Something New

Cardinal Flower has been with us for many years.  As a native plant that grows abundantly both to our north and south, why it is rarely seen in the Catskills remains a puzzle.  Perhaps the early spring weather here that features Alabama hot days followed by Arctic bitter freezes is what kills this plant.  Each year we pot up evergreen plants that look great when the snow first melts.  These plants are carried into the basement when a hard freeze is forecast.  72 plants made those in and out trips this year.  They are individual plants that will produce but a single flowering stalk this summer.  We always recommend that at least three plants be set out fairly close together to improve the presentation that these plants will make but their natural growth habit does far better than that.

Having more potted plants than are needed has never been a problem before but now we have several still waiting to be set out.  We decided to place one plant in each gallon pot.  They will be left in the ground to see how well they grow.  If they grow and flower normally, we will be able to lift the pots and carry them inside next spring.  By then each single stem will have produced up to six daughter plants that will grow out next summer.  Six flowering stems growing close to each other is the natural habit of this plant and they will look tremendous.  The cluster in the upper left corner of the photo has held that spot for several years.  More than one dozen flowering stalks will appear there this year.  If this method of potting up Cardinal Flower is successful, we will discontinue late winter potting up.  What will we do with all of that extra free time?

Each year we buy a ten cubic yard truckload of reground hardwood bark mulch.  Today saw these tiny orange mushrooms beginning to grow in the mulch pile.  Their growth should be rapid so we will have a chance to both watch and record just what grows here.  Kidney damage is a frequently listed risk for eating mushrooms taken from the wilds so we simply steer clear.  We will watch them grow and take their pictures but will not eat, smoke or otherwise ingest any of them,

Old age has taken from us our ability to work outside on hot clear days.  We started work in the garden early today but rather soon felt the need to get out of the sun.  Our retreat to the developing shade garden allowed us to work outside until nearly noon.  The white field in the background is how our camera records grass in full sunlight.  Actually the bright green grass just beyond the stone lined path continues to the tree line.  Our primary task here at this time of year is to remove grass and weeds from soil that will soon grow mostly native shade loving plants.  Today stones were set to define the paths that will make walking among the plants without stepping on them possible.  More stones are needed here but they will be collected only during the cool of the day.  This will likely be our last new garden so there is a strong desire to create a special place here.

Weeding Trilliums

Giant White Trillium is a flower from my youth.  Childhood memories dictated that they hold a prominent  place in our shade gardens.  Like many native wildflowers, considerable time is necessary for them to adjust to new surroundings.  This is an impressive old clump that is under attack from Trout Lilies.  This picture was taken after the area was cleared.  Chopped leaves now cover ground that was gently cleared of invaders.  More lilies will be weeded out.

When we first explored our newly purchased land twenty-five years ago, few flowering Trout Lilies were seen since stony ground limited their growth.  When moved to our shade garden that was built with deep stone free soil, they grew like weeds.  Their removal was necessary to protect the Trillium.

These removed weeds show just how serious their invasion will become.  Each white thick new root will grow a more deeply placed corm.  One single leaved nonflowering plant sports three such roots.  This single plant will become at least four by next year.  The only option was to make some clear ground between the two types of plants.

This piece of our new shade garden lies between our neighbors lawn and a stone lined path.  Placed in this ground that is not connected to the main part of the garden, ferns and Trout Lilies can compete for the open ground.  Each is expected to hold their own with this placement.  The lilies are approaching the end of their season with flowers just as the ferns are beginning to send up new growth.  Since both are stunning woodland plants, more of each will be transplanted here as new woodland soil is mixed.  Many other duties are calling for our attention now but for some reason this new garden has taken on an undeniable urgency.

Finally A Bench

A bench has always been part of the master plan for the new shade garden.  As rocks, a stump and some plants were placed, the location for the bench became apparent.  With a friend well into her ninth decade coming for a visit, the time for a place to sit became do it now.  The bench is placed as is a bark mulch path leading to it.  After a few hours of work it is just wonderful to have a place to sit looking out across the garden.  We can watch the birds that nest in our boxes, the seemingly endless parade of good ole boys in their pickup trucks and an occasional huge piece of farm equipment.  There is a great deal of work yet to do.  The sunny area behind the bench needs to be cleared of weeds and planted with meadow plants.  The leaves need to be freed from their bags and chopped adding to the forest nature of the soil in the shade.

The Lady Slippers are planted just across the path to the bench.  We have been watching for the flowers to open but Ed was looking in the totally wrong place despite the not so subtle clue contained in the plant's name.  He kept checking the end of the swollen pouches for any sign of progress.  Then we discovered that the flower opening is on top and very close to the stem.  Fortunately he found the open flower in time to enjoy it.

These Jack In The Pulpits are finally truly open.  Each faces in a different direction so their message is available to all regardless of location.  With the lack of frost these flowers should set a large number of seeds.  More plants will likely appear here.

This Trillium has once again opened with a pink coloration rather than the usual white.  We have no idea why this color variation occurs.  A closely adjacent plant has bands of a similar pink coloration over a white background.  Perhaps there is something in this plot of soil that causes the unusual color.  Whatever the cause this blossom will be a solid dark pink as it matures.  We may consider moving it to the new shade garden and planting it near to the bench.

Mid June All Stars

This is the time in the gardening year when there is simply more that needs to be done than what we can do.  Most of the potted plants are now planted out but some still need attention.  Afternoon temperatures in the mid 80s has us looking for work in the shade.  Becky spent considerable time in the shade garden and this is the result of her efforts.

Serbian Bellflower, Campanula portenschiagiana is an amazing plant with an unbelievably long name.  It flourishes when pushed into a crevice in the stone wall.  Some soil was first pushed into the crack but we did not expect the plant to survive in such a difficult location.  It continues to spread across the vertical face of the stone wall.  A tiny mail order scrap of a plant has now claimed a large section of the wall.

Bluets have been difficult for us to grow.  We have seen them spreading across a lawn that oozed with septic moisture.  Our plants were placed in the soil but have self seeded on the horizontal surface of the wall.  They receive frequent visits from the watering can in a attempt to keep them alive.

This is the neighbor's view of our garden by the road.  From a distance or when speeding by in a car this garden looks rather good.  It needs attention as too many plants are growing close together.  Deer are also feeding here nightly.  Asiatic lilies are safely enclosed in wire cages this year.  Last season the deer ate every lily bud just before they had a chance to open.  One cluster of buds is perilously close to the top of the four foot high cage.

So far the Siberian iris have escaped attention from the deer.  If that holds, these flowers may become our first choice for the perfect perennial plant.  The sword like foliage looks good all summer and the flowers are elegant stunners.  Some have become separated from their name bearing stones.  We think that this one is Silver Edge.

  Roaring Jelly was the first Siberian Iris that we purchased.  It is both hardy and a colorful eye catcher.  Divisions now have it growing in three different locations around our place.

Golden Edge is another beauty.  We find that the edge color rather quickly fades away from gold.  All have proven durable and we will continue to spread them about with early in the year divisions.  Jane, our friend in her ninth decade, has reported that when she visits places that she occupied decades ago only the Siberian Iris that she planted still remain.

Fun In The Sun, But Ready For Frost

Ed and I are having so much fun in the garden, we can hardly keep up with ourselves.  It is warm out  but not hot and the ground is perfect for weeding and planting.  Started on Monday, the planting of onion plants was finished today.  That is some bed of onions!  Perhaps we got a little carried away with the Dixondale catalog.  We are still eating onions from last year. A bed of onions like this is better that money in the bank!  Ed put in a second bed of peas.  To be honest I have kind of lost track of exactly which day he did that.

It is wonderful to be out there in the sunshine.  The tree swallows make a game of flying close to our heads as we work.  They are fantastic flyers and sometimes come very close.  Ed stopped his work for a few minutes to watch a pair mating on a post near where he was working.  It's the same with the hawks that circle overhead that get you to look up from your weeding because of the raucous noises the crows make when they dive at the beautiful hawks.  Sometimes they come close like the tree swallows and sometimes they actually make contact.  They are serious about their attack as they are protecting their nest from real danger.

 I spent part of my day weeding in the shade garden.  One has to watch out for  newly emerging plants, but is is a delightful surprise to find them.  It's not quite as delightful when you uproot something that you are trying to protect.  A few inappropriate works may slip out, but then an undamaged plant is returned to the bed  with an apology. A damaged one is dropped in the compost with a sigh.  You can't garden with out disturbing things.  That goes for both plants and animals.  It goes with the territory.

I love these early spring plants even if they don't last for long.  I worked here as long as I was having fun, but then moved on to a vegetable bed where  I could relax and dig up all the weeds without concern for what might be planted.
Later this afternoon  it will be time to cover our cold sensitive plants . In May a sunny spring day followed by a clear cloudless sky frequently means frost here!