Bees and Color

Scilla siberica

There doesn’t seem to be a lack of bees this spring based on the amount I see as I’m trying to snap photos of the spring blooming bulbs. They finally (week of 4-8-13) began to put on a good show here at Crabtree Gardens in USDA Zone 5 (at least the ones that the rabbits allowed me to have).

In early March, I was searching for some photos for an article that I was writing  for Pennsylvania Gardener Magazine.  I realized that I had really poor quality spring bulb shots from my retired camera, so I have been anxiously anticipating their blooms this year for my photo library. I’m overjoyed that I was able to get bonus photos of numerous bees clamoring for the fresh pollen so early.  Of course unseasonably warm temps in the 70′s this week are making everything open at once.

Colorful Crocus

I had a hard time not getting the bees in the photos as I tried to focus the lens. I worried that I was too close and would end up with sting, but they seemed to be really content and not bothered by me shoving the lens at them.  That only made me want to get more.

Chionodoxa

Seeing nature through a camera lens actually taught me to look closer and to just observe, because you never know what you’ll find.

White crocus with tiny pollinator inside

We often walk past a colorful grouping of flowers and enjoy their beauty but seldom do we take the time to just observe their intricacies.  We don’t often get up close with them.

Puschkinia libinotica

It’s spring and as you are hurriedly running around trying to get all of those chores completed, remind yourself to slow down and just observe and breathe in the warm air that we’ve waited so long to smell and take in those beautiful purple, whites and yellows that are dotted around the garden. Learn to appreciate the minutiae of nature.

I found a lot of JOY seeing the bees this week and even more having had an article about pollinators appear in Pennsylvania Gardener Magazine. Now I’m off to help the monarchs by purchasing some milkweed seed to distribute to the class for our Milkweed Walk in June and then I’m going to get some photos of the different daffodils that are opening. I don’t even remember planting them!

I hope you have something nature inspired to do today, even if you just walk around outside for a while and clear your mind – close your eyes and breathe.

 

Simple Elegance

When I saw this photo, I immediately could smell the fragrance. Isn’t it amazing how a certain flower fragrance stays with you? Even though peonies and roses have their own memorable fragrances, for some reason, Lily of the Valley Convallaria majalis seems to be the most vivid in my mind.

It says spring is here. It reminds me of childhood days in our woods and time spent crafting make believe gardens lined with small rocks and filled with moss and tasting the sap from a birch tree that my dad drilled a hole in.

Those tiny pristine white bell-shaped flowers (actually called tepals) laden with their heavenly fragrance standing between the rich green leaves always seem to evoke a gentle feeling of elegance. It must be the white color-pureness and innocence against the green which is also calming on its own. That’s probably why these flowers are used so much in wedding designs.  Kate Middleton’s bouquet was made with these fragrant little beauties.

I found that I don’t get the same effect if I just use the flowers without the leaves for cut flowers in the house, they were meant to be used together. It’s that contrast of the smooth dark, shiny leaves against those almost pearlized white tepals that makes this fragrant ground cover such an attractive combination.

But wait! I failed to mention that this elegant beauty is completely toxic. Yes, all parts of this “ornamental herb” including the bright red seeds it produces are highly poisonous to humans and animals.  Its medicinal uses are restricted to herbalists only and the FDA considers it poisonous.  Please keep this plant away from children and pets.

That fact leads me to believe it could be the perfect ground cover for gardens bothered by deer, rabbits and voles. They won’t eat it, they already know better. It could be used to cover an area in the shade where nothing else will grow, and it will eventually form a carpet of green choking out the weeds. It’s perennial in USDA Zones 2-9 and pollinators such as bees love it. What a great low-maintenance plant for naturalizing!  That’s why I already planted it at the Cottage this past fall. Hardy, ground cover, fragrant, low-maintenance, these are all the words I love. Fear it not, it will prove worthy in your garden.

How to plant Lily of the Valley

Oh, and I almost forgot- not only did I find JOY this month, I also found some PEACE along with last month’s SERENITY too!

Do you have a certain flower or fragrance that sparks all kinds of memories for you? Are you growing Lily of the Valley in your garden? If you have a story to share, I’d love to hear about it.

Finding Serenity

I wasn’t looking for it by any means. I just happened to stumble upon it as I searched for other things of horticultural interest that could pique the attention of the Facebook News Feed-hungry viewers.

As I lamented over what I thought would make a good attention grabber for the image addicted followers, just then I tripped.

It snagged my shoe, it caught my attention, and it literally brought me to my knees.  I brushed off the covering of rain soaked leaves and there it was, hiding right in front of my face- SERENITY.

I found SERENITY creeping through my cold, wet, late winter garden looking at every bud and stem, trying to compose a good photo to share with other gardeners who would appreciate my dedication to this slinking about. And right there it was, the hint I needed to remind me that I didn’t need to come up with something photo worthy.

I needed that hint to remind me that there are so much more important things that are happening beneath the surface that don’t get the attention they deserve.  Seeing those soft brown curling leaves beginning to slowly decay brought me the feeling of JOY. I know that in a few short weeks, they will be broken down and devoured by the soil organisms and in turn their castings will be taken up as nourishment by the roots of my plants. It reaffirmed my belief that allowing leaves to remain in the garden is a low-maintenance, high advantage way to naturalizing your garden.

It’s the last day of January and I found SERENITY. Finding SERENITY reminded me to feel JOY.  I’m right on target with my plan to find JOY every day. I can hardly wait to see where and how I find it in February.

In what ways do you find serenity?

Poppy Pants?

This is a fun post. We are in a Zone 5 winter freeze here but we’ve still got colorful flowers blooming  in our gardens thanks to this whimsical attire worn by niece Katy. 

She arrived on Saturday wearing this one-of-a-kind flowering vine with big flowers and fabric leaves on her jeans.  I just couldn’t help myself!  They were a breath of spring on this otherwise bleak winter day.

There is a ton of work involved here folks!  Look at all of the hand sewing on this design.

These masterpiece jeans are the creation of a friend of Katy’s named Dawn Heim.

There’s some beautiful hand painted artwork in this cute vine climbing right up to her hip.

I asked her to do some poses to look as if she were a vine entwined around our Gratitude Tree. I’m no professional photographer but it was fun asking.

Katy was truly a good sport about the whole photo session, we had so much fun! The Lemon Drop martinis made it even better.

Now I’m loving these jeans so much, I’m asking Dawn to create a masterpiece for me.  Could there be poppies and leopard on them?  You bet! Can I pull-off this look? I guess we’ll see….. stay tuned!

What do you think? Where would you wear these fun frocks? In the garden perhaps?

Metamorphosis

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is one of my all time favorite sayings.  A while back I wrote about how I had a vision for an old barn structure that made its home in our gardens.

Ignoring advice from several experts saying we should raze it, I saw enormous potential in what it could become.  Five years later, into our life came a master craftsman who could see and feel my vision.

After a whirlwind of wood, paint and ingenuity, he created what he, Dave and I think is a masterpiece. He added beams for structure where there were none, he added walls, windows, handmade double doors, and beautiful hand cut wood trim.

Outside he covered it with board and batten siding screwing each piece into place so it could be removed if necessary.  It was a labor of love and a loving labor, you see he likes a challenge and we keep him loaded with them.

Finally upon completion in May 2012, I was able to use this space as a workshop for my garden classes throughout the summer.

Since it remained unused in the winter months, I offered it to a “homeless” yoga community for shelter (see previous post Grounding), and it became their yoga home.  It was again called upon to transform into the Lil Yoga Barn at Crabtree Gardens. A new floor, donated and installed by the community and some relaxing touches like incense, candles, lavender eye pillows, bolsters and soft fluffy blankets made it into a beautiful, peaceful sanctuary surrounded by nature.

It is also their love and gratitude for our barn that makes it even more special. The entire yoga community has embraced our gardens and their new home.  For that we are blessed.

Our barn has been such an important part of our gardens that when we were ready to have a logo designed, we debated whether it should be included. We knew the logo had to be nature inspired and we also knew that we wanted butterflies, because we promote pollinator friendly plants and working with nature.

We found a very talented artist while visiting a covered bridge festival and immediately fell in love with his work.  Nature seemed to be reflected in everything he touched.  We immediately knew that Jef McGreevy would be the one to design our garden logo.

We gave him an overview of what we wanted and we decided that the barn would become an integral part of the logo.  He worked his magic and designed this for us.

The most amazing thing besides his stunning artwork is the fact that I just now realized that those butterflies you see are important to us not only because of the pollinator connection, but because they represent metamorphosis and life change.  Our gardens are continually expanding and our barn has metamorphosed into the most beautiful special place on earth, at least to us and our yoga community.

It was emotional for us when we saw our logo for the first time. Dave and I realized that it was the culmination of years of hard work and vision, connection to people who have touched our lives and the sign that we are again metamorphosing into something even better than we could have possibly hoped for.  We are now getting ready to spread our wings and fly.

Speak of What You Love

What distinguishes the difference between a good garden speaker and a great garden speaker?  Is it the knowledge the speaker holds on the subject they speak of or in the way they present that knowledge. Public speaking is not something everyone can pull off no matter how knowledgeable they are.

As the owner of a display and educational garden business I ponder these questions often and I’m doing my best to learn what it takes to become a great speaker. Since opening my business, I have had several opportunities to speak about my favorite subject and have developed some workshops for gardeners.  It always was and still is a concern to me that what I presented would be well received by the attendees.  I’m sure this is something every public speaker hopes for.

Recently, I joined the Mountaintop Garden Club and attended their meeting at the Marian Sutherland Kirby Library with guest speaker Ron Berger. Ron is the host of WYLN TV The Garden Spot and co-owner of Geo. Burger and Sons, Inc., a local garden center.

I was told that Ron is a highly sought after speaker and I was really looking forward to hearing his presentation. His experience is vast, as he has been involved in the horticultural industry throughout his entire life.

The presentation began with Ron delivering a lively dynamic welcome to the packed room. He discussed his background qualifications and training, he spoke of his family and recent trips to warmer places, perfect for an evening in the single digits. He then proceeded to really warm up the room with some photos he had on slides, which got a chuckle from just about everyone.

He covered several different topics about landscaping in a residential environment and improving the value of your home through properly placed plants and trees. He gave ideas for creating interesting winter color in the garden and tips for other creative planting ideas throughout the seasons. He was a wealth of knowledge, and he was animated in his delivery. He had the complete undivided attention from every gardener there.

Ron is a nursery owner and to his credit, he marketed his business exceptionally well.  Selling horticultural products is a part of his livelihood. Ron truly cares about what he sells and the people who buy it from him and that seems to be what made the biggest impression on me.  As Jean-Paul Sartre said “We must act out passion before we can feel it”.
He showed concern for his clients and their choice of the proper landscaping materials. He was concerned when he drove past a home and saw plants sitting in a hot driveway weeks after their purchase, drooping from lack of water. He suggested that the attendees contact a professional for help designing a sensible landscape because he cared that they didn’t waste their money. He cared about directing his clients to choose the plants that they themselves could care for.  He cared enough to take the time to explain to his clients that the most important thing when planting anything is a hole that’s large enough. He believes in using and promoting organic fertilizers because he cares about our environment.  That fact in itself tells me Ron not only knows about gardening but that he has a true passion for it.

I could feel his passion as I sat there in that room, maybe because I am a horticultural professional or maybe just because he is so very good at what he does.  His passion for plants and flowers is actually contagious and I believe everyone in that room felt it.  When someone finds their passion and shares it with others it radiates from their entire sprit, just as it does from Ron.

His knowledge is truly commendable, his delivery was right on target and his compassion was paramount. So to answer my first question; “What distinguishes a good garden speaker from a great garden speaker?” The answer undoubtedly is passion.

I’m looking forward to seeing more of Ron and learning more about what I love from him.

What are your thoughts?  What do you think makes a garden speaker great?

January Blues

The holiday bustle is over and the bills start to arrive faster than the brief bloom of a morning glory flower, but I have a different take on “having the blues” because I searched my stash of photos and came up with this heavenly selection of garden beauty.

Ipomoea purpurea Grandpa Ott’s morning glory

The first blue I’m sharing is Grandpa Ott’s morning glory, intermingling with the foliage of sweet autumn clematis on a wire fence. I love that yellow contrast of the clematis foliage against the blue of the flower, even though the darker green heart-shaped foliage of morning glory alone can be beautiful. (Floating Hearts post) Seen in the photo below, morning glory is winding through the amaranthus.

Grandpa Ott’s morning glory and Elephant Head amaranthus at Crabtree Gardens Wedding Pergola

Spring is really not that far off so I’m focusing forward and looking to the sky to see that glorious blue that surrounds us everyday. The blue color we see in the sky is the reflection of light in the molecules of the earth’s atmosphere.   Blue is a difficult color to see from a distance, so when planning gardens, it’s best to plant blue flowers where they can be seen up close.

Crabtree Gardens Blue Sky

Historically in January the Northeast US is covered with snow and ice, and lest not forget up to three feet of frost in the ground, but as of now (mid January) we seemed to have escaped this fate so far.  Warmer than average temps here in Northeastern PA are cultivating my feelings of premature spring fever.  The ground is soaked pleasantly reminding me of those cold wet springs that our area is known for.  Buds are swelling and tricking me into believing that its time to get out and get moving, but the sensible part of me knows that this is just a tease, a mid-January warm-up. Yesterday we were able to have a gift tree planted in the garden (yes in the middle of January).

I believe in celebrating life’s heavenly blessings no matter how small they seem!  JOY!

Crabtree Gardens Robin Eggs Spring 2012

We have some really rich blues here throughout the year, beginning with the annual forget-me-nots myosotis and the woodland bulbs Siberian squills scilla siberica both blooming in early to mid-spring.

Forget-me-not myosotis

Siberian Squills scillia siberica

In early summer, Tradescantia (unsure of this cultivar) or more commonly known as spiderwort is another heavenly blue flower that grows here thanks to a fellow gardener who shared a small piece with us.  Spiderwort gets its name from the fragile spider web-like filaments that surround the anthers of the flower upon very close inspection.

Another summer blue beauty is chicory Cichorium intybus a biennial herb that many consider a common roadside weed.  I highly value it for it’s culinary uses as the leaves are highly superior to dandelion in salads and the roots can be dried and used as a coffee additive to reduce the bitterness and caffeine, but mostly because it has this glorious stunningly beautiful blue flower.

Cichorium intybus Chicory

We allow it to self sow at the Cottage.  It’s rare to see white chicory, but in the next photo, you’ll see some happily intermingling with the blue.

Chicory at Cottage at Crabtree Gardens

And in another shade of blue we welcome the balloon flower Platycodon grandifloris. This carefree perennial gets the name “balloon flower” because of the popping sound made by squeezing the air from the unopened flowers.  It doesn’t seem to hurt the flower, as it will still bloom.

Balloon Flower platycodon grandifloris

Balloon flowers are usually a solid color, but we were lucky enough to have a striped one show up this past summer during the first week in July.  We called it “Stars and Stripes”. We are waiting to see if the seedlings will be striped.

Striped Balloon Flower Crabtree Gardens July 2012

Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Endless Summer’ lives up to its name, blooming throughout the summer and early fall with these gorgeous pom-pom shaped flowers that steal the show against an evergreen background (older camera here sorry for the poor quality).

Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Endless Summer’

Now I may be exaggerating the blue color a little here, but campanula or clustered bellflower campanula glomerata is a workhorse in our gardens and I’m including it in the blue list.  This easy care, happily mingling perennial is welcome absolutely anywhere, as it puts on a show for weeks in late spring/early summer in our Zone 5b/6 gardens. I love to use it as a filler flower because we are all about filling open ground.

Clustered bellflower campanula glomerata

And finally I must include some unnatural blues here because I just get delighted seeing them in the garden.  First on my list must be our old blue tool shed which was moved from a former home and apparently used as a guard shack at some point, then turned into a dog house. Finally it was rescued by us when we bought the home and painted this periwinkle color to be used as our little tool shed.

Periwinkle Tool Shed Crabtree Gardens

And with that same can of paint, this vintage concrete planter was given a new look too. The heuchera ‘Palace Purple’ has been in this same pot for over 6 years. It remains here all winter and returns every spring.

Vintage concrete pot with heuchera ‘Palace Purple’

We do have a few whimsical touches throughout our gardens like this blue frog which just happened to be the same color as our shed and pot, so it hopped in our cart and came home with us a few years back. We gave it a job as our “watch frog”.

Periwinkle Watch Frog

What are your favorite blues? We’d like to know so please post a comment or feel free to post a photo over on our facebook page.

Wallowing in Willow

The bones of a garden become most apparent in the bleak days of winter.  Brown and gray branching framework of shrubs and trees take on a new, contrasting appearance against the clean snow covered landscape.  It’s here that an innocent walk in the garden can transform itself into a quest for proof that the lush green leaves will return once more, just like they have for ages without my help.

I get a feeling of joy when I see those flat, contorted, fanned-out sculptures that are produced by one of the most beautiful trees in our gardens; Salix sachalinensis Japanese fantail willow.  I received a cutting of this unique willow in 1995 and have propagated many from that first tree.  It came with a story about the branch fasciation having been caused by mutation due to the effects of the A-bomb at Hiroshima.  I can’t seem to either confirm or disprove so I’m holding on to that lore.

Upon closer inspection of that reddish brown twisty branch, I’m pleased to see a covering of tiny brown buds filled with the future promise of those tell-tale gray silky catkins that willows are easily identified by. Those little brown bumps afford me hope and confirm my knowledge that the lushness that I desire will be retuning soon.

I can’t imagine not having this living sculpture and life-sustaining tree in my garden.  In early spring, about the time that the forsythia shrubs bloom, the silky gray catkins burst from the brown buds along the flattened, contorted stems. (The next few photos were taken last year with an older camera, I apologize for the poor quality.)

Later those catkins enlarge and elongate then begin to “bloom”.

Covered with pale yellow, minute flowers holding pollen (bees are loving it in early spring), they make their show and are quickly followed by the emergence of bright green leaves.

When there is a snow covering and food is scarce, rabbits are attracted to the soft tasty lower branches.

It’s not a concern for us because we find that willows have an amazing ability to quickly bounce back.  Last fall, some of our younger willows were used for “buck rubs” and branches that have been mangled in the process rejuvenated quickly after an early spring pruning. Actually, willows will benefit from frequent pruning, it will also help to keep them at a good height to be able to reach those gorgeous gnarly branches for floral arrangements.

It’s important for us to plant with wildlife in mind, as we would not be able to afford to fence our entire property, nor would we want to. It just makes more sense to choose plants that can adapt to a deer herd passing through or a population explosion of rabbits as we seem to have this year. The fast growing willow fills the need for a dependable shrub/tree that can stand up to our wildlife.

In addition to the fantail willow, we have three other cultivars here at Crabtree Gardens.  One of them; Salix nigra black willow which as it’s name suggests produces black catkins.  This particular specimen is still young and was given to us by a dear friend because her garden didn’t have the proper space it required. She gave it to us with the understanding that she would be able to pick as many branches as she needed for her designs.  It was planted in November of 2012. I can hardly wait to see this in another year or so.

Another one is the Japanese variegated willow Salix integra ‘Hakuro-nishiki’ which has a unique leaf color in spring as emerging leaves turn pink, white and green eventually turning to green and white in summer.

In fall and winter, the new growth of the Japanese variegated willow remains a burgundy red color.

And last but not least we have the native North American willow salix discolor “Pussy Willow” as it is most commonly known which produces a beautiful gray-green elongated leaf. Its plump silky catkins are synonymous with spring bouquets.

Willows are also beneficial to butterflies and their larvae, and the bark is used for many herbal remedies.  Maybe that’s why the rabbits enjoy those branches.  A word to the wise is don’t plant any willow near septic lines as their thirsty roots will infiltrate and destroy the system.

JOY in the garden

New year,  new word-JOY! Instead of a list of resolutions I’m using one word to carry me through the year. I am planning on finding joy everyday in every way and I am believing that I will succeed.

To start off this year of blogging I decided to fill a post with more photos than words. These are my favorite photos all taken with a Nikon Coolpix P90 camera right here at our gardens in Drums, PA.  I hope that you are able to find a bit of joy in seeing them.

Poppies- papaver ‘Matador’

Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa carduion) on butterfly bush buddleja

Tree Peony peaonia suffruticosa ’Seidei’  with husband in the background holding a 9″ dinner plate.

 

Iris- unknown name but very fragrant- it smells like ripe peaches.

Red-spotted Purple butterfly Limenitis arthemis  on hydrangea. This photo was voted BHG photo of the week

Daylily hemerocallis ‘Daring Deception’

Morning glory Ipomoea purpurea ‘Grandpa Ott’s’ and Sweet autumn clematis clematis terniflora.

After posting these photos, I’m brought back to the warm days of summer and I’m feeling great joy just thinking about it.

Gratitude Tree

 

Winter in our area is normally a quiet season for gardens, but this year it’s a constant flurry of activity spawned by the coming and going of yogis that have come to the Lil Yoga Barn at Crabtree Gardens. This docile community is the most pleasant, helpful, generous, caring, loving group of people that I ever met.  All of this activity is happening at our gardens because of a chance meeting that I had with a special woman named Angela whom I met while on retreat in October (see my post Grounding).

On Christmas Eve Angela, along with three other special people from this community took time out of their own busy lives to personally deliver this Autumn blooming cherry tree to our gardens. We were totally shocked by how they plotted to surprise us with this big beauty.

They presented us with this beautifully written inscription along with the tree. We plan on having the inscription engraved onto a permanent garden marker to be placed at the base of our special tree.

An Autumn blooming cherry, prunus subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’, is a mid-size ornamental tree that will bloom twice (spring and fall) and is more cold hardy than most other ornamental cherry trees.

In fall it’s leaves turn golden-bronze tinged with some red and the small black fruits it produces will attract birds.  How perfect for us because we like to work with nature.

In the spring a big show of semi-double dark pink flowers turning to light pink then finally brilliant white is the highlight of this beautiful tree.  Depending on temperatures, it can begin to bloom sporadically throughout the fall and winter months.

I think they picked the perfect specimen for Crabtree Gardens.

We truly do appreciate the glowing light of love that shines from within the yoga community and the Lil Yoga Barn and are proud to be able to give them a home.  In the middle of the upper field now rests a very special “Gratitude Tree”.  Our hearts will be forever grateful.

We are grateful to all of you as well for following, commenting on posts and sharing our visions with us as they actually do come to fruition. We wish you all a beautiful New Year filled with much inspiration and JOY and of course gardening.

Namaste~Dave and Sandi Crabtree