May 23, 2012

This Week In The Garden & Beyond


Sunshine, heat and Spring rains have all contributed to a happy garden.  The new black violets above are perfectly pouty.  I adore them!



My very favourite thing about lady's mantle is the way it cradles water droplets and makes them look like gems.

The columbine below is about to open any minute...



I'm so in love with this massive tuft of chives I have.  I can never use them all though.  I carve out a hunk every year to gift to someone and they just keep expanding.


The peas will bloom very soon.  And then, those sweet little pods will appear!


My new garden friend.  Look closely - although it looks, from this angle, like he has huge ears - it is actually his wings that are the ribbed stone in the background.


The clouds this week have made for some nice pictures of the valley.  There are two lakes in this shot.  The one beneath the trees and another one that is showing just a sliver beneath the dark hill in the background.  The strip of land between the two lakes is home to one of our valley's cities.


There are 300-400 "countable" lakes in British Columbia, but the number of small lakes and waterways in our province are too numerous to catalogue.  We have so many lakes in the valley that you cannot travel far without passing one.  I never get tired of looking at them.




 "Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books."  John Lubbock







17 comments:

Unknown said...

The lake photos are stunning, I cannot stop looking at them.
I love that little pansy, a real stunner and they self sow which is always welcome.

jaz@octoberfarm said...

gorgeous lake photos. your garden looks wonderful. i love seeing rain on ladies mantel too. my ladies mantle is taking over my gardens!

mxtodis123 said...

Oh, my, I must plant some chives in my herb garden. It's such a lovely plant.
Mary

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I've always loved columbines -- they seem like such an old-fashioned flower to me. I guess it would be called a "heritage" flower today.

I suspect the pickle on a stick tastes like a salty cuke rather than a fully mature pickle. I haven't tried them because, like you, I dislike cukes but love pickles. Maybe I should be more adventurous but I'm not.

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

What a lovely sharing of garden wonders. And the lakes are something this desert girl never gets tired of seeing. Oma Linda

Lois said...

My home tomato plants [in containers] are getting buds, I'm so excited. I had incredible lady's mantle in the country, and I remember those water droplets. Next year I'll find some and plant it in my tiny urban garden.

Anonymous said...

We have many of the same plants. Kindred spirits ; )

Coffee Gypsy said...

My family just bought a house last summer and for the first time, we have a vegetable garden. It was only just a few weeks ago that I found out chives make flowers, and then I realized I wanted to plant them. Your garden looks beautiful--thank you for the pictures:)

jill said...

Lovely pics of the lakes they look so inviting and fresh.Love the black pansy Im going to have to hunt one down for my garden now.Love Jill xx

Barbara F. said...

Gorgeous photos! xo

petoskystone said...

Wonderful scenery!

Free2bfree said...

Beautiful!!!

Jeanne said...

Your part of the world is just gorgeous! So green and lush.
And your garden and flowers are looking beautiful. Your new friend is quite handsome. :0)

Magaly Guerrero said...

You lucky, lucky Witch! I love your garden and your garden friend, too. Even if his ears aren't wing-sized ;-)

And that lake picture... wow!

TMC said...

I love the black violet!

OmaLindasOldeBaggsandStuftShirts said...

Congratulations on being the winner when you commented at Olde Baggs n Stuft Shirts....you're a lucky one. Oma Linda

Anonymous said...

Your flowers are stunning and I love that precious gargoyle statue! Simply adorable. xoxoxo