Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Fall

I'm not overly fond of an Alberta fall. It seems that mid September the leaves start to turn, frost hits, trees drop all their leaves. So end of September on, there are only naked trees. It just doesn't seem fair.

The trick will be to add some good fall color that can withstand the first couple of frosts. Like those colchicum. Mountain ash seems another good choice. I will have to do some research on this. Need more fall blooming plants. Crocus planted up the hill would look smashing. Purple and pink everywhere. That sounds delightful. I wonder if I can find some fall blooming yellow to toss in?

I think I accomplished a fair bit this summer and I feel pretty gosh darn good about it as we head into 5 months (gulp) of winter. Why oh why do I live here? Oh yes, Alberta, the land of milk and honey!



The hosta bed is coming along, only minor deer damage this year. I've also place a couple of dicentra in that bed, along with corydalis and polygonatum. So far so good. The soil throughout the entire yard needs some serious amending. What is sitting on top of the clay is dry and silty. It will take years to get it to where I want it. I MUST remember to visit the mushroom compost giveaway in the spring.



This is Dicentra exima. Very nice dicentra. If sited well it will bloom all summer, or it does for me anyway. Maybe I'm just lucky? It doesn't set seed, or I've not found any yet, still a very nice plant. They're deer proof too.
Here are so more pictures from this past year, inside the house and outdoors.


One of the many delphinium in the yard. I'm very partial to these as well.


One of the many cyclamen I've purchased over the past year. They seem to be available all year round now. They just keep blooming and blooming. Very easy to cross pollinate and get loads of seed. I've already got babies of this one growing. There were 9 petals on this particular flower.


Colchicum - must get more of these. Still blooming as of Halloween, we've had snow, twice, and temps of -10C. Gotta get more! Put them all over the hill so that come fall there will be splashes of pink everywhere.



Cerinthe major purpurescens - I adore this plant. It's an annual and I try to grow it every year. Grown in a semi-shady spot it is beyond stunning. I had no idea the foliage was serated until I took a close up photo. The eyes are going in me old age.



Catanache bicolor - Finally! Do you know how many times I purchased this seed only to get c. caerulea. It was worth the wait, very prettiful.



Aquilegia x discolor - in the front rock garden. This is a vigorous little guy in spite of the fact that he's planted under a massive pine tree and gets little water.



Another one of the many aquilegia in the garden.



Aconitum uncinatum - What a delightful monkshood. It scrambles through whatever you place it next to, popping out with an incredible bloom here and there. Foliage is a rich dark glossy green. I highly recommend this one if you're partial to monkshood.
And I'm very partial to monkshood. Just ordered seed for one called 'Red Wine'. I can't wait. They can be difficult to germinate however.

Friday, October 5, 2007

Summer 2007


Extra spurs on this one?


Gilia aggregata, new one this year from the CRAGS spring plant sale.


Delosperma aff. Congestum grown from seed from Gardens North. I'm not sure if it will survive here or not. I've heard it can. Not sure if I should try to cover for the winter or let Mom nature take care of it?


Aquilegia chrysantha with guests. This is one of my favorites in the garden, lovely lemon scent, blooms all summer long and well into fall, produces oodles of seed.


I don't know what this one is, I have a keeping tags with plants issue! It sure is pretty.

To Blog or Not to Blog

Every once in a while I get the urge to reach out to the outside world and try to meet like minded people. I know, it's a crazy idea. But here goes!