Each Little World

Snowdrop stats

The first appearance of snowdrops in the garden is typically one of the harbingers of Spring. In the past we've always used the arrival of our mallard ducks, Fred and Ethel, to note the changing season. They show up as soon as the pond ice melts — which should be this week — but we've had snowdrops since February 17th.

So it occurs to me that I should be recording the first snowdrop sighting as one of my phenological records, the same way I take note of the ducks. And since digital photos all have the date embedded, I realized I could instantly assemble a snowdrop history merely by looking at all my snowdrop images taken in the years since we bought our first digitial camera. 

And yes, this year the snowdrops popped up earlier than any year since we started snapping their pictures in 2005. You can see from the list below that there is a fluctuation of almost 7 weeks in the first appearance of the snowdrops; though interestingly the arrival dates for the ducks just barely span a month: March 6 (2000, 2004) to April 2 (2011). 

Snowdrop stats:

• 2005: March 30
• 2006: no photos, so no recorded date
• 2007: March 21
• 2008: April 6 (after the winter where we had more than 100 inches of snow)
• 2009: March 14
• 2010: March 10
• 2011: March 14
• 2012: February 17

First snowdrops

A gardening friend e-mailed me Saturday morning suggesting I look out my window because her snowdrops were up and blooming. Since my snowdrops are in a sunny spot right below the library window, it's possible to check on them without going outside. And as it happens, I had already checked on them Friday afternoon because a number of Upper Midwest gardeners had snowdrops on their posts for GBBD.

Mine weren't showing on Wednesday, but two days later and voila! Given this coming week's weather forecast of temperatures between 45-50 degrees F. and rain, I am expecting my snowdrops will definitely continue their growth spurt. Now I need to get out and check on the Hellebores, and see if there are any other surprises lurking in the far corners of the garden. 

Typically snowdrops are dug and sold just after blooming "in the green." This is a common practice in the U.K. where dozens of snowdrop specialists offer plants for sale each spring. It is so rare an occurance in the U.S. that I know of only two people who follow this practice. One is Carolyn of Carolyn's Shade Gardens. Alas for me, I forgot to check her website early enough and there are limited choices left.

The other source is Hitch Lyman of Temple Nursery. Hitch is very low-tech. You must buy his paper catalog; no on-line sales. But reading his descriptions and seeing Carolyn's photos will convince you to start a collection. And Hitch's catalog alone is worth ordering and reading. It is so beautifully written and produced, it is a treasure in itself. (Temple Nursery, P.O. Box 591, Trumansburg, New York 14886. The catalog is $3.00).

Mark shot the above photos around 2:30 p.m. yesterday. You can see that one group is barely up while a nearby clump are starting to open. These are Galanthus 'Flore pleno' or double snowdrop which is why they look so plump. 

Repeat, please!

Last week was about as perfect as it gets in early fall in Wisconsin and this week should be even better with sun and temps in the 70s forecast. Out to the garden as soon as I finish my second cup of coffee. And then I will spend my days repeating last week's activities:

MULCHING: Cutting back plants, getting ready to overwinter those geraniums and mulching everywhere with that gorgeous black gold from Olbrich.

SMELLING THE FLOWERS: We continue to enjoy asters and Japanese anemones and the first toad lily. Tricyrtis 'Tojen' is the only one of half a dozen varieities I grow that's currently in full flower.

LAST PLANTINGS OF THE SEASON: I ordered some exciting varieties of Epimediums from Garden Visions in Massachusetts and got them all planted. They don't really have a good Web site, so order the catalog to see all the available varieties and read about them. You can do it via email: epimediums@earthlink.net. I also got one of the few other plants they sell, an Iris gracilipes. I'm currently growing this grassy little woodland iris and ordered 'Cobblewood Charm,' the first new introduction in 60 years!

GARDEN RECORDS: This week I will continue to take photos of all the changes I've made to the beds so I can remember this winter what I've planted, what I've moved — and whether I really need to order any more plants!

FROST WATCH: We made it through last night's temperature dip with the toad lilies intact. So I am anticipating blooms any day — if I can keep the bunnies away. They love this plant and most years the blooms get munched before they open.

LEAF WATCH: From here on out it will be a pleasure to watch the leaves turn color — and an almost daily effort to keep up with them as they fall. They're filling up the pond, the gutters and every available spot of bare ground as well as the coming into the house every time we go in and out. 

MORE MULCH: This week's scoop of Olbrich mulch is awaiting me as I write. I'm guessing I will still want one more load next Saturday to deal with all the bare areas.

NIGHT WATCH: When the sun goes down, it's time to sit in front of the fire and catch up on all the books we had no time for during the long summer days. Mark is deep into photo books, practicing with new lenses and ordering a big fancy printer. Stay tuned.

Last lilies

These hot sunny days have been just what the water lilies and garden lilies need. The water lilies will keep going for another month but this is the end of the ones growing in the garden.

This one (first two images below) is Lilium oriental 'Time Out' from Brent & Becky's Bulbs.

The next four images are Lilium henryi or Henry's lily. According to Old House Gardens (where I bought this lily), it is a wild Chinese lily and takes sun to light shade. 

These are reaching for more sun but still fully blooming. I kind of like the curving stems so I may leave them where they are. 

I planted these lilies in memory of my late father-in-law whose name was Henry.  He's also represented in the spring garden with Iris ensata 'Henry's White."

I've looked at my plant I.D. cards and assorted garden journal entries from 2008, which is when I received these beautiful red speckled lilies from Brent & Becky as trial plants. At the time, I marked them in B&B's catalog so I would remember the name. But the catalog, along with the name, is long gone.

The coloration is reminiscent of the famed 'Stargazer' lily, but the flowers are more recurved than the typical Oriental lily. Any guesses?

Traffic island update: Summer 2011

Over the last half dozen years our city has installed traffic islands and circles on residential streets all over town. They're an attempt to slow down traffic on side streets that were not meant for the number of cars trying to take a shortcut to avoid the volume on nearby main roads. In most cases, residents plant and maintain these little oases of greenery.

The traffic island in front of our house is one of the few on our street that is in full sun. So I've filled it with everything that doesn't get enough light in our big garden. Most things — like the catmint and dwarf daylilies — are doing so well that they have to be continually divided. Here's a July snapshot of what's happening out in the street. The actual planting area is 6' x 6' (1.82m x 1.82m) of surprisingly good soil. The big lilies are from Brent and Becky's Bulbs and the geraniums and coleus are from Kopke's Greenhouse. And yes, the pansies and poppies have made it to July courtesy of all the cool days we had in June.

More Martagons

My large stand of Martagon lilies in the back garden are all the variety 'Mrs. R. O. Backhouse'. In only a few years half a dozen bulbs have exploded, while the Martagons in the driveway border — the deep red 'Claude Shride' — have expanded much more slowly. The difference may be the quality of the soil, amount of sun (or lack thereof) or the degree of rainfall that reaches the different groups. I've never quite been able to determine the reason for the difference in their growth habits. Even though there's not many of them, the lacquered red of the petals of 'Claude Shride' make up in drama what they lack in volume. 

Martagons at their peak

If you've been trying to grow tomatoes our cool weather has offered little help, but it has been ideal for the Martagon lilies. They've been blooming in massive stands in the Sacred Grove for almost a week. All of these pictures show "Mrs. R. O. Backhouse," with masses of soft peachy pink flowers atop tall stems. I'll take a mass of Martagons dancing in the breeze over those giant Oriental lilies any day!

Traffic island update: Spring 2011

This is my full sun garden that's out in the middle of the street in front of our house. It's what's known locally as a traffic island. But I think of it is an example of a garden that survives in spite of everything: drivers run over it, snowplows scrape off the topsoil along with the snow and the city dumps copious amounts of road salt and sand on it each winter while they attempt to keep the roads clear.

These tulips (from Brent & Becky's Bulbs and Old House Gardens) were planted in 2008, so this is their third season of bloom. They could hardly be happier. If you enter "traffic island" in the search button on the top left of the page, all the posts I've written about this garden will come up. You'll find its entire history along with the names of all the tulips. 

In addition to catmint, Hakonechloa grass and sedums, Oriental lilies from Brent & Becky are also flourishing. The lilies and tulips are doing better in this location than anywhere else in the garden. Part of it is the light, but I think some of it has to do with the bulbs not getting overwatered in summer since I ignore that little garden unless there is an actual drought. Sometimes, ignoring a plant appears the best way to treat it.

Daffs of a different color

I can be a bit of a plant snob. It's not so much an attempt to have the latest plants; it's more that I've always tended to read a lot about gardens and keep up with what's happening at specialty nurseries. I like plants that have a horticultural history or association. So, naturally, I grow Pheasant's Eye or Poet's Narcissus (N. poeticus 'recurvus) The daffodil is late, naturalizes and is scented. It is also white rather than yellow. Once you have one white one, you might as well opt for more. And last fall, I ordered two varieties with green rather than yellow or orange eyes. 

The group below includes N. 'Dreamlight,' described as a platnum blonde Poet's Narcissus and one stem of N. 'Princess Zaide,' she's the bigger one at the back of the bouquet.

The variety below is the Poet's Narcissus with a much brighter perianth than 'Dreamlight.'

N. 'Dreamlight'

The next three photos are all N. 'Princess Zaide,' another late daff with a deep green eye and a heavily ruffled perianth.

These last four images are N. 'Sinopel' which looks very yellow in bud and, indeed, opens with yellow-washed petals on the back and front. In these pix, the eye is very yellow which is how it presents in cooler temps. When it is warmer or it is indoors, it tends to be a bit more green. You can tell from the pix that our weather has been very back and forth with the green and yellow colors running into each other!

 

Early April

My birthday falls in early April, so I long ago got used to bad weather — cold, snow, icy rain — as the sign that April and my special day had arrived. Today was classic: a cold and gray morning gave way to fat white flakes that turned into snow showers. There was only one thing to do as far as I was concerned: spend the day in the kitchen.

By ten a.m. I had made a triple batch of granola (first time in 30+ years) and blintzes. I filled a dozen homemade crepes with ricotta cheese flavored with honey, cardamon, orange rind and a dash of nutmeg. Hadn't made the blintzes in years either, so as soon as they were filled I warmed a couple of them in melted butter and ate them topped them with wild blueberry jam with limoncello (by Bittersweet Herb Farm available at Orange Tree). 

Then I moved on to Italian pot roast (Oprah at Home, Fall 2004) which slowly cooked on the stove all afternoon. I served it with pappardelle noodles and green beans sauteed with olive oil and lots of garlic. My sister-in-law brought a luscious little chocolate raspberry cake from Whole Foods which was a perfect end to the meal — and the day.

While I was in the kitchen, you can see that Mark was outdoors with the camera. The white crocus are the aptly named 'Snow Bunting."