End of month view - February

 Following this January's wet, mild weather and February's contribution of bitter cold with gale force winds and a dusting of snow - I expected our front border to be somewhat the worse for wear.  Fortunately, most of the existing plants seem to have escaped harm (although my lovely hellebore was flattened), and the spring bulbs (namely miniature daffodills and crocus are now putting on a lovely show. 

This is the time of year, when I find myself yearning for warmer days, and glorious sunshine - planting out weather,  However, it is much too soon (and damp) for that - so I contented myself instead with the placement of two wrought iron decorative supports, which will later contain a somewhat uncontrollable rambling rose, and a "Bishop of Canterbury" dahlia.

Meanwhile,  seeding is going well indoors (under the floralight)  aided by the welcome placement of a forced-air heating vent which warms things up nicely

First leaves on the bonica roses - a sure sign of spring.

  

The breezeway will soon be home to a fabulous climbing rose, and maybe a clematis on the other side (I'm looking into the new Vancouver cultiver at this time). The breezeway was constructed last year in memory of my father's cedar arch - which provided many years of pleasure for us all - and support for winter jasmine, California lilac, and of course, a clematis.  Sadly, the cedar arch blew down in a terrible gale the same year my father passed away (2006).  The present breezeway frames the entrance into the side garden including the patio and  koi pond.  The woodland garden stretches out beyond that.

This final view of the front border shows the breezeway on the left, an English lavender bush, roses, bulbs, sea thrift, heather, and some other miscellaneous plants (including forget-me-nots and sedum acre which must eventually be moved).  N.C. and I are slowly improving the soil - adding a mixture of compost and top soil to areas which were disturbed when the irrigation system was dug in (everything slopes a bit now).  The garden is still looking quite bare and winter-like, but showing definite promise of things to come. 

Wild weather

This rather fuzzy shot captures the view from our house during a brisk south-easterly gale.

Spring snowstorm

When we awoke this morning, we discovered a dusting of snow covering the garden.  Not especially deep, but very pretty - any type of snow is unusual here on the west coast where the rainy season usually produces mist, drizzle, rain of all types & volume, gales, and torrential downpours.  However, the frozen variety is an uncommon occurance - so in order to take advantage of it, I took a brief and chilly early morning strole to take some pictures and enjoy the views.  Luna accompanied me - jumping around and trying to role in the stuff (she is part husky after all) while Ozzie (the quintessential California pup) hid under a big spruce tree.  The cats were suitably disgusted, prefering to hover by the door and wait for a spot on a warm lap.

The messy table

Shoe shoe taking advantage of my messy table to curl up and have a rest.  She has 2 nicknames now:  Madam and Mrs. Big Tail.  As you can see, she is an expert at finding a comfortable spot for a quick cat nap.

Driftwood on the beach.

Driftwood that washes up on the beach in front of our home.  Love this ever changing landscape that arrives with the tide, and provides endless opportunities for artistic expression.  Best of all it's free - the only cost being the energy required to gather your supply while taking in the beautiful views.

Blooming February Flowers!

Heather in various shades of purple, pink, cream, and white add splashes of colour to the garden.

...while these colourful beauties have been sitting out in a planter all winter!

More Blooming February Flowers!

Although the nights are still cool here on the west coast, the woodland garden is already showing that it is ready to awaken in just a few weeks time. I thought I'd use this opportunity to photograph a few of the emerging flowers. Snowdrops of course are everywhere, providing hopeful signs of things to come as well as their own special patches of light and brightness. The hellebore is still looking good, although it has taken quite a battering by the rain as of late. There are more blooms to come, as well as another (greenish colour) hellebore located elsewhere which was a surprise discovery last week.

Happy 25th birthday Jeff!

A quick break from the gardening entries to note the birthday celebration of cactus-kid extraordinaire (aka Jump) - Mr. Jeff P. who turned 25 on January 28th. Congratulations!

January - end of the month view

Loved the idea of participating in the end of the month review as suggested by a couple of other gardening blogs that I follow. So here is my contribution - a rather barren January view of the newly expanded front border located under the bay window at the entrance to our house. The shrub roses are bonica, and there are also plantings of heather (in bloom!), sea thrift, and an old fashioned climbing rose (light pink bloom) which is unidentified as to type and species. Just out of view on the left, is an English lavender bush. There are some spring bulbs beginning to show, but overall the border leaves plenty of room for interpretation (and inspiration!) at the commencement of the 2011 garden season

I was thinking that this border would be a great place to grow annuals such as cosmos, alyssum, petunia, and salvia. The colour choices are already established in this border (shades of pink/mauve/white) and I'm thinking that these additions would complement the already existing plants (as well as look nice against the pink brick of the house and pavers). The border is drenched in sunshine for most of the summer, and I suppose I'm looking for a cottage garden effect - that wouldn't clash with the woodland and old growth forest surrounding the house.

Koi pond & woodland garden - early February

I photographed this view of the koi pond, looking west into the woodland garden earlier today. Although the snowdrops are out and the other bulbs are beginning to show, it is still remarkably bare compared to later in the season. This is primarily a spring and fall garden, although this time around I hope to plant a variety of annuals in the sunny border directly in front of the house (see the next post!) The ground surrounding the pond was unavoidably disturbed last year due to the construction work (pergola, paving, and pond) that took place. Now that several months have passed, we hope to see the benefit of all the hard work that went on - especially the effort put into restoring the original planting as much as possible. I am looking forward to watching the seasons unfold, and observing the natural beauty of the woodland as the bare soil gives way to bluebells, daffodils, and tulips. - heralding the arrival of spring.