Toad Lily

I adore lilies. I wish I could have more in my garden, but with the rainforest bordering the yard, and more hours of shade than sun, I'm limited to what I can plant. However, that doesn't stop me from trying.

Toad lilies are shade tolerant, and they bloom in the fall when all of the summer lilies are long gone except for their stems. They are the brightest flower in the garden right now (well...the black-eyed Susan is still going strong, but it's not nearly as sweet as the toad lilies).

some garden pictures

This aquilegia surprised me. I didn't know it was there. This is one of the plants I was given from a friend's garden so it's an even nicer surprise.

This is another area that's filling in quite nicely. The bleeding heart has finished blooming long ago.
Here's what this area looked like last year.
It's a slightly different angle but you get the idea.

long weekends

My long weekend wasn't really any longer than usual since I worked on Saturday. At least db and I had two days off together which is always a bonus. And as it is typically the case for gardeners, the May long weekend was all about the garden.

We started Saturday night when I got home from work, taking advantage of the longer daylight hours, and did some more pruning in the front. That was a pretty physically demanding day for me since I biked to work (11k), spent the day on my feet running around at work, and then came home and pruned a hedge. I was spent, but that wasn't going to stop me.

Sunday I got up early for a run. db came with me! Hurray! He's signed up for the Victoria half marathon now so he has to start building up his endurance again. We did a short 3.5 k and that was plenty for both of us. After breakfast we travelled to a couple of nurseries and picked up just a few things to finish off our planting plans for the season. i once thought that this garden was huge and I'd never be able to fill it, but now we're actually running out of space!

Back at home we dug out the raised bed at the front of the house and put new soil in. It's a lot easier to write that in one sentence than it is to actually do. Let's just say there was several wheelbarrows full of sand and soil being carted to various parts of the yard that involved moving the wheelbarrow up and down some slate stairs and there was also several trips of buckets of earth up and down the front stairs. It was a workout and a half. With the new bed installed, we planted tomatoes, basil, zucchini, and perennials. I put my new clematis in one corner so it can climb up the stone face of the house (I hope).

Sunday I wanted to rest and recover, but we got back out in the garden, in the light rain, and finished up all the loose ends, like tidying up the bulbs, transplanting anything we hadn't done yet.

Our poor kitties were feeling a bit neglected. I'm trying to make it up to them this week. db bought Gigi a beautiful pineapple and she's been happily chewing on the green spikes for several days now. She's very happy. Prima just needs a warm lap and that makes her day. Pretty easy to please really.

Well...no one seems to have received anymore junk emails from me.

db and I bought Norton anti-virus for our Mac. We had it on our old mac, but couldn't install it when we moved into the Mac OSX world and have been doing without. I ran the program and no viruses were detected so that's good news.

As for the rest of the day...

I biked to work which was a pleasure. The last two days I've biked to work. It's an 11 k route that isn't too hilly and the weather has just been beautifully warm and sunny. db has a van from work so he's been picking me up after work for the last two days which has been nice as well because today it was very hot by the time I finished work at 5:30. It would have been a very slow ride home in the heat. Instead db was there to pick me up. We loaded my bike and headed to a garden centre (surprise, surprise) to pick up a few small pots for my herb stand. Of course once there I checked out the clematis and found a beautiful one called 'The President.'
I'm hoping to guide it along the front of the house on one corner where it can cling to the stone front. I've got four other clematis on the go, but I don't know if they'll all bloom this year. Also, I've discovered a clematis looking plant next to one of the cedar trees in the backyard. I'm pretty certain I didn't plant it. So who did and when? There are all kind of new plants coming up since I cut through the landscape fabric that was laid down last year.




Okay, back to Saturday...

So we came home and went to work. There's a cedar in the front that was in desperate need of some pruning so db and I spent a couple of hours in the front doing more pruning and tidying. There's a very sad looking variegated dogwood that is almost too far gone and I may just cut it back in the fall to see if it can come back next year. We started to work on it, but I realized that it would need a little more research before I could tackle that.

Now, it's time to relax with a little wine and some pizza on the way. Somehow db still has energy to cook.

Tomorrow we're back at it. There's a juniper out of control on one side of the house and we're digging up the raised bed in the front of the house to turn it into a veg and perennial bed. I can't wait to pull up that landscape fabric! Ha!

Shortly after I woke up db said, "what's the plan for today?'
me: plan?
db: yeah plan.
me: I have no plan. What's your plan?
db: I don't have a plan. Aren't we gardening or something?
me: I guess we could. Are you going to make me a tea latte? (Silly question).
db: Yes

So a tea latte, breakfast, and an episode of Trailer Park Boys later we collected our tools and yard waste bags and headed into the front yard that needs the most work.

The backstory:
Recently I spoke to our wonderful homeowners m & d who told me that they had a landscaper come in and assess the workload and give them a quote. My heart sank because I remembered last year watching these strangers tear at the beds and leave nothing behind but a bare patch of earth (the ferns are just starting to recover this spring. Thank goodness). Then our wonderful homeowners thought why not just pay sp and db to do the work they've already started? I accepted. m & d had all kinds of wonderful things to say about us looking after the garden and...aw shucks...I was so flattered.

Now not only do I want to clean up the yard, but I also want it to be perfect. Now we're getting paid so there'll be no more of my half-assed ways (I'm not that bad really).

db is amazing because he lets me plan what needs to get done and then I give him a job to do and off he goes to complete it. Plus he's very thorough and enjoys it as much as I do. So we tackled the weeding. Oh, that nasty horsetail is absolutely everywhere because nothing stops that stuff from growing. I read somewhere that you should never pull it out but rather snip it at the base of the plant. That's what we did. There was still quite a bit of leaf debris to remove. We had to take out a small tree that we still don't know what it was. It was growing as part of the natural hedge in the front, but was really in the way of the rhododendron and preventing it from completely filling out on one side. m asked us to take it out and we did. I felt bad as I do any time I remove a plant, but it's done now and there was no way we could have transplanted it elsewhere. I'd still like to know what it was. It had such an unusual bark that grew about 2 cm up and away from the branches. It was probably some rare and expensive tree that is impossible to find and very expensive and now it's sitting in little bits in a landscape bag on the curb.

Anywho...we had a good day cleaning, weeding and doing some light pruning. However, we still have another cyprus to prune in the front and there's this really rangy looking variegated dogwood that I'm not sure what to do with yet. Three of the four rhodendrons are in full bloom (pink, white, and red) so they will have to wait until summer before I cut out any dead wood there. The rhodos really are full this year. They look amazing (alas I have no photos because the card is full on the camera). You'll have to take my word for it that they are fuller than they were last year. There are also some Portugal Laurel shrubs dotting the property that desperately need some pruning, but I just read that it's best to prune in late winter. So that will have to wait. I guess the gardeners work is never done.

One side of the house is not being used at all. It's not a path or garden space or anything. Right now there is some wild plant that looks like a phlox flower, but the leaves are too round for phlox. I don't know what it is. It's in bloom. It looks nice enough, but I'd rather clean out the space and plant tomatoes there. The sun hits that spot first thing in the morning and stays there most of the day so I think it will be a good location.

Okay, I'm rambling on about the garden, but I'm always happy when I'm in the garden. I could stay out for hours (and did). Even after db went inside, I stayed out and planted some lilies that a friend gave me. I can't wait until the long weekend when we can get out there again!

Last week was a busy week. That usually means that work is eating up most of my time and I suppose it does. Three consecutive days of running around the warehouse does tire me out. There's also the day when I tend to the phones and web orders which is a lot of work for one person, so by three o'clock I'm pretty much worn out.

The upside of the week?

• Creole Stuffed Peppers and Mexican Millet from what else? The Veganomicon. Photos should follow once I can finally upload them. I'm having trouble loading photos right now.
• The long slow run (or LSD). Even though it was a tough run, I still felt great knowing that my training is coming along and I can feel my fitness improving each week. This is definitely good.
  
• The crocuses in the garden (once again photos should follow). We spent a good chunk of time in the garden Sunday doing the big spring clean up. I'm pretty determined to do as much of it as possible so that our homeowners (m&d) will be reluctant to bring in any landscapers.
  
• The St. Louis Blues. We went to the hockey game Saturday night. Yes the Blues lost and yes it was a deciding game for the team with regards to hopes for the play-offs, but it was actually a great game and I really felt it could go either way. db and I were sitting close to a fairly rowdy crowd and we were booed pretty heavily in our Blues jerseys. However, on our way to the game at the skytrain station this guy with a pretty serious mohawk saw db's Blues hat and went up to him and shook his hand. It was quite funny. So now we'll just enjoy the rest of the season for the Blues. Ah well, there's always next year.

Spring Garden

I know it's not "officially" here, but as far as I'm concerned it is spring where I am. I'm so pleased to see that my crocuses came up and the tulips are doing really well, moving along much faster than I thought. My other spring bulbs, aliums, hyacinth, and daffodils are also coming along. The only spring bulb I can't locate is the dwarf iris and that is probably because I can't remember where I planted them nor can I find the notes I made on where I planted them.

It's nice to see the garden coming to life. Every now and then we have a dog visitor to the house and I think she's been doing a little digging so I'm not entirely sure if all of the pelargoniums made it. Maybe they've just been "transplanted." Time will tell. Another concern/disappointment is that there doesn't seem to be any sign yet of my Siberian Iris while another variety next to where I planted it is already coming up. I just bought a small book on Irises and read that it is best to soak the Siberian Iris root overnight. Oh well. It's part of the trial and error or gardening right?

db and I started our seeds yesterday as well. Of course it's mostly tomatoes and I have no idea where we're going to put them all, but we'll manage.

We're supposed to have very nice weather the rest of the week so I thought I'd make tomorrow pruning day and tidy up what I can.

sunday in whoville

Another busy Sunday. I started my day by capping my own coffee with noel nog (kind of a soy no-no but just a little suffering for an amazing latte) and it turned out beautiful. With db away in Montreal for coffee business meet and greets, I'm making my own lattes. The peaks of nog rising above the cup rim reminded me of Golden Ears or Blanshard Peak that I see so frequently around here. The froth and crema lasted until the last sip. Delicious.

Later I headed out for my run along the trans Canada trail (same link as above), deciding to explore a part of the trail I'd never been on. I really was looking forward to going a little further distance this week and thought the soft left strewn trail would be just what I needed. I felt great and was enjoying the sun when out in the open. The river was just rushing when I hit the coq. river trail. All I could hear was the river and my breathing. I went about two kilometers and then I saw three dogs come up over a dip in the trail. I have a bit of a phobia when it comes to strange big dogs. Furthermore, these dogs were not on leashes and I couldn't see an owner. When I saw a doberman with its ears pinned (dumb and pointless by the way) stop and start checking me out, I decided to stop, turn, and slowly walk the other way. Fortunately I had just passed an opening to a nearby street and I headed for that, trying to keep calm and not look back.

Once on the street I waited and thought the dogs might pass on the trail and perhaps I could head back in, but instead they sniffed around at the trail head and ran up and down to the river while the owner stood waiting. I gave up and kept running on the side streets. So much for my trail run. Nonetheless I had a great run and completed the last 2 k at a faster pace. I even ran most of the hill up to our house.

I find it rather annoying when Dog owners let their large guard dogs run freely on public trails that are clearly marked as "dogs on leash" trails. It's one thing on a less travelled hiking route, but quite another on a busy trail on a Sunday. Owners always say "don't worry s/he's friendly." Of course the dog is friendly to them, the dog knows them. I've seen dogs lurch towards me and the owner will scold the dog and apologize saying, "s/he never does that." Maybe it's me? I've seen dogs checking me out, wondering if I'm chewy or not.

Anywho...back at home I spent a couple of hours in the backyard raking leaves and planting the last of my bulbs. As always I get a little rushed when I realize I have lots of bulbs and am out of planning ideas. I started coring out soil all over the place, sticking in tulips, alliums, crocuses, and dutch iris. I also started tagging everything in the garden since so much of it will be gone over the winter and when they bring in the "landscapers" (Grrrr) next spring I want everything labeled and visible so that they don't start tearing out my precious perennials.

The sun was just starting to drop when I came in. I feel lucky to have had such great weather on my day off.

small bites

The front garden turned out to be dust. After I pulled back about 6 inches of mulch and found the landscape fabric, I cut into the fabric and pulled out dust. The soil has been completely depleted. Now I know why the three boxwoods at the front are stunted. They're bonsai boxwoods. Why am I telling you this? Because I had mapped out a colour coded chart of my bulb planting plans for this rather drab looking front space.

Plan B? I have no plan b. I started digging into containers and sticking bulbs where I could find space. Plan B is to come up with a Plan C. I will have to plant most of the bulbs in the back yard. That's all I have right now.

I did get to spend a few hours in the garden transplanting, cleaning, raking, doing a little pruning which was very enjoyable.

* * *

I joined a hockey pool this year. This is something I've never done before. I've been in last place (33rd) since the start of the season and had an early morning call (yes another one!) from my brother telling me not to worry. Believe me I wasn't worried and at 7 in the morning it is definitely the last thing on my mind. However, the good news is that today I am no longer in 33rd place (last). I am now 29th on the list tied with my brother's dog (Little Joe). Here's my competition:Looks threatening doesn't he?

* * *

I'm looking for more work opportunities to try and be more involved in the arts in any way possible. Let's see where this takes me.

* * *

I got this amazing email from a friend from way back (something that's been happening more and more lately) who is a fly fisher (is that what such a person is called? Mr Anchovy?). He takes photos and writes about his fishing experiences and the BC outdoors. A local paper in his neck of the woods published an article on him that focused on his encounter with a Grizzly bear in the Kootenays. He was in his truck and he saw a Grizzly coming down the road towards him. He got out of his truck to photograph the bear. He seen lots of bear and said that bears usually run off when they see him, but this one kept walking towards him and sauntered right past him, coming as close as 6 feet away. He got some great shots. So I'm linking his site here. From there just click on "recent updates" on the left side and it will take you to the photos.

I was so happy to read a story about an positive encounter with bears.

* * *

trail river run success

This proves I finished. The camera was in my backpack with all my gear. I wanted photos of the start/finish line, but alas the batteries crapped out on me and there are no photos of the day's event itself.

how the race went

I biked to the Poco start line, about a 15 minute bike ride. I changed in the community center's changeroom and did my usual nervous tying and untying of the shoes, pulling my hair back (ponytail or pigtails?), sipping my water, re-adjusting my bib number and so it goes. It seems absurd that I should be nervous at all, but that's just the way it is I guess.

The morning was clear and cool so I took some time to warm up on the "track" across the street. The track is a fine pebbled surface, nothing fancy. There were other runners of all shapes and sizes, paces and fitness levels warming up too. Then one by one we gathered around the start line. I stood in my usual mid-pack spot. Since the 10 k runners were starting at the same time I thought I should let those Speedy Gonzales' take the front of the line. I didn't recognize anybody except for the woman who has the dog Taz that I encountered a couple of weeks ago. Later in the race I would see a woman from the Running Room that is very nice and knowledgeable.

An informal countdown was done and we were off. I was off faster than I wanted to be, but I didn't stress because I knew I'd ease up on the more open part of the trail since it's flat and pebbly. Of course I needed the porto-potty after 2k and stopped at the first one. It was occupied. I realized after over a minute of waiting that they may not come out right away. I tried not to panic because I thought well I won't take any walk breaks and I started out too fast anyway. Then when I saw the pack thinning I got going and with the hope that I could make a quick stop later.

I picked up my pace and checked my time at 4 k and I was already 3 minutes off my pace of where I wanted to be! On top of this I was a little unsure of how to pace myself for a half. I've been training with the full distance on the brain that I couldn't figure out if I was going too fast, but I didn't want to slow down too much since I felt I was already too far behind. I managed a quick porto-potty stop at the next one and then kept going full steam ahead.

The first turnaround was a 7 k mark. There we were to run back to the main road and then turn onto another section of the trail on the whoville side of the slough that leads to the Pitt River. A turn around is cool because you get to see other runners in the race coming along the trail towards you. Just about everyone said encouraging words. At 7 k I was close to where I wanted to be, near 40 minutes. I wanted to hit my 8 k mark at 45 which was the goal.

I hydrated and took a gel and it all moved along like most races. I pushed myself because I knew I still had to make up time. At this point most of the runners were well spaced apart. There wasn't a lot of us so it was nice to have some room to focus. I decided that I would just have to "pick off" runners. I looked down the trail and sussed out the distance of the woman ahead of me and how she was moving and went for it. I passed her sooner than anticipated. From that point on I just did the same and kept passing runners. No one was passing me after the 10 k mark.

About 300 m ahead of me was a pair of women who were dressed the same and looking pretty fit and I thought if I could keep them in sight I'd cross the finish around the 2 hour mark. I never thought I'd catch them, but just to keep them in sight felt like an achievable goal.

I'd never run on that side of the slough. The mountains were so close and there's some lovely farmland between the trail and the mountains. I could see some workers out amongst the shrubs (grapes? fruit of some kind?). The second turn around seemed like the end of the road although I'm sure it is, but I felt a bit alone out there. A fifty-something guy with his SUV parked on the side was playing some tunes and standing holding the paper cup of water out for me to grab. He was our water station. It looked so...unofficial. What are we crazy runners doing out here? I thanked him, opened another gel and took a few seconds to walk while I finished my water. The two women had just finished the turn around. I had to keep pace behind them so I got going.

I passed others heading towards the turn around and just waved this time. I had to focus. There was a cyclist (afterall this isn't a closed route and many people use the trail on the weekend) dismounted and looking towards a stand of trees. As I ran by I asked her, "what do you see?" She said, "I just saw a bear in that tree." I missed it! My bear sighting chance was just that close. I had dodged enough bear scat on the trail to make me believe she had just seen one. You gotta watch that on the trail and I did notice one or two runners pointing to it as a caution for the runner behind them.

Anywho...(or is it anypoo now?)
I crossed the road towards the home stretch. There's a little foot bridge to cross before heading into the more heavily wooded area and those two women were just meters ahead of me now. I now believed it possible to catch them. Despite the exhaustion I was feeling, I tapped into my inner strength and asked it to help me. A little technique I've been using lately is tapping into the spirit of Ndereba (she's the Kenyan marathon runner who is unbelievable). Recently I watched her complete the marathon at the worlds and win it with so much strength and determination that whenever I need help I think of her running that race. The next thing I know I was passing those two women and I felt like I was floating, like I wasn't even touching the ground. I've never experienced that before. Is this what they mean by a "runner's high?" In the moment I wondered if this would be the the way I'd feel before I collapsed, but I felt good. I floated for about 1.5 k until I saw the next person ahead and I could see the opening in the trees with the sunlight coming through, which is where the finish line was. I tried to find another gear and did which made the floaty feeling go away. Back was the tired feeling, but I was too close now. I passed the next runner and then there was no one ahead of me. I saw the finish and crossed in 1:59:20. that's a personal best!

I was on my own with no one to celebrate with, but I felt great. I couldn't wait to see db and see how he'd done.

I biked home (well...not all the way home. The steep hill up to the house is a struggle on a good day never mind after running for 2 hours). db was home. He did the 18 k! He took his time and finished 18 no problem. When I left him earlier in the morning his attitude was to just go out and see how it felt, see if he could run any distance. Lo and behold he finished his whole run. It's unbelievable how far he's come so quickly. Without a doubt he's ready for Kelowna.


***

In other news...
On Tuesday I took this picture (or was it Wednesday?) of the toad lily coming along nicely.
Overall, the entire garden is looking great with only patches starting to fade or look ready for a winter rest. I do have a bit of clean-up to do this week.
My work-pal who has been bringing me cranesbills and lilies and other little snippets from her treasured garden tells me she has more for me! I still have four pots yet to transplant that she gave me two weeks ago. These include a golden heuchera, a mystery clematis, another lily and...I can't remember the other one just now.

Then Friday I discovered this:

What a treat! The toad lily that I brought home in May with so much hope and watched it as it grew and stretched up and outward has finally bloomed right on schedule. Sigh.








I may be crazy. I may be lily crazy. Again a nod to my sis for introducing this spectacular tiny flower to me. It also has a delicate fragrance if you get close enough to sniff that is as subtle as the flower itself.

It's tempting to cut it and bring it inside to enjoy it all the time, but it should be in the garden. And doesn't it look lovely in the late afternoon sun?

After our Sunday running related achievements we thought we'd enjoy the late afternoon sunshine with a little beer under the canopy in the backyard. I sat so I could just view the lily from my chair. It's a bit far away since the flower is one of the features as you walk up the stone steps to the garden's upper level where we sit.

Now I look at all we achieved in the garden as well and see where there's room to move things around and give the perennials more or less light and a better placement to offer the best view in different stages of blooming.

Ideally I would like to move the lilac from the front to the back. You can't even see it in the front and there is so much room in the back. The soil is a bit of an issue where the grass is because it is very packed and more like clay than anywhere else in the garden. The japanese maple seems to like the back corner I wonder if there's a spot for a lilac over there?

garden update

We just came in from watering and I thought i should get one shot of the garden anyway so you can see how it has progressed. M. finished the retaining wall, but he still has to finish the front with some rockface he's mentioned so we'll wait and see if that happens.
It is starting to fill in quite well. I've got fucshia's on either side of the wall and they have been blooming since I brought them home in April.
This is what I'm really excited about though...the toad lily! Here it is just getting started. It's the only lily I know of that blooms in the fall. My sister introduced it to me last year and I couldn't believe what a unique plant it turned out to be. We moved last year just as it was starting to take off. I was so happy to find one here and I've been watching it closely to make sure it has all the right conditions. It seems happy doesn't it?

There will be more photos of this to come.

A shared garden

I work with this amazing gardener (TP). I've yet to see her garden, but the variety of plants that she has in her garden suggests to me that it is something to behold.

This lily (Tom Pouce) was given to me from her. She is planning to sell her house in the near future and since making that decision has been dividing her garden, bringing me much of her favorite plants that she wants to share with others.
The Tom Pouce Oriental lily was a complete surprise for me when it opened up into these luscious blooms. Many flowers have attempted to rival my passion for lilies but then I discover another wondrous lily and nothing can come close for me.

One of the perennials that TP has been bringing in for me to transplant are pelargoniums. I've always loved the delicate look of these plants since discovering them as a new gardener and have always tried to include them when I can. They seem to be used quite a bit in gardens here, but one variety has dominated the market (Johnson's blue). Thanks to TP I've now started a collection of pelargoniums (in pink, white, violet and blue) that will fill in to line the steps up to the upper level of the yard. Only one or two have really bloomed since some of the divisions she's given me are quite small, but I expect next spring and summer will bring endless blooms to that will brighten that side of the garden. I can't wait.

recovery

Tough run today. My anticipated 15 k run turned into a 7 k run, walk, run, walk, walk some more, walk home loop. My legs just couldn't do it today. The last thing coach (db) said to me before I left was "don't push it", referring to my injured knee. I put a tensor on and the knee felt okay. I ran along Hoy who-creek trail to run on a softer surface, but my legs were just too tired to get into a rhythm or push me further. After two days of biking to and from work plus all the walking I did at work just added up to my body wanted to rest. No matter how hard I tried to cope mentally, I couldn't force my body to do what it didn't want to do. Then I remember what db said and I walked the last little bit home. I'm glad I planned a loop route so I was headed home when I called it quits.

Now that I've refuelled (fresh bread from the oven) and stretched, I'm going to go out in the garden and tend to the thirsty plants. Whoville was promised rain today, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. The sun is out and it's a bit humid so I'd better water the poor little guys outside.

The garden: phase two

This is the entrance to the garden from our gate. You can see the retaining wall is in place. Our whovillian homeowners plan to put a rock face on it to hide the concrete and it will be not unlike the wall that lines the back of the yard.

You can see how the mulch dominates, but I'm positive about it because everything I've planted here will fill in nicely as time goes on. This second picture shows that the Astilbe has already bloomed. I've planted into the slope to help retain the soil (and the mulch will help with this too actually). I put in some St. John's Wort which grows a bit weedy out here it seems so I'll have to keep an eye on that next year.
This next picture looks up the walkway towards the grass. I added more rocks to help break up the mulchiness. Within the rocks (although you can't really see it here) I added some alpine plants to fill in around. Again the aim is to eventually diminish the mulch.
Finally, I took this picture that looks up towards the compost bin and does show a bit of the sun that we get in the afternoon. The hydrangea in the foreground shows no signs of blooms yet, but I'm hopeful. That could really add some nice colour to the backyard.

I'll try and take some more photos as the garden develops. A friend at work has brought me some of her perennials that she divided so I'll see what might be a good home for them.

The days that followed...

Well, db and I are coping.
We're grieving. The day after we took Svetlana to the vet was my birthday. I know, I know it's a lousy birthday gift, but actually we had made plans to go to the UBC botanical gardens a couple of weeks ago and I still wanted to go.

It felt good to be out and it was a beautiful day.

The gardens are so peaceful and lovely. They are very well tended to as research and display gardens, but the south gardens are very wild looking and the areas flow from one to the other in a woodland setting that feels as one.


























The north gardens (this above photo is the entrance way that trails under the roadway to the north garden) is a little more delineated which makes sense since parts of it are vegetable garden. The food from the veg gardens are donated to local charities which is fantastic. The alpine gardens are also a little more marked off, divided into the different continents and their natural plants.

There is also a Physic garden that is "enclosed by a traditional yew hedge (...) to showcase traditional medicinal plants."










The photos posted are mostly from the south gardens since by the time we reached the north side it was just about closing time.



We have to go back and in a couple of weeks the rest of the lilies should be all in bloom.








The giant lilies happened to be in bloom. At first I read the note that spoke of the variety (Cardiocrinum giganteum) and described them as potentially taking seven years to bloom. The blooms themselves can be 35 cm long! I think these ones were. They can also grow up to 4 m in height. I would love to have such a creature in my garden. One day.







As you may know I love lilies.

They are perhaps my favorite flower. Some of the lilies in the back have bloomed and there are more on the way.

After the botanical gardens we went to another part of town and wandered a little before happening on an Ethiopian restaurant that was just what I had hoped for. The menu outside highlighted the fact that all of their vegetarian dishes are vegan. It was a delicious meal. db was a little disappointed to learn that there was no liquor license, but it really didn't matter in the end. We loved the food.

At home db iced the cake and we had a little Italian bubbly and some cake to celebrate my birthday and toast Svetlana's life.




***

Canada day we spent the day on Granwhoville island. It was packed of course, but just to wander around and spend some time looking at the local artists works was a nice change. I have to say that I didn't feel celebratory or part of the festive group, but I was with db and we were just taking it easy, wandering around with no plan, just enjoying the weather. We did end our visit with a walk through a park/garden that was quite lovely. There really is such pleasure in a garden.

Today the garden drew me in. With the retaining wall finished and all those plants sitting in their pots atop the soil, I couldn't delay any longer.

I should update you with the hard would db and I put in (especially db) as we spent a good two hours two nights ago carting soil from the driveway up into the back yard. Sounds easy enough right? Wrong. In order to do this we had to load buckets from the driveway, take them up the stairs to the first landing where the wheelbarrow was parked, load the wheelbarrow and then push it up an incline that leads into the back yard. Then we had to shovel the dirt uphill since we're dealing with what I would now call a raised bed that rises just above my waist. I leveled the ground just behind the wall and then the yard slopes up and away from there. It was tough work. We had already laid out the newspaper on top of the old soil, and wet it to keep it in place. Then we lay the new soil on top.

Today I got the reward of all the hard work, the planting. I must have put in about 20 plants in total. I mixed perennials and herbs and I even put in a few annuals too boost the colour. Then I mulched. Yup, me and the mulch have accepted one another. I know it must be put in now to maintain the look of the yard and I also knew that the mulch would be handy in holding some of that soil in place on the slope until the perennials fill in. Guess what? The mulch was piled in the driveway. I by-passed the wheelbarrow and just filled buckets and carried them to the backyard two by two by two etc etc. I have no idea how many trips I made, but I used all of the mulch and there's still an area in the back that needs to be mulched as well. Overall the view from the deck will be much improved now that the garden is planted. I can't believe it's almost completed. Now I can just enjoy it. I may get one or two more plants (i'm obsessed) since the sales are underway now.

I'm spent now. I was going to go to van city to see a friend, but I'll have to call her and postpone until next week. I think I'll just head out for a walk and enjoy what I can of the day before it's gone.

Mulch nightmares

The mulch haunts me. There's a thick layer in the front and back yard. After having a quick chat with our homeowners, we compromised and they're adding more mulch to the garden. I want to cry. I'm planting as fast as I can, but if I don't fill the gaps then the mulch comes in. It's looking like a shopping mall out back. Okay that's not true, it still looks like the forest for the most part, but...what can I do, they like the mulch and it's their home.

The funny thing is they appreciate and enjoy the gardening we've been doing, but they don't have the patience to wait for things to grow and develop and fill in the gaps. So last night I woke in a panic over the mulch. You know there's big problems in the world to concern me (war, global warming, animal cruelty, factory farming) and I wake in the night with mulch concerns.

The Garden Grows

Like so many this past long weekend, db and I spent some time in the garden. I think we are still struggling with how to manage this space. It's unconventional in shape and light from what we are use to so we've had to re-think what the best options are in order to include some of our favorite veggies such as tomatoes. db did his research and we picked up heirloom tomatoes that are eastern European in origin. We're hoping that we'll have success with tomatoes that should do fine in a cooler, damper climate. I know the summer can get quite hot here, but we still have a lot of shade on the property and needed to take that into account.

One solution I've been reading about is container gardening. We bought a self-watering container from L.V. so we could find the sunniest spot for some tomatoes and we've continued with the container theme, placing them around our place wherever we find the sun tends to rest for a few hours in the day. Another technique we are trying are the topsy-turvy planters.
db and I had to laugh once we put the planters up because they do look so silly. Nice photo isn't it with the compost bin there? I'm hoping to put another hydrangea to the right of the bin. We put a couple of tomato plants in the planters. The planters were given to me from someone at work so I thought we should give them a try. I've heard good success stories with regards to these planters so why not? The idea is that you reduce any pests that might be after your tomatoes in the ground and by watering through the top, you avoid watering the leaves that don't really like to be moist (and we really need to watch that here). The planters are also on a swivel so the planters turn in the wind, ideally getting sun on all sides. The result will hopefully look like this:


I planted this container full of herbs (sage, marjoram, cuban oregano, mint, thyme, chives and taragon) just before we lost the light of the day. I put a few rocks collected from my east coast travels to fill in the gaps until the herbs get a little larger. I do plan to move the sage to the retaining wall once it's in, but that job hasn't been finished yet. On the right is blood-veined sorrel that I put in a pot because it was the end of the day and I was out of ideas and energy to work on a new area for the herbs.

While db. planted tomatoes, I added more perennials to the garden. This gives you a better idea of how it will continue down the slope on the left side. I added some woolly thyme, a forest fern and another type of fern that is lighter in colour with leaves that are quite feathery (I can't recall the name so you'll just have to imagine with my description). The cedar barrel in the foreground looks huge here, but it's not that big. We're going to put some lettuces in there and set up our furniture on the left.

This final photo gives you an idea of what I'm working with in the rest of the garden. The owners think that the solution to everything is to lay down landscape fabric and then cover it with 3 inches of cedar mulch. I tried to encourage them to leave the space as mulch free as possible, but he rented a truck, took a shovel and loaded up on mulch at the landscape center.


So I'm hoping to fill in those mulched areas with some colour and greenery. I found this beautiful black-leaved Ligularia and had to get it. It is stunning (even db who doesn't really pay too much attention to the perennial planting, said "wow, that looks amazing."). I also planted some wild ginger in this space, toad lilies and a painted fern. Fingers crossed that they will all be happy and thrive here.
These plants are located as you go up the path so it's something nicer to look at as opposed to mulch.

I still feel like there's so much to do. We have a whole area to plant in once the retaining wall is finished. I just hope I can get there before the second batch of mulch arrives.

And Run I did...

...or "wet hell" as db refers to this morning's run. As db just said "I didn't know your extremities could freeze in 8 degree weather." I was actually okay. db however, was on his bike so he wasn't generating the heat I was. I only got cold at the end when I started to shut down and my body was saying "nope, that's enough for the day". I was soaked through by that point.

At 7 am it was quite nice outside. A peaceful morning with just a little cloud in the sky and fairly bright so I wasn't concerned. Last night db and I talked about whether I should run today or tomorrow since the weather looked like it would be miserable today and quite nice on Monday. I decided at 6 am that we should go for it. So I had a little porridge and a shot of espresso (yes, that is how I often start my running day. Don't worry I hydrate plenty all week) and away we went.

We had mostly uphill at the beginning and then it evened out after that, but then the rain came. At the 12 k mark I had to stop because it was raining so hard. db and I waited in a bus shelter for it to "let up". It didn't. I thought we should at least head for an indoors location to wait it out or decide that we should call it a day and then I could run the rest the next morning. When we headed out after a 15 minute delay, I waved db on and kept going. The rain eased (after all Tofino - Ucluelet could be just like today) and I hit my stride again.

At 26 k, a new problem came up as my body was tiring and the muscles cold. I started to tire more quickly. I walked and ran. Then the rain started up again with only 6 k left. I struggled through it to finish my 32 k. db pushed me and encouraged me through to the end. I'll have to think of him with me when the event comes up.

So how do you recover from that? You take a trip to a gardening store. We travelled far out of little neighbourhood to the Natural Gardener. Heaven. It's a small space, but it is chock-full of treasures. While db picked out his heirloom tomatoes that are perfect for our cooler climate, I selected herbs and perennials for our shady garden and for our containers that can be in the more sunnier areas. Marjoram and chives were necessary and then I found a blood-veined sorrel I've never seen before. I also picked up another arugula (or rocket, rucola whatever you like to call it) but it has a purple green hue to the leaves and feels slightly thicker. I suspect it will do okay in part shade like it's green counterpart. As for perennials: woolly thyme, toad lilies and a purple Ligularia were my prized choices. My sis planted toad lilies in the garden last year and they were exquisite so when I found them here and learned that they are shade tolerant I snapped them up.

Yes, tomorrow will be gardening day. I hope we get the sun promised because I can't wait to start planning and digging.

The other way to recover fully from a 32 k run is to have Sunday night pasta. Porcini, crimini, almond cream, tomato vodka sauce atop gemelli pasta. A perfect end to the day.

We walked up the final hill home, exhauted, soaked through, cold and spent. I think it may just have been one of those runs that builds mental toughness.

The Rhododendron

I've been an admirer of Rhododendrons since I first discovered them when living in Victoria. These spectacular trees/shrubs are very showy with their clusters of blooms that burst into spring like no other.



I nurtured a small shrub "back east" when we moved into sis's house and I was determined to bring a little west coast to our garden. The rhodo seemed like the obvious choice. It grew like a bonsai, not really getting beyond a couple of feet tall, but was very showy every spring against the drab background.

I was thrilled to see that our new home had several rhodos in the front yard and one in the back as well. The photos here are two of the front rhodos. I do love the white one.


I had to take another shot so you could get an idea of where the rhodo is situated in relation to the house. D. is bringing his bike down the stairs for our Sunday run/bike session.

While I do enjoy rhododendrons, I've actually become a little bored of them in the last couple of weeks as they seem to be blooming everywhere. Every house on our street has at least one on the front yard if not more and I can almost safely say that the surrounding streets around us are probably the same.

When they are part of a garden they are lovely, but I think their popularity has caused them to turn up on every lot from someone's front yard to the front of the local casino where they seem plunked into the soil that frames the parking lot. It's not very appealing. I've seen straggly looking lots in front of a business, but someone at some point thought that a rhodo should go in there and so it did. There's more to a garden than having plants stuck in the earth.

While I still appreciate a rhodo in a gardenscape, I do also look away when I see one sitting on a patch of grass with nothing else around it. It's difficult to appreciate a plant when it is so misused.

After all of that I've heard that there's a rhodo show this weekend (and general plant sale) not far from here. I'm running a half marathon in Van city on Sunday that starts at a very early time, so I should be finished before anything opens which means we should have lots of time to visit the rhodo/garden show after that.