Sunday, May 25, 2008

May 25

Day 5 of rain! The water started coming in the basement yesterday. That must mean the water table is still fairly high? I don't completely understand it, considering we face water restrictions each summer. In 2005 the Sheep River flooded, I'm a stone's throw from the Sheep, maybe 3-4 blocks. However I'm on a hill!



There is supposedly an underground spring in the hill back of the house, and that is fairly evident when one looks at the amount of moisture in the back yard. So when it rains for 5 days straight, a good hard rain, the water comes up through the cold joint in the concrete, right into our basement. What's more odd, is that it comes in in opposite corners, front right and back left. The water is crystal clear and doesn't smell, so if you want to look at it positively, it's a good scrubbing of the floor.

We need a sump pump!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

It's Spring!

It takes forever for spring to arrive in Canada, or so it seems. Day two of blessed rain, which is why I have time to write a blog. Everything is greening up quickly. Hmmm, I've made up a new gardening term, 'greening up' - to turn green after a good rain in the spring. It's early in the morning, what can I say?


Draba rigida - Cool alpine plant. Obviously it has settled in quite well. Last year there were about half a dozen flowers, this year there are a few more. ;-}


Fritillaria meleagris - One can never have too many of these bulbs! I've started more from seed this spring, they've sprouted and I will plant them out in the garden next spring.


Pulsatilla violacea - I put this in 2 summers ago, it's blooming for the first time. I've never grown pulsatilla before, but now I want them all, every color on the planet. They are beautiful little plants, must get more!


Aquilegia saximontana - It came from seed labeled as such. I have several in the yard from this batch of seed, three of them look true to form, the two in the front rock garden do not. I'll have to do an aquilegia blog.


Aquilegia saximontana again - a close up of the flower. Aren't they simply divine!


Aquilegia grahamii - First bloom from seed started last year. Oh, I do like this one. Very tiny plant, very tiny blooms, very, very pretty. I've never met an aquilegia I didn't like!