Scent of Death and Flowers

Here are my two foxgloves, the yellow foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora) and a pink foxglove of unknown type, possibly Digitalis purpurea. Later I will post pictures of a Digitalis mertonensis which I planted last year and is now beginning to flower.



Armeria (seathrift) amid the rock garden. This little perennial does well in my garden on dry well-drained soil amended with compost.

Yellow "Chandelier" lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus) looking happy in the perennial bed:

Siberian irises bloom against the white and cream backdrop of Polemonium caeruleum album (wite Jacob's ladder) and Aruncus dioicus (goatsbeard).

One of three cherry tomato varieties I am trying in containers this year is "Tumbling Tom". It is a great container cherry tomato, not needing any pruning or staking. I've eaten a few sun-warmed delicious fruits from this plant in the last few days.

Pink-flowered strawberry "Pikan" has produced several fruits already, nearly all eaten by the one year old strawberry thief!

Kona, you hot and fluffy dog. You can't fool us with this innocent look. We have noticed the sudden lack of squirrel chirps in your forested domain. Today as I brushed you, I couldn't help but notice the stomach-turning putrid odor of death and decay. Next time, could you please give it a proper burial if you aren't going to eat it while it is fresh. Thankyou.

Now in Bloom

Now in full bloom here are Aquilegia (columbines), Aruncus dioicus (goatsbeard), Dianthus deltoides, Polemonium caeruleum (Jacob's ladder), Iris sibirica (Siberian iris), Dianthus barbatus (Sweet Williams), Lupinus polyphyllus, Digitalis grandiflora and one lonely Oriental poppy.

I fell in love with the pictures of these Songbird Mix aquilegias on the Swallowtail seeds website and started some last year. Here is one of the products, a long-spurred, upwards facing flower, small plant (less than 2 ft tall). I have another that flowered a pale yellow, but no blues.


My in-laws are in town visiting and I enjoy leisurely tours through the garden with my mother-in-law, who also enjoys gardening. She mentioned that her Siberian irises are doing nothing much and I pointed out these pale blue ones of mine, which have taken three years to start blooming! About half of mine still have no blooms, but I'll generously give them another few years and a "talking to", as another gardener friend admonished.


The sloping rock bed is full of color with Aquilegias, Digitalis grandiflora (yellow foxglove), purple alpine asters, pink dianthus, and the start of thyme's season of purple blooms.


The yellow foxglove (at the top of the picture) is extremely hardy and requires ordinary garden conditions. It does very well here, but of course is very poisonous. Like the drug digitalis, it can slow the heart to the point of stopping it altogether.


Two grey plants do fabulous in my garden: Lamb's ears (tall grey plant on left) and Artemisia "Silvermound" (fluffy moundish plant at left). Both need no special care, full to part sun, and low to moderate amounts of water. The lamb's ears creeps outwards while the silvermound does not spread.


Here's a moth the dog could get along with. It has a furry white coat!


Alpine asters amid three colors of Dianthus deltoides. All are great rock garden plants, though I need to shear the flowers off after the blooming season to keep them tidy-looking.

Some Random Facts About Me Tag

I have been tagged by The Sun is Killing Me (Texas, USA), on this lovely Canada Day! I hope all the Canadians out there are having BBQ and fireworks and getting the day off work. We woke at 4:30 am to close all our windows because the forest fires were blowing thick smoke in our direction. Cough, cough...

The rules of this tag are as follows:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on the blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

A photo from Lac La Ronge, the lake across the street from us (photo taken last night).

6 Random things about me:

1) I once lost my bike at the bottom of a river on a wild mountain bike adventure.
2) I don't eat beef, but I'm not vegetarian. As I like to say, I'm a "flexitarian".
3) I got married in a conservatory, full of orchids, bananas, and other tropicals. Was I a bride-gardener-zilla, perhaps?
4) One of my favourite movies of the past few years is "Hot Fuzz", a ridiculous comedy about a UK policeman, who incidentally is dedicated to the care of his peace lily. In my opinion, one of the best lines of the movie involves the fate of the peace lily.
5) I once camped in the Serengeti, amid the eerie rumbling sounds of elephants and lions. I learned not to use the outhouse at night, having met a group of hyenas, eyes reflecting the light from my flashlight.
6) I hate biting insects. Totally revile them. I don't know why I still live here. The summer months are bringing crises of bug-hate.

I am in turn tagging:
1) My sister blog: Quu in Finland. I feel a garden-affinity with this northern gardener.
2) 1-2-3 Go Garden. This Canadian blogger grows the most daylilies I've ever seen.
3) Gardening Adventures from the North, a northern BC gardener. I hope to see how their season is going with more pictures soon!
4) My Roots Run Deep, one of the urban (Toronto) garden blogs I like to visit.
5) Greenforks, a UK garden blogger with some great garden photos and mouthwatering ideas for eating your garden produce.
6) Caribou BC gardener at High and Dry, very motivated despite a recent knee injury and surgery. Good luck over there!