April Flowers

These flowers look like Chrysanthemums wildly out of season.  Their name, Grecian Wind Flower, identifies them as anything but a native flower.  These plants like it hot and dry so we placed them in front of the south facing house wall.  Their source was a mail order operation and the tiny scrap of a plant delivered here appears to find its new home satisfactory to its needs.  We hope that it continues to expand creating a beautiful ground cover.

This import from Turkey is named Glory of the Snow.  Actually we purchased both the regular form and giants.  Since this plant is self planted it may well be a cross of the two varieties.  Its blossom color is far more intense that our picture shows.  Our point and shoot camera does not handle bright colors well.  Still, any plant near our stone walls creates an impressive appearance.

There is a native Wood anemone but this may not be it.  Ours have rounded petal tips while the native version's petals end in a sharp point.  We have had this plant for so long that we cannot recall its original source.  Not snobbish by nature, we have included this plant in our developing shade garden.  Many of the favored plants placed there completely disappear by summer.  We intend to allow this plant to take and hold large sections of our garden where Trilliums and similar plants can have their day above the low green leaves of Wood anemone.

We first encountered Siberian squill when driving to our then newly purchased retirement land.  An area near a small barn that no longer housed cows was covered with these flowers.  Buy them we did and they were placed in a garden that we have since lost to the grasses.  Many of these plants escaped into the lawn where we can still admire them.  Their new location only requires that we watch where we are walking.

These white flower buds were formed as darkly colored tiny tight buds last Fall.  One of this plant's names is Mayflower since it is reported to be the first plant to flower where the Pilgrim's ship made landfall.  Arbutus is another name for this plant.  Reported to be impossible to transplant, these plants exist in contradiction to that still widely held belief.  As an evergreen, many animals eat it as disappearing snow reveals its tasty leaves.  All of my plantings are under wire cages and that is why they have survived.  It is possible that these deliciously scented flowers will open in late April.  Then the wire cages will be moved aside so that we can drink in the sweet scent of these ground hugging flowers.  Some insect has been eating these leaves or perhaps chipmunks eat an occasional salad.  These are native wild plants and there is a limit to how far we can go to protect them.

Tired And Happy

This was without question the best day that we have spent outside this year.  Temperatures near or above 70 degrees just made everything seem right.  My first task was to carefully cut a wheelbarrow load of conservation roses and wild berry canes.  At the top of the lane we have a decent start on a border stone wall.  Transplanted Periwinkle is spreading nicely but briers make the area look nasty.  The briers are nearly gone and a drive up the hill will now make a great first impression on all who see it.

This is the first Pickwick Crocus blossom of the season.  Freshly open today, this may just be the best picture that we have ever taken.

This other first flower is either Glory of The Snow or Giant Glory of The Snow.  These two names are on either side of the same stone label.  With the ground ice finally disappearing, we began the huge task of cutting away Siberian Iris leaves.  The how to book for these plants recommends cutting the foliage in the Fall but the author lives in a southern state.  We believe that the crown of dead leaves insulates the plant parts from our severe Winters.  Our timing is perfect since no new growth is present.  We have far too many plants so some trimming will require working around new growth. 

We used the truck to make the trip to clean out bird nest boxes.  That required a 1.8 mile drive so the truck was a big help.  Interesting rocks were spotted and the truck provided the means to move them to the developing shade garden at the other end of the property.  The pictured rock is unusually heavy for its size.  It is obviously not native bedrock.  It gives every indication of having been in a marine environment.  The last glacier that passed by could have moved this rock from near Syracuse where salt mines and limestone are common. This interesting rock will look out of place edging one of the paths in our shade garden but we did find it on this land.

We took advantage of an end of season sale to purchase a new garden bench.  It surely displays the structure of business in the world today.  A company located in Texas is responsible for the design and delivery of this product.  The wood is similar to teak but grows in Vietnam.  Milling and partial assembly happened there.  Individual pieces are no larger  than they have to be.  The bench is solid but surprisingly light for its size.  The weathered teak chairs nearby are more than twenty-five years old and each is heavier than the new bench.  Working together, Becky and I moved the assembled bench from the basement to the patio using cooperation and a hand truck.  Both the bench and the people made the move injury free and no blue smoke ever filled the air.  They say that an old dog cannot learn new tricks but based on what transpired today anything is possible.

Welcome Back!

There is a lot of interest in Native plants now.  I say wonderful, more choices for me.  But please don't ask me or the bees to give up my Glory of the Snow.  Seeing them come up and flower in early spring makes me happy!

I let out a squeal of delight when I first spotted this sharp lobed hepatica flower.  Today there are two lovely pale purple flowers!  Around here this native wildflower is blooming now.  Our first drive by Irma's Woods found countless hepaticas in bloom.  It seems that the brightness of the flowers fade as the blossom matures.  Boy, can I relate to that!

The Squirrel Corn that we moved to the new woodland garden last year shows its lacy leaves. The funky flowers will be along soon. This is a spring ephemeral will not be visible above ground very long.  Now is the time to get out there and see them while you can!

These are stinging nettles. This plant is armed and dangerous famous for burning skin, but it is useful.  Red Admiral butterflies are among many that use it as a food source for their caterpillars.  When properly prepared it is a valuable food for humans.  If the color green has a taste, this plant has it.

Here is a Johnny Jump Up coming up from between Helen's Herkimer diamond rocks.  These  stones are native fifty miles to our north.  I like to eat Johnny Jump Up flowers and like their little faces.  Native or non-native I'm glad to see them both again.  The truth is I have to rip some of these plants out as  weeds while leaving some that flower.  Welcome back to another year in the Stone Wall Garden everyone!

April Snow Day

This morning the garden was covered with white.  I opened the window to take this picture.  It was way too cold to go out there and I kind of liked the picture with the snow undisturbed except for bunny tracks.  I did notice that the air smelled clean and fresh which is was a nice change from the constant stench  aroma of liquid manure that the neighboring farms are spreading before they plow their fields.

A little later in the day when I did venture out the winter aconites were peeking  out of the snow.

 

By afternoon the snow was gone. These Dutch iris that looks so beautiful yesterday look kind of mushy now.

This picture is not upside down.  The snow in summer really got flattened.  I hope they will perk up when the weather warms.

By the time the sun was low in the West most of the snow in the garden was gone.  This time of year I am so glad to see it go!!!

Warmth, Wind And New Spring Arrivals

Today was warm and windy .   Flowers that were buds yesterday are open wide today.  The deep brilliant  blue of these scilla makes me sigh with contentment.  You do have to lie down on the ground with the camera  to get this view. I even managed to get back up without help!

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This patch of snow in summer went from bud to flower in one day.  Planted in a fairly large group, these look great even from a distance.

This large planting of Ducth iris is outstanding.  I think every bud is open now.  Some of the others that have been open longer have faded in the heat and hot sun. They were great while they lasted.   If the forecast is correct tomorrow will bring a return to cold.  These flowers can take that . If anything it will make them last longer.

Today there were 4 winter aconite flowers.  Yesterday  the plant was barely visible.  Their cheery yellow can also stand up to the cold.

I'm always delighted to see the emergence of my squirrel corn plants.  These delicate looking plants and unusual flowers sometimes get uprooted , I don't know that it is squirrels who do it, but they got their name somehow. This spring ephemeral wildflower is always short lived, but wonderful to see just the same.

So if tomorrow does turn out to be cold with sleet, these  flowers should brave the elements with ease.  I probably will not be as beautifully gracious about it, but I'll make it too.  I heard the peepers tonight.  Spring is here even the little frogs know it!

Comings and Goings In The Garden

Before breakfast this  morning there were deer to chase from the garden.  It was cold so Ed did his  deer scaring by shouting out the opened living room window.  Begrudgingly they left and headed for the tree line.  We also had a kind of visitor we seldom see here.  A human clad in orange vest and hard hat was  busily entering the numbers from our electric  pole into his machine.  As we watched he climbed up the hill, made a bee line past the house, and crossed the grass toward the tree line.  Clearly he was headed to his next assigned pole.  Ed and I marveled as he headed up the hill climbing up and over a downed tree. Then he continued on up the ridiculously steep hill into the pines.  We can only assume he continued on through the brambles then down the hill in the back to arrive at the neighbors' electric pole.  We had not been here long before we discovered that  the shortest distance to the back might be a straight line, but meandering paths are a much easier way to get there.  The deer and all the other critters that hang out here know that too.

When I did venture out with the camera, I was not happy to find that the deer had been munching on my bluets in the shade garden.  It's bad enough that they take a big bite, but when they don't actually eat the plant it really ticks me off.

It got to be quite nice out toward the middle of the day. Ed took his baby lettuce plants outside for  a little time on the wall to enjoy the spring breeze.  Air circulation makes for stronger plants.  Cleaning out the bluebird boxes was on his to do list today.

Little plants are sending up new shoots everywhere.  I'm pretty sure these are Glory of the Snow making an appearance.

After lunch I went back out with the camera.   I was hoping that the winter aconite buds would be open, but the sun went behind the clouds and the air became chilly.  At least for today these buds stayed tightly closed.  Ed stayed outside cleaning out a few  more of the bluebird houses, but I headed back inside the warm house.

There I found that Amy's nutmeg geranium had very tiny, but very beautiful flowers.  This is not your average plant.  Purchased at the  Buffa10 bloggers' convention, this plant made the trip  across the Empire state to her bathroom where it got all leggy.  It was then moved here and is making a comeback.  It's so nice to see it flower again.