Inspiration

Cold, in the 20s.  Snow cover from the December 26 monster blizzard is uneven; some areas are blown bare, others are drifted high.  Deer tracks in the snow crisscross the yard in all directions!

Sometimes you need a new perspective on things.  I took my morning coffee up into the guest bedroom in the loft to see the deer tracks from above.  I sat in the chair by the window and studied the little curved garden that I've had such design trouble with ever since I cut this arc by the west walk last summer:

I wanted to add an "anchor" tree to complete the allee look along the walk, but couldn't decide on anything or on placement, and I didn't want another mixed border with random stuff in it.  

My idea this morning: put in a hedge of 'Tardiva' panicle hydrangeas, in a gentle curve mirroring the curve of the walk and the garden along the walk.  Nothing else, just the hedge.

I love the look of this, but didn't want a hedge up against the house, or any more lines of plants ringing the perimeter of the yard.  I already have one Tardiva in this curved bed, to complement the limbed up "standard" one by the hatch door.  Just add more and I'll have the look of the soft fluffy line of hydrangeas, with more cohesion along the walk.  The west walk right now has jumbled plants -- very nice-- but this will add soothing repetition and a clean line.

Maybe extend the curve a little, move the iris and veronica that are sitting there now, and put in a single curved line of panicle hydrangeas.

Here were a few at Farmington Valley Nursery last spring, just lined up in pots, and I liked the look so much I took a picture of them.  I forget which cultivar.  I guess I don't have to repeat the 'Tardiva"... I could get another.

Hmmm, really loving this idea right now.  Simple.  Elegant.  No jumble of mixed plants.

Nor'easter

After weeks without snow, and no white Christmas, the day after Christmas hammered us with a nor'esaster.  A true blizzard.

Howling winds, metal gray gloom, snow blasting sideways, bitter temps.  The whole northeast is a disaster!

We did not lose power thankfully, and Jim got us snowblowed out, with help from Tom who did the hand shoveling, and even seemed to enjoy it!  Tom and Joanna got outside and she got to experience snow.

Greg had headed down to NY on the 26th just before the storm, assuming he could get his 6 p.m. flight to Denver.  We took him to the train in New Haven, but even before he got to Grand Central, his flight had been canceled, and rebooked.... to Tuesday!  He spent last night in a hotel, and now, with the storm abated, Tom & Joanna drove down to NY and connected with Greg.  So he'll stay with them at her apartment until he can get his flight on Tuesday.  NYC is  BIG Mess... not only canceled flights, but subways and buses and trains all stopped and stuck.  A real blizzard show stopper, compounded by everyone traveling after Christmas.

But at least we had a great Christmas... lots of food and wine, and both boys here, and lots of talk and future plans.  A great holiday.

Wails and Laments

Very cold, in the single digits and teens at night, getting up to the 20s or low 30s in the daytime.  No real snow yet.  The midwest has been blanketed by blizzards and virtually shut down.  Upstate New York and part of VT have been clobbered, but we are snow free.  Just very cold.

I am beside myself with the voles in the front walk garden. The tunnels are huge, and there are about 10 entry and exit holes.  The ginkgo is wobbly and tipping with the soil excavated below it. The beautiful new iteas are also sitting on nothing, and half of the itea on the right has been completely gnawed off... the branch (literally half the little shrub) is on the ground next to it.  The false cypress balls are excavated beneath.

So far I have used several bags of sharp gravel, peppermint oil, and strong smelling tea tree oil spread around the area and in their tunnels.  I have used baited mouse traps.  They ate the peanut butter but left the traps unsprung.

Last weekend I poured rat poison down the tunnels and left small bags of the poison near their trails. But it rained torrentially over the weekend, and I'm sure the poison washed away.  I will reapply more today.

I wail and I lament.  I think I am going to have to take all the plants out of the strip next spring.  Fortunately they are small (and probably dead).  I'll dig up the area and put several inches of gravel in, then cover with chicken wire, then with soil and replant.  I don't know what to do about the bulbs... the tulips can go into wire cages I guess, if any are left at all.

I was finally starting to like this strip, after fussing over what to do with it.  The tulips and alliums were really nice.  The iteas, just put in this year, were the perfect small accent.  I had such hopes.  Grrrr.

Last spring, and I added pink & green tulips this fall.  And colchicums

Spring 2010

Alliums last spring

Itea this fall before vole excavation

Winter Pruning

20s today, very cold and a little blustery, but sunny.

Bartlett came today to prune the maples and other yard trees.  I asked them to limb up the lower branches of the maples so we can walk under them.  They look sparse and awkward now, but they will fill in and when they reach a good size they will be nicer shade trees in the lawn.

Christmas Decorations

40s today, calm, with no breeze.

It was delightful to work outside today, and I put up all the outdoor Christmas decorations.  I wrapped the light post in a (fake) pine garland with white lights.

I put white lights on the little Alberta Spruce in front of the front porch.

I also hung wreaths at the garage doors, on the front door, and the lighted wreath between the garage windows.

I even hung a lighted kissing ball outside on the stand that holds the hummingbird feeder.  It has multiple flashing light settings!

I also brought in the two pots of amaryllis, watered them and set them on the sunny half wall in the living room.  Will I get blooms by New Years?  I don't know which is which now, so it will be fun to see them bloom --- one crimson red, the other striped red and white.

What's Left in the Garden

40s, sunny, windy.

It is the day before Thanksgiving, and the wind kicked up last night after a mild couple days.  What is still out there in the garden in the last week in November?

The winterberry hollies are shining with red berries.  Leaves have now dropped, and the berries stand out.  Some nice snow would really set them off, but they tend to get completely stripped before Christmas.

The new 'Ogon' spirea will keep its foliage til Christmas.  Right now it is a bronzy golden and waves nicely in the breezes.

The Callery pear held its leaves until last night.  Golden yellow, but it doesn't get the tinges of burgundy that others get, it's a muddier color.  As of yesterday it lost all its leaves, and is holding little orange fruits.

The new iteas ('Little Sprich') in the front walk still have all their leaves; a deep, deep mahogany color.  The voles have tunneled beneath them and they are tilted and unstable now --- I hope there is something left next spring.

In the Birch Garden the larger iteas ('Henry's Garnet') also are holding their leaves late, and they are deep red, but about half have blown off, so it's a sparser look.  The front walk is more protected from the winds.

The glossy abelia 'Edward Goucher' still keeps its shiny reddish foliage.

The sweetgums held their leaves very late, until last night's wind.  Especially the one at the road cut; that was pretty full until yesterday.

The 'Honeycomb' and 'Blue Chip' butterfly bushes are all green and full; they look like they do in the summer... except you can see them more clearly now with everything around them down.  No damage to the leaves, and no leaf drop at all!

Blue Chip the day before Thanksgiving

The 'Diane' witch hazel still has its leaves, some are tinged with brown but most are still fairly green, and all are still hanging on.

The dappled willows on the east side still have their leaves, a nice golden tan.  With the wind last night they are a little thinner, but still quite full and gracefully waving.

The grasses look lovely: the miscanthus by the garage door is willowy and fluffy and wild looking.  The Hakone grass is golden.

It's the red winterberries that really catch the eye, though!

Peppermint

Sunny, 50s, but windy.  The last of the leaves (except the Callery pears) are blowing down.

Today I poured peppermint oil on the front walk garden, and put some on cotton balls that I stuffed down the vole tunnels.  Mice are supposed to be driven away by the scent of peppermint.  Boy do I smell like an ice cream sundae now!

As I walked on the soil of that small strip by the front walk, it is apparent that the new iteas are sitting in airpockets, and the little gingko too.  There is nothing below their roots.  The 4 chaemacyparis "buns" are also excavated below ground.  What I don't know is whether their roots have been eaten, or if the roots are intact but the tunnels have loosened the soil around them.  They look alive above ground.

Still fighting voles

Sunny today, calm and in the low 60s.  Very pleasant for this late in the season.

I cut back the baptisias today.  Although we have had frosts and even a light snow last Monday, the baptisia foliage was still pretty green on the Twilite Prairieblues under the bedroom window.  In the Birch Garden the 'Alba' had blackened.  But it's only a matter of time before they both look black and destroyed, so they came out today.  I love the rattly sound of the seedpods.

Voles are still tunneling in the front garden, so I put more Espoma gravel down, especially deep into their tunnels.  They've dug right below the small chaemycyparis and into their roots.

I also sprayed the area with a cinnamon scented repellant, and doused some of the other gardens too.  I hate sprays.  They never work right, they get on your hands no matter what precautions you take, and they are just awful to use.  I hate them.  I don't even think they are effective.

The aronias have beautiful deep red berries this year.  Really nice.

November Day

Lovely day today, in the low 60s with sun.

I cleaned up the edges of the kinnikinnik and the cotoneaster whose woody stems had spilled out into the walk.  Jim needs it cut back for snowblowing this winter.

The October Glory red maples continue to be just stunning:

And the Crimson Queen Japanese maple has gone from its brown summer color to bright red:

Tree Inspection

Cold and blustery, real November weather.  In the 40s.

Yesterday Mike DeSanto from Bartlett came to give me an estimate on some pruning work for winter.  I had asked to have them prune the two maples (to be able to walk under them, and to have the canopies thinned and shaped).  The dogwood in front and the Norway maple also need some shaping.

While he was here we had a nice tour of the gardens.  He is so sweet... asking about all my plants.  I love talking to him.  He actually took notes on some things I have that he wants to try in his own garden!  He asked about some perennials and seems to really value my expertise.  He was very complimentary of how everything is looking in my yard.  What an ego trip for me.

I asked him to look at the flat topped black gum out back.  He showed me something I had never noticed:  it had its leader cut a long time ago and has not reestablished a vertical shoot to take its place.
It was this way when I bought it (I looked at the photo I took when it was first planted and sure enough, there is the sideways top shoot, angled off from the top).

My only hope is to try to stake it so the top side branch is pulled upward, and over time it may lock into that position.

It really needs some kind of help, look at how flat it has been growing.  I can't believe I never saw that chopped off leader in the container plant I bought!

And here it is after my pathetic staking effort today.  It was impossible to drive the big wooden spike into the ground, even though the soil was damp.  And the velcro straps are ugly.  It will need to stay like this for several seasons.

I also did some pruning of the paperbark maple, to cut off a side branch on the left that was making  it unbalanced on that side.  A before and after photo follows:

before pruning the branch on the left

after

Today I did some more clean up: cut back the iris and the crocosmia foliage.