Exotic Gardening with Rare and Strange Plants

primula denticulata alba

Happy Easter Weekend Everybody!

I love when it rains all week and get’s sunny right in time for the weekend, it’s hard not to feel lucky. Spring is in the air, the cherry blossoms are out in full force and it’s a good time to be a gardener. While it still seems early there is no shortage of garden interest, it’s nice to have a long weekend to sit back and take it all in. Yesterday afternoon I took a stroll around Government House gardens to see what was in bloom. What a pleasure it is to wonder about the open gardens, the sprawling beds full of blooming perennials and old growth specimen trees is a delight to the senses. Birds sang their spring song, the sun shone and a true sense of tranquility was the predominant vibe. I love this time of year.


Victoria is fortunate to have a large amount of old growth flowering cherry trees. Many of the streets are lined with these ethereal fluffy wonders, nothing says spring like cherry blossoms.


Everywhere in town, this way and that, flowering cherry trees are a sight to be seen.


April is primula month, Government House had a nice variety of hardy specimens.


Primula denticulata alba were in full bloom.


Spotted Trilliums


Throughout the Government House grounds is intermixed Gary Oak. Beyond the garden there is an equal sized Gary Oak Meadow, one of the rarest natural ecosystems in Canada. It’s nice to have one right in the center of Victoria. Leafless I love the fractal of branches.


I also spotted a magnolia tree with blooms bigger then my head. Magnolias are marketing geniuses, I think I may need one of these one day.


This may be my favorite stage of polygonatum. The dabbled lighting added to the effect.


I’m not the only one who enjoys these strange spring shoots. After taking this photo I noticed this little guy, circled above.


A little bug no bigger then a grain of salt admired the view from what would seem like the top of a skyscraper comparatively.


This photo of daffodils and hellebores seems to describe spring just right.

Hope everyone is enjoying their Easter Weekend, It’s only half over and I’ve already banked 10 hours in the garden, how about you?

Mr Nat. Gardener, Plant Nerd
Tips and tales about gardening in one of the most mild climates in Canada. Specializing in rare and strange plants from far out destinations, this is the story of an obsessed young gardener in Victoria B.C. Let's create more tropical gardens in the garden city on the southern tip of Vancouver Island.