Spring In Alberta

Spring is Alberta can be elusive. Fickle even.

One day the sun shines, the snow begins to melt and your heart warms.

Spring is here!

Then the snow begins once again.

There are days, weeks even, where you become convinced that this is the year we will skip spring altogether.  Go straight from winter into summer.

Some years . . . it has nearly done just that.

The trick is to look closely . . . and quickly. Spring shows herself here in Alberta, you just have to know what to look for.

What is more fun in the spring than 'crack ice???'

 

Catching a few warm rays on a bench overlooking the river valley?

Jada's not too sure about that.

Her favorite spring activity is looking for the best grass to graze on once the snow starts receding. (We've tried to tell her she's a dog not a cow . . . but . . .  somehow. . .  when it comes to just the right kind of grass, she doesn't seem to care!)

Of course you can't find spring without looking every where. Jada likes to keep a close eye on the path leading to the river . . .

Spring comes slowly most years . . . but it always comes. And the snow leaves.

And the flowers arrive.

The forecast for this week is wonderful.  Temperatures are finally on the rise. Plants are moving into the greenhouse today and, if I have a few spare minutes, I'm going to snip back a few of those tired looking, dried out iris leaves in the front garden.

It's time to make room for a new gardening season.

Spring!

Touring A Real Greenhouse.

While on my little adventure, my sister Tamara took me on a tour of one of their greenhouses.

I'm wondering if something like this would fit in the back yard . . . 

  How amazing would it be to get bags of cuttings in the mail!

 

 And have help from these lovely ladies . .

Or being able to put a few of these fantastic machines in the basement???

It was an amazing tour . . . Thanks Tam!

Stay tuned . . . This was only the tip of the iceberg, fantastic machine wise.

And I Call Myself A Master Gardener. . .

A while back, when Ev and I visited Hole's new Enjoy center for their opening, I bought an Elephant Ear bulb because I thought it would look cool by the pond. (Once Henry finishes building it. We are going into year three now. . .)
I was even lucky enough to talk to Jim Hole, one of the owners and he told me to plant it quick because I was already a bit late with it.
The bulb can be saved from year to year so it didn't bother me that it might be a bit small this year.
I planted the bulb and put it in the greenhouse with everything else and waited for something to happen.

I watered.
I waited.
I watered some more.
I waited some more.
And waited. . .
And waited. . .
Everything in the greenhouse had been planted and this is all I saw. . .

The time had come to empty the pot.
And this is what I saw. . .

I planted the bulb upside down!!!

Considering the price of the bulb I did what I could to remedy the situation.

I don't know if it's going to grow, but I'll keep you posted.

Just so you all don't think I'm a total dufus I'm going to post later tomorrow with pictures of the back garden now that it's stopped raining.

I really am a master gardener. . . !

Tea In The Greenhouse

 

After spending a couple of hours watering and picking aphids with my bare fingers it's time for a cup of tea in the greenhouse.

Come on in and see what I've been up to!



 Pink And White Bacopa

Bacopa In The Morning Sun

Basil



White Bleeding Heart

                           



Cauliflower

Geraniums