Photos of Cotton Grass taken in an alpine meadow just below Mt. Castle Craig located in the Strathcona Provincial Park September 2020.
Blogs by Brian Richardson
End2End Walking the Vancouver Island Trail
Vancouver Island Botanical Adventures – West Coast Gardening
Duncan House Dogs – Home Recordings and Re-purposed Musical Instruments
BR 2012
Here is a good idea for your west coast winter project !
This article in Mother Earth News has a fantastic overview of the main considerations for a
passively heated green house design.
How to Design a Year-Round Solar Greenhouse
Blogs by Brian Richardson
End2End Walking the Vancouver Island Trail
Vancouver Island Botanical Adventures – West Coast Gardening
Duncan House Dogs – Home Recordings and Re-purposed Musical Instruments
Rosemary thriving unprotected near the beach at Genoa Bay BC November 2014
My wife and I both love to use Rosemary for cooking, so over the years I have tried many different strategies for keeping it happy through the cool, damp, dark Vancouver Island Winters.
Key Points to Consider
Rosemary is considered a half hardy perennial in our climatic zone, so unprotected outdoor overwintering is a bit of a gamble.
Unlike many other perennial herbs, Rosemary stores very little energy in it’s stem and root tissue, it has to produce food for itself by photosynthesizing all year round, so it needs light even in the winter.
Rosemary does not like having wet feet, but benefits from moisture on it’s foliage.
Rosemary is damaged in the winter by cold temperatures and wind that produce low humidity conditions that desiccate and damage it’s foliage. Extreme cold temperature will freezes it’s roots.
Overwintering Strategies
Cultivar Selection
The first line of defense is choosing a more winter hardy Rosemary cultivar, the standard recommendation in this area is a variety called ‘ARP’, originally from ARP Texas, it is considered to be considerably more cold hardy than most, however I (personally) don’t like the flavor or aroma of ARP Rosemary. Another variety that overwinters well on the herb farm is Northcot.
Site Selection
Pick a location, with lots of light, shelter from the wind, and excellent drainage. The cold dry winds are going to come from the north and sometimes the west. If you are lucky enough to live near the sea your Rosemary will benefit from the moderated ocean side winter temperatures and higher humidity.
A Note on Mulch
I am not keen about mulching around Rosemary, the benefit would be added insulation over the root zone, the risk is possible root-rot causing moisture retention.
Consider Container Growing
Growing your Rosemary in a large pot is great strategy as you can move it into an unheated or lightly heated greenhouse, cold frame or covered porch. If you want to take it right inside your house and grow it in a bright window be aware that it will require regular misting to compensate for your dry indoor air and your Rosemary plant may trade insect pests with your house plants which can be tricky !
Extreme Care
I grow my Rosemary in large pots that are located on a sunny deck by the kitchen door all spring, summer and fall. Then I move them into an insulated unheated shed and put them under a florescent light fixture that contains 1 cool white and one GE “daylight” bulb.
They light is on 12 hours per day and I get to pick fresh Rosemary all winter and have lots of cuttings for propagation in the early spring.
Care Free Solution
The last, and maybe best strategy is ” don’t worry be happy ! ” and grow your Rosemary as if it is an annual plant. Just buy a new plant every spring. I have seen lots of fantastic Rosemary plants at the early spring “Seedy Saturday” plant and seed exchange sales at very reasonable prices.
Blogs by Brian Richardson
End2End Walking the Vancouver Island Trail
Vancouver Island Botanical Adventures – West Coast Gardening
Duncan House Dogs – Home Recordings and Re-purposed Musical Instruments
The myth and magic of Vervain ( Verbena officinalis ) has been embedded in human culture for 1000’s of years. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, all had beliefs about the powers of this plant. In the Middle Ages it was used as a key ingredient in a mixture for protection against demons. Of course in modern times, with our massive body of scientific knowledge it is used more often as a Vampire Repellent…. live and learn !
A flush of new spring growth on a Bay Laurel
Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) is an evergreen tree native to southern Europe. It has a long history as a culinary and sacred herb. Growing this wonderful Mediterranean herb on Vancouver Island is not difficult, but it requires a little extra care to get it through the winter.
Key Points to Consider
Bay is considered a half hardy perennial in our climatic zone, so unprotected outdoor overwintering is a bit of a gamble.
Young Bay plants, less than five years old, are considerably less hardy than mature plants.
Bay is shallow rooted, so heavy frosts may damage it’s root system.
Bay foliage is damaged in the winter by cold temperatures and wind that produce low humidity conditions that cause the leaves and smaller stems to die back.
Overwintering Outdoors
The first line of defense is to select a sunny protected area with well drained soil for your Bay plant. In the winter, mulch to help protect the root system from frost.
If temperatures are expected to go below -5C cover the entire plant with frost cloth or burlap to help protect the foliage.
Plants may suffer cold or wind damage to the current season’s growth, which can be pruned out in the spring. If the worst happens and a ground-planted bay seems to have all of it’s foliage killed off, prune it back and be patient, there is a good possibility that it will put up new shoots.
Potted Bay Laurel that is going to be kept outdoors, should have the entire pot buried in a sheltered corner of your garden. Then mulch and cover it as described above.
Overwintering Indoors
Potted Bay Laurel that can be moved indoors should be kept in an area that does not go below -5C and near a window for a bit of light. Water your indoor bay very sparingly ( 1 – 3 times per month ), do not fertilize it and keep an eye out for pests. While we are on the subject of Pests, it is also advisable to carefully check over your Bay and remove any pests before bringing it inside. While inside keep it well away from your houseplants to minimize an exchange of pests.
Well that is all for this year …. Happy Holidays !
“the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate and plant and animal life.”
Here is my ongoing list of garden activity indicators…..
Plant potatoes as the first dandelions bloom, and peas when the daffodils flower.
Transplant eggplant, melons and peppers when the irises bloom.
Start looking for trouble from squash vine borers when chicory flowers open.
Put seed corn in the ground when oak leaves are about the size of a squirrel’s ear.
The time is right for planting tomatoes when lily-of-the-valley is in full bloom.
Prune Roses & Fertilize Lawns – when yellow Forsythia and Crocus start blooming
Plant Pansies, Snapdragons, and other hardy annuals – after the Aspens and Chokecherries leaf out
Plant Peas – when Daffodils or Forsythia begins to bloom
Plant Lettuce, Peas, and other cool weather crops – when Lilacs have leafed out
Plant Beans and Squash – when Lilacs are in full bloom
Plant Cucumbers – when Lilac flowers have faded
Plant Tomatoes, Early Corn, and Peppers – when Apple Blossoms begin to fall and Flowering Dogwoods are in peak and when Daylilies start to bloom
Plant Peppers and Eggplants outside – when Bearded Iris are in bloom
Plant Beets, Lettuce, Spinach, and Carrots – when Dandelions are blooming
Plant Potatoes – when serviceberry or Juneberries flower
Sow Cabbage and Broccoli seeds – when catalpa and mock oranges bloom
If Daisies appear – there is no Calcium near
Seed morning glories as soon as the maple trees leaf out.
Grasshopper eggs hatch roughly at the same time that lilacs bloom.
Prune roses when crocuses begin to flower.
May 2020 photos of native plant Pacific Bleeding Heart Dicentra formosa along the Cowichan Valley Trail.
Front Yard Garden br2020
Growing great Basil on Vancouver Island requires a little extra attention, but it’s worth it !
Growing Basil Inside
Basil will grow well in a sunny windowsill that gets 6 or more hours of sunlight a day or in an indoor light garden. My favorite indoor or pot grown basil is Martina Genovese, it is a dwarf 14 in/35 cm bushy Genovese type leaf with very intense aromatic flavor that seems to thrive on indoor conditions, Sweet Basil also grows well indoors. All basil responds well to continuous harvesting by pinching out the tops back to a leaf node.
Growing Basil Outside
Growing basil outside on Southern Vancouver Island can be a bit of a challenge. The climate here is a bit too mild, with evenings that are often a bit too cool and basil does not like wind. Also basil likes a bit more humidity than is normal in this area. The best choice would be a well sheltered sunny location right up against something that can hold a bit of heat like a masonry or rock wall. Better yet would be some shelter in the form of a poly cover, cold frame, or green house. A big pot of basil positioned in a sunny spot where it can easily be moved inside on the cooler evenings is another good strategy for this area.
People often find basil a bit tricky to grow, basil is picky, so here are the dos and don’t s to help point you in the right direction. Follow these basics and 99% of your basil growing problems will disappear !
The good news is if you keep your basil happy the result will be a wonderful harvest of fresh basil !
While on my weekly IPM scouting mission I found dozens of these little metallic black beetles relaxing after a large meal of St. John’s Wort . I am pretty sure these are Chrysolina hyperici beetles. Chrysolina beetles come in wide variety of wonderful colours. Check out the photographs of Chrysolina americana and Chrysolina fastuosa at this web site : http://www.eakringbirds.com/eakringbirds6/insectschrysolinabeetles.htm, to see some spectacular examples of this beetle.
St. John’s Wort is a very popular medicinal herb, but also a serious noxious weed on grazing lands. Three types of Chrysolina beetles were released in Ontario in the 1950’s as a bio-control against St. John’s Wort and Chrysolina hyperici was one of the types. For more information by Ontario Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs click on the photo.
This “semievergreen” hardy perennial can be harvested year round on Vancouver Island.
Not only is this plant deer resistant, but it is listed as an aromatic herb that Repels deer!
That’s quite a claim !
Check out what the Sonoma County Master Gardener’s have to say about discouraging deer using aromatic herbs at:
http://ucanr.edu/sites/scmg/2013_Feature_Articles/Aromatic_Herbs_Discourage_Deer/
Just a interesting little article I have found. I have tried them all !
Photo by Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK
Another fall/winter activity for Plant Growers in the off season…. reading.
“A Gardener’s Guide to Frost” by Philip Harnden ( ISBN 1-57223-576-4 ) is flowing, wonderful to read book with lots of great frosty garden pictures. Covering a complete set of topics exploring a vegetable gardener’s relationship to frost including interesting chapters on Forecasting Frost, Fending Off Frost, and a listing of Frost Tolerant Garden Vegetables.
For those of us on Vancouver Island, “A Gardener’s Guide to Frost” is in the VIRL book collection.
According Farmer’s Almanac Naniamo gets an average of 171 frost free days, and the frost free growing season starts on April 28th. Further south in Victoria the average frost free date is April 19th. Expect a first frost around the beginning of November.
Of course many vegetable and herb plants can tolerate frost. Here is listing of Frost Tolerance of Vegetables to help you get started.
It is always interesting to see how Vancouver Island compares to the rest of Canada for frost free dates and growing season length, here is a handy table put out by the Farmer’s Almanac for various Canadian cities.
Lovage (Levisticum officinale) this reliable Hardy Perennial is one of the first pants to shoot up in spring. Here on Southern Vancouver Island, it has sprouted up over a foot by the end of March. It is easy to grow but give this plant a lot of room in your garden as it grows over 2 M high.
Leaves have excellent celery like flavor and is used soups, stews and casseroles. The seeds whole or ground are used in pickling brine, cheese spreads, dressings and sauces. Here are a few ideas.
Fettuccine With Tomato And Lovage Sauce
In the Middle Ages lovage leaves were placed in the shoes of travelers to revive their weary feet and an infusion made from the seeds was used to erase freckles !
Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium ) has been a popular culinary and medicinal herb since before the times of the Roman Empire. However recently, it seems to be out of favor. To bad , it has a lot going for it …. it’s delicate anise flavor adds depth to a green salad, also it is part of the French herb combination ” Fines Herbes” used as a herb base for many culinary masterpieces. This short lived annual is easy to grow, can be harvested all year and self seeds readily, so keep a moist partial shade area of your herb garden reserved for a Chervil corner.
Bloodroot ( Sanguinaria canadensis ) is native to eastern Canada and an early bloomer here on Vancouver Island. Bloodroot has been used as a red dye by native artists. It is a member of the Papaveraceae (poppy) family.
WInter Hardwood Cuttings December 2016
Every season I do hundreds of softwood and semi-hardwood cuttings during the spring and summer.This fall I decided to try some hardwood cuttings. Continue reading
Here are some wonderful podcasts on botanical history and current information, great to listen to while commuting to work or while gardening.
BBC Radio Plants From Roots to Riches
Feb 2017 Hazelwood Herb Farm
Miner’s lettuce popping up as the snow melts.
Well it is starting all over again, there is still snow on the ground, but the seeds are here and it is time get everything started so they are ready for spring plant sales. Here are a few of the “new to us” plants I am going to start this season. Continue reading
Spinach is considered healthful in the human diet due to its high concentration of nutrients, such as beta carotene (pro vitamin A), lutein, folate, vitamin C, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and potassium.
Source: USDA ARS Online Magazine Making Spinach with Low Oxalate Levels
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/e12fe3897c234e42aed2aaa8d405e956/saffron-growers-look-get-foothold-us
Vancouver Island Gardening Adventures 