Woodland Bulbs, Winter Charms

The Pacific Northwest coastal habitat provides an excellent setting for many Woodland Bulbs. This diverse group of plants are often the first flowers we see in the late winter and early spring.

Woodland bulbs generally thrive under the protective cover of the typical Westcoast Rainforest, and the rich, moist humus layer underfoot. These plants blooms vary from bells to star shapes and their colour range includes white, yellow, pink and blue.

One the of earliest flowering woodland bulbs is the Common Snow Drop(Galanthus), which bloom from January to February. There are several species of this Genus widely cultivated in the region, including G. nivalis and G. Gracilis.





Galanthus nivalis










All Snow Drops do well in full sun to part-shade and well-drained soils. They are also adaptable to dry shade. These bulbs should be planted close together to create dense clumps or small masses of early spring flowers. While fitting in garden beds and rock gardens Snow Drops can be naturalized in lawns, as they are going dormant by the time lawns are ready for mowing.





Galanthus gracilis









Another early flowering bulb is the tiny Hardy Cyclamen (Cyclamen coum). This plant's dainty, shooting star-like blooms are a delightful addition to the winter woodland garden. The slender flower stems are only 4" high above a tight mat of boldly patterned basal leaves.


Cyclamen coum

Flowers vary from bright pink to mauve and appear in January and February. The tubers are summer dormant, and they naturalize easily, but without becoming invasive.


Hardy Cyclamen in full bloom

Some of the most recognizable woodland bulbs are members of the Crocus genus. The Woodland Crocus (C. tommasinianus) appears in January with a small lilac flower on a short, slender stem.
Crocus is a natural spreader and thrives in rich, moist soil under part-shade to full sun.







Woodland Crocus








There are also many woodland bulbs that belong to the Lily Family. Some are native to the pacific Northwest and some are European in origin. They all naturalize readily in our westcoast climate.

Prized among woodland bulbs is the native Western Trillium (Trillium ovatum). These plants are easily recognizable by their three petaled flowers blooming just above three flat green triangle leaves. They are rhizomes and they do not naturalize as rapidly as many other woodland bulbs. In our region they bloom February to April with white blooms maturing to pink, then purple.

Another much loved woodland bulb is the checkered lily or snake's head lily (Frittilaria meleagris). It is native to Great Britain and at home in woodsy Pacific Northwest. The checkered chocolate-brown and greenish-yellow flowers are 12-18" tall and appear March to May in full sun to part-shade.

The pretty native Easter Lily (Erythronium californicum) is admired by horticulturalists for its beauty and hardiness. This bulb has unique mottled shiny basal foliage below a slender stalk holding beautiful yellow with mottled brown flowers. These graceful bulbs bloom March to April and naturalize readily in protected part-shady and moist settings.

Hyacinthoides non-scripta and H. hispanica are known as Common and Spanish Bluebells. These are very popular spring flowering woodland bulbs. They are prolific bloomers and spreaders to the point of becoming invasive in cultivated landscapes. The Spanish Bluebell is lighter coloured, taller and larger than the Common Bluebell. Both species have white, pink, lavender and blue cultivars available. They bloom April to May in full sun to part-shade above rich masses of bright green upright to nodding leaves.

A close cousin of the Bluebell is Grape Hyacinth (Muscari boyryanthus). So named for it's musky scent and it's flower's resemblance to tiny grape clusters. Bright blue (or white) bell shaped flowers cling to slim stems, beginning as closed and eventually opening up as they mature. They bloom April to May and fast spreading and potentially invasive.

A bright yellow flowering bulb, Eranthus hyemalis (Winter Aconite), is a cheerful welcome in the early woodland garden. This clump forming tuber hosts a mass of 6" high yellow composite flowers from late January to March.

Eranthus hyemalis

Iris reticulata (Dwarf Iris), is a miniture form of Iris that blooms in February to March. Purple, blue or mauve flowers stand only 4-6" tall, above dark green erect leaves. These are bulb irises (as opposed to common rhizomes) which like full sun, but still bloom in part-shade with
well-drained soil.








Iris reticulata









Anenome nemorosa (Wood Anenome) is a vigorous spreading rhizome that thrives in our woodlands. It produces a carpet of deeply edged feathery foliage with masses of star-shaped single flowers. The species is pure white, but a wide range of cultivars have been established with an array of bloom colour and double petals. Wood Anenomes bloom from late March to May, and like many early bulbs it is summer dormant.

Woodland bulbs are excellent companion plants to rhododendrons, azaleas, ornamental deciduous trees (Japanese Maple, Star Magnolias), Hellebores, Native Conifers (Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock, Grand Firs) and a plethora of Herbaceous Perennials.

-written by Allison Marr

Some cheer when it is most needed.

Hamamelis x intermedia , commonly known as Witch Hazel, is an excellent winter flowering shrub for the south coast. This species is a cultivated hybrid resulting from a cross between H. mollis (Chinese Witch Hazel) and H. japonica (Japanese Witch Hazel). These winter blooming hybrids are large shrubs that can attain 12 to 15 feet high and wide. They are well suited to use in shrub borders and woodland gardens.

H. x intermedia

Hamamelis x intermedia has a spreading habit with angular or zigziging branches. They are interesting focal points in the fall garden with their bright autumn foliage. In the winter lovely yellow through orange flower clusters appear on bare wood. The flowers are truly interesting, as their narrow, crumpled petals remind one of shredded coconut, mopheads or perhaps spiders. Another attraction of most Witch Hazel blooms is their fragrance and cool winter temperatures allow the blooms to display over a long period.

Hamamelis x intermedia thrive in rich to medium quality, well-drained acidic organic soil. These plants perfer full sun to part shade, but bloom best in full sun. Within shrub borders they need room to grow. When planting keep in mind that they have a horizontally spreading habit and look best when set off a little from adjacent plants. There are few pests or diseases that attack Witch Hazel. These hybrids are well placed in a Green garden as they need very little attention, maintenance and only average summer water.

Pruning Hamamelis x intermedia involves the removal of poorly placed branches, those that are center growing, crossing, rubbing, or weak. Most plants are grafts and all suckers (shoots sprouting low on the stem or at the root crown) should be removed.Flowering stems may be cut for fragrant winter flower arrangements. As the plants grow in size they can be pruned in spring (after flowering) to control shape and size.

There are many excellent cultivars to add fall and winter interest to your gardens. Here are a few to consider.

'Allgold' – Deep Yellow Flowers with red sepals; yellow fall foliage.

'Carmine Red' – Light red flowers; red-orange fall foliage.

'Diane' – Dark red flowers maturing to orange red. Red-purple fall foliage.

H. x intermedia 'Diane'

'Jelena' ('Copper Beauty') - Coppery orange flowers.

'Magic Fire' ('Fire Charm') – Flowers in coppery orange. Fiery red fall foliage.

'Pallida' – Luminous light yellow flowers. Yellow fall foliage.

'Ruby Glow' – Coppery red flowers. Bright red fall foliage.

''Sunburst' – Heavy clusters of radiant yellow, unscented flowers. Yellow fall foliage.

'Westerstede' – Unshaded yellow-orange flowers. Orange-red fall foliage.

magical mystic beach

It has been a long cold spring here in Victoria...and a busy one. My promise to myself to blog more often has been shamefully broken--again.

However, this latest adventure has left me with such a feeling of joy and inspiration that I just had to take the time to share it.

This Sunday was Father's Day, and to mark the occasion, we packed up a picnic and drove northwest past Sooke to Juan de Fuca Park, which is a huge Provincial Park containing drive and walk-in camping, and a long trail that begins just past Jordan River and ends at Botanical Beach, which is just south of Port Renfrew.

The drive from Victoria is about an hour and a half each way on windy roads, so it is a good idea to leave fairly early in the morning (this was something we failed to do, and then had to stop for gas and coffee along the way as well...my recommendation would be to fill the tank the night before, and to make that second cup at home before leaving...).

There are many trails and beaches in the park, but our destination was none other than the spectacular Mystic Beach. Parking for this trail is at the main trailhead for the Juan de Fuca trail system, just after the China Beach campground, and costs three dollars a day.

The trail itself is about two kilometres long, and a reasonable challenge for children. The five to seven year olds in our group zoomed very happily along the trail, jumping over roots and into mud puddles, across boardwalks and bridges, and along planks precariously balanced across muddy pits. Our three year olds were also very pleased to hike the trails, but needed to be carried about 1/4 of the time, and a little more on the way back after playing at the beach for the afternoon. The pinnacle of the trail for the children is the suspension bridge that straddles a small creek about twenty feet below. Little Abby called it the jumping bridge, and screeched joyfully for us to "look down!" as she crossed. Just six inches behind her and clutching the railings, I could not bring myself to do as she said for more than about half a second. She does not get her bravado from me, I'm afraid.

I have recently taken on a couple of clients with large treed sites in which we are trying to achieve a natural look, and certainly this trail was a wonderful place for inspiration. Nature is such a restrained designer in the deep coastal forest, with masses of sword ferns (Polystichum munitum), interspersed with splashes of deer ferns (Blechnum spicant), salal (Gaultheria shallon), and evergreen and deciduous huckleberry (Vaccinum parvifolium and Vaccinum ovatum). This is a garden in which you must pay close attention, that begs you to listen. The effect is calming, spacious, and contains no great pink rhododendrons or brightly coloured pots to distract your attention.

The last part of the trail is a huge fallen tree with steps carved into it that leads from the forest down onto the beach. And what a beach. It is sandy, nearly empty, and at its south end has huge cliffs with a waterfall that cascades onto the sand below. It is definitely one of the most interesting and impressive beaches that I have seen in and around the islands.

One of the best things about Mystic beach is that people are still permitted beach fires. The rule is that the fires are above the high tide line, and that only driftwood is used for fuel (as opposed to chopping up and burning live trees...). I think that one of the greatest pleasures in life has got to be eating food outside that has been cooked or warmed over a campfire. And if that fire is also on a spectacular beach, all the better. Our picnic consisted of chili, chips with guacamole, salsa and sour cream, bread and butter, and corn roasted on the fire and rolled in butter. For dessert, homemade chocolate chip cookies and fresh fruit. Mmm...