Lilies incoming ...

I should really be awake earlier in the day more often to take  pictures in the backyard.  These were astounding. For the most part, I've done zero retouching in my graphics program.

Enjoy!

Day lilies

I'm having problems with the lily garden ... two years ago, I moved the lily bed because the flowers were being overshadowed by the maples and elms.   The new location, while sunny,  has turned out to be too wet for the bulbs and I'm losing the battle to keep them healthy.

At least the day lilies are very, very happy.  I can't imagine a garden without lilies!

During the bright of day, these flowers can look a bit washed out, but an overcast day
really brings out the peaches and corals.  

Orange and red together is a terrific combination in the garden.  Don't try this on your wardrobe.

June Garden

June is the month that my garden shimmers with excitement.  Every day you go out, there is something better to see.  It doesn't hurt that the weather turns to summer and stays fixed there.  So far this year, we've not hand too many rainy days .. nor too many really hot days.

The double mock orange frames the stairs to the lower lawn

Early morning sunshine bounces around the gazing ball and sends little dances of light
to the nearby plants.

Every time this iris flowers, I can't help but think of elegant ball gowns

Oh man .. this is why I love peonies.  A fragrance, hard to catch, but so
enticing .. and look at all those ruffles ... like the plant just can't give us enough 'fancy.'

This isn't a shot of my double mock orange so much as a little grin at
last year's nervy red snapdragon trying its best to arrange its own display

Morning sunshine over our side stairs.

May Promise

May is the month that my garden begins to show its promise, like it's waiting to be spectacular, waiting for some signal to be glorious. It's also the month I probably have the gardening bug the strongest.  Maybe its just waiting for me to quit my planning.

The campanula softens all the granite squatting at the edge of my patio like a huge, stern
relative who can't help but smile at the antics of the kids

I can't tell you how happy I was to see the peony flower buds.  This is the first year they've been
happy enough to want to flower.  However,  we've seen this stage in Calgary too, and not
had them flower out, so I held my breath and crossed my fingers.

The coral bark, in need of a trimming, does its best to off set the rock wall.  

 

I love having different coloured rhododendrons in my garden as it means
a parade of colour through many weeks.  Here, the purple grabs your attention
from the back of the yard.  We don't normally see this from our patio, as its tucked in behind
the Japanese maple.

Maybe next year, this clematis will learn to flower at a more respectable height!

Beauty in the back yard

At first glance, you might think this a small crow, but its actually a Brewer's Blackbird giving our backyard the once over from his lofty position atop a spruce. Alas, this shot doesn't show the iridescence on his body.

Now, I'm not one to get all gaga about sunsets, but sometimes, the sky just begs for a camera. This was taken from our balcony where I think I was out directing Bruce on how to properly barbeque.  Since he's only done it for as long as I can remember, he probably needed my help, right?

Heart of Stone

You might recall that I posted a birthday card a  few years ago that included a heart made of stone, which is a recurring theme in the life of the Neumans .. ever since he found a huge stone in the river one day while we were on a camping trip.

He's produced various heart-shaped rocks for me over the years.  I have a 2" one that resides under the seat of my car, because of course, you cannot ever dare throw them out and where else would you put it?

The other day, he brought me a few seashells from outrigger session as well as .. you guessed it .. another heart of stone.  This time, it was a bit larger, being about six or seven inches across at its widest. I thought I'd show him that the rock gifts, while not always kept, were always appreciated.

So I got out my paints ....

Look to see this one on my doorstep with the collection of driftwood and last autumn's oak leaves from my neighbour's tree.

And .. happy birthday once again, my husband.

More from the garden

It seems to me that you haven't been kept fully in the loop on what's happening in my garden right now, other than a whole bunch of avoiding cleaning last fall's trash.  Maybe, if I'm lucky, it will all compost before I have to get in there.  A girl can dream, right?

Front Yard

This first shot is a contrast of dark red and bleach white; with its wickedly long thorns, the barberry bush protects our feathery-petaled star azalea.

Barberry Bush and Star Azalea 

White is in abundance in the spring garden.  The bleeding heart bush has, without prompting from me, grown back from the shell-shock it received earlier this spring.

 Peiris.  Cascading bells make me happy.

I forget what these wee purple flowers are .. they were on sale when I purchased and planted them last year, hoping they'd grow nicely on my rock wall.  I had the idea that I'd plant a few more, so perhaps I'd better do a bit of research!

My front step .. the first flowers of the season .. white and deep red carnations set against the side panel of my front door.  The camera angle makes this look rather like a drunken carpenter was at work here.

Still blooming wildly .. this is what the evergreen jasmine looks like from my neighbor's side of the fence.

Back yard

The coral bark tree reaches skyward vigorously .. I think this is the year to learn how to prune it properly.

Pink heather borders the lower lawn just below my lily garden.

Finally, no spring garden showcase would be complete without muscari.  Certainly not mine .. these guys are naturalizing above my lily garden.

You might have a deer problem

... if your cedar hedge looks like this.

This is the neighbour's one-day hedge, which looks like its really just going to only ever be deer fodder.  You can see this thwarted promise all over the city.

At local garden centres in Calgary, the first question we wanted to know is whether a plant was winter hardy. Here, it's if a plant is deer resistant.  There are many webpages dedicated to gardening and planning for the unwelcome visitors, but we usually rely up on a liberal application of Plantskydd.

Inspiration

This is the month of garden dreams and plans, a month of creativity while waiting for May's plantings It's also the month of clean up, but for now .. I'm in full-on planning mode. I'm  trying to think of what I want to do to my pots this year.  I went cruising the aisles of my friendly neighborhood internet for DIY projects ... and I thought I'd share with you.

It would seem that I'm a fan of polka dots, especially in combination with other things. Good thing this isn't clothing - I won't be caught within a mile of polka dots.

 We'll see how things eventually work themselves out, but I wouldn't be too surprised to see some sort of dottish thing going on. As for colors, I think I've settled on a combination that is inspired by some dinner plates my Granny had when I was a kid. It'll be better on the pots, I  promise!

I'll post results as I have them.

I suspect shenanigans

Each time I park my car, I get to look at this amusing little vignette.  Tucked in amongst the peiris, our smug little sculpture waits for the birds to come visit from the suet holder Bruce has set up.  From the relative comfort of his office chair, he and the cats lolling on top of the file cabinet can watch the show.

Our local bird store has suggested filling a suet holder with bits of fur (lord knows we have enough cat fur around with both cats blowing their coats), lint, string and cotton bits to help the birds with their nesting needs.

Bruce's interest in the birds of our garden has certainly been mirrored by our own family felines, whom we often find crouched down by a window in 'hunting mode.'   Ours are no danger to the birds, not being allowed out, but we do have a neighbour who lets her cat wander about and he finds our yard quite delightful.  I wonder if it's the sun-warmed patio flagstones or if it's potential meals.  Call me suspicious, but I think there's funny business afoot.

... And the bees

My kitchen window, despite its spatters of washwater, collection of oddly shaped dusty bottles, and view of the neighbour's siding, is also one of the first to give us a glimpse of spring perspectives.

Jasmine blossoms

At the start of February, what looked to be spring was occurring here in Nanaimo.  Then we got snow and confused the plants that were ready to bud.  Eventually the snow melted, temperatures warmed up and the plants grew a bit, again ready to herald the season, only to be foiled again with more snow and then what seemed like weeks of grey soggy weather. Despite all of the spring nonsense that followed a relatively dry winter, this jasmine seems, like many of the plants in the garden who survived the crushing weight of snow that ripped down many of my shrubs and split tree trunks, ready to defy the odds and put on a spectacular spring greeting.

Like young men hovering about silver chased punch bowls and milling near the edges of dance floors hoping to catch the eye of the year's debutantes, this bumblebee flits among the spring's first jasmine blossoms. Gladly welcomed by the ladies in their ball finery, he's sure to break their hearts .. his has already been given to his queen.

The Birds ...

Spring has sprung,
The grass has riz.
I wonder where the birdies is.

Dorky poem perhaps, but a staple of my childhood.  I can still see my father's grin as he recited it.

Bruce asked Santa for, and received, a book on birds of the West Coast.  It's since sat handy to his telescope, coffee cup and comfy chair.  It turns out that we have quite a selection of birds in our yard, and Bruce has said that he'll do his best to capture some of them on film for me.

So, the answer to my father's perennial poetry query is ... the birdies is in our backyard.  ::grin::

Anna's Hummingbird

 I've misidentified this bird in my files, so I'll need t fix it .. this isn't a ruby-throated hummingbird - the rubies are on the other coast and like warmer climates than do Anna's.  This particular bird likes the very top of our arbutus tree; apparently he's set himself up as a sentry for the yard and he can certainly view the whole zone from this perch.  He's quite ferocious with that long beak and the other birds are very wary of the little guy.  He must be the chihuahua of the bird species.

Spotted Towhee

I've never even heard of towhees before last month. Now it appears that this bright little fella is one of many who visit our yard, along with assorted swallows, chickadees, finches, wrens and other sparrows.  Normally, the spotted towhees spend their time on the ground in the leaf litter, so catching him on a branch was a stroke of luck.  That, and the mating season when males grab a good vantage point to sing songs for their ladies.  After all, in spring a young bird's fancy turns lightly to thoughts of love ... if you'll allow me to shamelessly abuse Alfred Lord Tennyson for my own amusement.

Enjoy!

Also, the poem quoted at the start is known as "Spring in the Bronx" by Anonymous.  Isn't the internet wonderful?

Which way to the beach?

These beach chairs seem a little forlorn as they await the proper season to be truly appreciated. The advent of spring has been put on hold with really cold temperatures for the island. Still, Mother Nature is a gal who's always ready for a party ... you can see the coral heather budding out in the bottom left of this picture.  Now, if we could only get Ms. Nature to clean her own room ...

A Spring on my Step

Those plants outside my door have announced Spring .. maybe these plants are confused, but I'm just going to roll with their proclamation and take it as 'official.'  It smells like equal parts ambrosia, rainbows and fairy dust outside my door.  Yes, that good.

Diamonds in the Rough

When Nature wants to dress up, she doesn't settle for second best or care that the sun isn't shining.  She's decked out our Japanese maple with strings of the finest diamonds .. enough to lift the fog that seems ever present these days.

I know its January, but ...

I've just this past week managed to get the Christmas decorations down and dried out ... we're having a bit of a soggy new year so far.  So color me surprised to see signs of Spring in my yard.  I had been out watching out for Bruce as he climbed on top of our roof to clean out the gutters.  The service we hired in the autumn did only a half-assed job so there we were ... out on day sandwiched in between rainshowers.  My job was simply to watch out for Bruce, so I managed to get in a bit of garden gawking as well.  Also, I discovered that my husband can move over the roof almost as fast as a squirrel can scamper.

This is Camillia Japonica, sometimes called the Rose of Winter.  Although its the official state flower of Alabama, its equally at home in my yard, nestled among the cedar hedge.  It shouldn't be there, but it would be just too difficult to move anymore, so they've got to make peace with each other.  You can see that there is a bit of dark blight on the leaves that I'll ask Dorothy about when she and Dad visit in a few weeks.  I'm kind of excited about their visit.

They look a lot like pussy willows right now, but these branches will flower out before they leaf out. Seems a bit backwards, but the show is nice in early spring.  These buds will look like this for a while, I've learned.

I've no idea what these are, but they live beside my door, trapped in a flower bed where they can't take over the world, which is apparently their wont.   They are generally the first teeny tiny flowers of spring, but if it weren't for their smell, you might miss them.  Without being overpowering, the smell can literally stop you in your tracks and make you look around to see what could be doing that.  That's when you notice the flowers.

And lastly, its the time when you begin to see this more often in your garden.  This doe was busy chomping away on the neighbor's cedars (which are wrapped in deer fencing that does nothing to deter them) until I chased her across the street where she munched her way through the undergrowth.

And to my brother Kelly .. happy birthday bro.  I know it was yesterday .. I sent you an email too :)  To Ilana ... hope your birthday tomorrow is fantastic!