Studiology

Production

I have finished some assemblage pieces, created with what I had on hand, but inspired by New Orleans and daydreams. The first is a shrine dedicated to the Sisters of Bon Secours. Created with a metal piece that depicts a sister of this branch of the Catholic church, the French word (bon secours) means "good help". Their habit is unique, a fringe circles the face and they established their first hospital in Baltimore in 1919, traveling from France (1909) to establish a health care ministry in the United States. I built the piece with the stucco of New Orleans in mind, particularly as you see it in raised crypts in cemeteries. Behind the sister is a pattern of colors that represents stained glass, as you often see it in crypts or churches. 

Also finished is a wall piece that depicts a young boy with a circle, or portal over his head where crazy creatures are pouring out. Titled "The Daydream Portal", this one was a lot of fun to imagine and then create.

Lastly some more Pez dispensers, from Alice in Wonderland we have the "White Rabbit" number 6, and "Alice" number five. Here is a little preview of the rabbit before the paint:

And then painted:

All available at Art A La Carte Gallery in Occoquan.

 

 

Mayapple

Trees are still bare of leaves but many things are about to happen in the woodland. In March a deciduous forest receives 50% of the light when compared to an open field. That percentage may be higher in areas where ash trees have all succumb to the emerald ash borer, which is the case in many parts of the woodland here on the farm. By the end of April the leafy canopy will close in and light levels can drop to 30%. 

Soil temperatures will rise quickly but steadily, especially where leaf litter remains and acts as an insulator. Air temperatures will fluctuate maddly and spring wildflowers respond to both. It's an erratic pattern, a stop and go. My feet tell me yes, my head says no, not yet! 

One lovely native wildflower is Podophyllum peltatum or the mayapple, named for the small fruit that forms in May after April flowers. Common enough to be considered secure or not threatened, the primary method of spreading is via rhizomes, and large colonies can form over time.  Shiny green leaves open to spread like umbrellas, named by Linnaeus from "podo" meaning foot, "phyllum" meaning leaf, and "pelatatum" for shield. Hidden beneath forked stems there is a white flower, often hidden entirely when looking down. Only stems with two leaves will form a flower and an entire colony may actually produce very few flowers. 

If you are fortunate enough to find a flower it's imperative that you take time to note its fragrance. Considered musky, which is normally reserved for beetle pollination, I disagree and think it's much sweeter. The flowers have no nectar, balanced by a higher amount of pollen, necessary for feeding young. Native bees, especially queen bumblebees are frequent visitors for just that reason. 

So successful is the growth and spread through its underground rhizomes that the energy spent on flower and seed production is minimal. Each rhizome may spread five inches a year versus a seedling which usually doesn't flower until it's twelve years old. If the flower was successfully pollinated it forms a small round fruit; technically a berry, which ripens fully in late August or early September. Several animals will eat the fruit but the box turtle is considered the primary dispenser and it's been proven that seed will germinate faster once its ingested by the Eastern box turtle. 

At one time is was considered a member of the Ranunculaceae family or cousins to buttercups, the species in now placed in the Berberidaceae or barberry family. A native with a very wide spread, found growing from Florida to Texas and north to Quebec and Ontario. Rich, shady woods, wet spots and thickets are where you will find them, large colonies can be 100's of years old. 

Very soon they will be piercing the leaf litter, rising with leaves rolled like cigars, a round flower bud held in the center of double leafed stems. The excitement of seeing them each spring never gets old. A little jig of happiness is mandatory.  

Happy Spring

It may have officially arrived but it's darn cold in the AM. This morning was a 4 layer morning with the usual 10:00 thinning. I chuckle everyday when I begin to defrock, gardeners can be so plump in early spring and once we begin to wear regular clothes people think we have lost weight, but it was just a layer thing.

I toured my own garden seeking things in bloom. March can be an exciting month but really pretty dismal when it comes to flowers. The usual suspects greet me once again, although I will say that I went a bit crazy in fall with new daffodils. That's an April post. But for today I got down on the ground and photographed what I had. All of which I am grateful for.

One new addition is Corydalis solida. I used to have C. 'George Baker' but it disappeared after many years, so I splurged on 25 tubers. The straight species is lovely, as pink as anyone might want. 

In helleborus I have a few from Pine Knot Farm before they were breeding interspecies hybrids, none of these are named. Sadly Judith has passed but a new generation is keeping the nursery going, they are located in Clarksville, VA. 

Also flowering is Helleborus 'Quilty' a hybrid from Graham Birkin of England. I'm so happy to have kept one of his plants when it was easier to just sell them all when I had the plant farm. He was a terrific hybridizer. 

Hairy bitter cress is ever present, the weed that spreads its seeds far and wide. I suggest you hoe them out from the edges of your garden where they may persist in your lawn. Do that soon so you avoid the bigger problem of the explosive seed dispersal. Botanically known as Cardamine hirsuta, it's a winter annual, so simply knocking their heads off is good for now. 

As I was crawling around my last guinea was staying close, certainly wondering what had gotten into me. This last one, a male has made it through another winter. Two weeks ago it was scared out of its tree perch by a predator (most likely an owl)  and came screaming down to the door, frantic about the experience and the dark. In past years, when all of our roosting guineas would react like this, they would gather at the door under a shrub and wait out the night. The shrub is gone and there is really nowhere to hide so I had no choice but to stay with him, wondering what on earth was going to happen. Well to my surprise he escorted me to the old chicken coop, went inside and waited for me to shut the door. It's been 2 years since any guinea has set foot in that coop. We were able to both sleep through the night, the smart guinea and the tired me. They are much smarter than you think. 

And with that I wish you a Happy Spring (again)!

The Garden Report "Overwhelm"

Now that I've been working in the garden for a week, I feel a bit better. The first day is completely overwhelming. It would be easy to just go back inside. But if I might give you some guidance, or inspiration, a few jobs should be tackled first.

The shade garden flowers before the sun garden, many of its occupants are primed to complete their life cycle early, sleeping for summer when tree competition is too challenging. Every precious day and night above freezing, especially as the soil warms, is "go time" for ephemerals. There is a fine line between growing and not freezing yet answering to pollinators by supplying nectar and pollen. Isolated clean-up accomplishes a couple of things, it allows us to admire the mastery of their beauty, where they are often neck deep in fallen leaves, as well as uncovering them for pollinators. The hardest part may be the isolated clean-up, my curiosity begs for more, more, and more. There are freezing nights ahead, so be cautious. My go-to list is trout lily, Corydalis solida, crocus, and Iris reticulata. 

Then I move on to epimedium with their buds literally resting at ground level. In no time they will rise into last years leaves and be very difficult to prune between old stems and fragile new floral heads. Take out all of last years leaves and if you are early enough, it's an easy task with a pair of shears. 

I might remind you that it's also time to practice your tiny footprint exercise. Like a ballerina, we gardeners must skillfully tread, not crushing tender tips as they are about to break through. The rotation between knees and hips are masterfully balanced while the feet remain in one place. This is not taught, this is learned.

Part of your overwhelm may come with some large job that you know you have to do this year. I have a couple of these. In this case, begin but tackle a bit at a time. Remove that shrub that is a nuisance but don't launch into all of them. Your muscle memory hasn't caught up with you yet, so don't overdo it. And you will feel better because you know you have begun. Next week or tomorrow gives you another chance. 

In the sun garden I am pruning shrubs that bloom on new wood, namely Hydrangea paniculata, H. arborescens, spirea and abelia. Old peony stems come out too, before you know it, the peony rings go on. By that time you may be able to do all five basic ballet techniques while you pirouette to pull a dandelion out, roots and all. 

Just another day in the garden. 

On Saturday, the 23rd of March I will be giving one of my favorite lectures at Green Spring Gardens from 9:00 to 10:00. The lecture is the "Mixed Border" which talks about mixing shrubs with perennials, especially the perennials that colonize and cover the ground so you use less mulch and thwart weeds. The fee is $18.00.

The Garden Report

A week of dry and relative warmth, I began my garden cleanup yesterday, and day one was ecstasy, today I feel it! So much changes when work begins, early nights for early mornings, not the late night, carefree, sleep in, maybe bad habits, I've gotten used to. That is what makes my winters special, the schedule is my own.

In the garden I have been pruning wisteria and cutting back helleborus foliage. I noticed last year that new growth and floral stems on helleborus forces its way from the center and pushes the old foliage to the side creating a collar of old leaves. On a functional level it seems it might be pushing dried grass out of the way, or any other plant that might be pressing into its growing space. As gardeners we work at decluttering or cleaning up, in this case removing last years leaves so we can enjoy the flowers. It's always one of my first things to do in spring but I do wonder if the old leaves may also offer some protection from subfreezing nights. After doing this same thing for so long, I haven't noticed any difference, so I'm fine with that cleanup. Not all cleanup is okay though, leaves banked up in areas can be left for potential insect habitats, as well as rabbits and their newborn, hairless young. In time I rake and clean even these, at least in the gardens where decluttering is my job. At home, it's a very late job or I let the wind remove the leaves. Even my beds for the night garden are left as long as possible, warm days allow wintering insects to thaw out and venture on, we need our insects. 

In my own garden I have countless snowdrops and winter aconite flowering. They have been doing so for two weeks. Honeybees are rare, the flies were the primary pollinators on my eranthis or winter aconite. I wish I still had a wintersweet shrub or chimonanthus. I used to sell them at the nursery and smiled from ear to ear when I spied one in a friends garden. The flowers are thin as silk but powerfully fragrant. 

He also had an Adonis amurensis in flower. This is another flower of winter and not all winters are good,  but so far, so good.

His galanthus or snowdrops are much different than mine and I suspect that his are all G. elwesii. The foliage is much larger as are the flowers, and the markings are correct. With twenty species of snowdrops, it's a challenge to identify them on sight.

But today I cut my third little vase full of snowdrops which last for about four days in the house. I encourage all to do this, their sweet fragrance is best enjoyed this way.

Happy Spring!