Anemone pulsatilla L. / European Pasqueflower

I bought this plant in the late summer of 2011 thinking it was Anemone patens (formerly Pulsatilla patens). I’ve wanted A. patens for quite awhile now since it’s native to where I live, Manitoba, AND it’s the provincial floral emblem. As spring 2012 came, I watched with anticipation and glee as the flower stalks pushed their way out of the ground, but my excitement came to a screeching halt as the leaves emerged shortly after. I’ve seen our native Pasqueflower before from doing fieldwork and knew that the leaves emerged much later. I consulted my growing collection of field guides and identification manuals and all confirmed that the plant I bought was not the provincial flower, but a similar, European species. I even checked the tag the plant came with and the tag read, “Anemone pulsatilla (syn. Pulsatilla vulgaris), Pasqueflower”. I must have bought the plant thinking Anemone pulsatilla was just another synonym of Anemone patens since A. patens has undergone many, many taxonomic changes in the past. No matter. I’ve decided to keep Anemone pulsatilla since they flower just as the tulips are starting to emerge and provide some much needed colour in the yard during early spring and the seed heads that follow look attractive enough that I leave them be instead of shearing them off.

Salix planifolia Pursh / Diamondleaf Willow

I got this plant in April 27, 2010, which was Earth Day. A colleague and I were out in Nopiming Park, Manitoba collecting cuttings from various willow species for an experiment. We took the cuttings back to the University of Manitoba’s greenhouse and they rooted within a matter of days. Weeks passed and we returned to Nopiming Park to plant the baby willows in an area that became a barren wasteland due to mining activities. We ended up having more cuttings than we needed so I decided to adopt one of them rather than have my colleague discard them all.

I planted the young willow along a west-facing fence in my backyard where the growing conditions were most similar back in the forest. The plant spent the summers of 2010 and 2011 growing and establishing itself, seemingly happy with its new home despite droughts, storms, and rabbit predation. I even managed to identify it as the plant aged. Spring 2012 came and the plant flowered for the first time in late March, the very first flowers of the season. It also became apparent that the individual I have is female. I’ve come to truly love this plant. It may not be as showy or fragrant as other spring flowering shrubs or trees, but it is resilient, care-free, and the catkins are lovely in their own right (although this may be an acquired taste).

Narcissus poeticus L. subsp. poeticus / Poet’s Daffodil

I tried growing daffodils when I was 14 years old, tazetta hybrids, I believe. I planted them along a walk way with some Darwin hybrid tulips. The following spring came and the tulips emerged and put on a magnificent display of colours that was envied by neighbours and passer bys. However, there were no signs of the daffodils I planted. I searched among the tulips for the daffodils and found some grass-like foliage. I checked the package the bulbs came in and it confirmed the foliage did belong to the daffodils. Weeks passed and the tulips finished flowering and eventually entered their summer dormancy. The little stubble that was the foliage of the daffodils was still present and hardly grew at all. A few more weeks passed and the daffodils’ foliage eventually wilted. Being a curious, young lad at the time, I dug up the bulbs and discovered that they have rotten. I’m not sure what killed them. It could’ve been the poor drainage or the fact that the mild weather associated with spring time is nearly none existant here in Winnipeg. As one of my professors have said countless times, “it goes from winter to summer here in the Prairies”. Regardless of the reason, I felt very discouraged and didn’t attempt growing any daffodils for a long time. Until now.

I’m not sure how I learned of Narcissus poeticus. It may have been random Googling or perhaps I saw it in one of the catalogues that came through the mail. I wanted to try growing daffodils again since it is my birth flower. I scoured Google for which growing conditions are the best for this plant and not a single website mentioned anything about this specie being able to withstand 20-25+°C spring temperatures. However, I did learn that this specie has naturalized in some, if not most, parts of North America, suggesting that it’s quite adaptable. I purchased 10 bulbs in fall 2011 and planted them in a specially prepared bed with excellent drainage and adequate nutrients. Spring 2012 came and the leaves fully emerged, but no flowers were produced for three to four weeks. I began to feel anxious at the thought of another possible failure. Fortunately, my anxiety was put to rest near the end of May when a few of the plants produced flowers! The flowers have pure white tepals and a yellow corona tinged with red, the typical daffodil look and the kind of daffodil I’ve always wanted. Hopefully, these will return next year as I love daffodils and what they represent:

“Narcissus is the birth flower for people who are born in December. The Narcissus symbolizes success, good wishes, egotism, celebration and wealth. If your birth flower is Narcissus: You have a very high level of self-confidence. You have strong willpower which helps you in difficult situations. You are more of a family person. You are logical and systematic.”