Victory Gardens is running a container gardening workshop at  Old Faithful Saturday, May 12th from 9:30 – 11 AM.  Not only will you learn some important basics on container gardening from this stylish collaboration, but also you will leave with your very own wooden crate planted with various greens and herbs and some certified organic Westcoast Seeds (my very favourite seeds!).

To register for this event, please go to http://www.Oldfaithfulshop.com/.  Space is limited.

The festival runs April 1-30 of any given year and a quick look at the bloom map will tell you which of the fields are in full glory.  Bloom times are always subject to Mother Nature’s schedule, but you can usually find a couple fields of tulips in bloom in the middle of the month, but you best be quick because the blooms don’t last more than 2 weeks before they are cut, bulbs removed, and soil turned for another year.

I have many tulips blooming in my garden right now so I planned to write about them as the April Feature Plant for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day.  But as I took photos I remembered sensory delights from the Tulip Festival not far from here and decided that those are the photos I’ll share.  How could I not?  Wow. Look at those gorgeous flowers.

How to Grow Tulips

• Tulip bulbs are planted in the fall: in early October before the first frost. Never fear, if you missed planting last fall you can buy potted tulips that are blooming.  Enjoy them in the pot and transplant into the garden when the leaves begin to yellow.
• Most tulips grow best in full sun in loose, rich soil with good drainage.  Make sure to plant bulbs where you have room for them to grow (i.e.:  enough height and space between other plantings).
• Plant bulbs in groups of 5 to 9.  Odd-numbered plantings in groups (as opposed to lines) present a more pleasing and natural display.
• Plant bulbs approximately 6” deep, with the pointy end facing up and the roots down.  Mark the area where you have planted, and cover with a layer of mulch such as leaves, peat moss, or pine needles to protect over winter.

To see the tulips head to the Skagit Valley in Washington state, 60 miles north of Seattle and 70 miles south of Vancouver, BC, Canada. Print off this map of as the fields don’t have addresses.  The location changes every year so this map is your best tool.  If you happen to miss the tulip fields in full bloom, you can also check out the tulip demonstration gardens at Tulip Town.

To celebrate the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival the VCBF is putting on a Cherry Blossom Umbrella Flash Mob Dance complete with pink umbrellas!  Part Bollywood and part Singing’ in the Rain, this upbeat flash mob is sure to be a blast for those who participate!   Sign up at: www.vcbf.ca .

These magnificent birds are a beautiful sight to see, yet there are many warnings around that caution visitors so that the owls are protected.   Please, if you do go to see the owls, maintain a respectful distance from them.  If they start flying away, you have gone too close.  To ensure they are not disturbed view them only from the dyke (do not enter the marsh area), keep quiet, and don’t go as a large group or bring children or pets.  Stressing the owls will not only drive them away, but also threatens their survival.

That being said, seeing Snowy Owls and their habitat is a rare treat that anyone interested should get out and enjoy.  Bring binoculars, a telephoto lens and/or a spotting scope so you can get a good look at them from a distance.  For more information on the Snowies and where to find them, please check the updates at the end of this post.

For more information on Snowy Owls at Boundary Bay, please check out Anne Murray’s Nature Guides B.C. Blog.

According to Birding BC here is where the Snowies have been seen:

This has become a major SNOWY OWL flight year, with reports of up to 29
birds near the foot of 72nd Street on Boundary Bay, plus 5 or 6 more in the
Brunswick Point area of Delta. Birders and photographers are asked to
observe SNOWY OWL from a respectful distance, to make an effort not to
flush or frighten off the owls, and to speak to anyone who appears to be
crowding an owl too much.

News:

Global TV Report here.

CBC News Report here.

Update January 3, 2011

Reports are that there are still Snowy Owls in Boundary Bay, although numbers vary day by day.

Phoenix Perennials in Richmond features one of the largest selections of perennials in Canada with over 4,000 plants.  Not only are the plants beautiful, rare, and impecably tended to by great staff, but right now the whole place looks like a plant carnival with so many rich colours of blooms and leaves and bracts.

It’s really the best show in town and the good news gets better: this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday is The Summer Sizzle – 30% off plants, pots, and iron work.  There are a series of free workshops this weekend as well - check out the e-newsletter  for more details. 

I’m hoping to steal a little of my time (which has been currently dedicated to the community garden) to get there myself and pick up a few show stoppers for my front yard garden.  Hmmm, now where can I find some room….

Today is officially the first day of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games here in Vancouver and the energy around town is off the charts.  There are people here for all over the world buzzing with excitement, waving Canadian flags and ready for an amazing party.  The weather has been really warm here, so there has been some concern over the snow levels on the mountains (it is a WINTER games after all) and so while many are braving storms in the East, we are hoping for lots of snow.  Organizers are reporting that they have the snow under control so let’s hope so for the athletes’ sake.

I did brave the rain today to see the Torch Relay which went through my neighbourhood yesterday and again today. All the kids came out of school to cheer on the torchbearers and the Olympic Flame.  Many wore patriotic red and white, including the famous red mitts which it is altogether too warm for. 

Unfortunately some nasty protesters caused the relay to change routes this morning, so I missed it the first time (and so did many of the school kids) but I was able to catch up to it later.  I do hope that protesters aren’t going to hamper anymore fun in the city, as most everyone here is ready for a great time.  I know I am and I have my red mitts to prove it!

I’m going to try to find garden related Olympics stories for the rest of this month, but since gardening is pretty much on hold so I can zip line through downtown Vancouver and be part of a Flash Mob on Robson Street, Garden Therapy may just become Olympic Therapy for February 2010.

The test went just as I expected: the 20x zoom function and video capabilities were fun to use, but the picture quality was grainy and inconsistent.  The digital viewfinder was slow and shaky, making it difficult to compose the shots and the focus speed was so slow that I missed much of what I was hoping to take.  The macro setting was successful in bright light but required you to position the camera mere centimeters from of the subject for a decent shot.  Here is a selection of the photos I took, mostly in zoom mode which was very handy to have at a bird sanctuary.

I thought it would be nice to have a lighter weight everyday use camera but I miss the speed, flexibility and by far the quality of the DSLR I’ve been using.  The solution could be to buy a lighter multipurpose lens for travel and everyday yet I also really liked the Ultra Zoom function and the digital video.  It’s back to the drawing board I guess.

Late Afternoon at Trout Lake in Vancouver

I’d love to get any recommendations on what cameras people are using out there for all the amazing shots of gardens and food I see you taking.  If you shoot with something you like I’d be overjoyed if you’d leave me a comment and let me know.