clay and limestone

Mishing And Mashing on Monday

2009-12-07T05:00:00.006-06:00

Thank goodness there is kale for winter color.

We've had our coldest day of the winter at 22 degrees and everything that was blooming is a memory. So, I am so very appreciative of the winter kale and cabbages that I've planted here and there in the garden. This is my favorite~~ I love the lacy texture.With no snow white blanket over the garden~~ kales and cabbages are important winter color. But that's not all...They survive winter assaults and keep on looking good for most of the winter here in our zone 7-ish garden. Here's what you can look forward to each spring. Sweet yellow blooms that look especially nice with the tulips. You'll also have loads of little fluttering Cabbage White Butterflies for most of the summer. There are no photos of them in the C&L archives to show you. They are nearly impossible to capture ....But, they are one of the most common little butterflies in the USA and you've probably all seen them.

Now, if you want these nice yellow flowers, you'll have to forgo the temptation to pull the scraggly looking plant out in late winter or early spring. Just let those surviving plants alone and they will set buds and bloom...They are so worth it for me. Maybe not if you're growing broccoli and cabbages~~You can always use row covers to protect those crops from the cabbage white lopers;-) Don't the yellow flowers look especially sweet with violas? (flowering kale spring 2009)

Did you mind the fast forward to spring? Shall we get back to the now!

The little birds are here almost every morning. They arrive once the sun peaks over the tree tops and warms up the patio. They are fun to watch and occasionally a good photo can be captured through the glass doors.
They jostle each other for space on the feeder...It might be time to fill all the feeders! One of my favorite little guys...Mr Tufted Titmouse! Isn't he a perky little fellow! He's waiting for me to replace the suet.

Speaking of birds, I wanted to show you this photo from my trip to Providence. We were on our way out of town and chanced to look out the hotel window to see this sight~

What do you suppose the pigeons know about the roof at this house? Camouflage? Warmth? Group think? Don't laugh, pigeons actually do have flock behavior~~When one pigeon flies about looking for predators they all follow suit. We waited quite a while for the elevator and they never flew away. What a fascinating roost....I hope their tootsies were warm....and the folks living there don't mind.

Thanks for joining me on Mish Mash Monday~The brainchild of Monica of Garden Faerie's Musings.

I do hope you've all had a wonderfully peaceful and restful weekend.

Gail

Tell Me, Please

2009-12-04T08:00:00.001-06:00

Do you see what I see?
It's that cunning peahen!

Somehow she has found a way into my garden and has settled in!

She's a clever girl and has even managed to fly away from the neighbor's bothersome cat!

If she thinks she's here for keeps, she has another think coming!

I have responsibilities!

The little birds need my attention!
They are cute and pose so adorably

If given a choice would you opt for a big bird that pecks at your plants and makes a lot of noise or the sweetest little birds ever?
Sigh!

Tell me please! Is You Big Softy written across my forehead?

Gail

ps Is there anyone out there who wants to adopt this beauty? Kim, don't you think Gizmo needs a friend? Marmee, do you have room on the farm? Marnie, I know you like birds! Frances, Kitty needs an outdoor pal! Sweetbay, she could certainly take out those Japanese Beetles! Hey, all you Texas gardeners, have I got a treat for you!

Wild Flower Wednesday~~Sugar Frosted Seedheads

2009-12-02T05:00:00.004-06:00

(Don't forget to enlarge the photos)

False Dragonhead seedheads have been left to stand all winter.

It's Wildflower Wednesday and the planned wildflower post was set aside
when I saw the garden all frosted white. The weather had been humid and chilly when we went to sleep and this morning everything was covered with frost...The roofs were so white it looked like a light snow cover. There was no stopping me from grabbing my camera and trying to capture as much of the icy beauty before the sun melted it all. The seedheads of liatris, silkgrasses, goldenrods, asters and The Susans have all been left to reseed or feed the critters. Those long limbs to the left are Natchez 'Crape Myrtle'....underplanted with spirea, goldenrods and monardas.They have never looked better then covered with frost and glistening in the sunrise.
The pink and burgundy leaves of the x-asters massed beneath the Bur Oak look fantastic frosted....When I stained the garden chairs purple, I had hoped for snow cover to make them pop, but they look wonderful
Each summer The Susans cover this area~Now you can see the River Oats, amsonias, asters, cotinus and juniper share the space, too.

The spireas never looked better~which is good, I had been planning to move them to the wayback backyard! Now they have a reprieve...We'll see..that space could still be used for a wildflower or two.

A spiderweb has knit the branches of a crape myrtle together.

What would a frosted garden be without at least one rose.

Fairy Queen.

There's no denying that Nashville's long growing season has come to an end! What a glorious end it has been!

Gail

ed. Just a quick note~~surgery has been rescheduled and I couldn't be happier!

Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart.
Victor Hugo

It's All In Your Perspective

2009-11-30T04:00:00.005-06:00

I hope you enlarge this photo

Our Providence, RI hotel room overlooked India Point Park at the confluence of the the Blackstone and Providence Rivers. Walking distance from our son's apartment. The park is an interesting amalgam of wind twisted trees, invasives and natives, old moorings and calm waters, where scullers row and swans float.

Do you see the wire sculpture on the old moorings?

In the distance you can see the towers of the hydro-electric plant. But, at that perfect moment, my eyes only saw
the fantastic sunset reflected upon the waters.

Gail

When I admire the wonder of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in worship of the creator. Indira Gandhi

It Bears Repeating

2009-11-25T07:30:00.001-06:00

Gaura lindheimeri 'Passionate Rainbow'

My blogging friends. You are the best and dearest folks!

Thank you for enriching my life...

Sono veramente grato
Ik ben echt dankbaar
Je suis vraiment reconnaissant
Estoy verdaderamente agradecido
Jag är verkligen tacksam
Jestem naprawdę wdzięczny
Jeg er virkelig taknemmelig
मैं सच में आभारी हूँ
我真的感谢
Estou verdadeiramente agradecido
私は本当に感謝しています
Go here for I am truly grateful translations. I hope I got them right!

For those of you celebrating Thanksgiving...I wish you a joy filled day with loved ones and calorie free foods!

Warmest thoughts of you,

Gail

The Fairy Queen's last bloom

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.

There's Something Strange In The Neighborhood!

2009-11-23T04:00:00.007-06:00

Who ya gonna call?

I'm gonna call meems~she knows about peacocks and peahens! Hoe and Shovel Garden has seen more then its fair share of the beautiful, but pesky critters. Meems has written about how a muster of peafowl had besieged her Florida neighborhood making a big racket and damaging gardens.

We aren't having that problem here~~Just this confused peahen who has been wandering the neighborhood since September. Neighbors have posted on our listserv that they had spotted a "large bird, that sure looked like a peacock". Everyone was convince that the local coyotes would find her. But, here she is 3 months later still exploring and looking for her friends.

This is my first sighting of her. It's kind of eerie to be kneeling in the garden when you hear rustling sounds in the leaves and grass....All kinds of creature possibilities run through your mind. No where on that list is peacock or peahen! So, when I saw what looked like a very large bird, my first thought was that there were Wild Turkeys in my garden! But, there she was, a healthy peahen pecking along the ground. What a time to not have a camera with me....I rushed into the house, sure that she would be gone...She wasn't!
You can tell that she has been socialized to humans. I 'googled' and discovered that "peafowl are very intelligent and adaptable birds. They love to roam around eating bugs and grasses." That they are the only wild birds that will look you in the eye...but, being stared at makes them nervous! "In the wild they live in deciduous tropical rain forests. They sun and preen on a low perch or dig in soft dirt for a warm dirt bath. At night they roost 40-80 feet up in trees, or as high as they can get. Peacocks preen and dry their feather before leaving their perch. Then they drift gracefully down from the trees and walk around their territory, checking things out and feeding. Peacocks are excellent bug hunters, and they like small chunk dog or cat food and poultry feed." Go here for even more info.

She walked away when I approached, but she never fled the scene. In fact, she stared at the gate into the Garden Of Benign neglect for 15 minutes. It sure appeared as if she was waiting for a human to let her into an enclosure. I went back to gardening and she headed for my neighbor's where she appears to be spending the night.

Just in case she returns~~Does anyone need a peahen?

Gail

Fairegarden Style

2009-11-20T04:00:00.002-06:00

The yellow shrub is an azalea! Seriously!

It must be true that the third time's the charm..my trip to Frances' had already been rescheduled twice when Mr I Don't Garden and I headed over the mountains this past weekend. We couldn't have asked for nicer weather with day time temperatures in the high 60's and the sky a fantastic deep blue. Even though we had missed the big time fall color parade, Fairegarden's color was far from over. Just take a peak at this~~ The hollies are luscious. Just what you hope they will come to be when you plant them in your garden. I love this part of the garden~~It's the front yard and even though Frances let's it be, you can see that the design works very well.

This blogger would be remiss if I didn't show you the famous Fairegarden Muhly~~You have to love a grass that continues to dazzle this late in the season. It is extremely happy in this garden. I have no such success, but there is something in the soil...in those magic pebble river stones....that makes the Muhly grow and set seed everywhere. We met at her favorite nursery,Mouse Creek, to do a little gardener bonding before we even got to Fairegarden. Frances knew how much I enjoyed MC and called to make sure that it was open this late in the season. We didn't have near enough time to see all the offerings of Mouse Creek or chat with the owner Ruth. There was time to find several must have plants. They were gently tucked into the car and Mr I followed us on to Fairegarden. Frances and I wanted to visit and the Mr didn't care...He was along for the drive! Technically, Mr I was my driver! He was a sweet heart for agreeing to spend a weekend with two ~~obsessive~~ fascinating gardeners. Luckily, he and The Financier had met before and it looked to me like they had a pretty good time telling stories and rolling their eyes at us!

Just in case you're wondering what plants I had to have: A non-vining clemmie, Salvia guaranitica 'Argentine Skies' and a really nice chrysanthemum....and an interesting looking new cultivar of hybrid Coreopsis 'Red Shift'.

We had a great visit. We spent time really looking at her garden.

Walking through the garden, talking about plants and checking out the views.Gardeners assessing a garden;)
It was so enjoyable I didn't take nearly enough photos! Blood Grass

We took a road trip to the Bald River Waterfall The waterfall was running heavy from the recent rains and trees looked ghostly when photographing straight into the mist and sun.

Above the falls~~ HeucherasWalking Fern and Seersucker Sedge grow everywhere.
It was native plant heaven!
Thank you Frances for taking us to this special spot.

Bat Faced Cuphea

Visiting Fairegarden was a treat. Frances is delightfully funny,
a good hostess and a truly remarkable gardener. This one you must enlarge!

What makes Fairegarden~ Fairegarden?
Full sun? Great drainage? Magic pebbles?

A cuphea grown from seed

Frances adds something special and deeply significant to the mix...
She believes in doing the very best she can with everything she undertakes.

leaves at the Bald River Waterfall~~more on that in another post.

That's her philosophy.
She's not afraid to plunk a plant in a new spot and move it two months later...
Nor, is she afraid to tackle big projects: I mean big~~like an entire concrete staircase!
Go here to see my post about my visit last year and more photos.
Or creating her own Zen Garden, even trying a new look in the existing lawnette.

Some of us talk about our ideas~She makes them happen!
Not a bad way to garden or live.

Gail

It's the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter.
Marlene Dietrich

Doctor, Doctor, Give Me The News!

2009-11-19T04:00:00.002-06:00

Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)

I've had two visits with doctors recently. Last month, the tree doctor made a house call to see a white oak that suddenly dropped 2/3rds of its leaves over night~~It seemed strange to drop so many leaves. My neighbor has lost several oak trees to some kind of fungal disease and we wanted to make sure this oak was healthy. Not the possibly sick oak!

Knock on wood that this tree is fine! Not only would taking a tall oak down mean a sudden change in the garden...it would be very expensive to do. It's situated right next to the front porch steps off the flagstone path. You can see its denuded branches in comparison to the shag bark hickory and oaks that are lit by the setting sun. It's one thing to make a decision to create a sunny garden and remove trees. It's altogether different when the change is forced.

Hammelis virginiana in the GOBN
We have a few leaves at C&L

I met the Doctor at the bottom of the driveway, where he greeted me with a hearty "Hello" and an exuberantly delivered, " Where is your suburban lawn?" As you can see Doctor...there is practically none! Witch Hazels last week

He reassured me that what we were doing~~ Not planting a monoculture of grasses and letting most of the fallen leaves mulch the trees and beds ~~ was the very best garden practice for overall tree health. He shared that he is usually called to a home to see very sick trees in the middle of over fertilized lawns. He and Aaron, the arborist he works with, spend a good deal of their time educating homeowners about maintaining tree health.

We walked around the yard and he gave me the thumbs up on all the trees. Noting that there were a few limbs that needed to be thinned in trees in the wayback backyard. It was late enough in the season that it was hard to see how denuded the tree looked. Most of the trees were similarly denuded by the time he was able to visit. He didn't find any evidence of oozing wounds that might indicate some fungal diseases. He asked if we had done any recent digging around the base of the tree. That's when I told him we removed a concrete walkway and added the flagstones~~ It's possible that the root disturbance and the 2007 drought had combined to stress the tree.
He suggested a conservative plan~~ watch the oak to see what the spring would bring.

The bad news is that it could be dying. But, the good news is that we don't have to take it down immediately.

and,

Yesterday, I saw my orthopedic surgeon about my very sore hand. Several months ago I was diagnosed with de Quervain's Tenosynovitis and was treated with an injection of cortisone. It worked beautifully, but, eventually the pain came back. I have decided to have surgery. It seems to make sense based upon how quickly the cortisone wore off! So on December 3, I will arrive at the surgery center hungry, caffeine deprived, cranky from 5 days off ibuprofin, where I will wait for several hours for a ten minute procedure to release the roof of the tunnel that surrounds the tendons. Believe me it is going to be worth it!
Thanks for listening~~You are the best!
Gail

What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.
Lao Tzu

The Remains Of The Garden~ November 2009

2009-11-16T05:00:00.012-06:00

Welcome to C&L's Bloom Day Celebration!

We are now serving pink sunrises and crisp mornings with our breakfasts~

Coffee with your sunrise is a wonderful way to start the mornings! Grab your cup and have a nice time visiting~~Gail

We do have spots of color here and there. Red leaves on the Rough Leaved Dogwood and the few remaining flowers of New World Asters or ex-asters as our friend Mr McGregor's Daughter refers to them. My favorite spot of color is the purple of the adirondack chairs. Now that the bugs have disappeared it's a good place to sit and dream of next season's garden.

Not all the bugs have gone....A little pesky grasshopper with Coneflower.
Have you met Fred? He's the sulphur butterfly that has been visiting with me for many warm days. He follows me around the garden, teasing me with his flitting and then gently lands on the Pineapple Sage for a rest...I prefer to think of it as posing for me.
A fall blooming crocus...Charming flowers that delight at this time of year...
Salvia 'Coral Nymph' will bloom until a killing frost takes her out...If you're lucky, there will be seedlings next spring.
Flowering cabbage will light up the garden all winter~sometimes it sends up a flower stalk in the spring....It insures the garden has its fair share of Cabbage White Butterflies.

A New World Aster;)

I love Susans and Rudbeckia triloba is tied with all of them for favorite !
A few of the New World Asters that this garden cannot do without!

Hyacinth Bean

A bloom from the Bottle Brush Tree~

Thank you for stopping by~Bloom Day is the creation of Carol, our delightful hostess. For more Bloom Day celebratory hosts then you can imagine pop over to May Dreams Garden.

Gail

Stay tuned for reports on an exciting visit over the mountains to Fairegarden.

Mr I~ Tear Down This Hedge*

2009-11-13T07:24:00.004-06:00

Let's imagine a sunny border in place of Hedge. I so can! It might be like this planting at a rather delightful store that sells pottery, garden accessories and brewing supplies. It's where I found the Bottle Brush Tree that came home with me earlier this week. The designer has done a great job of planting for late season bloom...and for critters! Bees of every kind were busy on the Blanket Flower and the Blackeyed Susans

But they were especially busy buzzing around the large planting of mint.
The bees were everywhere and reminded me of the extensive mint planting at the Lurie Garden in Chicago. (You can go here for a late summer or here for our Spring Fling visit.) Did you know that you can smell blooming mint on the air? It was at the Lurie Garden with it's vast mint planting that I noticed the sound of happy bees and a the hint of spearmint on the air. It was delicious! So surely any full scale sunny border would have to have a mentha or two! I'm imagining the possibilities right now...

Or, perhaps, you might enjoy this planting of Mexican Bush Sage at Cheekwood Garden...It was close to noon and with no clouds it looks even more fluorescent. Salvia leucantha is spectacular in a fall garden and it's still fall here. It was covered with bees; a buzzing frenzy.

I love the mixed border in Cheekwood's Perennial Garden
It was a lovely grouping of grasses, annuals perennials and shrubs.
A good mixture of natives and exotics.

It was a Pleasant Interlude. An October day in the middle of November~~Now, back to reality!

Tearing down Hedge and planting a sunny border is wonderful to imagine~ There is a fly in the otherwise pleasant ointment of imagining! Hedge's main job is Noise Abatement and Privacy Maintenance! Perhaps we need a very tall
holly hedge, or
a fantastic wall. I have always wanted a walled garden~~ You know, one of my favorite books was A Secret Garden. To build a wall, I would certainly need the backing of folks like the Cheeks! This wall is the official gated wall to the former home of the Cheeks~~of Maxwell House Coffee fame. Cheekwood was opened in 1960 as an art and garden center. From their mission statement~

"Cheekwood is a 55-acre botanical garden and art museum located on the historic Cheek estate. Cheekwood exists to celebrate and preserve its landscape, buildings, art and botanical collections and, through these unique means, provide an inspiring place for visitors to explore their connections with art, nature and the environment."

They do a pretty good job of it.

I want to thank Peter Robinson, one of Mr. Regan's speech writers for inspiring the post title. Thank you all for indulging my little play on words; a segue for the the garden tours....Well, we hope!

I leave you with this last photo of a tattered Autumn beauty.

Gail

Wildflower Wednesday~Native Bottle Tree

2009-11-11T04:00:00.006-06:00

Not what you expected!

Perhaps, you were thinking of this beautiful Bottle Brush Tree~~C&L November 2009

Aesculus parviflora, dressed in the Nashville fall "it" color. I fell for it when visiting the Missouri Botanical Gardens a long time ago...We were walking away from the Climatron when we passed through a planting of very tall shrubs with palmate green leaves (5 to 7 leaflets) and foot long brush like spikes of white tubular flowers. The flowers had showy red anthers that attract hummers. Missouri Plants website*

It was gorgeous and smelled delicious.... Finally, it's growing here!

C&L's Aesculus parviflora is a baby plant! It's planted in the Garden of Benign Neglect on the edge of the dry stream~~In somewhat moist, but, well draining conditions. Bottle Brush Buckeye is not native to Tennessee~~It is found naturally growing in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina DC, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It's hardy to zone 4 and will grow in sun or shade. It is not a xeric plant. Here's what it looked like this morning~~All the pretty fall color has faded to a rich brown. You can see hints of the golden color that it once had. It's a slow growing plant that's known to sucker and create colonies! Although, it's described as not invasive. A big bold planting is just what is needed in the back garden...

Here's a photo of what we can hope to have some day!

Thanks to Mobot for the photos of the mature specimens

The Southern Bottle Tree on the other hand
Has no need for anything other than a level spot of lawn or garden.
The new 'garden tree' is sited for maximum viewing...(You might even be wondering where in the world the stock tank can be found? I promise to finish that tale in another post!) I've been hoping to find a bottle tree that had a tree form.

I think this one fits the bill.

The flowering gaura has absolutely nothing to do with this post!
It's just a pretty bloomer that's still going strong in the garden!
I am so very glad you stopped by!

gail

photos courtesy of MOBOT and J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
http://www.missouriplants.com/Whiteopp/Aesculus_parviflora_page.html

Mish Mashing Away

2009-11-09T04:00:00.003-06:00

Witch Hazel/Hamamelis virginiana

The garden is slowing down even more...
There are no longer great swathes of fall blooming asters; even the long blooming Goldenrods have fewer blooms to tempt the late season visitors.
Grasses are turning deeper browns, clearly on their way to decay. Seedheads of perennials are everywhere
and bulbs have arrived in big and small boxes.

Gardening does not come to a full winter stop in this Mid South Zone 7 garden, activities merely slow down. There is no rush for us to get bulbs into the ground before snow covers the garden....The ground may not even freeze for months. But, this gardener has her own time line. Let's get those bulbs planted by the end of November, please!

Gaura has been the best surprise in the Garden of Benign Neglect.
It flowers and flowers!

Our perennials act like perennials everywhere else and die to the ground. Most annuals disappear with the first big frosts. Pansies, violas and cabbages will add color to the garden all winter. Hamamelis virginiana has already begun to bloom (see photo above); next will be H intermedia 'Diane' and then the vernalis witch hazels will bloom during the late winter. A few cyclamen might pop up. It's in full bloom now. There will be cold days and the ground might freeze for a few weeks, but, the sun will warm it all up and you can move plants around safely. It's not unusual to see aster blooms in December and a few brave bees venturing out. The biggest deterrent to winter gardening will be the winter rains and the gardener's need to take a break! Let's get those bulbs planted by the end of November, please!

Purple has popped up in the garden again! A few of the sweet last flowers of the native PFKAA~~Plants Formerly Known As Asters dot the garden. Also, still in flower are fall blooming crocus where I found a sleeping bee one morning this weekend.

The biggest pop of purple are these Adirondack chairs~~

They have have been reborn. All it took was cleaning and sanding and an afternoon of staining to make this big change in the garden! My favorite shot~below~ It gives me a better sense of the promise of purple coloring! It's also a truer photo of the purple stain. The asters, golden leaves of the nearby Juneberry and the red leaves of native dogwoods will be showcased next fall against the purple chairs. For a nano-second, I was tempted to paint the chairs red. Red would have been fun, too, but, the purple is perfect! Instead, Tulipa gregii 'Red Riding Hood' has been planted at the feet of the chairs. Aren't the gregii's delightful tulips! This photo is from Paghat's Garden~~Have you been there? Paghat the Ratgirl has been an online resource since 1999! Her site is chock full of good garden info and nice photos. I thank her for use of the photo.

I know you love befores~~ You can see (well, maybe not clearly, it's a fuzzy, low light shot) that the bluish asters will get along well with the purple chairs. This winter they will be a spot of color in an other wise brown landscape.

Elsewhere in the garden the Sheffield Mums are attracting these diurnal moths!

Yellow-collared Scape Moth and a multi-colored Ailanthus Webworm Moth

There is still enough pollen and nectar in the fading bloom to attract
the small pollinators. Little cutie pie bees and wasps have been visiting the Sheffies since they started blooming.

Check out these members of the mint family!Agastache x 'Raspberry Summer'

Hummingbird agastache has been covered with little metallic green sweat bees all weekend.
If you enlarge the photo you'll see what I mean.

Salvia elegans and Fred.
...and Pineapple sage has finally come into her good looks and is attracting Sulphurs like nobody else. If you want to see some very lovely photos of Sulphurs and honeybees~~Please pop over to my friend Sweetbay's blog!

Thanks for joining me on my meandering Mish Mash Monday posting.
MMM is the brain-child of Monica, Garden Faerie's Musings.

Gail

“In my garden there is a large place for sentiment. My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams. The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful.” Abram Urban

Gentle Bee The Hand Of The Gardener

2009-11-06T04:00:00.012-06:00

The gathering bee

rests upon the goldenrod

the hand becomes the flower

Goldenrod is still blooming at C&L. It is a goldmine of goodness in any garden~~A protein rich pollen and good sugar nectar source for visiting critters. They are still flocking to its golden goodness.... Bees of every sort, wasps, moths and even predators have staked a claim and a space on the last of the flower clusters. They've come to drink nectar, collect pollen, nibble leaves and stems, prey on other insects, or lay eggs.
Its rough and tumble golden beauty has begun to dim and most flowers have
turned to fluffy seeds that will soon be blown about the garden.
Until it completely fades away it will be
a cozy bed for sleeping bees to cling to and
the last stop for many on the journey to winter.

Gail

Warmest thoughts of you all~~Have a good weekend and thank you for stopping by.

Moments In A Garden

2009-11-04T04:00:00.008-06:00

If you surrender completely to the moments as they pass

you live more richly those moments.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Gail

Crocus sativus

Autumn Scenes For The Fall Color Project

2009-11-01T09:20:00.003-06:00

Do please remember to click to enlarge!

Shagbark Hickory in full golden glory at C&L

All photos taken at Edwin Warner Park and C&L garden

I CRIED over beautiful things knowing no beautiful thing lasts.

The field of cornflower yellow is a scarf at the neck of the copper sunburned woman, the mother of the year, the taker of seeds. The northwest wind comes and the yellow is torn full of holes, new beautiful things come from my garden

in the first spit of snow on the northwest wind, and the old things go, not one lasts.*

Fall finally arrived and cloaked our world in beautiful colors...Please join our host, Dave, The Home Garden and other participants in celebrating the Fall Color project.
Edit: Has anyone noticed their comments disappearing? I had a lot of trouble with blogger this weekend and a commenter has told me she knows her comment posted~~then wasn't there later.

Warmest thoughts of you all.
Gail

* Poem is Carl Sandberg's Autumn Movement
For a list of the trees at the Warner parks go here

It Was A Dark & Scary Walk!

2009-10-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Wait a minute!

That sounds familiar.

A gnarly dead tree and shadowed woodland paths.
Wasn't that last year's dark and spooky garden post?
(I liked that post)

Do you remember when
the wayback backyard REALLY was scary?
If you don't recall go here to see it!

Today, it's all dressed up in fall colors.
But, once upon a time, it was a muddy, dark, weedy space
fit for hide and seek with my nieces and nephews and a
hidey hole for the dear deer that found the gate open!
It was a dark and scary walk, but not anymore.

The Dancing Tree kicking up her heels in celebration.

But, just in case,

you are the kind of reader
who likes to sit on the edge of the seat,
thrills at being frightened, or
delights in the ghoulish....
Here are a few really scary things going on at C&L!

Vampire mosquitoes still biting when it's 50 degrees!
20+ inches of rain that's be-witched hamamelis 'Diane' to mildew!

New invasives taking root overnight!
Were they dropped off by alien space ships?

Close your eyes if you don't want to see anything too scary!

The area near my computer
has spilled over into bedlam!

If that's not scary enough
Take a look at my mosaic shed! There are surely cobwebs in the corners!

YIKES!

This scary looking Pterodactyl Seedpod has taken up residence in the garden!

But, it's not completely horror filled!

The sun did manage to peak out from behind the clouds
for a few minutes and fall has arrived in Middle Tennessee!
But you'll have to wait
to see those photos!

~Happy Halloween~

I sure hope your holiday has just the right amount of spookiness!

Gail

Wildflower Wednesday~Carolina Aster: Not Just Another Pinkish Face!

2009-10-28T05:00:00.008-05:00

It Clambers, It Climbs! It's Fragrant!

Need I say more to convince you to rush to your favorite on line native nursery to get this pretty!

Ampelaster carolinianus

Not convinced yet? How about this~~ niche gardens describes it as "tough as nails". What's known so far~~ It appears happy at C&L and for that we love it! It's not a Tennessee native, but, is found happily growing in NC, SC, GA and Florida. I am sorry to say, that it's marginal in anything colder then zone 6. It's a fall blooming member of the asteraceae family with sweet scented pink lilac flowers that resemble Symphyotrichum patens flower and leaf form. What makes this aster unique is that it's the only woody perennial scandent aster in North America. (Horticulture wordsmiths already know that scandent means climbing! Here's another tidbit! This aster has a chromosomal uniqueness that places it in its own little genus and plant geneticists have had tons of fun confirming this over the last few years. They really know how to play!)

I must be honest~~I bet you're wondering what will follow! This is Carolina's first year at C&L! She has yet to be trialed in our wet winters. Which is the true test of most plants that move here. Can they survive wet clay soil for months on end? Regular visitors know that C&L plants have to be tough. This is one reason why there are so many cedar glade endemics in the garden (here for more on them). They are tough as nails; enduring wet winters and hot, dry summers. If these are your conditions, don't despair! Cedar glade endemics can take it! Austin gardeners, you ought to be able to grow them! Go here for ideas! But, I digress, the point is that Sweet Carolina is not a cedar glade endemic.

Carolina Aster has been described as a woody scrambling shrub, so it might be one of those plants that looks equally good climbing on a wall or romping through the border. We'll see how it grows after the winter tests it! It was happily growing in containers at Growild Nursery. My hope is that it will continue to grow well here and reach toward the 12 feet size it's purported to grow. It's planted on a trellis against a southwest facing wall. A sunny and protected spot; the former home of Carolina Jessamine, which started to grow under the roof shingles and was moved to the wayback backyard's ugly cyclone fence, but that's another story!

Bottom Line Info:

*A pretty little southeast coastal native, that might or might not survive the harsh growing conditions this garden likes to throw at plants! But, worth the trouble, if it climbs and scampers. We like climbing and scampering.

*It will grow as far south as Zone 9 and with protection as far north as Zone 6.

*While some garden centers claim it's tough as nails...It is by NO stretch of the imagination a xeric plant!

*Like all asteraceae, it attracts many pollinators looking for nectar and pollen. It's a caterpillar food plant for the American Painted Lady butterfly.

*It has a sweet honey like fragrance.

*Fall blooming until frost for all the bees and late visiting butterflies.

That's all I know folks! But, doesn't she sound like she might be worth some ~~trouble~~ coddling!

Gail

May I leave you with this~Pollinator shot of the day

Bumble on native aster

Autumn Meditation On Gold

2009-10-26T05:00:00.002-05:00

Autumn at Clay and Limestone is golden Shagbark Hickories
towering 70 feet or more above the house.

Imagine the birds eye view of a garden you would have
if you could climb to the top of the tallest tree...

Majestic and beautiful;
their golden coloring is a perfect match for October Blue skies.
Carya ovata are home to many woodpeckers and far too many squirrels.

At least once a day during the warmest days of autumn
you will find me lying in the grass beneath this tree.
It doesn't feel like autumn until
I see the October blue sky through its golden leaves.
(Some rituals are sacred)

Lying there I notice the
fruity smell of ripening persimmons
and the earthy smell of recent rains.
Bees buzz around me and birds begin to sing again.
My heartbeat slows down and my breathing deepens.
Relaxation sets in.

It's a wonderful place to meditate on Autumn's gold.
Go ahead and give it a try!
I promise it will, at the very least, make you smile.

Gail

"....everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn." ~Elizabeth Lawrence

Hedgemony*

2009-10-23T05:00:00.000-05:00

The Thrown Room

Dear Impossible Missions Force,

We need your assistance in the Kingdom of Clay and Limestonia! You were a great help when the Kingdom was under attack from the underground Vinca movement. You surely recall the bitter battles and valiant effort of our loyal subjects when Major Vinca and his minions infiltrated every aspect of the community....Siphoning off the country's meager natural resources for their own uses. We remember well, when Vinca Minor, (second in command and even more aggressive then her cousin) aligned herself with the Bush and Privet families. Those very corrupt and once prominent families have been removed from influence. We celebrated those Last Days of Bush for months! But, they are bitter and determined to get re-rooted in the community... We fear that Hedge, our Minister of De-Fence has aligned himself with these disruptive factions. There is evidence of co mingling and conspiracy.

We must move carefully. Hedge has been a loyal subject and has many supporters; including a few of our more powerful families. Word must not reach the ears of our most powerful senator, Mr. I. He will not approve and could make trouble. Mr. I believes that the Kingdom needs a strong Minister of De-Fence and that Hedge has performed perfectly.

It's not without difficulty that We accept reports of Hedge's possible perfidy. He's worked hard protecting Clay and Limestonia from the world. He keeps the prying eyes of neighbors from our little kingdom. He's provided shelter for many an immigrant to our shores.

But, he's getting entirely too big and powerful. He's pushed past the boundaries and claimed land that is clearly not his...He's upset the natural order in this part of the world.

Oh, yes, like other despotic personalities, Hedge can be charming and beguiling! He does cut a fine figure in his seasonal dress uniform.
But, he's aggressive and has over run less assertive neighbors. Toppling a problem like Hedge can leave this little kingdom de-fenceless. Borders will be unprotected. A plan to get in and out of there quickly seems impossible at this moment. WE must of course err on the side of caution.

WE await your response and hope to see the Impossible Missions Force here soon.

Queen Gaillardia
Kingdom of Clay and Limestonia

*Hedgemony (n)~A hedge attempting to achieve garden domination

Hedge~a fence or boundary formed by a dense row of shrubs or low trees
Mony~Latin: action, result of an action or condition; a suffix that forms nouns)
Hegemony~ aggression or expansionism by large nations esp. among smaller nations in an effort to achieve world domination.

Wildflower Wednesday~ Mountain Mint

2009-10-21T05:00:00.003-05:00

Pycnanthemum muticum

Here's a plant that had me smiling when I found it at Growild this past weekend. It's Mountain Mint, but, it reminds me of poinsettia. It's probably those silvery bracts that surround the clusters of pretty pink flowers! (Do they look white to you? They look white to me, too!)**

They weren't in flower but, the seed heads practically called my name as I passed by them.

Set amidst the fluffy heads of hundreds of Asteraceae family members gone to seed,
they were stand out gorgeous. Set on two or three foot stiff gray stems they made a big statement. one of hundreds of fluffy seedheads at C and L!

I love fluffy aster seedheads! But, my friends, these were special.

I don't know if these photos capture how truly special. If you enjoy the look of fading flowers and plants gone to seed you will find beauty in most plants at the end of their season. You won't have to look far to find a bit of pretty in Mountain Mint.

Non gardeners might see plain old gray seedheads and wonder what in the world is she talking about!
I'm pretty sure Mr I would be rolling his eyes. Don't they know! Gray can be so much more then...well, then gray!

I wonder where all the seeds were dispersed!

My eye sees the lavender in the gray. That's what caught my attention as I was wandering up and down the plant nursery lanes. Not plain or boring at all...a lovely shade of gray.

Now for the particulars! As you may have already guessed this mint plant has all the properties of most mints! Spearmint scent when the leaves are crushed and it's said it makes a nice tea. Like other mint relatives...it's an enthusiastic grower if you love it and a thug if you don't! Plant it with false dragonhead/obedient plant and monarda/bee balms and let them duke it out! I think it could look good with the variegated river oats I got this past spring! Btw, that's another enthusiastic grower.

Hardiness zones 3 to 9
Moist soil at the edge of the woodland
Deer resistant
Vigorous and an easy to grow plant
Benefits:
Excellent nectar and pollen source for lots of garden visitors including beneficial insects
Stems and seedheads provide cover for insects and other critters

Surely, you have a spot for this sweet native! I hope it likes C&L!

Gail

and, because I have to show at least one bumble per post~~

*thanks to SB Johnny Wikimedia Commons for the photo

This Is WHAT I'll Remember When The Cold and Gray Winter Days Begin;)

2009-10-20T05:00:00.005-05:00

Today the sky was October blue beautiful. It was cold, but, with the sun finally shining on the garden, who cared! The wind was coming from the west and it was slowly warming the garden. The bees were already awake and the asters were humming with activity.

Small bees, large bees, faux bees, wasps and hover flies were everywhere.

The day invited me to sit and enjoy~~I saw Gossamer wings

Embraceable flowers

Pollen dusted bumbles

Flowers that bloom golden for weeks and weeks

fading flowers still beautiful

A visitor basking in the warm sunshine

Not one, but two Painted Lady butterflies a.k.a. Vanessa cardui

Clouds of blue asters buzzing with bees

Water colored petals in a favorite shade of pink

curlicue petals of fading asters

mouths open wide

The setting sun on the bestday we've had this month.

This is what I'll remember when the gray winter days arrive.

Gail

Well, That Was Certainly A Surprise Post!

2009-10-19T18:21:00.006-05:00

Boy is my face red! Too funny! I was quickly typing a title for a post for tomorrow and hit publish instead of save! It didn't even occur to me to see if anything was published. Nor had I corrected the typing errors! I thought blogger had eaten my title and I just went outside to garden. Imagine my surprise to see a published post and comments.

You are good people!

Forgive me my sloppiness and inability to type while looking at the screen!

But, it was delicious outside today!

Gail

We Wished For October Blue Skies**~~and Blog Action Day

2009-10-15T05:00:00.018-05:00

Goldenrod and friend

To share with you on Bloom Day!
(Please remember all photos open larger...just click)

May I offer a lapis lazuli colored lichen instead?

It's my favorite blue~

October Blue Skies and Salvia azurea aside!

It was found growing on a decaying limb in the front garden and
has been tentatively id-ed as a Squamulose lichen.
So very eye catching amidst the greenery;
a gift from the rain gods,
instead of an apology for all the rain.
It was shot on auto/macro and
this is the color I saw!

Speaking of favorite blues~~

Salvia azure is still blooming,
but, it's not as floriferous as it usually is in October.

Instead of buzzing and nectaring around the salvia
C&L 's hardest workers are happily visiting
dare I say this,
native asteraceae!
I know you thought I was going to say asters!

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

Symphyotrichum shortii
Short's Aster for short

Aster oblongifolius

Echinacea purpurea 'White Swan'

Pityopsis graminifolia Synonym: Heterotheca graminifolia

and the non native asteraceae,
which really is an aster!

Aster tatarian
It's usually buzzing with activity,
but, the continuously hard* rains have washed the pollen out.
Hopefully the sun will bring it back before the frosts take it out!

False Dragonhead is still blooming.
Doesn't it look more Muppet like then dragonlike?
The eyes, the long nose~~Muppet!

Salvia elegans with Clouded Sulphur Butterfly
whose says red and yellow don't go together!

Thank you for stopping by. . . To see more Bloom Day posts then you can visit in one day~~follow this link (here dears) to May Dreams Gardens, where Carol, our hostess and the creator of Bloom Day will link you to blogs all over the blogasphere! It's so much fun.

Gail

and, now a word about Blog Action Day!

Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world's bloggers
in posting about the same issue on the same day.
The aim is to raise awareness and trigger global discussions.
Follow the above link to reach bloggers blogging about about climate change.
~~~~~~~

You know, I've been whining about ALL THE RAIN!

There has been a lot; more than 18 inches have fallen
at C&L during the past 6 weeks.
September and October are historically
our two driest months.
Prior to that we had the coolest summer I remember.
There seemed to be fewer butterflies and bees all summer long.

Plants that have adapted to our
wet winters and dry summers are struggling.
Plants that are not supposed to grow
here have begun to show up~~Like this ludwigia.
A plant of marshes, ditches, wet soils,
coastal plains and waterways.
How it arrived~~ I can only guess.
How it's thrived~~all that rain.

Change seems to be in store for us.
Could it mean the usual weather patterns are changing?
Will we have more intense periods of rain and drought?
It sure seems possible.

I know the sun will eventually shine
on my little part of the garden. The
trees will turn their lovely fall colors.
Winter will arrive as usual.
In the meantime, I have work to do~~
Starting with figuring out how to capture a lot of rain for those dry times
that are sure to arrive next year!

Dendranthema Rubellum "Sheffield Pink"
Do you see the tiny critter hiding in there?

*“One of the clearest precipitation trends in the United States is the increasing frequency and intensity of heavy downpours. This increase was responsible for most of the observed increase in overall precipitation during the last 50 years.” (Global Climate Change Impacts, page 32)Here for more on Climate Change

**Autumn rain has increased markedly over the southeast over the last century. At the same time the global temperature has risen .7C. Here are some quotes from the U.S.Global change report: “Floods and droughts are likely to become more common and more intense as regional and seasonal precipitation patterns change, and rainfall becomes more concentrated into heavy events (with longer, hotter dry periods in between).” (Global Climate Change Impacts, page 44)

Wildflower Wednesday~~Narrowleaf Silk Grass

2009-10-14T07:25:00.003-05:00

Pityopsis graminifolia Synonym: Heterotheca graminifolia

I knew nothing of Narrowleaf Silk Grass when I saw it at my favorite native plant nursery in early September. It was still blooming amid the gone to seed coneflowers, baptisias and other natives that Growild grows and sells wholesale to landscapers and retail nurseries.

In the Susans Bed~~it's the spot of yellow

Sure, it's another one of those "darned yellow composites", but, the narrow silvery grass like leaves give it a different appearance in the garden. The fact that it was still blooming last week after being pelted by a great deal of rain makes it an attractive garden addition. (edit: Just checked, it's still blooming!)

The yellow flowers are small...about the size of a nickle and generally begin to flower in late summer and continue to bloom into the middle of October. It's about three feet tall when it hasn't been beaten down by the relentless rains. A haircut in June will help it stay compact and upright. My major concern is that the soil has been too wet and it may rot away before it has a chance to settle in. Sunlight Garden says that the soil should be kept lean and mean. There's room to move and grow

I've frequently thought that C&L soil is mean, but, it may not be lean enough! Which may be to our benefit~~it appears to colonize in DRY, SANDY soils! One description says that it "occurs as scattered plants on better soils"(Forest Plants of The Southeast: Miller and Miller) We'll see, first it has to survive the wet weather Mother Nature has been throwing at it. Then it has to survive our wet winters! ~~The longitudinal studies aren't in yet! (edit: Nell Jean has a nice mention of it here)

Unfortunately, for regular readers residing north of us; Narrow Silkgrass appears to be a true native to the Southeastern States and up into the Ohio Valley. It would be pushing it to plant it in zones colder then 5.

My good friend, Frances (fairegarden) and I have spoken at great length about enthusiastic plants~~Physostegia virginiana and the native asters are excellent examples of enthusiastic, easy care plants that make beautiful swaths of color in the garden. It's possible that Narrowleaf Silk Plant will fit that description~
We can certainly hope!

Gail

Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light. Theodore Roethke

When Bumble Bees Fall Asleep

2009-10-12T05:00:00.004-05:00

Bombus inpatiens(?) resting on Physostegia virginiana

Do you think they dream

A bumble on the buds! The horns are incredible.

of fields of wildflowers and gardens filled with all their favorite flower foods

Goldenrod is a favorite napping spot

or of warm sunny days and autumn asters?

Common Eastern Bumble Bee asleep on the Tartar Aster

Did you know that sleeping bees have similar characteristics to sleeping humans? They don't move around, they don't react to stimuli very readily, their muscles relax, and their body temperature drops. (Reference: Southwick, E. E. "Bee sleep". American Bee Journal 131:165-166, 1991)

They are Sleeping Beauties in my garden.

Sleeping on mistflower

On warm days they are up before I am out in the gardens. The cooler autumn mornings finds them sleeping in; wrapped securely on a flower.
You can wake them up with a kiss~~~ if you're brave! But, a gentle pat or stroke on their fuzzy backs might be easier.

Be very gentle. They are more fragile then we think....They fool us with their noisy bluster and buzzing to frighten us away. Rarely do they sting. They are too busy to bother.

A honeybee very much awake!
But, watch out for those honeybees~~They have tempers!

Don't worry. They can take the gentle and loving touch of the gardener's hand.

So pet them. Appreciate them. Delight in them. It bears repeating~~provide for them.*~~and they'll continue to provide for us.

Gail

If you want to learn more about Bumbles..I've written a post about what we gardeners can do to help them...Go here to read Taking Care of Bzzzness.

“Morning is the best of all times in the garden. The sun is not yet hot. Sweet vapors rise from the earth. Night dew clings to the soil and makes plants glisten. Birds call to one another. Bees are already at work.” William Longgood

*"...a few of the known 49 native bumblebee species in the United States are becoming endangered. According to the National Research Council (as cited in a Xerces Society report), populations of wild bees are in a "long-term downward trend." Some bee experts like Robbin Thorp speculate that our native populations acquired some kind of pathogen from commercially reared bumblebees.**Neil Cunningham