We have lots of those windmill palms, both in Parks Board and private plantings. They're not native palms! We have banana trees too. I don't know what kind they are; they often get wrapped up for the winter, and they're usually planted against a south wall. Occasionally they produce very small fruits.
Not only are palm trees (and bananas) commonly grown on the Lower Mainland but on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands too. We live in the tropics of Canada. :-)
Same here : the more photos you post, the more I realise our climates are not that different. I probably had in minds old photos or paintings of Haida or Tlingit wooden houses covered with snow, with a central hearth place in the middle of the kind of pit inside. ;-)
I think here on the coast we were all lulled into thinking that spring would soon be here and we forget what is "normal" elsewhere. I was talking with my Mother yesterday and she told me "it had only gone down to -27C last night" (unlike a few nights ago when it hit -34C)....she is jealous of our winter weather.
Well who wouldn't be with -7° C difference, Lol. I can't even comprehend those temperatures tbh P. How you cope I don't know.
Keep in mind that @pmurphy is talking about temperatures where her mother lives inland in BC. Here on the coast we never have to cope with temperatures so low. "The coldest temperature ever recorded in [Vancouver] was −18.3 °C (−1 °F) on December 29, 1968." I don't even own a warm jacket; never wear gloves or a hat. (I either stay indoors or run to the car. :-)
That has certainly given me a smile this morning Margot. That does sound like a very good idea though.
The sun is shining, lockdown is nearing the end and these little crocus came out to make us smile on our walk this morning. Things are getting better.....
19°C this afternoon, but I had to wipe the windscreen because of a fine layer of ochre-orange sand from Sahara - I saw on TV that the dust clouds crossed the Atlantic to French Guyana, and probably other places in the Americas. A lot of people in the parks, it's the beginning of the winter holidays in our region. I spotted this tree with a very interesting bark and wondered if it wasn't an Acer of some sort :
That's what I suspected. I'll have to wait for the leaves and the flowers to make a better identification.
Other photos from "Parc Floral" in Orléans-La Source. This area of the city, south of the Loire river is called la Source because that's where the river Loiret (that gave its name to the département) begins. It's actually a "resurgence" from the Loire river : some of the water goes underground about 20 km upstream and reappears there. It's called "le bouillon" because it looks as if the water was boiling : The park used to be a very big estate, with a "château" that is now used for some of the offices of the university : Lots of different fowls in the river, icluding a colony of flamingos : I remember a discussion about Cryptomeria : there are many conifers in the park and they have a sort of "orientalist" area with a few Japanese maples (still dormant) and "niwaki", or rather cloud-shaped trees. They're usually Junipers or pines, but this one is a Cryptomeria. It's the first time I've seen it in its winter colours : PS : Don't forget to tip the guide ! ;°)
The topiary behind the Cryptomeria is pretty cute too. This looks like a wonderful place. It has a Wikipedia page: Parc Floral de la Source - Wikipedia, and all the photos that come up in my Bing search really seem to be this park. They're not better than these, but there are more of them. :) Parc Floral" in Orléans-La Source - Bing images
The foliage of the 'Elegans' cryptomeria is partly dead - hence the zones of different coloring in the first shot and the entirely dead appearance of the section that fills the second shot.
The 1st of March and it feels as if a very difficult Winter is now behind us all. Lovely sunny day here in the South of England and these little rays of sunshine were everywhere this morning on our walk. Ficaria verna common names pilewort or fig buttercup in the US.
I found my favourite bamboo in Stanley Park today - Sasa veitchii, which I learned to recognize at UBCBG.
Good morning Wendy, this is lovely to see again. Our friend had it in his Japanese style garden, but it was so invasive it took over. He asked if I wanted any rhizomes for my garden, but after seeing how it took over his I declined. A lovely bamboo definatly, but you have to keep it under regular control and install a barrier to stop it spreading where you don't want.
Finally the first signs of early spring here! A flowering Hamamelis close to where I work. I believe the yellow one is grafted on the red one, don’t know the species/hybrid for either. Interestingly, the red one does not lose its leaves in the fall, they just dry out and remain until new buds develop in the spring.
This plum Prunus cerasifera was looking so pretty in the sunshine this morning. The blossom won't be here after the gale force winds over the next two days, so I thought I would capture it whilst I could.
You're just a little ahead of us in my neighbourhood. Our white ones might be in full bloom tomorrow or by the end of the week; the pink-flowered ones are a few days behind. The white-flowered, green leafed ones were ahead of the purple-leafed ones by a few days.
All the plums have been out a while now, I do enjoy the staggering of blossom with the Cherries. It extends the cheerful colours well into April. Hopefully yours will be out soon Wendy. Probably when the forecasted storm has blown all ours away.
I couldn’t help myself, I was out to the nearest garden center in the area and I bought Hamamelis x intermedia Arnold Promise. Flowers are past their prime, but still fragrant. To be transplanted in the yard tomorrow morning.
