LAND DESIGNS UNLIMITED LLC

A Patient Craftsman Creating Exceptional Landscapes

Author: John Holden

Signs of a Dominant Cat

A cold front swept through a couple of days ago, leaving temperatures in the low 40s°F.

An unexpected thing happened around the house: the cats started sleeping in groups.

Outdoor Cats

Phantom (cow pattern) and Snowball (tabby), our outdoor cats, were peacefully sleeping in the three-season room they appropriated.

They usually sleep in different locations, so I make sure to put two of everything out for them.

Phantom, a male, likes to sleep in high positions and relentlessly chases Snowball around, though he never hurts him or her. He makes sure Snowball knows who’s the boss.

Phantom and Snowball showed up in the yard about a year and a half ago. I started feeding them, and surprisingly, they decided to take me into the colony.

Indoor Cats

Phoebe (black) was up in Chloe’s (pastel tortie) usual sleeping spot, sharing the warmth. Chloe has appointed herself the top cat of our three indoor spayed cats.

Chloe has some issues to work through, as we all do, but that’s for another time.

Phoebe, the most tolerant and psychologically balanced cat we have, is Chloe’s sister. They had identical childhoods but grew up with completely different personalities.

There’s a lesson there somewhere.

Signs of a Dominant Cat

Besides sleeping in high positions, the dominant cat is sleeping on top in both photos. Interestingly, the cats they’re sleeping on top of both have calm and agreeable personalities.

If Phoebe and Snowball were people, they would offer to help move furniture or take your mail in while you were away.

I’ve also noticed the dominant cat showing more aggression toward other cats, but it never gets physical.

Chloe and Phantom have some unresolved issues, as we all do, but are also the most affectionate. Chloe doesn’t let me to share my affection with other cats in the room.

Come to think of it, Snowball won’t let me pet her either, especially when Phantom is around.

A cat that sleeps in high positions, sleeps on top of the pile, and initiates aggression toward other cats are signs of a dominant cat.

I can’t say the dominant cat is also the most physiologically balanced cat. I can say they’ve appointed themselves leader of the colony.

October 16, 2023
First Fire of Season

About an hour ago, I started the first fire of the season in the wood stove. It’s October 14th and overcast, 53°F, and starting to rain.

While it’s 63°F inside the house, and a sweatshirt takes the chill off, it’s cold to me.

After lighting, I walked into the room with the stove and noticed the cats started to congregate.

I keep a knee pad next to the stove, and the cats put it to good use. The knee pad is too warm to sleep on once the stove gets going.

Minne (Cow pattern) and Phoebe (Black) are thrilled about the arrival of wood stove season.

The temperature at my desk is now 71°F, and the room with the wood stove is 77°F.

That’ll do.

October 14, 2023
Tree Petunia Flowers?

The other day, I spotted a beautiful pink flower two feet off the ground and felt a rush of adrenalin, thinking I discovered tree petunia flowers.

Upon closer inspection, I realized my self-sewn petunias had grown into a Cornell Pink Rhododendron.

I still think it’s cool!

You’ll see Hartlage Wine Calycanthus foliage to the right of the tree petunia flower. To the upper left of the tree petunia flower, in the shadows, is a Lenten Rose that self-sowed.

This picture was taken in early October. Petunia flowers start to fade when the days begin to get shorter. Hence, while there are flowers, the petunia patch looks pretty beat up.

You can see the buds of the Cornell Pink Rhododendron. I can’t wait for them to beckon spring again.

I find garden novelties, such as tree petunia flowers, the most exciting parts of the garden.

October 10, 2023
This is VERY Serious Business – Cat in Window

This morning, dappled clouds filled the sky with temperatures in the upper 40s after a couple days of rain. The air was clean and damp, and the light was perfect for photography.

I grabbed the DSLR and tried to take a picture of everything at once. A sure recipe for disaster.

After almost 200 photos, I had a few keepers. It’s better to be lucky than good.

This is Minnie staring at me like a bird on the feeder beside me. Minnie spends hours in this window watching woodpeckers come to the suet.

Minnie is looking through a window that is older than me and possibly my parents. It has rope pulleys, is covered with layers of lead paint, and needs new glazing.

I wouldn’t trade those windows for the world. Even with the needed maintenance.

Click on the image for a larger version.

October 9, 2023
PeeGee Hydrangea Window Peeping

The off-white PeeGee Hydrangea contrasts warm yellow lamp light inside the house viewed through a double-hung window older than me.

PeeGee Hydrangeas give instant class to any landscape.

Click on image to view larger.

October 2, 2023
PeeGee Hydrangea Full Bloom

PeeGee hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’) gives instant elegance to any landscape.

PeeGee Hydrangea – Hydrangea paniculata ‘Grandiflora’

The white, reliable blooms of PeeGee Hydrangea slowly become pink as fall progresses. Other features of PeeGee Hydrangeas include a course habit and yellowing leaves as the temperature grows colder.

Prune PeeGee hydrangeas whenever you see fit, for they bloom on the current season’s growth.

PeeGee Hydrangeas are there every year; no matter how cold the winter, how wet the spring, or how dry the summer.

This is the same Hydrangea on May 15, while the picture at the top of the page is from September 8.

I cut back my PG Hydrangeas heavily every winter. Last year, I removed the top three feet of the main trunk, and the plant loved it.

Meadow Rue – Thalictrum rochebrunianum

On the extreme left of the photo at the top of the page is a Meadow Rue that self-sowed a few years ago. I tie it to the downspout by mid-summer to prevent thunderstorms from knocking it over.

Dawn Redwood – Metasequoia glyptostroboides

At the back right of the photo, in the shadows, is a Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) planted in the early 2000s. It was 6 feet tall when planted, and now it towers over the house’s roof.

My son learned to climb in that tree.

Dawn Redwood makes a great gift if you know anyone with children with a large yard. The child will enjoy climbing it by the time they become a teenager.

In front of the PeeGee Hydrangea is a bed of petunias. I planted Wave Petunias three years ago, and for the past two years, the petunias self-sowed. Last year, the flowers had more pink. However, this year, they’re showing more white.

I enjoy creating landscapes with staggered blooms to create multi-season interest. However, if Mother Nature wants to help with some self-sown meadow rue or petunias, that’s okay too!

I’m not sure how that post spiraled so out of control. Despite that, my work is done if you appreciate the PeeGee Hydrangea at the top of the page.

September 19, 2023
Patriotic Lambsquarters

Last week, I woke early and headed out to hone my photography skills.

While I would like to put all of my award-winning photos in one post, I realized a picture truly is worth a thousand words and decided to break up the posts.

Click on a photo to open a larger version.

Patriotic Lambsquarters

I love how this lambsquarters frames the American flag. I should feel guilty for not weeding my gardens, but I don’t. The weeds keep coming, and all we can do is our best.

I planted Cocktail Vodka Wax Begonias beneath the flag with Green Tower Boxwood (Buxus x ‘Green Tower’) behind. This bed is in the shade, and the wax begonias are thriving!

September 18, 2023
Cocktail Vodka Wax Begonia

Last year, when I walked Lafayette Square in Washington D.C., the wax begonias were thriving in the summer heat. The memory motivated me to plant Cocktail Vodka Wax Begonia this year.

Wax begonias are easy to grow and provide interest from the moment they’re planted until first frost.

Cocktail Vodka Wax Begonia

Here are my Cocktail Vodka Wax Begonia in early September. We’ve had a damp and humid summer, and they’re holding up admirably.

The begonias at the back of the bed, where the sun doesn’t dry off morning dew, have some leaves that melted from the damp conditions.

Where to Plant Cocktail Vodka Wax Begonia

Wax Begonias tolerate a wide range of light and soil conditions. They can be planted almost anywhere in the landscape, from full sun to shade, average to damp soil.

Wax begonias prefer moist soil. If they dry out, some leaves may wither and turn brown.

The Begonia Cocktail Series has other flower colors, including white, pink and red. Foliage colors range from green to bronze.

Plant Cocktail Vodka Wax Begonias to illuminate your landscape with maximum results and minimum care.

September 13, 2023
What Doesn’t Belong Here?

I stumbled on a corn plant while maintaining a client’s garden a couple of months ago. Most people would have pulled the plant.

I love it when volunteers show up in the garden! Whether animal or vegetable, it doesn’t matter.

Nature is Random and Ordered

Nature is both random and ordered—certain plants like certain conditions. If conditions are right, those plants will grow.

In nature, plants grow in groups with some overlap. There will be fewer plants on the edge of the group than in the center. Different plants with similar requirements can grow in the same group.

Nature is not neatly sheared balls with perfect spacing and a mulch bed. Nature is quite the contrary.

Parts of a Corn Plant

Corn plants are wind-pollinated. You’ll never see a farmer grow a single row of corn. You’ll see corn growing in blocks so that the wind can spread pollen among the plants.

Wind knocks pollen off of the plant’s tassels, the male part, at the top of a corn plant.

Pollen falls onto the silk, the female part of the corn plant. There is one strand of silk for each kernel of corn.

Corn plants can have more than one ear of corn.

Where Did the Corn Plant Come From?

I would guess one of the neighbors had a bird feeder in their yard; and a raccoon, squirrel, or bird brought the corn to the garden. The animal must have missed a kernel, and it grew.

We’ve had a very wet summer with no drought—excellent conditions for corn.

I asked if it was okay to leave the corn plant when weeding the gardens in June. I forgot about it until my client sent a picture of the mature corn plant.

This photo was taken on June 30.

By August 22, the corn plant had matured.

When I gently rubbed the ears of corn, I could feel the plump, tasty kernels. I look forward to returning with the barbecue and some butter!

September 8, 2023