The Front Entry Garden Room
The photo album for The Front Entry Garden Room
The Magnolia Tree Garden Room where the Trilliums grow.
The photo album The Magnolia Tree Garden Room where the Trilliums grow.
The Inner Garden Room, including The Sun Dial Circle, Thyme Circle and Center Garden
The photo album for The Inner Garden Room, including The Sun Dial Circle, Thyme Circle and Center Garden
The Smoke Tree Garden Room that is part of the Inner Garden Room
The photo album for the The Smoke Tree Garden Room that is part of the Inner Garden Room
The Front Garden Rock and Alpines
The photo album for The Front Garden Rock and Alpines
The Boulevard Garden
The photo album for The Boulevard Garden
The Strip between the Driveways
The photo album for The Strip between the Driveways
The Woodland Garden Room
The photo album for The Woodland Garden
The Fig Tree Bed, including the bed next to the old sidewalk, in the back garden
The photo album for The Fig Tree Bed, including the bed next to the old sidewalk, in the back garden
The Japanese and Moss Garden Room
The Japanese and Moss Garden photo album
The pond and surrounds Garden Room
The photo album of the The pond and surrounds Garden Room
The plants in the pond Room (note: This is a list page for the plants in the pond)
The photo album for The plants in the pond Room
Water gardening photo album for the Larix Landscaping pond. (note: I had Larix Landscaping rebuild the waterfall, pond and surrounds after the pond sprang a leak in November and December of 2024. This newly lined pond includes a new Aquascape Ultra 1500 Water pump.
The list page for the Larix Landscaping rebuild of the waterfall, pond surrounds and the pond in January 2025.
The Back Garden Rock and Alpines
The photo album for The Back Garden Rock and Alpines
The Cutting Garden including vegetables, herbs
The Cutting Garden Room photo album
The deck and patio plants, including some of the plants also listed in the Moss and Water Garden Room
The photo album for The deck and patio plants, including some of the plants also listed in the Moss and Water Garden Room
The Fish Pond Note: this is a new water page, not a list page
Pond Plants Note: this is the list page for the Plants in the Pond and the deck tub.
The photo album for the Pond Plants
The Light garden and Orchids
The photo album for The Light garden and Orchids
B. C. INVASIVE PLANTS list.
The Back Rock Garden Room
See the photo album for the Back Rock garden room photo album
The photo album for the garden paths and art helps define each of the garden rooms. Also shows some of the renovations to the previously existing garden rooms. The little rock garden in the back is 11 feet long and 4 feet wide. It is bordered by the grass that surrounds the apple tree, and the strawberry patch in the Cutting Garden room on the other side. There is a cement paver path with the Irish heather that is an entry to rockery that goes into the strawberry patch and continues along in front of the cedars to the cement paver path at the back of the cutting garden. At the other end of the rock garden the stone path is another entry. This entry is bordered by sedums next to the bay laural tree and leads off the masonary used in the rebuild of the pond by Larix Landscaping . This entry goes into the strawberry patch as a cement paver plus a big stone, and continues through between the strawberry patch and the cutting garden to the back cedars pavers path. Next to the entry to the strawberry patch is the red brick road with saxifragias. Other plants in the rockery: dwarf Balsam Fir, big edging dianthus, lewisia columbiana, lewisia nevadensis, strawberry jar with creeping phlox, big old daphne (not sure which one), veronica 'Georgia Blue', veronica 'Azetec Gold' daphne domini, campanula raineri, globalaria, delosperma cooperi 'Fire Spinner", Soapwort (Saponaria Bressingham), hepatica, geranium renairdi, herenaira (might be dianthus simulans), and some I may have missed. The plants change over time as some of them survive and others get added.
I consider the red brick road and the strawberry jar as features of this little rock garden room.
See the blog post of June 2020 for more information. You can see where I have lost or moved some of the plants from this 2020 blog post.
This is here because of the little bricks in the 'brick road':
size of a brick:
The most popular brick size is a Modular brick measuring at 3-5/8" thick by 2-1/4" high and 7-5/8" long.
There are 10 red bricks with holes in them along the back of this little rockery. The rest of the bricks are grey. The grey bricks get changed to red ones whenever I get more red bricks. The bricks go from the entry path to the other entry path at the other end of the little rockery. This entry splits off from the masonary done by Larix Landscaping that goes into the pond area.
The Plants in the Back Rock Garden Room
ABIES balsamea
Dwarf Balsam Fir will grow to be about 24 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. It tends to fill out right to the ground and therefore doesn't necessarily require facer plants in front. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more. This shrub performs well in both full sun and full shade. It prefers to grow in moist to wet soil, and will even tolerate some standing water. It is particular about its soil conditions, with a strong preference for sandy, acidic soils. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selection of a native North American species.
My dwarf balsam fir tree is noted as purchased from VIRAGS show and sale on March 26, 2010. It is now about 8 to 12 inches tall, and does fill out right to the ground; growing about mid-way along the Red Brick Road. It is happy in its sandy neutral soil, with good drainage.
CAMPANULA raineri (Rainer's bellflower, Rainer's harebell) is a species of flowering plant in the genus Campanula of the family Campanulaceae, native to the Swiss and Italian Alps. It is a low-growing herbaceous perennial growing 5-8cm (2-8 in.) tall by up to 20 cm (8 in) wide, with pale lilac bell-shaped flowers in summer. It is suitable for cultivation in the alpine or rock garden. It spreads by underground runners.
Tufted in habit with erect stems about 5 cm (2 in) in height. Basal leaves greyish, ovate to obovate, remotely serrate, almost stalkless. Stem leaves narrower, crenate-serrate. Flowers erect, broadly funnel-shaped with rounded lobes, mid-blue. South-eastern Alps among limestone rocks. It is evergreen.
Not an easy species and best in a limestone scree, or crevice, or the alpine house. When growing really well it spreads by slender rhizomes. A white-flowered plant is known and a fully hairy one known as C.r. var. hirsuta.
Flower color can be: purple or blue, the flower grows in the end of the stems and in bell shape.
I have had this plant for many years. It was first planted to the cedar trough. When I moved it there was a huge root system. I must have dug a very deep hole for it in the back rock garden where it continues to grow and produce flowers. My plant has very deep green leaves and the flowers are held 5 cm above these basal leaves, as above. See page 5 and 6, of the back rock garden photo album. Perhaps it is a cultivar of this plant. It has been a very easy plant to grow in my garden. And one of the best. I have searched for the name of it, but this is the closest I have come to the description of my plant.
DAPHNE cneorum 'Pygmaea': This is a more compact, dwarf variety. Daphne cneorum 'Pygmaea', also known as Rose Daphne or Garland Flower, is a dwarf, evergreen shrub known for its fragrant, bright pink flowers that appear in dense clusters in spring. It is a low-growing, trailing variety, making it suitable for rock gardens, borders, and groundcover.
Key Characteristics:
Size: Typically grows 6-12 inches tall and 24-36 inches wide, with a prostrate, spreading habit.
Leaves: Evergreen, narrow, and glossy green, up to 1 inch long.
Flowers: Bright pink, fragrant, and borne in dense clusters, often covering the plant in spring.
Growth: Slow-growing and prefers well-drained soil, full sun to partial shade, and protection from harsh winter winds.
Hardiness: Hardy to zone 4.
Growing Conditions:
Soil: Prefers fertile, moist, neutral to alkaline, well-drained soil.
Light: Thrives in full sun or partial shade.
Watering: Requires consistent moisture, but not soggy conditions.
Maintenance: Resents transplanting, so choose a permanent location carefully.
Mulching: A three-inch layer of mulch can help retain soil moisture and keep the roots cool, according to gardening experts.
Other Considerations:
Fragrance: The flowers are highly fragrant, adding to their appeal.
Uses: Excellent for rock gardens, borders, groundcover, and along pathways.
Toxicity: All parts of the plant are poisonous.
Disease: Susceptible to Daphne sudden death syndrome and Daphne virus.
I have searched for the name of this plant and have decided to go with this one:
DAPHNE cneorum 'Eximia': A plant database suggests this cultivar has slightly larger flowers than the species.
Daphne cneorum 'Eximia', commonly known as Rose Daphne or Garland Flower, is a low-growing, evergreen shrub prized for its fragrant, bright pink flowers and compact, spreading habit. It's a cultivar of Daphne cneorum, distinguished by its larger flowers and leaves compared to the species.
Characteristics:
Growth Habit: Low, spreading, evergreen shrub, forming a dense mat.
Foliage: Small, narrow, dark green to blue-green leaves.
Flowers: Fragrant, bright pink flowers, often with red buds, blooming in spring and sometimes sporadically in summer and fall. Mine has deep purple flowers that cover the plant when in bloom. It is getting a lighter show of buds, now on August 3, 2025.
Size: Typically reaches 20-30 cm (8-12 inches) tall and up to 1 meter (3 feet) wide. Mine is about a foot tall and wide.
Sunlight: Prefers full sun to partial shade.
Soil: Thrives in fertile, moist, neutral to alkaline, well-drained soils.
Hardiness: Generally hardy, tolerating cold temperatures, and relatively drought-tolerant once established.
Other: All parts of the plant are poisonous if ingested.
Cultivation:
Planting: Best planted in spring or fall.
Watering: Water regularly, especially during dry spells, but ensure good drainage.
Fertilizing: Top dress with compost or similar material to encourage rooting.
Pruning: Prune immediately after flowering.
Propagation: Can be propagated by semi-ripe cuttings in late summer or layering.
Pests and Diseases: May be susceptible to leaf spots, but generally pest and disease-free
just one Daphne site to search.
I have a note of the purchases from the VIRAGS show and sale of March 26, 2010 showing:
Daphne 5 ft. by 5 ft. (big) purple pink $6. My plant is not big but I will add the Daphne tangutica and leave the above information in here:
DAPHNE Tangutica: A medium to large daphne with dark green, long pointy leaves. It can potentially grow to 5 feet, but 2 to 3 feet is more common. Purple buds open to fragrant, palest lavender flowers, followed by red fruit. Likes plain old dirt that drains, nothing too fancy.
My plant has the deepest purple coloured blossoms. I have never seen fruit on it. So I think the VIRAGS plant was misnamed, or is it some sort of cultivar of the tangutica. Did my Tangutica die and I purchased a new one at some time since 2010?
DAPHNE domini has been growing in my scree bed for over 20 years. This small shrub came from Harvey Wrightman of Wrightman Alpines, as Daphne kosaninii. His source was Josef Halda. Soon after, Halda described Daphne domini, which differs from D. kosaninii with fully opening flowers. It also grows in the Pirin Mountains but at a higher altitude. All plants grown in our gardens are probably D. domini, not D. kosanini. Even the experts were confused!
Life Cycle: Evergreen sub-shrub. Stems have reddish brown bark.
Height: About 20 cm high, 25 cm wide. (8 X 10 inches)
Bloom Time: Late May in Toronto. Mine was in bloom May 16, 2025 in Victoria.
Leaves: Alternate, lanceolate, glaucous green above, paler below. 15x4mm.
Flower Colour & Size: Pink, 6-8 x 2mm, in terminal clusters. Flowers do not open and are self fertile (cleistogamous).
Fruit: Attractive orange berries to 8 mm long. Self seeds.
Daphne domini - berries in June.
Range: Native to Pirin Mountains in Bulgaria.
Habitat: Dry calcareous mountain slopes from 1800-2300m.
CULTIVATION:
Light: Part shade to full sun.
Soil: Well drained, slightly alkaline.
Water: Moderate.
Companion planting: Other rock garden plants.
Propagation: From seed - fresh is best. Requires scarification. Nick or rub between sheets of sandpaper. Pulpy coat inhibits germination. Remove by soaking and rinsing in clean water for approximately 7 days. Discard water. Sow at 4 degrees C for 3 months, then place at 20 degrees for 3 months.
DELOSPERMA 'Fire Spinner', also known as Fire Spinner Ice Plant, is a low-growing, spreading perennial groundcover with vibrant, tri-colored flowers and succulent foliage. It's known for its hardiness, drought tolerance, and ability to attract butterflies and bees. The flowers feature apricot-orange outer petals, hot pink mid-petals, and a white eye, creating a striking display.
Growth Habit: Low-growing, spreading groundcover forming a dense mat. Foliage: Succulent, apple-green leaves that may turn bronze in winter. My plant stays green in winter. Flowers: Star-shaped, with a unique tri-color pattern of apricot-orange, hot pink, and white.
Hardiness: Hardy in zones 5a-8b, tolerant of heat and drought. Sunlight: Thrives in full sun. Soil: Prefers well-drained soil and is tolerant of urban pollution. Other: Attracts butterflies and bees, deer resistant, and can be used for xeriscaping.
This blog post of January 2019 has photos of the Delosperma, Fire Spinner, (ice plant) blooming in the little rockery in the back garden. They spread quite quickly, once established. So, now I try to keep it cut back to its allotted space.
GERANIUM renardii, also known as Renard's Cranesbill, is prized for its attractive, grey-green, textured foliage. The leaves are rounded, lobed, and have a unique, quilted or wrinkled appearance, adding a distinct visual appeal to the plant. They are typically described as sage green, velvety, and finely wrinkled. This foliage provides a lovely backdrop for the white or pale mauve flowers that appear in late spring and early summer. This is the second year for this plant in the rock garden. (Purchased at VIRAGS show and sale April 22, 2023).
It grows next to the dwarf fern and is doing very well. I turns yellow in the fall.
Might be hybrid: Geranium hybrid 'Terre Franche'.
Key Features: Very attractive, textured and downy grey-green foliage, which gives rise to large, delightfully veined, violet-blue flowers during summer.
Height x Spread: 14 x 18 inches (30 x 45 cm)
Preferred Aspect: Sun Flowering Period: June - August
Geranium renardii is a lovely little plant that enjoys a hot, dry, sunny border. It flowers best in poor soil too, so a good choice if your soil is a bit rubbish.
HEPATICA is a genus in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) native to the Northern Hemisphere. This spring-blooming herbaceous perennial also goes by the common names liverleaf or liverwort. The common name comes from the supposed resemblance of the leaves to the human liver, both of which have three lobes. Because of this superficial likeness it was once thought to have medicinal properties for liver ailments. Although the leaves were once used for natural remedies and in patent medicines, they do not appear to have any chemical components with documented medicinal value and can be irritating to the skin or may be poisonous if ingested.
Hepatica grows about 12 inches high. The dark green, glossy foliage is smooth and leathery with dense hairs on the undersides of the leaves. The leaves are held on long petioles arising from the crown. Each broad leaf is about 2 inches wide, with the three lobes either pointed or rounded, depending on the species. The leaves are actually evergreen, turning a russet to purple color in the fall. They are ready to begin photosynthesis early in the spring before other woodland wildflowers are even up. After the new flush of leaves emerges in spring (normally after flowering), the old leaves from the previous year die back. The star-shaped flowers appear singly on upright hairy stems in early spring – typically in mid-April through mid-May before the trees leaf out. The .5 to 1 inch wide flowers have a large number of oblong white, pink, lavender, purple or bluish sepals (no petals!) surrounding numerous central stamens tipped with yellowish anthers. These are subtended by three green bracts. Many pollinators, including butterflies, bees, flies and beetles visit the flowers as they bloom over a period of up to a month. The flowers close at night and on cloudy days when pollinators are unlikely to be flying. But hepatica can self-pollinate, so these visitors are not necessary to produce seed (important when cold temperatures might inhibit pollinators from moving about). The oblong fruits covered with silky hairs appear in early summer and are reported to be a favorite of chipmunks and other rodents. The seeds, which have a small, fleshy appendage called an elaisome, are dispersed by ants, who take them back to their nests to consume the fat-rich elaisomes and discard the seeds. The nutrient-rich ant middens are generally a good place for germination and ensure that the new plants grow in a spot removed from the mother plant. In the wild, Hepatica is usually found in high-quality, open woodlands with many native trees and herbaceous plants and few or no invasive species such as garlic mustard or buckthorn. While not typically thought of as a garden plant, Hepatica can be readily grown in rich soils in shady sites. It looks best placed in clumps of two or three or scattered about under trees with other native woodland plants including bleeding hearts (Dicentra spp.), wild geranium (Geranium maculatum), Dutchman's breeches (Dicentra cucullaria), trilliums, woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata), and many others. The Japanese have used hepatica as a garden plant since the 18th century and have developed double flowering hepaticas.
Hepatica is a low-maintenance plant, best grown in places where it can remain undisturbed for years. However, it is easily transplanted, and specimens can be rescued from construction sites but should never be dug from intact woodland sites.
The whole article about Hepaticas
I have several of these plants around the garden. In this little back garden rockery this hepatica was moved from under the bay laural tree, just across the entryway from where it grows now. It's soil needs to be enriched. This is a volunteer blue one. There are ants around the garden so perhaps I will see more of them coming up.
LEWISIA columbiana. It is native to the western United States and British Columbia, where it grows in rocky mountain habitats. General: Perennial herb from a large, branched, fleshy root and simple stem-base; stems erect, several, branched, 10-30 cm tall. Leaves: Basal leaves numerous, linear-oblanceolate to narrowly spoon-shaped, 2-10 cm long, 3-8 mm wide; stem leaves alternate, bractlike, entire to gland-toothed, 2-3 cm long, reduced above. Flowers: Inflorescence an open, branched, panicle with many flowers on stalks 1-2 cm long; floral bracts glandular-toothed, petals 7-9 (rarely 11), white with pink veins to rose, egg-shaped, 5-13 mm long; sepals 2, glandular-toothed; stamens 5-6. Fruits: Capsules, egg-shaped; seeds usually 3 (1-5), deep brown-red to black, shiny, 1.5-2 mm long.
This plant grows just above the dianthus at the border of the rock garden, and near the entry way to the strawberry patch. It self seeds around its original planting spot.
LEWISIA rediviva (Bitterroot) is a low-growing perennial plant with a fleshy taproot and a simple or branched base and a low rosette of thick fleshy linear leaves with blunt tips. The leaves are roughly circular in cross section, sometimes somewhat flattened on the adaxial (top) surface. The absence of an adaxial groove on the leaves distinguishes this from other Lewisia species with overlapping ranges. The leaves often wither before flowers open. The very short flower stems are leafless, 1 - 3 centimeters (3 - 8 inches) tall, bearing at the tip a whorl of 5 - 6 centimeters linear bracts which are 5 - 10 milimeters long. A single proportionally huge flower appears on each stem with 5 -9 centimeters oval shaped sepals and many petals. Each flower has between ten and nineteen petals that measure 15 to 35 millimetres (5 - 8 to 3 - 8 inches) long. They range in color from whitish to deep pink or lavender. Flower occurs from April through July. At maturity the bitter root produces egg shaped capsules with 6 to 20 nearly round seeds. egg-shaped capsules with 6 to 20 nearly round seeds.
LEWISIA nevadensis (Nevada lewisia) is a western North America species that grows in vernal wet gravel flats and meadows at mid to high elevations. It is a small plant with long strap-shaped leaves and white to light pink flowers. The plant forms a corm-like caudex. Height range: 15-20 cm. This is a small perennial herb growing from a taproot and caudex unit. It produces a basal rosette of several narrow, fingerlike to threadlike fleshy leaves up to 13 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a bundle of short stems a few centimeters tall each bearing a flower. The flower has 5 to 10 shiny white to pale pink petals each 1 to 2 centimeters long, pointed or with blunt tips. At the center are many stamens. This is sometimes grown as an ornamental plant suitable for alpine and rock gardens.
I am not sure which lewisia this plant is nevadensis or rediviva. I will have to wait to see it in bloom, perhaps. (see above)
PHLOX subulata
Moss Phlox 'Early Bird' (Phlox subulata 'Early Bird') is a cultivar of creeping phlox known for its early, profuse bloom of deep carmine-pink flowers with dark raspberry-red striae, and its vigorous, mat-forming habit.
The creeping phlox grows in the top of the strawberry jar. For some strange reason the plants that I grow in the strawberry jar are ripped out every second year or so. Squirrels?
VERONICA umbrosa 'Georgia Blue' is also know as Veronica peduncularis. This exciting groundcover Veronica was discovered in 1979 in the Republic of Georgia and named by England's Roy Lancaster. It was misidentified as Veronica peduncularis due to an incorrectly identified Kew Gardens herbarium sheet! It features very small, dark green, rounded foliage (glossy purple in winter) that lays flat on the ground, making a nice mat...not weedy. In late winter and early spring the foliage is nearly hidden by an abundance of medium-blue flowers. Very special for the spring garden...great planted with daffodils.
Position: Full sun, partial shade
Soil: Almost any soil, Flowers: March, April, May
Other features:-Great Ground Cover Habit: Mat forming Foliage: Deciduous
Height: 30 - 45 cm (1 - 1.5 ft) Spread: 30 - 45 cm (1 - 1.5 ft)
Time to full growth: 2 to 5 years
The species are herbaceous annuals or perennials, and also shrubs or small trees if Hebe is included. Most of the species are from the temperate Northern Hemisphere, though with some species from the Southern Hemisphere; Hebe is mostly from New Zealand.
According to legend, Saint Veronica used her handkerchief to soothe Christ's brow, and forever after, it bore markings that are supposedly replicated in these long blooming Speedwell flowers. Flourishing in sunny, well drained sites, our Veronica selections are actually quite undemanding - having also done well in part-shade and heavy wet clay soils. They'll deliver dazzling colour to the summer border.
This veronica grows below the Daphne and beside the strawberry jar. It is a big big and sprawling but I keep it cut back when it gets too straggly.
VERONICA prostrata 'Aztec Gold' (Creeping Speedwell) is a worry-free plant that will light up the ground level of your garden. Its bright foliage shines against the bright blue blooms. Native to Europe, this versatile Veronica is both deer and rabbit resistant.
This selection is a lower growing Speedwell, best suited for use in the rock garden, or for edging perennial borders. Plants form a compact, mounding clump of rich golden-yellow leaves, contrasting beautifully with the bright-blue flowers in late spring. Trim plants back after blooming. Foliage becomes chartreuse in partial shade. Also worth considering for use in mixed containers, the foliage contrasting beautifully with other plants.
Full Sun or Partial Shade. Soil Type: Normal or Sandy or Clay. Soil pH: Neutral or Alkaline or Acid.
Soil Moisture: Average or Moist. Care Level: Easy. Flower Colour: Deep Blue. Blooming: Early Summer Spring
Foliage Color: Gold
Plant Uses:Accent: Good Texture/Form Alpine & Rock, Border, Containers, Deer Resistant, Edging,
Rabbit Resistant, Massed. Flower Head Size: Medium. Height: 10-15 cm 4-6 inches. Spread: 8-12 inches
Foot Traffic: Light. Growth Rate: Medium
This Veronica grows next to the 'Georgia Blue' veronica noted above, with the red rock just above it. It is a more compact veronica, and so, is more suitable for a rock garden.
Composting Garry Oak or any other Leaves
My English Oak tree began its life in my garden as a small seedling from a vendor at a Seedy Saturday sale many years ago. It was called a garry oak when I purchased it. I later had it identified as an English Oak by an Arborist who was caring for a special protected English oak some where in greater Victoria. (I have lost his name and the location of the tree.)
Victoria and the southern Gulf Islands are the only places in Canada where Garry Oaks are found. But you can help bring them back through a few simple activities!
Key principles of caring for Garry Oaks are rebuild the soil, and control invasive weeds. This will encourage native plants and improve the health of the oak trees. Then you can enjoy your beautiful, low-maintenance native wildflower meadow! Use the Lasagna Gardening technique if you are trying to replace your current turf grass with a beautiful meadow. My English oak does not have turf grass around it. I once had a vegetable garden next to it, where I would plant a green manure crop and dig it under in the Spring. I now grow flowers that I am attempting to grow as a cut flower garden. And half of the area that was the vegetable garden now has strawberries growing in it. In July to September, 2024, I removed weeds and the twigs from the tree and the whole garden area. I have added a layer of crunched up leaves and soil from under these leaves that has earthworm castings in it, around the current flowers and the strawberries. I have reduced the size of the strawberry patch. I might try to grow some swiss chard in the new empty area in the Spring. I will try and keep up this effort to improve the soil. I am keeping this newly mulched area watered. In October 2024 I removed the old cedar trough and put more bricks along this edge between the strawberry patch and the little rock garden. I think it looks much better now.
STEP 1: Building Soil
The soil surrounding our remaining oaks is usually poor and compacted. By rebuilding healthy soil, you are returning nutrients, improving moisture retention, and creating the right germination sites for native plants.
Leave those leaves! Oak leaves are natural mulch that restores and builds soil. Simply let your oak leaves lie where they fall, or place them in a deep layer around your oak trees and throughout your meadow.
Pile those leaves deeply around your trees. A thick layer – even up to 30 cm (12 inches) thick – will decompose quickly and, over time, become healthy soil. It will also smother out invasive weeds like orchard grass and blackberry.
To speed up decomposition of the oak leaves, make sure they’re slightly moist. You can also pile them in a wire cage and keep moist. Oak seedlings will sprout in the pile. I have had oak seedlings sprouting up around the garden, but have not tried to keep them growing. I must see if a nursery or Saanich parks would be interested in them. (Because it is an English oak and not a garry oak they might not be interested.) I have a piece of wire that I could make into a cage for the leaves, right on a shaded spot in the 'cut garden'. I do collect the leaves from the front garden tree in the Fall and have put them around the garden where I need to suppress weeds; as well as put them in a compost bin.
As the soil improves and weeds decline, your native flowers will thrive! Reduced competition from turf grass will improve the health of your oak trees, too. Camas, Fawn Lilies, and other native bulbs will have no problem sprouting up through the mulch layer!
STEP 2: Eliminating Weeds
Invasive weeds are a severe threat to Garry Oak ecosystems. Scotch broom, blackberries, and introduced grasses smother out native flowers and shrubs in open, sunny areas. English ivy climbs up the trees, killing them with the weight and competition for light. I have noticed an ivy coming up in one spot, but make sure it does not get out of hand, by digging it out everytime I see it. The obnoxious blackberries often show up also.
Weed-whack that blackberry, pull that broom! By removing invasive weeds, you’ll be creating space for native plants and improving habitat for birds and other wildlife. Always remove young or solitary weed plants, before they grow into serious infestations.
Remove ivy now! Work first at eliminating ivy that is already on your trees. Cut the ivy stems as close to the ground as you can. Then, cut them again about 1 m higher. Remove all of the stems clinging to the trunk, working your way around the tree to make sure you’ve created a gap. This gap will help you to see, and remove, new ivy shoots spreading up the tree. After you’ve cut all the stems around the trunk, leave the climbing ivy branches that are wrapped higher around the tree. They will die and dry out. Once they start to rot you can easily pull them down without damaging the oak tree. It may take a year or two for the ivy to die if it has become established in the tree’s upper branches.
Leaf a Legacy!
Protecting Garry Oaks for the future will take more than nurturing the trees we have – we also have to ensure there are young trees to replace the magnificent mature ones that remain. To be designated as a protected tree in Saanich I think it needs to have a diamenter of about 24 inches, and other requirements. A quick glance through these requirements seems to allow my tree to be protected. I would need a lot of help to get this set up, which may not happen at my age. I measured the circumference of the English Oak tree at 48 inches, divide by 3.14 to get the diameter of apx. 16 inches. So, the tree still needs more circumference growth to become a protected tree, if my observations are correct.
When you pile your oak leaves, you’ll notice dozens of acorns sprouting into seedlings. Leaving one or a few oak seedlings to grow and flourish will help ensure your children and grandchildren can enjoy our region’s unique natural heritage, Garry Oak meadows.
Annual Gardening pages
January - we occasionally get snow.
February - more rain, and some
bulbs up
March - first spring bulbs
blooming
April - rock plants blooming,
grass needs mowing, fruit trees blooming
May - the garden is in full
swing
June - lovely warm days of
medium temperatures and roses in bloom
July - we need to water a lot
in the summer as we do not often get rain.
August - the Fall perennials
starting to bloom and fruit is ripening
September - harvest time in the
vegetable garden and time to plant the winter garden
October - glorious fall colors
and sunsets, fruit ripening and rains begin again
November - sometimes a lovely
month with the Fall colors and warm rains
December - more rain, the garden
is mostly greens and browns, very peaceful.
Annual Journal Notes - This is the first page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2012 when I began to keep my garden notes on my computer. See the bottom of this first page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2013 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2013 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2014 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2014 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2015 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2015 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2016 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2016 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2017 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2017 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2018 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2018 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2019 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2019 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2020 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2020 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2021 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2021 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2022 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2022 from my garden journal . See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2023 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2023 from my garden journal. See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2024 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2024 from my garden journal. See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2025 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2025 from my garden journal. See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Annual Journal Notes 2026 - This is the page of the annual Journal Notes excerpts beginning in 2026 from my garden journal. See the bottom of this page to go to the Journal Notes for the next year.
Outline of the garden changes - This is the first page of a series of three giving a tour of the my garden.
A description of the garden rooms - This is the second page of a series of three giving a tour of the my garden, and showing the creation of the garden rooms as well as some of the renovations over the years.
Annual Garden changes photo albums The third page of the series will be annual photo albums of the changes in the garden for the year, beginning in 2009.
