Sunnyview Garden Notebook

Clean New Snow

2012-01-28T17:32:00.001-06:00

A light snow overnight has made everything pretty and white again. Still not really much on the ground, but at least it looks like winter. The birds are everywhere lately. Lin next door gave me her peanut butter suet recipe, and we made a couple of birch log suet holders. Many different birds seem to like them a lot, including the chickadees, a nuthatch, and woodpeckers.

The favorite suet feeder in the yard seems to be the ceramic feeder in the gazebo. It’s never worked well with seeds, because the holes are too large. But stuffed with suet it attracts all types. Looks pretty gross, but birds do seem to love it.

A group of English Sparrows has taken over one of the feeders, and they are also occupying the forsythia bush near the deck. Don’t really want a sparrow tree in the yard, so I may discourage them.

The new snow was pretty for sure. I don’t love winter, and I don’t love snow. But if I’ve got to put up with winter I would like some of the beauty of snow, especially in January.

The gargoyle is still guarding the hole in the pond created by the aerator and sometimes the heater. I haven’t been able to see the fish for awhile since the snow covered the ice over most of the pond. Hope they are hanging on. Looking forward to the melt in another month or two.

Peanut Butter Suet Recipe:

Melt ½ pound Lard

Stir in 1 cup chunky Peanut Butter (or creamy PB and fine ground peanuts)

Add 2 cups yellow corn meal

2 cups quick oats

¾ cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

Store in Refrigerator or garage in winter.

January 9th? Seriously?

2012-01-09T14:34:00.001-06:00

This winter has been amazing for sure. We’ve had a little snow here and there, but it hasn’t stuck around for longer than a few days each time.

Today the afternoon temperature is approaching 45 degrees. It looks and feels like March, and its only the middle of January. I’m sure that we will see some colder days in the coming weeks, but I’ll take this for as long as it goes.

Here are photos of the yard, including the remains of the willow tree that we had cut down in early December. They came to do it before the ground froze completely, so we will have work to do in the spring cleaning up. I hope the ruts work themselves out some before then. I think it will be nice to have that tree gone. Beautiful and dramatic as it was, it was messy for sure.

And the windstorm in early September really bent many of the branches and it was feeling dangerous to walk under there. I think we’ll also appreciate the earlier light on the vegetable garden, and the tree roots won’t be sucking up all of the nutrients we put out there.

The fish in the pond mostly hang around on the bottom, but come up to look around in the heat of the day. There are so many of them that I’m afraid the air hose we have going may not be enough to sustain them if the pond freezes over more than it has. But so far all are well.

Fall Birds are Arriving

2011-10-19T14:17:00.001-05:00

Yesterday the Cedar Waxwings arrived to strip the Juniper of all of its nicely fermented berries. Each fall they arrive in droves and take care of it in no time.

It has been Very windy here for the last several days, and I’ve seen hardly any birds. But this morning the yard was just filled with all sorts that I haven’t seen in quite some time, along with the usual goldfinches, house finches, and chickadees. The first Dark-eyed Juncos are here, which is a sure sign of winter. Also a couple of Nuthatches, I think a Hermit Thrush, and a gaggle of Robins helping out the Waxwings.

We’ve cleared off most everything from the deck that matters, although some pots still look OK. This year I think we’ll empty all of the soil from the deck planters, which we don’t always do. Will be plenty of work, but will make storage much easier over the winter.

Took cuttings of everything that I care about preserving over the last several weeks. The light gardens in the basement are filling up, as are the windows in the atrium. Grace is happy to have her papyrus plant back in the house so she can have a little bite now and then. The big windstorm back in September knocked it down and broke the pot it was in, so I have it now in a slightly larger, plastic one that I can just keep filled with water and add a little fertilizer now and then. It seems to like that even better than being planted in soil.

We’re planning to have the willow in the back cut down later this fall. The windstorm took a huge toll on it, and many branches are broken, split or hanging oddly. It was certainly dramatically beautiful for many years, but its time has come.

The late rains and warm weather encouraged a lot of second blooming on a variety of things, including several of the Clematis plants. Nice to have flowers this late in the season. The frost this week may take care of that, though.

First cold and wet, Now hot and dry…

2011-07-10T21:16:00.001-05:00

Seems like there should be some sort of in between with our weather. The yard got off to a slow start, then got soaked with cold rain. Now, its hot, and it hasn’t rained for over two weeks, at least not meaningfully. We were supposed to get an inch today, but it pooped out after only about four tenths. Hardly enough to wet the deck, though it was so hot and humid that things actually stayed damp for hours. Still a chance for the next few days – let’s hope. I would hate for everything that is so beautiful to just wither away.

Got a new camera this week and took a bunch of photos this afternoon to see how it works. Don’t think I have it figured out quite yet, but it does do some neat things. Here’s a gallery of what’s going on in the yard right now.

OK, May is the Month of Spring!

2011-05-10T21:26:00.001-05:00

This week has been the first that has really been spring-like around here. But OH! what a change we have seen. The radishes and lettuce are both up in the new raised beds, along with the broccoli plants. I also planted the onions and potatoes in two other beds. This was the first year that the garden centers sold onion plants in stupid little three packs, with three or four plants in each pack. Geez! Had to hunt all over town to find something worth the purchase price. Ended up buying two of the three-packs, one sort of better square flat, and a pack of pulled and banded plants. I will compare the results for next year. But they were all far more pricey per plant than ever before.

We did get all 8 yards of mulch spread around the yard, and Bill finished the new compost bins. So, when the weather finally seemed to stabilize, and the yard bloomed with daffodils and tulips, it was wondrous!

This morning was a bird-watcher’s heaven. I awoke and raised the window shade in our bedroom to look out on the evergreen garden. There were many birds out at the feeders and birdbath there, including three Indigo buntings. I’ve only seen one of those since we moved here. Gorgeous. But it got better. A little later we watched three pairs of rose breasted Grosbeaks around the yard. The three males were dramatic, and the females blended in, but were obviously there. The usual Goldfinches, Housefinches, Song sparrows, and Cardinals were around as well. There is a troop of three or more Brown headed Cowbirds serving as the bully gang in the yard, along with the Crows who are making life miserable for the Red-tailed Hawk in our neighbor’s Spruce tree. I have little doubt they will hide their eggs in one or more nests of the others. Mid-morning, the Cooper’s Hawk made an appearance, and everyone else vanished for a few moments. But they all came back. I’ve seen a hummingbird already, and there are Orioles around, though they have not been to our feeders. There are two or three birds that I can’t identify for sure. About the size of of a large finch, smaller than a Robin. Most obvious feature is a white eye-stripe, and crest, with black stripes between. Front is greyish, back more to brown. Short tail. At first I though they were the female Grosbeaks, but then saw them together and they are different. Help, friends, please.

Snow Ducks and Garden Beds

2011-04-19T15:51:00.001-05:00

After getting home following a morning and noon of meetings, today’s major activity was keeping the two Mallard Ducks who have been hanging out around our yard out of our pond and our neighbor’s.

It is snowing again, with 6 to 10 inches expected before it is all over. Just when we thought Spring had arrived, and just a day before Lee and Lin are due home from Florida, this happens. I’m sure the ducks are just looking for a place to nest, but I really don’t want it to be in my tiny pond. There are 40 or 50 small fish in there, having survived over the Winter. I didn’t keep them alive all winter to provide food for ducks!

This is the day after I saw a Turkey strut through our yard. A single turkey, which I think is a rare occurrence, especially at this time of year. She walked through along the creek, very deliberately, and I haven’t seen her since. It is the first time we’ve had one in this yard that I am aware of.

Yesterday I went out and cut a vase full of not quite open daffodils so that we can enjoy then outside. I fear that there won’t be any more after this heavy snow. Also cut some forsythia branches, fearing that the shrub outside would also be crushed by the heavy snow. It will be a bonus if I’m wrong.

Bill got the raised garden beds finished this morning, and in before the snow started. I won’t get much chance to see what he’s done til all this snow melts though. Here are the first two, finished last week. We almost ordered 10 yards of bark mulch yesterday, and now I’m pretty glad we didn’t have it delivered. No way we’re going to be able to truck it out there for a week or more now. Spring work is on hold for awhile.

Finally the First Flowers in the Yard!

2011-04-02T18:56:00.003-05:00

Today they bloomed for the first time. One Crocus, ALMOST open, and another small blue bulb flower that I’m not sure anymore of the name. Could be Glory of the Snow - Chionodoxa luciliae. I know that I saw the Winter Aconite, which was last year’s first bloom in mid March, setting up blossoms right before the foot of snow we got a week and a half ago. But the snow has not yet receded from that location, so I have to give the “first” award this year to these two. This is two weeks later than last year, and I suspect that things will happen quickly in the next couple of weeks, as things catch up.

The real activity going on for the last few days has been in the bird life. On Thursday I was eating breakfast in the atrium and heard an unusually loud honking above. I looked up through the curved surface of the windows to see a huge flock of beautiful Trumpeter Swans flying directly overhead. At least 30, maybe more of them on their way to breeding grounds north of here. We still have all of the winter birds, and the spring population is arriving and thriving. So, Juncos, English Sparrows, Chickadees, all sorts of Finches, Woodpeckers, Mourning Doves, and Cardinals are sharing space with Robins, Redwing Blackbirds, Starlings, more Crows than last year, etc. And then we see the Mallards, Canada Geese overhead, the daily flight of Sandhill Cranes back and forth from the fields to the east and the pond west of us. Regular visitations from a pair of Great Horned Owls and a couple of Cooper’s Hawks and some Redtailed Hawks have seemed to keep the rabbit population down this spring. The Song Sparrows are back also, and their song is becoming more joyful now that the snow is melting.

As the snow melts, the damage from voles and plows becomes more and more obvious. Voles destroy the top surface of last years lawn, but usually things grow back with no problem from undamaged roots. The plows, on the other hand, dig up the edges of the lawn near the street and spew the chunks far into the yard. It will take significant work to clean up their mess.
We had someone come and give us an estimate of the cost of either removing or trimming the Willow tree in the back corner of the yard. $375 to trim lower branches, $1200 to remove the whole tree. Pricey for sure! If I was clear about what we really wanted done the choice would be easier. The trimming could be done this spring, but taking down the whole tree should probably wait for late summer hard ground. I both love and hate that tree. Can’t decide what to do.

Turned off the heater in the pond today, I hope for the last time this year. The fish are again coming up to be visible. Water is cloudy for reasons I’m not sure of. Working on adjusting the chemistry of the water, but particulate filtering may be what is really needed. I really don’t want to have to drain and refill it again this year. We lost so many fish doing that last year.

Waiting for Spring…. Still

2011-03-27T21:54:00.001-05:00

It seems to me as though time has been suspended. Last Tuesday/Wednesday the huge snowstorm came. Then it got cold, very cold. Each night the temps go below 10 degrees and things freeze up totally. I guess that the snow is good to protect things from that. But I AM TIRED of IT! It is time to see the yard again. The first photo here is one of the evergreen we call “Charlie Brown”. It is usually just a nice looking, slow growing, minimal shade producing focal point for the yard. This morning we took a photo of it as “Start Spreadin’ the News!”. The difference between one side and the other, created by the melting action of the sun relieving one side of weight but not the other, reminded us so much of a dancer in a musical.

So we wait to get out into the yard again. Maybe next week.

For now the birds are going crazy outside, consuming seeds from our feeders at an amazing rate. And they are courting as though it were warm and nice outside. I saw a robin so swollen with eggs that I hope she can make it til it warms. And even the Juncos are sparring with each other in ways that are unusual here, they usually mate farther north, after leaving us for cooler places.

I did decide to take pictures of all of the flowers that are blooming inside of the house. There are quite a few, give that the increasing light this time of year pushes everything to make flowers, as long as the temperatures are accommodating. So, just for fun, here are the things that are blooming in my house today:

Inside Blooms

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Then and Now

2011-03-24T19:47:00.000-05:00

Here is last year on March 15th in Sunnyview Gardens.

And here is this year on March 23rd.

What a difference a year makes. I hope we catch up eventually. The 12 inches of snow we got yesterday and the day before were discouraging for sure, especially since most of the previous huge snowstorm had melted and I was beginning to see the whole yard and begin planning. It is melting again quickly in the bright March sunlight even though the temperatures are still way below normal. The robins and redwing blackbirds and sandhill cranes that arrived last week are not the happiest birds I’ve ever seen. Robins gather around the few places where there were deep puddles before and the grass still shows through. I hope they can find at least enough worms to keep them alive til the rest of the yard thaws.

We have more birds at the feeders and under them than we’ve had in a long time. Even the redwings are coming close to the house for whatever food they can find. The chickadees are consuming much of the seed, but also hanging upside down on the limbs of the evergreens picking at something I can only guess is small bugs hiding there. A song sparrow, who we haven’t heard in many months, is sounding more mournful than joyful as it sits atop of the dwarf Alberta Spruce.

I was ready to start the yard work this week. We have a lot to do getting the new raised beds built and installed. Also want to move a bunch of perennials around. Gonna have to do everything quickly this spring I think.

That was Yesterday…

2011-02-21T19:51:00.001-06:00

And this is Today:

Oh well. Spring will come eventually. I hope.

The Melt begins… and ends.

2011-02-20T11:39:00.001-06:00

I’ve been taking snapshots of our yard over the last week to document what I had hoped would be the beginning of the end for our deep snow cover. And although it has been pretty dramatic, the snow beginning outside of my window this morning foretells a reversal of this good fortune. Tomorrow’s post will show the results of today’s storms, but for today, the week past in pictures taken each day at about 4:30 PM, starting last Sunday.

These are views of our pond

And here the view from the deck to the willow

Spring!

2011-02-02T20:02:00.002-06:00

OK, maybe not quite yet. But it is in the wings, just waiting. Even though we have had snowfall after snowfall, I believe that Winter is about to loose its hold on us. For a variety of reasons.
The light is stronger in the afternoon for sure. Punxsutawney Phil, the most frequently cited groundhog in the prediction business, did not see his shadow this morning and thus predicted an early spring. And yesterday, when we tried to move the snow away from the pond heater we found at least a three square foot opening in the pond. Not sure why that happened, probably because the heater was buried under snow that acted as a blanket of sorts. But it felt good.
The number of birds in the yard has been nothing short of amazing. Must be 20 or 30 Goldfinches, as many House Finches. A band of Chickadees checks in several times a day. Quite a few Juncos, and many sparrows. The Cardinals are frequent visitors to the feeders – not as many as in summer, but at least one pair is a regular. I’ve seen two Nuthatches pecking their way down the trunk of the library honey locust a couple of times. They collectively go through the contents of our five feeders in short order, which keeps Bill out in the yard filling them every other day or so. I put out some suet, hoping to attract the woodpeckers that I hear occasionally to come closer, but haven’t been successful so far.
In the basement, the geraniums that have been hanging in the cold room are ready to be sliced up into cuttings and rooted for spring planting. I hope that works better this year than last. Our neighbors say that we start too late usually, and they do their rooting in the first week of February. So that will be tomorrow’s assignment.
There are also many other plants in the lighted basement plant stand that have been holding their own since I saved them last fall from the killing frost. Mostly from cuttings, but some from the severely cut back mother plant, they have grown nicely over the winter with little attention. Now is the time to cut them back again, and start thinking about hardening them off to make the transition to outside in a few months.
Only three plants have survived from the Rex Begonia leaf cuttings I took. I had over 15 plants a year ago, but they had all come down with some sort of fungal infection which no amount of anti-fungal spraying could cure. They struggled over the summer, but never really recovered. I took 7 or 8 leaf cuttings in fall and really immersed them in antifungal treatment before trying to root them. They all rooted, but only three survived the transplant into individual pots. I think I finally understand why these are so expensive. I’ve always had such great luck with them until now. but when they go they go fast.

More Summer 2010 photos, just for fun.

2010-10-18T21:11:00.001-05:00

Second Half of October, and Still Beautiful

2010-10-18T20:45:00.003-05:00

The weather this fall has been unbelievably fantastic. Day after day of perfect, warm, sunny days. And with the amount of rain we got this summer we can handle the dry fall. The yard is gorgeous even as it declines. And it is so nice to be able to work on it an hour or two at a time instead of spending entire weekends doing essential chores.

Today a flock of Cedar Waxwings descended upon the spruce in our evergreen garden to savor the ripe berries there. Two or three bold Robins joined them. I expect that all of the berries will be gone by tomorrow or the day after. The Waxwings are such dressy birds, like men suited up for a formal event. Not flashy like the Cardinals, they are smooth and green, with a yellow border at the end of their tail and a small crest. I noticed them earlier as they gathered at the top of one of the Ash trees along the creek. They flew away then, but I suspected that they had identified the Juniper berries as a feast. An hour later they were back, devouring the berries. Couldn’t get any really good shots, but had a fun time watching.

Been cleaning up this fall more than usual, and have every good intention of being more disciplined next year. This summer was so wet and hot, and I couldn’t get out into the yard very much when it mattered. The vegetable garden was pretty bad, even though we did harvest at least 20 pounds of potatoes and 10 of onions. Tomatoes died early, peppers never got going, great cucumbers for the first half of the summer, and must admit I let the zucchini get overgrown. Next spring we will build raised gardens, with bark chip walkways between, and try to civilize the area once again.

The pond was cloudy all summer this year. But late in July I became aware that somehow the three fish that survived the winter had passed on their genes and created at least 30, maybe 40 offspring. Some of them are almost two inches long by now, and I hope they survive the coming winter. Working now to stabilize the Ph levels before we put in the aerator and heater for winter.

Summer Solstice

2010-06-21T22:04:00.001-05:00

Amazing Spring. Hot days. Plenty of rain. Things grew so fast. Welcome to the Summer. Hope the plentiful moisture continues, with perhaps less wind. And it would be nice if the rabbits would not be quite as successful. They have been eating everything, or at least biting into it enough to kill it. I guess the good weather is good for everyone.

It has been nearly impossible to keep the grass cut to a reasonable length. And everything is growing SO fast!

Iron Birds Rule

2010-06-07T20:41:00.001-05:00

Bill has been pushing to find some “yard art” for a couple of years. And I haven’t been so sure about the idea. But last weekend we went out for a country drive with our good friends Tom and Bea, and found “Digger Dan’s” place. We knew about him through Katie and Webb, and Bill has been wanting to go there for awhile.

When we first looked at the display in the yard I was un-impressed. But, as with much art, you have to look for awhile, and let your eyes and your mind settle around what you are seeing. There was just so much there! And, although Dan was not home, his lovely wife was, and I was enormously impressed with her gracious hospitality. This was Memorial Day weekend, and we were intruders in her lovely yard and garden. Yet she was welcoming and friendly, and made us feel welcome.

After a half hour or so of the four of us walking around and looking at things, Bill and I both noticed a couple of large iron birds. They were, all of a sudden, totally different from all of the other pieces, and exactly what we wanted. We asked a price for one, and then asked if we could buy two at that price. She wasn’t sure if he would be willing to part with both. We gave her the price of one, and a card with our name and phone, etc. saying that we’d make contact the next week to finalize and pick up one (or two) birds. Since Bill loved one of them, and I loved another, it was important to have them both.

Two days later, Bill went back and was able to buy and pick up both birds. They look great in our front yard, even if they are hard to photograph with enough contrast to show them off. You’ll have to come over some time to see them.

Mid May, and All is Well

2010-05-15T21:48:00.001-05:00

Haven’t had much time to post to the blog lately, but the garden is marching on. Being preoccupied with other things, and unable to do much heavy lifting, this spring I’ve depended on the garden to do its own thing and it has stood up to the task. One problem has been that the early spring encouraged things to grow faster than they perhaps should have, so some things were set back by the frost last week. A couple of hostas lost most of their emerged leaves, as did the ginkgo tree. Even some of the most timid of the native plants got stopped in their tracks. Most of the shoots of the Joe-Pye Weed got fried/frozen. I expect the plants will make new growth, but they will be set back.

Had to take in the plants that were out on the deck and on the front porch for a couple of days, and it is still pretty cold at night for them. After all of the effort to keep them alive over the winter it is a shame to let them go due to a couple of cold nights. But what a hassle to bring the in and put them out every day.

But now we are looking at a ten day prediction of rising and above normal temperatures, and by the end of that span the normal will be quite warm. So I think it is fairly safe to begin acquiring new plants, and acclimating the old ones to the outside. Maybe even plant the deck planters this weekend or next week.

I have a bunch of wave petunias to put out to take the place of the spring annuals. And I’ve been finding some interesting annuals to put in the deck planters. Lee and Lin gave us a beautiful Mandaville plant from Florida, and I think it will be safe to leave outside soon. It needs a bigger pot for sure, and something to climb on. Planted the Cannas last week, but nothing has emerged yet.

The Shooting Star is in full bloom and so is the Prairie Smoke. The Ajuga beneath the Willow has really taken hold, and is gorgeous in the spring. The Pagoda Dogwood on the South side of the house is getting more and more robust and beautiful. It will bloom soon, as will the dogwood bushes along the creek. The Pagoda is becoming one of my very favorites. It is a bit too close to the house, for sure. But it is beautiful in every season, and not at all difficult to take care of. What a wonderful plant.

Shooting Stars, Warm Weather, Invasions

2010-04-29T19:22:00.001-05:00

It is still hard to do much of anything in the garden, because I’m tired a lot, and I can’t lift more than 10 pounds at a time. So I have to ask Bill to do the heavy work, and he’s already pretty busy preparing and painting the house, foot by foot.

But the yard has a lot going for it, and as long as I can keep things from getting away from me it will continue to reveal its beauty.

Today, the fish are showing themselves in the shallow parts of the pond – the Great Blue Heron of last fall finally has escaped their memory it seems. The Water Lily leaves have broken the surface of the water finally, and it won’t be long now til they cover a significant portion of it.

The Shooting Star plant has made one bloom, and will soon make more. Seems late, considering how far ahead most things are. But the native plants tend to be more careful than other things for sure, emerging later and not being as responsive to the oddities of the particular year. The Pasque flowers are pretty much right on schedule. It’s hard for me to be so disciplined. I’ve moved several plants outside, perhaps earlier than usual. Have to keep an eye on them, but I hope it will be OK.

Today we planted Cannas, earlier than usual, but in fact a week or so later than last year. I still have quite a few in the basement, and will have to find a place for them soon or they will be wasted. My favorite tulips are the Darwin varieties. The yellow ones that I planted in the first year or so in this yard have spread and I’ve moved them around, til there are great clumps in several places. Very beautiful for a week or two in spring.

The big event of today was finding a clump of garlic mustard along the creek. They were blooming, but not yet seeding. This is an invader that I really don’t want to gain a foothold for sure. So we spent some time this morning pulling up the plants, making sure to get every one, and putting them into a black plastic bag in which we can bake them in the sun and then toss them out. Keeping the creekside free of loosestrife, garlic mustard, buckthorn, and other invasive plants is a constant challenge.

Spring Marches on Quickly

2010-04-20T21:02:00.001-05:00

Since the challenge of keeping something in bloom once the Winter Aconite started, there has been little challenge. It has been such a warm gentle spring that things are just jumping up and into full bloom, sometimes faster than I can keep up with them. Was away for a week last week, and the change in the yard was unbelievable. The crocuses have bloomed and are done. Daffodils are fully out now, some even past prime. Tulips, Hyacinth, Squills, Grape hyacinth, all emerging.

The Bloodroot came up, bloomed, and is done, pretty much all while I was in the hospital. There is a single Trilium coming up next to the clump. And Forget-me-nots are blooming there too, though I never planted them. The Marsh Marigold has a single blossum, at least it comes up each year. Forsythia is pretty much done, though it may have lasted longer if we didn’t have the 5 inch snow a week and a half ago. Many Pulmanaria around the yard are blooming, as are the Pasque flowers. Prairie Smoke is beginning, and so are the Darwin Tulips in the first berm. Snowdrops have come and gone. Shooting star is just getting ready to burst forth. And I think the Japanese Lilac will be next.

We had fresh asparagus from the garden for dinner tonight. Not a lot, but enough to whet our appetites for more. Also fresh chives for the baked potato, and a little mint just to smell nice. And the frogs are singing in either our pond or the neighbors each night. Hope we get tadpoles again this year.

It is surely good to be home. Going to be difficult to keep up with all the changes in the next few weeks, but most things can make it on their own. I poke around doing tiny jobs, and ask Bill to do the big things. He’s also painting the house this spring, so he’s busy for sure. Not sure when the garden will be plowed, but we are really still at least a month out from major planting time. I should be able to do more by then, I hope.

Spring Work Resumes

2010-03-15T21:58:00.001-05:00

Oh Boy! We worked pretty hard the last couple of days transitioning the yard from Winter to Spring. Many of the things that had been bent and broken by the first snowstorm back in early December were just so obtrusive now that the snow cover had receded. And it was a dramatic melt for sure. A week ago it was Winter, and snow still covered most of the yard. Yesterday and today it has seemed like mid summer. And the snow is almost totally gone from everywhere except the front porch, where the piles left from shoveling are protected by the shade of the house.

Yesterday and today we worked a few hours each day to begin the cleaning up process. I cut or pulled the dead old stalks and shoots of perennials around the mailbox, around the pond, around the gazebo, and in the Evergreen garden. Bill spent the days cutting down about 20 or 25 Green Ash saplings, which could have become nice trees but which we feared would become just more that we'd have to pay to cut down once the Emerald Ash Borer made its way into Outagamie County. As it is, There are still 15 or 20 that are too large for us to cut down ourselves, and some day they will cost us a pretty penny.

We have a pile of stuff that needs to be burned soon, but have to go get a permit first, and also let the warm air dry things out a little bit more. And then wait for a calm day of course. We put most everything that we can in the compost, and put out the woody brush to be shredded. but there is still this stuff in between. Some of the neighbors have trailers and cart theirs away every couple of weeks. I don't really like to burn, but what else?

The pond is now completely ice free, and fish are beginning to be visible. We took out the aerator and the heater, and cleaned up around enough to start up the pump. It took a little cleaning and a little pushing of water through with the hose, but it's working now, and should be able to keep an open area unless the temps fall below 20 for more than a few days. The water isn't as clear as I wish it would be, and the fish are hard to spot. But I've seen at least 6 or 7 at a time, and I'll find a way to clear the water soon, I hope.

In the last couple of days we've seen Robins, Bohemian Waxwings, red-breasted Nuthatches, heard Sandhill Cranes overhead, and of course, the usual Chickadees, various Finches, Mourning Doves, etc. The Juncos are still around, but I imagine they'll leave any day now. There have been many ducks in the creek over the last week or so, and small groups flying overhead. And the Cardinals are certainly sizing each other up and claiming territory. I'm still waiting for the first song of the Red-Winged Blackbird - the true sign of spring.

Oh, and the first flower of the season has bloomed - the Winter Aconite. I looked for it yesterday and found nothing. But today, there were two new emergences, each with a simple yellow flower. More will come over the next week or two. This bloom is about 9 days earlier than last year, and it signals the beginning of the challenge I have each year to keep something in bloom from the first bloom in spring until at least the end of October.

Ducks, Hawks, and new Sprouts

2010-03-03T18:54:00.001-06:00

The snow is receding from any thermal retentive surfaces, and the sun is stronger and stronger. There is an almost 3 foot wide open space along the south side of the house for Kate to explore, and it expands outward in a few places under trees. She is in heaven, but she is sharing the space with another cat, a visitor who appears to be well cared for but who has been around for several days. We see tracks all around the neighborhood that are clearly cat tracks, and we have seen the butterscotch tabby itself almost every evening for awhile. It runs when we open the door, so we haven't been able to check for a collar or an ID tag. Hope it finds its way home soon.

Today was the first day I actually found things growing outside, Though I'd not be surprised if I've missed a few things lately. Because of my surgery, I haven't felt safe walking around out in the snow, so I haven't gotten out to the far reaches of the yard. But near the deck today I found the first allium sprout, a couple of mushrooms, and the first growth of the hardy amaryllis.

We've been seeing ducks in the creek, at least two males and one female, maybe more (I find it hard to recognize ducks as individuals...) The Cardinals and Chickadees still dominate the bird feeders. My neighbors said there was a flock of robins in one of our trees two weeks ago. I didn't see them, so I can't count them. Waiting for my first of the spring. Should be any day now I think.

Signs of Spring are Adding Up

2010-02-22T16:27:00.001-06:00

The sun is stronger, usually melting any light snow in a few hours. And the days are surely longer. The light is brighter, even when it is cloudy. The birdsong is sprightlier, the “cheer” of the Cardinals is beginning to predominate. I swear there are buds beginning to swell on some trees. The roads are clear by mid-morning, even without the plows coming through.

I’ll bet, if I could get over to the place, that I’d find a few alliums beginning to poke through the soil beneath the snow. And, because the snow has melted along a strip in the South and East sides of the house, Kate is finding her way around the southeast corner of the house and all the way to the other end of the east side. Her world has expanded. We saw her gazing longingly at the creek today, though the snow is still keeping her from attempting to get there.

My orchids are all putting forth flower stalks, and even the 20 year old hoya that has never bloomed is setting buds. (that last could be related to my having moved it into a bright south window after years of keeping it against a wall on the other side of the room.)

It’s time to start propagating the geranium cuttings hanging in the basement, and soon to take out the cannas and assess their winter survival.

Snow Again

2010-02-11T10:44:00.001-06:00

Just got another 5 or six inches of snow, to cover the dirty piles that had been melting for several weeks. Looks beautiful again outside. It is mid-February, though, and it would be nice to start seeing things move toward spring. The days are getting longer for sure, it was still light at 5:30 last night. And the stronger sun clears the deck in short order.

The aerator and small heater are easily keeping up with the cold and snow, maintaining a patch of open water that should allow the fish to survive the winter outside. Will be interesting to see if they regain their boldness that they lost after the encounter with the heron last fall.

This post was made as a demonstration for the Torch Club meeting tonight.

Thought this was supposed to be an "El Niño" Winter

2009-12-25T12:26:00.001-06:00

Catchup post (preparing for a New Year's Resolution to start blogging again..):

Maybe I just jumped to the conclusion that warmer temps would mean less snow. But, so far that is not the case. There was no snow at all until after Thanksgiving. But then, on December 9th we got hit with about 15 inches of wet, heavy stuff. It weighted down the white cedars and covered everything with a white blanket. branches bowed down on nearly every tree, the pond aerator had a hard time keeping a spot open, and we had to turn on the small heater. It was beautiful at first for sure. The Pagoda Dogwood is particularly nice with its structure outline by the contrast between branches and the snow.

The thick blanket may well keep the frost shallow this year, especially if we don't get a total melt down before really cold weather.

And, looking now at the NOAA site about El Niño predictions, I find that around here for the next month or so we have "equal chances" of above and below normal temps and precipitation. So far this year we've certainly had a mix of warm, cold, dry, wet. What might come next?

Today, on Christmas, it is raining and 37 degrees in Green Bay where I'm staying with my Dad. Supposed to get cold tonight, and the rain will likely change to snow before its all over.

Haven't been here for awhile....

2009-10-27T20:42:00.001-05:00

The blog, I mean. I've been home a fair amount, but not writing in the blog. And not really around the yard a whole lot. We've gone from summer to late fall so quickly, I don't know what happened. Oh Yeah, WLA happened. And a lot of very rainy, gray days. The last month has been almost entirely gray and wet and cold and dismal outside, which is not terrible since I've been confined to the inside for a variety of reasons. But today was glorious!

The sun came out, and lasted for the entire day, almost completely uninterrupted. I had to go to Rotary, and also to an event at FVTC in the late afternoon, but the morning and the mid-afternoon were wonderful. Managed to rake the worst areas of leaf-fall on the lawn after Rotary.

And also to take a few photos of the last remaining flowers. They could be considered pitiful, but I think of them as eternal optimists. Still blooming when all hope is done. My goal is always to have blooms from early April until late October. So I leave things that others might cut back, just to enjoy the last flowers. Hardly any of these are native Wisconsin plants. Those are smarter, and they have all set seed and died back by now. I leave most of them standing, because the birds love the seeds. The Juncos have arrived, and the yard is full of them and of Chickadees and Cardinals and all kinds of finches. Most of what you see here are introductions, but some of them are hardy, either as perennials, or as ambitious re-seeding annuals.

Not sure that I even recorded in the blog the Heron that took up residence in the neighborhood this fall. He (she?) terrorized the fish in our pond and our neighbor's for a couple of weeks. Hard to believe that a heron could even notice the tiny ponds we have, but we both lost fish (or parts of them.)

A Season of Change for sure

2009-10-05T18:59:00.001-05:00

It was only a week and a half ago that I thought (or behaved as though) summer might never end. But it is amazing how fast things can change. A couple of nights of frost and everything is different. It is time to get the porch and deck plants ready to come in for the winter. It was hard a couple of weeks ago to even think about the pruning back, cleaning up, digging out, and reluctant abandonment that is inevitable at this time of year.

The frost on the first night last week was light, and since we covered most important things up we didn't lose much. I was lulled into complacency, and even though we did cover most of the same things I didn't think we would lose the tomatoes, peppers, cannas, sweet potato vines etc. But, the next morning had different tidings. On the morning of Oct. 1st pretty much all of the tender plants in the back yard were frozen stiff, and as the day warmed up they drooped and wilted and blackened. Ah, well. It does have to happen.

Once the shock of the death is over, we can move on to the beautiful season that is fall around here. And, of course, to the preparation of the survivors to come in for the winter. I moved the hanging begonia on the front porch into the garage, and am now trying to figure out where to put it for the winter. I took several cuttings, and if they root quickly I'll let the old plant go. Before the first frost I dug up several geraniums, and will hang them in the coolest spot I can find inside. (How I envy people who have a real root cellar!)

I've been spraying hibiscus plants and bougainvilleas for a month or so, and hope to escape the whitefly infestation this year. Brought in one bougainvillea today for the atrium, not sure where to put the other. Also brought in the red hibiscus, but not sure where the yellow one o n a standard is going to spend the winter. It was way too intrusive last winter.

At the upper level, on the front porch, I spent an hour or so yesterday digging and potting the Rex Begonia plants that were there. I've had those for many years, and they would be way to expensive to replace. But they do come up easily, and seem to welcome their winter comfort inside the light gardens in the basement. They don't grow much there, but they almost all manage to come through the winter ready to welcome the spring. I consider them an investment. I fantasize that I could establish an ornamental plant business with the stock I have. Probably won't happen. But I've had the same Zebrina for more than 20 years, refreshed from cuttings each spring. And many other long lived plants are in this house.

Last weekend we also cut down the dogwood shrubs in the front of the house, and dug out all of the creeping juniper that was harboring hundreds of voles/moles/mice. The entire neighborhood is complaining about the number of small rodents we have. They are in every yard, and most of us are cleaning up the obvious places where they live. I even found two mice in a birdhouse that was 7 feet above ground in a tree.

There were a few late bloomers in the yard this weekend. Some that have been blooming all along, and the the clematis on the east wall that bloomed early in the summer, seemed to nearly die with the draught, then came back and is blooming again with the new moisture we've had in the last month.

Well, that's enough for today. Maybe it is better to write more often.

Rainy weather opportunists

2009-09-24T13:13:00.001-05:00

Give the yard just a little rain (about an inch in the last several days) and things that have been lying in wait through the dry summer come to life. The flying ants (not sure what they really are) that usually emerge in huge clouds in the middle of the summer were not around this year until now. And even now, there aren’t as many of them as usual. This is fine with me.

Also Fungi that I haven’t seen much of all year are coming up all over now. These I tend to like, or at least find interesting and beautiful. There is quite a variety in the yard. Here are photos of a few that I found on my morning walk around.

Turtlehead

2009-09-14T08:00:00.001-05:00

Can you see why they call it Turtlehead? I think this is Chelone obliqua or Red Turtlehead. Some places it is endangered, and I don’t think it is native in Wisconsin, though it is to states all around us. I bought my plant at a nursery.

So far it has grown very well in my garden, I’ve had it at least 5 years and it gets bigger and more dependable each year. I love the rosy color in the late summer.

Cardinal Flower

2009-09-11T13:14:00.001-05:00

This year I bought a young Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) in early spring, and just sunk the pot down into the pond in the shallow edges. It is the first time I’ve been successful growing them, and though the flowers are coming late, they are now beginning to emerge. I hope that I can overwinter it, and am in the process of trying to figure out the best approach to that.

The resident hummingbirds have found the red, tubular flowers, and they visit it regularly on their way through the garden.

Signature Plant

2009-09-11T13:01:00.001-05:00

I consider the Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum) to be the signature plant of this yard. I brought over a few corms in the freezer the winter we came here. The corms came from young plants I had grown from seeds given to me by our friend Tim the year before. I had little hope that they would thrive, but I underestimated them. I put a few in the ground here and there along the creek, a few next to the house. In the years to follow they have spread to almost every corner of the garden. Sun, shade, alone or in large clumps, they come up everywhere.

When I want them to be somewhere new, I just have to wait until the fruits turn red in the early fall and then put a bundle of seeds where I want plants the next year. It almost always works, and I have new “Jacks” the next spring. This year I have moved some from near the bench at creekside out to the hosta garden we started under the birch tree in back. Check back next spring to see if it works.

Harvest Bounty

2009-09-02T21:28:00.001-05:00

Potatoes and onions reached the end of their likely growth, and so, on a cold damp day last Saturday we harvested them. This is one of the things that we both really enjoy. The adventure of digging potatoes, and marveling at how many we find, is great fun for small work. Now, I suppose if we planted many more, and were really trying to grow enough to sustain us for the year, the work of digging them might become less of a party and more of a chore. But, we only manage to harvest about 30 or 40 pounds, and this is likely to last us until just after the holiday season. Then we will buy the rest that we need at the grocery store like most people do.

I sometimes wonder what we could manage to harvest from this yard if we had to use it to sustain ourselves. We could surely expand the growing space, and we could give up some of the ornamentals. I could learn to grow storable vegetables, winter squash, etc. We could can more perhaps, freeze less. But the things like potatoes and onions that require nothing more than cool, dry storage, seem to be the most efficient.

For Bea, my only regular reader

2009-08-31T20:44:00.001-05:00

So, the day after you left, the flower that I so much wanted to be blooming when you came burst forth in glory. I am amazed at how well this hardy hibiscus has done this year. I wonder if this will make me complacent, expecting it to make it through every winter, and then losing it one year unexpectedly. This is a plant that I have no historical knowledge of. I really didn't ever know about them until last year. This is the second year here, and it sure came back nicely this time with basically no protection or special treatment. So, here's hoping that it will be a regular late summer phenomenon.

Beautiful August

2009-08-24T16:45:00.001-05:00

The rains we've had have sure made a difference. Everything is just soaking it up and looking beautiful. Here is a shot of the deck planter and the coleus plant that was pretty puny when I put it out in June. I think I'll try to pull out some other "before" and "after" photos in the next couple of posts. I am always amazed at the change.

After the Rain, the Sun - Again

2009-08-13T21:06:00.001-05:00

Pretty amazing how much things take off once they get just a few inches of real rain. Even the lawn has come mostly back. But it has been hot and very dry since last weekend, and things are again showing signs of stress. We could really use more rain soon - maybe tonight?

But many things a beautiful. And many are productive. The tomatoes are finally ripening, there are more jalapeno peppers than I can keep up with. And the flowers are going crazy. Here's a photo gallery.

I can't get over how beautiful the Joe Pye Weed has been this year. It is still vibrant and luscious. And the Caster Oil Plant that was a lark in the spring is becoming beautiful - I love the contrast against the blue stained cedar siding.

I know that Dusty Miller is mundane and ordinary, but I can't help loving it. Such a nice mixture of structure and color contrast. for some reason, the Dahlia in the same container caught a terrible case of spider mites, and I had to cut it down and spray what was left with a little Malathion. But the Dusty Miller, a nice coleus, and a new plant I don't really know yet have filled the entire pot nicely.

Hot and Wet

2009-08-09T22:01:00.001-05:00

Finally, a summer weekend. Friday night we got lots of thunder and lightning, and 2.37 inches of rain! That is more rain than we've had since June 1st til now. And then Saturday another .37 inches. Wow. I'm being so precise because we have a new rain gauge that purports to measure to the nearest hundredth of an inch. OK. Thing is, we have definitely gotten enough rain for the next week. All around the yard plants are breathing a sigh of relief, and putting on another inch or two of growth. The Cannas suddenly realized it was time to bloom, and put forth flower stalks that have grown 6 or 7 inches in the last day.

I took the opportunity to dig up some Hostas that were languishing under the creek overgrowth and moved them out to the new bed beneath the Birch. Also dug some of the extra Gooseneck Loosetrife and moved it to a more prominent location along the path to the Willow. Hope that isn't a mistake. But they look really good there right now, and they are well behaved if checked back now and then with a little Round-Up.

Last week there was a bat in the deck umbrella when I opened it one day. I hoped that meant that bats had become inhabitants of this yard. Tonight, the first hot evening of the year, I sat out on the deck through dusk until dark, and was thrilled to see at least two, maybe more, bats flying through the yard.

The bare spots in the lawn look like they might recover with the new moisture. I cut the lawn today, not really because it was in great need, but because I know it will spring into growth this week after the rain and with warm weather. It's also a good time to pull w eeds, they mainly come out fairly easily. The resisters will get a dose of WeedBeGone once the threat of rain is gone, which will likely be after tonight.

The fish in the pond seem to be almost as excited by the warm wet weather as I am. I think they might be spawning. There is certainly a lot of chasing and jumping and hovering and interacting going on.

This is also the week when the Asiatic Lilies are in full bloom. The Casa Blanca's at the front walkway are spectacular as usual. And there are nice Stargazers around the yard also. Daisies are done, for the most part. Working on keeping the new Rhododendrons happy, so they survive the winter well. The grasses we divided this spring are doing very well. Been taking voice notes on my iPhone about things that need to be done this summer and fall as we prepare for Winter.

Blooming well now are the coneflowers, the Joe-Pye Weed still good, the Butterfly Weed hanging in, Swamp Milkweed still doing well, and I did see a new larvae of a Monarch today, Sunflowers are really coming on, and the Hydrangeas are beautiful. I'm disappointed about the performance of the Hydrangeas on the east side of the house - they don't seem to be blooming as well as I expected them to.

Another week with no rain (or very little...)

2009-07-28T20:51:00.001-05:00

We still have been missing all of the good rainstorms here. 10 miles south they got soaked the other day. And farther north the rain has been regular. But the Appleton Gap has persisted, perhaps even expanded. All of the big weather systems seem to split at about this latitude. And we are still very dry.

The creek is still running, and I do remember summers when it was dry by this time. It is difficult to know if this is unusual or if dry summers are the norm for these parts. Must consult the record, I guess. One thing I've noticed is that there really is a "microclimate" effect. Our yard has about a one or two week shorter growing season than the yard we had in the city. We are low here, and we get the first and the last frosts of the season. And there is not as much thermal mass (streets, sidewalks, roofs, etc.) to keep the heat on a close to frost night. It's better since we have more trees.

This week the daisies and blanket flowers are declinin g, the coneflowers are at their peak. The hydrangeas are coming into bloom, and the hardy Hibiscus is making nice looking buds -- I hope for something spectacular in another week or so. The Monarda are lovely, the Gooseneck Loosetrife is blooming. The Ligularia are beginning to bloom nicely. Dahlias all over are blooming. The Butterfly Weed is perfect as usual, and the Joe-Pye Weed as well. Cannas are gorgeous, though I have to water them daily and they haven't begun to flower. Annuals are coming into full bloom and giving the yard color.

We had the first couple of tomatoes from the garden last weekend, and we've had jalapeno peppers for a few weeks. Raspberries are coming in strong, we've had at least a pint a day and sometimes more for the last week or so. There is a nice looking zucchini out there, and the onions and leeks and potatoes are maturing. We pick broccoli once or twice a week. Summer is good. Even though we love to ride down to the farmer's market every Saturday, there isn't much we need to buy.

Desert Dry

2009-07-21T21:21:00.001-05:00

There has been no measurable rain here in over 7 weeks. It is very dry. The grass is totally brown, with a few specks of green here and there. Most of the rest of the perennials have dried up terribly. I water the vegetable garden, and some of the pots and gardens around the deck and front porch. But, most things are just going down. They will not likely die, or at least most of them won't. But it will not be a good year for any.

The Bufo americanus tadpoles are growing, some faster than others. They grow legs and emerge as young toads only a few at a time. I wonder if there is some sort of pheromone or hormone in the water that the mature ones exude to keep the others immature. In any case, they really emerged in the small rain we had this evening. I found them all over the leaves of the floating plants in the pond. They've been hiding in the crevices, and sometimes getting caught in a low moisture situation that is deadly to them. There are more than a few tadpole shapes dried up on leaves of the water lily. But tonight they are happy. That is nice.

Plants of the (dry) Week

2009-07-13T21:49:00.003-05:00

Just a few photos. I has been dry. Waiting for rain to release everything. The heat comes in the day, but it is still cold at night. What kind of summer is this?

It has been way too long...

2009-07-05T20:51:00.001-05:00

I've just not gotten around to writing in the blog in the last month or so. Here it is, July 5th, and I haven't updated since June 9th. The likely most explosive and changing month in the year, and I haven't written anything about what's happening. This has been the time when things have solidified, become relaxed, opened up into summer. The spring was tenuous this year, and we never really got to the point where things grew like they trusted that it would last. Then the heat came. Big heat. and no rain for a couple of weeks. It is now high summer, and we are almost in drought conditions. We need to water every day, and every two or three out in the vegetable garden to protect the investment in plants and to preserve the hope that we'll have fresh tomatoes in August.

This was the 4th of July weekend, and we had three days of both of us home to really work out the neglected parts that had been ignored as we prepared for the Torch Convention. I had ordered 8 cubic yards of bark mulch last week, and so there was that to disperse. And the watering, and the weeding, and the edging, and the creation of a completely new chipped area behind the apple trees.

The raspberries needed to be weeded, preparing for the harvest in the next couple of weeks. And the area around the pond needed weeding and tending, to make it pretty for the rest of the summer season. The lilac was totally overgrown, creating a problem for both Lee and me when we mowed the space between our yards. And there were spent spring blossoms everywhere, as well as yellowed tulip and daffodil foliage. Lots of sprouted tree seedlings, and other weeds everywhere. And it was time to do a major weeding in the vege garden and then lay down the straw mulch for summer. Had to water first, then weed, then remove the walking boards that kept me from tramping down the roto-tilled earth, then finally, spreading the straw. Again this year I believe I have been careful about not letting too many sunflowers grow, but time will tell.

The deck has finally been cleared of all of the nursery functions, and the only non-ornamental plant left there is a single remaining Christmas Amaryllis. The leaves keep living on, and I keep watering it. Soon I must stop, let them die, and hope for a beautiful show next Christmas when I start watering again in October. Most of the plants around the deck are doing OK, but progress is slow this year. A nice surprise jumped up in the last week or so, I planted them years ago, and never know where they will come, never can count on them, but there they are.

Another Major Cold Rain

2009-06-08T19:51:00.001-05:00

This year has just not really warmed up yet. And we have had two periods of dry weather, lasting too long, and then two periods of cold rain, excessive rain. Today is the third day of rainy weather, with temps failing to get out of the 50's. So far the gauge near the pond says 2 1/2 inches. Out at the compost, the older gauge says only 2 inches. either way, that's a good rain. The weeds are growing well, but so are all of the newly planted annuals. I finished planting everything late last week, so now it is all about hoping that it matures nicely.

The Cannas are coming slowly, but there are new shoots every couple of days. I think they will survive at least, and I hope they become dramatic as usual. This year I didn't plant them inside and get the growing before transplanting outside. It is scary, given that each plant of the beautiful orange striped variety I have cost about $20 if I had to replace them. Now, I only bought one. And now I must have 10 or 15 of them. But still, I would hate to go backwards. The ti ny shoots are poking up from the planter south of the deck, and from the bed below there are shoots of my older, larger, red flowered green leaved variety. We put the extra rhizomes in a couple of places around the yard, and if any of them survive I will be thrilled. But the ones around the deck I am counting upon.

There is one water lily flower that has been blooming for almost a week, and at least three more that I can see just below the surface. The tadpoles have slowed down, it is just too cold! Everything that was in full glory last Friday is now sort of drooping, because the rain has weighed it down. The Bridal Wreath will likely not come back to fu ll beauty 'til next spring. The alliums are all hanging down to the ground. The Iris's are blooming, but wet and hard to see.

But all in all, the rain is, as usual, good. We did need to get everything firmed into its place

Early June

2009-06-03T20:18:00.001-05:00

It is interesting that no matter what the weather has been like, warm, cool, dry, wet, certain plants just always arrive at the same place at the same time. Irises bloom in the first few days of June, maybe half a week variation. The Bridal Wreath Spirea always comes into full bloom in June. A little sign of blossoms opening in late May, but full glory on June 1st. There are so many things in glorious bloom now it is hard to spotlight anything. And I'm out in the garden so much I don't have much time to write in the blog. But that's OK.

This is the time of year when Bill's insistence on keeping the Columbine is hard to refute. I know that in a couple of weeks I will want to remove them, and I will cut them back to the ground. But this year they are quite lovely, and I must be sure that some survive. The alliums are in full bloom, but once the blooms start the leaves begin to yellow, and they are so large that they detract from the surroundings. I spent some time today cutting them back and leaving the flower stalks, which may mean that they don't do as well next year, but I can live with that.

The newly expanded pond is doing very well. The water lily has taken over almost the entire surface and the first bloom is at the surface and ready to open. The Bufo americanus (American toads) that mated earlier and laid eggs everywhere have disappeared, but here are thousands of tadpoles swimming purposefully here and there everywhere. Side plantings are doing well also, and I think it will be nice all year.

Mid May Flowers and Birds

2009-05-18T20:52:00.004-05:00

We've had a fantastic assortment of birds in the yard in the last few days. An Indigo Bunting came to the thistle feeders several times last Friday, though I have not seen him since. There are Oriole's, Hummingbirds, and two male and one female Rose Breasted Grosbeak. Plus the usual assortment of finches and Cardinals and Robins, etc. It is a colorful yard these days.

Flowers blooming also add to the color. Difficult to include them all. Tulips of course. Daffodils are fading, but some still going. The Serviceberry came and went in the last week. Apple Trees, despite our hard pruning, are pretty now. The Magnolia still going strong. The white Iris on the west border is spectacular. Lilacs coming in. Prairie smoke at its best. Wild Geraniums, May Apple, Jack-in-the-Pulpits everywhere. The Shooting Star is perfect now. And the Astilbe is putting up flower spikes - thankfully not fully up as of Saturday eve, when we had a light frost. Most of the tree flowers are done, but a few still going. Generally unspectacular, but important.

Just beginning to show themselves, but giving hope for a beautiful June and July, are the Butterfly Weed, the Asiatic and Oriental Lilies, the Liatris. Peonies that I thought might be dead are now, two weeks later, over a foot high. I'm happy to see the Heuchera finally relaxing, and some are even putting up flower stalks. And I'm thrilled that the Hibiscus plants that I bought and planted late last year are showing signs of some growth. They certainly seemed totally dead until about a week ago, and even now I can't fully trust that they will come back. But it is looking possible at this point - they each have a couple of small sprouts coming from the very bottom of the old dead stalk. I don't know this plant, so I don't know what to expect. We shall see.

Robins, Swallows, Tadpoles, Near Fullness...

2009-05-11T22:16:00.002-05:00

It never ceases to amaze me how fast things happen once the spring really comes in. We haven't had a night below freezing for a couple of weeks, and it doesn't look like we will for this season (knock on wood).

The toads singing in the pond joined together and produced an amazing number of eggs, which now are clumped up in the shallow end of the pond. I took a few into the house in a large vase, and those have matured faster, probably because of the higher temperatures inside. They are swimming around a little. Outside, the ones in the pond are still in rows, not yet emerged from their gelatinous casings. But I bet they will do better in the long run.

Bill was off on Monday, so we had a three day work week. We got a lot done. Friday I cut the lawn after a couple of hours of yard work. Saturday was cold and rainy, so we shopped some and found some Rhododendrons for the front garden. I had been to Fernau's on Friday, and already had broccoli and leeks and onions to plant whenever the garden was ready.

Sunday we worked very hard. In the front garden we divided the grasses, a huge job. Once all of them were replanted, smaller and ready to be vigorous, we put in the three Rhododendrons that we bought Saturday. That doesn't sound like much, but it took most of the day. We did find time to work on straightening up the stem of the corner Juniper in the evergreen garden. The view of it from the house has been distracting for some time, and I hope we can successfully straighten it up.

Monday, Bill revved up the roto-tiller, and to my amazement it started on the first pull (though Bill later told me he had been working on it and trying to start it for some time before I came to be the anchor weight for a full-out pull.) I don't know that it has ever started that well. I pruned bushes, tried to pull the dead stuff out from the Alpine Clematis on the gazebo, watered plants, took out dead branches from the Hydrangeas on the east side of the hou se. Once Bill was done with the tilling, I planted the broccoli, leeks and onions in the new garden. Bill brought out the outer hose, and we got it strung out under the yard t hrough the PVC tunnel out to the island. Then he brought out the screens and put most of them up, with a tiny bit of help here and there from me.

We won (bought) a very nice plant stand for the deck at the Rotary Shines event last Tuesday. I've got the cacti out on it right now, but I don't think they will be the final sum mer residents. It is very pretty, and I look forward to seeing it later on.

This week I brought the Rex Begonias up from the basement, and put them out on the front porch. The planters are ready, and I will put them in shortly, I think. All of the basement plants, except for a couple of begonias I'm keeping safe just in case, are up and out now. And most thinks are out of the kitchen and living room also.

Newly Blooming this week: Jack in the Pulpits, Rhododendrons, birch, willow, Tulips!, Prairie Smoke, Apples, Serviceberry, Choke Cherry, Lungwort, Trilliums, Violets, Potentillia, Grape hyacinth, Ninebark, Bleeding Heart, Forget-Me-Nots, Magnolia, Marsh Marigold, Primrose, geranium sanguineum, Bergenia cordifolia, ....

I'm so happy to find the Forget-me-nots, given to me a number of years ago by Marsha Dawson. They tend to grow where they want to grow, and not necessarily where I choose to plant them. These have migrated from the garden to the woods, but they are coming up each year somewhere. Never can count on them, but can't forget them either.

Sprouting newly this week: Liatris, Joe-Pye Weed, Japanese Maple, Hostas coming on big time, Butterfly Weed, Russian Sage, Dill weed seedlings, Cleome seedlings, Leaves of the ninebark, ash, and many other trees, Oh, pretty much everything is showing signs of life.

Things are speeding up, and now is the time I wish things would slow down so I could enjoy every minute of the changes. I do love the growing season.

Spring has Sprung

2009-05-03T20:47:00.005-05:00

Don't even know what to take pictures of this weekend. Everything is progressing so quickly. On Saturday we couldn't find any sprouting Jack in the Pulpits, and on Sunday they were everywhere. I swear the Ostrich Ferns grew 4 inches high overnight, and Maureen told me that was the photo to take. And the Liatris began to show its shoots that I could not find at all on Friday.

This weekend was a big one for yard work. Gotta do a few of those in the spring. On Saturday I dug up some of the overgrown Hostas along the front walk, divided them and replanted enough to be as full as before. With what was left, and that was about 1/3 of the plants, I planted the entire new bed beneath the Willow in the back yard. While I was doing that, Bill was digging out all of last year's compost, sifting it, and storing the resulting wonderful soil in a couple of containers. After he was done with that, I took the wheelbarrow and spread a couple of loads on the original berm garden. That hasn't had any amendment for several years, and can use the organic content from the compost. Only concern is that since we do "slow" composting there may be a lot of weed seeds just waiting to germinate. With luck, we will find a musk melon or a watermelon or a tomato. But there are many weeds in this yard that could be what comes from the compost.

After all the work of the compost and the transplanting the last activity of the day was to mow the lawn for the first time this year. Many places didn't really need it, but many did, and we had to keep things even. Bill started, but I stopped him and asked him to do the raking and pickup of the willow branches while I finished the mowing. Took about an hour and a little bit more, but it did look good when I was through. Then just a few little tasks, watering in the new Yews on the west side, and the May Apple and the Russell Lupines I planted.

Bed was good Saturday night. We were both very tired. After a good video sleep came. On Sunday we rode our bikes up to Shopko to pick up some prescriptions, and then got home for the day. We brought out each large willow stem that we had piled up along the creek and hauled it out to the roadside to be picked up this week. I don't know why we did that pile, but it has seemed to encourage rabbits and probably other critters who wreak havoc on the gardens. Now it is gone.

Bill roamed the woods to find rocks that would be more useful in other garden places - he found three pretty big ones to embellish the new garden in front that I consider his to design. He also scraped out the chips that we used to fill in the space behind his most recent wall, and we found dirt and soil to fill in with a few chips on top. This is in order to be able to plant something there for next spring - the front isn't very attractive and needs Spring interest for sure.

Maureen came over to get some plants for her garden, and we found Purple Coneflowers, a Compass Plant, a German Statis plant, some Sedum that I can't identify, and a couple of Shasta Daisies. I look forward to hearing how they grow.

I did a little pruning of the Clematis plants that are growing up the gazebo, and tested the pond for pH levels. Did spot the two remaining goldfish that I had over-wintered, and also some of the little ones that Lee and Lin gave me last week. But the pond is cloudy, and I'm not sure why. Maybe the pH is wrong, maybe something else.

Emerging this week: Hostas, Liatris, Jack in the Pulpit, the Spring Beauties, Marsh Marigold, Pulminaria, Bleeding Hearts grew up to 7 inches high and will bloom next week.

Moved the Hibiscus plants out to the porch, but cover it with burlap over cold nights and sunny days. Moved the geraniums from the basement to the greenhouse, and continue to keep the cannas watered there. I did check the cannas that I planted several weeks ago in the deck planter. I was worried that no sprouts had emerged yet, and feared that the cold weather had made them rot under the ground. But when I carefully dug down, I found some nicely growing shoots and quickly buried them again.

There is so much more going on that I find it difficult to write about everything. Hard for me to understand why people leave Wisconsin at this time of year. January maybe, but definitely not April.

Spring Stars

2009-04-30T20:52:00.001-05:00

The yard is really blooming now. I keep trying to stay ahead of things, but once the spring really takes hold things just move faster than I can keep up with. In the last few days I pruned the apple trees of the last few sucker branches, bought two new Yews and planted them along the west side of the house, moved the Lilies of the Valley that the Yews displaced out to the creek, planted 12 potatoes in the vegetable garden, fertilized a bunch of stuff, put blood meal on the lilies that something is eating every night, moved a catnip clump from the garden up near the house so Kate and Cleo can find it, cut back a bit more dead foliage, purchased leeks and broccoli starter plants, moved a bunch of plants from the basement up to the deck and the greenhouse. I'm sure there is more, but I can't remember.

The stars of this week are the Darwin Tulips, the Trout Lilies, the one single Primrose that has been blooming for at least 8 or 9 years under the Willow at the beginning of the walkway to the creek. Also the Pasque flowers that have planted themselves in unexpected places, and the beautiful Daffodils. I'm also pleased at the progress of the Ligularia that we moved from the area around the old pond out to the first berm. It is coming up beautifully. Very early spring seems to be a wonderful time to transplant perennials if you can be sure of where they are.

Well that was then...

2009-04-25T20:35:00.001-05:00

The rains have come. It is green. Still cold -- except for yesterday when it was 84 degrees for a couple of hours. Back down to 50 today, and likely going to stay there for at least a couple of days. But the yard is greening up beautifully, and it has been perfect weather to dig, divide and replant perennials. This is the time to do that. Rarely have the time, but this year I'm "retired" and have all the time in the world. Or at least all the time I'm willing to spend. Now that the pond has been re-established, and we've gotten the area around it back to growing condition, I have time to look other places. I dug, divided, and moved the one remaining original clump of Karl Forster grass a couple of days ago. One clump became five. Could take over the yard, I suppose.

The green has really taken hold now. The lawns all around the neighborhood are solid and bright. The only things flowering are the spring bulbs and wildflowers, and you have to look hard or have planted well to find things. But Forsythia, Daffodils, Darwin tulips, the Bloodroot, some tree flowers have taken the place of the early pioneers as stars. Emerging in the next week will likely be the Pasque flowers, other species tulips and probably some of the hybrids, the Choke Cherry tree that planted itself, maybe the Serviceberry.

I've put the Canna roots out into the greenhouse. And also the German Ivy that has been in the kitchen windowsill all winter, but which has developed an un-curable infestation of some sort of bug. I'm hoping the Ivy can survive the cold, but he bugs can't. Hope I'm right. (Though I did take a few cuttings just in case I'm wrong.) The Elephant Ears are out there too. A big cold blast could be a disaster, but I hope it won't happen.

The fish are well and happy in the pond now, though two of them have not survived. I bought new basket planters for the water lilies and will try to do some further division of them soon. Our neighbor's pond was alive with Spring Peeper frogs last night, and I am really jealous. We've never had frogs evident in our pond, and there were many singing last night next door. I hope the enlargement and overwintering changes will help us there.

Oh, and this was the week of the "Red Death" display on the roads of the flower bud scales of the maple trees. Always a mark of Spring for me.

Driest April in Many Years

2009-04-16T13:27:00.002-05:00

We have not had measurable precipitation yet this month. I hope that isn't a sign of a long dry summer. Things are not progressing very quickly, though there is some change from day to day.
I was able find the Bloodroot sprouts yesterday, and today there are twice as many. They really blend in to the dirt and litter around them until the leaves unfurl, which has not yet happened. Today I also saw some Trout Lilies beginning to poke out. Crocuses are almost done, but here and there late ones that I don't recall planting are bursting out. One Daffodil clump is beginning to bloom, and others will likely be out within the next week. The Snowdrops and Aconite are almost done also, but there are Darwin Tulips to take their places. I planted some Pansies the other day to be sure there are no gaps in the flowering.
This year instead of planting the Cannas inside I just took them out of their winter storage and added a little water. This week I planted some of the ones that looked the strongest out in the deck planter box. It would be too early to put them out if the leaves had emerged, but they are underground and can survive a light frost I hope. Lynn next door has done it that way for many years. I kept some inside just in case my method fails.

Middle of April and All is Well

2009-04-13T21:57:00.001-05:00

The second weekend of Pond work went pretty well. Bill refined the clay walls of the pond interior, and since we hadn't had any rain since we began the project it was hard digging, but very stable. He worked hard to make the perimeter as level as possible. Then in late morning, too early for lunch, but after a lot of work had already been done, we started to fit the lining material into the hole so as to do as best we could to protect the final liner from punctures and intrusions of roots, etc.

Once that was done, we unfurled the new black plastic liner, and brought it over to the hole. The idea is to ease it in, not disturbing the underlayment, with enough to leave at least 8 inches or so overlapping the top edge. Then begin to flow in the water and try to keep the folds as flat an smooth as possible as the water fills in. We tried to keep the bottom as flat and smooth as possible, since it will be stepped upon every time we have to clean out the pond. Any wrinkles or folds could be weak spots if walked upon.

As the cold water filled the hole, the plastic which had become warm and pliable in the sun stiffened up, and the weight of the water held it tight to the sides of the hole. The fuller the pond became, the more difficult it was to change the positioning of the liner. It was pretty critical to have it in the right place from the start. And we also wanted to waste as little as possible, so we started with it aligned as close to the edge in one corner as possible so that most of the eventual excess was on the opposite corner.

It actually worked pretty well, and once the water had filled to within a few inches of the top we stopped for lunch. Then back out to begin putting rocks on the edges, 'artistically' - or at least in such as way as to be able to conceal the plastic as well as possible. As that came nearer to completion, we added more water to bring the edges up all around, and discovered that we weren't as level as we hoped. One side was at least an inch or so above the other, and the plastic would be quite visible there unless we moved the rocks and dug out some of the soil beneath the liner at the edge.

Next test was to build the waterfall, using two flat stones, another piece of plastic liner and Bill's incredible intuitive understanding of water and gravity to place rocks in the correct places to direct the flow between the flat stones. Make sure the back of the upper basin was enough higher than the waterfall to make a nice birdbath, then all it will take is to add enough stones to try to make it look 'natural'.

Along the way the water lily had to be put into the bottom, requiring that Bill stand in the water for over a minute. That was a long time in water that was below 40 degrees. His legs were painful after no more than a minute, and we had to do the placement in three or four stages.

By early afternoon, we had gotten the pump in, and t he hose up to the upper level. A few adjustments were required, but it seemed to be able to hold water and make a nice fall down into the main pond. The fine tuning will take place next weekend, and I'll spend this week trying to get most of the stones and rocks at least close to where they will end up.

We were beat. But the garden was full of the cut stems and leaves of all of the perennials that I had been pruning for the last two or three weeks. We had gotten a burning permit, and it was a perfect day for a small fire that would allow us to dispose of all of that material. Bill dug a 6 inch deep hole in the garden, about 6 feet across or so, and we started burning. It is very dry now, there are actually burning bans in the nearby counties. We made sure to have the hose out near the fire, and we even wet down the grasses in the neighbors field 10 feet away or so, just in case a spark was able to escape. The burn went well, and within an hour and a half or so everything was gone. Good thing too, because the neighbors had invited a bunch of small children over for an Easter Egg Hunt in their yard.

Next morning, Bill went out and decided to spread the ashes out around the garden. After a few shovelfuls, he realized that the embers were still glowing and hot. The fire was still smoldering after more than 12 hours. Amazing.

Still Waiting, but Working Hard

2009-04-08T21:40:00.001-05:00

The last tiny spot of winter snow has finally melted. We may get more snow, but I swear we will not shovel it, and we will not make piles that take longer to melt than the surrounding area. I think that when the spring finally really comes it will come with a bang, and things will spring to life quickly and there will suddenly be way too much work to do. I have to figure out a way to do gardening work and clean up quickly for some meeting or another, and come back and do more gardening work. I think that people will have to accept my dirty fingernails (or I will have to be willing to not care.) And my gardening clothes will have to be easy to change in and out of. Spring work is the dirtiest, it will be easier in Summer. But, as I said in a post a few weeks ago, now is the time for time to slow down. I want to relish every moment at this time of year and not pine for the next phase.

Bill has been tweaking the edge of the new hole that will become the pond. It is close to level now. I hope that this weekend we will be able to at least fill it with water and bring out the fish and move the water lily from it's tub to it's new home. The fish are really ready. They should have been out a month ago. Maybe next winter we can leave the outside all winter, and they will be happy to be swimming in unfrozen water at this time a year from now.

The water lily is suffering in the tub we bought for it. The first night outside the water froze, at least the top inch or so. I didn't realize that would happen so quickly. The rest of this week I've been covering the box and laying on some insulation and the water has remained liquid. But I noticed that the parrot weed stems that had survived the entire winter were now dead. And the water has an unpleasant smell to it. I hope that we are able to keep that plant alive for another few days and that it recovers once installed in the bottom of the new pond. I've been looking at websites giving information about dividing and planting lilies. May have to go out and buy a few laundry baskets to serve as pots, and break down and divide the huge rhizomes. Hope it goes OK. Lots of variables going on here.

Sprouts of many perennials beginning to show. Some of the wildflowers are showing barely. A day of warm rain would bring things out amazingly, but it is dry for at least another 4 or 5 days.

Whew! A Weekend of Work

2009-04-05T20:16:00.002-05:00

I thought somehow that after retirement there wouldn't be these long days of work on the weekends. I planned to do gardening an hour or two a day instead of 6 or 7 or 8 hours a day on Saturdays and Sundays. But - the world slows down on weekends and the volume of emails demanding attention is much lower. And, Bill is home on weekends. He does the heavy work that I can't do, but asking him to do it requires that I participate - as project designer, consultant, gopher (go-fer), and that I basically keep working on something, whatever, for as long as I ask him to be out there.

Saturday was a gorgeous day. And we needed to get started on the new pond so that we could get the fish outside soon and so that we could have it done before stuff gets growing too fast. Digging a pond is spring work.

We started really on Friday evening, doing the weekend shopping and gathering supplies so that time wouldn't be wasted. Sat. am we started work around 8:30 or so, after reading the paper. The last rocks that I wasn't able to move were easy work for Bill that early in the game. As he did that, I dug up the plants that were too close to the edge to be saved, and the ones that might be in the way, making digging difficult. Some of them can take a week or so out of the ground if I take care of them in the greenhouse. Some really needed to be replanted elsewhere immediately. The clump of crocus, and the one of daffodils, needed immediate replanting. I also found homes for a divided clump of Stella d'Oro daylilies and a hosta that I think will likely do much better as three plants in a better location. I neglect division and relocation too much - and it is really the right time for that now.

Then we drained the pond and found the totally overgrown water lily at the bottom already sprouting new growth. We hauled it up in one huge piece and found a large enough plastic tub to submerge it in for awhile - it will not survive without being underwater. This week I need to research how to divide water lilies, I've never done that before.

Then we pulled out the plastic liner, and the under-layment and laid them out to dry. Some portions of these materials may be re-usable, though it was amazing how many roots had grown through the under-lining. Bill's work then was underway. While I looked around and found places to plant some of the rescued perennials, he dug the new pond. And then he tried to explain to me why having a level shoreline was so important - I am a difficult study when the subject is topography combined with physics, combined with the aesthetics of not seeing too much black plastic in the finished pond.

Some time in the middle to the work I noticed that the Juniper in the middle of the evergreen garden was buzzing with activity. A closer look revealed a flock of maybe 20 Cedar Waxwings devouring the ripe, overwintered juniper berries. They spend an hour or two then moved on.

We ran out of steam by about 2:30. But then noticed that the plastic tub holding the waterlily was leaking. A trip to Fleet/Farm to purchase a new tub was required. We intend to protect this one and not use it for holding dirt and being hauled around abusively. It only took a half hour or so to move the overgrown plant to its new home and fill the tub with water.

After all that, we dragged ourselves inside for a shower, a little dinner and relaxation and then dressing for the Fox Valley Symphony. It was wonderful, and sitting for two hours was just what the doctor ordered.

Sunday morning was different. We were expecting up to 4 inches of spring snow, and the weather website was still saying it would come. But it didn't. After reading the paper, and, I think, deciding that we didn't want to work any more on that blasted hole this weekend, I decided to go out and start moving all of the piles of cut bush that I had created last week over to the garden where it will eventually be burned. Bill came out and started snipping the water shoots off of the apple trees, but I stopped him and asked him to help me decide how to handle that this year. Should we just do a "buzz job", or should we do major surgery again? We decided on major surgery, and really cut them back. Very drastic, and it created a large pile of brush for the first pickup of the spring. I imagine that we will be cursed by the guys that have to pick up and shred that load. But the trees will be easier to deal with this year. And we may decide to cut them down entirely either this year or within a couple. Next time we'll plant dwarf fruit trees.

Seemed like a lot of work on Sunday too, though we were in by 1:00 or so for lunch and spent the rest of the day reading the papers and doing the laundry, etc.

Nice Weekend!

Cleanup Time

2009-04-02T19:08:00.001-05:00

Today I really began the cleanup that will need to be done before the yard can come out of its winter doldrums. Cut back old stalks of coneflowers, yarrow, sedum, clematis, and more. Created lots of piles of stuff around the yard that we'll have to move to the garden for burning in the next couple of weeks. I wish it would be easier to let it degrade. I suppose it would be possible if we had a huge chipper/shredder of some sort. But we don't, and I hate to remove it from the property entirely. So we burn it on the garden and then dig in the ashes when we roto-till in a month or so.

Tonight when I went out to see the results of the work, I noticed a very large bird in the trees along the creek. As I looked closer, I realized it was a Great Horned Owl. As I watched, one crow after another arrived and they began to harass the Owl unmercifully. there were at least 8 or 9 of them and the noise they were making was unbelievable. Once in awhile one of them would dive down onto the Owl, seemingly trying to topple it from the branch it was sitting on. Once or twice the Owl took flight and landed on another branch nearby. The Crows were unrelenting. After about 10 minutes they finally drove the Owl away, to my regret. I would much rather have an Owl in the yard than 9 Crows, even if the Owl is more dangerous to Kate when she is out.

Flowers and Rain

2009-03-24T20:50:00.001-05:00

We have been having a lot of rain today. Over an inch that I measured between 9 am and about 3:30 pm. And the yard is flooding with overflow from the creek and inability to absorb. Today the roof leaked, the sump pump was overworked, and the creek overflowed its banks significantly. And the flowers began to bloom...

The Colors are Coming Back

2009-03-23T12:36:00.007-05:00

It's amazing how red the Dogwoods are getting, and today was the first time I noticed how bright yellow the willows are becoming. There is a cold rain today, but with a couple of warmer days the green will return to the lawn I'm hoping.

The ice is completely gone from the pond, and I will begin to move the rocks and stones soon so we can dig a larger hole. Once they are gone, I can start looking for sprouts of plants around the old perimeter, and moving them to safe locations. Already up around the yard are lots of tulips, many of the daylilies are sprouting, a couple of dafodil clumps are visible, the Aliums are all up a couple of inches, many crocuses. The Pyrethrum plant under the hose reel is sprouting, and the first Winter Aconite flower is yellow and starting to emerge.

A Week of Change

2009-03-22T19:54:00.001-05:00

It was over 50 degrees and sunny on Friday, two inches of snow fell on Saturday morning, then the temps came up again, and all the snow was gone before we were home from serving breakfast to over 400 people at Maple Syrup Saturday for Bubolz Preserve. We put up the greenhouse on the deck, brought down the table and chairs, moved the planters back to where they belong for the summer, and were totally exhausted by about 4:30. But then it was still nice enough and warm enough to sit out on the deck for a glass of wine and a relaxing look at the evening. The grass is still very unstable, and I hope we didn't do too much damage to it as we walked and pushed the wheelbarrow over it.

Over the last week I took photos each day of the progress of the melt. It is pretty dramatic. Though I do have to learn about staging a photo the same way repeatedly.

And the Melt Goes On....

2009-03-17T20:29:00.001-05:00

This is the end of the winter. Whether it snows again or not, the zeitgeist has turned to Spring. It was really windy the other day, and when I went out to check the creek today this is what I found: The holiday tree from the porch was tipped over in the floodplain. I was able to pull it up again, but the footing underneath is uneven this time of year. Hope it lasts.

Now is the Time for Things to Slow Down

2009-03-15T19:34:00.001-05:00

It is really spring now. Despite temperatures below zero on Tuesday morning last week, the end of winter is nigh. Robins are everywhere. I heard Red Wing Blackbirds from the deck today, and saw and heard Sandhill Cranes overhead. The Cardinals are Cheery. And the snow is receding. Even Kate ventured out beyond the vegetable garden this morning.

Ironically, even though I've been hoping that time would pass quickly, and basically killing time, now I fear that I'm behind on lots of things. I think we have to set up the greenhouse next weekend, though I'm not sure it will be warm enough to put things out yet. I did cut back the geraniums in the light gardens downstairs, so they could put out new, fuller growth. Still haven't gotten the cannas out, but maybe this week. Re-potted a bunch of orchids today, after going to the North East Wisconsin Orchid Society show in Neenah. We bought one new plant, a paphiopedilum, which I have never grown before. We shall see.

We did hang out the new wind chime that I received as a gift at my retirement party in January. It has beautiful deep tone, an octave lower than the one that hangs in the gazebo in back. I didn't want them to be competing with eachother, so we put this one in front, along the garage, outside the front door. It looks comfortable there.

I'm marking the progress of the melt with photos. It is a nice, slow, civilized melt, nothing to set the creek outside of its banks. That is good. Below is the Sunday picture, I intend to add one each day this week around the same late afternoon time, to see how fast it really does go.

40 Degrees and Rain

2009-03-10T14:22:00.003-05:00

Yesterday sunny and "warm", today still 40 degrees and rain instead of the "wintry mix" that was predicted. Now we can only hope that the predictions of very cold weather tomorrow are wrong also.

The birds are going wild in the yard. And I saw two Robins this afternoon! I think I might even have heard an Oriole, but I couldn't spot it, so I may be wrong. I think I'll put out some grape jelly just in case. A flock of hundreds of starlings just flew in and landed in the treetops.

Yet Another Snow

2009-03-09T20:43:00.004-05:00

It snowed another 6 or 7 inches yesterday. Some winter wonderland views I can go another year without seeing again. It does melt between, the sun is strong. Another "wintry mix" is expected tonight. I am tired of it.

But the birds know that Spring is very close. I'm hearing Cardinals singing "What Cheer!" and proclaiming "Cheer! Cheer! Cheer!" from the treetops. The neighborhood is filled with them declaring their territory. Most of the winter we've had several males, and a couple of females around our feeders. Now everyone seems to be spreading out and claiming their own space.

The flock of mixed finches is still around, and the Juncos haven't left yet. I will miss the Juncos of course, but their leaving is another Spring sign.

The cacti in the basement are putting out flower buds, so I've begun to give them a little water. This may be the week to take the canna boxes out and inspect the roots after the winter. It is time to begin bringing things out of dormancy. The Rex Begonias in the light gardens are doing well, but will need to be pruned and cleaned up, and then hardened off before being put out for the summer. There are also several Geraniums from cuttings last fall that will need to be transitioned to outdoors. After all the work it took to bring them in and overwinter them, I would hate to loose them at this point.

Last fall I was more ruthless than usual with things. And a few have died over the winter even though I did take them in. But at this point in the year I want to preserve all of the botanical stock I have and hope to find a place for it to thrive over the summer.

The Birds are Really Singing

2009-03-06T12:40:00.003-06:00

The morning cacophony of birdsong is just amazing, especially on these warmer days. With temps above freezing already at 7:30, there is so much singing it is almost hard to hear the highway noises in the distance. What a shame.

My friend Janet has helped me realize that I have a huge flock of Pine Siskins around here as well as the various Finches, Juncos, Chickadees and Sparrows. Together with the crows, the ducks testing flight patterns, the many Cardinals, and the Mourning Doves, the yard is certainly active. Wish the snow would go so I could get out there easier. I take the occasional walk around, but it's tough going and hard to see much.

Note for this spring (when it really comes): consider pruning the lower branches of "Charlie Brown" to allow more space and light for plants underneath. But move the sedum clumps that are there now to the west edge of the garden under the bedroom windows. Kill the clump of New England Asters there, they always flop by August.

The Winter Just Keeps on Going

2009-03-01T21:35:00.004-06:00

One week after the next the snow just keeps piling up, and although I am grateful for the clean cover, I know that the rabbit and vole damage, and the broken plants lie just below the surface. It is beautiful again, with the recent 6 inches of snow that fell on Thursday. But the temps are cold again and it seems like winter. We're thinking about what we will do with the pond in the spring, and I just looked up and found that the pond water unfroze last year on April 5th. That is only a month away, but it seems impossible that such a thing would happen this year. Once the snow and frost does clear, we have to move away all of the rocks and stones from the perimeter of the current pond and then I have to keep an eye out for the emergence of any and all plants around the area. They will each have to be dug and moved or saved to be replanted. I am concerned about the ligularia that is just behind the gargoyle. I have heard that the roots of ligularia grow very deep, and I don't know if I'll be able to transplant it - almost certainly it will be set back. With luck, it will be dividable and I can plant the divisions in places where they will thrive. As the yard grows, there is more shade, and some of the plants that were originally put in sunny spots may well do better elsewhere.

The photo I'm posting today is a view from inside the house during the latest storm - last Thursday. The contrast is interesting to me. Snow re-covering the yew outside and the German ivy thriving in the kitchen window inside.

Spring Signs

2009-02-16T18:45:00.004-06:00

They are beginning to add up.

The birds are noisier.
The ducks are jostling for space on the creek, which is flowing.
There are bare patches where old grass is showing through.
Birch catkins are beginning to swell.
Some of the trees are thickening with swollen buds.
The light lasts longer.

There is hope. And some views I can't get enough of. (Though I do prefer some times of year over others...)

A Nice Warm-up and Melt-down

2009-02-09T11:11:00.001-06:00

It has risen above freezing for the last several days, and is likely to continue doing so for several more. Might even hit 50 degrees tomorrow. It is hard to walk around the yard, as the snow has become wet and soft, but it is still deep in most places. The paths we use frequently are beaten down so we can walk on top of them, but every now and then you break through and sink down to the ground. Yesterday I lost a boot in the snow while checking out the creek.

It has been beautifully sunny and gentle. We even went out for a bike ride Saturday. The buds are swelling on the lilacs and a few other bushes, and the creek is beginning to flow a little.

Rabbit damage continues to grow. The Bridal Wreath Spirea will likely have to be cut back to the ground in spring, so there may not be flowers this year. It will be fine, though in the long run. The Cooper's Hawk is around daily, but seems not to be reducing the number of rabbits or squirrels much.

There are so many finches and chickadees and juncos around the feeders that it sometimes seems to be just churning with life.

It Just Stays Cold and White

2009-01-30T11:47:00.001-06:00

Winter seems to have such a stranglehold on the area this year. We haven't really even had a significant meltoff in over a month and a half, and they say January is the coldest we've seen in quite some time. It was below zero again this morning, even though yesterday it got up into the 20's and I was able to scrape the inch of ice off of most of the driveway finally.

Rabbit damage is terrible - some things will be chewed down to the ground. The little Weigala that is planted near the gazebo is just a couple of stems now - now sure how long that will take to come back. Seems like we will have to start putting more protection in place in the late fall from now on if there's going to be this much snow every year.

The rabbit and squirrel "highways" are deepening, since we haven't gotten a lot of new snow in the last several weeks. You can really see their routes. I also found a bit of the nesting material that had fallen from a squirrel nest that's up in the willow tree. I imagine they will manage to stay warm anyway - probably will cut more stuff from my plants.

Wednesday night I heard the sump pump downstairs run for the first time in quite awhile, and I feared that it wouldn't make it out to the creek. But yesterday I walked over to the outlet and found that it was, indeed, still open. That will be good if ever things really do start to melt. And since I was out, I took a few more shots of things that are still beautiful The colors are a bit monotonous this time of year, but some form and structure still survives.

Birds are Everywhere

2009-01-19T20:59:00.001-06:00

Walking out on the deck today I was instantly in the midst of an overwhelming cacophony of birds. Finches and Chickadees and Juncos and Cardinals, Crows and Mourning Doves and a couple of Sparrows. They were everywhere. Flying in and out of the Arbor Vitae (White Cedar) shrubs and trees, consuming almost all of the birdseed in our feeders and the neighbor's, coming often to the heated water dish we put out for them.

During the cold weather that we have been having lately, the water dish couldn't keep the water unfrozen over night. It did manage to melt a couple of small holes in the middle of the day, and the birds appreciated it. Our new cat Grace had a very hard time controlling herself while watching them. She gets very excited looking out of the windows, though she never really makes a break for an open door. Pretty sure she was an indoor cat who must have either escaped or been abandoned before we found her.

Somehow Things Survive

2009-01-10T11:47:00.001-06:00

It has been a harsh winter so far. Almost the all time highest snowfall for any month ever fell in December. If we get just "average" snowfall for the rest of the season we will have the third highest annual snowfall in recorded history. The bird feeders are emptied in very short time, and Bill fills them regularly. I even did it once this week, as they were more depleted than normal by Thursday and there is severely cold weather coming.

I find it interesting that no one seems to have much interest in the brightly colored berries of the Viburnum bushes that are so plentiful along the creek. These bushes are often billed as having berries that are tempting to birds. But obviously not all that tempting when compared to fresh sunflower and thistle seeds.

In the morning, the birds generally come to the feeders in d roves just after sunrise on days when the temperature is above 10 degrees or so. Huge numbers of goldfinches, lots of house finches, chickadees and juncos, 5 or 10 mourning doves, and two pairs of cardinals are the regulars. Some sparrows are also around, and there could be others I'm not picking out. Occasionally a small woodpecker makes its way up the honey locust tree nearby.

Rabbits and squirrels are plentiful also. There are many tracks and trails through the yard, mainly running from the willow/ash edge to the "bird" feeders and back. Evidence that I should have protected some of the shrubs is clear. Maybe I'll try to get out and do that this weekend, though it could be too late to save the "Burning Bush" Euonymous near the feeders.

Ice is not Nice

2009-01-05T20:45:00.001-06:00

My retirement party was Saturday evening, and my Dad and my sisters and their husbands drove to Appleton to share the lovely party with me. The weather was mild that afternoon, but there were threats of freezing rain and I was afraid that they would have a bad drive home. As we left the party, the parking lot was slippery and covered with ice. Didn't look good. The Green Bay group decided to head for home right away, and it was tough going but they made it home safely.

Nancy and David came back to our house, and we checked weat her.com and tried out the new 511 phone line for travel and road information. It seemed as though things were likely to degenerate overnight, and so they set out for Chicago, leaving around 7:45 PM. We heard from them around 10:00 as they were passing through Milwaukee area, and things were wet but not slippery. They got home safely about 11:30.

The next morning was proof of the wisdom of both groups, as we awoke to about 1/2 inch of ice covering just about everything. It is beautiful, but persistent. Certainly did in the skiing weekend at Bubolz.

The tips of the Willow and the Ash trees along the creek were covered with ice at sunset on Sunday. They were beautiful, with the half moon overhead. And the sheen of the ice on the smooth yards full of snow is also pretty, though it does make everything harder to do. Seems like it must be the heart of winter in Wisconsin.

What a time to retire....

It's all about the Snow

2008-12-28T21:00:00.001-06:00

For the last couple of weeks it has been all about the snow. It just kept coming and coming, and building up and building up. Bill did almost all of the shoveling - I did the deck a couple of times and our lovely neighbors blew out the big overnight snowfalls twice. But it just kept piling up, becoming harder and harder to even know if it was safe to pull out of the driveway. Hard to make safe turns at intersections throughout town, harder to drive into downtown on the few mornings that I actually had to go into work. There were only three mornings last week, and three more this week before I retire! Will be nice. Mostly.

So, it was a bit of a relief last Friday when the temps were predicted to rise into the 40's. Then they downgraded the prediction, but it was still supposed to be above freezing for most of the day and even overnight, for the first time in a long time. Actuals did rise to 41, and then above that on Saturday. You could almost watch the snowpiles recede. We pushed off the latest 4 or 5 inches from the evergreens, and raked the edges of the roof. Bill spent an hour or so chipping away at the ice dams that had formed in the valley on the north side of the house. It was good.

I wish that I had taken photos of the snow at its height. And I wish also that I had stepped ou t into the fog that blanketed the yard during the melt to capture the recession at one or two points. But I didn't.

This morning there was a new cover of 4 or 5 inches, making things fresh and clean again. But we had a place to put it. The Northeast garage roof was overhung with a snow slide of significance, which Bill wisely pulled down this morning.

I do hope that we don't have another extended period of daily snow accumulations. But that could be perceived as a selfish hope. The staff at Bubolz Nature Preserve (and those of us on the Board who are worried about the financial survival of the organization) are no doubt happy about the snow this year. We take in a major portion of our annual income during ski season if it's good, and it hasn't been good very often lately. And I know that the snowmobilers haven't had many good years lately and they are very important to the development of the trails that I love so much on foot and on my bike in the summer.

Change is a Comin'

2008-12-14T19:17:00.001-06:00

It is 42 degrees out right now, and rain is falling. The snow, which had covered everything and was weighing down the evergreens already, has receded significantly. I did go out today to get it off of things that were being badly bent by the weight. Just wanted to make sure that it was gone before the massive drop in temperatures that is predicted for tonight. The prediction is for a low of single digits tonight, and a high of single digits tomorrow. That will surely freeze in place everything the way it is tonight, and many things will be stuck to the ground or whatever surface they are touching. I've been trying to make sure that nothing is caught in a bad position, which could well last for the rest of the winter. Or we could hope for a January thaw.

Photo at left is one Bill took with his faster speed camera the on Friday evening before the warm front came in. The snow was blanketing everything, and it was COLD. On Saturday, later in the day, it warmed up, and things started melting. Tonight it is wet, and raining.

The snow has probably been reduced by half, and what is left will turn into a hard, dense layer at the bottom of the pile that will last for the rest of the winter. I spent a bit of the afternoon today walking the path to the compost pile so that it would be level and not a bunch of holes that would be tripping us up for the rest of the winter. We have had so much light, fluffy snow so far, and the temps had been so cold. Now everything is compacted, and plants are exposed a bit more, and I hope I've been able to get the heavy weight off of the plants that could be damaged by it. Time will tell.

Lots of Changes, Not Much Writing

2008-12-08T21:33:00.002-06:00

Haven't written much lately about the yard. Been spending most of my time finishing up at work, preparing for retirement. And the yard has been slowly becoming buried under inch after inch of snow. Amazing how much we've had so far, and tonight is likely to produce another 7 to 10 inches. Another big snow winter is likely ahead.

On Sunday morning I noticed that there was an apparent freeway for either mice or other small rodents to run between the garden and the edge of the house. Likely there is food in one place and shelter in the other. No mystery which is which. And the snow is certainly building up on the evergreen garden once again. Seems like only yesterday that I was documenting this the last time. Winters seem to come more quickly each year. Where did summer go?

The Difference of the Day

2008-11-24T19:11:00.002-06:00

Well, good thing we were ready. Overnight snow amounted to a couple of inches, and this may be the end of yard work for the season. Bill did think ahead and bring down the snow shovels over the weekend, so he was ready to clear our drive and also the neighbor's. The first snow is, of course, lovely. But, I could learn to live without it.

I'm glad I snapped one photo of the planter with its holiday display before the snow fell. It will be fine, though the dyed red accent decoration may run and fade even if this melts quickly.

Also, one more of the gargoyle as he watches over the frozen pond. Seems so lonely at this time of the year. Nice to know that four fish have been saved in the aquarium in the basement.

Late Fall Cleaning

2008-11-23T22:25:00.003-06:00

This was the weekend to finally finish all of the winter preparations. Now, we are ready!

Cut the grass one last time to grind up the last of the leaves before snow covers the lawn. Moved the patio furniture up to the garage and brought the winter birdbath down. Put the plastic liner pots from the deck down on the garden below so the deck will be easy to shovel. Seems twice as big this time of year with nothing on it.

I gathered all of the screens to store in the garage so that the light can shine in without obstruction. We finally got the storms on the front and back doors - I guess that is the final concession to winter - no screens providing even the slightest hope of a balmy day.

This year I cut back the heuchera along the front walkway to the edge of the walk. It will be easier to sweep or shovel this winter. also cut back the plants around the mailbox and the peony that I had somehow forgotten. Bill walked the roof to check the gutters and look for any problems. We blew the leaves out of the garage one more time.

After the cleanup work we had a little time to get ready for the holiday season. Some lights on a few of the evergreens will make the back yard nice to look at in the dark evenings. We put up the wreaths in front, and got the wiring ready for the porch tree lights.

A Pretty Late Fall Bonus

2008-11-16T19:22:00.002-06:00

The Barberry bushes that we planted several years ago along the garage wall are beautiful for most of the summer, but especially nice in the fall. They contrast starkly with the blue-gray cedar siding, and I love their graceful form. In order to have them look like this each year we have to cut them back severely in the spring, and the thorns on these branches are evil.

The most difficult part is to find a place to put the cuttings, as they are deadly to come upon. We try to put them down along the creek, in a place where we don't often visit. There you could find the spent remains of several cacti that we've parted with, several years of barberry prunings, some juniper trimmings, and all the other difficult to handle botanical castoffs of our yard.

First Snow of this winter

2008-11-10T22:08:00.002-06:00

It was beautiful... But thankfully just a short lived snow. Sunday morning last week, I think just a week after the beautiful warm Halloween evening on Friday, we had our first snow.

The view was quite lovely from the bathroom window as we dragged ourselves out of bed, and so, since it really wasn't all that cold outside, I put on some shoes and a sweater and went outside to grab a few photos.

I think I have taken more photos of this yard in the last year than anything else. Far more than can be reasonably added to this blog. This is the bane of digital photography - it is so easy to just keep snapping shots, and so difficult to cull through them. The space they take up on hard drives is huge. But I suppose it isn't as huge as the boxes of old photos that I have from my grandparents and parents.

The pond is basically ready to be put away for the winter. But we haven't had time to try to rescue any of the fish. We did manage to acquire a new filter and set up the aquarium in the basement. I hope the ice stays away until next weekend so we can try to capture at least one or two of the big guys in here to save them for next spring's larger version. I've decided to let some of the plants around the pond go, so we can expand and deepen it. Lee and LIn's pond is really only a little bigger than ours, but they are able to keep it open all winter and find much to watch even in the coldest weeks. Their fish reproduce and multiply, and they don't have to deal with them in the house over the winter.

This shot is of one of the sedum clumps at the sides of the vegetable garden. Some small creature has been digging down and around the roots of the plant and has managed to weaken the stems so that they aren't able to stand on their own. The main reason I love sedums is the structure of the plant in the fall, so this is something of a theft of all my hard work over this season. I think I'll have to dig it up and replant it this fall, hoping that it is able to establish itself well enough to re-grow in the spring. I'll leave some as they are just in case.

This is a photo of the east side of the house, after one growing season. Last spring I dug and killed pretty much everything here, hoping to re structure things and create some more mature beauty. I've had to use some Round-Up here and there, and I like it so far, but it has not managed to live up to my vision yet. Maybe next year.

The Beauty of the Declining Days Always Surprises Me

2008-11-02T21:03:00.003-06:00

Haven't written in awhile, but fall has marched on. I do take the time to observe and photograph the yard every couple of days, and it is beautiful as it dies - well settles down for the long sleep. I hope that most of it will come back next year. Here are some shots that I like.

The euonymous 'burning bush' in the tricorn garden is quite a star for the last two months of the season, and I like the contrast with the grasses on three sides of it. They don't bloom every year, and this year has been a close call, but it looks like they will actually be able to push out their flowers by the time the season truly ends.

The Juncos are back, I think they've been here for a week or so, but today I was able to see one for absolute sure. Mostly just been seeing the white flashes of the sides of their tails, and it should be totally clear, but I like to have a close up view. Today they were having a bath and a drink in the pond, right below the window I was sitting at reading the Sunday papers. So, along with the zebra grass in the last photo, they comprise a full annual circle for this blog.

Bill managed to roto-till the garden last weekend - I really didn't think we'd be able to do that this fall. It does make it so much easier in the spring though, so it is good to get done. I suppose ideally we would do it a little earlier and be able plant a winter cover crop, but it is always so hard to be able to just get it done between all the other tasks and the vagarities of the weather.

I think that I have been able to successfully identify the unknown tree that has established itself just east of the birches in the front yard. It is pretty certainly a choke cherry. And another young one is growing at the far south eastern corner of the yard, just next to the creek near the bench in the woods. They are edge dwellers, and also common along creeks. As the sandbar willow recedes the natural succession includes them. There are also a couple of black walnut trees, one of them at least 30 feet tall already, that I never noticed establishing themselves until the last couple of years. Planted by squirrels most likely. They will change the area under them, as they are known to discourage any growth within their umbrella.

We are almost done with the conversion to the winter season. Today I cut back and boxed the cannas finally, after letting them settle in the garage for a couple of weeks. I have four boxes full of rhizomes, and one of elephant ears. Hope they all make it through the winter. There are still a couple of pots that need to be emptied and stored in the garage for the winter. And the patio furniture is still out - it seems so final to take it in. Plus we need to move the plastic liner pots off of the deck before the snow flies. But it really isn't more than an afternoon's work left to be ready.

We do have to gather vines from the creekside to add to the holiday tree on the front porch. We made it into a rather tacky ghost for Halloween. But it does need to be spruced up and filled in before we add the holiday lights.

It was one of the best Halloweens we have ever had in this house. The neighborhood was turned out, with people out in every front yard. And the kids were able show off their costumes without any coverings to ward off the cold or wet conditions that are usual. The street was full of multigenerational groups - for the first time I saw multiple tiny tots in strollers and cool costumes. We had over 100 treat seeking visitors, and the mood was festive throughout.

Fall Glory

2008-10-20T21:24:00.003-05:00

It is really beautiful in the fall, even though things are dying and other things are shedding their leaves to prepare for winter.

There is much work to be done, digging the cannas is a huge task, as is cutting back the stalks and stems and then pushing them through the chipper/shredder. Some years we burn things, but when it is possible we prefer to shred them so we don't pump a bunch of smoke into the air. 40 years of asthma makes Bill sensitive to particulates.

Even with the diminishment and death that is going on, the colors are beautiful and the afternoon light in the fall is gorgeous. Most of these photos were taken a week or so ago, but I'm just now getting around to writing. This is a busy time away from home, and then there is so much to do here in the few hours we have.

Yesterday and Saturday we had a charitable event to work on, and spent probably a total of 12 hours since quitting work on Friday. But we also had to dig the cannas, cut down and shred tons of spent perennials, cut the lawn, haul a bunch of ceramic pots to the garage, clean up dead plants below the bedroom, outside of the atrium, in the kitchen garden, along the vegetable garden, in the evergreen garden. Also, used up the leftover herbicide on the last of the flourishing weeds, cut down the sunflowers, and a multitude of other small tasks.

But it is beautiful out in the yard and I love being out there even when I am dead tired.

Another Summer Past

2008-10-05T19:38:00.005-05:00

Oh Well....

Frost happens. I thought, hoped, that maybe we could get through this week without a big frost, but it was not to be. I suppose that an average date of October 15th requires that some years it is earlier, some later.

And even if the frost didn't come, the growing season would certainly end some time around now, as the hours of daylight dwindle. But it is hard.

On the other hand, it is good to begin the cleanup that is inevitable. We cut down the Viburnum bush at the corner of the deck that was imposing itself upon the Forsythia. They have both been hearty, but the viburnum has really been going overtime, and it is time to rejuvenate it.

And then cut down the cannas and the cleomes and the elephant ears in the deck planters. I dug up the geraniums that might be able to survive through to the spring in paper bags in the basement.

The basil, coleus, four o'clocks, zinnias, and other tender annuals became compost fodder. We had two frosts, one Thursday night, one Friday. The Mandeville survived Thursday, and I foolishly hoped it would make it through Friday as well. But it didn't. My decision about whether to bring it in for the winter has been pre-empted. It is now a stump, and maybe I'll bring in the stump to see if it sprouts. My money is on "no".

There is much more space now on the deck. The grill can be lighted without fear of singeing a leaf of some nearby plant. We carted off many of the clay pots to the garage for storage. Put away the spray bottles of insecticide and fertilizer. The final hauling of chairs, table, planters, etc. may be a few weeks away, but winter is at hand.

We also spent a few hours cutting back overgrown and unwelcome woody inhabitants of the creekside and yard. Willows that were dead, Dogwoods overgrown, Buckthorn and Box Elder. A limb here and there from other trees and shrubs. We have plenty for the Town to pick up this week the last time they will do it this year.

But some things are at their most beautiful. The "tricorn" garden really doesn't come into its own until fall. The Duarf Euonymous 'Burning Bush' shrub begins to develop its flaming presentation, the grasses are fully grown, and in a good year they are in bloom. (I'm still hoping they will bloom this year. The tips of the stalks are swelling, indicating flowers inside.) The sedum is blooming and fully structured. This is the picture I see in my mind all year, even if it doesn't really exist for more than a month or two at the end of the season.

Glory in the Morning

2008-09-29T19:46:00.002-05:00

Finally, at the very end of the summer, the 'heavenly blue' morning glories that I planted to grow up and around the mailbox have begun to bloom. They are just now beginning, and they have many many buds of flowers yet to come. If we are lucky and avoid a frost they could keep going for another couple of weeks. Would have been nice if they had started in August. I've noticed morning glories coming into bloom for the first time all around the city - have no idea why they are so late this year.

It still seems like Summer

2008-09-27T19:12:00.003-05:00

The weather is still lovely, and although it does cool off at night, the days have been in the upper 70s for the last week. Makes it difficult to contemplate fall chores like cutting things down, planting bulbs, etc. And many flowers are still pretty, like the lovely turtlehead Chelone obliqua at right. Not dramatic from any distance, but very nice close up. A prairie native, and very hearty and dependable.

We've gotten about 2/3 of the pile of wood chips dispensed around the yard, and built two new beds - one in front between the tricorn garden and the birch garden. The other between the first berm and the creek. Bill intends to plant a mass of tulips in one of them, probably the one in front.

Haven't been home much in the last two weeks to do anything ambitious. I did cut down the compass plant and alot of the purple coneflowers near the gazebo. And many of the spent daisies and monarda along the creek. We need to severely prune the lilac bush and I think we'll also cut back the viburnum at the corner of the deck all the way to the ground.

This may well be the last year that I allow many of the New England asters that have sprung up pretty much everywhere to stay. They are pretty from a distance for a week or two at this time of year, but even now they are scraggly close up. And there are way too many of them. Along with echinacea they just take over too much space. Also the lambs ears - Stachys, which will just spread forever if allowed. They are also popping up all over the place from seeds. RoundUp does a nice job on clumps of them, killing them off at the edges. I will be ruthless next year - though it is always easier said in the fall than done in the spring.

Plants on the deck that will be coming in for the winter got their third spraying of malathion today, after a, ,, busy day of shopping, Octoberfest, taking a book up to Dad in Green Bay and then finally being able to do a little work here by 3:30 or so. They are still going strong out there, but I worry about a snap frost. It is the time of year where that is a distinct possibility, and it gets dark so early that I often have very little daylight after work to get much done. I did get everything moved up to the deck, which is very crowded now. And transplanted some of the cacti and succulents that were overgrown in their community planters.

Work Cut Out for Us

2008-09-13T15:33:00.002-05:00

Bill ordered 8 more yards of bark mulch last week, and it was delivered on Friday. Despite the anticipated wet weekend, we will try to get as much as possible rolled out to the locations needing it. We expanded the perimeter of several of the gardens, and created a new bed in the front corner. Plus there are many bare spots around that ne ed a shovelful or more to cover the bare dirt.

But it is going to take awhile to dispense with 8 yards, and I just hope we can finish the pile before the snow flies. With any luck we won't have to do chips next spring.

Summer Fruits

2008-09-10T20:21:00.002-05:00

Sunflowers and tomatoes. This is September

September Must Come

2008-09-02T21:51:00.002-05:00

There is an amazing transition right after Labor Day. It seems as though Summer has a firm hold, and the weather is still hot and dry. But the Tuesday after Labor Day it is Fall - no matter what it might feel like. Kids are around in the morning finding their new bus stops, and everyone gets "back to work," leaving the leisure of the summer behind.

The garden is tired, and mostly spent - though the glory of Fall is yet to be seen. T he tomatoes are ripe on the vine and abundant, the potatoes are ready to be dug, the peppers are heavy on their plants, and the sorry eggplant has yet to produce its second fruit. Sunflowers fill the garden, even though this year I swore they would not.

We are planning how to expand the beds, and when to purchase the mulch to do it with. We want to make the pond larger and deeper, but I still haven't figured out how to do that and preserve the ligularia and the lilies that are on the southeast side where the expansion would be most likely.

Next weekend I must think about taking things inside for the winter. That means the first of probably two or three sprayings of insecticide. I really don't want whiteflies in the house this winter, and I struggle with whether that means spraying heavily or just letting things die outside. And also with whether to try to take in whole plants or just cuttings. The hardest choice will be with the Rex Begonias. For several years I have dug them and put them in pots and kept them through the winter in the light gardens downstairs. This year I took a few leaf cuttings a couple of weeks ago from which I hope to grow new young plants. But I know that I will have to confront the choice of letting the beautiful adult plants on the front porch either die in the frost or be dug and brought inside. I think I will likely dig at least some of them. Maybe this year I'll cut them back heavily when I bring them in.

Other choices: do I bring in the geranium that has been the sentinel plant in front of the garage for many years or let it finally slip away? I really don't like it's color there, but it is so hardy and dependable it is hard to let go of. Also, the two hibiscus that I bought this year were pretty lame. But I cut them both back heavily and the new growth that came was shiny and beautiful. If they can be brought in and protected from the whiteflies that seem to inevitably attach them in late February or March they would be lovely next year.

But the job of keeping things alive and thriving over the winter is not trivial. We'll see.

Pictures for this week are about the light and the structure of the garden.

Hard to Keep Up with Everything

2008-08-18T20:35:00.002-05:00

This week's stars are the PeeGee Hydrangea in front of the vegetable garden and the sedum clump in the west side garden. They are coming into their best days, and give an important late boost to the declining garden. Coneflowers are fading. They still look very nice from a distance, and give alot of color to the yard, but when I go out and try to find some nice fresh ones to pick there really aren't any. Wave petunias didn't do as well this year as usual. Some combination of rabbits and maybe even too much rain was not the best for them.

Speaking of rain, we haven't had any since the 4th, and it is really dry around the yard. Hard to believe, but the grass is starting to brown out at the edges and over the rocks. The creek is still pretty high, meaning that the groundwater situation is still fine. But the gardens need some surface water.

The Hibiscus that we bought at Ebert's in Ixonia has produced saucer sized blooms of a gorgeous dark red that are unbelievable. Sure hope it survives the winter and blooms each year. The bush cherry has its own little spot in the Northeast corner of the yard, but Bill has plans to turn that area into another bark bed.

It is the time of year that I am starting to think about what was successful and what wasn't and planning for next year's plantings. Sometimes I think that I really need to thin out the stuff in the first berm, but then I realize that even though it isn't perfectly manicured and elegant, it is always in bloom with something. The area around the pond is not as nice this time of year as I wish it was. But that is an opportunity to consider enlarging the pond and not worrying about what plants may be lost in the process. Fall projects are starting to stack up.

The robins have almost completely stripped the pagoda dogwood of its berries by now. Our new cat, Grace, likes to sit in the bathroom window and watch them. I think she'd like it better if she could leap out and catch them.

Catch Up Week

2008-08-10T19:18:00.002-05:00

Had the week off, and was able to get caught up on a lot of things, including the garden. Cut back some iris on the west border that seemed as though some animal had been sleeping in them. Throughout the week I was able to put in an hour or two of gardening each day, and then also catch up on filing, weeding cleaning and so forth inside. Also had a little time to be out and about. All in all, a good week.

Photos this week are of the garden stars. The Joe-Pye Weed in the late evening sun is lovely, and now that the Rudbeckias are blooming too, the purple and yellow are so great together.

The Mandeville in the pot on the deck is spectacular. Not a native, nor able to over-winter here, it is none the less one of the nicest tropicals for the deck. I have over-wintered them once or twice, but inevitably the white flies take over around March and all of the effort goes for nothing. I may try again though - it is so hard to see this beautiful plant die in the frost. If I do decide to try to bring it in, I will need to decide soon and begin to spray it with malathion to knock down the white flies as well as possible before late September. Have to do that for the Hibiscus anyway, so might as well.

The Casa Blanca lily in front is the first prize winner this week. It is as nice as it has ever been, and really stands out. So nice that a photo of it has become the wallpaper for my new iPhone - for now at least. I hope that it lasts at least until Thursday when the Torch Summer party is here.

And the forth photo is of the Barberry bushes that we planted several years ago on the West side of the garage. They are basically a pain in the neck to maintain, having very vicious thorns, and growing profusely every year. But even so, we cut them back to almost the ground each spring and they reward by giving us beautiful young growth each year, contrasting nicely with the blue stain on the cedar siding. Pretty high maintenance for a foundation shrub, but as long as we can handle them they are worth it.

Statewide Clear Skies but...

2008-08-07T21:43:00.008-05:00

Driving home from Fort Atkinson today, the skies were mainly clear for as far as we could see. We took the back roads home from Ixonia, where we visited a garden center that may well be worth the 100 mile drive next spring. Called Eberts Greenhouse Village, it was amazing. Acres and acres of plant displays, greenhouses and landscape examples.

Ixonia is just far east enough that when we turned on the GPS to route us home it was sort of a toss up whether to go east to the interstate or west back to Hwy 26. Instead of following blindly, we decided to try to take some interesting back roads, and eventually realized that we would be skirting the Horicon Marsh, and could cut back to Hwy 151 on Hwy 49. We hadn't taken that route for many years, and it brought back memories of times we sat on a hillside with newborn Jed, watching the geese and the beautiful landscape.

Once through the lane of memories, we beat it for home, and noticed that there was a line of thunderheads moving from west to east about as far north as I imagined our house would be. Everywhere else was clear. Wouldn't it be funny, I thought, if the only place in the state it rained was right over our house? Ha, Ha.

We drove about 45 minutes, getting to the exit for home without a drop falling. But it did become clearer and clearer that the clouds were, indeed, just about over our house. As we pulled off on Hwy 00 a few drops fell on the car. By the time we got to the traffic light at Bluemond it was starting to really rain. And three blocks later, as we pulled into the driveway it was pouring so hard we couldn't believe it. Hail, and over half an inch in about 15 minutes.

Near as I can tell, there wasn't another rainstorm around except for that one.

More Rain. What a Year

2008-08-04T14:32:00.002-05:00

So, last night we got another inch and three quarters, maybe two inches depending on which rain gauge you want to believe. There is a puddle under the willow, and many plants are leaning over. It came over the course of an hour or so overnight, along with plenty of wind and lightning. That's almost 4 inches in the last 3 days and now, this afternoon, another storm approaches and they say there will be severe storms overnight. I hate to complain - we are not getting the worst of it. South of here it is much worse. And so far it is doing mainly good things for the yard and gardens.

But now it is raining again, enough to be significant in just a few minutes.

I don't want to count on it, but....

2008-08-02T20:22:00.003-05:00

But this year has been amazing with regard to the amount and timing of rain. Just when I start to think it is a little dry, it rains. And rains well. Yesterday I felt gypped. I left for work in the early morning as usual and it was setting up to be a hot and sunny day. At work, I spent the day, as usual, in the dark and moldy basement. I hardly knew what was happening in the real world. People said it was raining, and I could walk out an see that it was. And back in the network services "data center" as I was discussing the latest big project, the power blinked briefly, indicating to me and our network administrator that our investment in UPS devices for our servers was worthwhile. And I did take a look out through the atrium a couple of times, and noted that there was real rain falling. But that is the total awareness I had of the rain.

Then I got home, and it was beautifully sunny and warm and the road and driveway were dry, but I looked at he raingauge in the front yard and found that almost two inches of rain had fallen there. The roadside ditch was full of debris that had been washed out of the culvert. And all of the other rain gauges were showing over an inch - from 1 and 1/2 to over 2 inches, depending on location. I have no certainty of exactly how much fell, but it was enough to be significant, and enough to make all the plants happy for sure. And I didn't see it happen. <sigh>

Blooming for the first time since the last post: Cannas, Summersweet. We had the first tomato from the garden over a week ago, and now they are coming in strong. Gaga's favorite, Jetstar, produced a beautiful, large, ripe specimen for tonight's dinner. Ah..... The peppers are coming on, I have more cucumbers that I know what to do with, broccoli is abundant. The potato plants are beginning to decline a little bit, but it is too soon to dig them up. I'm not sure about the onions this year. They seemed to get blown down early and I hope they are still growing. The raspberries are about done. We had about 10 pints all together over the season I'd estimate. Today at the farmer's market downtown, raspberries were going for $4.50 a pint. I think we paid about 6 or 7 dollars for the plants we have - and we get 40 or 50 dollars worth of fruit a year from them. A good investment.

Robins in the Dogwood

2008-07-29T21:08:00.002-05:00

The fruits on the Pagoda Dogwood bush on the south side of the house are ripening. And every year the robins find them around now. They continue to eat them until they are gone, much later in the fall. I suspect that by September there is some sort of intoxicating effect. But now they are bringing the young ones to the bush and teaching them how to get to the berries. Each bird lands on the roof nearby and moves over to the gutter just above the shrub. They look around, then jump, leap, fly, whatever over to a branch that still has unconsumed berries and begin to gorge themselves. If disturbed they fly away quickly. As we sit out on the deck, we hear each feeding attempt as a rustle of leaves and branches, often punctuated by the chirp of a robin - the clown bird of the yard right now.

Over the weekend, while I was weeding in the front of the garden, a red-tailed hawk swooped down and grabbed a baby rabbit just 10 feet away from me. It was spectacular.

Pictures from this week follow. This is the height of maturity for many things in the yard. At the Gala at the Gardens of the Fox Cities last weekend we bought a garden armillary that was donated to the silent auction by old friends John and Lee Parker. It will make a nice addition to our garden, and we hope they are happy that it has a good home.

The planter is doing very well, and becoming the overlowing wonder that it usually does. I should really restrain myself a little more than I do, because things really do become overwhelming by this time of year. I planted some Queen Alberta salvia just because I though the display might need a vertical element. But now, they are almost disruptive and I think I'll actually remove them even though they are the nicest salvia in the yard. Maybe I'll try to transplant them, but I doubt they will make a successful transition.

The Joe-pye weed is spectacular right now. And there are more mature plants around the yard than ever before. Maybe too many once they really get established. I hope I never come to regret the addition of this plant.

Hail Damage

2008-07-22T19:36:00.002-05:00

Last evening's rain finished with a flurry of hail. At the time it didn't seem to be very damaging - small stones that were not overwhelming. And I couldn't see any apparent damage to the plants outside from the window inside. But tonight I can see what damage it did. I think it is likely similar to the snow load damage that is done in the winter - i.e. not of great consequence and the plants recover. But my guess is that the leaves that were damaged will never be quite the same, and that the plants will need a little extra energy to cope with the damage.

Rain Rain Go Away!

2008-07-21T21:59:00.002-05:00

Enough is enough already. We had an inch of rain last Wednesday, another inch or so on Saturday, and tonight another 3/4 inches fell in about 1/2 hour. That is enough for now. I realize we are lucky. For the last several years we've had drought at this time of year. And it is nice not to have to water things around the yard. But it is amazing to see how high the creek is for July, and how soft the ground is, and how well the weeds are growing.

After the brief downfall this evening I took the opportunity to do a rough weeding of the vegetable garden. Got pretty muddy, but also was able to pull up some of the really big ones that seem to have grown up overnight. There are a couple of weeds that are dogging me in the gardens this year. One called Sowthistle just won't give up. And then there is the constant nagging presence of oxalis, of which is it said: "bloom once, weed for seven". I try so hard to keep any plants from blooming and setting seed. But one or more inevitably manages to make it to maturity and sets seeds that will emerge for years to come.

Catching Up

2008-07-20T21:14:00.002-05:00

One of the biggest problems with writing a garden blog is that it is just really hard to get to writing when the garden is in full bloom. The days are so long, and there is so much to do, both in the garden and otherwise, that its difficult to find the time to write about what's going on. But here is a catch up attempt for the happenings of the last week.

The gooseneck loosestrife is about as nice as it gets right now. It is a very dramatic plant at the right time and in the right place. I don't think mine is in the right place, it is really not very noticeable where it is along the east side of the yard. This spring I used a well placed spray of Round-Up on the periphery of this clump, and I think that will be needed every year from now on. It is not as invasive as its cousin purple loosestrife, but it does have a robustness about it.

Just after deciding it should be noted in the blog, I was taking a look at the creek and couldn't get a good view anywhere except from atop the culvert. I looked down and found, much to my surprise and dismay, a purple loosestrife plant growing heartily just beneath the east opening. It wasn't "quite" in my yard, but I just couldn't let it be. Despite being tired, hot and ready for some cool lemonade and a chair in the shade, I called Bill and together we cut and dug and bagged the beast. I really hope we don't have to be fighting this invasive along with the buckthorn for the rest of our time here.

This weekend could be defined as the start of the Raspberry season. We had Mike and Mary over for dinner after a nice bike ride on Saturday, and the berries made a wonderful dessert over a little french vanilla ice cream. We will eat them daily until they are done, which won't be long enough for either of us.

I also brought in the first tomato of the season today - pretty early really. Didn't eat it yet, but can hardly wait. Dinner changed from leftovers to a stir fry when it became clear that the broccoli was in significant need of cutting. Can't let fresh broccoli go without cutting or the plants will stop producing, and there is no point in just putting it in the fridge. Gotta eat it. So we did.

The Purple Coneflowers came into full bloom this week. Last week I struggled to find a couple to put into the bouquet of flowers I bring to work each Monday, and this week they were abundant. They are so beautiful when they are new - fresh and young with the cone on top still bright and small. It will elongate and harden over the next several weeks, though the plants will still be attractive for awhile. All of the prairie natives are maturing now, though the gloriosa daisies are still the garden stars.

We had two inches of rain over the last week, quite something for mid July. It really is nice to have a year of enough rain for a change. I hardly know what to do. Things grow so well that there is no need to walk around with the hose, but cutting plants back is more necessary than usual. Had to tie up the Tamarisk, and cut back the lower branches of the Magnolia today. It was so hot that it was difficult to be outside working for more than a couple of hours.

The little black cat is closer to becoming a part of the family. Kate and Cleo may not be entirely sold on the idea, but Grace has been living in the upstairs bathroom for the last several days. The vet gave her a clean bill of health, but she is older than we thought - at least a year, maybe more. Integration will be a long process.

Summer Weekends Too Few

2008-07-13T21:08:00.006-05:00

Ah, this is what it's all about. A beautiful weekend in mid summer, the yard looking wonderful, and needing just enough attention to let me have some hours of enjoyable gardening, without needing so much as to require our complete attention the whole weekend.

We started at the Downtown Appleton Farmer's Market on Saturday. Picked up some local strawberries and, of course, some spring rolls for breakfast. Then made our way to three sites on the annual Garden Walk (for the Emergency Shelter) by car. Got home by 11 or so, and took to our bikes for the last three gardens, finishing at the Fox Valley Technical College, which we ride around often, but haven't ever taken the time to really see the gardens close up. We were still going strong, so we took off to the Fox River Mall to pick up some niacin and stop for a quick Orange Julius.

When we got home, Bill decided that he should begin the installation of another stone wall, this one across the front of what had been the tricorn garden until the blue spruce tree grew so large as to engulf it and change its shape. So now, with the remains of the stones that we bought a year ago for the front garden, he is extending the linear theme of the front yard. He finished Sunday afternoon, and it looks great. We still have 20 stones left to find a home for.

The yard is just so nice right now. I think this is the perfect time.

I spent Sunday cutting the flowers that had been blown over, spraying weeds around the yard, and generally "puttering". I clipped the mallow from the back of the Asclepias - Butterfly Weed plant. It is in full bloom now, and I must admit it is my favorite plant. I wait so long and with so much hope to see the tiny sprouts in the spring. And just as I am about to give up hope, it springs back and then grows so strongly into such a robust plant that I can hardly believe I ever doubted.

A small black cat has been flirting with me for the last few days. Just a week after we buried Smoke, this one is appearing from the woods much as he did 15 years ago. Tonight she even let me pick her up, though she would much preferred to keep eating the food I brought out for her. We will need to decide what to do about her.

This seems to be the year of the compass plant. Mine is larger and stronger than I have ever seen it, and there are at least two new plants that are looking pretty mature. I gave one away in the spring - I think to Patti. And I've heard that others who grow them have found them to be impressive this year. It's pretty, but a bit agressive, and if it continues to take space like this I may have to find other accommodations for it.

Mid July Slowdown

2008-07-08T19:41:00.003-05:00

This is the time of year for garden shows and garden walks. And it is also, in my yard, a time when things seem to slow down a little. And also, the insect damage is becoming clear. In order to have my yard ready for any such show in the future, I will need to pay more attention to gardening in June - fertilizer, water, insect control of some sort, etc. Don't want to get too involved in chemicals, but just more vigilant in detecting early damage and nutrient needs and dealing with them appropriately.

For example: the impatiens on the front porch are not blooming as well as they were earlier. The alyssum in several places isn't really filling out, likely due to some sort of insect. Several things throughout the yard, daisies, some conflowers and some others have round dead tissue dots on the top leaves and flower buds. I'll have to inspect them closer to be sure what the problem is, but it is almost certainly insects of some sort.

Both of the hibiscus plants on the deck are getting the yellow lower leaves that have plagued my hibiscus always. I don't know what the problem is. Other deck planters are doing well. I'm always amazed how the big planter does. When I plant it and show it to Bill, his reaction is usually something on the order of "huh?" It just doesn't look like much. But the plants I use are the ones that love the hot, dry days of late June and by July they are beginning to fill the entire planter, and by August they will be dramatic for sure. The elephant ears are amazing.

The tamarisk is coming into it's most beautiful time. If you keep it in check it rewards with a graceful airy presence. Just try not to think about what it is doing to the Grand Canyon and other areas of the Southwest where it is a terrible invasive and unwelcome newcomer. Their version or our Buckthorn.

Summer is in full Swing

2008-07-07T21:33:00.003-05:00

It was a beautiful morning today (writing on Sunday evening), despite the fact that I have come down with a cold and that Smoke is dying. He has stopped eating and drinking, and is just stopping everything. Doesn't seem to be in pain, but it is hard to watch him and be so helpless.

We expect some rain today or tonight or maybe tomorrow, and we really need it. Yesterday, driving down to Baraboo to meet friends Tom and Bea, we saw the damage done by flooding all over the middle of the state. There were empty lakes, overfilled rivers and streams, barren fields, piles of gravel and sand where they didn't belong, and long detours. But we need rain here - we are seeing almost the same dry July that we've had for several years. It would be nice to have a summer of adequate moisture.

The clematis on the gazebo is blooming beautifully right now. It makes a pretty view from the deck. And the Heuchera - Coral Bells - beneath the front yard birch tree is lovely. Much of the rest of the yard is coming into its full growth, though a little rain and some real heat would really push them into full growth.

Blooming this week for the first time: Shasta Daisies, one Purple Coneflower (despite the fact that they are in bloom profusely all over the city,) Gloriosa Daisies, butterfly weed (Aesclepsis), Coreopsis (maybe they were starting last week..),the new hydrangeas on the east side of the house, Monarda, hostas, Tiger Daylilies, ajuga, and more that I've probably forgotten. In full glory are the Stella d'Oro lilies, various clematis, most of the annuals, delphinium, heuchera (but not the red ones leading up to the front door), margaurite daisies, and, again, some I've likely forgotten.

5 days away and what a difference...

2008-07-01T21:08:00.009-05:00

We left for a conference last Wednesday and left the yard well tended and in the care of neighbors. It never fails to amaze me how much and how fast things grow at this time of year. In the winter we can go weeks with no real change, but in June things change almost before your eyes, and certainly a great deal is different when you go away for 5 days and come back.

When we left we had just gotten everything planted and settled in. Now it seems to be well established. The tiny rabbits that seem to be all over the yard are consuming things every day, but even they can't keep up with the amount of growth that is going on.When we got back the grass needed cutting, and I had a pretty full day dragging the compost container around the yard and filling it over and over with the spent flowers of the columbine, the fully blooming flowers of the lambs ears that needed to be removed before they set seed, and various other things gone past their prime. Almost all the tulips are ready to be plucked out, the terrible weeds are few and easily identifiable.

A technique that I use to identify the weeds easily is possibly indicative of my personality: I scan the garden I'm working on and hope to find perfection. Inevitably, something that just isn't right sticks out and becomes all I can see. It is usually a weed, and I can take care of it. This tendancy leads me to be pulling and cutting out weeds pretty much any time I walk around the garden seeking perfection that is never quite there. But it serves me well in getting closer and closer.

Mid June, Almost Summer

2008-06-15T20:54:00.003-05:00

Things are really settling into summer now. There is no fear of frost and all leaves are relaxed and growing confidently. We have almost finished moving the pile of wood chips out of the driveway and into the beds where they are needed. Just about three or four wheel barrows full remain on the concrete. I wonder weather the rain falling on them and thru them does good things or bad things to their chemistry. Or maybe nothing.

The trough on the deck is looking very beautiful lately. Our friend ( and 'second best' man in our wedding) Tim made it for us many years ago. I planted it then, and have left it outside year round since. Some things live and some don't, but mainly it comes back every year with something intact to form the basis for a pretty growing season.

The water lily is blooming. This year I decided not to put any tropical floating plants in the pond, and let the lily expand to its full capacity. It is nearly filling the pond already, and its early.

This photo, while not great, is a glimpse of the glory that is the nine-bark bush at the southeast corner of the gazebo garden. The shrub is pretty during its entire season of leaves, but most beautiful now that it is in bloom.

And the hostas beneath the willow are really stunning right now. I can't believe they came from a SAM's Club box.

Everything is Growing!

2008-06-10T20:38:00.004-05:00

Even the weeds. In fact, mainly the weeds. Walking around the yard today I was pleased with the growth of the things I planted in the last weeks. But the weeds that I thought I was ahead of are catching up. This weekend will require much fine tuning and probably some poisons. I do try to be as organic as I can, but there is still a place for the judicious use of Round-Up here and there.

Rain!

2008-06-08T20:06:00.005-05:00

Whoo Hoo! Two and a half inches and counting, with no severe weather. So far it's perfect. It can stop now, but if it goes another inch it will be ok. The wind over the last several days really took its toll, and dried things out severely. But they are re-saturated now for sure. The creek is up to the top of its banks, and there is a secondary channel through the yard. This is really good to settle things in.

Even the cats are happy with the soft earth. Kate has found a cushion of dying leaves of early squills that she really loves to sleep in. They will only last a couple more weeks at most, but for now it is heavenly.

Early June, Finishing Up

2008-06-07T15:28:00.015-05:00

Well, my predictions of finishing all the planting last weekend didn't quite come to fruition. And of course, it is impossible for me to stop buying new things this early in the season. So, there was plenty to do today. I decided to put the elephant ear in the new deck planter. As I dug it up to transplant it from the flat it was growing in to the planter, I was surprised to find out that I had planted it upside down. I just don't have a good sense of how to handle the bulbs/rhizomes/tubers/?? of this plant. I'll have to study up on it. Despite being oriented incorrectly, they were growing pretty well, so I think they'll take off once the hot weather comes. Had a couple left over, so I planted up a pot full of them to move to a blank spot later on.

I threw away the agave plant that I've had for many years, having brought it home from Arizona. I think it was from the yard of the old man across the street from Mom & Dad's first house there. But its really meant to get much larger than I can afford to let it, and so it never looked good in that pot. I saved the single crown of a Queen Victoria agave, which is smaller and more well behaved. We'll see how that goes alone.

Planted allysum under the red cannas, put the two seedlings of 4 o'clocks in that bed also. 6 plants of Sundial Fuchsia moss roses in various cracks under the gazebo. I had a flat of marigolds that I couldn't find a place for, and finally put them under the correopsis among the ageratum. Added an eggplant to the vegetable garden, and also plunked in a single cleome seedling that had been among the elephant ears. Shopping at Steins this morning I found some beautiful hardy mum plants that were of sale for a pretty good price. So I bought 8 of them and put 6 into the tricorn garden in front. I hope they really are hardy.

Put the Sago palm that I've had for many years out onto the front porch to get it used to being outside. Usually I do that earlier in the year, but this year it was actually making new leaves during May and I didn't want to risk it. It looks pretty on the front porch, with the heuchera in full glory, new leaves still vibrant and young, but fully grown

Looking for rain as I write this. We had an inch this week, but then a hot dry very windy day yesterday took it all out. There are storms around, but so far nothing except enough to make it hard to sit out on the deck.

Also blooming this week: the wild viburnum in the woods are beautiful. Anenomie Canadensis, Japanese Lilac, astilbe that didn't get "frosted", Iris, Wiegalia, hosta in front, shorter larger allium near pond, beautiful columbines - many colors, all over in full bloom.

Planting Week 2008

2008-06-01T14:53:00.003-05:00

The last three days have been pretty much nonstop planting and finalizing the Summer of 2008 look for the gardens. The frost on Wednesday was the last hurrah of the winter, and now I am confident that the weather will hold. I'm still seeing damage from the frost, but I trust that the things I plant out now will survive.

Finished the basic planting in the garden: tomatoes, peppers, cucumber have joined the broccoli, onions and potatoes that went in three weeks ago. I even put basil out into the herb garden. The flower gardens are evolving: put out the wave petunias, some alyssum, planted the pots for the deck. Finally decided what to do with the tall, green cannas, and put them out into the garden in front of the deck. Finished weeding and chipping the beds around the back yard, and am ready to finish tomorrow with any luck.

The dogwoods are blooming beautifully this week. Also in bloom: Bachelor's Button, wild geranium, swelling buds on the viburnum along the creek. Finally got a shot of the mother duck and her ducklings. Very cute.

The last tree to break leaves and begin to create shade is the Mullberry that I got from our friends Tom and Bea about, oh, ten? years ago. Took home a two foot sapling from their yard and planted it at the edge of the woods. Now it is 30 feet tall, and at least 5 feet inside of the treeline. I guess, as my father urged us when we first bought this property, we have let the treeline e dg e out into the yard,. It's not like we don't have plenty of lawn still. Less each year, perhaps, but still a large amount of monoculture to keep up and mow. Some day this will all be gardens,with only a tiny bit of lawn to create paths between them.

There are very interesting formations on the Austrian Pines that I've not noticed before. I think they are inflorescences, may mostly fall off with a few becoming cones if they are fertilized. Never noticed them before.

Frost Damage Shows Itself

2008-05-29T19:19:00.006-05:00

The frost damage is revealing itself all over the yard. Boy, that was really a hard one. The astilbe is done for the year most likely. The leaves will be ok, and it will come back next year, but the flowers will not appear this year. My very favorite hosta, the one that I bought last year at the Gardens of the Fox Cities sale and paid more than I thought I should for, had about 10 leaves killed off. I think it will recover, and I hope it will be the dramatic focal point I want it to be. But this is a setback. I am amazed how hard the joe-pye weed took it - tips of most of the shoots are blackend and weeping. It will interesting to see how it adapts. I hope it won't become a bushy short plant instead of the tall drama queen it is usually. Everywhere I look, something has taken a hit. All of the alliums were drooping yesterday, but they seem to have recovered. The hydrangeas each have nipped leaves. There are several oriental lilies that seem wilted and unhappy. The only way to avoid this would be to plant only extremely hardy plants. And that would be boring. So, I'll do the best with what is here, replace the things that can't hang on, and hope for better years.

The rain is still not here, but all signs seem to say it will come. In fact the predictions are for more than they said yesterday. Lin says she heard up to 2 inches. I've seen 1 predicted. We could use 3 or 4 without any problems, so I'll take whatever comes.

The Orioles were all around the yard again today, I saw them two or three times and heard them almost constantly.

Blooming now for the first time this week: Bachelor's Buttons, Allium, wild Geraniums, absolutely beautiful Dogwoods, Lamium, Lily of the Valley, Columbine, . Buds swelling on the iris and the peonies. Flower stalks coming on the Statice and the lambs ears. Asparagus is providing a meal every three or four days. Rhubarb is still young and sweet.