Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Crocus kotschyanus





Crocus kotschyanus is a fall-blooming perennial bulb, flowering in late September & early October.  There are several subspecies from Turkey, the Causasus, Syria & Lebanon.  They can be blue, pink, lilac or purple, usually with conspicuous veins.  They are said to spread readily from seed, but that wasn't true in my garden.  Foliage appears in spring.  The are xeric to the point of needing little or no irrigation.  They can be ordered online or by catalog from various bulb companies.  There are many other species of  Crocus that bloom in the fall.  But most are not easy to find.  If you like Crocus, consider searching for them.

Friday, September 1, 2017

Anacortes-Sidney Ferry






Spieden Island.  These photos were taken in August 2014.

Think of the Anacortes-Sidney Ferry as an inexpensive cruise ship through the San Juan Islands in the waters of the Salish Sea between the US mainland in Washington & Vancouver Island in Canada.  This is the most scenic way to get to Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia & a popular tourist destination.  The ferry route passes very near Blakely, Decatur, Lopez, Orcas, Shaw, San Juan, lovely little Spieden & numerous smaller islands, islets & rocks.  The trip takes approximately 2 hours & 30 minutes to 3 hours in each direction.