May Flowers

Last week I attended a contemplative photography workshop at Holy Cross Monastery in West Park, New York.  It was a time to reflect on when and why I take pictures with a group that ended up being much more serious about their craft than I am.  In contrast I also visited with my nephew Neal, who told me that he enjoys seeing my pictures.

I know others enjoy the pictures and have a sense of connection with this small plot of soil that overlooks the Chesapeake Bay.  Yet I want to keep it simpler to produce, so going forward I expect to choose only one, or maybe two pictures, along with producing posts more frequently. 

The photo above is in what used to be the heather bed.  As there were fewer and fewer living heather plants, it is now the lavender bed.  So for those who want the specific names and varieties, here goes. Here are two Lavandula angustifolia, ‘Munstead’ and 'Hidcote Blue.'  The dark pink spikes behind them on the left is Penstemon x Mexicali ‘Red Rocks Penstemon’ while the flat headed pink flowers on the right are Spiraea x bumalda 'Goldflame.'  In the front right corner and behind the Penstemon you can see the leaves of Senna marilandica or Maryland senna, which will be blooming in August.

Snowy Morning

The last several weeks I have been focusing on long deferred maintenance.  With the volunteering then full-time chaplain residency position over the last three years, the limited amount of time that was available focused on the necessary tasks.  Things that were important to the life and well being of plants were done.  Many other tasks. such as cutting out and removing invasive plants and removing old, dead wood had to wait.

This last weekend was spent pruning back the overly ambitious holly between the house and the Bay, to open up views from the house.  Then cutting off two sumac trees hanging on the side of the ravine which would have ripped out a large amount of soil if they fell over.  My shoulders, arms and legs are still sore from that work.

Then this morning offered the delight of a couple of inches of soft, wet snow.  It is perfect for showing off the winter bones of the garden, the evergreens, the trunks and branches, and the remaining berries with patches of color. 

I am particularly excited that the Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red' still has its berries.  The last two years a deer has chewed off all of the berries early in the fall.  Curiously, the squirrels which have eaten almost all the berries in the large evergreen hollies back in November did not climb up into this holly to devour these, which are much larger and I think more delicious looking.  There is no accounting for taste in the wild creatures.

It is well above freezing, and the snow was mixed with rain, so I was surprised to see this single drop of ice hanging from the trunk of the Heronswood Globe Katsura in the middle of the labyrinth.  It hangs like a tear drop, waiting until it is warm enough to fall down onto the ground.

Then my final shot of the sun coming through the clouds behind the snow covered branches of the same Katsura tree.  As I write this just two hours later, the snow is gone and the branches are bare.  The moment was fleeting.

April Morning

We spent many hours yesterday doing spring cleaning throughout the labyrinth area.  Much of my time was spent digging out the zoysia grass that had had invaded the garden beds by putting rhizomes over the plastic edging.  

This ground orchid, Bletilla ochracea 'Chinese Butterfly,' had been living under the Japanese maple until last spring.  While it and several others looked great there, no one ever saw them other than me.  So I moved them under the Katsura tree in the center of the labyrinth, behind the bench.  They seem very happy, especially since they have not been ravaged by the deer.  Hopefully they will flourish and multiply.

The sun is especially intense this morning, maybe trying to make up for not coming out yesterday.  I noticed a nice contrast of color and textures that led to the next shot. In the center is a volunteer lamb's ear.  We have quite a few show up each spring, and next week a dozen or more will be dug up and potted to go to the church Mayfest for sale. 

Can you identify the rest of the plants?  There is Acanthus Spinosus on the left side, and two yellow leaved plants on the right and top.  On the ground with the round, almost circular leaves is Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea, or Golden Creeping Jenny.  The twiggy stems with the narrow oval shaped leaves is of Caryopteris Incana 'Sunshine Blue.'

 And right in front of the lambs ear there appears to be the top of a weed of unknown name or origin.  I didn't see that when I took the picture, or I would have removed it!

 

March Miracle

So you are looking at this nice, but ordinary purple crocus and wondering, "why the title 'March Miracle?' Has he gone crazy?"  I will let you judge that for yourself.

When I walked out into the labyrinth, hidden behind some boxwood where six of these purple crocus flowers, scattered around.  The miracle is that they are still there, still blooming, rather in some small critter's stomach!  The bulbs were planted some autumn more than three years ago. I had never seen them in bloom, for all of the time they have been growing there. I do have the memory of stumps of chewed off leaves.  I am surprised that they have been able to survive, much less bloom.  A miracle!

One of the few flowering plants that do seem to survive in the garden are the hellebores.  Only the deer nibble on them, forgetting that they don't like the taste.  This one is my earliest, a feast of color early in the year when all else is brown and grey. 

Morning Snow

It was just a short time that it snowed, maybe a half inch, if that much.  Then the sky opened up, and the sun was able to come through.  Fortunately I had just received some new batteries for my camera, and caught this shot.  Then ten minutes later, the sun was gone, and some more snow fell.  Now, the sun is back, trying to warm it up, but not having much success.

Morning Ice

The temperature clearly dropped below freezing last night, so the half-barrel fountain on the porch developed this wonderful design.  It reminds me of the Chrysler building in New York City, a very Art Deco pattern of triangles.  Now it is slowly fading away.

New Year's Flowers

 With the warm temperatures, many of the plants are confused about what they are supposed to be doing.  Here is one solo German Iris, which usually does bloom in the Spring and often re-blooms in November.  But this is its first time to make an appearance in January!  It was a delight to arrive yesterday afternoon, after being away for five days, to see the yellow shining in the garden.

The daffodils have put up leaves, some as much as 12 inches high in their confusion about what to do.  However, we have not had enough time with freezing temperatures for them to set any buds.  I wonder what they will do if the thermometer doesn't go low enough.

Several of the shrubs have patches of flowers that have awaken early.  Here is one cluster on the Viburnum x burkwoodii 'Conoy' that couldn't wait, even through the rest of the bush is waiting for later.  I will be watching to see what happens next.

Here you can see another side of the same Viburnum, with the view out to the Chesapeake Bay.  This is the time of the year when all of the evergreens provide most of the visual interest for the entire garden.  Having different colors of foliage, with varying leaf sizes and textures creates a more subtle display.

Around the back of the house, in the lavender bed, the Rosa 'Meiggili' ‘Peach Drift’is bravely showing its color in front of the tall grass. 

Finally, the winter jasmine, which has a few blooms throughout the winter whenever the temperatures get above 40 degrees.  Here it is the best I have ever seen it, because every bud has opened.

Happy New Year is what they all seem to be saying!