Long Time Coming

Daughter Amy and I discovered both of these native plants while hiking in the Shawangunk Mountains.  The red flowered Cardinal Flower was growing in full sun next to a year round stream.  Summer Sweet was found in full shade under widely spaced Oak trees.  Both plants present unique issues concerning their willingness or ability to grow in the same spot year after year.  Both of these plants were transplanted here this year.  Our hope is that they will grow on this spot without much interference from us.  We plan to enlarge the area free of Goldenrod when outside temperature moderates allowing us to remain outside for more than a few minutes.  If it is not kept at bay neither plant will survive.

This photo does not do justice to either plant.  Cardinal Flower is well known for its presentation of incredibly bright deep red flowers.  This afternoon full sun caused problems for our old point and shoot camera..  We will try again when the sun is lower in the sky.  We know that, but we were here at the wrong time today and thrilled to see new flowers..

Amy and I walked into a deliciously sweet invisible cloud of plant fragrance on our long ago hike.  Woodland flowers are scarce in August and we reluctantly left the trail to find this plant.  All that we took away from our encounter was mental images of dark glossy green leaves and pure white flowers.  Once home identification of the plant was quickly found.  Now it grows in several locations here since we view it as a native treasure.

As we developed an understanding of the needs of each of these plants, I wanted them growing in close proximity to each other.  Brilliant clear red blossoms near pure white flowers would be an image of lasting beauty.  Hopefully both plants will return next year.  Their low area between the lane and the wooded hillside traps water runoff.  This generous supply of moisture should help the Summer Sweet survive half day exposure to sunlight.  The Cardinal Flower will also benefit from a moist location.  Early spring cold presents survival problems for Cardinal Flower but if we can remove the Goldenrod its survival is possible here.

Growing squash and pumpkins next to a wire fence is not a smart placement.  Frequent visits are made to keep the vines headed toward open ground.  The vines passed under the sunflowers with no apparent problem.  Both plants look fine.

Since we drove to the back, I did not bother with my usual sun protection clothing or even a hat.  It would be helpful if more of the vines had headed toward this open ground.  I explain this to them on every trip back to keep the vines out of the fence but like some unruly eighth graders from my past it may take time for the advise to register.  Expecting to be ignored, I plan more trips to pull the plants out of the fence.

Super Sweet Summer Scent

Here is one of the great treats of summer in our garden.  Amy and I discovered this native plant while hiking in the Gunks.  Our first plant for the garden was a small plant taken from a friend's garden.  Summer Sweet multiplies freely with each clump consisting of many single shoots with no large trunk to be found.  Its scent is wonderful beyond description and carries for considerable distance on the wind.

Any attempt to approach this plant when its flowers are open guarantees other life forms on the plant.  These two White Admiral butterflies were so intent on feeding that my close approach did not cause them to fly away.  This picture would have been better if I had taken a moment to snap off the brown remains of last year's flowers.  I was quite certain that motion would have sent the butterflies away.

This bee is carrying a heavy load of yellow pollen.  Its color puzzles me since the open flowers show brown where the pollen forms.  Here again a really close approach was not even considered despite the fact that a pollen carrying bee is incapable of assuming a stinging posture.

One of my goals for this year was to have the native plants Cardinal Flower and Summer Sweet growing close together.  Bright red blossoms close by nearly pure white flowers could present a perfectly beautiful scene.  For some unknown reason the entire center section of the Summer Sweet had no flowers this year.  For some time it looked like there might not be leaves on this section of our original plant.  We still have much to learn.

In our shade garden down by the road, both Summer Sweet and Cardinal Flower were planted together.  As mentioned Summer Sweet grows with single stalks.  The transplants are all alive and in flower but their scraggly appearance will be diminished with another year's growth.  Several Cardinal Flower transplants were set around the outside of the bushes.  If all goes as planned, a stunning photo should be possible next year.

Sweet, Sweet Summersweet

Many of the plants in our gardens remain there because of some personal connection between us.  Summersweet is just such a plant.  Daughter Amy and I were hiking in Minnewaska as part of a return trip to her life in NYC.  Unexpectedly, we were surrounded by an unbelievably sweet scent.  Late August does not feature many native plants in bloom so we left the trail and walked into the breeze that carried the aroma.  Soon we found a head high bush covered with tiny white flowers.  All that we took away was a carefully crafted mental image of the plant.  Our description allowed Becky to identify the bush.  It remains one of our treasures since it always carries me back to a special day spent with my daughter.  We  also displayed a certain amount of woodsman skill since we were able to return to the trail.

This plant has a downside as a garden subject.  This photo shows the dried remains of last year's flowers.  They will snap off easily and that job is pleasant if done during full bloom but the sheer numbers of dead stems demand more time than we have to spare.  Some are broken off each time we pause to sniff,  but many remain.

Ruby Spice was purchased at an end of season sale from a roadside stand.  These genetically altered flowers are intended to hide the golden colored pollen balls that stain the pure white natural flowers.  That they accomplish with attractive grace.  This bush was stunted by its summer spent in a small pot but it has recovered nicely.  It is written that these plants can be controlled by pruning.  We need to try that but cutting away perfectly healthy plant parts does not come naturally to us.  So our sweet bushes are expanding and closing off the path forcing us to brush against the open flowers as we pass releasing even more aroma.

Root suckers are a method that these plants use to create new growth.  The little guy in the path is well shaped and will definitely be placed in a pot.  If we can bring ourselves to nip off its top growth, the second plant would match the smaller plant.  We will have to find the perfect place to set out two similar plants that will soon grow into monsters.

Summersweet sends out suckers freely.  That source of new plants could supply goods for a plant sale.  Here again if time was in greater supply, we could do something new for us.  A respected mail order nursery offers this plant for sale at $27.99 plus shipping.

A comparatively short time ago, this root sucker plant was placed at one end of our dry stone loading dock  That structure is completely hidden by dark green glossy leaves and delightfully scented flowers.  Not all of our transplants now show such luxuriant growth.  One was placed on the north side of blueberry hill to delay new growth in an attempt to avoid late frost damage.  I failed to notice the clear signs of a deer trail that passed right next to the transplant spot.  A protective wire cage limits the deer grazing but they keep the bush trimmed close to the cage sides and top.  This plant must not be a deer favorite since they avoid the bushes in the garden most of the time.

Chasing An Orange Dog Part 2

This beautiful fragrant Summer Sweet bush was the next stop for our big yellow and black butterfly.  Ed's quarry flitted off  very quickly.  It is
 a Monarch butterfly that we see in this picture.  This year there are enough Monarchs around that we see several in the garden every day. After several years with only a few it is delightful to see them often.  But what about the Orange Dog?  For the moment it seemed to be gone.  It looked like the chase was over.

Right before we headed inside for the day the Giant Swallowtail visited the butterfly bush next to Ed's stone wall.  At last we got our close-up. 

When the camera clicked again the Orange Dog took off.  You can see his wings beginning to move in this picture.  Neither the Orange Dog nor Ed's safety glasses have been seen since!

Red and White

We do not usually cut our flowers and bring them into the house.  Yesterday included a special event.  Our cut flowers were to be a gift at an open house.  One of our massage therapists is moving her studio to a building that she now owns.  Since she plays such an important role in keeping us able to continue to work among our plants, we wanted to mark her special event with some of our special flowers.  More stems were cut than needed so we now have flowers inside of our home.  They were temporarily placed outside for the picture.

These Red Norlands are our early potatoes.  Their vines blackened and dried signaling harvest time.  We planted only six of these potatoes.  The basket holds the harvest from only three hills.  This is enough for several delicious meals without creating storage problems.  We would prefer to harvest enough to eat without having to discard any that were in storage too long.  Our later potatoes will be ready to harvest by the time these are gone.

This is our first year growing both red and white Cipprolini onions.  The reds have been a favorite here for years.  Their colored rings extend all of the way to the center adding visual snap to any recipe calling for raw onions.  This year Becky wants to braid both colors together.  The resulting bi-colored onion braid  might win a prize at the fair.  Our onion plant supplier will be given a picture to be considered for use in his catalog.  A past braid containing only reds has appeared in his catalog.

Cardinal Flowers and stones are popular photo subjects here.  Now that we understand that their seeds need both generous moisture and warm soil temperatures to germinate, we will be able to write a complete chapter for our future book.  We have finally stumbled over the missing last piece of that puzzle in a book, taming wildflowers by Miriam Goldberger.

Summer sweet has long been a favorite plant here.  It combines dark glossy leaves with white flowers that fill the air with their sweetness.  Last fall we discovered this plant's willingness to be transplanted.  Two were placed in the newly opened bed in front of the house while an unneeded third plant was stuck in the ground at the edge of a compost pile.  All three transplants survived and each will flower this season.  We intend to utilize both their beauty and their hardiness to create a hedge at the edge of the garden down by the road.  Deer sometimes nibble on the new growth taking the flowers buds.  The trimmed plants grow on seemingly unfazed.  While working outside now we frequently walk into a sweet fragrant cloud.  Could it be their scent that has been carried a considerable distance from the plants.  Does it get any better than that?

Super Sweet Scents Of Summer

Daylilies hold a great deal of space in our gardens now and are likely to expand their holdings next year.  Fragrant flowers with ruffled edges are personal favorites.  Mid morning walks focused on snapping off yesterday's spent flowers are made pleasant by the sweet scents of the newly opened flowers.  The first round of blossoms are coming to an end.  We will enjoy some re-blooming but those flowers will be few in number here.

The plant in the portrait is an unnamed variety that was included as a free gift.  It has so many favorable characteristics that it is hard to understand why it remains a cast off.  Its white petals are tinged in yellow near the green throat but the plant is tall, hardy, scented and produces many flowers over a long period of time.  Divisions of the original plant have been placed in the garden down by the road.  This remains high among our favorites despite its humble origin.

Oriental lilies still hold places in our garden despite their preference for warmer climates.  Pollen stains and a petal knocked free by the weeder mar the visual presentation of this Muscadet but its scent fills the area.  Working near this plant is incredibly pleasant even when the wind blows from the neighboring cow barn!.  This is its first year in our garden.  We hope that next year the blossoms will be closer to the height of our noses.  We can still bend over but going down on one knee is now an issue.

Casa Blanca's are also in their first year here.  Simplons had held this spot for several seasons but disappeared after I separated their huge bulbs.  They were also a white flowered lily that had exceeded six feet in height.  We hope that the new variety attains taller growth next year.  These flowers are also huge and sweetly scented but we would like the plants to be taller.

The nearby purple Heliotrope also features a pleasant aroma.  The only negative is its nearness to the ground.  One must assume the position of a prayerful bow to enjoy this beauty.

Summer sweet continues to fill the area around the garden with its aroma and cover the wall with spent flowers.  Out early this morning to try and get some work done before the heat knocked me out, I found a honey bee sleeping among its flowers.  I know that she was sleeping rather than dead since she moved when another bee already at work walked across her.  That was when she awakened, moved and started to work the flowers.

A summer sweet sucker plant is visible on the near side of the stone wall.  All that can be done is to cut off the new growth year after year.  These suckers will continue to appear long after I am no longer working here.  The nearby milkweeds are another testimony to my inability to ruthlessly garden.  Milkweed roots run deep and long.  They are impossible to remove so why do I allow them to grow in the garden?  Someone's fascination with butterflies and caterpillars is at the root of this dilemma!

Speaking of milkweed, I do mow a large area of wild given over to this important plant.  The plants continue to regrow after each mowing.  My purpose in repeated mowing is to supply tender new leaves favored by Monarch butterfly caterpillars.  The wild leaves are tough and falling now but the Monarchs need them as a food source.  Another bonus to me is late milkweed flowers.  Their scent is sweet beyond description and I get a second chance to enjoy them.

Evening Walk About

At this time of year the scent of summer sweet fills the garden.  Gentle breezes carry the understated aroma for great distances.  One never knows when they will walk into an unexpected cloud of sweet aroma.  Diluted by the wind, the smell is unmistakable and pleasant.  It might be overpowering if brought into the house as a cut flower.  We prefer to enjoy it where it grows.  Even this close to sunset the bees were furiously working the flowers. These two were so intent that they did not respond as I brought the camera close.  Despite their calm demeanor, we look twice before bringing our noses close to the flowers.
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The eye sees the dill as different in color than the grass.  The camera does not record this difference.  The dill marks the location of our new asparagus bed.  Self seeded, the dill was simply too splendid to weed out.  We will watch to see if these two plants will grow together without harm to the other.  Dill is usually scattered around the garden.  We have long wanted a dill patch but we also want an asparagus bed.  The smart thing would be to prepare soil for a dill bed now and cut the seed heads moving them to the new ground.

Late Morning is new to us this year.  Despite the challenges of covering lilies to protect them from late frosts, I cannot stop myself from buying more bulbs.  Spring planted, this variety should bloom earlier next year.  We also hope it grows taller.  We would like to sample its fragrance, but cannot get our noses this close to the ground.

Princeton Silky has been with us for several years.  Many other varieties of day lilies present tattered flowers this late in the day but this one is presently perfect.  Slow to open, this flower will still look good tomorrow morning.  We need to have more days when the tools are put away early and we take the time to savor the beauty that is all around us.

Sweet Surprise

Summersweet, Clethra ainifolia, is described as a native plant with a natural range from Maine to Florida.  Ocean currents from the south create a milder climate for coastal Maine despite its more northern location when compared with us.  We frequently experience bitter cold after plants have begun leafing out.  Recently our early weather features days of unseasonably hot daytime temperatures.  Warmth draws leaves out to open just before a late frost blackens them.  This year the cold was late and severe.  The Summersweet  bushes took a hard hit that I expected would kill them.  They all produced a new set of leaves but flower clusters are sparse.  We are pleased to have them still with us.  The only flowers on this bush are directly over the warmth of the stone wall.

The natural form of this plant features pure white flowers tipped with golden brown pollen.  The brown detracts from the purity of the white.  From a distance the flowers appear to be near death.  Their scent is the real draw.  Drifting on the breeze, the sweet smell of these flowers will pull one near.

Summersweet reproduces by root runners.  This offshoot was placed in the shadow of the gravel bank hill to give it protection from late frosts.  Unfortunately it is next to a heavily used deer trail.  All of its flower clusters have been eaten as well as much of its new growth.  We need a larger cage here.

Ruby Spice is the name of this cultivar.  Pink hides the color of the pollen making this a pleasant appearing flower.  Purists will likely prefer the natural form of this plant.

It is uncommon for Becky to want her picture taken.  Her wild sunflower drew her in.  Rodents may have planted this seed from flowers that grew on our property.  We figured that the telephone pole would prevent this sunflower from interfering with our neighbor's mowing.  We did keep the side shoots trimmed to give him a clear path.  This variety of sunflower is usually covered with numerous smaller flowers.  We hope its appearance here pleases our neighbor.  Becky loves sunflowers because they are so cheery!