2012, in Review

I've dropped the ball again, I fear...and I'm not sure what my defense is this time...but there have been some developments in the TTG this past year.

Most notable from the sidewalk is that the noisome Japanese Maple tree is completely gone; quickly removed by some folks who knew exactly what to do.  I was so glad to see that tree go...it wasn't a dwarf, you see, and kept growing and growing into the power lines and had to constantly be chopped, and then we ended up with a nest of hornets on a low limb near the sidewalk and I was concerned about that too, etc.  Well, whew, all gone.  And the tree-demolition guys also did a good job pruning the Chinese dogwood; also much too large a tree for the space. [Note that the developer selected both of these trees, and I had specifically asked for a "dwarf" maple...]

Now we have a swath of soil where the Japanese Maple and its upper roots had been...and we also have the new large-sized recycling and garbage "totes" that have been recently proscribed for the denizens of Watertown.  Because of our steep driveway, and no paved flat area on the side, our new tote wheelies are on the side of the house, with grass to traverse before they can reach the street; not ideal. 

Crocuses, No Snow Yet!

The bigger crocuses (cream/white)  in the back yard, near the bird bath, discovered mid-February...say, around February 15, and the tiny "Persian" crocuses, both pale yellow and blue, in the front a bit later, approximately February 22 (yellow), and 27th (blue).  The large flock of snowdrops are still in the backyard near the fence, and they have popped up elsewhere, a few at a time.  This is the first time we haven't had a snow cover, so it's easy to see the flowers!

The TV weather folks say that every month (Nov-Feb) has had an average temperature 5 degrees higher; I've put water in the birdbath many days, and the little guys have splashed around.  No snow on the ground, but some is expected today.

Snowdrops and Robins, 2012!

So far winter has been negligible, with the worst snow coming October 31, as we were flying home from Pittsburgh; the worst flight we had ever been on...and then this past weekend,  Saturday, January 20, we had 5-6".  But that's it. 

And today it was 52degrees or so in the shade on the deck, and I discovered snowdrops in bud in the backyard, in the damp, shady space between the firethorn and the fence.  It is amazing!  Blazingly sunny, and blue skies.  We have also had an occasional robin or two in the backyard, and hopping on the banister, for the past 10 days....hmmm.

First Junco!

Just to note this for posterity and tracking purposes...we saw the first Juncos (n=2) this afternoon, in the backyard and on the birdbath.  One of my most favorite teeny tiny birds!  Preceded at the birdbath by our sweet pet Song Sparrow who appears to prefer late-ish in the afternoon...also a favorite! He was still singing his spring song as of earlier this week. Temp today at 4pm is 45F on the deck.

The garden is essentially done for this year.  Pruned the last of the tall white anemones, which were still blooming as of yesterday, but it was time to get them in the paper bag.

More later.

Hurricane (Tropical Storm) Irene

Well, yes, it's the end of August.  We have passed through the longest day of the year, and last week we had both a very rare east-coast earthquake, and later in the week, on Sunday, August 28, an east-coast hurricane/tropical storm.  The garden had no damage, our skylights held, and we didn't lose power...for us, it was essentially over by early afternoon on Sunday.  Vermont is suffering mightily, and they say it could take weeks for the power to be back on.  42 people have died so far.

What I have been doing since end of May:

• Savagely pruned the (male) holly in the side yard, which was large, ungainly, and not contributing much.  It is now pretty interesting, although skeletal, and has been putting out little green leaves.  I think it will be fine.  In the space that opened up I put in a dwarf oakleaf hydrangea, a few short astilbes, a pale apricot-leafed heuchera, a gaultheria procumbens, and several white anemones.
• I decided that the spreading-out-of-control daphne in the back yard needed to be severely pruned.  Much better.  Transplanted a Viburnum winterthur to the space, plus some Achillea red velvet, and more of the heuchera with pale apricot leaves.  

 Random issues:

• I am trying to prune things before they get out of control; makes it all easier. 
• The grassy strip between the street and sidewalk did pretty well.  The ajugas failed, or are hidden or something, but the grass seed that washed down from some other place, and the portulacas that began to spring up, and the purple (really pink!) love grass now blooming (Eragrostis spectabilis) along the edge are nice.  The two short sections of flimsy white fencing was enough to keep the delivery trucks at bay.

Spring Anemones

I forgot to give a shout out for one of my favorites, the charming, always elegant Snowdrop Windflowers (Anemone Sylvestris), that just continue on, every spring.  They are gently expanding in a linear way along one side of the driveway and look, unlike some other plants, "friendly."  Maybe it's their nearly willful waving, as if they are glad to be out there, making our driveway look better.  Maybe it's their size; small/short, but not too small/short, and they are dazzling white.  They seem to stay in bloom for quite a long time, and easily survive whatever dreadful winters come along.

Suddenly, It's May!

No no, I haven't just returned from six weeks in the south of France, in time for a second Spring in New England...no no.  I've just been uh, unfocused.

It has been raining for 5 or 6 days, but now (6:30 pm), as we have come to expect, the sky is finally blue and the evening is golden and glorious.  Meanwhile, the TTG is beginning to look a lot like a jungle.  Really.  I  was out there earlier today, transplanting, cutting back some encroaching vegetation, occasionally pulling out a fistful of weeds (note: we don't have ANY dandelions here, because I fork them out if I see one; one of our neighbors has about 41,627, all tall and having gone to seed now; good going, neighbor!)

Hitting a few of the high spots of what's happening here:

• On the deck.  The Achilleas of last year (Achillea millifolium Snowsport--white, and Paprika--red) survived the lousy winter in pots with no problem and are doing well/in bud.  The newest ones from this year, Achillea Red Velvet, are also in bud.  OK, some people think of these guys as weeds...but I say, hey, they're terrific contained in a pot on a deck in scorching sun, etc.  
• Also on the deck.  Ripped out the pots of Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia Goldsturm)--honestly, they were never happy like this--and replaced them with Lamium maculatum.  Two Lamium Silver Beacon, with hot violet flowers, and one Lamium White Nancy, which is really spectacular.
• I dug out the terrible (dwarf-ish) Rhododendron from the front bed which the developer had selected, and which never did well, closely bounded as it was by the front sidewalk and the driveway and near the street; Rhodies are salt-sensitive, and this one was pretty unhappy.  It took me about 4 hours of hard, hard labor (John was at work, or he would have helped), but the worst part was the dense network of surface roots, like a Brillo pad, that anchored it into the ground in all directions.  And of course the main root which was as thick as my arm...yikes.   So if you have something like this that you don't like, don't wait to get it out!
• This opened up that space.  Replaced the Rhodie with one (of the two) Coral Berry shrubs (Symphoricarpos Amethyst) that had been languishing elsewhere.  Added a Campanula, another Lamium, some Lavenders, a Rock Cress ( Arabis caucasica), two Thyme,  a May Queen daisy, and two transplanted Scabiosa Buttterfly Blue from elsewhere in the TTG.  I like it better already.  More about the new little guys as they settle in; also, pictures later.
• The scrap of thin dirt/rocks between the street and our sidewalk, which, apparently, we don't own but the city doesn't do anything with, and the delivery trucks, etc, drive over since we aren't given curbs...I planted 15 Ajuga genevensis.  I read somewhere that they are "invasive", which is certainly what's needed here to survive; so far they are ALL still alive in the DMZ of our yard; a few have even bloomed!!  I'm hoping that they soon start "invading" and spreading toward each other and join up and eventually make something wonderful.  Maybe I am expecting too much?
• The Flowering Quince "Cameo" (Chanomeles/Cydonia), was really spectacular this year; it seems to be spreading in a good way, and the apricot blossoms are (surprisingly) just the right color for the space.
• The Scilla (Siberian Squill) is colonizing, which is just what we were hoping for; for awhile there we had wonderful sweeps of the intense (intense!) blue everywhere; also Muscari, also very, very blue.

Things I have learned:

• Vinca/periwinkle/creeping Myrtle is extremely invasive, and is quite happy in direct sun...it is beautiful in the spring, with its lavender blue flowers, but it's alarmingly invasive.  Uh oh.  At least it doesn't climb...yet.
• Daphne burkwoodii Carol Mackie is way more robust than the literature would have you imagine; much taller, wider, etc.  The fragrance is intoxicating, and they are beautiful (we have four!), but I would have done things differently had I known!
• Our "dwarf" Japanese Maple is out of control.  I've never liked it, either; another non-optimal choice by the developer...one of those burgundy-red things,  too clunky and too tall...now what?

 A female Baltimore Oriole in the backyard today, hopping from shrub to shrub!