Elli Gardens - And You Can, Too!

Well, there aren’t any berries yet. But there sure are lots of flowers! Counting the lonely strawberry I planted in the front flower bed, and the five new arrivals in the back flower beds, and the bunch in my strawberry pot, I have roughly a metric tonne of berries coming this year. I can’t wait! Strawberries are pretty much my favourite berry. Maybe right after blueberries and raspberries…

Any recipe suggestions for the summer?

Strawberry pot full to bursting

Lonely Front Yard Strawberry

Vancouver, BC is a great place to find amazing rhododendrons. Rhodos are flowering bushes that can reach immense proportions, as can be seen in the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens’ Rhododendron Walk. Most houses I’ve lived in have come with rhododendrons or their tinier variant, the azalea. The one house that didn’t have one? I planted a red azalea to keep me company. According to Wikipedia, the azalea is known to the Chinese as the “thinking of home bush” and I find that fitting. From what I’ve managed to glean from local gardeners, many of the Vancouver rhodos are of Asian origin, brought over by immigrants who wanted a reminder of their first home. This explains the large variety of sizes, colours, and flowers you’ll find here.

My current house has a couple rhodos in the front yard, a largish one in the back (about five feet tall, with about a 5 foot diameter spread), and a beautiful pink one in the flower bed along the back fence. It was trimmed back pretty hard over the winter, so I’m impressed by its output this spring! I love the burst of colour right across from my office window. The larger rhodos in the yard have buds on them, but have yet to bloom.

Pretty Pink Rhododendron

How do I know it’s a rhododendron? Apparently rhodo blooms have ten stamens, whereas azaleas only have five!

As promised, here are some photos of the newest additions to my 2010 backyard garden. Included are a curry plant, a banana pepper, swiss chard (half in pots and half in the flower bed), some more strawberries, a Super Fantastic VF tomato, and two adorable little squashes. So far all are looking happy and healthy!

Now I just have to make sure our little dog doesn’t keep digging up the pepper plant! She seems to be encouraged by the nicely loosened earth in the plant containers. To compensate, I’ve designated an empty corner of the garden as her digging spot. Hopefully she figures out the plan soon!

On Sunday I headed out to the local nursery, as they were having an anniversary sale and lots of their product was 50% off. Having spent about $28, I came home with:
5 ever bearing strawberry plants
1 banana pepper plant
1 small curry plant
1 SF Fantastic tomato plant
2 acorn squash plants
6 swiss chard plants
1 pair nitrile gloves that actually fit me
ant killer for my kitchen ants

Pictures to come! It’s been raining since then!

These tiny tulips flowered under my rose bushes in the front yard. They’re quite a spot of sunshine, with bright orange colours set off by the black centres. According to this site, they’re called “Little Princess” Miniature Tulips. Whatever they are, they seem to grow well and are only about 6-8″ tall, so they fill the height gaps under larger shrubbery perfectly.

Elli recommends them! Thumbs up!

I’ve done a bit of research and still can’t identify these ones. They blossomed just a few days ago. The stalks are about a foot tall, topped with purple and white cattail-like flowers. Any suggestions or ideas? They’re very interesting looking, and I’d love to recommend them to friends!

Mystery Cat Tail Flowers

There’s nothing quite like a spring morning — the air fresh and cool, the plants full of promise and sunshine. Every morning, while I’m out with the puppy, waiting for her to perform her outside duties, I like to investigate my garden and see what’s new. Today I noticed how these big, furry leaves catch the dew drops to save for the rest of the day. The dog has discovered the water catchpockets, too. She likes to drink out of them almost as much as she likes to drink out of her upside-down frisbee on the grass!

Catching the Dew

Last year I was given a very neat little promotional gift. It was a plastic drinking cup filled with a little dehydrated puck of soil and a bunch of Forget-Me-Not seeds. The idea was to water the seeds, and then post photos of your results to share with other people who got a similar gift.

The cup wasn’t very good at drainage, and it kept getting knocked over, so by halfway through last summer I re-potted the sprouts into a proper pot in proper soil. They thrived! This year they appear to be back. Despite being kept in the dry carport all winter, there are a few shoots already!

Don't forget these!

As I mentioned previously, Constant Reader, the moss has been slowly but surely taking over both our front and back yards. And no, it does not always grow on the north side of the tree. In Vancouver Canada, the moss grows 25′ up the tree on all sides. Countless Boy Scouts and Girl Guides have been lost in the wilderness as a result.

But, I digress. The moss is taking over. I really believe in natural means of control, not Monsanto. Also, this year we have a new addition to the family in the form of a wee pup named Daisy. I am simply not willing to expose her to weed killers or anything of that nature. So what are the remaining options? Digging out the moss by hand? BY GOD I WILL IF I HAVE TO! Or is there a simpler, quicker way? Perhaps just a steady glare in that direction every day will help frighten it off?

sigh.

The Creeping Moss

Our neighbours to the south seem to have let their vine overhang the fence. After a closer look, I spied what appear to be tiny grapes! If that’s the case, I hope the kind people next door don’t mind us collecting some fruits of their labours! What is the rule that applies in this case? “Finders Keepers?” “My Side of the Fence?” or “Don’t Touch What Isn’t Yours?” Thoughts are welcome. Hopefully you’ll agree with our cause

The Grapes of Possible Wrath