Hello. I’d like you to meet Shooting Star, aka Dodecatheon hendersonii. This sweet little thing is one of the native wildflowers blooming in my backyard “woodland bed” right now. Like many of the spring ephemerals (so called because of their fleeting nature), it’s not exactly a show-stopper (but just look at how it wows en masse!). Since there’s just one clump in my garden, it’s best appreciated up close. Luckily, I don’t have much choice but to get close – our backyard is that small.

At 13′ x 15′, our backyard offers, let’s say, the opportunity to get up close and personal with each and every plant in it. Here it is, seen from the third floor balcony. The woodland bed is the one in the bottom right corner of the above photo.

And here it is earlier this month, as everything started to spring to life. Acer palmatum ‘Beni Kawa’ anchors this bed. When I planted it three years ago, I called it “the perfect small space alternative to ‘Sangu Kaku’.” I lied. Sure, it’s smaller than ‘Sangu Kaku,” which can reach 20′ tall, but it isn’t a tiny tree. In our household, it’s generally referred to as “out of control,” or “that &%* tree” as one of it’s ridiculously long branches insinuates itself into your personal space. (more…)

Posted by Andrea Bellamy at 10:02 pm | Permalink | Comments (6)

Yesterday, I joined the hoards of women fighting for the perfect pair of kicky heels at the infamous Army and Navy shoe sale (I restrained myself to three pairs). This is a legendary event, in which women (and a few really brave men) line up for hours to score discount shoes. When the doors open, shoppers run, screaming (literally), to the shoe racks, where they grab everything in their size. When employees come out to restock the shelves, they are mobbed. Crazy, right?

A scene from the annual VanDusen Plant Sale.

Almost as nutty is the equally legendary VanDusen Botanical Garden’s annual plant sale, coming this Sunday, when more than 40,000 plants go on sale to benefit the Garden.

Plant nuts start lining up as early as 7 a.m. for the 10 a.m. door opening. When the doors open at 10 a.m., crazed gardeners race to grab the hot plant picks, usually dragging a wagon or running behind a wheelbarrow. The prize? Gardener’s gold – that special one-of-a-kind plant or great bargain that can’t be found anywhere else. More than 10,000 people attend the sale.

I happen to have an advance copy of the plant sale catalogue (you can download yours here), a list of plants that reads like soft porn. While the sale is known for its fabulous selection of perennials, I was intrigued by the edibles, of course – unusual and heirloom varieties of apples; enough herbs to fill a estate-sized potager; tomatoes, mushrooms. You’ll also find a great selection of cannas, carnivorous plants, Pacific Northwest native plants, pelargoniums, rhodos – and many rare and unusual treasures.

The details

Sunday, April 25
Doors open at 10 a.m. (and close at 4 p.m.)
Great Lawn at VanDusen Botanical Garden
5251 Oak Street at W. 37th

Posted by Andrea Bellamy at 10:52 pm | Permalink | Comments (6)

Found growing in the bed of our much-maligned but never-fail ‘89 Nissan pick-up: one seedling of unknown creed, enjoying the leaf mulch being created as last fall’s leaves break down. Nature makes neglect a beautiful thing, no?

If we didn’t use the truck for hauling manure and moving friends’ boxes, I might consider helping nature along and turn the truck into a mobile garden.

Posted by Andrea Bellamy at 2:05 pm | Permalink | Comments (7)

Lacinato kale blossoms

Kale makes a great crop for overwintering in the veggie garden. But if you’re hoping to harvest an early spring crop of kale greens, be warned: it may just bolt (flower) as soon as the weather starts to warm in late winter or spring. I started one batch of Lacinato (Tuscan) kale in late summer, and was able to harvest greens this spring, however, a second planting started much earlier (late last spring) bolted.

Thank goodness kale flowers are delicious. No, that’s not doing them justice. They are amazingly delicious: full of sweet nectar that makes them taste like a cross between honey and mild broccoli. In a good way.

Kale blossoms are tasty and oh-so-pretty in a green salad. Just keep the dressing light so you don’t overwhelm their delicate flavour.

Posted by Andrea Bellamy at 2:23 pm | Permalink | Comments (7)

The basics

Name of gardener: Syd Carpenter
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Hardiness zone: 6
Size: Small city garden; 100 ft. long by 25 ft. wide; three garden rooms
Orientation: South facing front garden
Years gardened: 15 years

Heavy Petal says: Quite simply, wow. Syd has done an amazing job of creating a garden using a plant-driven design. So often, it’s hardscaping that holds a garden together. Not in this case. It takes experience, artistry, and guts to be able to put together plants in a way that can carry a space. Syd has done just that. And luckily, for those of us who struggle with combining plants (and I’ll admit, it certainly doesn’t come easily for me), she has shared some of her secrets below. (more…)

Posted by Andrea Bellamy at 8:58 pm | Permalink | Comments (7)