A couple of nice thing happened last week. I was out for a walk, doing my sleuth bit, looking for things coming up in gardens, when I spotted a real, honest-to-goodness spring dandelion sitting smiling in a patch of dead grass. To me this is a real sign of spring, not one we have planted, but one Mother Nature has done all on her own. Pardon me while I do my version of the highland fling to celebrate. Oops, I didn’t see that chair. Oh well, I’m sure it can be mended.
The other delightful thing happened the same day. I heard a voice just as I reached home, calling me. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was Norma Nairn, someone I took the master gardener’s course with, years ago. What a thrill. She and her husband are hoping to move to Sidney, and have their beautiful farm in North Saanich up for sale.
I saw clumps of daffodils in several gardens, lots of snow drops, a few crocus and lots and lots of heather (Erica). These are wonderful evergreen plants, and given the right spot, and by purchasing a wide variety, (of small ones) will provide colour all year long. Bunty had a large circular bed of Erica that was an eye-catcher, but then she is a Scot, and they have a special way with heathers. These perennial plants need an acid soil, and perfect drainage. I tried a couple when we lived on Melissa Street, but our soil was clay and the drainage was poor and they hated it, so dropped all their needles and died. I have some Scottish ancestors. They must have been ashamed.
However, for those of you lucky enough to have an acid, well drained area, preferably in a fairly sunny location, you might like to try some of these beauties. They need to be lightly sheared after blooming, but otherwise need little care, watering once in a while, and a sprinkle of an acid fertilizer in early spring should be adequate.