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 …
View full postLow growing plant 2 to 8 inches tall the flowers are white 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide in clusters of two to three. It grows in rich woods areas and blooms in April and May. Rue Anemone dies back in mid-summer to appear again the following spring from it’s tiny tubers. Share on Facebook
View full postWhite 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 …
View full postPreparing 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. …
View full postWell 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 …
View full postMay 27
Memorial Day 2010 is about to arrive and we are packing up for the first extended stay at the woodland garden this year. I have a lot of projects on tap and can not wait to get to the woodland garden. I will be updating you when I get back.
It is really nice to have some time to enjoy and refresh. I hope you will be able to take sometime this weekend with family and friends and to spend some time refreshing your self.
May 24
Pulling up to the woodland garden this weekend I was greeted by the front bed iris in full bloom.
It is always a surprise when you arrive at the woodland garden you never know what will be blooming. I think that is part of the charm of being there. Of course a lot of times your mind starts to think about this weekend’s projects. Not the case this weekend I was just so happy to be there. It soothes your mind when you arrive at that serene place and just take in what nature has done. After a brief survey I stated cleaning up the twigs and branches from the spring storms. One thing about the woodland garden is that there is always plenty of kindling laying around for the campfire. As I was picking up I came across a volunteer columbine that had sprouted outside of the bed by the pond. In the picture it appears white but it had just the a blush of rose in the petals. I will transplant it and see how it does.
After picking up I mowed the lawn then set about cleaning the inside of the trailer and getting it ready for next weekend. The Memorial Day weekend is always busy at the woodland garden as it is considered the beginning of summer and the crowds show up from all over. We are so blessed to be at the end of the street with a culdesac so we do not get a ton of traffic. It is still peaceful and serene even there are 12,000 people out for the weekend. Of course there are all kinds of activities from flee markets to fishing derby’s for those who are interested.
It will be a long weekend so I will be working around the property and finish getting the place in shape. There is one project in particular that will need attending to which is thinning out the ferns. The ferns are starting to take over some of the beds and will need to be thinned out and put back into order. There are plenty of places that can used some so transplanting will not be a problem. It is amazing how quickly the ferns have filled in. The problem with them being so aggressive is that they tend to choke out some of the more desirable plantings.
Along with the landscape work I will defiantly need to get down to the lakes to check on the fishing. It should be a great weekend and on the top of the list will be my favorite meal while I am at the woodland garden and that is a weenie roast. I don’t care where you go and who makes it a hot dog cooked over the campfire is the best tasting dog you could ever eat. I hope you have a great week and enjoy the Memorial Day weekend coming up. Please take some time to remember those who have made it possible for you to celebrate this holiday. They are the ones that made it possible and also your chance to live in a free an democratic society by their sacrifices.
Apr 18
What a beautiful day for a trip to the woodland garden. The weather was nice and everything was starting to come alive. This year we have had an early spring so all of the farmers were out and as I drove along I was watching as they were busy in the fields getting the seeds in and preparing for a new growing season. Last year they weather was terrible for them as it was a cold and wet spring that seemed to last forever. Many of the fields were still not tilled and planted by the middle of May.
Click On The Picture For A Full View
When I arrived at the woodland garden the spring flowering bulbs were up and in bloom. As you can see the daffodils were in full bloom. Every year the patch seems to get bigger and bigger. They really brighten up the area and are sure a welcome sign of springs arrival. I truly enjoy there bright cheery color after such a long drab winter. At the urban garden I always get asked if it is time to plant the tulips and daffodils when ever they come up and then I have to explain that they were planted the previous fall but I do not mind because there really are a lot of people who just don’t know.
Click On The Picture For A Full View
There are three types of anemone flowers. There is a Spring flowering type, which has either rhizomes or tubers. There is tuberous Mediterranean which flowers in spring and summer. And there is a larger Fall flowering type, which blooms in late summer to fall and tends to have fibrous roots. At the woodland garden there are anemones scattered about in several different areas. It is always so exciting to come upon a patch of them in full bloom as they just seem to jump out in a burst of color.
As I wandered around I could see all the hostas and ferns were getting ready to unfurl their leaves and turn the woodland garden into a woodsy paradise very shortly. There were a lot of branches and twigs scattered about and some left over leaves that were still scattered here and there. The good thing was that there was no major damaged caused by the winter storms. Yet there is a good amount of cleanup to be done.
This weeks trip was more of a scouting trip and to open up the trailer. I got the water on and flushed the system of antifreeze. I checked the appliances and made sure the refrigerator was on and running so that next weekend we would be all set. That will be a working weekend. The grounds will get cleaned up and they screen room roof will be put back up. The last of the winter debris will be removed and the woodland garden will be ready for another season. I did jot down some notes about projects which I want to do this year but they will be shared in a latter post.
I would be remiss if I closed this post without a shot of my favorite spring flowering plant. This year it was fabulous and is getting bigger every year. Dicentra Spectabilis more commonly known as the Bleeding Heart or Dutchman’s Trousers. Bleeding Hearts are excellent perennial for the shade garden and they are very attractive with their light transparent green color, deeply divided and fern like foliage and blooms are borne on arching flower stems above the foliage.
Click On The Picture For A Full View
I hope you enjoyed this weeks glance at the woodland garden and that you have a great week. Next week we will continue the discussion on woodland plants. Have a Great Week!
Apr 10
Well Spring has arrived and we are about to embark on a new year at the Woodland Garden. I was hoping to get out this weekend and get started on some work and to open up the trailer but do to other commitments it looks like next weekend will have to do.
So I hope to have a report and update as well as some pictures next weekend. In the means time a little preview of what will be happening when I head next weekend. Along with overseeding the lawn and fertilizing I will be bringing out a new ground cover for the woodland garden.
Tradescantia Blushing Bride I will be placing it in several areas that get a lot of shade and see if I can get it to grow. It seems to be well suited for the woodland garden and I think it will do well there. I will let you know how it works out.
Have a great week and Looking forward to writing about the first visit of the season next weekend!
Jan 28
Well winter is by no means over yet but we are now headed towards Spring. I can hardly wait to get back out to the woodland garden. The first day of Spring is 1 month 3 weeks and 2 days from today. It seems like a ways off but the signs are already starting to show. The days are getting longer and soon the tempersture will start to moderate . These are all good things to dwell on because it will take your mind off the cold and snow.
Woodhaven Lakes will be holding a cabin fever weekend on February 13th and 14th for those that can’t wait to get out and enjoy some events. I will not be able to attend because I need to be available 24 – 7 until the end of March. But I will be out as soon as the first weekend in March when no snow is forecast . Trying to plan anything in February always backfires so I have given up.
I always get antsy at this time of year and can not wait till I can get back to the woodland garden. It will be soon though and I will be able to enjoy the spring flowering bulbs and early perennials as they start to poke their heads up out of the earth after the long winters rest. Before you know it the place will be ablaze in color and the sound of happy birds as they fill their stomachs and try to find a mate. Yes it won’t belong till the magic of the woodland garden takes over again….
