After three lovely days of going out and about with my friend Paul, I feel refreshed and rejuvenated. We spent the time together reminiscing; it is twenty-two years since Paul lived in Bellingham. Despite the cloud and rainy weather, we had fun. On our last day we went to Van Dusen Gardens in Vancouver BC. A botanical paradise we often went to in the past. I used their intense labeling of trees, shrubs, and perennials to forward my knowledge of plant material.
While working at DeWildes, now torn down, I created a flip file of laminated photographs of what to expect from the plant in all seasons. Was it deciduous or evergreen? Was it fragrant? When did it usually bloom? Did it die back in the winter? Except for the labeling, I have applied the knowledge from this botanical gem to my little piece of paradise. I spent the last two days working quietly alone. During sunny moments, both my dogs joined me.
Since the beginning of the year, I have watched my two Witch Hazels bloom in the snow. The snowdrops, multiplying in great numbers, popped their delicate white heads above the rocks. My hellebores bent their colorful heads against the frost, straightened up, and showed their faces in the sun. Now it is time to cut off the flower stems heavy with seed pods.
My early pink Rhododendron is in full bloom, and the Kerria is opening its delightful, bright sunny flowers in the corners of my garden. I am still fighting the moles, who decided that this was the year, right after I finished putting down a ton of stones in my garden, to come up everywhere. I have to keep hoping that I am winning and pesky creatures will soon move on to other futile ground. At least I don’t have Gophers, an animal Paul battles in his garden in California.
