Finally Some Rain

We recently had more than two weeks without significant rainfall.  Soil turned to dust and plants began to wither under afternoon heat.  Water was hand carried to a select few plants daily in amounts that just kept them alive.  We avoided working with plants that were experiencing great stress.  Last night saw a decent rainfall that was heavy at times.  Taking a trowel to plants now seemed more reasonable.

This clump of arbutus was taken during our most recent transplanting expedition.  It included more than a single plant.  My intention at the time was to move this clump so that I could try to divide it if it survived transplantation.  A look at its root structure seemed possible.  Today was the day to act.  My only concern during the re-potting was to quickly get the plant into the soil.  I never took just a moment to peer at the partially exposed roots.  Indefensible softness.

First, suitably wild soil had to be gathered and prepared to fill the pots.  Briers have invaded the hillside and the trek up to the aged white pine was an unpleasant and painful experience.  A 5 gallon pail was filled with natural soil taken from under the tree.  Screened through one half inch square wire mesh, larger stones and root mass tangles were removed.

I suspected that the clump consisted of three plants.  One was easily separated.  The remaining clump resisted division so it was left intact.  If two separate plants actually are present here, they will have to live together since their roots occupy shared space.  If they are gender different, they will appear to be a single plant displaying both male and female flowers.  That could lead to some false conclusions.

Returning the potted plants to their former location became a major undertaking.  Hammer and chisel were needed to remove parts of a sizable rock that extended under the larger patch.  The resulting earth tremors should have done no damage to the older plants.

The two newly potted plants were returned here because they will be easy to water in this location.  If they survive being potted up, they will be planted out in a suitably wild spot.  The nearby black plastic rim marks the location of our attempt to grow arbutus from seed.  So far only an occasional weed has appeared here.  We continue to tend this barren ground in the hope that plants from seed will someday grow here.  There remains much to learn about this native wildflower.

When the fieldstone well was built to support the protective wire mesh cage, we knew that the arbutus would someday grow to the stones.  We did not expect it to happen this soon.  This new growth seems like perfect candidates for another attempt to try cuttings.  So far all that has resulted from our arbutus cuttings are dead sticks.  Richters offers for sale a rooting product that is different from others on the market.  Our nutmeg scented geranium cuttings grew into attractive new plants when we used the new rooting compound.  The recent lemon verbena cuttings are now showing new growth.  These successful applications of this new rooting compound will likely send me out to try arbutus cutting yet another time.  We shall see just what tomorrow brings.

3 For 3

A number of basic errors were made in the placement of these six transplanted arbutus last year.  The distance separating the individual plants is small.  They do now have a year's additional growth but that might have been anticipated.  Two plants in the foreground are both female and that was known at the time of planting.  Alternating male and female plants would have made pollination more likely. The old cage was small last season and needed replacement before new growth appeared.  Now there is twenty-five square feet of protected ground available for new growth.  The three stones inside the cage are intended to keep the cage wire above the plants should some critter walk across here.  The row of stones at the base of the wall will keep the cage firmly pressed against the tree trunk and defines a suitable walkway for people.  Low stone walls will be placed along the remaining two sides of the wire cage to hold it in place laterally.  When they are finished these plants will be safe from foraging rabbits and woodchucks.

The time for arbutus flowers has quickly passed.  With this year's early excessively warm daytime temperatures and a complete lack of rain, these sweetly scented blossoms lasted just over one week. That seems unusually quick and we did not spend nearly enough time inhaling their aroma.  Last year this process moved more slowly.  Now we will have to wait for nearly a full year for another opportunity to adequately enjoy their fragrance.

Three of these plants are female and all are sporting tiny seed capsules.  Two of the plants had pink flowers and their seed berries are also pink.  The white flowered plant has white seed clusters.  This color connection is simply an observation.  We make no claim about an actual cause.  Two hairy stems mark the beginnings of new plant growth.  Forming seeds while growing new plant parts must make this the busiest time of the yearly cycle for these female plants.  There are at least three blossoms shown that did not set seed.  None of them now display the style that would have collected pollen.

These two seed clusters prominently show their styles.  A five pointed star can be seen at the end of the right most style that is still firmly held in the center of the seed berry.  The long profile of the other style shows just how deeply in the base of the flower the seed berries are located.  The tip of the style was well inside the opened flower.  The developing seed berry may have pushed the spent blossom clear.  Cast off flowers litter the nearby ground.

We still have seen no sign of new plants from the seed formed last year.  Perhaps other options will give us new plants from seed this season.  A huge white pine has been found growing on the end slope of the kame terrace.  That location would give us a chance to plant arbutus on a slope.  There is still much to do and learn about this plant.