Observations in the Spring Garden<\/p>\n
Published 1:30 am Saturday, May 30, 2026<\/p>\n
Finally! Some warm\u2026really warm\u2026weather.<\/p>\n
No sweaters and toque required once the sun is above the tree line. I can finally enjoy sitting under the grape arbour with a cup of coffee and enjoy the view in John\u2019s back garden.<\/p>\n
Okay. I admit I always claim the chair bathed in sun to offset any rogue breeze which randomly persists from the north.<\/p>\n
One of the first eye-popper vistas I encounter as I duck under the pear tree on my way to my chair is Rhododendron \u2018Scintillation\u2019. Her regal 2.4\u00d72.4 m (8\u00d78 ft) frame is currently draped in masses of deliciously vibrant pink flower trusses.<\/p>\n
I have mentioned this rhodo in one or two columns in the last 22 years \u2026 maybe more. But I am feeling nostalgic enough to mention \u2018Scinty\u2019 as we affectionately call her, yet one more time.<\/p>\n
In case I have not told you, I found \u2018Scinty\u2019 in the delightful little nursery we had in Gold River. The owner, Mrs. Anderson, always offered a wonderful selection of plants for a small community of less than 2,000 residents. Feeling the need to find something suitable for a new bed near my front door, I took a wander through one day when I did not have my three \u201clittle monsters\u201d in tow. It was a real treat to shop without kids even if it was for a plant.<\/p>\n
The plant options were impressive so making a decision was agonizing. Do I buy a few perennials? Huh. The house sat several metres above the road and just on the downside of a curve to boot. No one would spot perennials driving by. And chances are I would not even enjoy them from my front room window as the deck jutted out a fair distance. Needed something bigger so I wandered through the shrub section and the rest is history.<\/p>\n
\u2018Scintillation\u2019 just happened to be in bloom which stopped me in my tracks but I must confess it was the name which convinced me I had to buy it. Who could resist such a moniker? Its very definition oozed beauty, lust and pleasurable interaction.<\/p>\n
Needless to say, when moving day arrived and I had to leave my home in Gold River, \u2018Scintillation\u2019 was moving to the new home too. Thankfully, she transplanted nicely and has shown how much she likes her placement in the new garden each and every year since.<\/p>\n
Have I raved enough about \u2018Scinty\u2019? Time to switch from large to small and introduce you to Sisyrinchium, or blue-eyed grass as it is commonly called.<\/p>\n
Taking a tour around my front garden one sunny afternoon, I stopped dead, completely gob-smacked to utilize one of my 11-year-old grandson\u2019s favourite words. The flower buds on my diminutive patch of Sisyrinchium \u2018Devon Skies\u2019 had broken open and looked absolutely stunning in a spotlight of afternoon sun. Took my breath, I swear. Quite a feat for a plant which only reaches about 15-20 cm (6-8 in) tall. The light was radiating on the pale sky-blue flowers, with the bright yellow centres back lit as they were against the darker blue throat.<\/p>\n
I have another Sisyrinchium plant on the front edge of my island bed, called \u2018Californian Skies\u2019 which I also enjoy. However, it gets more shade so it is not even in bloom yet. And I don\u2019t ever remember being gob-smacked by sunlight showcasing its flowers. Either I have never hit the right time of day to observe such an occurrence or the centre stage effect just does not reach this tiny plant. But for all of that, \u2018Californian Skies\u2019 is still a delight to behold as we enjoy our afternoon tea on the front porch.<\/p>\n
Going back to nostalgia, I must mention one more plant \u2013 peony. And boy! Were the tree peonies ever gorgeous this year. Always thankful they transplanted so well, especially since they were dug up from the family garden in Victoria and planted in my garden, in January of all months! Now the herbaceous peonies are taking their turn to shine.<\/p>\n
Rather fitting the peonies which came from our mothers\u2019 gardens flower throughout the month when we celebrate Mother\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Observations in the Spring Garden Published 1:30 am Saturday, May 30, 2026 Finally! Some warm\u2026really warm\u2026weather. No sweaters…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":704467,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[49,48,66],"class_list":["post-704466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/704466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=704466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/704466\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/704467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=704466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=704466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=704466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}