A Patient Craftsman Creating Exceptional Landscapes
Some photos I’d like to share with you. No worries if amateur photography isn’t your thing. If it is, I hope you enjoy. Click on the pictures to open at full size.
While feeding birds attracts birds it also attracts other ‘woodland creatures’. I’ve stopped labeling creatures as desirable or undesirable, they’re simply creatures making their way in this world the same as you and me.
Woodland creatures can be divided into two categories. Those you see during the day and those you don’t see at night.
There are as many night creatures as day creatures proving yet again that man is definitely NOT the master of his domain.
Last night I spotted a new night creature whom we’ll refer to as Pepe Le Pew.
The Possum aka ‘The Banana Bandit’ visits regularly, he or she grabs a piece of fruit and moves deeper into the woods to eat it. I didn’t realize we had possum until I woke early one morning and watched him or her meticulously combing the lawn for birdseed.
In addition to birdseed, red grapes are a huge hit with the night creatures. If I place a bunch at the woodline the stem is picked clean by morning.
What creatures visit your yard?
Today I spotted flowers on a stewartia seedling in the yard. I was beyond ecstatic. I felt the rush only gardeners and adrenaline junkies know.
There was something special about those flowers.
The flowers were flatter,brighter and more delicate than the parent.
A flower on the parent stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia).
The parent Stewartia growing in the front yard. In hindsight, I should have planted it at least another six feet away from the house.
The flower I saw today.
The grouping of stewartia seedlings, the one I saw is in the center of the picture with two flowers.
Big difference!
While we’re taught that all plants of the same genus and species grow X feet tall and X feet wide and have X attributes they don’t. There is always some variation unless plants are grown from cuttings or cloned.
When I laid eyes on the stewartia I planted in front of the house I knew it was destined for my garden. The tree had a distinct upright habit, rare for stewartias, as well as a strong central leader.
Take the time to listen to plants they’ll tell you where they want to grow and what they need to thrive. Forget what you know and listen to the plant.
Coral Bells (Heuchera spp.) love dry spots in the shade, like growing through the cracks of a bluestone patio.
Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) likes soil that is always damp, but not wet, and spreads like wildfire in the right conditions.
Plant begonias or impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) on shady patios in large containers. Old fashioned. Yes. Easy, colorful and bulletproof. Yup!
Pink impatiens hide an outlet while creating a focal point. This explosion of color will last until frost or the deer find them.
I’m a huge fan of tuberous begonias on shady patios. They have colorful flowers all summer.
Columbine (Aquilegia spp.) likes to grow just beyond where the gutter drips. Don’t plant under the gutter, the plants will be smushed by downpours. Columbine goes dormant by the end of summer but you’ll be rewarded next spring.
We don’t treat all people the same. Why should we treat all plants the same?
When you learn that all plants and people are different you’re well on your way in this adventure we call gardening, and life.
Last week I spotted a little turtle on the patio. It blended with the paito and moss so well I barely noticed it. The turtle’s shell was about the size of a half-dollar.
There’s a pond about 200 yards away. A turtle must have laid her eggs in the area.
This is the time of the year you’re likely to see a turtle crossing the road in search of a place to lay her eggs.
Turtles are quick to cross roads but extremely vulnerable when they do. If you see a turtle crossing consider stopping your car, putting your hazards on and alerting other drivers of the turtles presence.
Put your own safety first. I don’t recommend waving your arms and pointing at a turtle in the midst of rush hour traffic.
That’s quite the look on the baby turtles face. He seems very chill.
I woke today before 6 am and walked around the yard. The alarm didn’t wake me, the sun told me it was time to greet the day.
I saw a hummingbird gathering itself on the arbor, as it does every morning at sunrise. The hummingbird wraps its feet around the wire on the top right-hand side.
A raven I’ve been watching, and who’s been watching me, sat on the power line surveying his territory. I took this picture of him a couple of years ago flying with a peanut. The raven is in the center of the picture.
The world was fresh after thunderstorms last night.
As I was thinking about the day I heard Bruce Hornsby singing “Look Out any Window.” If you haven’t heard the song it’s worth a listen.
A few years ago, I spent a lot of time going for long walks in the forest. I believe some people call it hiking but it sure feels like going for a walk in the woods.
I’d like to share a few pictures as I continue looking out any window.
I discovered the upper block of the Paugussett State Forest that year and recommend it to anyone who enjoys hiking or being in nature. I spent hours exploring the forest and learning where the trails lead.
The highlight of that summer was when I packed a lunch, some water and snacks and hiked the entire Lillinonah Trail. I didn’t hike for speed, I hiked for the enjoyment of being in nature.
That day I stumbled on a tree covered with moss and red fungus. I’ve never seen fungus that red before or after that day.
I hiked Southford Falls several times that summer. The trail that goes along Papermill Pond is a pleasant walk up. The trail along Eightmile Brook is almost straight up near the end and I avoid climbing that way.
While walking in Southford Falls I stumbled upon these cards. It didn’t feel right to take them as I thought others might enjoy them, so I took a picture. I was at a low point and want to thank whoever left these cards in the forest.
Perhaps I took the advice written on the cards.
I’ve been working toward finding work that allows me to be more creative and sharing my passion for gardening, landscaping and nature.
I’m not a fan of graffiti, however, I read this at the top of the fire tower and it reminded me of the trials and tribulations of young love. Click on the image to open, use the back arrow to return to the post.
Matt, I hope they saw how special you are and reciprocated your affection. However, please understand you can’t make someone love you, and sometimes you have to let go to move forward.
I’m saying this because I wish someone said the same to me when I was your age, or perhaps someone did and I chose not to listen.
Have patience, give it time and you’ll find the right person.
Thank you for looking out any window with me.
While some consider impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) old-fashioned; I consider them reliable, easy to grow and gorgeous.
Impatiens thrive in shady spots.
If you have a shady patio or deck pots of impatiens will brighten the space immediately. Once impatiens start blooming they don’t stop until frost.
I planted impatiens in pots around an outdoor outlet for screening. Eventually, I’ll figure out what to plant there permanently but for now, I’m using them as a filler.
By September these plants will be mounds eighteen inches tall and in need of light pruning to keep the branches from breaking. You won’t be able to see the outlet.
While the image above focuses on the outlet when you step back the outlet disappears. Sometimes we have to see the forest for the trees. The only person that will ever notice that outlet is me.
This picture of the impatiens gives a better feel of what’s going on. In another week my Stewartia pseudocamellia will be in full bloom! You can see the tight blooms to the left of the lamp post.
If you plant impatiens in pots water them daily during the heat of the summer. I water outdoor potted plants daily during the summer anyway.
Impatiens like wet soil and go limp the second they dry out. While you can plant impatiens in the garden I usually put them in pots.
A word of caution, deer love impatiens. If you’ve got deer plant them where the deer don’t roam or suffer the consequences. I have lost a pot of impatiens overnight to those beautiful creatures.
While I admit the salmon contrasts with the bright pink of my petunias I’m ok with that. This bed is half sun and half shade so we’ll see if my sun plants (Petunias) or shade plants (Impatiens) like the garden better.
Don’t overlook impatiens for a shady spot. They’re incredibly easy and reliable plants.
I thought it would be fun to share some pictures of my tree peony flowers along with some tree peony growing tips.
Many people think tree peonies are difficult to grow. They’re not. However, tree peonies are slow growers and take a long time to become established.
Once established, for me meaning over 5 years in one spot, I don’t recommend transplanting. I transplanted well-established tree peonies out of necessity years ago with no luck. That loss hurts me to this day.
Tree peony flowers prefer shade or they dry out quickly. There’s really nothing you can do about it, though some use peony umbrellas, but be aware that the sun does damage flowers.
I grow my tree peony in USDA Hardiness Zone 6. The soil is average, not too sandy not too organic. I wouldn’t plant a tree peony where the soil is wet all the time or on a sandy hillside.
Originally I had three tree peonies. However, over time trees have grown in and shaded them. While the tree peonies didn’t die they stopped getting bigger and only had a flower or two a year. Eventually, I removed them.
The tree peony in this picture has been in the same spot for about 15 years. I didn’t do anything fancy when I planted it. I dug a hole, planted the peony and watered it. I usually deadhead the spent flowers. This peony keeps performing with little care.
Unfortunately, I planted a Dawn Redwood 10 feet from the tree peony and I don’t know how long until the Dawn Redwood takes all the nutrients and sunlight from the area.
I hope these tree peony growing tips will give you a head start on planning where to plant your tree peonies.
I started taking pictures of this Tree Peony on May 5th and took the last picture on May 9th. The Tree Peony was in bloom for a couple of weeks.
While Tree Peony blooms don’t last long they are show stoppers and well worth planting if you have a forever home for them.
I love the way the water beads off tree peony flowers and foliage.
An opening tree peony flower in the rain.
The tree peony shrub in the rain.
A tree peony flower at the end of the day in the shade of the Dawn Redwood.
The tree peony in afternoon shade and it’s doing great!
More flowers have opened a couple days later.
Need I say more? What amazing flowers!
This tree poeny flower is almost six inches in diameter!
There were a total of 9 flowers, there are two more flowers in tight buds on the lower right of the shrub and one flower about to open in the upper right.
A few weeks after bloom the tree peony is full of seed pods.
The seed pods have a very distinct look.
If you’re not going to collect the seeds of your tree peony they should be deadheaded by cutting off the seed pods where they meet the stem.
This brief video explains deadheading tree peonies.
If unsure whether to plant a tree peony or not use the tree peony growing tips above and go for it. Tree peonies, like all other plants, grow one leaf at a time. There is no magic involved in growing tree peonies.
Last week I got some great pictures of a possum aka opossum in my backyard. If you feed birds you also feed all kinds of other wildlife, including possums.
My son made a fruit salad for school and I thought the woodland creatures might enjoy the excess. Needless to say, the possum was happy with the haul.
We also have raccoons. I was surprised to see how close the possum and raccoon got to each other. You can see the possum’s head, and eyes, on the lower right of this picture.
Below the possum comes into the picture as the racoon leaves. These pictures remind me of when I feed my dog and the cats hover nearby. While I do hear occasional loud shrieking noises in the middle of the night I’m glad to see for the most part everybody gets along.
Have a look at this article if you want more information about the New England Opossum. The article states that possums ‘wander widely’ during warmer months in search of food. If unable to find a food source this is true; however, a possum will visit a bird feeder or compost pile nightly if it’s regularly filled.
Another interesting fact about possums is that they are marsupials, or animals with pouches. Marsupials use thier pouches to raise their young.
In the photo below you can see the curly-cue tails of momma possum’s babies poking out. It looks like there are more possums on the way!
Today I took my time mowing to be sure my stripes were straight and uniform. In addition, I double cut to make sure the clippings were well distributed.
When striping lawns the light-colored stripes go away from you and the dark-colored stripes come toward you. If you want to go over a stripe a second time match the direction of the stripe and the width of the deck to the existing stripe.
Going over stripes a second time will give you a more uniform height and darker stripes in addition to spreading the clippings more evenly.
When making your first stripe select an object on the other side of the lawn and focus on that as you move forward. I start making my stripes in the middle of the lawn, preferably where the stripes will be the longest.
You will probably have a little bend at the end of the stripe, nobody gets it perfect the first pass, at least not me. When you make the return stripe straighten out the bend and then go over the first stripe parallel to your second stripe.
Another tip for lawn stripes is to match a part of your mower to the edge of your lawn stripes so they are uniform. I use an anti scalp roller on one side of the mower and a front caster on the other. Take your time and enjoy the mow.
At the end of rows to avoid spinning the tires if you have a zero-turn mower. Sharp turns dig up the grass and leave a patch of dirt. Turning on a driveway is preferred for it leaves less wear on the lawn.
When done striping your lawn avoid driving across your stripes or you will leave one random stripe across your masterpiece. Go around the outside of the lawn, preferably where you made your first outside pass.
I sharpen my mower blades three or more times a year. You can never have too sharp a mower blade or sharpen your blades too often. If your mower blade is dull you will see a brown hue to your lawn after a couple of days because the shredded grass tips turn brown.
Cool-season grasses should be mowed as tall as you can tolerate. I use a zero-turn mower and set my blades at 4 to 4.25 inches. The taller the grass is the longer the roots will be. Also, tall grass shades out weeds.
When grass is growing rapidly mow twice a week and preferably at the end of the day. Mowing grass during the heat of the day stresses it out and there’s already enough stress in the world.
Don’t mow wet grass, it makes a huge mess, compacts soil and leaves clumps of grass all over the place. Avoid mowing wet grass at all costs unless an absolute necessity.
If the lawn is wet from rain wait until the next day or raise your mower a notch or two.
I don’t bag my lawn and you shouldn’t either. Grass clippings return vital nitrogen to the soil.
For what it’s worth, I don’t use synthetic fertilizers or insecticides and herbicides. Yes, I have some weeds but I have significantly more earthworms and soil microbes. When a Robin plucks a worm out of the soil I know it is eating a healthy and certified organic (not certified but organic nonetheless) snack!
The secret to having the ‘best lawn’ on the block is to keep your lawn neat. Mow often, especially when the grass is growing quickly and keep the edges trimmed and the drive and sidewalks blown off. A neatly mowed and trimmed lawn beats a deep green hayfield every day of the week.
See this post for more lawn mowing tips.