Fifty And Free

Just over one quarter of a century ago, fifty and free was my frequently spoken motto.  The purchase of thirty-six acres consisting mostly of glacial deposits that were anything but flat was where I intended to spend my retirement years.  In my relative youth we found outdoor activities during all four seasons.  February frequently found us outside hiking on snowshoes or riding down the steep slopes on our Swiss Bob sleds.  Now the wisdom that sometimes comes with age finds us mostly looking out of the windows.  That is not all bad as yesterday we saw our fox.

Maidenhair spleenwort is the first pictured plant.  It has been with us for several years and all of these transplants survived.  In nature it occurs close to fractures in bedrock stone cliffs.  In our wildflower garden, we first built the broken stone level surface then the wall.  Finding a green growing plant outside today was quite a thrill.  The tiny red spheres are Sumac berries that have fallen from the trees that make this area a shade garden.  Both birds and rodents see them as winter food.  They are bright bits of red color.

This Woodland phlox has an interesting history here.  Many years ago Becky was weeding around the base of a new transplant when she broke off a piece of it.  I was instructed to find a place to plant this rootless piece if green expecting that it would certainly perish.  It was regularly watered and look at it now.  The fallen Oak leaves grew on a tree located on the other side of the lane.  The phlox grows inside of a wire fence circle since the deer find it tasty.

Rattlesnake plantain has been with us for years.  One purchased plant became several but they all remain tiny.  A natural location finds them growing at a much higher elevation but nothing can be done about that issue.  Perhaps a light deposit of crushed limestone would improve their appearance here.  Although they have never flowered, their veined leaves are attractive year round.  They certainly lifted my spirits today.

This is a purchased fern whose label stone is hidden under Fall litter.  Becky's memory says Polypody but that name has no meaning to me but is correct.  The lighter colored undersides of several leaves display brown spore circles that appear to be actively providing material for new plants.  So far this plant has been well behaved and is only slowly expanding its ground.

 

A Locust tree fence rail is home for this lichen.  It has a visual appeal but its presence on tree trunks is a sign the tree is approaching death.  Nothing can be done to halt that process so we feel only a small measure of guilt for providing the lichen with a home.

This moss covered stone was planted here to define the edge of the planting area.  The glaciers left huge deposits of stones similar to this one on our land.  The smooth rounded surface speaks of this stone's long trip in torrents of melt water.  The size of stones similarly placed as path edging has diminished out of the reality of the impact of age on the gardener.  We had to walk on smooth wet slippery ice to take these pictures.  A slow careful pace while firmly grasping tree trunks kept us upright.  Our outside temperature reached fifty degrees today and for awhile we were free to move among some of our plants.

Desperate For Plant Growth

At this time of year snow remains in the shadow of the kame terrace.  Open to full sun, these Snow Drops are the first plants to open flowers here.  These have remained tightly closed buds for days but today's warmth tickled them into opening.  We tend to prefer native plants but these early pure white flowers hold ground in several locations here.

Yellow Aconite is another nonnative that is here because its flowers appear early.  This display appears pitifully small but we know that many more blossoms will quickly follow these.

A recent heavy snowfall that included an ice layer brought down several mature Sumac trees.  Fortunately these old guys were growing on unused ground so they represent nothing more than a mess that needs to be cleaned up.  Working slowly and carefully, an embarrassing large number of days were used to tidy up.  These moss growths on a fallen trunk are attractive.  We will find a way to move then to the shade garden down near the road.  A wood chisel and hammer might result in movable chunks.  We do not know the name of this unique moss since moss names tend to involve a huge number of letters.  If we knew Latin the proper name might translate into Moss Balls.

Another fallen tree trunk is home to this interesting growth.  Here again the name is unknown to us but we do know that this growth wildly responds to moisture.  Even a very cold rain will push this plant to enlarge and open its then reddish pink reproductive organs.  That display is usually brief unless it rains for several days.  In any event that display always impresses.

We are working outside for rather short periods of time.  Cold air and ground quickly turns old hands white but we return after a cup of something hot to drink.

Truly No Care Gardening

My standard gardening fantasy involves no work required to have beautiful plants.  Many books have been written and perhaps small fortunes made describing how to grow flowers with little effort expended.  For years we have been growing way more plants than we can respectfully care for and have just now discovered green beauty growing and reproducing here without any help from us.

This wall cap stone has both lichens and moss growing on it.  Names have been assigned to these natural wonders but the labels have altogether way too many letters and microscopic examination is needed to correctly make identifications.  We have settled on two names.  Lichens in this photo are flat whitish gray objects.  Mosses have thickness and are green.  Some of these pictured mosses are visually different from the others and likely have individual proper names.

Despite just having been released from the snow cover, this moss has sent up the structures that conventional gardeners would call seed heads.  Mossers, properly labeled bryologists,  call them capsules and more words are added to describe their unique forms.  These are clearly not droopers but here is where the microscope is needed.  Seed is not the proper name for the reproductive  part but spore might be correct.  This moss was recently covered with snow but  some liquid moisture and daylight have moved this moss to procreate now.

This moss resembles our native giant salamander known locally as Hellbender.  The white beads to the right may be this mosses fruiting body.  We will look here again tomorrow to see any changes that might follow.

This clump is a total mystery.  What looks like a group of dead sticks reveals individual depressed tip circles that certainly look like they served some useful purpose.  We cannot be certain that these are growing from moss.  The nearby out of focus red moss certainly catches the eye.

We are quite sure that this multicolored growth on a dead stick is neither moss nor lichen.  It may be a mushroom.  We have no plans to explore the effects following drying and smoking this little beauty.  We prefer functioning kidneys.

This destroys our claim of having discovered no effort gardening.  Weeds and desired flowering plants are growing with this moss.  The flat green blades belong to Blue Eyed Grass, a wonderful plant in its own right.  The oval leaves mark an unknown weed that will require the use of tweezers for its removal.  Clearly we have been denied entrance to our gardens for far too long.  We really need to place our gloved hands into some thawed ground soon.

January Fun With Ed And Becky, Part Two

 While Ed is moving mountains with his pry bar, I focus my camera on the fluorescent green spots on the stones on the back side of the temporary stone pile.  

This small deep round hole turns this pink and black stone into a fascinating mystery!

Soft green moss is a welcome sight in January!

I wonder if these are moss flowers?  Do they usually bloom under the snow?

This lichen covered stone is wet.  I think when it dries the red color will be gone.  Neat!

This is the view from the leaning tree!

That is a very interesting rock with fossils at the base of the tree.  Ed has his eye on this one!

By afternoon  this day in January was as nice as the nicest day in May.  We had so much fun. It is a good day to remember!

I'm Lichen 2016 So Far

I still have a child like curiosity about lots of things.  Lichens are my latest fascination.   Lichens of the North Woods by Joe Walewski was on my Christmas list.  The librarians in my life came through and I absolutely love the book.  Not only is it fun to read, it opens up a whole new world of plant life for me to explore.  I didn't even have to go outside to play with my new book.  This interesting dead stick with its constricting vines was already collected on a previous walk.

Having been in the warm house for some time, this  lichen was very dry.  I followed the book's directions and sprinkled a little water on it.

In mere minutes the lichen changed from grey to pale green with a slight tinge of pink and a small spot of blue.  How cool is that?  If I spend some time with the book, I might be able to identify this one.  In the meantime this is FUN!

A second stick has a totally different lichen on it.  It also was quite dry and tan with with curled edges.  Again I added a little water.

After just a few minutes amazing  change occurred. The tan color remained, but just a hint of red is visible and the curled edged flattened out completely.  This is like magic.  I have already learned that lichens are made up of a fungus and algae.  I'm just getting started and there are lichens on trees, on rocks and on the ground.  I never really noticed all this going on under my very nose before, but I see it now!

By the way if you want to follow this blog after January 11, 2016 you will have to sign up for a Google account.  I wouldn't want you to miss all this interesting stuff!  Happy New Year !  Here's to a great 2016 in the Stone Wall Garden!

A Virtual Walk In The Woods, Photos by Amy

Today we are getting rain and the sky is gray. I know "April showers...", but really now!   It is  hardly decent weather for a walk in the woods or the garden, but we can all take a virtual stroll and notice some of the interesting things that Amy did when she took these amazing pictures.  You have to take your time to notice this kind of  fascinating detail.

I love the color, texture, shapes and squiggles on this one!

I don't know the cause of the polka dots on this oak leaf.  I suppose it might not be great for the oak tree, but it makes an interesting pattern.

I'm lichen this one. All that texture and color are just barely clinging to the  wood.

This last one with the little mounds of moss is my favorite.  The biggest mound has tiny little flowers. If I stare at this one for awhile, I almost see a pinkish colored toad staring back.  I guess cabin fever is really setting in with all this rain.  I could certainly use a nice sunny day in the garden!

A Cold Walk In The Snow, Photos by Amy

A visit from Amy usually includes a walk about with the camera in her hands.  It is interesting to see what catches her eye.  Here I saw a large number of patio stones that had absorbed sufficient heat from sun light to melt their snow cover.  Amy saw lichen and thyme growing on a snow framed stone.  Living color under the snow always amazes us.

A wide area of untouched snow was dotted brown.  The close view of the camera revealed seed pods adjacent to scattered seed.  A black birch tree is up wind of these seeds and may be the source.  We will leave them where they fell but will return to see if either the chipmunks or the red squirrel take advantage of this possibly sweet tasting food source.

Heat from sunlight falling on dark leaves or heat from life process itself has opened a hole in the snow cover over the arbutus.  Any walk outside includes a detour to check on these treasures.  Some tiny nibbler has been feeding on several of these leaves.  So far the damage is slight but we would like to know who feeds here.  A nearby edging flat rock is littered with hulled acorns but something smaller than a squirrel or chipmunk ate these leaves.

Sumac is considered by many to be a trash tree.  It does grow like a weed but its leaves are a source of beautiful fall color.  Its red seed clusters supply food for many birds.  Tracks in the snow seem to indicate a feast on a fallen cluster but only the small red bits could be found.  All of the tracks were made by birds leaving no clue about how all of this ended up on the ground.

Two walking trips up the driveway are made most days.  Unusual stones catch the eye and they are carried to the wall near the basement entrance.  None of these exotics are native here.  They were all carried a great distance from their points of origin by the last glacier.  We would like to be able to identify each stone by name and understand how it was formed but we are far from that knowledge.  Holes in the surface of a specimen may point toward limestone created by the coral growths in a ancient inland sea.  The yellow one's rough texture says sandstone but the water worn smooth surface of the others keeps their identities secret.

If one looks, their is always some natural wonder to be seen.  

November New Growth

Death that is extensive throughout the garden at this time of year can trigger depression in an over protective gardener.  We live in an area that has four strongly different seasons and a winter of rest is the natural cycle of plants that grow here.  If we look closely, signs of early spring growth can be found now.

At the base of the stems bearing nearly dead leaves, new growth is emerging on this stonecrop.  We have a long history with this plant.  Sedum sieboldii was purchased from Adelma Grenier Simmons at her retail nursery Caprilands on May 15,1993.  Placed in the garden at the edge of a stone path, it struggled to stay alive.  The pictured plant was moved from the garden to a gap in the top of the wall that leads to the basement.  Here this plant has prospered.  Adelma is now gone but her plant lives on here.  We pass by this spot several times each day and remember that special day and a meeting with a special person.

At first glance, this looks like a bit of a mess.  Beneath the mass of dead stems, vigorous new growth is happening now.  Mammoth Pink is the name of this chrysanthemum and it looks like it plans to be here next season.  We leave the dead stems in place by design.  When the ground freezes solidly, we will cut these stems and place them above this new growth.  That light airy cover will help the plants come through winter.  We will then look for a place for all of the new plants.  That amount of garden space does not exist here so much of this will be composted.  Any spring visitors are welcome to share in the bounty.

New England asters are native here.  If we remember to pinch them back, they make excellent garden subjects.  If we fail to give them that early attention, their beautiful purple flowers will stand at the top of tall stems covered with dead brown leaves.  This hot pink naturally occurring sport was moved from its wasteland home to the garden only recently.  It appears to have taken to the new location.  At least four separate plants are putting out growth that will survive winter.

Here is more new growth on the top of the stone wall defining the entrance into the basement. Lichens constantly amaze me.  How a plant can find both anchorage and nutrition atop a hard stone remains an unanswered puzzle.  The texture of our native sandstone invites a second look.  What color is that stone?

Snow will soon be here.  One tractor lost its mower and gained tire chains and a plow.  Pros will soon be here to install the snow blower on the other tractor.  Plants are making their own preparations for the change in the season and we will also soon be ready.

Walking the Paths

Snow is finally leaving the wilderness garden and our garlic is beginning to peek out. Storm warnings have been posted for tonight so these plants could be under eight inches of new snow tomorrow. Our walk revealed several of these piles of dirt. Their source is a mystery. No machines have crossed this path since the first November snowfall. No depression is under the disturbed dirt. No disturbed sod can be found near the mysterious dirt pile. Not for the first time in my life I am completely clueless about what I am seeing. How did these dirt piles come to be here? We found something green and growing near the path. Princess pine is fairly common in these parts but finding something off to a fresh start this time of year is exciting.

Gray and growing is also exciting. Reindeer moss is very common here. When the weather is dry the plant becomes very brittle and is described as flammable. Any contact breaks branches and they do not recover. Rain softens the plant and the contrast between these two states is quite amazing.

Spring Fever 60 and Rising

With the snow melting, I was unbelievably excited to get outside with the camera today. I know my photography teacher would say this is a picture of dirt and so it is, but isn't it gorgeous? The plant in the center is one of Ed's beloved cardinal flowers. In spite of being inside a cage it has been trimmed level to the ground. Now who do you suppose did that?

The trumpet vine has a firm grip on this weathered locust fence post.

Can you believe the number of spruce tips scattered on the ground by the squirrels? I wonder just exactly how unhappy I am about this? They are cute and funny for a rodent, but have they crossed the line into unwanted varmint status?

Ahhh! Here we have more dirt, a catnip that needs pulling, emerging bulbs and perhaps some Siberian squill from seed!

Just yesterday snow had these plants covered and flattened. My salad burnett and this Johnny jump up flower are well pressed. One has to wonder if that flower was there last fall and got pressed to the ground by the snow, like the flowers Mom used to press in the dictionary.

The snow drops and tulips don't let the tree peony leaves stop them from growing. They just pierce the leaves and head upward. Rose campion had a great winter here. There are way too many of them at the top of this picture.

Never before have I seen fringed polygala leaves in the spring. Last summer Ed moved this plant from the back woods to the shade garden. It had always been May before I even looked for them. Located in my front yard, they will now receive daily scrutiny. The dark green leaves with purple underneath make me see how this plant once was called flowering wintergreen. It is too soon to declare the transplant a success but these new leaves are certainly encouraging.

This picture of lichens, moss , stones and oak leaves is no doubt a result of my reading Wiseacre's blog. In the past I might have ignored these things completely, but now I have to stop and get a picture. I didn't want to stop, but the camera insisted on a battery charge. Well fine then, even more snow will be gone tomorrow!