Chelan WA & Osoyoos BC.

Beach front in Chelan, WA. (50.5 miles of glacier-fed lake.) The water colour was amazing! This is our third time here. (littleman's second)










Little man's first sand castle... made by himself.


Photo below: Osoyoos BC.
The Vegetation is similar,the water is warmer but not as blue. (warmest fresh water lake in Canada)















Prep work.







Our little Mermaid.

Garden update just before our... Summer Vacation

Views from the back gazebo.






Over-wintered Fuchsia with additions of
Scaevola 'New Wonder' and trailing Tasmanian violets










The blue clay pot is filled with Broccoli and the tomatoe above is 'Green Zebra' .




Hydrangea in full bloom... this variety usually doesn't blooms until August.

Solar Hummingbird & Dragonfly

The hummer was starting to glow as darkness set in. Now if I could catch a real hummingbird in flight...




'Flashing lights' & 'Arctic fire' dianthus in flower.
My little 'Patio charm' tomatoe finally starting to fill out. It even has three fruit trusses ready to bloom.

At night the dragonfly glows. I like the red and the blue light best, the green is a bit eerie.

Damselfly on Butterfly Impatiens.

You can see a Damselfly perched on an Impatiens flower. It has been as high as 37C here, which is about 99F. This morning it is only 20C so far.(high 20's for today) We have had a few really hot days mixed with average temperatures.

After...

It was 32C today, summer is here!
Broccoli & Tomatoe finally starting to grow.








First 'Stella de Oro' Daylily. New fence in the background.









Butterfly Impatiens.

Blooms of June.

As the season progresses... we actually have sun today.

Above photo is
salmon Impatiens from seed.










Geranium in front garden bed.

Before...

A new fence is on the way.












The first boards come down.










Later...











Later yet...


A view to the street.

Hanging baskets mixing with the locals-
patiently waiting to grace the new fence. Now if we had more sun, the tomatoes would not look so pathetic. The broccoli is also at a slow pace. This spring has if anything, extended the season for violas and cool weather crops. And finally the fuchsia's are trying to come back from last year.


The gazebo sits in the lawn protecting the swing from any further rain. My son's sand/water table now lives on the lava rocks in the tiered garden. Along with the cold frame filled with sand, soil and hanging brackets. (and one Christmas cactus.) Only a lonely loveseat sits on the patio without cushions. We just set up the patio furniture, now it's back in the garage. (a little full I might add)












The now mud pit, where the fence tomatoe shelf shaded the grass.

Spanish lavender with its pineapple shaped flowers.






Wildflowers from Becky finally planted.
Now the wait begins...

May long weekend.

Primula Vialii - Primrose Orchid in bloom.

The long weekend started out great. We took a three hour family bike ride on Saturday, along the Fort to Fort trail. Our son has a trailer behind my bike which enabled us to go on a long ride. It was around 32C / 89.6 F, so we made a Gelato stop after a slice of pizza.
Sunday was a day to relax under the gazebo, once our new wicker backyard set was put together. (many thanks to my husband.) I transplanted my tomatoes to their final homes. One had the honour of trying out the Topsy turvey II planter. It should be interesting to watch grow; as it's planted upside down.

By Monday rain was setting in.

The cooler weather has done wonders for last year's Viola.






'Harvest Red 'snapdragon is in
bloom.



This morning (back to school & work) we had a thunder and lightning storm that gave way to sunshine in the afternoon. The thunder was quite intense as I could hear the china rattle a few times. On my morning travels, I discovered a tea light lantern with dragonflies on it. Of course - I had to buy it!

Is it spring yet?

Looks like spring...


















The season is colder than normal ...
but there is colour.
Nemesia and diascia are sheltered some what on the front landing.









'Harvest red' snapdragon showing signs of the first flowers.








Impatiens, including the new Butterfly lavender variety, Hypoestes pink (polka-dot-plant) and Oxalis adenophylla . Plants that don't mind some shade, will happily grow on the wall near the gazebo.





And the verdict is... not sure, looks like a weed.

I believe Ralph Waldo Emerson noted "What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have never been discovered."

I've got mail!

Yesterday I received my order from the Cook's Garden.('Garden Peach' tomatoe should be here shortly) Among the seed packs of organic 'Green Zebra' tomatoe and lettuce 'Reine des Glaces' was Four-Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman.

Just reading the first chapter I was inspired to try more fall plantings this year. Lettuce 'Reine des Glaces', maybe 'Winter Density' lettuce, some spinach and possibly more broccoli. (will see how the broccoli does in the pot this summer.)

The Cook's Garden has many varieties of fall and winter harvest vegetable as does West Coast Seeds; so many prospects.

Time to transplant

The three 'Balcony charm' tomatoes fit nicely in the herb pots. The 'Green zebra' transplants made it into the new pots.



Broccoli 'Romanesco Natalino', finally. This is the first year;I'll see how they grow in pots.



I am trying one Broccoli 'Munchkin' transplanted to its final home. The other I'll put in the cold frame until it gets a bit bigger. I have read that they do not like being transplanted; so this will be a trial run. (I plant vegetables, herbs and fruit in pots.) (only flowers, shrubs etc., are in the garden beds because of space issues)


Only two Impatiens stayed in the original pot. It's funny how one is usually a bit larger than the rest. I will have a dozen plants for my hanging rail planter out front.

Three mystery plants in various stages of growth...are they weeds? Only time will tell.

The garden update

Another Dragonfly...


'YOU and ME' in Purple Primula x tommasinii.
Just a few flowers; notice the nesting flower pattern.




Variegated Silene uniflora below the rock and Primula vulgaris double 'Val Horncastle' to the left of it. I can't wait until they fill in.




Yellow Erysimum (wallflower); one in each pot.
Purple Pansies over wintered well and a Primula wulfeniana sending up one umbel of purple flowers. Snapdragon 'Harvest red' in terracotta pot with wallflower and an Auricula Primrose.



Nemesia, Diascia and a hanging basket of Calibrachoa
wait for a few weeks in the cold frame.





Plants filling in under the tree in the backyard.