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! |
