July Heat is ON!

I can't believe it's mid summer already, which means a lot has been going on in my rock garden landscapes. I've been switching things around, adding new ones, taking divisions from neighbours and enjoying watching the newly established palms get bigger! My latest addition is a re blooming lilac dwarf shrub...'Miss Kim' is her name. Known to have the most fragrant flowers of all lilacs, she blooms mauve in spring and deep burgundy in the fall. It's a great border to finish off the path to the side of the house.
I also separated one of 6 pups from Sam's banana plant, transferring it to the front yard rock bed. It's 2 ft. tall and even has it's own pup. I was pretty nervous about doing it at first but with the help from my Bananas.org forum members, I was able to successfully make the slice through it without harm to the mother (not to mention myself! YIKES!!!) The root on the mother is enormous!!

Everyone is out everyday watering lawns and gardens since we've landed record breaking dry conditions for Vancouver this season. We haven't seen any rain since the first week of May and the temperatures are only going to soar higher into the 30's this week.
*UPDATE* We had a wicked storm last night for a few hours, bringing a ton of rain with it!

Click on the images to enlarge for a closer look if you wish.

Welcome MISS KIM


Front yard bed


Red Hot Poker

Sam's Banana Pup, a new Red Flax and a division of grass from a neighbour.

Back Yard


Palm Tree and Sam's Banana. Another division from a neighbour, of yellow daisies.


Droopy banana leaves in the scortching sun and heat. Also planted 4ft. daylillies divided from neighbours, which are also try to establish in this heat!


Yucca (Adam's Needle) about to bloom and New Zealand Red Flax I relocated beside it for better contrast.


Sammy having a lunch in the shade


I saved the Rhododendron and Lily of the Valley shrub from the full sun and planted in mostly shade. They used to be yellow and dying...now nice and green!

Trip to Camrose

We wrapped up the end of June with a long overdue trip to my hometown Camrose, Alberta. It's been 2 years since I saw my dad and grandmothers and Sam's first time to really understand who all of these people are, however it's not her first time in Camrose.
Grandpa and Grandma Hagen worked hard in preparing for our arrival. They put together a toy box for Sam full of puzzles and toys that kept her quite happy for periods of time. She was also taken by a huge stuffed turtle that grandpa bought for her and instisted she slept with it almost every night. I usually ended up using it as a pillow. Too bad it was too big to bring on the plane back home! Grandpa also grabbed up a stack of Disney books from a garage sale, which made for perfect bedtime stories. Grandma got a huge brown paper roll and markers for Sam to roll out across the deck....Sam was in her element in endless amounts of artwork. One of Sam's favorite things to do was run through the big field to the park down by the water. She could play there for hours. Bubbles also kept her busy in the backyard and watching for any of the three cats to come home from their outdoor excursions. Speaking of backyard, dad has built the cutest little guest house. He's always been extremely skilled with renos and building since we were kids. Here's just another example of his beautiful work!



Great Grandma Hagen has been waiting for a long time for us as well. She will be turning 90 yrs. young next year so we will definitely be heading out for a nice party with everyone! We also got to visit her other great grandma Foss, who was so excited and surprised to see us! I teared up when she said a teary goodbye to us. I only wish we had longer to visit. We also fit in a good visit with Sam's big (half) brother Cody, who is now 18 1/2 yrs. old, along with his mom, and my beautiful friend, Geri. Of course a Camrose visit wouldn't be complete without seeing my best childhood friend Louise and her daughter. Sam also got a playdate in with her second cousins Rilan and Dixan, the sons of my dear departed cousin Craig. They've really grown up, it touched my heart to see such a resemblance of Craig in both boys. He definitely lives on in them.





Here's a four-generation picture great grandma Hagen wanted of us.....