Moss Island

We spent a great deal of time yesterday working on the garden down by the road.  Few of the stones in the distant planting area were in place when we first arrived here.  Our goal is to have walking paths so that one can safely walk among the plants with no risk of stepping on any treasures.  Aside from the fallen sumac leaves, this ground looks interesting.  The pit manure truck in the background was never intended to be part of the picture but our reality is that a truck like this one or a beat pickup truck is likely to be captured.  From this vantage point we do not have a totally natural woodland garden.

A rather large stone lies in the newly defined planting area.  I was able to move it by flipping it end over end.  Now I cannot raise it.  A hammer and chisel have opened the beginnings of a crack but I can no longer swing that sledge hammer endlessly.  A return visit is planned to attempt to deepen the crack and split the stone in half.  Then the stone will be flipped to its final resting place with the option of placing the two pieces one on top of the other.

Our method for removing highly invasive pasture grass is shown here.  Thick layers of grass clippings are spread over the weeds.  They easily penetrate the cover but the roots develop on the surface between the soil and the clippings.  After a year or two passes it is not an impossible job to roll up the mat and the weeds leaving mostly clean soil behind.  The area covered with chopped tree leaves was covered with weeds when we arrived.  Becky did a masterful job of clearing this area.  An occasional weed will appear but the plan is to place plants here next spring.  With any luck the cleared area will expand this summer.

The poet Robert Frost wrote about the mystery created by a bend in the road.  His words helped place these path stones.  Despite my efforts to define smooth curves, it appears that creating straight lines is my default method.

The last glacier dumped a huge load of broken stones here.  Some are pieces of nearby ridge sedimentary rock while others made a journey of some distance from the deeper sea to our north.  This rock is unusually heavy for its size indicating the likely presence of limestone.  Its moss grew here so it presents an image of both far away and nearby.

Our Wild Ginger is growing strongly in its new location.  New growth is pushing outward. Here the plant will have the option of placing growth in the cracks between the stones making visible the usually hidden from view flowers.  That will not happen quickly but we can be patient.

Most of the rocks visible in this photo started the day on the jumble of stones at the edge of the nearby field.  Fallen down barbed wire fence and ground littered with stones and holes had to be crossed to gather these moss covered stones.  Twenty-four round trips were safely made and these stones are now part of our garden.  Great care was taken handling these stones since the bond holding moss to stone is easily broken.  With any luck the new home will prove satisfactory and the moss will remain in place.

Transplanted Yesterday

Treasure means different things to different people.  Most would see little more than moss covered rocks.  Closer examination with a hand would reveal just how easily the moss rolls off of the stones.  That is why each stone was carefully placed in the cart with no two edges touching.  The moss growth is what we are after here.  These specimens were found on the nearly level ground adjacent to the steep side slope of our kame terrace.  A scattered mix of pines and hardwoods create a lightly shaded area supporting little plant growth.  These stones were nearly buried in the forest soil that slowly builds here.

This area is between two clusters of sumac trees in our shade garden near the road.  Several years of piling grass clippings diminished the pasture grasses that flourished here.  Remaining roots were removed and a layer of partially rotted reground tree bark was put down to discourage their return.  Then the stones were placed.  Our nearby pile of woods soil contributed nearly natural soil placed around the stones.  Then the Columbine plants were placed.  A final layer of chopped and screened leaves finished the job.

The moss covered rocks create a more natural appearance than the stones in the background.  Moss growing on stones is fragile and we will need to work to keep it alive.  Their new home lies in afternoon sun and that alone may end the moss.  We will try to keep the moss moist but accept the fact that fooling with nature is tricky.

Columbine is an amazingly hardy native plant.  We found it growing near the gravel bank and it was easily moved.  These plants from seed were pulled from our shade garden near the house and moved here.  Their initial response was to droop and wilt but recovery quickly followed.  By nightfall only the outermost tips remained pointed downward.  Early this morning, just as the rain was beginning to fall, this is how the moved plants looked.  Their flowers continue to approach fully open and seeds will certainly follow.  Next year this ground will be covered with new plants.

My first encounter with Columbine remains a vivid memory.  Amy and I were hiking near Ithaca above Buttermilk Falls.  At one place near the stream steep exposed shale cliffs closely bordered the trail.  The thin layers of broken shale caught on every small outcrop and somehow Columbine seeds found anchorage there and flowered.  How these plants found nutrients and moisture remains a bit of a mystery.  My plants placed with care may have it far too easy.  We shall see what follows here.