If you can't take the heat....

It was beautiful, clear skied weather this past weekend but unseasonably HOT.   Working outside with temperatures hoovering in the high 80's presents some challenges for someone acclimatized  to Northern spring weather such as myself but am still tickled to have had the whole weekend outside as I continue to weed, edge and mulch the landscape beds as well as get the veggie garden well under way.
Keeping a steady, albeit slower, working pace and taking frequent breaks to rehydrate simply presented more opportunities to walk around and see what's up.

Vaccinium corymbosum L.

I would imagine that most people viewing this photo would see a lovely shrub bearing clusters of white, bell shaped flowers.
I see my favorite fruit of all time, blueberries.  To think that each one of those little white flowers will turn into big plump dark blueberries just makes my mouth water thinking about it.
I have 4 highbush blueberry shrubs that I planted 7 years ago that now stand about 4' tall and have been producing very well for the past few years (providing I get the net over them before the birds clean me out).
And the beauty of this shrub doesn't end there with fall foliage colors in various shades of burnt red.
But plant them for the fruit...


I've always been attracted to plants whose flowers sit on stems rising above it's foliage and this plant was no exception.   So the first time I saw it in bloom, I wasn't disappointed.

Polygonum bistorta 'Superbum'

The 16" stems are rigid requiring no support and the pale pink 'poker' flower displays well into June and again later in the season, but it's the spring showing that's the most dramatic.
This hearty, neat and easy to grow plant sounds like a dream until you forget to manually keep it at bay.  A vigorous grower, it will take over your garden if you let it.  Luckily it's easy enough to pull out when it starts to get out of control.  It's also a bit unclear as to the correct name since it also goes by Persicaria bistorta 'Superba'.
Oh well, it's not the first plant whose botanical name has been changed by the powers that be.   I think it's really all just a test to see if we've been listening. :)

I also got around to potting up all my hanging pots,  flower boxes, barrels.... whatever I can stick some annuals into and finally found a good use for this old large enamel pot that I had kicking around.

 So I got out my new 18 volt cordless drill and popped 4 holes in the bottom (no small feat I might add) for drainage and filled it with planting mix, a few coleus and petunias and sat it on the stump of the old ash tree I had removed 2 winters ago.
It's a big pot but it looks so small sitting on the old stump.  Hopefully once the planter fills in and out a bit it will blend in better.  Or maybe not.  Only time will tell.

Meanwhile, the rosy lights azalea on the east side of the house made quite a showing this weekend in full bloom.

There are literally thousands of varieties of the genus Rhododendron and recent significant breeding towards even more super hardy azaleas and rhododendron going on in Finland.
In the meantime, the Northern Lights series developed by the University of Michigan and released in 1978 still stands as the standard for our USDA zone 4.
The azalea loves sun and while I have other azaleas located in a more sun protected bed on the north side of the house, they still bloom - just a bit later than this.

I spent alot of time cleaning and prepping the raised beds in my vegetable garden before they were ready to plant.  I do have leafy greens that have already sprouted and this weekend planted tomatoes.  I planted  Jet Star tomato (a generally reliable, disease resistant hybrid)  but am excited to have added heirloom Pruden's Purple Tomato (not really purple but a deep red) which rivals Brandywine,  Black Cherry Tomato which produces clusters of dark, rich flavored 'snack' tomatoes, Black Krim ( an indeterminate, dark red to brown cultivar) and Red Pear Piriform (a juicy, sweet flavored Italian heirloom with green, ribbed shoulders).

the vegetable garden

And that's just the tomatoes!
While I was finishing up for the afternoon I noticed the house wren that had moved into the newest birdhouse on the corner post popping in and out of the house with little bits of white fluff that she simply did not find appropriate as nesting material for her eggs.  She must've gone in and out a dozen times, each time spitting out another bit of 'whatever'.
It occurred to me that often in life couples do not share the same decorating sense but that often times it is one who makes the final decision. :)

 

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience

Ok, so patience may not be my strongest virtue but mother nature certainly has a way of putting me in my place.

I know I've posted several updates about Jane Magnolia at various stages of her budding out.  It's just that her buds are so large, colorful and simply amazing.

'Jane' is part of the Little Girl Series (‘Ann’, ‘Betty’, ‘Jane’, ‘Judy’, ‘Pinkie’, ‘Randy’, ‘Ricki’ and ‘Susan’) of hybrid magnolias that were developed at the National Arboretum.
This is a late-blooming magnolia that is less apt to suffer frost damage in spring making her suitable for the northern garden.

Taken on Friday, May 11th the size of this bud is about 5".

On Saturday the 12th she started to show off.


And on Sunday full bloom.


'Jane' can be considered a small tree that can eventually reach 10' to 12' in height. 

My 'Jane' stands at ~ 4', lives out in full sun and struggles somewhat with the clay soil that has a tendency to keep the soil a bit more moist than the plant would prefer.
I have considered moving her (dare I?).



Meanwhile, in the wooded area on the west side of the house the native wildflowers of red baneberry are currently in bloom.

Actaea rubra

There are dozens of these plants scattered throughout the woods standing about 2 to 2 1/2' tall.  

And I just love the fact that I had nothing to do with this plant living here!  All I had to do was show up for the show.



The bloom is comprised of a dense cluster of 1/4" wide flowers that alternate on delicate individual stalks at the top of the stem.

By late summer the white flowers give way to clusters of bright red berries with a dark "eye" spot.
That spot on the berry gives rise to this plants other common name, "doll eyes" and songbirds love them.





 "Adopt patience for the best things take the longest time to come to fruition."

'Rosy Lights' Azalea

Botanically, azaleas and rhododendrons belong to the genus Rhododendron.

"Rosy Lights" is part of the Northern Lights hybrid azalea cultivars and do very well here in my garden.

The flower bud reminds me of some kind of delicious, fancy dessert!  Food for thought.

Lonicera 'Arnold's Red'

This honeysuckle was the first shrub I planted on the property over 15 years ago and lives on the edge of the deciduous woods to the west.

These tiny buds will open in a few days and become the fast favorite of the ruby-throated humingbirds that have already started buzzing about.

"Adopt patience and you’ll realize it’s the secret to living a calm, and sane, life." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Wet and Wonderful

It's been raining all week, the ground is soaked, the grass is growing like there's no tomorrow and the perennials, shrubs and trees are happy, happy, happy....... and, come to think of it, so am I.

I took a walk around the other morning on my way to work.  The light was perfect and the plants were shining and dripping with rain drops.



Caragana Aborenscens 'Pendula'


This weeping Siberian Pea Tree resides along the front walkway and is just starting to bloom.
In another week this 4 1/2 foot zone 3 hardy tree will be loaded with yellow blooms and likewise with buzzing bees happily doing their thing.

I love this little weeper and so do all the birds that visit the feeder just a couple of feet away by using it as a stop over to the feeder or to crack open their seeds.




All the crabapple trees in town at the bottom of the hill are in full bloom but here at about 300' higher elevation the crabs are just starting to 'show face'.

Malus 'Red Jade'

This crabapple is loaded with 'cherry bomb' buds and looks as beautiful now as it will in a few days in full bloom.
(by the way; be sure to click on the photos to see the larger view)
Once buds break on the crabapple tree's branches, the growing season for the tree begins.


Hostas grow from rhizomes or 'shoots' where each shoot represents a leaf.  Grown for their foliage there are thousands of different varieties in size and foliar diversity.

This is Hosta 'Loyalist' unfurling along the front walkway surrounded by 'John Creech' Sedum.

Hosta 'Loyalist'

A sport of the famous H. 'Patriot' with reverse variegation; leaves have deep green margins and nearly pure white centers.
While the plant prefers part to full shade; this one does just fine out in full sun.

Fothergilla Gardenii

Meanwhile, dwarf fothergilla is just beginning its show.
I only wish I could upload the soft feel of the flowering stamens  (white filaments and yellowish anthers) as well as its fragrance.

Phlox Subulata 'Blue Emerald'

The creeping phlox in the perennial bed in front of my vegetable garden creates a carpet of color about 3' wide each spring.
The flowers are five-petaled (with each petal notched at its apex) and varieties come in vibrant shades of pink, red, lavendar, blue-purple, or white.

Each flower measures just under an inch proving once again that good things come in small packages. 
The biggest challenge with this easy to grow perennial is weeding.  It's thick matted nature makes it difficult to get to anything growing up through the matt.  What I try to do is lift the plant up from underneath to get to the encroaching weed.  Sometimes it works...sometimes it's impossibly tedious..and sometimes I just give up ("resistance is futile").

Under Clear Skies; Prepping the Beds

The end of April brought clear skies and cool (hovering around 50℉) temperatures which I find perfect outdoor working weather.
The light was perfect and the rhodies sparked color that is always too fleeting.

Front entry

This 'pjm' rhododendron is shown here in full bloom off the southwest front corner of the house and has since then, with the rains that followed this week, started dropping her blossoms.



Tackling the 4 yard pile of mulch I had delivered a couple of weeks ago,  I grabbed my straight edge spade and wheelbarrow and started the process of 'finishing' the planting beds.

The first part of the process began weeks ago with general clean up; clipping back the remnants of last years perennial organic matter and lightly raking out the debris.
The next step I take is accomplished with a variety of hand tools to remove any weeds that have taken root since the last round of weeding which ( as every gardener knows) is never ending.

Unlike the majority of landscaping projects I've been involved with on a professional basis, my gardens do not have any black plastic edging seated to create a permanent edge and help with the encroachment of grass into the bed.

This is where the straight edged spade comes in and requires simply 'cutting' into the sod a clean edge, or separation if you will, where the mulch will meet the lawn.  While this may create that extra step each season that is skipped with permanent edging, it does provide the opportunity to reshape or expand your bed as plants mature or your 'whim' may take you.  Since there's nothing static in nature, to me, this makes the most sense and I really don't mind the extra work.

The other notable difference is the obvious natural look created minus the plastic edge.   Here in the north where the ground 'heaves' with the extreme temperature from season to season, I can recall countless hours repairing (or re-setting) the plastic edgings used in commercial applications that were literally 'pushed' out of the ground.  As you can tell by now,  for me personally, I'm not a big fan of the plastic but do recognize that for some, it's the most practical.   

The icing on the cake comes with a thin broadcast of mulch.  In my established gardens I do this by handfuls at a time since all of the beds have been mulched in past seasons and only need that 'dressing' on top to give them a fresh look.  In newly created beds I dump the mulch by the wheelbarrow into the bed and then evenly rake it in to create ~ a 4" layer.
And that's all there is to it!   

This is also the perfect weather to start stacking the woodpile in the shed that will be used for heat next winter.

It's always a good feeling to see the wood under cover.  Each time I do this my mind always wanders to calculations of how many cord is stacked = btu's = warmth :)
As the saying goes: wood heats you several times over;  once when you stack it, again when it's moved to the woodfire and again when it's burning.

Here's my little 'helper'.

Bud Update

It's been cool and wet (we do need the rain) preventing much of any activity in the gardens other than snapping a few shots to check the progress of any budding plants, unfazed as they are by the coolness and loving this rain.
Of course, our northern weather is not done yet and the snow shovel is still set propped and ready on the front porch.

In the meantime it's fun to get 'close up and personal'.

Paeonia

This established herbaceous peony of unknown variety is a beautiful little red bloomed peony; the first peony I ever purchased over 10 years ago and now graces several different areas of the yard.
This plant is located in a raised foundation bed on the east side of the house and much further along than the 'Sarah Bernhardt' peony just inches away.
It must really love it there because it's always the first of my peony to bloom each year.




You got a peak at 'Jane' Magnolia back in the buds and blooms post and this is how far she's come since April 14th when I took the first photo.

So far the buds have eluded any deer nibbles but we're not out of the woods yet.
With any luck, we'll be coming up magnolias before you know it. 

Let the snows come; can't hurt this northern hardy beauty.
Can't wait to show you what she looks like when she opens up....gotta have patience.






Oh deer..... yes I mean deer.
One of the biggest challenges I face here in my northern garden is not the weather, not insects, blights or digging dogs....it's my four legged friend the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

deer nibbled hosta

 And one of their favorite meals is a nice hosta salad.
Yumm...
The deer love hosta so much that if I didn't spray them with liquid deer fence ( a natural, stinky deer repellant ) I would never see a single hosta all season. 
I'd best get on it soon!

Earth Day 2012

I woke up this morning to a light dusting of snow on everything.
It looked beautiful.

Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Filefera Aurea'

This goldthread cypress resides right next to the front entry to the house.

Love the yellow and green of this evergreen and the snow is a real nice touch.

Rhododendron 'PJM'

This mature rhoddy resides as a front foundation plant.
tip: best time to prune is in spring, after it flowers....and after it stops snowing..  







One of my favorite crabapples is the weeping Red Jade crabapple.  

Malus 'Red Jade'

White iris's are coming up under the crab and the hedgerow is 'Charles Albanel' rugosa rose.








I call this the wagon wheel bed which was created ~ 5 years ago off the front side of the garage.  There are 5 Russian Cypress which, at maturity, will create a low ground cover for the majority of the bed.

Microbiota decussata

This plant is a great alternative to the more commonly used blue rug juniper (and not at all 'picky' to handle) for the purpose of evergreen groundcover.
The 2 yellowing deciduous shrubs behind the cypress are Ninebark 'darts gold'.


Meanwhile, the bird feeder's been filled and besides the usual Chickadees there's White-throated Sparrows and American Goldfinch.

Whatever it is that you see or do on this day, please do so with love and respect for Mother Nature and take the time to reflect on all she has given us.
It is by no small measure the responsibility we bear for our planet.
http://www.earthday.org/

Say Hi to Harry

We all have a tendency to connect physically and emotionally with the lush, green landscape during the times of the seasons when our experience of 'outside' includes gardening, playing ball, swimming and picnics. 
But that time of the season when the shrubs and trees are bear of the foliage that covers their framework is also a time that offers the opportunity to appreciate their shape and substance and how that enhances the general garden design from a different perspective.   Hence the term 'winter interest'.

Corylus avellana 'Contorta'

Meet Harry Lauder's Walking Stick.
The twisted, contorted branching characteristic of this specimen plant is grown more for it's 'defoliated' seasonal interest than anything else.


Also referred to as corkscrew filbert and contorted hazelnut,  there's not another single plant in my garden that looks as 'cool' in winter.





I planted this specimen about 12 years ago on the back side of the vegetable garden to 'heal' it in till I had a more prominent place in the landscape but, what can I say, it liked it there.

It grows 6' to 8' tall as wide and flowers a yellowish catkin in spring.   Once it leaf's out there is nothing special that draws your attention to it.   But in winter....... it's the eye catcher.

Safe to say that in nature there is no 'off' season.
 How 'twisted' is that!