Continue reading »]]> Wow the weather has been crazy last two weeks I thought it was summer. With record breaking temperatures as much as 35 degrees above average This is certainly nice but I hope we can sustain the weather. A freeze could really do some damage to tender perennials and stress out the trees and shrubs.

The grass is greening up and the spring bloomers are starting to bud up. In another week the trees will start to put on their leaves and it should become pretty active with the birds out doing the mating rituals and building nests. Cleanup from the winter is underway and should be completed by 2nd week of April if the weather cooperates. It is too wet today to do much because of heavy rains yesterday.

As you can see from the image on the right the geese seem to think it is okay though.

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Continue reading »]]> White Baneberry is one of the tallest natives for shade,found in many woodland gardens grows up to four feet tall. White flowers bloom in spring, followed by glossy white berries on red stalks in autumn.

The berries are highly poisonous, and the entire plant is considered poisonous to humans.

Ingestion of the berries can lead to cardiac arrest and death.

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Continue reading »]]> Preparing for spring at the woodland garden is always an exciting time and one that keeps me going through the long winter months.This year things will be a bit different than past years. Certainly it will be exciting but it will also be a bit of an easier time as far as weather is concerned. This week the weather will be in the 70′s all week and certainly 20 to 30 degrees above normal for this time of year. This means a lot of the early blooming plants will be up and growing several weeks early.

As with most years it will be a lot of cleanup but once done the rest of the year will be enjoying the beauty of the woodland flora and fauna. The true enjoyment of the woodland garden for me is the chance to get away and spend time in a more naturals setting enjoying the plants and wildlife that you do not find in the city and the suburbs.

If you are contemplating a woodland garden of your own the best piece of advise I can give you is that do not try and get too neat and orderly. The native woodland plants are very aggressive and they will constantly be battling to take over cultivate beds. This is a major time consuming task trying to keep beds clean and free of plants that you did not plant there. My philosophy is that as long as the plants that are growing are not harmful (poison ivy,poison sumac, etc..) or causing problems that keeping them under control and working around them is a lot easier and more natural than trying to eradicate them.

This year my first trip to the woodland garden will be this weekend if everything goes according to plan. The time there will be spent in removing lots of fallen branches and limbs and then cleaning of many cubic yards of leaves. his is the most time consuming maintenance of the year. All in all it will be a two day job but once done the rest of the maintenance through the year can be handled in just a couple of hours each visit. As you can see in the photo there is never a lack of leaves or branches to be cleaned up in the spring.

While certainly there is some work involved but there is always the possibility of just scratching out a walk path and small clearings if you want to go all natural. The design of your garden is totally up to you.

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Continue reading »]]> Well spring is on the way two months and two weeks. It will be great to get out to the woodland garden again. As much work as it is to get it ready each Spring it is something that I have grown accustomed to and actually look forward to.. After a long winter the cabin fever will get to you. This year though it is different there has been snow cover no bitter temperatures actually way above normal in the 40′s a lot.

That will change tonight wit the first significant snow of the season maybe 2″ to 4″ nothing really compared to last years Ground Hog Day 22″ Blizzard.Just an inconvenience really. It will be enough to snap me back to reality though and make mme have to work for my money this week..

As we get closer to spring I will be posting some updates on the coming gardening season check back i about two weeks. Have a great week and hang in there Spring Is Coming !

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Continue reading »]]> As we transition into May the woodland garden is really starting to come  alive, Tomorrow will be Mothers Day the unofficial start of the gardening season. The garden centers are bursting at the seams with all manner of plants and tomorrow will probably be a mad house. I will be headed for the woodland garden in two hours even though I would really like to go and spend time being bumped and jostled around the petunias and firecracker plants. I have a lot of patience but I do not like to go elbow to elbow while picking out plants.

This weekend I will be mostly be bringing  supplies and equipment out to the woodland garden for the upcoming weekend. I plan to make it a four day weekend next week so I want to get as much materials and supplies out as possible,.There is always the ability to run out to the home improvement centers for forgotten supplies but I try to reserve that for only last ditch efforts as it is about a 30 mile round trip and I really do not like to spend my time at the woodland garden out shoping.

The trees are just starting to leaf out and soon the canopy of shade will start to fill in and the dappled sunlight will grace the woodland gardens floor. The shade will be a cool and soothing respite from mid summers sun  which will be here soon enough. I truly can say that it is a retreat for the mind, body, and soul being out in the woodland garden and experiencing all that nature can do.

If you have any questions about woodland plants or comments please get in touch I would love to hear from you. Time to head off but a Happy Mothers Day to everyone and we will update you on this weekends adventures tomorrow!

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Continue reading »]]> May Day at the woodland garden this year was a great day. I planted new trees that I had acquired at the annual tree sale as well as two free trees provided by Woodhaven Lakes. The trees are offered each year bare root at a very reasonable price. I purchased 2 Kentucky Coffee Trees, 1 Chinkapin Oak, and  1 Freeman Maple. The trees are small but will establish and grow quickly. The two free trees that I received were a Norway Spruce and a Black Hills Spruce. These trees will be a great addition for the woodland garden and add something for future generations to enjoy.

The Best Time To Plant A Tress Is Twenty Years Ago! The Next Best Time Is Today!

The weather was very nice but a bit windy. I was very happy to see that the daffodils were all in bloom and spreading nicely. The spring garden is not complete with out their bright cherry faces.

The May Apples were only just poking out of the ground two weeks ago are now emerged and in all their glory and have spread even further this year. I will be planting the new arrivals this coming week as the weather slowed me down a bit.

Along with everything else going on at the woodland garden I have taken some time just to sit and enjoy the 10 years of work and love that has gone into creating this garden. It seems hard to believe that ten years has passed already but as we all know time marches on and so to enjoy the little moments it is a great reward.

A garden is your own expression and creation, make it what you want and like then spend as much time there as you can. The garden it will be a great source of joy and fulfillment!

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Continue reading »]]> This is going to be a long week as the days will drag on until Friday. This upcoming weekend will be the first to be spent out at the woodland gardens this year. Earlier day trips were great but it seems as if a few hours pass so quickly and then it is time to go.. Along with the first weekend Woodhaven will also be hosting the Spring Fling Weekend so a lot of activities will be taking place.

This weekend the new woodland garden plants will be installed and I can hardly wait. Pictured at the left are astilbe ‘Maggie Daley’, Mukdenia rossii ‘Karasuba’, Cimicifuga ‘Hillside Black Beauty’, also some toad lilies. It is a group of woodland plants that I think should do well in our woodland garden.

Adding to the plantings is always on my list of to do projects. My hope is to have a diverse garden with as many different woodland plants as possible. The diversity is what I think will give the woodland garden it’s charm.

Along with the plantings of course I will be tackling a few other projects. For a couple of years now I have allowed the woodpile to get into shambles and even though it is at the back of the property it still needs to be addressed. There are also yearly task such as the planting beds and the walk paths that need attention. It will not e all work as some time will be spent enjoying the peace and serenity of the woodland gardens and all of it’s inhabitants. Well that is really not true, all of it’s inhabitants EXCEPT THE MOLES!

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Continue reading »]]> Yesterdays trip to the woodland garden was not the finest of days. The weather was in the upper 30′s and it was drizzling rain well until late afternoon when it changed over to snow. None the less the time was well spent as it was in the trailer cleanup day Cleaning all the nooks and crannies of spiderwebs and dust that had accumulated over the winter. Also the occasional stash of acorns courtesy of our winter guest.

After all the vacuuming was done the drawers and cupboards where washed down. When all was ready the dishes, pots and pans, as well as silverware were all washed and put away. The window were cleaned and floors washed everything is ready for our first weekend stay at the end of the month.

I did get a chance to walk around a bit between showers and check on the early spring flowers at the woodland garden. Of course the daffodils were in bloom which is always a welcome sign as spring.

The bleeding heart is coming along nicely It seems like each year it is more beautiful than the year before.

The May Apples that were just a nub coming out of the ground are starting to unfurl their umbrella like leaves.

The Trillium grandiflorum are starting to show and will be showing their beautiful white flowers in just a couple of weeks.All in All there has been a lot of changes in just the last week.

Next weekend will be Easter so there will be no trip to the woodland gardens as family obligations come  first. The following week will be the first weekend stay as it is also the big Spring Fling Weekend. There will be many activities as well as a plant sale so it should be a large turnout of property owners. I hope you have a great week . I will be busy this week at  the urban garden as the early spring plantings for the color pots will be arriving on Monday and need to be planted right away. Cleanup still continues there as well, so a busy schedule for Easter week.

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