Well, hello there, everybody! I sorta feel like I should knock on wood for writing (or even for thinking) this, but it really feels like Spring has sprung. We've had a several stretches of unseasonably warm weather during the past couple of weeks and the garden is burgeoning with life. It's been rainy though, and that's made it a tough decision whether or not to go into the garden. It is still quite soggy out there. But new growth is starting to push up among the old so I had to get out there and do some cutting back and cleaning up. I brought along the camera and snapped a few pictures of things that probably only another gardener will appreciate!
My neighbor's ancient cherry tree is among the first of the neighborhood trees to bloom. Don't you love how gnarled and moss-covered are its branches?
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| My neighbor's cherry. |
I worry about this tree because it's been completely defoliated every year by some sort of fungus. Each time, it seems a bit slower to rebound but it keeps coming back. I enjoy it in Spring and it makes a nice backdrop for most of the pictures that I take in the front garden. And the wildlife appreciate it as well--it is home/lookout for a couple of hummingbirds and today the tree was humming with bees.
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| Cherry blossom close-up. |
Moving on....I have a monoculture of Oxalis oregana growing next to the sidewalk on the side of the house. This plant's delicate appearance belies its toughness and its aggressive nature--it is a true survivor! It thrives in the dry shade under the eves on the north side of my house. I chose to plant it in a location that is bordered with concrete on three sides. We'll see what happens on the forth side which is currently occupied by a sword fern and a vigorous tricyrtis.
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| Oxalis oregana rhizomes erupting from the soil. |
Believe me--this small area is absolutely seething with oxalis growth! Here (below) are the plants which are placed to do battle with the oxalis--Polystichum munitum (Western Sword Fern) and an unknown tricyrtis which might be T. formosana "Gilt Edge". I think they will be worthy opponents.
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| Tricyrtis formosana "Gilt Edge" |
I find it interesting to compare the growth on the T. "Gilt Edge" (if that is, in fact, what it is) with another Tricyrtis growing just across the path. "Gilt Edge" is much earlier to sprout in Spring. The other Tricyrtis was supposed to be dwarf--not so much. It is less upright than "Gilt Edge" but has eagerly colonized just as much territory. The weird thing, though, is how many more above-ground rhizomes it makes. Just look at that mess!
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| Tricyrtis rhizomes. |
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| Close-up of Tricyrtis formosana "Gilt Edge"--so fresh! |
I am always a little surprised by the discovery of new growth. Here, a crown of Darmera peltata peeks (Ha! I just caught the typo/autocorrect "peaks"--though that also would have been an appropriate choice, don't you think?) through the leaf debris. Darmera peltata is a big plant with big leaves so the fact that it has a robust crown shouldn't surprise me, but it does--every year. You might also notice the lumps of snail and slug bait. Those monsters are going to be REALLY bad this year. I think the very mild winter encouraged them. I've seen virtually millions of tiny slugs but today I air-mailed a couple of huge ones into my neighbor's backyard wildlife sanctuary i.e. unkempt acreage. Yuck!
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| Darmera peltata makes a robust crown. |
I shared the transient sunlight with a new friend. Sorry about the blurry image--she wasn't too keen about the paparazzi:
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| Ladybug! |
11 comments:
Great photos!
It DOES look like spring is on its way, Emily! It would be sad to lose that cherry tree, even if it's in your neighbor's garden. You've gotten me thinking about Oxalis - the weed forms certainly do well here so maybe I should try some of the ornamental forms, although I do worry about its aggressive nature. I envy you your soggy space - I wish you could direct some of your excess here!
That's my kind of gardening: throw a bunch of vigorous growers together and let them duke it out. Ms Ladybug is the star of her photo, and the blur in the foreground simply emphasizes that.
Hi Kris! I also have "Iron Cross." It almost died in a super hot, dry pot and then I took pity on it and planted it in the ground late last fall. I totally forgot about it! I should poke around and see if I can find it...see if it survived.
Hi Rickii! I do like the vigorous ones--so much better than divas.
Kris--I forgot to mention that I was soooo jealous of your GBBD post--so much in bloom in your garden!
Hah! Airmailing slugs got a chuckle from me. We took out a cherry tree from our yard a few years ago because the foliage looked so bad, and it always aborted its fruit anyway. I have Tricyrtis in my garden, but its growth is nowhere near as vigorous as yours, I wonder why. I wouldn't mind that much if it was.
Hi Alison! Come to think of it, I've never noticed any fruit on my neighbor's tree. I guess I attributed that to old age. I've grown many tricyrtis and they've all been super vigorous. Honestly, they seem to be as tough as old boots. I've always given them rich soil, partial shade, and generous water. One you might really enjoy for your tropical garden is T. macrantha. It's pendulous and perfectly suited for living in a pot. Beautiful yellow blooms. Far Reaches Farm has them listed.
Those cherry pics are art. Seriously.
Fabulous photos, Emily! And I love how you called tossing slugs into your neighbor's yard "airmailing"! So funny... I admit it - I do it too. Now I have a name for it! :)
I do love the gnarled and mossy branches of that cherry tree. Spring seems to be sprung even here, another couple of days of warm weather and the snow will be gone.
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