Each Little World

Winter or spring, day or night

Mark captured the in-between seasons look of the garden on a walkabout Sunday afternoon. He's been doing a lot of black and white in recent months, including a class on B/W film developing and printing. 

A note of normalcy

At 5:43 p.m. Friday afternoon, our pair of Mallard ducks flew in. Fred and Ethel, as we call them, typically appear the minute our pond is iced out enough for them to land. This is the 22nd year they have visited our garden.

Given the typical life expectancy of ducks which are not in captivity, this is probably not our original pair. Since we did not "band" them, there is no way of knowing for sure. 

But we prefer to think that they are our first Fred and Ethel, behaving as though the world was its normal, old self.

What I ordered: Shrubs for my 2020 garden

Last fall I put a number of late season shrubby purchases in temporary spots with the intention of planting them permanently this spring. They will take the place of Hostas or other high maintenance plants that will then go off to new homes. All part of my plan to make it easier to maintain my garden.

Though most of the shrubs that I ordered this spring are fairly low growers, not all of them are. I also made an effort to add a few that are fragrant; something that is sadly lacking in my garden. I have number of native plants, especially trees, so that was not my first consideration with these. 

Whether these mail-order nurseries will even be able to mail my purchases to me is an unknown at this point, but I am hopeful.

Rhododendron arborescens is large and fragrant.

Rhododendron atlanticum tops out between two and three feet with a spread of up to five feet over the years. It has glaucous leaves and is described as "powerfully fragrant.'

Deutzia scabra Variegata is a large plant with fragrant flowers. I can't wait until mine gets this big and beautiful. 

Thuja occidentals 'Anna’s Magic Ball' is a little charmer, barely a foot tall — hardy to Zone 3!

Thuja occidentals 'Primo' will get four feet tall but only one foot wide in 20 years; also hardy to Zone 3. Not sure if I have 20 years left to spare, but I'll chance it!

First two photos from Rare Plants Nursery, then Far Reaches Farm, Bluestone Perennials and Plant Delights Nursery. 

Gather

I dreamt we could all

stand together

Nothing grand, like a rally,

fireworks, a graduation

 

Just watching something,

a concert,

a politician,

a sunset

 

And then I woke to

the calling of the crows

 

Today, I will wave to

you from my tree and

maybe we can

sing

Everywhere I look friends are emailing poetry or posting it on FB or writing it themselves. "Gather" is another poem by Madison poet, photographer and musician Katrin Talbot. Though I don't know Katrin well, her work always resonates with me.

When I first started gardening, I used to worry that a crow would land on me; on my head to be exact. Now I've leaned to appreciate what smart and social creatures they are. Their presence in the garden at this moment is definitely joyful and much appreciated. 

Poem by Katrin Talbot; drawing by Linda Brazill

The splendid and the vile

The Splendid and the Vile is the title of Erik Larson's new book about Churchill and the London Blitz. It also seemed to be an apt description of what I saw when I took a stroll through my garden yesterday, just before it began to rain. First the splendid:

This is the moss on the ground next to the lichen-covered stepping stone path. 

A rock whose mica chips have disappeared over the years as lichens and mosses have made a home there.

. . .  and now the very vile! Our Picea omorika 'Bruns pendula' with its beautiful weeping branches in an early snowfall last October. Note those broad branches spreading right down to the ground. 

All gone. Something, most likely rabbits, ate the bottom 1/4 to 1/3 of the branches. This tree is 5 and 1/2 years old and has never been touched by critters or disease of any kind. 

I realize it is ridiculous and selfish to complain about my garden not looking perfect when the world is in crisis. But it is easier to think about problems in the garden than what might happen later today or tomorrow; given the fact that the news keeps getting worse. 

It's cold, gray and windy here but snowdrops are coming up as is the first Hepatica.

It was a pleasant change to come indoors and wash my hands — only because I had garden dirt under my nails. 

Stay safe and keep washing those hands!

The poetic side to this perilous moment

Australian-born Katrin Talbot, a violist, photographer, and poet, who is well-known in Madison and the wider world as well, has been responding to the COVID-19 pandemic with poetry. I find her words make it easier to think about our new normal where so much is suddenly unthinkable.  Shared with permission.

. . . 

Between

Here,

we’re all walking

 

No lockdown yet, . . .

gyms are closed,

swimmers drowning on dry land,

everyone planking

 

The circling buzzards are 

interested in the sudden increase

in population beneath

 

And we're getting it down,

the Sidewalk Arc —

oncoming tight smile and wave,

sidestep to measure 

six feet between 

 

We’re following the rules

suggested by thousands of experts

 

And now I say to all,

as an expert in matters of the heart,

send not worry in the passing,

just light —

arrows, vectors, flattening curves of it,

imaginary orbs

 

but no matter what,

to your neighbors,

a certain kind of

 

radiance

A year in a garden in the Netherlands

Jacqueline van der Kloet has designed bulb gardens around the world; among them Keukenhof and Floriade as well as the spring bulb display at the Lurie Garden in Chicago where she worked with fellow Dutch-designer, Piet Oudolf. She was in Madison in 2017 for the Allen Centennial Gardens Symposium where she thrilled the audience, including me, with her knowledge and inspirational use of bulbs in garden design. If you missed that event, then you'll want to pick up Van der Kloet's latest book, "A Year in my Garden."

As the title says, this is Van der Kloet's own garden in the Netherlands where she experiments with bulbs and perennials. It is full of great bulb combinations, but is also valuable because we can see what plants she uses to hide dying bulb foliage. Though she's known for her Tulip mixes, the book looks at a wide variety of bulbs considering flower size, color and season.

The book is arranged month by month making it easy to see what she focuses on at different seasons. Though we garden in a different zone with different weather conditions, much of what Van der Kloet does in her garden is possible to do in ours as well, with the exception of some of the outdoor winter chores. 

Though the book is arranged by month, it is noteworthy that Van der Kloet begins with September. She does so, she says, because it's the month when we start to say goodbye to summer and start planning and planting for spring. She says it is also the month where we can most clearly see the garden as a continuous process. I've always thought of September as the beginning of the year because that's when the school year starts, so I felt she reinforced my own feelings on the subject. 

The book is an attractive size and shape (9 3/4" x 11") that's easy to hold with matte rather than glossy paper and easily readable type. The color reproduction is excellent with images depicting plants that look true to their natural color, rather than digitally souped up. There's even a nice red ribbon to mark your place. 

Each month van der Kloet lists her favorite plants grouped by color or type, like grasses. She gives advice on how she blends her bulbs with specific suggestions on how to succeed with Tulips — which even she admits are not the easiest bulbs to grow. She talks about pruning woody plants, even lists her favorite tools and trees for small gardens. It's a very thorough look at one woman's garden. 

Jacqueline van der Kloet planting bulbs with Piet Oudolf.

Though I am generally happy with the book, there are some things that I found frustrating. I bought the English edition of the book which just came out, but I realized "English" is the operative term; all the temperatures are given in Celsius and the measurements in metric!

After reading the entire text, I noted that Van der Kloet talked about aggressive or invasive plants that she unknowingly added to her garden and has spent years fighting. Yet she included a number of these same plants in her favorite lists with a much less critical description; a less observant reader might easily add these same problem plants. 

The book is filled with beautiful garden images except for the double-page spreads of 12 pictures that showed the garden from one point of view each month. Most months, I found it difficult to see the changes from picture to picture over the year. For all the pages devoted to this concept, I would much rather have seen more full and double page pictures of the garden. A good idea that did not quite work from this gardener's point of view. That said, these critiques are not enough to make me regret my purchase and I certainly recommend it to those of you who love bulbs. 

The first day of the rest of our dramatically changed lives . . .

I have a friend whose birthday is on Friday, the 13th; it's always been an upbeat date for me as a result. Though last Friday was less so than usual.

For starters, we stayed home from UW Health/Sports Medicine/Fitness Center aka our gym. All classes were cancelled as of Friday and the gym suggested that anyone over 60 years of age (us!) should stay home. Given that it is a space filled with seniors, it is going to be very quiet for the foreseeable future. 

We spent the morning keeping up with the news and all the local cancellation notices. Then we went outdoors. Mark walked and took photos while I stayed in the garden, raking and doing initial cutting back as spring seems to be upon us. 

I took a stack of books off suspended holds at the library, so I will be set for reading material. Sent for an absentee ballot for the spring election and bought some flowers to raise our spirits. Yes, I did pick the flowers to go with Mark's 1982 painting of the corner of Park St. and West Wash. It's a big piece and has been languishing in the basement for enough years that it was time to let it shine again. 

Stay safe, stay healthy.

What I ordered: Perennials for my 2020 garden

I fully intended to keep myself well in hand and not order too many plants during the winter months. My favorite mail order nurseries will tell you I failed miserably. I did, however, mainly order plants that I have had good luck with over the years: Epimediums, Geraniums, Hellebores, a Primrose and Toadlilies. (These photos are all from the nurseries where I purchased the plants, as most of them have  not yet arrived at my garden.)

. . .

I bought a few Epemedium 'Pink Elf' from Klehm's Song Sparrow Nursery that were on sale last fall. I planted them in a spot that is quite dry.  The Geranium cantabrigiense 'Biokovo' that has been there for years, has never liked this location. I am hoping this Epimedium and the next two are happier with this spot. 

E. fargesii (Edelweiss Perennials)

E. 'Shadow Dancer' (Edelweiss Perennials)

Geranium phaeum 'Langthorn's Blue' (Digging Dog Nursery/Salmon Creek photo). I've rarely met a "mourning widow" Geranium I did not like and this one is a beauty.

G. phaeum 'Raven' (Digging Dog Nursery)

G. 'Azure Rush' (Bluestone Perennials). This should be a star performer on the order of G. 'Rozanne', but I prefer this softer color. 

Priumula kisoana iyobenii (Edelweiss Perennials) This Japanese primrose is the reddest of all P. kisoanas and does not spread as fast as the species. I have had wonderful luck with this species and love the color. 

I grow four different kinds of Toad Lilies: Tricyrtis formosana, T. hirta, T. latifolia and T. macrantha. I have been growing most of them for years. I was a little disconcerted last month when local gardening legend, Frank Greer, said that T. formosans is the least hardy for us. Most of the varieties I ordered are T. formosana. On the other hand, I have a gorgeous clump of T. formosa that I've been growing almost as long as I've been gardening. So I remain hopeful. 

T. 'Taipai Silk' (Digging Dog Nursery)

T. 'Empress' (Digging Dog Nursery)

T. 'Autumn Glow' (Digging Dog Nursery). I obviously ordered this one for the foliage alone. 

March weather has been giving us a taste of spring, making me very excited for all these lovely plants to arrive at my house. But that won't happen until the end of April. I'm not taking any chances on early shipping dates and having my house filled with plants that can't go outdoors because it is too cold or snowy. 

Chasing Eden

"Chasing Eden: Design Inspiration from the Gardens at Hortulus Farm" is a new book from Timber Press by Jack Staub and Renny Reynolds. Since this book is from Timber Press, you know it is beautifully designed with high quality printing. Reynolds was a big floral and event designer whose name was everywhere in the 1980s and beyond. I remembered his Bucks County, PA farmhouse and was curious about the garden he created there with his partner.

PHILADELPHIA CITY LIFE MAGAZINE

Reynolds is the half of this couple who had the high-end floral background, but it is Staub who wrote the book; one off many gardening books he has penned over the years. The writing is informative and personal, with lots of interesting and amusing stories. At the end of each chapter are a pair of facing pages with lists of “Dos” and “Don’ts” that are an attractive design element as well as a useful compilation of the high points of the chapter.

Though this is a beautiful garden, full of evocative allees of shrubs and trees, water features and sculpture, not much of it deeply appealed to me which was a bit of a surprise. Though  my garden is large at half an acre, Hortulus Farm is essentially a country estate of about 100 acres. For those of us with smaller gardens, it is a lovely book to inspire dreams. I found more useful ideas and inspiration by looking at small sections of it that could easily translate to an urban garden. Imagine this path, for example, of River Birch trees with Hostas and ferns framing a front walk or the path on the side of a house into the back yard. 

Hortulus Farm is open to the public and is an Affiliate Garden of the national group, The Garden Conservancy. Sadly Jack Staub died just as the book was being published. When I was online looking for Staub's obit, I noticed that the property was listed for sale in 2019; whether it ever sold was unclear.