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!

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!

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.

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!