2019, Better Late Than Never!

 

     You've likely noticed that I haven't blogged all season? One factor is that Google+ ceased to exist, I may be one of a handful of nerds who liked this service but I am not a 20 year old and I despise social media. Google+ allowed those with a specific interest to share within a group, around the world, I won't have access to such things again! The reason to pull the service was that information was being hacked (probably by Russians) which could have been solved by either asking for less information or users not answering sensitive info, I can't even recall what would be sensitive on my Google account but never put it past a Russian hacker or spy to gather info that is widely available publicly! Most people willingly put very sensitive info on Facebook and other sites for free anyway so I never understood Googles reason for this change!

Another reason was our very questionable Spring/Summer, a fairly late Spring followed by hot and cold spells all season with above normal precipitation, raining about 4 of 7 days of the week. Not very inspiring. As a fun social science side note I noticed when walking around this spring during the Provincial election that those who had election signs for the left-wing NDP often have beautiful expansive gardens for the public to enjoy while those with Conservative signs rarely have a garden at all! Go figure?, the socialists are best at beautifying a neighbourhood, Flower to the  people!!! LOL

I appreciate all my followers but I really don't know how I can expand my audience anymore with Google + gone, sometimes I would get readers from the UK, Australia and the US. Hopefully a new medium will come around soon.

     

     Canada Day fireworks started the summer off with a little rainy but warm weather.

Many stormy and rainy days throughout July.

I haven't seen this many kinds of mushrooms in Calgary flourishing but that's what happens with the rain!

Thought we'd try a greenhouse this year, ordered from Amazon. A bit of a learning curve, sometimes too hot or not moist enough or too wet but we did grow some great peppers, yellow zucchini and tomatoes!

One crowded greenhouse!

Some plants that did well with wet and cool weather. A white begonia I overwintered from last year and a pink Astilbe blooms end of August.

Annabelle Hydrangea loved the rain but often got pelted to the ground, this one is bigger than your head!

A challenge of many ageing gay men is often how fast will I turn into an old lady? Apparently this is happening to us very quickly as we become new fans of  Lobelia, Zinnia, and Geranium! If you had told me 20 years ago I would have these plants in my garden I would have not have believed you, but I guess times change, aesthetics too?

Our Aunt C mailed us some Zinnia seeds and having never grown this plant before I tried it in several spots. As with many things in Calgary they did best in pots with heavy watering every day. These flowers are at once everything offensive about 1970's colour schemes and patterns and also completly fascinating. I can't take my eyes off the nuts colours of these flowers!!!

I overwintered this Geranium 'Merlot Sizzle' because I thought it didn't give us our money's worth last summer. We just wanted a little colour hit for the front public garden but it didn't bloom much until this year. As someone who usually mocks Geraniums this is quite the thing for me. This one is so prolific and such a bright colour I like to think of it as a small Bougainvillea instead, I think I'll overwinter it again!

New to me this year; Cerinthe 'Pride Of Gibraltar'

I've seen this plant before but have never grown it, Cerinthe is from the Mediterranean and noted for it's unusual flowers and blue/purple bracts. Easily grown from seed, did very well in this pot but also did moderately well in the ground in a hot spot. I planted this with black petunia, we also had issues about petunias once upon a time and still do but we can forgive this black variety!

It is difficult to find a true black in horticulture, this is extremely close!

Close up of Cerinthe flower, difficult to capture the true colours on camera. Bees love these upside down flowers and the plant becomes quite prolific as it ages, a pair of large seeds are produced between the purplish bracts. These plants are ideal for sunny and hot areas but I found also respond well to daily watering in a pot.

The flower of Datura. I used to grow this all the time and recently managed to sprout some seeds in the greenhouse, nice to see again!

Cannas did well and fit in well with the current orange flower trend.

My collection of craziness.

The Worst of September/October

     This was an average day for almost all of September and half of October, grey, raining or snowing and 10 to 20C below seasonal averages! I love the fall season and like the song Four Strong Winds says of Alberta "weather's good there in the fall" but not this year! This year was pretty hard on everyone after 50 some days of this my emotions ranged from rage to depression, despondency, to "why has god forsaken us", and "have we died and gone to hell?". While there were the few odd days, three or four that did not precipitate, there was always more in the forecast which kept the mood at constant gloom. I blame global warming and if you don't understand the concept you're probably thinking what the hell is this guy talking about!? Well I'm afraid it doesn't always mean warmer and warmer weather in fact a warming planet will have more precipitation. Scientists have also warned us about weaker jet streams like the kind that don't move for 50 days and bring us constant cold weather, also with a warmer ocean more low pressure systems like the kind that sat over the Arctic sending us, in the prairies, very cold air. So, we've ruined the planet, I knew this would happen, it's what science was telling us along! A consequence of all this unseasonable weather was ruining crops, Alberta and Saskatchewan grow a large amount of grains for the world food supply, by the end of September only 40% of the crops had been harvested due to wet conditions. This becomes a concern when it starts affecting the food we eat, if an event like this were combined with other severe weather around the world it could start to affect the entire food supply of the planet, and that is how and why Global Warming affects us , please inform the current dim wit President!

Even though it snowed a couple of times nothing was damaged too much although we lost a lot of fall colour. The effect for plants was kinda like being in refrigeration for 6 weeks, neither turning colours or dropping leaves. More like winter on the West Coast than fall on the prairies!

This was about the extent of fall colour around here, some Manitoba Maples turned very orange this year and it must be due to the weather because this usually doesn't happen.

This Green Ash turned a brilliant yellow for a few days before freezing weather dropped it's leaves only a few days after this photo.

Many birds in my garden this fall, from several Warbler species, Oregon Junco, Wrens and this Downy Woodpecker.

An elusive Warbler, usually very difficult to photograph, I got lucky here!

And then this happened! October started with the coldest weather since the year 1900 and then it began to snow...

and snow.

Here are the stats, it was an obscene amount breaking all previous records, hmmm what did I just say about a warming planet and precipitation?

Now you know why I grow so many plants in pots, during this cold episode I moved everything I could inside, never can say goodbye!

The Dahlias in my living room continued to bloom for several weeks.

And the Ricinus looked great with the mask collection.

I took care of this hanging basket of Lobelia and Calibrachoa for my neighbours back in August when they left for vacation, I fully intended to give it back as a surprise when the weather got warm, and then I waited and waited, and it never got warm. I kept it inside for the entire cold spell and still have it now! It still looks great in November!!! Shhh don't tell them!

Here are some fun facts to peruse, cold and snow!

This is what happened to many trees, leaves turned brown from frosty days and nights and dropped all their leaves at once as soon as the storm passed.

In typical Calgary style the weather turned on a dime and the last half of October had temperatures ranging from 24 to 10C mostly sunny and above average the rest of the month. We even managed to get some fall colour out of this Mountain Ash.

 These Ornamental Kales survived despite being completely buried in a mound of snow and several freezing days and nights.

Even though we had such below normal weather and heavy snow there were a few survivors, many plants buried under the deep snow did not freeze and looked pretty good (albeit squished) the rest of the month. Trees like my Sumacs didn't really turn red or drop their leaves, some got frost damage but by the first week of November still had leaves ranging in the dark green to dark red range, they must be very confused and I don't blame them!

This Burning Bush turned a several weak colours but was still nice considering we lost almost all leaves in the snow.

Halloween turned out to be a balmy 10C, nice warm night for our area.

Mosaiculture, Gatineau 2018 and Ottawa Gardens

     Back at the end of August I had the good fortune to make a trip to the Ottawa area, specifically to see the Mosaiculture exhibit in Gatineau Quebec just across the Ottawa river from the Capital. Of course it helps that my awesome Sister-in-Law and family also live there and she was a volunteer for this exhibit last year for the Canada 150 celebration and is also an avid plant/nature enthusiast! This trip was a whirlwind tour of gardens, museums, national historic treasures and more plants, that's my kind of trip!
     There is so much to know about the Mosaiculture 2018 exhibit it would be impossible to cover it all here, there are still many websites about it for much more information than my fingers can type here! In 2017 when Canada celebrated it's 150th birthday this Mosaiculture exhibit opened as a free attraction in the Capital area dedicated to plant sculptures representing all regions of Canada, the First Nations peoples and Canadiana, turned out it was such a success they decided to open it the next year with even more sculptures! Mosaiculture originated in the ornate flower beds of  French gardens of the 18th century and is a combination of the words mosaic and horticulture. Today there are exhibits around the world reaching new heights of creativity and beauty.  The park used for this display, Parc Jacques-Cartier, is usually just like any other inner city park, that also has stunning views of the Parliament Buildings, and we are all grateful the citizens have given up the use of this fine park for such amazing sights! I have no idea if this display will be around next year as it wasn't even supposed to be around this season but if you ever have a chance to see something like this in your corner of the world don't turn it down!

Armature example

Close-up of example planting

Samples of plants used in the exhibits

     I'm a practical guy, with a degree in Sculpture, so I like to know how these things are made. Quite simply start with a giant armature which will involve skilled engineers and welders, then take a variety of low growing and mat-forming plants, tonnes of soil, and hundreds of gardeners and volunteers to trim and water all day long. Here you can see an example of armatures and examples of every kind of plant used, there are hundreds of species!

     The majority of this exhibit is of course a celebration of Canada which begins at the entrance with a train station and train like so many that carried settlers across the country, like my grandparents and great grandparents.

The sculptures all have names and usually a short story that goes with them, I can only cover a few here.

Above, A Ticket To Canada homage to Anne of Green Gables character waiting to take the train.

The Wildrose of Alberta made of Polka-Dot-Plant

(the smallest and most insignificant display, we know Canada hates us but loves our oil!)

Saskatchewan symbolized by the RCMP

The Foxes symbolize Prince Edward Island

The Horses with The Three Ships symbolizing French colonization.

A vista with the symbol of British Columbia to the right and the Inukshuk symbolizing the Northern Lights.

The Musk Ox of The Northwest Territories

The Puffins of Newfoundland with the Three Ships in the background

The Northern Lights with a howling wolf

The Remembrance Poppy

A stunning vista of high contrast flowers

     The cities of Shanghai and Beijing have been collaborating with Mosaiculture Montreal and wanted to share some of their expertise in this art form. Top; Blessing Of The Good Omen Dragons is an interpretation of the dragon dance an expresses Beijing's best wishes to Canada. Below; Joyful Celebration Of The Nine Lions, children in the foreground dance with nine lions bound together with a large ring and clouds of happiness, Beijing sends it's best wishes to Canada.

The Man Who Planted Trees is one of the French Canadian stories represented here, I am a fan of the trusty sheep dog made of Carex grass.

The piece de resistance was The Bird Tree featuring 56 species of endangered birds each weighing several tonnes and the entire sculpture topping around 30' (10m)! The work is surrounded by a pool featuring a mosaiculture crocodile, turtle, salamander and iguana, interpretive plaques identify the birds at risk and confront us all about the importance of conservation and taking care of the planet we live on. The work was stunning and prompted one to take a seat and a breath while we try to absorb it's presence, truly awe inspiring!

One of my favourites, a floating crocodile made of sempervivum species.

You just couldn't take enough angles!

Directly across from The Bird Tree were these larger than life cranes.

A tribute to First Nations

This area was an homage to the First Nations stories of creation of which there are many leading up to the buffalo and wild horses of the prairies.

This is the second piece de resistance, Mother Earth, another large 40 or 50' sculpture that also has a water feature from the hand. Who has ever seen anything like this before in their life? Is what I kept saying.

A tribute to Glenn Gould in the form of a giant piano while a cellist plays and a kinetic dancer sculpture twirls to the music.

As we wend our way back to the exit and the train station a vegetable garden just like the kind that were found across the country at train stations everywhere to sell the notion of this country being a fertile land. No one told our ancestors that it snows for 6 months or more but hey, free land!

     I'm glad I saw the Mosaiculture in my life, where else would I see sculpture and horticulture merged into total insanity? Ottawa being the Capital there are many public gardens and a feeling that the whole place is on display for the world. Compared to where I come from this is a pleasant humid climate great for growing almost anything and surrounded by a native forest of oak and maple, a far cry from the dry high plains I live on!

A public gazebo/lookout across the Ottawa river to Gatineau.

Ottawa is proud of it's natural areas and this area features many kinds of ecosystems all in a small area, you can take a self guided tour from the entrance.

Even in the late summer there were still some large blooming wild perennials.

I was delighted by a small thicket of sumacs, my favourite tree species.

Nearby you will come across the famous canal system which stretches for miles through eastern Ontario, so much history!

Also nearby and across a really dangerous road is the Experimental Farm which has actual livestock and a host of other great things such as this public sculpture of rocks on bouncy metal rods.

Another one of my favourite trees in the world is Amur Cork, Phellodendron amurense. I have never seen one this big before in real life, I was thrilled!

I was really impressed with Rose of Sharon, we just don't have this on the prairies.

There was a large section of land devoted to all kinds of flowering plants and garden styles, you could spend a lot of time here if there wasn't a tornado looming! True story, we only had a downpour tho.

Ricinus the way it should be! I haven't grown this to this dimension since I lived on the West Coast.

Formal area with sunken lawn.

Outstanding and beautifully twisted pine.

Dracenas and Cockscombs together again!

More on the formal side, a variety of beds featuring fine examples of annuals.

My annual beds are just never this good!

We took a little drive to the Gatineaus, which is an escarpment formation just north of Ottawa about half an hour or so. At the top one is treated to sweeping views of the Quebec countryside.

A maple and oak forest is pretty special to this prairie boy!

There are many beautiful lakes in this area, now I have to see all this in the fall!

I recommend a trip to the Governor General's House, surrounded by large iron gates and containing several gardens and acres of trees, and free! This is a great place to spend some time.

Some of the vast rose collection, it was a little late in the year but still interesting to view the collection of roses from all over the world.

Being the seat of the Head of State for Canada there are commemorative trees from the beginning of the country to the present day, from President Kennedy to Lech Walesa, it's like a who's who in red oak, ginko, maple, iron wood and more maples.

The front of Rideau Hall, I recommend the free tour, takes around a half hour, you will learn many things about this amazing building and our country.

You just don't get stone and iron fencing like this where I come from!

If you walk up to Parliament Hill and go to the right around the back there is a collection of statues important to Canadian history as well as more great views across the river and of Ottawa itself.

Always a crazy mixture of old and new, below a canal leads to the river.

The Gothic Revival architecture of the Library Block of Parliament, check out that flying buttress!

Lieutenant Colonel John By, considered the founder of Ottawa and responsible for the canal system built in the early 19th century.

Ottawa is just as pretty as a picture.