Early Spring Flowers in the Okanagan

It's time to get excited about the garden and plans for the yard!  The snow crocuses and large flowering crocuses have looked great in our yard this past week.  They are complemented by the violas and dwarf irises.

As I took photos of my lovely snow crocuses, I accidentally directed our new puppy's attention to the little purple flowers and he granted me this lovely action shot of him eating the flowers.  He likes to be involved in the action.  If I pull weeds, he enthusiastically digs an adjacent hole in a show of solidarity.

Oreo the crocus-munching dog

The dog and family hiked up Giant's Head Mountain here in Summerland this week.  This is a view from one of the little trails that winds around the mountain.  I just kept telling myself that the snakes aren't out yet and the bears aren't eating berries yet.  If it comes down to it, the puppy is a Karelian bear dog and it would give him an exciting experience, but I'd rather not participate.

View from Giant's Head Mountain, looking northeast

There were several of the sagebrush buttercups blooming on the mountain, this one alongside a flower bulb that is just coming up.  I'm not sure what the bulb is, but surely want to find out.  The sagebrush buttercup, like the rest of the buttercup family, is poisonous.  This feature was known to local native groups, who used it as poison on their arrowheads when they were hunting.  I advised the kids not to touch it.  

 

 

The early dwarf irises are blooming in my yard -- my first time growing this kind in BC.  The blue are "Cantab" and the white...I am not sure about.  The label reads something that sounds like a French word I accidentally transcribed from the package that had nothing to do with the flower.  

 

Winter Losses and Some Rock Garden Gems

I just realized that it is the peak of the apple blossoms and I didn't photograph them!  Oh well, will try to remember it tomorrow.  However, my greatest enjoyment at the moment is the "rock garden" or so I call it.  The bright colors of the spring bulbs and violets make me happy.  While I did plant most of the spring bulbs in fall, I did cheat on a few of the grape hyacinths and bought a few pots of them at the garden center.  Every time I see these little gems I do want more of them (and the other spring bulbs).   

Grape hyacinths

Kitty stalking nature (a rare stroll outside)

 Yellow colors in the rock garden are from the new growth of the Euphorbia polychroma and the densely planted mass of Narcissus "Tete-a-tete" (mini daffodils).  Both are winter hardy, unlike the hardy ice plants, Delosperma nubigenum, which did a disappearing act over the winter.  This was particularly irritating, as this same plant survived all winters in northern Saskatchewan.  Either it lacked the protection of snow cover, or it resented being damp in a bed covered with bark mulch.  I am testing my theories by planting some of the same ice plants in some sandy soil in a non-irrigated dry part of the yard.     

Hybrid "Sorbet" series violas, which I started from seed

Rock garden, with Tete-a-tete narciccus (yellow bunch) with a background of apple trees

Finally, low-growing, white-flowered hardy perennials.  I hope to see these develop into lovely white mats over time.  I also have another white-flowering rock garden plant, Arenaria montana, which I started from seed and should flower next year.  The Arabis is a bit taller and more loose, while the Iberis looks like it will make a nice dense carpet. 

Iberis "Snowball"

Arabis caucasica next to a Primula auricula

Aside from the ice plants, my forsythia produced only a few feeble blossoms and looks half-dead, my Bay laurels are dead (I just realized they are "zone 8" and therefore not hardy in zone 6), some of the Pieris are suffered significant winter kill, and one Cornus sericea "Kelseyi" did not make it.  I saw more of these same plants being sold at the Canadian Tire, but I don't think it would be rational to plant the same again.  Moving on, trying other things.  How has your garden fared?

Just Flowers, No Blizzards Here

The "Ruby Giant" snow crocuses are blooming today for the first weekend of spring!  While I saw the bulbs in Penticton blooming much ahead of us, our elevation just above the valley floor seemed to delay the blooms up here. 

Crocus tomassinianus "Ruby Giant"

 I notice that the crocuses in more shade are barely up and I suspect they will not do as well.  I will avoid planting them in those places in the future.  My daffodils have flower buds on them but are not open yet.  Today was a great day for weeding and spring cleanup.  I've trimmed the lavender and cut dead growth from most of the shrubs and perennials already.  I realized that it is time (or may beyond the time) to find some table grape vines to plant in the yard.  However, I see that several online sellers are already sold out of many varieties.  I will try some local nurseries and see what is available...and soon!

Crocus tomassinianus "Ruby Giant"

My large flowered crocuses are just starting to open now.  You can never have too many crocuses, and with enough time, these lovely little spring bulbs will multiply into bigger and better shows.  I can't imagine life in the eastern half of Canada at this point, dealing with shoveling cars out of snowbanks.  I so much appreciate my flowers here in BC!