Ledge and Gardens

'Yard Crashers' at Ledge and Gardens

Front Row: Kiki, Meena, Rohan,Sister Lyn, Kasey,Sister Kathy, Layanee Second Row: Linda, Miggy, Brenda,Sister Eileen Third Row Standing: Beth, Laura, Daughter Emily with BIL Steve behind her, Mom, Rob, BIL Bob(in back),Rocky, Pat, Chris the EM, Gisele and John  Missing: Joyce Chapman, Nicole, Ronan & Wyatt Cardarelli
When the doctor says "no digging, dividing, edging, mulching, yadda, yadda, yadda, what is a gardener to do? We all know most doctors are not that specific. What they say is "No lifting anything over 10 lbs." Oh, you can try to do those things but the body rebels and reminds you, not so gently but with pain, that you had better listen. Well, this gardener is a fairly fatalistic person. What doesn't get done this spring will get done during the summer (maybe) or fall months. This year is different though. The local garden club, of which I am a member, is having a fund raising garden tour on June 2nd. Early June is a magical time in the garden. Usually. Fresh green foliage bears no tatters from foraging insects this early in the season and moisture is in abundance. The bleeding hearts are still bearing their blooms, the alliums are standing tall in the border, the edges of the beds are crisp and clean. Usually.

The people

This year, with little strength to clean up beds and borders, family and friends came to help. Daughter Emily arranged a party and a party there was. Over twenty came with rakes, shovels, pruners, edgers and other various tools to clean up and clean out. In one day the gardens were spiffed and shined with adults, kids and dogs all having a good time. The age range was four to eighty eight. Yes, I caught my Mom weeding and buffing up the border inside the fence. She also made two apple pies and a pot of baked beans. How does one keep up with that? One just hopes one has inherited those traits. Some friends who arrived to help don't really love to garden. The Beverage/Mulch Cart
Some have never gardened or even smelled the scent of a blooming lily of the valley flower. In this digitized world where many of us connect electronically, where good manners seem to have disappeared, where despair concerning the ability to effect any real help or change to the war torn and food deprived people of the world, this day was the essence of human goodness. Lending a helping hand seems such a small act. I can tell you that it is not. It is one of the biggest. Making someone else's life, day or moment a bit better is a grand gesture. My Sunday was full of grand gestures. Thank you to all who came. I will try to pass these along one day at a time. Has there been a grand gesture in your life recently?

If you are interested in the Gentian Garden Club Garden Tour presenting 'Gentian's Gems', on June 2nd, rain or shine, click here for ticket information.              

April Showers

April showers have been scarce this year. So scarce that some emerging foliage has brown tips and flowering shrubs have dropped their blooms prematurely. The rain came on Sunday much to the relief of this gardener and the garden. Last year, the garden looked like this on April 26th. Today, it is much fuller and the daffodils in the river of daffs are well past bloom. Every year has its own gardening challenges and this year proves to be no exception. I would have liked to move many plants around prior to this but given the dry conditions, I would not have done it even if I were physically able. I am trying to be content sitting on this bench and making lists. It is not nearly as rewarding as edging, dividing and spreading compost but there are pretty blossoms above.The Carolina silver bell is starting to bloom and with moisture and cooler temperatures in the forecast, the blooms should give a very good show. Are your blooms ahead or behind schedule in your garden this season?

The Blue Eyed Tulip - Tulipa humilis 'Alba Coerulea Oculata'

There is a rather dear little species tulip which is clear white with a lavender blue eye. It bloomed in my garden this week until the heat hit it and knocked it right over. Species tulips can be a bit pricey and the price is one of the reasons I only have about five of these little bulbs. At barely five inches tall this tulip needs a place of prominence in the garden. Mine are growing next to the stone bench by the fish pond. This bench is a wonderful place to contemplate the beginning or the end of the day accompanied by a cup of coffee or a glass of wine. The little blue eyed tulips, Tulipa humilis 'Alba Coerulea Oculata' sit right at the foot of the bench. When faced with an unusual plant with a high price tag, I find that trying just a few in the garden can do either of two things. Both of those things depend on the performance of the treasure. Sometimes the pictures in a catalog are deceiving with the promise of impossible colors and performance. Sometimes the plant in question fails to emerge from the spring soil. If this happens, only a few dollars have been spent and knowledge and experience are added to the gardener's data base.  The second scenario can be costly. The plant in question performs beautifully and the gardener wants more. A large drift of this little tulip would be lovely. They can cost as much as $2.00 per bulb. Blue is a much coveted color in the garden and blue and white are clear and clean and restful to the eyes.  Do you think they are worth the cost? Should I get a few more?

Five Years and Counting

Five years ago today, it was Easter Sunday and the date of the first blog post of Ledge and Gardens. Any new venture opens many doors and many of those doors have unexpected treasures behind them. I started blogging in order to share my garden and garden experiences with others. What I have gained is so much more than what I have given. I have made so many wonderful friends through garden writing and blogging. It is quite interesting to follow the seasons up the east coast, enjoy the late winter and spring gardens of Austin, TX, learn whole new plant palettes from the west coast and jump the pond to find that there are different tools and different terms for familiar garden tasks. The middle of the country sends its weather east and I can often preview  the week's temperatures by looking a bit west. The garden has changed in five years. I only have to look back at posts to see that the plants in the pond garden's south border have doubled in size. The vegetable gardens changes a bit year to year and blog posts do provide a written and pictoral guide on which to reflect. By far, the biggest benefit has been finding other plant lovers. People who love dirt under their nails, the smell of fresh compost and the gratification of a newly edged bed. My thanks to all of you who read this blog. Please leave me a comment today so I can personally thank you. Comments are very much appreciated. Enjoy this day.       

Mother Nature's Whims and Garden Benches

View from the Winter Garden Bench
What is a garden without a garden bench or two? I rarely visit a garden that has no sitting area. In England, each garden I have visited has had several different areas for sitting, lounging, sipping a beverage or just contemplating the garden. My garden has several benches. Woodland Garden Bench

One is by the fish pond, one is in the winter garden in the midst of the now blooming bulbs, one is in the woodland area. In addition, there is a table and chairs for dining al fresco on the patio and an additional table up in the pool area (yes, I am very lucky). The eating areas get the most use, of course, and the bench by the fish pond does get a workout although the workouts are short.

Fish Pond Garden Bench

Five minutes is usually the limit of bench meditation time here since gardens surrounding the bench cry out for attention at every given moment. It is always somewhat of a joke to see benches in gardens where gardening is an aerobic activity. Many gardeners I know rarely sit on their benches. This season, I have found just how essential they are. This spring, nature surprised the garden with more than just 80 degree March weather. On the first of March, this gardener was sidelined for the spring gardening season. It doesn't always happen to someone else...well, the lottery does, but a hiccup in health can happen to any of us at any time. The view from the Fish Pond Bench
A routine chest x-ray turned up a not so routine mass on my left lung and both mass and lower lung lobe were removed on 3-23. The prognosis is good. I am not whining, well, not any more, but the reality of major surgery is major recuperation time and much of that time will be spent on the garden benches out in the garden. Pushing wheelbarrows full of compost will have to wait until mid-June at the earliest and may wait until fall.

The Winter Garden Bench

A perennial garden reverts quite quickly to the wild but my pointing finger still works and I am fortunate to have friends and family who have offered to help.  I have already found that sitting still is a challenge. It helps to have a pair of pruners in ones pocket. Fortunately, my right hand still has strength. Snip, snip will help make plants stronger of shape and form and snip, snip in the form of surgery has given me a new appreciation for good health, a great and supportive family and wonderful friends. Don't wait until you have to sit and enjoy the view. Enjoy it every day.    

Wordless Wednesday - March 21, 2012

Bloom Day - March 15, 2012

I missed Bloom Day one year ago. There was still much snow on the ground and temperatures were cool. This year, however, we have had an unseasonably warm winter and a very warm week although today was cool. Warm temperatures push blooms and buds and while I have a sense of impending doom in the form of fear. Fear of real cold and real cold damage to now tender growth, I am going to embrace Nature's gifts this March and push that worry aside at least for today. The winter aconites are ten days ahead of last year's bloom and there have been new additions to the gardens and the lawn this year. Fall planted spring blooming bulbs have started their display. I planted two patches of Crocus tommasinianus and while they are small, they are thrilling. I will plant more, right in the lawn which gets no weed killer(stating the obvious here given its condition). The real thrill is in the I. histroides var major x winogradowii 'Katherine Hodgkin' pictured at the top of this post. Her delicate wedgewood blue is easily overlooked but upon close inspection is superb in detailed perfection. I look forward to seeing your new blooms this season and, as always, I thank Carol of May Dreams for her hosting of Bloom Day which lets all of us take a peak into new gardens the world around.  

Invisible Bees

Yes, I know they are out there. The bees are leaving their marks in the form of footprints. Bees are hard to capture in a photo and especially difficult when they are 'doing their bee business' in the flowers of the snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis. The pollen covered anthers are tucked well inside the cup of this diminutive flower and can only be seen if one picks the flower. Not a bad idea since the fragrance is full and heady. I had almost forgotten about that fragrance. A good friend and fellow blogger, Kathy of Cold Climate Gardening, posted here about her little snowdrop bouquets and reminded me that the first scent of spring should not be missed. The snowdrops have been up and 'in the white' for several weeks now but cool temperatures kept them tight white with no hint of that delightful, unique and green chevron which marks the inner tepals of the flower. This green mark serves to attract and guide pollinators to the nectar source and it also provides a spot for photosynthesis thus increasing the amount of energy reserves of this plant. But, back to the bees. They have left their marks on the white petals as they scamper here and there in their late winter frenzy of activity spurred on by an unusually warm day. Little bits of pollen are left in their wake. I have not seen them but I do know they were there. There are over twenty species of snowdrops and many different cultivars. There are some gardeners who are very interested in owning many of these but I am happy with just this species. You can read more about them here. The subtleties of the cultivars are lost on me. Some have a small petticoat and some have a wider green chevron but I will leave those to the avid devotees and just long for great sweeps of white. Those sweeps happen slowly. I don't remember where I got my first clump of snowdrops but I think they arrived amid the tangled roots of a 'passalong' plant given by a friend. The bulbs of Galanthus are really a bit dear given their size and proclivity for spreading but perhaps that is the reason. You really don't need to keep ordering them. Just spread the seed heads around when they are ripe and they sprout here and there. Or, you can divide the clumps and enjoy the show the following year.   How about you? Have you seen any bees in the garden yet or pollinators of any kind? Have you seen any bee footprints?    

Wickets in June

The view of a bridge can evoke many different responses depending on the style, setting and size of that bridge. The bridge at Wickets leads one into green pastures, quite literally. The handrails are a serene robin's egg blue with a graceful arch which spans a small pond. It can be seen from the formal garden where it teasingly beckons but one can't leave the garden rooms quickly. There is much too much to see within the portals of the gate. The gateway into the garden or, rather gardens, is on the side of the fairytale cottage. From the front of the cottage there is little to indicate the many garden rooms, lush borders and verdant pastures waiting for exploration behind the house. I saw this garden in two stages. The first lasted a good hour before our group was ushered across the street to enjoy tea and treats in a lovely community room as storm clouds gathered. During our tea the wind blew and the rain fell and once it stopped, I ventured back across the street to further explore the now rose petal laden paths. I had missed the chickens and the back seating area. It is not unusual to find several chickens clucking about a garden in England. In fact, it is unusual not to find them.  Most pictures were taken before the storm in the filtered light of a cloudy day which always produces better photographs. The exception is the one of the petal strewn grass paths and the one above of these chickens where the color difference is dramatic. The shadows are longer and darker and the colors very bright.  No English garden is complete without a gravel area and the gravel garden at Wickets is home to a lovely sculpture which views the garden from a thoughtful pose. It is off to the left side of the property. Directly behind the house is just one of the many inviting sitting areas. Breakfast on this patio would be more than divine. Lady's mantle spills across the pavers with frothy green flowers while shrub roses embrace the table. The scent is divine. The borders are impossibly lush with alliums bigger than basketballs although the full spectrum of different sized globes are well represented.  Winding paths lead one through the garden and there is always something to see along the way as the grass path travels around the property. We visited in June and there was no lack of color. I have never seen such large purple leaf elderberry shrubs or roses so lush.  The elderberry grow eight to ten feet in height in this part of Essex. Mine have never reached higher than three feet. It must be a testament to longer days and milder winters. The grass paths meander through room after garden room until finally leading over that beguiling bridge. The bridge is in the 'wild' zone and leads to a grassy knoll with a bench almost hidden by that swaying grass. It was impossible not to take a moment to sit on that bench and enjoy the view which the garden owners, Susan and Doug Copeland, admirably framed with pines on the left. Mowing the field grass in front of the knoll directs the eye to the view beyond. This garden was created with love and plant knowledge and also a keen knack for framing a view. This is a view one could ponder season upon season, year after year. I would never tire of it, would you?

Color in the Garden

I have mentioned before that, to me, February feels like the longest month of the year. It drags and drags and this year is no exception. Just four days ago I woke to the above scene. Fortunately this lasted just a day and today there were a couple bright spots in the garden. The snowdrops are showing white, pure and elegant even when skirted by brown leaf debris. I would love to have those huge swaths of snowdrops which are seen on old English estates. I have only seen them in pictures and wonder, will I live long enough to see these multiply to that degree? There is no telling. Last year the snowdrops waited until the second week in March to crack color but then last year there was still snow on the ground. The crocus followed the snowdrops by a week but here they are in full and glorious color while February toils on. These gifts of the garden are quite small and it does take a bit of attention and searching to find them. It is worth the search as the hope of finding new growth is never as satisfying as the reality. I did find one other treasure stretching out of its fetal position. March is still two days off but the march of color has begun. What is catching your eye in your own garden today?