Ledge and Gardens

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - May 15, 2013

In May, the question is not 'what is blooming' but 'what is not' which seems more appropriate. It has been a very cool spring which has been easy on the flowers. They last much longer with cool temperatures and while many plants are blooming a bit later, there is more overlap of bloom and more time to appreciate those blooms. The crabapples are blooming and none is prettier than this 'Prairie Fire' above. I love  the lipstick magenta color along with the subtle scent of the flowers. The Carolina Silverbell is blooming as well. Its white bells light up the garden it is shading. Fothergilla has a curious flower, don't you think? Lime green shows in the buds and they mature to a soft creamy white. Moving to ground, the bleeding hearts are off and running. I moved several white ones from the woods where there were seedlings growing. Borne on the wind or carried by creatures, these seeds germinated twenty feet or so from the garden bed of their parents. They seem happy next to the forget-me-nots which were gifted to me by my neighbors, The Dynamic Duo. Camassia are showing their blue in the 'Stonehenge' garden. They have been inundated with other perennials and a bit of cleanup will soon be necessary. The tulips and daffodils are fading but with such an abundance of bloom they will be remembered fondly. Thank you to Carol of May Dreams for hosting another Bloom Day. I do hope to visit your garden via her links. Do you have a favorite bloom for Bloom Day in May? 

Sprigs and Shoots

In the spring, the morning walk with the dogs yields something new each day. The hellebores are in full bloom and require a worm's view to capture a picture as their flowers nod to the ground rather than the sky. Thick and sturdy shoots on the Hosta sieboldiana 'Elegans' have emerged this week. Not all hosta have such fat shoots. This is a large hosta and one which performs well each year. It has glaucous blue foliage which measures a good eight to ten inches across. In contrast, the small blooms of Acer shiraswanum 'Aureum' are worth a very close look. Delicate and colorful, they would go unnoticed by the less curious. From a distance, these flowers are virtually invisible. The walk by must be slow. There are many subtle blooms in spring. I have one shrub, Corylopsis pauciflora, the buttercup witchhazel, which is very stubborn. It does not share its flowers easily. This year there are two on this shrub which has been planted in the border for several years. I am on the edge of its hardiness zone so perhaps that is the reason for its sparsity. The undervalued and underused epimediums are starting to bloom. Dry shade is a challenge for any gardener but I don't see this plant in too many gardens that I visit. It has beautiful flowers and wonderful foliage. The flowers can be white through pink/red and yellow through orange. What a range of color. There is one called 'Orange Queen' which is on the must have list. This morning, sun was shining through the newly emerging leaves of the bottlebrush buckeye, Aesculus parviflora. The foliage turns green as it matures but this bronzy hue warms up a cool spring morning. Every day is a new day in the spring garden. What is warming your soul in the garden this year?

Buried Buttercups

Well, they are not really buttercups but the winter aconite, Eranthis hyemalis, is a member of the same family as the buttercup, Ranunculaceae. The one above is currently being buried by yet another layer of snow. Snow which will not last long given the prediction of fifty degree weather for the coming weekend. I hope this is the last snow of the season but, if not, the thought of the cheery yellow aconites and the clear white snowdrops snuggled under this newest downy blanket waiting much more patiently for a warm day than this gardener will keep me hopeful. Spring's march is often slow this month, more like a toddle or a shuffle but soon there will be no holding her back. Spring is an action word, after all.

The Tide Recedes

The snow is disappearing like the tide. The edges are clearly visible. Each day a bit more snow is chiseled away. The back south facing border is now bare of snow and I am wondering why I didn't add a river of snowdrops to this border. I can picture them weaving under the trees and shrubs. Note to self: Plant snowdrops under the shrubs in the back border. The fishpond is still frozen over and looking to the west along the long border and then on to the sunny border, quite a bit of snow still covers the gardens. No matter. This gardener is often overwhelmed by huge tasks and finds it much easier to approach the garden cleanup one bed at a time. A good mantra for anyone. The winter garden is in dire need of a good cleanup having been neglected last year. Goldenrod and briars are getting a foothold. Full battle gear will be required to uproot these thugs. Today it was sunny but cold and the wind was whipping around tearing the scarf from ones neck and slipping its tendrils down the collar and up the hem.
Today's gardening chores involved finishing a seed order and reading a bit. Still, the garden beckons. The skeletal paper blooms on the Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' are still standing strong for the most part but in the next couple of weeks this shrub will get a rather severe haircut. It is not unusual for 'Limelight' to push five or six feet of new growth in one season and clipping it hard in mid-March just serves to encourage bigger blooms and a wider girth which is desired in the garden if not the gardener.

Note: All pictures in this post were taken on 3/4/13.     

March 1, 2013

The first day of March cannot go unnoticed here. Goodbye February and as for winter, now you really have your marching orders. Every year is different and this March begins with snow covering most of the garden. Last year there were crocus in bloom in February and snowdrops in full bloom around the first of March. The winter aconites were also starting their sunny show. Only one small patch of snowdrops is even visible right now but there are warmer days ahead. This post is here to encourage the blooms. With a bit of warmth it takes just a short time for color to show. Let the games begin.

Signs of Spring

There is a perceptible change in the light levels here in the garden at the end of February. Last nights dusting of snow outlined and frosted the garden dressing it up for a photo op. While the weather is still quite cold with temperatures hovering just above freezing during the day, the buds on trees and shrubs are getting fat with expectation. I know I am expecting warmer weather soon. The garden is still covered with a good six inches of snow and the high plowed piles will be around for a while but the brightness of morning comes a bit earlier and evening much later. There are very few snowdrops visible as most are still buried but this small clump by the house is showing a bit of white. Can blooms be far behind? What signs of spring are you seeing in your garden?

Shattered Grasses

February is a time of broken plants and delayed dreams here at Ledge & Gardens. Heavy snows have shattered the once stately grasses and they lie bent, broken and ragged. The small grasses are invisible wrapped tightly under the white blanket. These grasses are usually burned in March but only time will tell if the sodden lumps left after the snow leaves will ignite.  The noticeably longer days have unfulfilled promise and only the indoor garden provides a bit of greenery to keep the spirits up. Today, the wind is howling outside. The hyacinths are giving off a spring scent. The seed catalogs are still arriving. What are you doing to keep sane during this month of February?

Winter Interest

I know everyone is tired of hearing of the big Northeast snowstorm. That it made such a splash on the news is good in a way. It means that there were no school shootings or major political incidents. I will take weather hype over those stories any day but I am tired of it as well. I am also living with the aftermath. New England should have snow in the winter and it does but not usually over 20" at a time. Twenty inches of snow is fairly impossible to walk through. The EM had to get to the tractor in order to plow. The barn is a good 300' from the house. I had to poke a hole in the snow cover over the fishpond. That is only fifty feet or so away from the walk but it was quite a chore to get there. There is a circulator in the pond but that much snow capped it which could cause the fish to die. I left the seedheads of Autumn Joy sedum for winter interest but they have disappeared in most of the garden. These by the shed are visible due to the high winds blowing the snow off their location.  Gardening is a regional activity and winter interest means different things to different people all over the world. Winter interest in Texas can mean blooming bulbs. Winter interest in Florida can mean gardenias and orange blossoms.

Cornus with clouds of snow

In Buffalo, winter interest can mean trees and forced bulbs in the indoor garden. I have a better sense of a more northerly approach to winter interest at this time in mid-February. My attention is drawn to the garden accents which are spread around the garden. The colorful birdhouse on the hook in the long border adds pretty contrast to gray and white. The orange globe in the sunny border is warming me with its glow. So, what is keeping your garden interesting at the moment? Is it inside or outside? Is it man made or natural?  Perhaps it is just the trees which come into their own this time of year. Whatever it is, please share it as I need a bit more winter interest when the snow is more than knee deep.

Back to the Cold

Last week I was frolicking with the Sandhill Cranes on the golf course in Titusville, FL. My Mom has a winter home there and mid-January seemed a good opportunity to visit with her and enjoy the warmth. Timing is everything. I was away when the cold arctic air descended on much of the country last week. Florida was sunny and relatively warm. When one leaves the garden for a week in June there are drastic changes. In January, not so much. The only major change was to the thermometer. There were subtle changes. The rhododendron leaves exhibit a curling response to the cold and when it is very cold, they really shiver. There was a sprinkling of snow on the garden when I returned. When the temperature dips to single digits it is best to have a heavy blanket on the beds both inside and out.Some things are out of our control and only time will tell if the low temps have caused any major damage. Many gardeners take chances with plants which are on the edge of their hardiness zone. I rarely take that chance any longer. Mother Nature has trained me in this regard. What about you? Do you have any 'On Edge' plants which you are worried about this winter?     

After the Snow

December's weather has turned noticeably milder since that walk in the snow. Green has emerged from under its depths. The snow is a thing of the past. The moss is glowing and the grass is still green. Well, the lawn grass is still green. The ornamental grasses have browned and the leaves of the Hydrangea macrophyllas are sagging like wet rags.
The oak leaf hydrangea is retaining its leathery leaves and they are still looking quite fresh. The days are almost at their shortest. There are chores left undone but perhaps this week there will be time. Time to tuck in a few stray bulbs, cut back some annuals which filled out the perennial border and time to enjoy the little treasures nature provides during the dormant season. What ornaments are you finding in your garden this time of year?