Each Little World

IVOM: Bouquets in black and white

I cut the seedheads off of my Belcamda chinensis knowing they have a reputation as rampant self-seeders. Given that it's planted next to the gravel-filled upper pond, I could just imagine my frustration if the seeds landed there. Thus I've been enjoying this small bouquet of shiny black buttons indoors, instead of worrying about them free out of doors. 

Our recent warm weather pushed my Thanksgiving rose — Helleborus niger — into spectacular bloom. Here it is last Monday, Nov. 7th.

_{Last Thursday we finished our winter prep on the last warm day. Overnight the temperature dropped from the low 70°s to the 30°s. That was followed by wind, rain and snow showers. When the temperature finally hit 32° early this afternoon I went out and cut a few Hellebore stems.}

_{The flowers were lightly brushed with snow with iced and downward curving stems. It didn't take them long to perk right back up however. You've gotta love a plant that can deal with serious weather.} 

Rainy days and Mondays

Rain was predicted for this past weekend, so I spent last week trying to get as much done in the garden as possible. I was digging, dividing, discarding, moving and planting as much as I could before it got too hot each day to keep working. I managed to get every plant that was a recent purchase or a swap from a friend in the ground by Friday.

Despite the weather forecast — even looking at the map — I was doubtful we'd ever get any rain. It looked like another one of those long narrow storms that was going to slide right by us. 

Not this time. It started raining around 9 p.m. Saturday night. It came down just heavy enough to make it to the ground through the foliage on our numerous trees. It was lovely to fall asleep with the windows open listening to the steady beat of rain.

I went out to check the rain gauge Sunday morning to discover we'd received 1.35" of rain in the last twelve hours. I was, of course, thrilled as I don't want to go directly into winter from a dry season like last year.

But that wasn't the last of the wet weather: It was still raining. Sunday afternoon the rain started to come down more heavily. Luckily our basement was still dry when we went to bed, having read about flooding in Chicago from the same storm system. We were trapped in a system that was swirling around us rather than moving away. It was now worrisome falling asleep to another night of rain.

When I got up this morning the temperature was 54°F. It's currently breezy with gray skies but no rain falling. We are in a big break in the storm system, but it looks like we will possibly get more rain at some point today. My gauge this morning showed another 2.10" between Sunday morning and this morning.

I am almost embarrassed to mention this amount of rain knowing how many of you are in the midst of long term drought. But I have to be happy, not just for me but for all my gardening friends and area farmers. It has been hot enough and dry enough that few of us are going to complain about three days of rain. 

Is this really August?

I've been working non-stop in the garden because the weather has been beautiful. Hot, but not enough to note the actual temperatures in my garden journal. What I am tracking is the rain. Sunday afternoon we had measurable rain for the third time in four days.

Amazingly, our rain total for August — as of yesterday — is a glorious 5.31". I can relax and be pretty confident that all the plants I am adding, moving and dividing will survive. I hate to even mention this wonderful weather knowing what so many of you are experiencing elsewhere. But, in truth, I'm looking forward to another week happily spent outdoors.

An almost perfect weekend

I bought this great market basket (note the wooden wheels) in the 1970s when the legendary Dane County Farmers Market began. I lived close enough to the market to walk to it, but far enough that I needed some kind of carryall. It's critical for August produce that weighs more than I can easily carry. These days there are so many excellent farm markets all over town that I haven't been downtown to the big market in years. 

You can see what I mean: cantaloupe and 9 ears of corn were the first things I bought. They went on the bottom and I built on that solid base. The bag holds pastries from Madison Sourdough. The thought of those treats gets me up early on Saturday morning.

Yesterday I got to the market when it opened knowing how hot and humid the weather was already. Last night at 7 p.m. the temperature was still 89°F. (31.66°C.) Weather Bug said it felt like 99°F. (37.22°C.) and I wouldn't argue with that. But I can't really complain given the extreme heat so many others are experiencing. 

Rain was forecast to begin overnight. Lately it seems like we are often in a gap in storm systems and get little or no rain. Not this time. When I went out around 8 a.m., my rain gauge measured 1.94" (4.92 cm.). We're supposed to get a little more rain today and possibly tomorrow. I was stunned at that number and thrilled. 

The temps look cooler for the coming week. So I will be able to weed in prep for our last garden tour on Thursday, even if it's too wet to plant the things that have been waiting for the temps to drop.

Back from the dead

We planted our 'Forest Pansy' redbud tree, 22 years ago this month. It's a tree with big gorgeous leaves summer and fall (below). We had a lot of winter dieback the first few years which made us nervous about the tree's survival. It also leafed out later than any other Redbuds in the neighborhood. 

When we checked with Peter Moersh at Stonewall Nursery, he gave us this advice: "If it hasn't leafed out by the 4th of July, it's probably dead." Though he was joking, we took that concept to heart and no longer worried. It was always so full and gorgeous by the 4th that we often had to prune it. This is what it looked like on June 10th of this year. 

It seemed pretty clear that last year's drought and the lack of snow during the winter had put an end to this beauty. We were too busy to do anything about it right away, other than half-heartedly talk about replacement trees. But then something happened. The two lowest branches started to leaf ou — and not just with a few scattered leaves. Still, the tree looked more than a little sad with only those two branches covered with leaves. 

By the time the 4th of July arrived, the tree was sprouting new growth all over.

New foliage was on most of the main trunks and branches.

One minute I think it looks silly; the next sublime.

It seems as though the tree is going to survive after all, though it's probably too soon to count our blessings. But two things are clear. (Double click to clearly see the live and dead branch mix.)

One: That Peter's humorous advice is spot on. And two: We're lucky we were too busy to cut the tree down.

Back soon

I've been frantically trying to cope with the weather to keep my plants alive and the garden weeded and prepped for the Garden Bloggers Fling group coming to my garden this weekend. Two days in the 90°s last week and more of the same Monday and Tuesday. I was out just after 5 am yesterday morning to weed and water while the temps were bearable. I went in by 8:30. 

Leaves on many plants are turning brown and crisp from the heat. Other plants are bursting in and out of bloom in a matter of days. Hoping my Martagon lilies last until the weekend but I have my doubts.  

I'll be back next week when the temps should be lower and I can relax and play in the garden.

Rain!

After a very dry winter, it rained most of Thursday and right into Friday. Since the ground is still fairly frozen, it was good that it was a gentle rain that caused no problems at our house and garden. As the rain initially started to fall very lightly, it made the dry spots under the furniture look like snowy remnants. 

I woke up Saturday morning to discover the rain had turned into snow at some point during the night.

And turned back to rain, filling the garden with spring greens.

Though our few warm days were lovely, I am much happier to be getting some rain as spring is starting. 

Glad I put out my rain gauge so I could measure the precipitation in my garden: .87" (2.20 cm.) More rain is forecast midweek. 

March. Ugh.

The weather is veering from lamb to lion and back again. Saturday's high was 53°F. ( 11.66°C.), but it brought thunderstorms with heavy rain and wind. Despite the ground being frozen, no water made it into the basement. This morning's temp is 28°F., but feels like 22° according to Weatherbug. 

At this stage of the winter, I am less interested in more snow. We did not get it early in the season when we needed it to protect the garden against the cold. Without checking the record books, this is one of the driest winters I can recall in many years of living in Wisconsin. A walk around the garden Sunday afternoon showed a muddy mess with endless twigs, small branches and locust pods littering the ground. 

i snapped a few wide shots to help me remember what areas held onto the snow longest. Most of the front garden was still snow covered as that's the  north side of the house.

Everything that's not green is under standing water in this shot, including ferns planted last year. How did I not know this spot was so problematic?

Rabbits devoured a dwarf Hemlock planted last fall, two dwarf Oak Leaf Hydrangesas (3 years old) and a 5 year old 'Orange Rocket' Barberry. That's only what I've noticed so far. 

I never went out to look closely at what the city water crew did in December when they had to access the line to do a repair. I was horrified at what a mess they left behind in my Geranium macrorrhizum bed by the street. The blue cap is the water line. They moved the rock marker and filled in the hole with new dirt bit it doesn't look good. Maybe I won't feel as frustrated when the surrounding plants begin to grow in a month. 

On the up side, snowdrops are starting appear. 

Arum itlaicum 'Ghost' just needs the rest of the snow to disappear to start her spring growth spurt. 

I am always curious to see what ferns still look good after snow, ice and freezing temps. This is Dryoteris erythrosora 'Brilliance' aka Autumn Fern. Once this old growth gets removed it takes a long time for this plant to send up its new fronds. You have to mark where this is growing or you will accidentally plant something on top of it. 

Just past the above ferns, the sedges are looking lovely: Carexes pennsylvania and radiata. 

Across the path Polystichum makinoi  actually has its fronds standing upright!

Every year as the ratty snow along the curb starts to melt, I look there to see the first signs of spring. Most years, those signs are empty beer bottles or cigarette packs. This year's souvenir is a COVID mask. Perhaps a driver tossed it from his car window pleased to see the numbers are going down. Somehow I don't think it's the last one I'll find out there. 

Look what happened overnight. See what I mean about lions and lambs. I guess I won't be picking any of those snowdrops as soon as I'd thought. 

A green December

The storms that swept through the Midwest on Wednesday night did little serious damage near us. We lost power during the night and the winds sounded scary; in the morning everything looked the same as it had the day before and for a number of days before that. It has been fascinating to walk around the garden and see what plants still have not given up despite frosts and lack of rain. 

Polystichum makinoi with Adiantum venustum

The fronds are turning purplish-bronze but they are still mainly upright. I am not sure if it's the result of the fern's own hardiness or its protected location. 

Both my newest and oldest clumps of Dryopteris erythrosora 'Brilliance' are all standing tall and looking perfectly happy. I wish they had their autumn coloration now as well as in the spring. 

I put in two plants of Asarum splendens in 2019. Last summer I divided them and spread them around a bit. So far it has not been as aggressive as the native variety; nor has it gone dormant the moment it got cold. It is lovely to have that foliage instead of a big bare spot. 

I put a piece of Arum italicum 'Ghost' from the large mother plant in with this variegated ivy. The ivy makes the Arum foliage have a much more yellow cast than I ever noticed in the location. 

Epimedium 'Domino' has never slowed down. It's been a drama queen all season. 

I'm enjoying the sight of all this greenery in the garden; but I'm definitely ready for the moisture and insulation of some snow.

The Ginkgoes give up

We'd been watching our Ginkgo trees to see if the leaves were going to manage to turn their lovely buttery yellow color before they came down. The answer again is NO! One of the dwarf trees was just about there but the big tree and the other dwarf were just an acid green on their way to yellow. Last Tuesday night the temperature went below 25°F. In the morning we looked out and the leaves were all on the ground and draped over every shrub and object nearly.