Each Little World

The Ginkgo gives in

The big Ginkgo biloba finally acknowledged that it was cold enough and windy enough for it to bow to the weather and release its foliage. Love these pale yellow leaves against the silver blue spikes of Juniper 'Blue Star.'

The ground directly under the Ginkgo is thick with fallen leaves. Note the foliage of the Itoh Peony on the left. It is still almost perfect; the only Peony that never has fungal problems. 

The surface of the pond has so many leaves floating on it that you can't distinguish it as water. 

My temporary moss garden

A week ago, we hired someone to blow the leaves off of our roof and gutters before predicted rain storms. Not only did a lot of leaves come floating down, but these lovely large blankets of moss came down as well.

They will never make the transition from growing on the roof to life on land with all the critters in the garden. So I put them on this boulder where I can see them at eye level and enjoy them while they last. 

IVOM: Nearing the end

With the weather getting colder and windy, I decided not to wait to cut some fall foliage while it still was suitable for a vase; actually a low bowl with 3 different size metal ikebana frogs in the bottom.

This annual arrangement tends to be my last one of the growing season. I am endlessly fond of playing with an armload of foliage, thus at this stage of the game, if I cut it I use it. I wasn't  sure how long the golden Cinnamon ferns would hold up; but they were too beautiful not to use. I put this together on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

There were still plenty of lacy leaves left on the assorted Thalictrums to cut. 

I'm not sure what fern this is, but it had curled and dried in this elegant fashion in an earlier bouquet. When that arrangement was discarded, I moved the fern into this new display.

The Hakonechloa grass add a touch of lightness and brightness, but it dried up within a very short time.

The Cinnamon ferns crinkled up quickly but they paired nicely with the dried Hydrangea flowerhead. 

Cimicifugas, with their long wands of tiny pink or white blossoms, have a delicate air in flower that is quite a contrast from their dramatic purple-black seedheads.

Hosta flowers also produce unexpectedly dramatic seedheads as these green clumps demonstrate.

A week later, I added some golden Thalictrum foliage to go with the yellowing Hosta leaves and ferns. 

A few days later, I decided it was time to pull out the dying green and brown ferns and the Hakonechloa grass that looks like string draped in the bouquet.

Ten days after I put this grouping together, I added some fresh greens to perk it up.

A few stems of Oreganum l'Herenhausen' repeated the dark coloring of the Cimicifuga seedheads. 

The majority of Epimedium foliage is still green but I found these bronzed leaves on the E. 'Lilac Fairy.'

Almost all of the Hostas in the garden are visibly suffering from drought followed by cold and wind. But the foliage of Hosta 'El Nino' was in almost perfect condition. Thalictrum 'Black Stockings,' a June bloomer for me, is the only one with beautiful foliage still standing. 

I'm hoping I will find more foliage in the garden to keep refreshing this bouquet, but the next four nights our temperatures are dropping down into the 20°F., so I will just have to wait and see what happens.

The definitive deck

When I last posted about replacing our deck, the very old deck had been ripped out, along with a lot of buried concrete, the substructure was is place and the wood for the deck surface had just been delivered. The top edge of the substructure boards were all covered with tape (below) to help keep them dry. If this edge gets wet and is covered with the deck surface wood, they would stay wet and lead to rot. 

Rabbit proof wire was put all around the deck and down into the ground. 

Tim Quigley, who owns the deck company, created a curved framework to join the two squared off sections of the deck where they circle the big tree at the edge. 

Adding this curve was the only real change we made in the design of the deck, other than getting rid of the step down from the back door to the deck surface.

Bringing the boards into the back garden to begin work on the deck surface. This is Ipe, a sustainable Brazilian hardwood. 

There are three boards that run parallel against the house. The yellow gizmos keep the space between the boards even.

The surface boards are all screwed rather than nailed in place. Screws are inserted from both sides, which makes them almost invisible when looking at the deck. 

Tim cuts the boards to length along the front edge of the deck.

Along the front and back edge of the deck, there is a row of boards that run perpendicular to the rest of the deck boards, creating this beautiful finished corner and edge. I have to say that this elegant touch is typical of Tim Quigley's work. He put the kind of time and thought into every aspect of the design and construction of the deck that is common on the best indoor projects. 

 

When I saw Tim arranging short pieces of wood along the edge of the deck it took me a while to figure out what he was doing. Rather than leave the substructure edge board visible, he covered it with deck boards matched to the thick and thin top boards. They are screwed in, rather than nailed, as well. 

The straight edge of the deck meets the curve around the tree. 

At Mark's request they finished the curved edge with matching short pieces the same as the long straight edge. This was not easy as I watched Travis almost flat on the deck, trying to get each piece in place and then screwed in. The new deck is a bit higher than the old one, so the first stepping stone down will need to be raised. That's on next summer's project list. 

While Mark got out a bottle of bubbly to celebrate the completion of the deck, Travis took a small piece of the Ipe wood to try a science experiment. 

Ipe wood is so dense it sinks and does not float — which is just what happened when Travis let go of the board. 

The last day Tim and Travis did all the finishing work was sunny and beautiful, perfect for an impromptu celebration. 

Mark opening a bottle of Proseco while I do my Vanna White imitation. Can you tell which of us is the person who is always cold?

Travis (left) and Tim ready to relax a moment. I was surprised to see Tim, who owns the company, here working most days. He has certain rules for his business, including no smoking on the job and no music. We also discovered that everyone we dealt with, in addition to Tim, were all pleasant and willing to answer all our questions. And Mark was out there constantly asking questions and watching them work.

The deck all done and ready for a party; hopefully next summer that will be possible again. When I stand out there, I feel like I am on the porch of a garden pavilion in Japan. Travis said he thought the simplicity of the deck suited our garden. 

Mark and I could not be more pleased with the look and the quality of the new deck; it's worthy of being part of our garden. Thanks Tim and everyone on your team.

Wordless Wednesday

In a Vase on Monday: Yellow Tricyrtis

I clipped more Toad lilies on Friday afternoon before the temperatures took a dive. The foliage on Tricyrtis hirta 'Lemon Twist' was hard hit by drought and heat at the end of the summer and was pretty crisp and brown. I removed most of it, though perhaps one might let it alone to echo the brown speckles on the inside of the flowers. 

The creamy white stems are the flowers of Heucher 'Brownies'.

I have a love/hate relationship with this toad lily because it always seems to have foliage issues by the time the flowers open.

But the flowers are so large and lovely, that last autumn I spread the plants out so I'd have twice as many this year. Worked beautifully: Twice the flowers and twice the crunchy brown leaves!

One stem of Tricyrtis macrantha, yellow bell toad lily, was finally opening so I clipped it and brought it indoors. Then I made Date and Nut Bread from Frances Palmer's just-published book, "Life in the Studio: Inspiration and Lessons on Creativity."

The flower and the slice of bread were both enjoyed by this gardener on a chilly afternoon. 

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: 10.15.2020

Since our weather forecast predicts frost tonight and potentially a week of rain beginning on Saturday, I went outdoors yesterday afternoon with the garden clippers to see what was still in bloom. Autumn Crocus and Toad lilies were the only flowers left in the garden, though they were surrounded by beautiful foliage everywhere I looked. I brought an armful of Toad lilies inside for a vase. This grouping includes Tricyrtis formosana, T. hurta and T. 'Miyazaki'.

Even if most of these buds don't open, I always enjoy the look of them all puffed up, ready and waiting. 

Tricyrtis 'Lightning Strike' has dramatic striped foliage.

Ferns still going strong

The temperature is taking a downward dive this week but the ferns are still looking lovely. Dryopteris felix-mas 'Parsley' with Hepaticas, probably H. acutiloba 'Silver Leaf'.

Dryopteris felix-mas 'Linearis polydactyla' is sometimes called fishbone fern which is an apt description of its toothy fronds. I bought my first one in 1995 and added a second in 1997. As they grow and age they often send out another crown which I remove and plant elsewhere. Using that method, I easily have a dozen of these ferns scattered around the garden. 

Dryopteris crassirhizoma, Adiantum venustum aka Himalayan maidenhair fern and a Hellebore peeking into the picture. Nothing looks so delicate as Himalayan maidenhair but no fern is tougher. If it's happy it spreads into large clumps faster than one might expect.

Autumn pastels

The trees in the garden are dazzling reds and golds, but on the ground the color is much more subtle and subdued. 

Pulmonaria 'David Ward' has beautiful coral pink blooms and apple green foliage in the spring. It is not quite as bright at this season but is still a knockout. FYI: David Ward is the name of the late Beth Chatto's gardener. 

Brunnera 'Alexandria,' with almost solid silver leaves, is the companion plant to Brunnera 'Alexander's Giant'.

Arum italicum 'Ghost' appears when temperatures begin to fall and puts on a show until the snow buries it. 

Tricyrtis hirta 'Tojen'

Tricyrtis, probably formosana. 

Tricyrtis hirta 'Miyazaki' is just beginning to flower. I am hoping a few more buds open before we get a frost. 

I did not realize that Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow' was a Zone 6 plant when I bought it. But it has made it through two Wisconsin winters. It looks lovely in the spring paired with Epimedium 'Lilac Fairy' or here with fall-blooming Crocus pulchellis. 

Trycirtis macrantha aka yellow bell toad lily. The interior of the flowers are speckled but they may not open any further this year. 

The foliage on Thalictrum 'Lavender Mist' turns a warm gold at this stage of the year. 

First fall color

The garden from the ground up is still mostly green, but a few things are starting to indicate it's October. Autumn fern just has the slightest hint of the changing season.

The three-flowered maple (Acer triflorum) is looking gorgeous . . .

but this color is nothing compared to the show it will be soon putting on.

See what I mean? Twenty-four hours later and it's almost sold red foliage.

The sugar maple had been the only tree in the garden that was shouting the news that autumn is here.

This tree was planted when our house was built in 1954 and is having serious health problems. This is the last autumn we will see this colorful exhibition as the tree will come down this winter.  

Given the fact that there is a large Oak seedling, a small Hemlock and a Witch Hazel all growing under the maple, we don't feel as bad as we otherwise might to see it go.