Trillium Ready

This picture shows the condition of our Trillium bed in May of this year.  I would be ashamed to reveal just how many purchased plants have been transplanted here over several years.  Authors frequently describe seven years as the time required to see flowers from plants grown from seed.  It can be nearly that long for transplants to settle in to a new home.  Add to that the impacts of our totally at home deer herd to explain this less than spectacular display.  Our weather was less than favorable as was also seen by the poor showing at the huge section of native plants growing as nature intended across the river.

 

This picture taken just this week shows that we are dedicated to growing native plants here.  The weeds that covered this bare summer ground have been carefully removed.  Dandelions predominated with occasional clumps of a tall thin grass.  That low stone to the right served as a seat from which to work.  My trip down was far less than graceful but getting back up was nearly impossible.  Must remember to have the four tined spade close at hand.  With the weeds removed past years bagged leaves were mower ground and sprinkled across the bed.  We have used ground leaves here every year to speed up the woodland soil building process.  Now we need to sprinkle some lime pellets then replace the wire cages.  Then we will wait for May's arrival to see just how many Trilliums appear here.
 

Garlic Weeding

We have read that it is impossible to grow garlic in New York State because of the June and July Alabama slammers that bring us torrents of rain when the plants are trying to dry down.  Some of this excess moisture finds its way into the bulbs thereby inviting disease and rot.  Slow to learn, we persist trying to grow our own.  This garden near the back woods was initially opened to provide disease free soil for garlic growing.  Of the 220 carefully prepared cloves planted here, all are growing.  Only one is struggling and it will be removed and placed in the garbage.  The weeding is only almost done with 60 plants still growing alongside of weeds.  Today was bright and clear but the wind was bitter cold forcing an early retreat to the warmth of our home.

The bed in the foreground was clear weeded last fall and covered with ground fallen tree leaves. Occasional weeds were pulled today during our brief time spent outside.  A decision needs to be made as to what will be planted here.  Voles have viciously fed on our Siberian Iris planted down by the road for the second consecutive year.  We may move some of the remaining bits and pieces here providing them with a chance to regrow.

Yesterday we were working here to the sound of the drilling of a Pileated Woodpecker.  The narrow valley between our meadow and the bedrock ridge traps this sound sending it back and forth.  With no other sound here, this repeated tapping is quite the experience.  To my limited hearing the sound seemed to me to have a metallic component.  Becky's response to this observation was to remind me that Iron Wood trees grow here.

 

 A pair of much smaller woodpeckers are raising young in the holes in the tree trunk.  I could see them fliting about gathering food while Becky could hear the sounds made by the babies. From the garden the nesting holes are hard to see.  When the Red Maple leafs out they will be invisible!

Stumped

For as long as I can remember, a stump seemed necessary for our woodland garden.  Several previous attempts to remove a stump have provided only education.  Anyone that has seen pictures of storm tossed trees should know the overwhelming size of their root mass.  This reality failed to fully register with me despite many wasted hours spent trying to dig up moderately sized tree stumps.  When this stump came into view, another attempt at extraction was undertaken.

This area of the former farm here has been used since colonial times as a stone dump while clearing the nearby field.  No new stone has been dumped here in many decades but the dead vegetation that fell on these stones already here became a dark rich soil that we call duff.  The combination of minerals from stone and developing leaf litter produces unusually rich soil.  When the seed that grew into this tree fell here, its roots could find no path down into the ground.  Instead a ninety degree turn to the west provided the roots with anchorage and nutrition.  My five foot pry bar quickly found a path under the main root and a totally intact stump became my prize.

The depth of the root mass on this stump would have required a deep hole.  Sumac roots form an impenetrable barrier to deep digging.  This woodland ground was recently dumped here so that desired plants could be placed in this new ground come spring.  That depth of new soil allowed a hole deep enough to receive the stump without damaging any sumac roots.  The north south orientation of the stump was preserved so that its new home has the moss growing on the north side.

Now we have all winter to decide just how to plant this new ground.  Wild ginger already here will advance toward the stump from the right.  With any luck we will be able to someday harvest ginger close to the stump thereby limiting its growth.  We believe that a slowly rotting stump will support natural growth for a Lady slipper plant.  A smaller stump close to the bench is home for a Yellow lady slipper.  This might be a suitable home for a truly expensive Lady slipper plant.  Hepaticas are already planned for the area next to the stone line that defines the path.

This is the root mass that was sawed from the stump.  It will find a home in the shade garden also.  To me it looks like a dinosaur skull.  We are excited at the prospect of what will grow on this root mass now that it above the ground in sunlight.  It will be placed near moss and we will watch its transformation.  Just how often does a seventy-five year old actually get something that he has wanted for a long time?  This stump is a truly impressive find.

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.

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.

Turned A Corner

Recently much of our time in the gardens has been spent removing weeds before their seed load was dropped on the planting beds.  That urgency has passed as most of the weeds seeds are now mature.  Additionally, heavy rain fell here overnight.  Garden soil that wet is best left alone.  So we turned to the shade garden down near the road.  Working from the hardwood bark mulch path, we were able to reach into the woods soil while doing no damage.

The last five stones at path's edge were placed today.  The moss covered stone near the tree trunk caught my eye some time ago.  It was nearly buried by the gravel fill that was used to bury the remains of the burned barn in the late 50's.  Moss stones appeal to me since they add a natural look to the woodland garden.  This stone was worked free of the fill and rolled into the trailer.  As luck would have it, the stone was easily rocked free and worked into the back edge of the dump cart.

The carefully tended lawn belongs to our neighbor.  We are trying to establish a garden that is worthy of space adjacent to their lawn.  Visible weeds show that we are still working on our part of the picture.  The path will continue on the narrow strip of ground between the tree trunks.  For now, we need to place the stones along the side of the path opposite today's work.

This is the view looking in the opposite direction.  The area opposite the bench has been partially planted with native woodland plants.  Moving in the opposite direction takes us out of the shaded canopy of the sumac trees.  Here we intend to plant asters and black-eyed Susans.  Both the jumble of rocks and the weeds show that this area still needs considerable work.  Another thick layer of grass clippings recently placed will make removal of the pasture grasses and their roots relatively easy if we get to it before snowfall.  Our time spent outside today was wonderful.  Any day that includes the safe placement of native stones is both pleasant and permanent.  These stones will stay where placed.  They have been carefully supported underneath so that any child walking on top of them will find solid footing.  In time in their new home, moss will spread giving these rocks the appearance of having been here for a long time.

Shade Garden Grows

Confronted with age related decline in physical stamina, we are looking for work saving strategies that will allow us to continue gardening.  Just how an expansion of this garden fits into that plan might seem to be in contradiction of that goal.  The grass clippings, notice how they follow the line between shade and sunlight, will end the pasture grass that now grows here.  That newly cleared ground will provide space for divisions of our Siberian Iris collection that are long overdue.  Proper spacing and reground bark mulch will make this area relatively free of work once it is planted.  We want to be ready to plant here next spring.

Every bag of collected leaves has been opened and dumped in the shaded area.  We are trying to build forest soil with decaying hardwood leaves.  Little rain is in the forecast for the next several days so these leaves should dry out.  The small hand mower will be used to shred these leaves.  Quicker decay and more of a tendency to stay in place are the reasons for shredding.  The compost pile is slated for removal.
 

 
This is the long view as seen from the road.  The wire caged lilies clearly show their ugly protection but the evening munching deer is already eating the New England Asters.  Two years ago that deer ate every lily bud.  Now the lilies are protected but the colorful flowers will be behind wire.

Catskill Native Nursery was the source of this Smooth Solomon's Seal plant.  Buds promise flowers when most of the native woodland plants are going dormant.  A huge Spring Beauty was in the pot with this plant.  That hitchhiker was the actual reason for the purchase.  It was magnificent and should have dropped a load of seeds.  We will watch and see just what treasure this purchase provides next spring.
 

This is a weed that must be allowed to grow where self-planted.  A Red Clover flower is attractively colored and this one is home for a tiny white spider.  Becky is the one who sees events like this.  I get to enjoy them in her photos.

Cardinal Flower has captured and held my attention for several years.  Just why this native plant remains scarce in this general area remains a bit of a puzzle.  These plants taken from our gardens early this year have spent cold nights in the basement.  Now they are on their way to new owners in three different locations in our attempt to increase the number of plants with a chance to drop seed.

Ed's Gone Native!

Ed has gone native and perhaps a bit wild. Some people dig for treasure and there is some digging involved here, but Ed is carefully burying treasured plants in a place where we hope they will flourish.  Bare root plants came today from Wisconsin.  We used to get plants from there in pots, but thanks to those nasty Asian jumping worms, shipments are sent bare root to prevent the spread of destructive slimy worms that jump out of your hand!  I hope I never see one.  It was raining hard, but Ed was determined to get these plants safely in their spots in the woodland garden.  I took pictures from the dry warm comfort of the truck.  It's true I wanted to keep the camera dry, but I was not keen on getting cold and wet either!

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It was quite a trick to plant new plants between the slippery wet stones while taking care not to injure specimens that were already in place.  I watched in amazement.  Ed reached and stretched carefully planting Trilliums, Wood Anemones, Bloodroot and Virginia Bluebells. I didn't know that he could still move like that!  He is always ready to go the extra mile for his treasured plants.

By the time the last of the plants were in the ground, he was quite wet and cold but happy.  If in the future he is going to play in this kind of heavy rain, he will need a new raincoat. This one leaks!  The woodland garden is beginning to look the way Ed  had it planned.

When the last little rootlets were planted, Ed marked the location of the new plants with the white bags they came in held down by a stone. Those plants went from the mailbox to their spot in the garden on the same  afternoon.  I'm sure the plants will appreciate the rain.  It is likely we will not see them come up until spring.  As for Ed, it was time to head for the house for a hot shower, dry clothes and a cup of hot chocolate.  

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.

Fall Garden Fun

It was a beautiful day today.  At 7:00 AM the sun  filled the sky with glowing color as it rose above the ridge, but the thing I really noticed was the speed with which the low clouds were moving along the ridge.  It turned into a cloudy day right before my eyes.  The fact remained that it was warm and pleasant outside.  Both Ed and I had been itching to work cleaning up the overly exuberant bed down by the road.   We loaded the tractor's cart with our tools and headed down the hill. First we each pulled a trug full of weeds from the woodland garden. We have high hopes for this garden in the spring.  Of course right now most of the plants are dormant.  It looks more and more like a natural woodland setting with every change that Ed makes!

All warmed up by pulling the small weeds in the woodland garden, we really went for the gusto here.  Ed trimmed back the huge Swallowwort also known as swamp milkweed.  It was magnificent, but needed to be cut back.  It definitely was a home to some orange aphids that needed to be sent packing.  Anise hyssop plants are a personal favorite of mine. I love their lavender flowers and sweet aroma,but they had jumped the stone edging and there where plants nearly as tall as me growing out of bounds in front of the bed.  Ed and his spade got called in for that big job.  It did not take long to fill the cart to overflowing with discarded plants.  Ed drove them up the hill to the rough compost pile.

It was a pleasure to mulch around the plants chosen to remain in the bed.  It is an amazing change with all the grass, nightshade and overgrown Johnny Jump Up plants gone.   Dead flower stalks from the coneflowers,  bee balm and false indigo filled the cart a second time.   Now we were getting somewhere!   Mulch was spread around the plants that were chosen to remain.

It was quite a reach for Ed to lean over the wall and  make this Siberian Iris and Daylily look presentable again.

The wind picked up and the sky began to darken.  More important than that it was lunchtime!  It was wonderful fun working together to return this out of control garden to a more civilized look.  This morning was perfect.  There is still more to be done, but we headed up the hill for lunch feeling really great, happy about what we accomplished together.

Stones With Plants

For as long as I can remember the beauty of stacked stones has captivated me.  Many hours across several decades have found me gathering raw materials and then building dry stone walls.  In this instance the walls serve to separate areas of the garden and serve as a  backdrop to brilliantly colored flowers.  The area in the background immediately in front of the house features stones serving a functional purpose.

Our home is a simple single story house on the north side.  The basement is partially exposed on the south side.  Winter sunlight fills the basement where we grow tender plants and start from seed many others.  Those features function as planned but the necessary slope outside stymied me for years.  Plants were needed there but their soil needed to stay in place.  Occasional running water and its resultant damage to the ground were not part of the plan.

After a delay of more years than I care to admit, placed stones of some size were arranged to soften the slope.  The incomplete path shows that this project awaits completion but the planted area endured this year's frequent heavy rainfall with absolutely no disturbance of the soil surface.  As this year's garden winds down, we will refocus on this area completing the stone path that will separate the garden from the field grasses.  These stones were never intended to stand out visually like a wall.  They have a lasting important job to do while they disappear behind the plants.  So far so good.

These stones are also being placed with a eye on function.  Our attempts to grow native ephemerals have for the most part fallen short.  These plants require more moisture than our deep gravely soil can provide.  Large flat stones set in at an angle are planned to direct the rain that falls upon them into a specific area.  Additionally, stones gather moisture every summer night.  This extra liquid will also be near the roots of moisture loving plants.  We will see if the extra moisture delivered by these rocks will keep the blood root alive and the trillium expanding.

Appearance always counts and in this case we are trying to duplicate to a degree an area in the back woods where broken chunks of bedrock break the surface.  The stones in the left background were the first ones placed and they do not look natural.  When the trillium already planted in front of those stones are in bloom no one will notice the stones.  As the moss spreads down over exposed surfaces the stone work will be further muted.

The bagged leaves need to be run through the mower to both speed their decay into woodland soil and improve their appearance.  My neighbor takes great pride in his home and he likely wondered about all of the bags of leaves piled near his manicured lawn.  We hope that the stones and the leaves will help move this area into a flourishing woodland garden.