Mayflowers In April

Epigea repens has captured and held our interest for many years.  The oldest book in our collection  describing it as impossible to transplant was published in 1898.  It continues to be seen that way today.  In 2011, four Arbutus plants, each small enough to be held in the palm of my hand, were dug with permission and placed here under a White Pine tree.  A fifth plant soon grew from seed that was likely in the soil mass holding one of the plants moved.  Subsequent growth has stems growing over other stems so no count can be made telling us just how many plants now grow here.

It is not uncommon to find open flowers in April.  We found this flower several days ago when its complete lack of scent told us that the flower had just opened that day.  The green structure in the center of the blossom identifies this as a female plant.  We did not know that Arbutus plants can be either male or female when we dug these.  It was just dumb luck that have at least one of each gender here.  Mature seed is found here each year.

Buoyed by our unexpected success transplanting Arbutus, we tried again three years later.  This time we dug three plants of each gender.  Despite the yearly appearance of seed, we have yet to see a new plant growing from seed.

This rock intended to support the protective wire cage appears in many of my pictures.  The combination of stone, pine needles, Arbutus leaves and flower buds captures the eye every time.

When the transplants were dug in 2014, a cluster of tiny plants could not be left behind.  After two years growth, we found two plants large enough to move.  These were also placed under a White Pine tree that was huge.  This planting site features only generations of rotted pine needles.  Arbutus prefer to grow in very poor highly acidic soil but this natural ground features nothing that resembles garden soil.  These two plants have put out long stems of new growth but nothing like our other plants.  We took the soil as it was found every time since we believe that rich garden soil kills these tough plants.  Once again our luck gave us one plant of each gender.  Here again we see seeds every year but no new plants from seed.  These plants were placed just inside of the property line.  An ancient stone wall backs these plants.  Each year I intend to rebuild  a section of the wall and this may be the year that it happens.

This is our one naturally occurring Arbutus patch.  Despite its decades of existence here it remains small.  Poorly situated in the lumpy overburden that was pushed aside to open a gravel bank, these plants faced another enemy.  One late winter my trips to the mailbox took me past these plants.  One day a few rabbit pellets marked the spot where the rabbit had been feeding on the evergreen leaves of Arbutus.  With each passing day the size of the waste pile grew while the plant parts were totally consumed.  Working with no visible above ground plant growth, it took three years before these plants regenerated the necessary growth required to produce flowers.  Now all of my plantings are protected by a low dry stone wall that extends beyond the edges of a wire cage.  No woodchuck snout is going to be able to push these cages aside.  Opposable  thumbs are needed to lift the cages free allowing the nose to be pressed near the ground while drinking in this unique and wonderful scent.  Every year as these flowers fade I promise myself that I will revisit Arbutus again the following year.  Once again I have kept that promise.

Warm February Day

This has been an unusual period of unseasonably warm weather.  Last night's overnight low temperature remained above 50 F.  We may see more than 70 F during the day today.  The White Pine tree sheltering these Arbutus plants kept the ice from forming here.  Snow cover was also thin so these plants are fully exposed to indirect sunlight despite their placement on a north facing slope.  The flower buds formed last fall will soon open releasing the wonderfully scented white flowers.  Yes, we are excited by the promise of what will soon be here.

A less pleasant reality presents itself just down the hill.  A ditch has been established to carry away running water but it fills with plowed snow and ice.  That sends melt water into the lane and substantial ruts result.  The five foot long pry bar with a blade tip was used to attack the ice.  An open section of the ditch and sore shoulders resulted.  Water worked its way under the remaining ice and the driveway surface is not in horrible shape.

Believe it or not this is a picture of great success.  A water bar was formed across the driveway to direct the water that runs down the hill in the direction of the Cardinal Flower.  That first patch of brown snow resulted from the water that was directed and held there.  Cardinal Flower transplants are close by that water.  This spring the water bar will be repaired and expanded.  A depression will be dug to increase the water holding capacity of the area.  Cardinal Flower prefers moist soil and we will try and make that happen somewhat naturally.

Standing water is seldom seen here because of the deep gravel deposit that lies just beneath the soil surface.  When frost fills the soil, water retention is the result.  We do not recall ever seeing this much water here before.  The town road is the high ground here and the water that ran down our hill is trapped.

Reflections on the water's surface create an unusual and attractive scene.  We were fortunate to get these pictures yesterday as the frost has left the ground and all of the water seeped away.  We did walk here this morning to check on the status of our plants.  The water was gone!

Close by we found this New England Aster already underway with this year's growth.  Its purple flowers with yellow centers are months away but we can certainly see another new beginning here today.

Seeds And A Cutting

We have been paying attention to the arbutus plantings and were aware that seeds were forming.  Today was chosen as the day to document this always thrilling development.  The now blackened stigma has completed its mission.  When it was green and glistened with moisture, sufficient pollen was captured on its five pointed star to begin the process of seed formation.  The reddish colored hairy stem next to the four developing seed berries is new growth.  It is truly impressive that these female plants can produce both seed and new growth at the same time.

The withered remains of a spent flower hangs caught on a style.  Both have completed their reproductive tasks so nothing will come of this.  It does show the color of the dried blossom.  The expanding seed berries are pushing past the white membranes that previously covered them.

This hole held one of the four stones placed to support the protecting cage.  It was an accident waiting to happen as it tended to tip over when I tried to use it to support me as I leaned in to do necessary maintenance.  It was removed to clear the way for a replacement providing a view of what goes on underground.  I have long feared that root damage during transplantation might be a cause for commonly reported failure so I have yet to see arbutus root structure. That is still the case since the plant parts seen are unrooted new growth.  A new stone quickly filled the hole preserving the status quo.

My past failures with attempting arbutus cuttings have been documented here.  The recommended rooting hormone is expensive and available only in large quantities so it have never been used here.  This attempt features young willow stems soaked in water as a rooting medium.  Having recently read that now is the time to take cuttings we are making another attempt.  That method may require that the cut be made in front of the first leaf and the emerging new stem but this is what was done.  This complex part of the plant was new growth formed last year.  This is where the flower buds formed in the fall and where new growth starts at this time of year.  It may also be the location of new root growth as this stem moves away from the crown of the plant.  The plants natural tendency to send down roots here may make this attempt at a cutting successful.  If this attempt fails, the next try will involve pinning the stem firmly to the ground with a U shaped piece of wire and cutting the stem the following year.  I really want to be successful at growing new plants.  To date, no seeds formed here have sprouted and no cuttings have rooted.

This is the device that will be used this time.  There is no provision for ventilation so we will remove the cover briefly if excess moisture collects on the container.  We plan to remove it occasionally so that more willow water can be added to the soil.  We will report the outcome of this attempt even if it is just another failure.

Coming Out On The Other Side

We were in our early fifties when we moved to this wild land surrounded by several square miles of forest.  Winter walks into the woods were common then.  Treks on snowshoes were enjoyable adventures.  Sledding down steep slopes occasionally included piercing screams.  A hand powered snow pusher cleared the one quarter of a mile long driveway for most storms.  Winter was just another season to be enjoyed.  Now joints ache in response to short periods of time outdoors.  Fingers and toes turn scary white in response to cold air.  Much of the fun has gone out of winter so early flowers are a welcome treat and bring with them the promise of more to come.

This patch of transplanted from the wild arbutus plants is my pride and joy.  Four tiny plants have been joined by a fifth from seed plant to form this sizable display.  We knew nothing about these plants being either male or female with gender identification easily made if you know where to look in the open flowers.  Three male plants and one female are what we have here.  The plant from seed has disappeared blending in with the others.  Its gender remains unknown.  Our lone female has been reluctant to flower and seeds were seen here for the first time just last year.

Two days ago we found a single open flower here.  Recent hot dry days have pushed more buds to open.  These plants could be seen as little more than a rather insignificant ground cover with tiny white or pink flowers.  When the nose is brought close to an open flower, the plant's appeal is quickly understood.  We have two other patches of arbutus nearby.  When I left these plants to check on the others, Becky was pressed flat to the ground with her nose close to these open flowers.  When I returned several minutes later she was still drawing in their unbelievably sweet aroma.

These plants were also taken from the wild and planted behind the stone arbutus wall.  Three plants of each gender were placed here so that fertilization is easily accomplished.  This site is more favorable for arbutus growth as can be seen by the number of flower buds in each cluster.  Many of these flowers tend to be pink.  The eye sees the pink coloration but the camera fails to accurately record it.

The scent of the arbutus now exists in competition with the overpowering smell of the lagoon cow manure that is presently being sprayed on nearby fields.  Tractor trailer loads of this black gold are taken to the fields all day long at this time of year.  Its sharp smell is simply overpowering.  We are fortunate in that the location of the fields and the direction of the winds tend to soften our exposure to this unpleasantness.  We have elderly neighbors whose house is located just past the end of a huge stinky field.  Cut arbutus flowers brought inside might help them but  I simply cannot bring myself cut these precious flowers.

A Gift Of Plants

Several decades ago when we began our serious gardening efforts, some female gardeners of age took us under their wings and supported our efforts with gifts of their plants.  Many of those ladies are now gone but their plants live on in our gardens.  We remember those caring people with sweet memories whenever we work among their plants.  The gift of plants is a tradition worth preserving and today we continue the practice.

These two arbutus plants were dug with the owners' permission today.  Located at the top of a north facing ridge, these plants were still covered with snow two days ago.  As we move toward summer and the sun climbs higher in the sky, these plants will exist in full sunlight.  Their response to this harsh environment is to keep their leaves small and reproduce freely.  They sense that they may soon die because of their poor for them location and desperately work to create the next generation.

Jane is one of the gardeners that has made  many gifts of plants to us.  Now well into her ninth decade we wanted to make it possible for her to once again enjoy the scent of open arbutus flowers.  We selected these two plants with the plan that they be planted out as soon as the flowers are finished.  Each of these small plants  are at least two years old.  A new plant from seed grows only three leaves during its first year.  The second year sees stem growth and additional leaves.  The flowers buds form at the end of the new stem growth.  Because these plants are small, they will very likely survive transplantation after their short time in the pots.  Jane will be able to raise the pots near her nose rather than going to the ground to catch a sniff of these unbelievable sweet flowers.

We have made countless attempts to grow bluets.  These plants grow like weeds in wet lawns.  They slowly fail for us because of our mostly dry ground.  This time around, we are placing this gift of plants at the base of the hill leading up to our home.  This is the wettest area that we have available to us.  Individual plants are either male or female.  We planted three in the hope that both genders are present.  Natural plant propagation is the goal.  Not only do we want them to live, we want them to prosper.

These four plants were left together because of their closeness to each other.  Dividing them might have increased the stress of the move.  Our rural mailbox is close by so a sprinkling can of water can make the trip down the hill to get the mail on rainless days.

Elaine was kind enough to allow us to take all of these plants from her home site.  Wintergreen grows abundantly there and she offered us a sample.  We have made numerous unsuccessful attempts to bring wintergreen under cultivation.  The growth habit of this plant makes moving it difficult.  An underground stem connects each of these clusters of three leaves.  A small amount of roots form at the point where the leaf stem leaves the underground stem.  Generally, this root mass is insufficient to sustain the part of the plant that has been separated from the crown.  We placed this wintergreen close by an arbutus planting.  Since we continue to bring water to the transplanted arbutus when rainfall is scant, we will remember to water the wintergreen.  The muddy plop is the remains of the soil that was moved today.  Nearby white pine needles were pulled in to cover the soil.  Now these plants look like they are growing in a wild natural location.

Transplanting Wild Arbutus

This area at the base of a white pine tree has long been our choice for a second planting of arbutus.  Weed growth had been cleared and large stones placed to both discourage a return of the weeds and promote natural decay of the fallen pine needles.  A truly wild plant needs a wild location if it is to prosper.  Commonly reported failures with arbutus may have resulted from treating them as a garden plant.  Here, no modification of the soil was made.  No compost was added and no rich soil was brought to the site.  With the exception of the removal of invasive briers and roses, this area is as it has been for decades.

Removing the large covering stones completed the preparation for transplanting.

 A pry bar is my preferred plant digging tool.  It will find its way deep into stony ground.  A small plant well removed from others has been selected for digging.  The goal is to remove a complete plant with its entire root structure totally intact.  If successful, the plant roots will all be inside of the soil mass levered out.  The plant need not know that it has been uprooted.

This arbutus plant will remain with its neighbors throughout the move.  The moss, wild strawberry and sheared off pine tree may not live in their new quarters but the arbutus will thrive.  This soil mass will be planted intact weeds included.  It may take two of three years for the arbutus roots to extend into the soil of their new location.

The upper layers of decaying pine needles have been brushed aside to expose soil.  A depression large enough to accommodate the arbutus soil clump is scooped out.  After placing the arbutus the surrounding voids are tightly filled and the plant is in its new home.

A fungus used by arbutus to extract nourishment from poor soil is reported to grow near white pine roots.  This arbutus is placed between two pine roots.  One is massive and old.  We will watch with interest to see if this arbutus finds its new location super favorable.

William Cullina has written that transplanted arbutus plants must be watered every rain-less day for two years.  We came close to following that schedule with our previous attempt at this.  The earlier moved plants all survived so we will likely try to follow that schedule again here.

The fallen pine needles have been pulled back in to cover this ground.  A natural appearance is spoiled by the rusty wire cage but these new transplants must be protected from both wild animals and the neighbors pack of dogs.

Our search for wild arbutus has taken us to many different locations.  We have also found it growing in the company of both blueberry bushes or oak trees.  Poor stone filled soil seems to be a common supporting medium for this plant.  I would never try to place it in a garden but a wild area nearby might just support this transplant.

This photo was added one year after these plants were moved here.  All are alive and new growth is appearing.  The plant located at the middle right edge had a difficult first year here.  Another sizable white pine branch was about to fall.  In removing it, a chain saw nick opened a small wound in a remaining branch.  Sap dripped onto the left edge of that arbutus for the remainder of the summer.  The wound has healed over and the arbutus plant does show new growth although dried pine pitch still covers some leaves.

Arbutus, July 2013

In early May of 2011, four small Arbutus plants were carefully dug from the wild and moved to this location beneath a white pine tree.  Most of the pictures that follow were taken from this same position.  The flat stones edging the planting were later moved to accommodate a protective wire cage that was installed following the attack on these plants by a marauding woodchuck fresh from its winter's sleep.  A patch of moss surrounding arbutus leaves at the right will serve as a landmark.

Those four original plants have exploded into this impressive display.  The bright light green leaves are all new this year.  Low afternoon sunlight casts a light edge on some of these leaves but only the camera sees it.  To the human eye all of these leaves are green to the edge.  Our heavy regular rain for the entire preceding month may have encouraged more new growth than is customary.

One has to look closely to find the dark green leaves that were newly formed just one year ago.  By comparison to this year's new growth, they are relatively few in number but their appearance a year ago truly excited us then.  We cannot begin to imagine what these plants will look like one year from now.

There has not been any discernible change in these remains of female flowers over the past month.  Three or four black beads are visible in the picture but we are expecting the seeds to form on raspberry like structures.  Perhaps now is the time to commit to renewed daily inspections as these things may happen rapidly.  Last year we missed the seeds completely.

Nearly every leaf shown is attached to our from seed baby plant.  Only three small dark leaves marked the location of our baby earlier this year.  I find it hard to believe that all of this new growth sprang from such humble beginnings.  This plant is poorly placed relative to the edge of the protective cage but any changes will be made to the cage.  There is absolutely no way that this plant will be moved.

Our tour ends at the single patch of wild arbutus that grows here.  It is growing in the overburden that was pushed off of our gravel deposit more than half a century ago.  This is a poor location at best and this spring very little of this plant could be seen.  Its expected demise was premature as is evident by all of the new growth.  Perhaps the woodchuck found its first meal here, inflicting only  a setback.  Maybe one of these days the gardener will find a few minutes to eliminate some of the plant's competition.

August 2012 Arbutus

Nearly daily visits with the watering can brought the Arbutus through the July drought.  The plant at three o'clock was low growing nearly hidden by the moss.  Its new growth is taller than the moss bringing the plant into full view.  New growth in three different directions is evident on the uppermost plant.  The plant at the bottom of the picture was eaten to the crown this spring.  All of its new growth is directly connected to the crown.  Branching stems may be added next year.

We are trying to understand the life cycle of Arbutus.  It carries leaves through the winter. They fuel both flowering and new growth.  Evergreen trees drop their needles at this time of year but the Arbutus still retains the old leaves.  The shorter darker leaves were on the plant last year.  We are watching to see if and when they are shed.
    

This picture looks just like the one taken here last month.  Two old leaves are positioned just below the remains of a flower cluster.  Our plants sported several flower clusters but this is the only one that can be found now.  We hope that this is a seed bearing female flower.  The other flowers that have disappeared without a trace may have been male flowers.  Next year we will look to see if the flowers on this plant are visually different from the others.  Learning to distinguish between male and female plants seems rather basic but remains outside of our skill set.

This single new small leaf has been under strong scrutiny for the past month.  If wishing made it so, this would be a new Arbutus plant from seed.  As it is, this is likely a closely watched weed.  The indentations around the edge of the leaf are not found on established Arbutus leaves.  When we first found this leaf a month ago, it was covered with short hairs like new Arbutus leaves.  Additional growth is absent from this plant like slow growing Arbutus.  This little guy is safe from the eager weeder unless it clearly presents itself as another kind of plant.

Last month's pictures showed unusual growth on one plant.  It turned out to be late appearing new leaves.  Next year's flower buds will appear sometime this fall.  We will be looking for them so that we know exactly when and where they form.  Will they appear on old or new growth?

Arbutus In November

In terms of survival it seems that arbutus, Epigea repens, is risking a lot by forming its flower buds before winter.  So much can go wrong between now and May flowers.  These plants were placed at the base of a northwest facing slope.  A north slope is supposed to shed its leaf cover to winter wind helping arbutus avoid smothering.  Sunlight reaches the ground here only in late afternoon.  That should preserve snow cover.  I have been removing some of the fallen white pine needles to keep light striking these evergreen leaves.  For now, we can only hope and wait.

These plants were moved here this spring.  That story was told in a previous post.  We are not claiming success yet.  Several years survival will be required first.  As these transplanted roots venture out into our soil they must find some mysterious soil microbe if the plant is to survive.  For now we are delighted at the likely prospect of arbutus flowers next spring.

The arbutus cuttings did not do as well.  Of the forty cuttings taken only four show any signs of life now.  These will be placed in the ground near the mature plants soon.  I expect to see no signs of life from these next spring but I must give them a chance.  A new sandy mix will be tried next year.  This year all of the cuttings included a heel of the stem.  Next year we may try some straight stem cuttings as well.