Flowers of the Summer Solstice

From our garden. Hover the pointy thing over each picture for ID, click to enbiggen:

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Victoria Day, a Blooming Survey

While Alberta ‘gardeneers’ who depend on annuals are still cowering under their quilts, trembling at the thought of their annual annual investment still imbibing exhaust fumes in the garage; I walked out this morning into the -2

Huddled

deg. C. chill. The bird bath was frozen, the ducklings in the Turtle Pond are huddled together for warmth, and even the mallard is too cold to hiss at me as I walk by.  I did a quick survey of the garden to see what was blooming  and what damage the frost had done. In our garden I found the following in full bloom:

• Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris)
• Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris)
• Siberian Squill (Scilla sibirica)
• Violets (Viola sp.)
• Lungwort (Pulmonaria angustifolia)
• Bergenia (Bergenia cordifolia)
• Snakeshead Fritilary (Fritillaria maleagris)
• Yellow Spurge (Euphorbia polychroma)
• Primrose (Primula cortusoides)

Bergenia cordifolia

Primula cortusoides

Euphorbia polychroma

Waiting in the wings are the soon to open buds of daffodils (Narcissus var.) and windflowers (Anemone sp.)

Now, I would not be so vain as to say the garden is a riot of color. These are subtle blooms and scattered, but blooms none the less. When it is warm enough they will attract insects, and when it becomes too cold I don’t have to rush about draping them in bedsheets. And year after year they will return (sometimes in surprising places) to grace the garden once again.