Tag: Garden

Lots of history, right here

In a recent post I shared a volunteer opportunity that came up through work, and one I still REALLY want to do, but is quite a distance to drive.

Something else came up last week as well.

I have a friend who regularly invites me to historic site events, and I finally went to one this week. The lure was a presentation of historic pictures of local sites.

I knew the event was part of a historical society meeting, and I knew there were probably volunteer opportunities. I say I “finally” went, because it was a “peace with this decision” moment.

We have done historic reenacting, with our kids, albeit a different era than this local site, have travelled around to some very serious reenactments – ones where a camp inventory with pictures is required to apply to stay in camp. We have toured historic homes and of course, sites. We have toured and camped as participants, in our tipi, cut our own tipi poles, my husband peeled them by hand, and I used the bark in my garden for mulch. Later we changed to a wall tent, and, truth be told, we still have it. Haven’t used it in over 10 years, but we’re hoping to do it again, someday. And in my office still sits my camp kitchen – that I bought at a reenactment and took home and sanded and poly-d and will not let my husband bring up north, yet. Memories. I feel so good being outside at historic sites. I am not sure what it is, but IT IS. But I was not sure I was ready to jump back in, yet.

I was looking for “something bigger garden”, but not necessarily connected to historic. And, of course, at the meeting a call went out for garden volunteers.

I am proud of myself. I did not sign up to be a member right at the meeting. I took overnight to soul search, because I knew I would dive deep. At the end of the next day, after work, I filled out my form and brought my dues over to my friend. It was a happy moment. I am approaching it respectfully, thoughtfully, and very excitedly.

I am not really a serious historic food gardener. EATING, oh yah! Fry bread, yes please! But they do have other gardens – even a “rain garden”. Yes, I too immediately thought, “Were rain gardens a thing in the mid-1800s?” I looked it up. They officially became a thing in the early 1990s. Not 1890s, but that is still super cool they have one. When a tree fails after an ice and snow storm, as the Amur maple out in the front of our townhome did, and as two historic trees at that site did, (same storm), you don’t get out your hand saw and then haul the fallen trees away in a horse cart. So a rain garden benefits the site, is an awesome solution to purify water runoff, and no one is “tending” the rain garden right now (I am told). So there is that. I need to sit with the garden committee and see if there is any documentation on the history, what is in there … so I can do it justice.

Additionally, and not any less anticipated, will be more dedicated garden time at another historic site – the historic cemetery I have mentioned in some of my posts. My husband and I have both been there a number of times to visit events. That was the site that had the goats in the woods a couple years ago. And when we came into a bunch of daffodils and other bulbs a couple years ago that a new neighbor of our son and daughter-in-law was digging out, those bulbs went to the cemetery. We have been there clearing branches, resetting pavers … It is a GOOD place.

Today I went over to the cemetery with new eyes. What could be done there with my surplus plants, seedlings, fall divisions? For sure, my friend already said the tulips from the blog a couple days ago. And we have been talking about what to do with the area between the retaining wall and the fence. I thought it was a planter. It is not. So it will be safe for daylily planting. Maybe a daylily seedling trial? My mind is full of ideas for that site, and I know I can do those things with much less research, right away.

So a good development. A long available set of options, but now in its time. The scope is right, and the commitment is right-sized and a match with the full “me”.

And it is sooooo keeping my mind off having the front Amur maple tree gone 😔

Tulip planting time

It is tulip planting time. “What?”, you say. “Perhaps fall would be better?” you say. Yes, but these are bulbs from a watch’em grow vase our grandson, by way of Mom and Dad, gave me. They started to bloom before we went on our first ever planned “down south” vacation, and waited to wrap up blooming until a few days after we got back. Amazing! Maybe it was because we needed some cheering up during our covid bout.

Where should they be planted? Maybe up north. Maybe in the front of the townhouse. Or maybe at a new volunteer location, if approved of course. I will keep you posted 😁

To shamrock or not to shamrock?

We have two fairly good-sized shamrock plants in pots here. Most summers they can be seen in the area under the linden. One is purple and one is green.

Every fall I bring them into the house, and they eventually go into my office. They give me all-winter mini flowers, and occasionally I hear rustling in late fall from a ladybug who made it in with the shamrocks, usually the purple one.

I cannot say how long I have had the Shamrocks. Probably close to, if not over 15 years now. I remember buying them one St. Patrick’s season, at the grocery store across town. They were in those tiny 3-4″ pots, and very inexpensive. I thought it would be “fun” 😊 My husband and our younger son teased that Yes! We definitely needed more plants! Hahaha!

I have given divisions to other people and they haven’t done well. But those two shamrocks are very healthy here.

There have been years where I have been sooooo looking to get the shamrocks back outside. This year is not one of them. They are very happy inside this year.

But alas! They are part of the ecosystem here. In the spring they go out, and the robins pluck the dead stuff for their nests. Eventually the wind gets to them, and all the leaves die back, and then it is just soil until they grow back and fill in stronger than ever.

It looks like the robins are starting to pair up. I am thinking they will be starting to build their nests soon. The bird bath should go out today so they can have water to make mud, and the shamrocks could go out next week after our forecasted cool and rainy weekend.

When we do move them out, I will miss them in my office, but they are starting to get that “good material for birds nests” look. Yes, I put some egg shells in there. Another post about those on the way.

Survival Rates

Last Saturday was a springboard to glorious garden time days. I could not resist being out in the front gardens. Sunday morning the gardens out back also got some love.

The snow melted very fast and is now gone – even the giant snow plow pile. A very odd feeling after such a LONG SNOWY winter, but it is time! We may have another snow or two, but just like early fall, they melt pretty fast.

The perennial survival rates are good so far.

All of the sedum made it through the winter, and have new leaf buds forming. The non-productive tulips out front are also up, as well as one daylily.

Out back, the Purple D’Oro and Just Plum Happy daylilies are poking up, the two areas with productive tulips, crocus, and on one side hyacinth are up, and … the Blue Mouse Ears are starting to poke up!

Under the Linden, the Marque Moon daylilies are coming up.

No asian lilies, and no big hostas yet, but that is super normal.

With the Amur Maple situation out front, whether or not they replace the tree, our shade will be compromised, so I am very glad I did not put any Blue Mouse Ears divisions in front where there used to be shade.

Look super closely. A few days ago these were the Purple D’Oro daylilies. Just a tiny sprig of green.

Here they are a few days later.

Two days ago the South Seas daylily popped up.

And the Marque Moon daylilies are starting to come up.

Things will start filling in and covering the rock quickly now.

Tulips

The runner-up to the first green of the season was a clump of tulips out front, the one below I am guessing they are the ones that do not bloom, but maybe they will surprise us. Later on Saturday I found another tulip shoot up, and a tiny daylily shoot.

Then on Easter Sunday morning I found the snow had melted enough to uncover yesterday’s pics. So they got first sharing. Those will probably also bloom, if sir bunimous does not get them first. I have, hopefully, a solution for that. Post upcoming.

So what about those seeds?

So much has happened in the past 6 months. We decided the little house on the north shore, although a long-term bucket list experience, was not a long-term option, we condensed all the things we had up there and let go of a lot of that as well. Soon after, my husband went hunting and came home with a really bad case of influenza A that laid him up for weeks. In Feb we went on our first ever planned “down south” vacation, had an absolutely fabulous, peaceful, relaxing time – and then came home with COVID immediately after. I have heard it said, and it seems to be true, the “stories” are in the unusual, the unplanned, the whackadoodle.

Now it is spring, and it is time, once again for outdoor time. Thoughts turn again to the gardens. I am going to try out the whackadoodle theory with the daylily seeds.

Last year I once again harvested our pollinator created daylily seeds. Hundreds are viable and have been in the refrigerator for many weeks (for stratification). At the end of April/early May I will sow them directly into soil in pots, where they will stay, and hopefully germinate and grow, for the summer, in the covered seedling planter – because we have cute little diggers with grey furry tails. In the fall, whatever did well will graduate to our tiny little seedling garden here, and whatever seedlings from last fall made it through the winter and spring and summer will go — up north.

I know, I know. But they are bird and butterfly created, and I have decided I do not want to leave them in the townhouse gardens. So up north they will go, in a sunny spot, that gets a decent amount of natural watering, and hasn’t seemed to have attracted deer munching – at least on the bulbs we have planted there so far. The deer have plenty of osier, and we also have hundreds of pictures from our trail cams of the deer eating the abundant wildflowers. They LOVE them! I do have daffodils to deter eating in that area in spring, and I will plant other deterrents as well. If I can, I will see about a fence with a gate. But that may be down the road a bit. Short-term, I am letting them go, to blossom in their natural environment with woods floor mulch.

My joy with harvesting seeds is in the activity. The seeds, if left unharvested, would have become bird or squirrel food. They are progressing farther. And if something weird, or funny, or just plain whackadoodle happens along the way, I will share 🙂