Each Little World

In the same vase on Monday

It has been so cold that I haven't been able to bring home any flowers from the grocery store on my recent shopping trips. Instead, we've been enjoying the very long lived flowers that I bought for Thanksgiving and Christmas. When the Thanksgiving bouquet started to fade, I took the best flowers and arranged them in new displays. This group is in a contemporary interpretation of a Japanese wall vase. This container does not hold a lot of water and I have no idea when I watered it last. Clearly, that's not a problem for these flowers. 

I took the red-dyed Goldenrod and added it to the holiday display around the ceramic platter that hangs by the front door. 

This is the last stem from the bouquet one of my friends brought me last month when my sister died. Mark has it in his bathroom on his typically crowded sink.

I grabbed a bunch of Tulips a couple of weeks ago on the one day I could safely get flowers from the warm grocery store to my warm car. When I got them home I was not all that happy with how tight the flowers were and how tightly they fit in the container. 

I moved a few tulips to another vase with the end of the Christmas greens.

I enjoyed them more as they started open more.

But neither Mark nor I were really happy until the flowers started on their slow path downward. I love to watch that process; I think it is Mark's favorite floral moment. He took dozens of photos as they faded.

It's going to be much warmer tomorrow, so I should be able to treat myself to a new bouquet when I go grocery shopping. 

New plants for 2022

Yes, I am ordering online again, long before local nurseries will open. It's possible I'll discover I would have been able to buy some of these locally, but I am not going to wait and see. I've ordered very few perennials; concentrating instead on ferns and Carexes that will be happy in my mostly shady garden and some shrubs that will help me cut down on maintenance. 

Here are a few of the plants I've ordered, though I know that ordering things early doesn't always mean you will get them. Fingers crossed.

. . .

Asplenium-scolopendrium-Furcata, a hart's tongue fern with lots of fascinating splits. I've had mixed luck with these but plan to add this to the two that have been in my garden a long time.

PLANT DELIGHTS NURSERY

I have had excellent luck with Dryopteris ferns and am always interested in adding more. Dryopteris-cambrensis, aka log fern, can supposedly deal with more heat and humidity than many ferns. It gets 30" x 3' which should be quite a sight eventually. 

PLANT DELIGHTS NURSERY

I've been successful with autumn ferns, making it sensible to try this one: Dryopteris erythrosora var. prolifica (prolific lacy autumn fern). PDN says it's drought tolerant and that the fronds emerge cinnamon red. 

PLANT DELIGHTS NURSERY

This drama queen looks too good to pass up, so I ordered three. Dryopteris wallichiana 'Jurassic Gold' hails from the Jurassic coast of England. Will it really look like this? I'll let you know. 

WHITE FLOWER FARM

I also ordered three of Dryopteris affinis crispa 'Congesta', a dwarf crisped golden-scaled male fern. I tend to have more large ferns and don't find many small ones that appeal to me. 

KEEPING IT GREEN NURSERY

I've had a lone Osmunda claytoniana, Interrupted fern, growing in the front garden for years. I decided it was time to give it some company, so I'm adding two more. It's a Wisconsin native. 

PRAIRIE NURSERY

I ordered five Carex exurbina, Ivory sedge, to put around the big tree off the deck. At 6"-1' x 1' they will be small enough that I can slip a shrublet in between, but big enough to make a statement. 

PRAIRIE NURSERY

I planted one Carex morrowii 'Silk Tassel' last summer and like it so much I'm adding five more this summer. At 1' x 2' they will make a lovely contrast on the Tea House berm with evergreen shrubs, blue Hostas and Hakonechloa grass. 

PLANT DELIGHTS NURSERY

I have been lusting for a ruby muhly grass for years and finally found one listed for Zone 5, Muhlenbergia reverchonii 'Undaunted'. Really looking forward to giving this a try.

WHITE FLOWER FARM

Before I ordered anything I determined where the plant would go. Then I made my usual id cards for each plant and noted its exact location on the back side of the card. At first I grouped the cards by the nursery where I ordered them.

Later I decided it made more sense to group them by the location where they would be planted. That way I can mentally go through what is already growing, what I'm adding and whether I need anything else.

A message ignored

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the county where I live in southern Wisconsin has seen relatively low infection numbers and high vaccine numbers.

But somehow folks seemed to have missed the message with this second round. 

Someone wrote this in the snow on the slope of the highway overpass where I was stopped for a traffic light.

What does lower maintenance mean?

Now that Mark and I are in our mid-70s, it seems obvious that we need to seriously "reduce maintenance" on our garden. It's a concept that's widely touted, but harder to define. I've had a garden consult with Madison's Jeff Epping, Director of  Horticulture at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. I've Googled the subject and read endless articles on it.

The articles tell you that if you think of all the chores that your garden requires, those are generally what you need to reduce; jobs like watering, weeding, pruning, deadheading, and dividing plants and cutting grass.

Ann Lovejoy, whose garden books were among my first purchases, suggests installing gravel paths instead of grass. That's because gravel paths let water drain and they don’t need the maintenance that grass paths do. But we did that a dozen years ago. We also replaced our concrete driveway with pavers set in sand.

Surrounding trees with plants instead of lawn is another idea. Done.

Grass is one of the highest maintenance plants one can grow; getting rid of it reduces maintenance and helps the environment — which is probably not news to most of you. We've been in the process of saying goodbye to the last grass on our property for a number of years. There's one little bit left that should be gone by the end of next summer. We're mainly replacing it with native sedges.

Jeff suggested adding more ground covers and shrubs in mass plantings the way we've already done in our driveway. Since I have a lot of shade, I have been adding more ferns (native and other), Carexes, Epimediums and Hellebores. I have a list of shrubs I'm hoping to add this year.

Jeff also said that I should only have a couple of special areas for plants that require work. I have been trying to reduce the number of perennial beds, but it's hard to do. I am trying to think in terms of big sweeps of one or two easy plants with a few drama queens mixed in. I'm currently inspired by this area of the Hermannshof Gardens in Germany. (Photo by James Golden)

Perhaps the most helpful concept about lower maintenance I found was this question: 

"Where do you spend the most chore time in the garden, and which part of the garden is the most enjoyable?"

The article pointed out that it is unlikely that these places are the same. It suggested that identifying high maintenance areas should then help us to make good choices about which garden features to alter or eliminate.

They suggested replacing a fast-growing hedge with a fence. We pulled out our dying hedge and put in a fence last year. Another hedge, generally low maintenance, will have dying shrubs pulled out and replaced with new ones this spring. 

If each of these changes is the right one, then it should mean less work and energy will be needed to still have a satisfying garden. Whether I am really moving far enough and fast enough in the right direction remains to be seen. 

Stylish security

Mark's youngest brother Greg, a wonderful carpenter, always has an improvement project underway at his house. When we stopped by last summer we discovered a new paver walkway to his front door and this lovely gate and fence into his back garden. 

Mark is 5'10" to give you a sense of the size of the structure. Though it is an attractive way to provide privacy, I think it is intended more to keep Greg's dog enclosed. 

I love how this metal tree insert adds a bit of whimsy while letting you see into the garden. 

Even the "Beware of the Dog" sign keeps to the style of the project. 

At Greg's house, every project — no matter the size or location — gets serious attention resulting in beautiful solutions for every situation. 

I'm not ready!

My work table/desk is piled high with my garden notebook, garden magazines with sticky notes and dozens of Latin words scribbled on scraps of paper, written anytime I saw a plant whose name I wanted to remember for the future. It's all a big jumble that needs to be sorted out.

I figured I had until the new year to get that done. At that point I'd have a list of the things I want to order for the garden. But a list that was well-thought out and included plants that I have a place and a plan for already. No more impulse buying.

Primula 'Oriental Sunrise' from Odyssey Perennials

So I was not as happy as I might have been when Russell Stafford of Odyssy Perennials sent his 2022 catalogue on Friday Nov. 26. The very next day I got an email from Carolyn's Shade Gardens announcing that her 2022 Snowdrop Catalogue would be sent out Dec. 4. Then I got a notice that another favorite source was taking orders for 2022. In the past, I've always jumped on these websites the minute plants were available. 

An order of Snowdrops from Carolyn's Shade Garden (above) waiting for spring in my living room a few years ago.

This time I looked at the sites but did not click. In truth, I went back again to look at the plants I could not get out of my mind. Sold out! I guess I'm not alone in my plant lust.

But I really wanted a break to enjoy the holidays and get ready to think spring and gardening after January 1st. I'm glad I held off then as it's helped me remember that I need to add more low maintenance plants to the garden; that means shrubs rather than perennials. Plus I need to be looking at more natives than exotics. January in the wintry midwest is a dangerous time for online garden shopping. 

IVOM: January flowers in a cold climate

A roundup of flowers in my house in cold weather.

It was a rare occurrence that I was able to bring Hellebore flowers from my garden into the house in December. All of my other indoor blooms were hot house flowers. I love Cyclamen for the intensity of their color and the fact that I can buy small plants that don't overwhelm a display.

Pomegranates are one of my go to items for display and not just at Christmas.  

I wanted this area to have a Christmas vibe but be able to work after the holiday as well. Thus I made the centerpiece a large glass box filled with warm toned textiles.

The box is holding a part of my collection of hats from India, Pakistan, Turkey and elsewhere. 

Quirky necklaces and an Indian carved figure are also in there. 

The hats are pieced and embroidered and many of them are as interesting on the inside as the outside with stitching or Russian cotton lining. The display on these tables will continue to look good through Valentine's Day.

Two friends stopped by with flowers for me when my sister died. 

As those flowers started to fade, I added the best ones to the bouquet I got for the dining room table. 

I added the rose and some tiny mums from one gift bouquet . . .

and lilies from the other gift flowers. 

I got a ridiculous amount of pleasure from re-arranging things, adding more evergreens from my garden and even a couple of big leaves of Arum italicum. 

As flowers continue to fade I removed them and reduced the bouquet. 

But I think it still looks good as the flowers mature and change. 

This little bouquet has been moving around the house since the fall when I clipped a stem of Coleus and one of Kale.

I added a couple of evergreens and moved it into my bathroom after the Hellebores died. I was surprised to see how well it fit in with this bowl of beads from the nearby antiques mall. 

The same items have a completely different feel when the white Hellebores and pale blue vases are replaced with this darker display. 

The year in photos

This year ended on such an unexpected and sad note, that I really did not want to look back at it. But checking in on my favorite garden blogs suggested that looking at my gardening year would be a positive experience — and it has been. So thanks to all of you who posted about 2021 in your gardens.

JANUARY

I read more books this past year than in any other period in my life; even more than during 2020 which was a record-breaking reading year for me. I know this because I keep a record of everything I read during a given year. I bought a lot of garden books, more than are in this photo, but still haven't made my way through all of them.

FEBRUARY

2021 was also a record year for tree work in our garden. We had old and dying trees of various sizes removed during the year, along with pruning on an assortment of other trees. The garden is healthier and looks better after all the work. And the gardeners are happy to have discovered a great company to do this important work.

MARCH

Once March arrived the garden and I both came alive. One of the first Hellebores I ever bought, Royal Heritage Strain, was moved a few years ago and settled in with no problems. Always a thrill when that happens.

Equally exciting was this combination of Luzula 'Solar Flare' interplanted with snowdrops; an idea I adopted from Adrain Bloom's garden in the U.K. 

APRIL

This is the month that Mark began to disassemble the old ponds and connecting stream as the first step in turning them into symbolic water gardens with raked gravel. 

I will remember April as the month I spent covering and uncovering delicate plants; especially those that were injured by late frost the year before. It was a real slog, but worth the effort when everything bloomed as the season progressed. 

MAY

I went crazy buying plants, bulbs, and shrubs this past year. After going nowhere and hardly buying anything in 2020, I splurged and did not feel a bit guilty. Eventually I did feel exhausted, trying to get everything in the ground while we did a major redesign project as well. 

Our new water feature was put in place and filled this month and turned out just as we had imagined it. 

JUNE

Three other gardeners who all live on my side of town started our own little in-person garden social group with me. We met indoors and out at each others houses and gardens until Omicron put a stop to it. I think it may be time to do a group Zoom this month. We toured each other's gardens, answered questions, shared advice, books, websites and food.

Flowers were blooming and projects continued but the temps started rising and the rain disappeared. I can't complain about drought compared to many other spots in the nation. My water bill, however, is proof that we did not get our typical summer rainfall. 

JULY

We entered the home stretch of the pond redesign when the top layer of quartz chips were delivered. 

AUGUST

During the growing season, something lovely was always blooming in the garden. We were so focused on the pond project, however, that it dominated every week of the year: talking, planning, and doing the work. It was a thrill when Mark made two different rakes and was able to try raking patterns into the gravel. 

SEPTEMBER

We finally unveiled the pond with an open garden day on Mark's 75th birthday.

OCTOBER

If the Spring gave us late frosts, so did the autumn. The Toad Lilies (Tricyrtis) were spectacular. 

The Ginkgoes never got their full golden color before dropping, but the rest of the garden put on a glorious show of color. 

NOVEMBER

We ended the year as it began: Taking down another of the original trees planted when our house was built in the mid-1950s. A good-size Oak seedling has been growing in the maple's shadow. We're hoping that it takes off with  more space and light. 

DECEMBER

The mostly dead Arborvitae hedge, that Mark took out in the spring, was replaced with a cedar fence.

It was so warm and dry for most of December that I was able to cut Helleborus niger to bring indoors for Christmas vases. 

It's hard to know what 2022 will bring; but looking at the weather, politics and Covid, it's also hard to be optimistic. I'm looking forward to time spent in the garden and visiting your garden blogs to keep me sane. 

We agree.

I have been lost in the pages of "English Gardens from the Archives of Country Life" by Kathryn Bradley-Hole. It's a big, heavy, expensive and absolutely gorgeous book I ordered from the public library. It's an in-depth look at England's national love affair with gardens, divided into themes like topiary, cottage, rose, and modern gardens to name a few. I've filled the pages with strips of paper marking ideas and inspiration.

The text that really jumped out at me was by Sir Roy Strong talking about making changes in one's garden. Strong's "A Small Garden Designer's Handbook,' was my bible (above) when Mark and I created our first garden in 1990. I own "The Laskett," the book Strong and his late wife, Dr. Julia Trevelyan Oman, did about the garden they made together. And the follow-up book Strong wrote (below) about the changes he made to their garden after her death. 

In this big Country Life volume, Strong was talking about "the literal 'bringing in' of new light, air, and energy" to the garden. He said:

 

"Never cease to be brave, I say, even if you are about to enter your seventieth year. I'm tired of emails from elderly friends always downsizing and disappearing into retirement homes or sheltered housing. My instincts are to do exactly the opposite and go out in a blaze of madness . . . It's exciting that, thirty years on, innovation is still possible. The worst thing that could happen to The Laskett garden is for it to atrophy."

 

It was an unexpected pleasure to discover we are not alone in radically changing our garden after almost 30 years and well into our 70s! It's a message that seems the perfect way to begin the new year.