Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Purple Alliums in Bloom!

I had an interesting talk with my father in law this weekend. We drove by a huge swath of overgrown grass by some railroad tracks in Vancouver, and he sighed. He said that back in the old country, droughts brought on great struggles. Goats had to be herded to areas less affected by drought, and farmers had to pay land-owners for the "use" of their grass for feeding the animals.

He always found it funny that here in our rainy Spring seasons, we grow and mow our lawns, put the clippings into plastic bags, and dump them in the landfill... I think home gardeners everywhere can make a dent into this strange modern way of living with every bit of waste that gets composted, and every crop that is harvested.


For myself, I usually tend to go with veggies instead of flowers, but these hardy allium bulbs always make an appearance in my garden.

Back in the Autumn, I lined up the bulbs to create a little border. Check out this great splash of colour from my front yard alliums! It is hard to believe that just a few short weeks ago, they were waiting to burst forth.


I'm so relieved to report that I have transplanted most of my tomato plants now, after such a wet and cold month of May. I have a good combination this year of heirlooms and heavy-producing hybrids in the garden and can't wait to see how everything grows.
Better to be harvesting juicy fresh tomatoes instead of having a bit more grass to mow, right? =)
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13 comments:

  1. PaskiaqJune 15, 2011 at 5:01 AM

    So beautiful! I love purple flowers. I agree with your FIL...it's a shame that so many things that shouldn't end up in the landfill does. Actually I've always been surprised that the city of Vancouver, where I grew up and is known for its natural beauty, isn't more environmentally conscious that way. Now I live in Toronto and the compost system here is fantastic...even diapers are composted by the city. Between that and recycling, our gargage bin rarely gets filled.

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  2. Lakota [Faith Hope and Charity Shopping]June 15, 2011 at 5:58 AM

    I love Alliums - such gorgeous surprising sculptural flowers

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  3. SixBalloonsJune 15, 2011 at 7:57 AM

    @Paskiaq, I should clarify - Vancouverites are not actually throwing away bags of lawn clippings or any vegetable food waste at all - our compost and recycling collection systems here are great too! I think he was just using it as an exaggerated analogy.

    The fact is, no matter how much we recycle and compost, these activities still use up energy - just think of the collection trucks, and the compost/recycling facilities that are needed. Sigh.

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  4. Vintage ScapesJune 15, 2011 at 8:30 AM

    wow... they are so beautiful. That color is so vibrant! I've been enjoying driving around some jacaranda lined streets here as of late.

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  5. sandra @ the memory workshopJune 15, 2011 at 8:36 AM

    It's recycling day on my street here in the burbs. I was happy to see so many households with full collection bags at the curb. Last week I was bummed to see my neighbour with *4* garbage cans at the curb on their garbage day. I don't think I've ever seen them recycle. And it couldn't have been yard waste, because they haven't cut their grass in ages! (most people on my side of the street dump clippings over the back fence into the field. The horses love it)

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  6. Linda @ A La CarteJune 15, 2011 at 8:38 AM

    I have been drawn to the purple flowers this year. This one is gorgeous!

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  7. beetreeJune 15, 2011 at 12:37 PM

    Just gorgeous! They look like purple fireworks! :)

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  8. SixBalloonsJune 15, 2011 at 1:02 PM

    I highly recommend these bulbs for a splash of beautiful colour in the garden. They tend to bloom after the tulips have faded away, so it's a great combination to have in the garden.

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  9. FloJune 15, 2011 at 3:50 PM

    Living in the middle of the desert has some drawbacks.. one is the drab color of the landscape in the middle of the summer. (In the spring it's actually pretty colorful). So I'm taking a dash of color from your lovely flowers for vicarious purposes. Your photos of them are amazing!

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  10. PaskiaqJune 16, 2011 at 2:27 PM

    I'm glad to hear that there's city composting in Vancouver now (it's been about 10 years since I've lived there...still miss Van!). Maybe it's just my parents' condo that still doesn't do composting (such a shame!).

    PS did you see this? http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/gms/2443081249.html

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  11. pauladJune 17, 2011 at 12:05 AM

    I just saw this flower the other day and was really curious about it. I can't believe I've never seen them before that! They are beautiful, but there is also something very surreal about them. They look like they were plucked straight out of a child's imagination. I will have to get some going for my garden next year!

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  12. SixBalloonsJune 17, 2011 at 11:09 AM

    I'm glad you all enjoyed a glimpse into my garden again! I think I will keep this up through the summer, especially since garlic scapes are starting to form!

    I should mention that since the flower is from the onion family, it is a good deterrent for pests from your veggie garden. This ornamental allium also attracts beneficial insects to your garden. Love the sight of bees visiting.

    And thanks for the link Paskiaq, I'll check it out!

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  13. AnneJune 20, 2011 at 8:24 AM

    Beautiful! Alliums are such a fun addition to a garden, with their height and fireworks shape. Thank you for visiting me,glad you liked the worn old chicken feeder!

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