Normally, I would just keep plugging along through the alphabet, sticking S and T together, or combining XYZ. However, I see the number of participants has dropped precipitously, participally, even....and there is nothing worse than a dropped participle in a Floral Soup. Let's face it. And so I give you a free pass on any thing at all from Soup to Znuts. Here are a few of each, fair play to you all, thanks for playing and Happy Spring!!

FYI it also snowed last night, and is expected to drop in T to -2 C tonight.

Sunflower



Smoke bush (Marmalade)



Tanacetum parthenium



Tulip Double Peony La Belle Epoque



Umbellicaria deusta



Umbrella, ha ha. Note the smoke from forest fires that plagued us last year.




Verbascum chaixii




Water hyacinth




Xanthoria polycarpa




Xerophyllum tenax




Yucca





Zygadenous venosus, and Zinnia....no doubt there are other Zinnias to be had so I shall step aside. Thanks everyone.

Lots of people rave about the fragrance on this, but me, I can't get a whiff of anything:


These teeny little brownish flowers are a major hummingbird magnet:

Some plants I get just for the name, skullcap is one:

One of my natives:


Nice groundcover for a shady spot:

And who doesn't like a lilac:

Thank you Deb, where ever did you get the Spirea douglasii from? I have seen it up near Revelstoke, and in the woods around Victoria and Vancouver, would love to grow it. Its fairly cold hardy, or possibly actually two disjunct subspecies, and interior one and a coastal.

This is a jolly plant I let reseed here and there for a bit of pop:

Love the foliage on this one:

I use the common dandelion as an earth sign - time to plant spuds when the fields turn yellow:

The namesake of my rural area, Cedarhome:

This is the best thyme I've found for my region:

A couple of natives:

And a state invasive I'm torn about - I think it's pretty cool looking:

I love this against our barn:

Love showing little kids how to suck the juice out of nasturtiums:

KatEnns said:Thank you Deb, where ever did you get the Spirea douglasii from? I have seen it up near Revelstoke, and in the woods around Victoria and Vancouver, would love to grow it. Its fairly cold hardy, or possibly actually two disjunct subspecies, and interior one and a coastal.

Kat, these just grow wild for me. They seem to like wet feet and full sun, and sucker freely. The common name is hardhack, not sure why. I did see there is a white variety - Spirea betulifolia - that is also native, but I don't have that on my property. We quit running livestock several years ago, which has resulted in a lot more native plants establishing themselves.

Just how does one suck juice from a Nasturtium?

Bite the end of the flower (there is probably a correct name for this) and suck out the sweet peppery nectar. Yum.

The spur?

If nothing else, I'm learning how much and many of some plants (mostly bulbs) I've put in the database.
and, considering other plants for the garden I've noted by others' entries.

Some succulent flowerS here...

These are not Xactly species...

And finally some Yuccas in bud, bloom, and fruit.

'S' garden aviators -









Shoemaker


few moths (Sphinx moths)

Bonehead said:

Kat, these just grow wild for me. They seem to like wet feet and full sun, and sucker freely. The common name is hardhack, not sure why. I did see there is a white variety - Spirea betulifolia - that is also native, but I don't have that on my property. We quit running livestock several years ago, which has resulted in a lot more native plants establishing themselves.

Ah, S. betulifolia is kind of flat topped and white flowered, both are natives in BC, but birchleaved spirea is everywhere in my garden. I'd love some hardback, if you were in Canada I could trade you for some S. betulifolia.

jmorth said:If nothing else, I'm learning how much and many of some plants (mostly bulbs) I've put in the database.
and, considering other plants for the garden I've noted by others' entries.

Well, hopefully, it's not nothing else, lol. Your contribution has been really interesting! The purpose of the soup in winters past was to talk a bit about plants we grew last year and see some new things we would like to have.

It has been a rewarding winter exercise. Sometimes I spent time planning ahead for the next series' arrival.
Thanks for the opportunity, Kat.