A Peek Outside

I looked out on my deck today and guess what I saw?! The bulbs I had planted at the end of January have come up! I was beginning to think that they weren't going to come up- assuming that they had succumbed to death by drowning- but no, these little bulbs are persistent.

They were bulbs I had gotten on sale at Superstore for $0.75 a bag and at the time they didn't look very promising, but I figured I'd give them a shot. The pot closest holds tulips (Luca Banja). The other pot holds chiondoxa forbesii. I had put a twig into one pot, so I'd know which was which. I guess I can take the twig out now!

These bulbs are quite late (most of the other bulbs in the city are blooming or have finished blooming already) but I am happy and will make more updates as I go along.

A Beautiful Day...

... for digging a hole!

One of the great things about the place I've moved to is that the back yard is just lawn. It is a blank canvas just waiting to have plants put into it and I am so excited about trying to garden in Victoria this year!

So today, I got out my shovel and started digging out a flower bed. It's in a corner of the yard where the fence is the highest. My plans are to turn it into a shade garden. I think it will be a mix of perennials and some annuals. I might add a shrub or two but I want it to have mostly perennials: some hostas and ostrich ferns and definitely some plants that I've never tried before.
I won't have as many weather-related challenges here in Victoria as I did on the prairies, and I'm going to be able to try out plants that are new to me; so basically anything higher than a zone 3. I guess a trip to a garden centre is in order!

The weather today was absolutely amazing. I hear that the prairie provinces still have snow but that is definitely not the case here in Victoria. The sun was shining and the temperature was close to 20oC. People were out mowing their lawns and the mail carrier was wearing shorts... AND I had the gardening bug! What a great day :)