Studiology

Timely Matters

The weather is beautiful and the gardener wants to be outside, recharged and recharging. Today I took cuttings of my native azaleas, hoping that it's not too early. The key to knowing when to propagate cuttings of most flowering shrubs is when the stem, when bent, will snap instead of bending. Not woody but supple and green. It generally falls in early June for azaleas. I use a mix of grit (fine turkey or chicken), sand, and a fine potting soil to mix an amendment that will drain well. 

The idea is to give the stems support but drain well so the stem won't rot. In the bottom of rather shallow pots I add regular potting soil and this gritty mix on top, about 2" deep.

Since the cuttings will not have a way to pull moisture into the leaves, it's essential that the leaf surface is reduced. What ever moisture is in the plant, will have to last until roots sprout. Cut leaves by half and leave a joint in the grit, that is where roots will emerge.

I also leave room at the top of the pot so stems are not subject to wind (which dries them up), but sunken to just below the rim. 

In a few weeks I will test the stems, hoping for some resistance which will let me know that they have managed to sprout roots. Leave them in the shade for now, water enough to keep the medium moist, and cross your fingers. I have left more stems on the mother plants in case this fails and I have to try again. 

Now that we are in June, I have been reviewing May in the garden. I am still working in the lovely garden in Warrenton. As lovely as it was with numerous flowering shrubs, I felt that the peonies suffered from early heat and there was a certain lack of gusto for May. 

In my own garden I loved this combination and think it's worth repeating in any sunny location. Amsonia (my aggresive cross with tabernaemontana) and Allium 'Gladiator'. The amsonia is chocking out my peonies, but a few put up a good fight.

Of the peonies that have proven superior is 'Scarlet O'Hara'. She is tall enough to rise above the amsonia and has been a real champ!

Clematis 'Good Samaritan Joe' has also been tough and beautiful. Not overly tall, perfect on a four foot support.

As far as timely chores, consider splitting up any bulbs that are going dormant. In a week they will be dormant and invisible. Jack-in-the-pulpit, trillium, and Virginia bluebells are just a few examples. Guessing where they are is not fun. 

A Breeze is Blowing

In May of 2020 I was urged to start drawing with my daughter and granddaughter on Thursday nights. Initiated by a group of teachers, exemplary illustrators, all to join together while Covid was raging. This small weekly effort has continued and only grown stronger. As a family, the 3 of us try our best to capture what is presented, a series of 4 photographs with a 20 minute limit for each one. Of course the time limit is up to each artist, if they desire to concentrate on only 1 for the full hour and a half, then so be it. My daughter, a graduate of VCU, felt rusty. I felt completely out of my league, and Felicity the granddaughter took to it like a seasoned pro with no worries. We are now called "The Legacy Family" when it comes to review and critique on Instagram through the tag "Illustration Isolation". 

After a bit of indecision, I settled on watercolor because I'm insane! Most artist will agree that it is one of the hardest, if not THE hardest of mediums. I studied on my own, took an online class and just plodded along. Slowly I've felt like it might be coming together, some nights are really bad, others are wonderful.  It's clear that I am improving, and you can't ask for more. Since the majority are portraits, the challenge is getting something that kind of looks like the person you are drawing. These are 2 of my latest, both of which I'm kind of happy with;

Since I am an artist, more the 3D kind, and a horticulturist, it's been interesting to see how my life is changing.  In a retirement that is almost complete from estate gardening and lecturing, the garden is something that sits outside and paces itself with little intervention. Lovely groundcovers like Smilacina stellata, yellowroot, and epimedium do a good job at keeping weeds at bay, the seasons are complete with early bulbs and long lived perennials. 

Recently I came across my college art binder, one of those large, zippered portfolios. From the mid 70's, it was a joy to look at these old drawings. I attended Northern Virginia Community College at night, worked at Roy Rogers during the day. Classes ended at 10:00 PM, I was at work at 7:00 AM. It was grueling. At the time, as freshman, we were not allowed nude models. This drove my drawing teacher crazy so he often posed for us without a shirt or brought in props that were essentially body parts (a leg, an arm, etc...).The sad part is that I never tagged him by name on my drawings and don't remember his name, but he was very inspirational. 

In time we were allowed nude models, and I remember well the long studies with sweat dribbling down as they were required to sit perfectly still for up to an hour (with breaks of course). I also remember that they were paid $4.00 an hour! 

My art supplies were purchased at the Hecht Company, a trip to Tyson's Mall.

Occasionally one of our fellow students would pose for us, it would be nice if someone might recognize themselves. 

Of course there were single light source studies, draped fabric studies, and gesture drawing by the hundreds.

Evenually I landed a job at Kenny Roberts Garden Center and everything changed. I left college, fell in love with plants and began my dream of owning a nursery. Now 46 years later, I understand why I'm enjoying these drawing sessions so much. When the winds blow, you need to follow them. And if you are on Instagram, check out "Illustration Isolation" @visualartspassage. Such incredible talent on Thursday nights! Hopefully I will share a trio from all three of us. Three generations!

And for the moral of the story, write down the name of the person you are drawing. You might want to reconnect one day. 

 

Five Years Old

The youngest grandchild just turned 5. A May birthday, which almost coincided with mother's day, a day that I can't help but reflect on spring, the garden, and how this would have been the craziest weekend of the year at the plant farm. It's hard to shake those memories. But it was a drizzly day, so inside we were, and a good time was had. The mob scene included 11 other children, so it was deafening at times, in a good way. 

Sweet Juniper was in her element with a new car to drive and a dress-up station complete with hats, masks, swords, beads - you get the picture. 

This spunky granddaughter is not one to shy away from adventure, so she was chauffer for a few friends in her new car, she smiled, they held on tight.

The cake and decorations, party hats and tiara's were just what you want at a sweet 5 year old's party.

I know that growth spurts are often a surprise for grandparents and I'm glad to live not too far to see them grow. And my goodness, are they ever!

Miss Birdie was the center of attention at times and she did not freak out. Even when the tiara's came out. 

All Hail!!

 

 

 

No Persuasion

Stand back, it's spring! The rush of growth, flower to seed, emergence of good and bad, it's all happening at warp speed. I always remember this week, it's the week my son was born and coming home from the hospital - a 3 day stay at the time, was like entering another world. Azaleas were in full bloom and the trees had developed leaves large enough to cast shade. Literally 3 days had made a gigantic change. To record this, I have spent some time taking photographs of what's flowering, or even passing over. The few days when the temperatures hit 80 degrees plus, can make for a fleeting show, especially with flowering bulbs, so you must pay attention.

This is one of my favorite epimediums, simply known as Epimedium versicolor, which is better known with the selection or hybrid - 'Sulphureum' and its all yellow flowers. Both have short spurs, but are strong growers. Lovely for dry shade with clean foliage and a strong stamina.

Epimedium pinnatum ssp. colchicum is a much more saturated yellow with tiny spurs that are reddish. 

Rhododendron 'Colonel Mosby' is part of the Dodd confederate series. Originally developed to take the place of Exbury azaleas, a decidious group that is not fond of our southern heat. Using Rhododendron austrinum, a native species, this group of about 11 hybrids thrives (mine is in full sun) and puts on a stunning show. Since I live on John Mosby Hwy., it became a required purchase.

This sweet native rhododendron is best known as the pinxterbloom azalea. The flowers are usually shades of pink, but can be variable. Depending on the sun, it can be very dense or much looser and open.

Any gardener that likes fragrance must have Abelia mosanensis, it's exquisite!

Adding to the fragrant garden is Phlox divaricata, a native that can also be variable in color, going from this milky blue to deep purple. The lighter shades are best for the shade garden, popping color as the trees fully leaf out.

As the foliage opens completely you can see why Syneilesis aconitifolia is also known as the shredded umbrella plant. A native of Korea, it will grow in dry shade, and I can vouch for that.

This is also the time when the winter aconite or eranthis goes to seed. The small yellow flowers open mid-February, so I like to collect a few and spread them to the south side of rocks so they bloom even earlier. A minor bulb that disappears quickly once heat arrives.

My Thalictrum dioicum or early meadow rue is seeding around and actually becoming a groundcover. The foliage is very dainty and resembles columbine (in the same family). Despite the appearance, this native is as tough as they come and thrives in dry shade. These are the female flowers and you can use this link to read more about this amazing native wildflower. In the Ranunculaceae family, most members are poisonous, so deer resistant. 

And tomorrow will promise to bring more, so don't let a day pass without looking and absorbing. No other time of year offers so many daily changes.

Finishing Things

Time in the studio has been good, many things have been completed and more are underway. Literally finished last night and delivered to the gallery today is a piece titled "Swan Ride".  This one was difficult to assemble, it made little sense to me, and it included a doll, which I hate doing because they always look like a doll. Some bits of "stuff" altered her appearance some, but I knew that this piece meant being brave with the paint because bottom line, it's quite weird. In the end I was delighted with the paint and felt that it owned up to the build, another growth spurt for me (and that's how it feels).

Today was a workday in the gallery so I was able to gauge people's opinion of "Swan Ride", sorry for the lack of creativity in the name, but she was a big hit, despite her weirdness.

Others that have been completed are all up and I have to say that today in the gallery was a blast with fun people all day long.

Tomorrow, Thursday, April 7th, is another workday for me and I encourage you to visit this most awesome little gallery that makes my heart go pitter pat.

The address is 310 Mill Street, the main drag through Occoquan, VA. Come for food, come for art.

 

Brutal

I think of this day and all those years at the nursery with a similar weather slap down. The high winds from the north and west accompanied with a drop in temperatures can be fretful. In a positive way I'm happy that the Callery (Bradford) pears will freeze in full bloom and not produce fruit, the invasive beast that it is. But sadly, it probably means a similar end to peach and cherry blossoms. 

Long ago at the nursery, perennial frames with potted plants were covered in overwintering fabric, depending on the thickness or grade, there were often 2 layers to protect them in winter. By this time they would be uncovered, all 73 frames that were 16 x 4' in size. The uncovering meant rolling the fabric up to rest on the west side of each frame so when all had to be recovered, there was a little assistance from west winds. On a day like today the task would seem monumental, especially when it came to weighing down the edges with cinderblocks. Between the wind and physical activity, it was exhausting. 

There were also greenhouses and cold frames. The wind slaps the plastic all day, a sound that takes some getting used to. As April is approaching, it would mean that all pansy/violas, maybe petunias, ranunculus, and possibly some salvias, would already have been moved outside. I used to call it "greenhouse constipation" because you can't stop the growing machine, shipments can't be stopped, seedlings have to be sown, cuttings taken. One particularly good year there was a forecast of 18" of snow. We moved all of the pansies out so the snow would cover them. As the days passed and the snow slowly melted away, the pansies appeared and they were perfect! They loved the constant 32 degrees. 

This shift in weather may not be the last, there can be nights of frost into May, but it's a pretty brutal turn. I don't have to worry about losing plants, affording the heating oil, or keeping the plastic on the houses now. Although there is still that unease which is hard to turn off. 

I imagine that many of you have covered some tender things, I prefer fabric over plastic (which has no insulating ability). When it's really bad I use a layer of plastic between 2 layers of fabric (like bed sheets). The hardest thing is keeping it secure, hence my cinderblocks. 

Gardening is definitely not for wimps. It's sometimes hard emotionally and physically, if not for some triumphs, we would quit! Hold on to your hat and wait for better days.

New Art Work

There's been a lull in my art work. I attribute it to a few things, one of which is the ongoing war in Ukraine, which put me in a major funk! Which ever part of the brain was in a bad mood was directly affecting my creative side. There were some pieces that came together with time and determination, but I sensed a shift in my artistic flow. And then came a break-through, an embrace of sorts with the really ugly narrative; create art that incorporates the state of affairs. So a few have come together and others are in the works. Much like artists embracing the pandemic with pandemic art, so it goes now. This piece is titled "Scheming", sort of like a David and Goliath story. The little man holds a tiny sledge hammer for a weapon.

I also finished this "Defender of the Woods", a deer as an action figure (hero) who is here to defend the trees. 

The piece on the easel now is built of broken porcelain doll faces. It will be interesting to see where it goes and how much I paint on the faces. Sometimes the painting takes as long as the building, it's never an exact science and can sway from day to day, minute to minute. 

Lots left to do and undoubtedly some moments of angst to preserve the emotion in this one. Updates to follow. Peace Out!

 

March

Two weeks ago I found a place where the wood frogs sound their mating calls and have gone back almost every day to hear them again. Apparently, there are no wood frogs on the farm, so it was a real shock when I first heard the sound, suspecting it might be some distant grackles. The peeps won't be far behind and the garden is waking up, a little something new to see almost every day. Minor bulbs, the little ones, are so worth planting and should always go in when the gardener is young (or yesterday). My drifts of snowdrops are amazing, as are the winter aconites. It's taken some 30 years to see them spread so far, the impact is what makes February and March seem a little less winter-like. I have often recommended the planting of minor bulbs to people, only to have them say that in the scale of their garden, the affect is too little. Nonsense!

The hellebores or Lenten rose are definitely surging. I have a particularly good blackish one from Pine Knot. There was a time that I sold good black flowering hybrids, but failed to keep any, so it's nice to have this one.

 Sweet box or Sarcococca hookeriana humilis is in full bloom, the flowers are not showy but amazingly fragrant. As I was sitting on the ground to photograph the snowdrops, the fragrance was truly sweet, and I'm sure it's part of the reason for the common name.

Inspecting the seed pods on witch hazel or Hamamelis virginiana, I noticed small drill holes on each seed pod. Knowing that the exploding seeds make much larger holes, I suspected a weevil and sure enough it's one that relies on this particular witch hazel to survive. Better known as Psuedoanthonomous hamamelids, the adults feed on leaves and flowers with fertile females laying eggs in the seed pod in fall and young feeding on the seed before emerging in spring. 

It will be many days before I begin the real clean-up of perennial beds to allow dormant insects to thaw and wakeup. For now, the epimedium, helleborus, and shade grasses have been cut down. Garden shears can be used on the epimediums if it's done soon, way before flowering stems begin to uncurl. On helleborus I remove last years leaves, the first task of the year. When I energetically use my garden shears, my fitbit thinks I'm walking or running and gives me shooting stars for my accomplishments. The gardener may not need a fitbit to track their exercise, getting the work done is enough. And you should see the numbers when I'm flinging weeds; good grief, she must be jumping hurdles! And in a way, I am.

 

Love was in the Air

For a brief span of 4 days, I worked with cut flowers to make Valentine Day bouquets. The faithful underling who was delighted to once again join the professionals to learn a few tricks and navigate the pure joy of working with fresh flowers. In my span of nursery work I can also add that Valentine's Day on the other side, the working side, is completely new to me. Red roses rule the day, that color in roses represents love and romance. Yellow roses are for friendship, pink for joy - gratitude and grace, while white is for purity and innocence (maybe best for a child's bouquet). Even though men are the primary buyers (red, red, and red), there was 1 young man who was buying for a "real" gardener and forewarned that her bouquet had better not be red.

Boxed roses are popular and arrive with each stem in a water tube with instructions on how to build your own arrangement. The presentation is pretty spectacular.

I'm personally a fan of working with dusty miller or Jacobaea maritima (used to be Senecio cineraria), especially with soft pastels. The furry gray leaves are a staple for arrangements from Merrifield Gardens. 

But when it was all said and done, the hundreds of red roses are sold out, then it's time to embrace something a little different - whew, what a relief!

 

The 9 Year Old

This last week was the anniversary of the adoption of Birdie. Now a 9 year old, or so we believe with a birthday set at January 29th. She has calmed a bit with fewer signs of stress from whatever her life was before. Occasionally she will suddenly cower or need to escape for reasons that we cannot figure out, some with an uncontrollable tremble which breaks my heart. Since I am new to the rescue of an abused animal, I can clearly say that it has been harder than I thought it would be. But I stand by my decision and would make it many times over because sometimes she is so happy that she spins in place and jumps for joy. Her calmness and love for everyone is amazing, especially with a questionable past that was NOT good. We could all take a lesson from that. 

So Happy Birthday little girl and may the rest of your life be full of fluffy beds, wonderful wild scents, and lots of head kisses and love.