Impermanent Snow

The winter storm that has been sweeping across the country has arrived.  It started this morning with snow.  Fortunately, I grabbed my camera early in the morning because even as I was taking pictures, it was shifting into rain. 

The upturned, curved leaves of the Osmanthus captured and collected the flakes of snow.  The meager light seemed to be concentrated by the snow and leaves, so they were almost glowing. 

Soon we will be pruning off some of those branches, to use for decorations in the house. The bright yellow green sets off the dark green and red berries of the hollies. 

The Viburnum rhytidophylloides 'Allegheny' is putting on a dramatic show in the snow.  Some leaves have turned yellow or deep red.  There are three stages for fruits, with newly opened flowers, then red or black berries. 

The snow in this shot is out of focus, so it just appears as irregular white patches.  With the light being dim, the shutter had to be wide open to have enough light to even take the shot.

This could become a favorite picture for me.  There is so much going on.

Now it is raining and sleeting.  The snow is washing into the ground, and has almost disappeared. 

December Dusk

The weekend was spent raking leaves out of edges, then using the mower.  Call it a process of mowing the grass as well as sweeping and shredding the leaves for the compost heap.  If you look to the left of the Crepe Myrtle tree, at the edge of the picture is the overflowing compost heap. 

The remaining work doesn't have a strict schedule.  There is more bits of clean-up and fall pruning around the house.  Then, I need to go down into the ravine to see what needs to be done to keep the weedy things under control.

Foggy Sunday Morning

I woke up to a foggy morning, which creates a feeling of secrecy across the garden.  I was unable to do any work yesterday to clean-up the scattered leaves or cut back dying foliage.  It seems a bit abandoned, with every herbaceous perennial dying back slowly to the ground.

Looking out towards the Chesapeake Bay, the water has disappeared into the fog.  The sun was attempting to break through, adding patches of bright light, though still diffused by the lingering fog.

Not visible are the multiple deer hoof prints, creating deep wounds in the soft soil.  In the corner of the labyrinth some deer browsed on the winter berry bush, tearing off chunks of branches covered with bright red berries.  Then it seems to have laid down under the bush, crushing the tops of the perennials growing there.  I look forward to hunting season, and hope the nasty creature will become venison stew!

Finally, here is the very confused Viburnum "Allegheny."  The berries are from the spring when it bloomed and formed them.  The flowers have been very confused by the alternating cold and warm weather, and are blooming now instead of waiting!

I am out of time, but I hope you enjoy a few pictures for the week.

Another Labyrinth

Last weekend I visited another labyrinth in the Santa Fe Railyard Park and Plaza.  I did not find it until the last morning when I took off before dawn to wander the park across the street from the hotel.  It is about a mile out of the center of Santa Fe, and the park was busy with people even at that early hour. Joggers, dog walkers, and morning hikers were moving through the park, nodding and smiling their greetings to me as I walked the modified classic labyrinth paths.  I wish I had tried walking the area days earlier, when I was waking up at 4:40 in the morning, still on Eastern Time.  I could have walked it every morning, with the temperature in the 20's, and the mountains all around.  I will be back to Santa Fe in April, and visit it again.

Fall Aster

It is a single Aster chewing on the edge of the road!  The Aster oblongifolius ‘Fanny’ has, in two years, grown up, out and over all that is near.  I love it!  I had a passing thought in the early summer to prune it back a bit, to encourage denser growth.  I never thought of giving it a wire support, which would have kept it all a bit taller, less blowsy.  But in a season when everything is declining, fading in color, here is Fanny.  

We spent most of yesterday catching up on over three weeks of delayed maintenance.  Today has been spent doing job search and course related paperwork.  With travel next weekend, it will be two weeks before I can see Fanny again; I wonder if she will still look as good?

September abundance

The Colchicum under the magnolia tree are up in force this September.  They would prefer a site with more sunshine, but have adapted themselves to the deep shade created by the wide magnolia leaves.  I remember first seeing Colchicum visiting the Sissinghurst Castle Garden at the end of September in 1991.  I fell in love with them scattered in the rough grass of the orchard.  We have considered allowing parts of the yard to revert to rough grass, but the presence of chiggers and ticks stops the dreaming.

Sometimes it is the edges of the garden that are what most people see.  This picture of the edge of the road along the side of the labyrinth show what the neighbors, dog walkers and nature preserve hikers see.  It is the one place where plants can easily spill out and over, including the Verbena Bonariensis, tall grasses, Russian Sage, and the yet-to-bloom Aster.  The Verbena are all self-seeded; there were many hundreds of seedlings weeded out to allow enough room and nutrition for those you see here.  The clump of Pampas grass, and the Miscanthus are especially large and full with the consistently high volume of water they have gotten. 

Here is a cluster of yellow and gold in the labyrinth.  In the front is Goldenrod, Solidago sphacelata ‘Golden Fleece,' which stays short, but also likes to flop around sideways.  In the middle is Maryland Goldenaster (Chrysopsis mariana), a native that has a short bloom period, but is stunning for that time.  In the back is Salvia nemorosa 'Caradonna' if I have kept good track of the various places it has been moved over the years!  Out of the picture to the left, the Caryopteris incana 'Sunshine Blue' continues the yellow/blue theme with its yellow/green leaves and soft powder blue flowers.  I will close with its photograph below.

August Details

As the summer moves along, many of the plants are becoming worn out and tattered by the weather, insects, roving wild beasts, and sometimes the lawnmower.  This jewel, a Crocosmia ‘Star of the East,’ is an exception.  This variety, only planted two years ago, is wandering freely from its original spot about three feet to the north of the bench.  But it is difficult to stay angry when it has such cheerful orange flowers.  It is hard to find bright, intense flowers that can hold their own with the brightness of the August sunlight. 

The popular taste in colors, if the nursery catalogs are any indication, are soft, subtle shades.  Those are fine in shady areas, or in hazy weather where the sun is blocked.  But they become all washed out when the sun is hot and brilliant.

The Japanese Cedars are covered with fine cobwebs.  It is as if someone had discovered that artificial stuff used at Halloween and went crazy draping it over and through the bushes.  They provide quite the contrast to the dark green needles.

Starting in September I will become very busy with training for a new career.  It may keep me away from the garden more than usual; I really don't know for sure.  Whenever possible, I will take the camera out and see what is there to be discovered.  It will provide a respite, and hopefully there will be time to show what I have found.  So be patient if the time between posting new entries is longer than usual.