Warm Days And Light Rain

From our front window we can still see snow covered ground and open flowers.  Recent days have begun with frost on the windshield followed by afternoon temperatures above 70 degrees.  Other days featured day long light rain delivering enough moisture to pull plant growth above the remains of last season's plants.  Dutch Iris have been long favored here because of their early purple colored flowers.  Cold and new snow would help these plants last longer while continued bright sunshine with warm temperatures will melt these plants into a memory.

These Windflowers will soon be covered with brightly colored ray flowers placed close to the ground.  Both their color and structure are more commonly seen later in the year.  Like many of the early plants, these will soon leave bare ground.  Small flat stones carrying their name will be placed near these plants mainly to remind the old weed puller of their location.

This Prairie Fire is an interesting mix of browned old leaves and green new growth.  Depending on individual definitions of native plants, this Arizona specimen might not make the cut.  We know gardeners that limit their interest to plants found naturally in a small corner of Otsego County. 

The intact plastic plant marker identifies these perennial  Bachelor Buttons as a new acquisition.  The cluster of new growth is much larger than what was planted suggesting that we have found a plant that will prosper under our care.

These Chrysanthemums are growing close to the south facing house wall and their new growth is a welcome sight.  Others planted out on more open ground give every appearance of being dead.  In this neck of the woods potted plants on display in nearly every place of business offer people living in this climate potted flowering plants to place in their gardens.  We have spent years and a small fortune in search of Chrysanthemums that will prove to be winter hardy.  We will wait and see just how many will have survived.  With the recent persistent snow cover and lack of frigid winter temperatures we expected to see widespread survivors.

Two things stand out in this photo.  The house wall can be seen  in the background near to a pile of deer droppings.  We frequently see a fair number of deer that daily visit our gardens close to the house acting like this place belongs to them.  Natural fertilizer is a positive contribution for the plants but does it have to be this close to our home?   Village people cleaning up after their dogs are a common sight now but this deposit will probably remain where it was dropped.  Other issues will likely get our attention today.

Outside In Bright Sunlight

In the past I felt that February was the worst month of winter.  Cold and snow was usually with us for what seemed like an eternity and something else was needed.  This March has now been labeled as the worst month of this winter.  Early warm air drew the frost up out of the driveway.  Soft muddy gravel grabs the plow tip removing huge quantities of gravel along with the snow.  I cleared snow once under those conditions and the man with the big plow was called in once.  We both did damage to the driveway.  Recently the only choice seemed to be to leave the snow in place.  Repeatedly driving on snow firmly packs it leaving a slick but passable surface.  After my recent fall, walking down hill on slippery snow or ice is simply not going to happen.  The truck has been used twice a day on mail runs.  Since short trips are hard on a vehicle, each trip included a drive about of nearly ten miles.

These Mammoth Pink Chrysanthemums are just now peeking out from the new snow cover.  The stones used to control the drop in elevation are the first things to appear as the snow shrinks.  They capture warmth from the sunlight that strikes them and the nearby snow melts revealing plants and ground.  Located close to the south side of the house, reflected sunlight adds to the daily warmth.  Chrysanthemums frequently do not survive the winter here.  We were thrilled to see the large number of green plants that will require division later.  This variety is a treasure and it has been with us for several years.  Some of the divisions will remain in this spot while others will be placed in new locations seeking other placements that the plant can survive in.

The warmth of the strengthening sunlight has cleared half of the stone wall down by the road of its snow cover.  Our driveway is also beginning to show itself.  The warm gravel and some new sunlight are rapidly clearing the mess.  When the moisture has drained away the surface will begin to firm up.  We are looking forward to being able to cross the length of the lane without feeling the sliding tires or the sinking boots.

This is another shot of the planting area next to the house.  The broken stone path gives us a solid place to walk and drains away the water that falls from the roof.  Since there is no safe place to walk here, pictures were taken from an open living room window.

Watching how the snow melts on this section of sloped lane has proved interesting.  Initially, the packed snow at the top of the hill became saturated with melt water.  The change in color from white to brown signaled the advance of the water.  Each recent evening has featured temperatures that were well below freezing.  Having recently fallen here, I will not walk on this section until the snow and ice are gone.  My snow pusher is sliding the softened ice toward the ditch.  Clear skies and likely above freezing temperatures are expected tomorrow so this mess may clear.  The early birds spend a great deal of time pecking at the exposed gravel.  Perhaps active springtails are providing an early meal.

More Winter Ready Than Yesterday

Two issues demanded attention today with the sharp moderation in outside temperatures.  We usually head into winter with sixty gallons of road sand stored in two garbage pails in the basement.  One pail was only half full and that needed fixing.  Sifting cold wet sand is a rather unpleasant chore but just being able to work outside made the task almost pleasant.   While working at the gravel bank I did get to see two Great Blue Herons fly close by below the tree line.  They must have just taken flight from the nearby river.  One announced my presence with a honk as they flew towards the pines near the house.

Recent high winds had dropped a branch onto the lane near the arbutus wall.  I had moved it to the side but more wind rolled it back into the lane.  Today seemed like the time to move all of the fallen branches there to the brush pile at the gravel bank.  Continued attention here will at the very least make it so that I can mow down the goldenrod and the pricker bushes.  With a stone bench and arbutus plants already in place, this might be a good location for more of a wild flower garden.

Anytime that I pass by the transplanted arbutus plants, they get a close look.  Much to my surprise, I found a new seedling growing very close to one of the transplants.  There is no way to know if this plant is growing from seed dropped in the past or from this year's seed.  I placed no seed in this spot but ants could have dropped it here either this year or in the past.  The seeds I did plant have shown no growth to date.  It may be that they must pass through a cold period before sprouting.  In any event, it was a major thrill to find a new arbutus plant growing here.  My goal is to help establish naturally increasing plantings of this native treasure.

Chrysanthemums are another difficult plant that I insist on trying to grow here.  Our winters are harsher by one climate zone than these plants prefer.  This slip of a mail order plant required two growing seasons to make a decent showing and we would like to aid its return next year.

We intentionally left the dead growth in place until today.  Secured to the ground, it was where we needed it.  Cutting it back revealed a encouraging amount of new growth.

Placing the cut stems over the original plant creates an airy but protected spot for the new growth.  If our coming snow cover is more or less continuous and low temperatures are not extreme, we should have enough new plants for several impressive plantings.

Weather forecasts predict a return to unseasonably cold temperatures.  We may have one more day to continue work on next year's garden.  If rain spoils our fun, we can recall seeing both a new arbutus plant and the possible promise of many beautiful chrysanthemums.

Hardy Chrysanthemums

My history with chrysanthemums stretches all the way back to childhood.  A visit to my maternal great grandfather's home exposed me to what a man could do growing flowers.  He generously gave me divisions of several chrysanthemums but the move across two climate zones and the inattention typical of a twelve year old boy ended them.  The memory of him and his gardens is no doubt a motivating force driving me to garden.

At this time of year pots of mums are in abundance at the retail stores.  Chemically fed and mechanically pruned, they are covered with flowers.  Several times I have purchased them with the hope that some scrap of life would appear in the spring.  That never happened.  Root bound masses were easy to remove since no new growth was present.  Becky refers to these plants as cupcake mums since that is what their shape suggests.

Clara Curtis was our first hardy mum.  Mail order purchased in the spring, it has proven to be as hardy as dandelions.  The above photo was taken August 10th and the plants are still in flower.  We have given away boxes of plants suitable for division and are presently overrun with them.  I resolve to pot up, plant out and pinch back several specimens so that this beauty can reach its full potential next year.
 

Mammoth Pink has also been with us for several years.  Larger more brightly colored flowers set it apart from Clara Curtis.  It has proven itself to be hardy here and we have a surplus of them also. That is the kind of gardening problem that I can live with.  Here again, we need to give great care to a manageable number of these plants.

Red Daisy identifies this plant.  We may have it growing in three different places but Daisy Rose is another possibility for one or two of these similar plants.  Planted near a stone wall, this plant is flourishing.  The catalog clearly identifies their mums as hardy to zone five.  Perhaps if we take advantage of sheltered spots in the garden, we can keep these alive.

Out in the direct flow of our frost river, this Nor'easter has little to show for its three years with us.  Its flowers are just what we were looking for but there is not much to this plant.  Perhaps a move to a gentler area of the garden will help this plant along.  You can tell by the number of plastic name tags that we have purchased more than one of this variety.

Debutante is a vigorous garden mum.  This single plant is ready for division.  Next year should see a large planting of this very attractive plant.

Bluestone Perennials is our mail order source for chrysanthemums.  They feature a wide selection of several different types of mums.  If your hardiness zone is actually 5 or higher, then you should have good results with their plants.  Our zone 4 location presents challenges but in the long run I think that we will find some of these plants to be perennial here.

Late October Bloomers

Last night's thunder storms dropped about an inch of rain on the garden.  Everything was wet, but when it looks and feels as great as it did out there today you just have to go out  and do something.  Ed headed for the back to work on the wilderness garden.  I tried weeding here and there, but too much of Ed's garden soil came along with the weeds.  I did get a great look at a Northern Harrier while I was working.  It soared low enough over the garden that I could easily see its distinctive white rump patch.  Eventually, I put away my garden tools and swapped them for the camera.  I decided to search the garden for after the frost blooming flowers.

  

Perennial flax plants are so lacy and fragile.  It's surprising to me that these plants are still green and making flowers.  These plants self seeded and are growing on their own terms.

Although the wild asters seem to have completely finished blooming, this cultivated variety planted on the east side of the stone square is still making a few perfect flowers.  Ed saw a late Monarch butterfly that was trying to fly into stiff south winds.  Few flowers remain to provide nourishment for this straggler.

The freezing temperatures and hard frosts killed the blooms on this chrysanthemum, but some of the remaining buds are opening in the warmth of the sun.

We were sure that this Helen Mae chrysanthemum had missed its chance to bloom this year, but never say never.  The persistent plant has a beautiful flower with several more buds to come.  I hope this one gets an earlier start next year.

The Emperor of China is always a late bloomer.  This year is no exception.

I found a few yarrow blossoms.

As always, the Johnny Jump Ups flower no matter what.  These last two plants are considered flowers or weeds here depending on where they are growing.

That is not the case with this last plant.  This is a true weed.  It was still blooming and green after the freeze and it continues to thrive now.  When things dry off a bit, this one has to go!

Clear Signs From The North

This week  signs of change in the garden have been clear.  The goldenrod and milkweed have gone to seed.   Butterflies and hummingbirds now gone  have been replaced with flocks of twittering birds.  A flock of starlings changing its undulating shape over a neighboring cornfield caught my eye.  My trips to the garden sent an explosion of  goldfinches and chickadees to the safety of the trees from the sunflowers where they were feasting on seeds.  They returned to their feeding as soon as the coast was clear.  For several mornings we  watched a fairly large bird sit atop the tallest beanpole in the garden.  At first we thought it was a kestrel, but close examination through the  binoculars revealed  a dark gray back and head, a rusty red chest with white spots, yellow feet and a red eye.  From the size of the bird Ed and I decided it must be a sharp shinned hawk.

Today the signs became stronger.  The small birds seem to have deserted the garden.  The distant sound of geese filled the air, but at first all we could see was the bottom of dark clouds.  The geese were flying  above them.  Later in the day more flocks of geese formed large Vs in the sky so high that they were hard to see.  It seems early in the year for serious migration.   Some geese remain on the river until the ice begins to form.  But today many were heading south.

This year some of the trees are beautifully colored, others are still green and many like this one have lost their leaves completely.  Where this has happened the leaves on the ground give off the unmistakable fragrance of late fall.   This tree that really got my attention.  Its leaves are totally gone while a nearby sugar maple still holds its green leaves.

When I finished my long chilly tractor ride, before I came in the house, I cut a few flowers from the garden.  I chose a sprig of butterfly bush, a moon flower bud, some of Ed's lovely mums, a sprig of heliotrope and the flowering jasmine starbright.  From the signs I'm getting, tomorrow might be too late!

Autumn Chrysanthemums And Spring Hope

Fall and chrysanthemums are a perfect match.  Most of the garden is well past but mums give one last splash of color.  Reputable catalogs list most mums as hardy to zone 5.  Our zone 4 placement presents real challenges to over wintering these plants.  Firestorm was new to us last year.  This spring the single purchased plant looked almost totally dead.  Despite the temptation to compost the remains, I placed four tiny bits of plant in pots.  All four are alive and flowering.  We are hopeful that this one will return again next spring.

Nor'easter is new to us this year.  Bluestone Perennials offers a wide collection of mums in the spring.  Small potted divisions give the gardener the chance to shape their own plants.  Also a season in the garden rather than confined to a pot allows these plants to establish a normal root mass.  We have had almost no success carrying over fall purchased plants.  We hope for new spring growth from these plants.  Much will depend on the winter.  The drought of '56 was followed by record snowfall.  We shall see what happens here following the drought of '12.

  Daisy Rose is also in its first year here.  Encouraged by our fabulous success with Clara Curtis  mums we hope that daisy type mums will be more hardy than other types.  Spring will provide results that will give us some help with future purchases.

Debutante is also new to us this year.  Color alone makes this one a great choice.  We have it planted with white flowered varieties.  A bright yellow mum has yet to be found.  I would like the right yellow planted with Debutante.  That may happen next year.

This is the only plant purchased from Bluestone that failed to thrive.  Once again I was reluctant to compost the dead remains.  The nearly empty potted mass was set out in the garden.  We have four small new plants heading into winter.  After the ground freezes a light airy twig mulch will cover these plants.  We fully expect to see green growth here come spring.

From Last To First In A Single Season

A mail order plant supplier must strike a chord to get an order from us.  Bluestone Perennials offers a wide selection of young chrysanthemum plants.  Having a childhood connection to mums, I had to place an order with Bluestone.  When the plants arrived last year, the box containing the usual plastic pots had been filled with loose Styrofoam packing peanuts.  Trying to remove the plants while inflicting no further damage covered the floor with Styrofoam.  Not being one to keep my displeasure to myself, I called the supplier with polite suggestions on how they could improve their packing methods.  They told me that they already had a new system ready to use the following year.
  

It was with considerable reservation that a repeat order was placed this year.  UPS tracking had our package arriving in Oneonta late Friday.  I guess Saturday deliveries are only a distant memory as our plants were delivered today.  They had spent nearly a week in the box.  Bluestone's new system protected the plants from damage in transit.

A persistent problem with purchased plants is their reluctance to send new root growth beyond the limits of the original pot.  I slice down each face of the root mass and try to wash away as much of the soilless  potting medium as possible.  Still, at the end of the growing season, new roots are scant.  We know this because when the lifeless remains are removed from the ground the following spring no new roots are anywhere to be found.  These coco pots are advertised as biodegradable and instructions say to plant the pots with the plants.  Not one to follow directions, I will try to remove these new arrivals to larger plastic pots filled with real soil.  With our likely frost free date still weeks away, these plants may need to spend some nights in the basement.

The dream is to have some success wintering over chrysanthemums.  Clearly marked as hardy in zones 5 to 9, we know that here in zone 4 there is little chance that any of these plants will see a second spring.  Still we will try.  These plants will be pinched and pampered this year.  Fall flowers are expected.  Any sign of life next spring will be cause for celebration.

We're Havin' a Heatwave...

It's a balmy 54 degrees outside. The wind is from the south and the clouds are galloping across the sky. Ed headed outside with a gleam in his eye. Interestingly enough, he chose to weed around the lavender in the bed in front of the house. The ground in that bed is not frozen. What can I tell you? This time of year a gardener misses weeding. The plants left behind are catnip. In the spring they will be moved to a location where they will not crowd out their neighbor.



Next came a trim for the chrysanthemums. The new growth at the base looks encouraging. The variety is Clara Curtis. In his youth, Ed was able to grow his great grandfather's chrysanthemums near Ithaca, one full zone warmer. Here all we have been able to winter over are the empty pots. Perhaps this variety will prove hardy here. The cut off stems are placed on top of the low green leaves for a little protective mulch.



I walked the paths and checked things out. One of the things I love about Ed's stone paths is that you can get a close look at the garden no matter how wet the beds may be. My little gentian needed a friendly foot to push it back down. Frost heave of plants is one of the downsides of the freeze-thaw cycle. It's time to entice Ed in for lunch. After that I know he'll be back outside until the rain starts or darkness falls, whichever comes first.

Ed was So Right!

This spring when I dug out the shriveled remains of this chrysanthemum, I was positive it was history. One small piece of root showed a tiny bit of green. I was ready to toss it on the compost, but Ed potted it up confident that it would grow. It's a good thing I didn't bet the farm on that one. He was so right! There it is healthy and blooming. It's so nice to see flowers now as most of the garden is going to seed. Planted in good soil and with a well established root system, this mum has a real chance at another comeback!

Chrysanthemum Weather

As is often the case here, the weather report has changed. We are now looking at some sunny days and warmer nights. It's chrysanthemum weather. If we are lucky we might get a week or two! That's very nice since some of my mums are just budding now. This Clara Curtis has been beautiful for some time. We got it early this spring and it has had all summer to settle in. I have high hopes that it will winter over. Most often the cupcake looking mums sold around here in the fall are totally root bound and have absolutely no chance to make it through our winter. Clara is planted on the south side of one of the stone walls so I like her chances.

Yesterday was a delightful day in the garden. Ed dug the last of the potatoes and some carrots. I worked at cleaning up some gone- to- seed plants and weeds. We both pondered where we will plant the bulbs we ordered early in the season. One package has already arrived. Another will be here any day now. Optimism has its rewards! As is usually the case we have ordered more that we have space ready to plant.