pulchella 'Violacea'), with a yellow base. It is a Division 15 tulip. I have had these for two years now and I think there are a few more now than what I started with, though this particular tulip is said to multiply slowly.

I notice that the Dave's Garden PlantFiles page has someone growing these in Chugiak, Alaska (USDA zone 3b, not too far from Anchorage). Considering that our climate is rated colder than that of Anchorage, I conclude that these are a very hardy little tulip. My tulips are planted on a slope in the rock garden. They live in well-drained soil which gets full sun nearly all day.

Here are some seedlings of ornamental Alliums, growing from seedheads I spread last fall.

I'm not sure if these are from the "Gladiator" or "Purple Sensation" Alliums though, since these two bulb varieties are planted next to each other. I have no idea what seedlings from these plants might turn out like. Has anyone ever tried growing these from seed?

Bergenia cordifolia is a fantastic evergreen perennial that looks none the worse for wear after a long winter. If I had to landscape a commercial property, I'd definitely include some of these versatile and easy perennials. They do well in sun or shade, regular soil, and don't require too much water. In a few weeks, they should be putting up their stalks of pink flowers. I put some bark mulch around mine, making this whole area nearly maintenance-free.

Mini Tulips are on the Rise

Thank the spring sun! These mini tulips (Tulipa humilis) are showing their red-tinged leaves. Ironically, I bought these early spring risers in Kelowna, British Columbia last September. I'm sure the mini tulips in Kelowna are going to seed by now.

Crocuses and mini irises poking up out of snow:

There's a decent crop of snow mold under the snow. I could pull out my university-days microscope and try to take digital pictures of the hyphae and spores, but that might involve some digging in the basement junk.

Want to sail your canoe across our yard? Behold this tributary to Lac La Ronge meandering across our front lawn:

The wildlife sanctuary (aka "the backyard") is looking less arctic. In the meantime, moose/deer/cow leg bones are appearing everywhere and the resident wildlife (aka "Kona, the weekend sled dog") is pleased.

The yellowish-red plant on the right is a Delosperma, a rock garden plant sold at John's Garden Center in Prince Albert. They usually sell only hardy stuff for our climate, so I ignored what I read on the internet about this plant and wished it luck. It looks pretty healthy.

The snow has melted where rain has washed it away, or on sun-warmed slopes. I'm hoping we'll be snow-free in another week!