Schizoid

The spring weather continues to come and go. I actually ran the AC for a couple of days this past week, but today the furnace is on again, plus April showers. At least I mowed before the rains came.

Insects seem to come and go as well. Last week I saw a red admiral on the creeping Charlie, yesterday a fat bumble bee in the serviceberry. (I was not quick enough to capture either with my macro lens.) Other than the ants that have invaded my kitchen, not much else six-legged activity.

Creeping Charlie sans red admiral

Serviceberry sans bumble bee

Something new I am trying this year is dripping water from milk jugs. I hung one over the birdbath, but I think it spooked the birds. There is another one over a tray of dirt and stones, to keep it moist for bugs like butterflies and mason bees. We'll see how that works out.

I'm enjoying the serviceberry which has really popped the past few days. A hard freeze at the wrong time can interrupt fruit production, but I'm hopeful there will be a bumper crop for the robins.

The flower stems of the ragwort have a weedy look to them, but the blossoms are lovely. (Can you tell I'm enjoying the macro lens on my camera phone?) Once they are done blooming, I'll cut back the stems to tidy things up a bit.

While I am enjoying all the newbies in the yard, let's not forget the stand-bys. The new leaves emerging on the elm tree show why it is such a great shade tree.

The Crimson King maple produces flowers of a sort, but it seems to be sterile, unlike its cousin the silver maple.

I put out the oriole feeder, but so far, no visitors. An acquaintance who lives in the country has seen an oriole, plus wild turkeys. I doubt I will ever have the latter in my backyard, but today there was a pair of mallards. (I *told* you it was wet out there.)

While all this beauty comes to life with no help from me, other parts of the yards require my attention. I gathered up most the cedar planks from the disassembled raised beds and put them at the end of the driveway (free!), but no takers. My neighbor across the street has been tearing out his deck, so he took the planks (and more) to the landfill for me. I would have like to see them reused, but they weren't in very good condition, plus sometimes you just have to let go.

Last mow, first snow

I had almost talked myself into waiting until today to pick up dog poop and mow leaves. The winter weather advisory changed my mind. Yesterday was a nice fall day, today a winter wonderland.

After yesterday's chores, I did hobble about a bit, camera in hand. I'm glad I captured this silver grass in its upright position; today it is severely slumped over.

This is the trunk of one of my redbud trees. I assume the damage was caused by the extremely wet spring we had and hope that the tree will recover. This one is next to the deck and quite useful shadewise.

The common milkweed pods are exploding. I'm contemplating just letting it take over one corner of the yard. I didn't notice very many monarchs this summer, but then I wasn't out and about in the yard much.

I am very impressed with how rubust my Triumph elm is. Once the leaves dropped, a nest appeared. I hope this tree continues to thrive.

The still tiny Prairie Fire crabapple insists on fruiting. First year sleep, second year creep, third (next) year leap - I hope. The Perfect Purple crab in the front yard isn't looking very robust, so I'm hoping it takes off soon, too.

Some shrubs still have fruit on them while others have been stripped bare already. The hawthorn tree in the front yard is loaded with orange berries; the robins will find them in late winter. Last year they did not eat all of them, so I plan to harvest some for dyeing yarn.

My SO came over Saturday and cleaned out the poison ivy patch under the gold mop. I've sprayed the poison ivy several times and it looks like it is finally finished off. May it never return!

More newbies

Today's big news is the installation of two trees, a Triumph Elm (Ulmus 'Morton Glossy') for the back yard and a Winter King Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis 'Winter King') for the front.

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago where, once upon a time, the streets were lined with elms. This variety is a product of the Chicagoland Grows program, and combines the vase-shaped form with disease and insect resistance. It grows 60' tall and 40' wide, and someday (knock on wood) will shade the deck and pergola. Elms serve as host plants for several species of butterflies, so maybe I will be lucky enough to attract some.

The Winter King Hawthorn grows to be about 25' high and 25' wide. Abundant white flowers in the spring produce tomato-orange berries for the birds. The leaves turn from glossy green to burgundy in fall (fitting in with my dark red/purple color scheme in the front yard). I must remember to not freak out over the peeling bark. Also, thorns.

(I'm past the age of digging ginormous holes for big trees. The tree planting crew of two had a huge auger to chew up the clay soil, but they still had to resort to shovels. I am happy to pay for their services.)

Last weekend I visited a friend whose family owns a wholesale nursery. Her husband offered me some shrubs from his inventory, all things I didn't really want, but he managed to scrounge up an oak leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia).

I know exactly where I want to plant it - next to the front porch - but first I need to move the ornamental grasses that grow there. Since the nearby Crimson King maple is (FINALLY) big enough to throw a shadow, the grasses are not doing as well. Like most (all?) hydrangeas, this one likes its share of shade. And the flowers smell wonderful! (Unlike the 'Blue Muffin' viburnum blossoms, which smell like carrion.)

There are still a few other plants to go into the ground as well, but the weather has turned dry and the ground is assuming its usual concrete-like tendencies. The hysteria mongers on the local news stations keep promising severe thunderstorms, but so far each weather system slides right past. I'd better go do some watering.

Lazy Fair

I confess I sometimes take a laissez faire approach to my yard, which is usually NOT a good thing. Plants get out of control, or worse, they die. The place starts to look like a jungle and becomes overwhelming in a very short time.

Topped cherry trees

Maybe it is the orchard and its requirements for severe pruning, but this summer I have been turning a critical eye toward the shrubbery and trees. That critical eye is frequently followed by a limb saw and/or lopper and/or snipper of one sort or another.

Topped apple trees

If I were more on top of things, I would have taken before and after photos. I might not have even taken these shots, but I'm reacquainting myself with an older, more compact camera, to take on the Garden Fling in Minneapolis come July. The light was not the best in most of these cases, but I think the camera itself will do.

Trimmed up redbud tree

The redbud tree closest to the deck was blocking my view of the backyard, so it was one of the first to get trimmed up. The other two received similar treatment. A plus to trimming up is it is easier to reach the base of the trees, which in this case allows me to keep the cardinal vine plants watered.

Trimmed up viburnum and redbud tree

Another plus to pruning is it keeps one shrub from impinging too much on its neighbor. This is a real problem with my forsythia, which are planted too close to the arborvitae. I've taken to whacking them severely.

Trimmed up arrowwood viburnums

Trimming up also allows more light to reach the bed underneath, inviting contemplation of what to plant as understory plants.

Trimmed up purple smoke tree

I have been more diligent about weeding. The other day it was the Canada thistle under attack, as the plants were starting to form buds. Yesterday it was something I don't know the name of but that is particularly prolific. Today I pulled errant northern sea oats from behind the rhododendron. (For more about battling weeds, see gardeninacity's post. What he said.)

Volunteer oak tree

More diligent weeding has uncovered some surprises: the baby oak tree above and the volunteer elm tree below. I plan to let the elm continue to grow in situ, between the Viburnum prunifolium and a Rose of Sharon shrub; it will break of the monotony of a row of bushes. If I keep the oak, it will have to move away from the house and into the yard, then survive absent minded mowing.

Volunteer elm tree

Regarding the gayfeather mentioned recently, I did move it, to the prairie sampler bed on the south side of the house. Initially, it is pouting - no one likes to relocate - but I think it will be very happy there, eventually.

Moping gayfeather

In sadder news, something got to the broccoli plants.

Bitten broccoli

I took a tour of the garden fence and discovered this breach.

Animal incursion

Previously, I had reinforced this corner with additional poultry netting, as little bunnies were squeezing in and out of there. Apparently, that did not stop something bigger (woodchuck? rabbit?) from bypassing my effort. Sometimes I wonder why I bother to grow edibles at all.