When a gardeners cup is half full

I awoke this morning to a glorious sight. My eyes having not yet fully adjusted to the light, I peered out the bathroom window and saw something I haven't seen in a long while. Rain. And by the looks of it, it had been raining for a while, albeit lightly, steadily. As a gardener, we have ways to spot these sort of trivial things about which most average people never think twice.

The soil and mulch under the canopies of the bushes and the trees was wet as was the trunks of the trees. In a brief or sudden downpour, these things will give you clues as to the quality and quantity of natures watering. And boy did we need it. It has since stopped, although radar indicates we may get some more this afternoon.

In the last few years, we have ceased worrying about the grass, and concentrate on the plants we have so lovingly cultivated. Some need more water than others, so we concentrate on those. We make sure the Japanese maples get their fair share, as well as anything in pots. We use a soaker hose in a couple of areas, leaving it there during the summer so all we have to do is hook it up a couple of times a week. We coil them up and put them away during the winter.

We have planted a succulent area on an embankment near the road that was hard to water anyway, and it seems to like it there, if we can just keep people from driving over it. We have also tried to plant species that are like minded, meaning plants that love water, are planted in the same area, while others that are more drought tolerant are grouped together. It make watering a little easier. The operative word here is "try" as we do, but it doesn't always works out that way.

So we are in a typical Virginia summer, having some very hot temps and a lack of rain. We had a very wet spring, so I feel that has helped ease the severity of the drought, but it doesn't take long for the effects to show their ugly head. First, the grass over the septic tank goes dormant, showing its tan patch vividly amongst the deep green of the grass and lawn weeds. Second, the trees, in an effort to stay alive and stave off an early death, start to drop their leaves, turning yellow before the drop.

And of course we can't forget the wildlife. The birdbath is a hot spot and needs to be filled, sometimes two or three times a day. You know it is dry when you see insects drinking from the water sources, as most of the time they get their liquid sustenance in other forms.

Which brings me to the title of this post. While most people are grumbling about the wet weather, about what a pain it is to have to walk 50 feet from their car to the store fronts or getting their glasses wet, we gardeners are rejoicing. We have a spring in our step and see this as a beautiful day, knowing full well, the benefits will always outweigh the negatives. I see today, that my glass is half full.

Please visit and bookmark my new blog site, yardifacts.wordpress.com for continuing stories and photos. Same name...different channel!

I love the smell of fresh mulch in the morning

One of the many Day Lilies now blooming in my garden

Summer is finally here and it brings with it the warmer, hotter temperatures, weeds and bugs and the need for keeping a constant watering schedule. Don't forget your plants, especially the ones in pots and planters.

We've been busy over the last few weeks, weeding, adding new beds, adding lots of new plants and moving around others. We are going to have to move some of the Day Lilies to new spots as they are now more in shade from when we planted them six or seven years ago. These are easy to move and will spring back quickly after a few days of watering.

I widened some beds and added a variety of new plants. To keep the new plants from drying out, I purchased some bag mulch to keep the weeds at bay and to keep the moisture where it is needed. I love the smell of fresh mulch. So earthy and fresh. I also love the way it makes the plants stand out while keeping the weeds under control.

New growth will be kept in check and the best branches will be kept

The Japanese Maple that was nearly lost a few weeks ago is budding out profusely and should not have a problem filling back out over the next couple of years. I will be moving it in a few days, to a new home, in the shade, where it won't be stressed out from summer heat and direct sunlight. It is also giving me a chance to make a new outdoor "room" in one section of the back yard. I think we will try to make this one a more "Zen like" retreat, with a Japanese garden flair.

For those of you with birdbaths, this is the time of year to keep those filled. My wife sometimes has to rinse and fill them three or four times each day. We have three in the yard. One in the back, the largest, is a hot spot for bathing activities. The birds will hear us refilling it and within a few seconds, come down and start bathing and then it gets really crowded. We have two in the front yard with one being a large solid urn-like granite block that is used more for just drinking as it is too deep for birds to bathe. Don't forget to really clean your birdbaths every couple of weeks, making sure to scrub off any algae. The birds don't like it anymore that you would.

How cute is that!?

One day recently I was sitting out on my porch having a cup of coffee before going to work and I noticed something in the tree. From my distance and my eyesight being what it is, I thought it was some type of growth on the tree. But having worked 2 solid days in the yard, I didn't remember seeing anything there.

I went to investigate and found this little guy sitting in the crotch of the tree. Too young to be on his own, he must have gotten spooked and climbed the tree. Mom was nowhere to be found. We tried to coax him down but he was glassy eyed and lethargic. I called animal control before going to work and they showed up with nothing but excuses as to why they can't do anything. Like the animal is going to sue them.

My wife and sons set out some water and grapes but he scurried up the tree each time they got near, so at least he was okay. Later that day he was gone. No one saw him leave. I noticed a large raccoon dead on the side of the road nearby, wondering if it was mother. The little guy was spotted in a neighbors yard the next day, but has since vanished. We hope all is well.

A few weeks ago, I watched as some baby bunnies were playing happily around under the hostas in the front yard. I was taken with their carefree attitude and their gangly hopping and bouncing. I have a soft spot for baby animals and this left me happy to have witnessed this part of nature. 

Then reality set in. They are eating everything now! Since our neighbors cat passed away, we have not only seen a huge rise in the rabbit population, but the constant disappearance of some of our plants! We have always seen a rabbit here and there over the years, but even last night, a friend was over for dinner, looked out the back window and exclaimed that the entire rabbit family, five or six of them, were merrily munching away.

I think "Tiger" is a good cats name.

newly widened beds

Love the splashes of color

Always look for color combos

Echinacea are like weeds in our yard

Echinacea "Milkshake"

More petals coming out of the center!

Bright colors make my day

The ever changing garden.

Hosta, or Plantain lilies are best suited to shade gardens

I can speak first hand, on the changes a garden goes through during its lifespan. Nine years ago when we purchased this property, there was nothing here but a few trees, mostly in the back yard and only two in the front yard. Of those two, one fell during a hurricane. We essentially started with the proverbial blank slate.

Year after year, we added, subtracted, moved, expanded, smiled, cried, hated and loved our yard. True gardeners. Frustrated at times, but we are always chomping at the bit late in the winter season, for the warmer days of spring to arrive and life to once again resume in our little oasis.

A garden is an ever changing organism. Starting with our blank slate, we had a few trees cut from the back yard right when we moved in, a house warming gift from my parents. My next task was to aerate and over seed the lawn the first autumn, giving us an incredible lush lawn the following spring.

From there it started with a small tree here and there, adding a planting bed, then expanding it the next year. We've expanded the beds so much, and added new specimens so frequently, that there is very little "lawn" left in the front and the work is beginning now in the back yard.

The strip of grass has since been removed, growing the small island of mulch into the larger one on the right. The Japanese Maple has grown considerably to fill in the space.

We've learned that you can't always plant something and expect it to live there the rest of its life or yours. Gardens evolve, plants grow, things need to be moved. All of the sun loving plants we planted early on, have either died out, diminished or have been moved. We move plants and trees around often. Not the large stuff mind you, I don't have the strength, money or access to large moving equipment.

The first few years we had lots of sun in the front yard and my wife chose some very nice roses to plant and for the first few years we had fantastic colors and varieties. This year, there aren't many left and of those they just don't bloom like they once did since they get more shade than anything else. Now it is time to move the roses if we can find a properly sunny spot. That is getting harder to come by, after all the specimens we have planted.

We had some hostas planted on the side of the house at first and they got fried the first year, literally cooking in the intense Virginia afternoon heat. We moved those under the only tree in the front yard at the time, a Black Locust, where they still thrive today. In fact, they are loving life so much, not only have we divided them, they are propagating on their own and this year we have massive amounts of babies. The blossoms are already starting to emerge, even on the babies and on two we just purchased and planted just a few weeks ago. I broke a leaf off of one when dividing them last year and stuck just the leaf/stem in the ground, no roots at all, and they have taken off and have blossomed! Incredible!

Colors, textures, and different sizes give you plenty of options with Hostas

Newly purchased, planted and now blooming!

The back yard is in its changing phase now. We don't have much room left in the front yard, so we are concentrating on designing and planting the back yard. Designing is our word for changing things as you go as we don't really draw things out or plan ahead. My wife chooses the plants, I plant the plants and then after they are established, I proceed to remove the grass between them, add mulch and bingo. Planting beds. This has given our beds a very flowing, curvy feel, completely informal, which my wife jokingly refers to as the J-Lo beds. To me, in the future, grass will be just a means to get from growing bed to growing bed, pathways through the vegetation. I'm shooting for 15 minute mow times.

The JM we nearly lost last week. Almost 70% of it is now gone.

The point is, a garden is not just a plant and forget endeavor. It is ever evolving. Get used to things living and dying, even if not by your not so green thumb, get used to moving things around to suit the environment that is changing also. It's not that we planned on going from a sunny type yard to a shade yard. It just happened that way. We fall in love with a new plant , tree or shrub, buy it, take it home and plant it. We are the reason our garden has changed. We are greedy. Greedy for all things beautiful and living.

The cost of doing business. When we nearly lose something we love.

The top leaves turn deep crimson while the lower, sheltered leaves are green.

In owning property and maintaining it, there are always maintenance issues. There are inevitable pitfalls and catastrophes throughout any given year. The death of a plant or tree, storm damage, critter damage, we've all been through it. When we have a named storm or even just a summer storm front sweeping through, we cringe and take it as part of life when we lose something.

That being said, we had a nice semi-heavy rain the other day, no wind to speak of, and the rain was not torrential, but steadily heavy. We really didn't pay it any attention. It happens that way many times during the year. So I was disheartened when I saw the aftermath of this seemingly innocuous weather event the other day.

The day after was drizzly and overcast, which reminded my wife of typical London weather. We didn't do anything in the yard because of this. I got home from work, and went to the shed to get something. On my way back to the house, something caught my eye that just didn't set right. I looked to the left and noticed a very large branch down. Right where our very first Japanese maple was now residing. Sigh. Really?

Clive Owen was right..."Look at what they make you give"

This very large, very heavy branch had fallen directly on top of our well established JM. I believe it is a Crimson Queen, but I'm not entirely sure. Back when we purchased it 8 years ago, we didn't think to keep the tags or to make notes, although my wonderful wife has a memory like an elephant, I'm just not sure. The top leaves turn deep crimson while the lower, sheltered leaves are green. This branch had fallen long-wise, directly on top of this 6' diameter mounding beauty and broken off nearly every branch.

So what do we do now? After much discussion, we will be moving what is left to a new home. I will then proceed in cutting down the remaining offending tree. It has been problematic since we moved in, having lost many branches and harboring many dead branches. The funny thing is, we don't even know what kind of tree it is. It was there naturally when this property was developed. It does not bloom, there are no known means of natural propagation. It is, however, home to Downy Woodpeckers and Bluebirds as of this year. I'm pretty sure they are all done with their families, so that shouldn't be a problem.

We are going to cut it down, leaving about 2 feet of stump with a level top, so we can put a planter with some cascading effects and plant two Deodar Cedars near this to not only block some unsightly views from the neighbors, but to satisfy my wife's Jones for these majestic trees.

As for the JM, I will continue to feed and nurture it in its new home and hope that it back buds and produces some new leaders. I might have to try my hand at grafting if that doesn't work. This started out as a small $20 specimen from a big box store. We planted it in the middle of the yard and moved it to its current location a year or so later. It has been happy where it is and has made us happy ever since. Now it's time for some TLC.

Can you smell the Spring? Pleasant odors abound throughout the garden.

Sweet Bay Magnolia blossom has a sharp lemon scent

This is early Spring in Virginia. One of my favorite times of the year. This morning was absolutely gorgeous and as I was sipping my coffee on the deck, I was becoming intoxicated with the smells all around me.

The honeysuckle is in full bloom and the smell was drifting from around the side of the house were we allow a section to remain wild and grow uninhibited. Wow! What a wonderful smell.

Sweet, sweet honeysuckle

As I wandered around the garden, coffee cup in hand, I was treated to yet another wonderful smell. The lemony scent of the Sweet Bay Magnolia. One of the best. It tempts us for a few weeks in early Spring, then vanishes until next year.

Fragrance along with beauty, Sweet Bay Magnolia

And lets not forget the Peonies. Large soft bloom with wonderful rose scents. Don't forget to cut some and bring them in! It would be such a waste not to fill your home with this wonderful intoxicant. Some have already bloomed and are spent, but more are on the way, as they have some 3 weeks of varying bloom times in our garden.

soft and fragrant Peony

Peonies are unique

The middle of this one looks like confetti

So don't just plant for looks, plant for your nose as well. A good garden will have plants with different heights, different textures, different colors and of course, different smells. With all of that, then make sure you plant so that you have different colors, heights, textures and smells that happen all throughout the year, and don't all just happen at once.

What would be the point in that?

The Black Locust just finished its bloom time with its fragrant flowers

Inside out. Time to put those house plants outside!

Mother's Day is a time to reflect and to give thanks to those wonderful moms out there. No doubt, they deserve it. It is also time to let those cooped up houseplants live it up in their outside habitat.

We use Mother's Day as our guide for this transition. Obviously it depends on where you live and the weather, seeing as Denver just got snow dumped on it on Mother's Day. Like I said, its just a rule of thumb, a guide. The temps at night are now above 50 so all should be good. We also waited for those damned canker worms to pass on, so our Orchids and such do not become lunch.

The raised bed in the middle is for growing Bonsai material. The benches around that keep the houseplants off the ground. Morning sun leads to afternoon shade.

Every plant we have is tolerant of outside living. When you do take your plants out, acclimate them slowly to the new bright light by placing them in a shady area first and give them plenty of water. Some of the plants will need full sun and will be moved where they can achieve that. The others will get morning sun and afternoon shade. We will water them daily, unless there is a rainy spell.

We had a busy weekend, hitting some of the local nurseries. And as always, visiting a nursery means that I was planting in the afternoon. Funny how that works. We picked up two more yellow Azaleas, these weren't tagged as Admiral Semmes, but I'm pretty sure they are. We had been eying a Variegated Parsons Juniper for a couple of years now and each time we had to hold off for one reason or another. This time the time was right and so was the price. If you have never seen one, they are quite unique, with some of the foliage without pigmentation. I will be putting up a photo real soon.

I also had some new visitors to the yard. Every once in a blue moon we have seen a Scarlet Tanager. Today I saw the male twice! I'm hoping this means we have a new neighbor. I also saw something I have never seen here before, a Yellow Billed Cuckoo. I saw it in the Locust tree just hopping from branch to branch, but not really doing anything. I've never seen his shape before and had to look it up, but it is unmistakably a Cuckoo.

I leave you with some photos from around the yard. I love spring.

Clematis in bloom. Large 6" blossoms.

Peony

Peony

firethorn or pyracantha

Yellow Iris

Go native. Learn the plants that are native to your area and grow them.

Nothoscordum bivalve - False Garlic or Crowpoison

It's time to go native. But what does that mean? Maybe you heard someone at your local nursery mention native plants. It is a niche area when it comes to plants, most are hard or difficult to propagate, while others are better off left in the wild.

A Native plant is a term to describe plants endemic (indigenous) or naturalized to a given area in geologic time. Which can seem a bit ambiguous. Where's the cutoff? Well, in North America a plant is often deemed native if it was present before colonization. There, that's better. So if it was in your area naturally during Colonial times, then there's your native plant.

Cornus florida or Common flowering dogwood

We all know of at least one truly native plant where we live. Whether you are in the US or Canada, Europe or India, there are plants that you see every day, everywhere. Here in Virginia I had always known from childhood that the Cornus florida, or Flowering Dogwood was the Virginia state flower and tree. If you drive through the country on a bright spring day, you can spot all of the dogwoods growing wild in the woods, being comprimised by their bright white flowers, in an otherwise, still bleak landscape.

I just had no idea just how many plants were native until we started going to a small boutique nursery near our house. They have a small section carved out just for native plants. It's quite helpful and at least gets us looking or doing more research about plants in our area.

Stylophorum diphyllum - Wood Poppy, Celandine Poppy. A beautiful, yellow, early spring wildflower

A colleague of mine shared her sometimes out of control Wood Poppy with me a couple of years ago. Shade loving and a prolific spring bloomer, this plant is wonderful in my shade garden near the edge of the woods. Stylophorum diphyllum - Wood Poppy, Celandine Poppy.

One plant that I inherited when we purchased this property had me stumped for a few years. It has a beautiful flower, but it grows in thin leafed clumps and has white bulbs similar to onions or garlic, but has no smell. It has spread pretty well over the years and part of me doesn't mind, but I might have to start keeping it under control. It is Nothoscordum bivalve - False Garlic or Crowpoison.

I'm still researching to find out what this one is

I'm still researching to find out what this one is

 So what's my point? Find what is native to your area, find something you like and plant it. Keep these native going. Some are fast becoming extinct. The way we Americans build housing and businesses, by scraping off the top layer of earth, and cutting every tree in sight, building and then planting horrible trees like the Bradford Pear in droves, it's a wonder that we have any native plants left at all.

If you don't have a nursery like we do near you, at least get with your state forestry service or local co-op or farmers market and inquire about these plants.

Nothoscordum bivalve was formerly classified in the lily family, but has recently been moved to the Amaryllis family. It does not have the oniony-smell of true garlics and onions.

False Garlic

Just when I thought I was out...they pull me back in.

Acer Palmatum "Orange Dream"

This last week I was a happy guy. I had some decent weather on my days off, but as luck would have it, the best weather was on the days I was working. Still, I was able to get some things done around the yard, plant some new specimens and even perform the first mowing.

Pear blossoms at sunset

Now this. Freeze warnings for tonight and the next couple of nights. Are you kidding me?! I thought, well, hoped, beyond all hope, that we were past this cold weather. You see, I hate cold weather. With a passion. I don't mind a cooler season necessarily, I just don't like freezing temps. Especially now. All of our Japanese maples are leafed out. Some leaves are still very young and tender. These, I am worried about. The hostas have just emerged. The tulips have been beautiful, but they are about spent. I'm mainly worried about the 16 unique specimen Japanese Maples we have around the yard.

Viburnum

We pride ourselves on finding the best version of each specimen and really look out for unique hybrids or new ones. Yesterday we picked up a real beauty called "Orange Dream". I'm not sure why it is called this as it is more yellow/chartreuse than orange, but its foliage is bright and different and will look nice as a trio of JMs, one red and the other with lacy green leaves.

But what is a gardener supposed to do? I guess I could go to the store, purchase massive amounts of plastic on rolls, wrap each tree and hope that that works. But then I have just created landfill waste that will last a millennia. I guess I'll just let ol' MN handle it. It is she, that is throwing us these curve balls by the way. The brutal winter we had, this late, late cold snap, and yes, I did find those damned Canker Worms on some of the trees last evening.

You've got to be kidding me.