Focus On Some Plants

Yes, it is only January 2nd and some of us are already raring to go.  This tiny little moss bump on an apple tree branch has a nice little start.  Despite the weather realities of January in New York, both the moss and the lichen are actively growing.  The moss ball is doing a nice job of covering evidence of a deer pruned branch.  The presence of the lichen may be a sign that the tree is under attack and will die.

Ingeborg is responsible for the existence of Hazelnuts in our garden.  Our first plant was a gift from her.  This second one was purchased to guarantee that two different plants were here so that pollination would occur.  When the gift tree was delivered, the suggested growth habit of an untrimmed bush rather than a tree with a single trunk was intended to increase the size of the harvest.   Additionally, just letting things grow suits the style of the workman here.

Our foray into gardening several decades ago drew several ladies of years to encourage our efforts with gifts of plants.  This yellow flowered sedum was a gift from Thelma H.  It grows here with weed like tenacity.  We try to limit its growth to the edges of the paths but buckets of it are weeded out every year.  Its yellow colored flowers are a welcome reminder of both Thelma and her impressive garden.  That it is evergreen is a huge bonus.

Coral Bells and Foamflower are related native plants.  Both of them are in the Saxifrage family. When these were purchased we were unaware that Foam flower grows freely in our back woods.   The reddish flowers appear on a thin tall stem providing easy access for hummingbirds.  Attracting hummingbirds and an evergreen growth habit make this plant a winner.  We divide the ever increasing clumps frequently since one can never have too many Coral Bells.

For years the plant Catchfly grew in limited numbers reseeding itself among carefully chosen plants.  It was a gift from Mary Jo and carried on with no help from us. Its flowers are a vibrant pink and a mass of these plants seemed to be in order.  Seed stalks were carefully cut and placed on prepared ground.  A mass of plants resulted.  This patch will provide many plants for placement in other spots.  In addition to the bright flowers, sticky brown rings appear on the stems.  We have no idea how captured flies benefit the plant but that is an interesting bonus.

Foxglove is another plant that makes its own way here.  They freely reseed themselves and some are moved to grow in specific locations.  Several different people provided gifts of this plant.  Its leaves were the original source of the drug digitalis and the leaves are widely recognized as poisonous.  The flowers are attractive and so far no leaves have accidentally appeared in my morning tea.