How to measure a tree

I recently finished reading a book called The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession, by Amy Stewart. It contains portraits of people obsessed with trees in one way or another. My only complaint is some of these collectors are importing trees from other parts of the world without a concern that they may be introducing an invasive species into their own habitat; one has even planted Russian olive! It's a pleasant read, if you are so inclined.

One section discussed "champion" trees - the really, really, REALLY BIG ones. Points are awarded for girth, height, and crown spread. My trees are definitely not champions, but an annual measurement would give me a more objective idea of how they are growing (besides eyeballing each one and thinking, Yep, it's bigger this year).

Rather than repeat what the books says, here are some lousy photos of the relevent information:

My trees are mostly naked right now, so I'll wait until next summer to measure them. Hopefully, that will become an annual occurance.

Mulch volcano or donut?

One sure sign of spring is the proliferation of mulch, especially on commercial properties. Mulch is good for keeping down weeds, BUT. All too often the mulch is piled up around a tree like a volcano.

BAD!

Mulch should be applied like a donut or lifesaver. The point is to leave the trunk flare exposed. One would think the landscaping companies would know better - or maybe they do, but don't want to take the time to be careful.

GOOD!

Even the landscaping company that redid my yard made this mistake (along with a few others). I rectified the situation myself. For more information, go here. The tree you save may be your own.

(Another mistake the landscaping company made was to apply mulch under the Japanese maple and 'Limelight' hydrangea. Both have shallow roots that need to breathe. I *told* them not to mulch under those two, but did they listen? NOOOOOO.)

Other signs of spring:

Crocus

Witch hazel

Daffodils

Yesterday was *gorgeous*. Since we were facing two days of rain, I tackled the fall cleanup. I don't get on the north side of the house much in winter, so was surprised to see the goldenrod still relatively intact. Something, probably a rabbit, chewed on the asters I planted in this bed; I hope they survive (the asters, not the rabbits).

Goldenrod (before cleanup)

I am SO glad I had the landscaping redone in my yard. The cleanup took just a few hours instead of days. Some nasty weeds are already staking a claim, though, so that is the next yardening task on my to-do list.

Baby birds

The fledglings are everywhere. I've seen baby sparrows, starlings (which are VERY noisy), mourning doves, and bluebirds. Even though the young 'uns are almost as big as their parents, usually their coloring is a bit different and flying takes a lot more effort, as does sticking the landing. Fun to watch.

As promised last time, I transplanted the basil, tomato, and sweet potato vine plants to containers. I also transplanted some penstemon from a large container to the ground, as it had become too crowded to bloom. It's been hot and dry, so everything gets watered every day; the ninebark shrubs get a big drink when they start looking droopy.

I'm SO GLAD I had the landscaping redone last year. Maintaining it is now relatively easy. Every couple of weeks, I do some hand weeding, then treat the pernicious ones with herbicide. It's amazing what keeps trying to come back every year: burdock, trumpet vine, spearmint, forsithia, poison ivy, tree of heaven (should be called tree from hell - read about it here), etc. Very persistant.

One of the redbud trees is not looking its best. From one angle, it seems fine, but from another, not so much. I have some arborists coming to look at the tulip tree, so I'll ask about the redbud as well.

I discovered some calico scale on one of the witchhazel shrubs. Not sure if I should be worried about that.

On a positive note, here is a bee in the penstemon planted last year. It crawls all the way into the blossom in its pursuit of pollen.

Other current bloomers include the climbing rose that I periodically threaten to eliminate.

And columbine.

Flamingos are my thing, so I could not resist this patriotic trio from Menards. I'm sure some of my neighbors don't approve, but that's the point.

Otherwise, I have been busy with my summer job: chauffeuring my granddaughter hither and yon (this week, it was basketball camp). The heat has kept me mostly inside. Next week promises to be milder, although still no rain in the forecast.

Fenced off

The fence installers were here on Wednesday, to set the posts, then returned Friday to build the gates. I *thought* I was keeping a close eye on the dogs on Thursday, but not close enough - they dug a half dozen deep holes on the south side of the house. Fortunately, they did not disturb the plants. It also gave the fence installers a place to put the dirt from the post holes.

The city came by and renewed the spray-on grass. Some in the addition are diligent about watering it. I'm less so. My outside faucets are still on a well, but my neighbor across the street had his hooked up to the city water when that was installed. His water bill went through the roof when he tried keeping the spray-on grass wet last time; he's not watering it at all this time.

We had a couple of hot days (Indian summer?), but now it is cooling down again. Still no hard frost. Leaves are turning, some faster than others. I don't plant for fall colors but I certainly enjoy seeing them when I am out and about.

Don't forget to vote!

Paperbark maple, in situ

My SO and I stopped at the main branch of the Allen County Public Library for an art festival, but I became totally distracted by a tree outside the entrance. A little research reveals that it is an Acer griseum, a.k.a. paperbark maple. It's not native, but it sure is pretty, especially in fall and winter. It is also a good height for my ranch house (I don't like towering giants). I'm not sure where I would put it, but it is going on my list.

This bark screams WINTER INTEREST

From the shape of the leaves, I would not have guessed this is a maple. Fortunately, its seeds are difficult to germinate, so it shouldn't run rampant through nature preserves.

Leaves and winged samaras

If I had known the leaves are gray with fine hairs underneath, I would have tried photographing them.

See the birdie?

No known habitat for local wildlife, but don't tell that to this mourning dove.

Spending my children's inheritance

Oh, my goodness, where do I begin? I've started ordering plants and seeds for the coming season. In at least one case, the shipping charges exceed the amount of the order. After a lifetime of scrimping and saving for retirement, I want what I want and I'm going to get what I want.

The vegetable garden is basically all planned out, and it's not going to have many vegetables. Instead, I am going to cross over to growing plants for dyeing fiber. There will still be asparagus, strawberries, and raspberries, plus pole beans, zukes and cukes, and broccoli (which I've discovered is rather long-seasoned as one can enjoy side shoots for many weeks after the main head is harvested). I expect to have some tomatoes and peppers and herbs in pots. But otherwise, it will be dye plants.

Most dye plants that will grow around here yield primarily greens and yellows, not my favorite colors for fiber. But with certain mordants and after dye baths, one can obtain a variety of other colors from the following plants: dahlia ('Black Satin'), hibiscus (Hibiscus Moscheutos 'Luna Red'), hollyhock (Alcea rosea), madder (Rubia tinctorum), yellow cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus), dyer's coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria), dyer's knotweed (Polygonum tinctorium). Of all of these, I have grown only hollyhocks and hibiscus; the rest will be new to me.

Other dyes may be obtained from plants and trees I already grow: marigolds, apple trees (bark), cherry trees (bark), elm (bark), goldenrod, rhubarb (also a mordant), daffodils, Queen Anne's lace (I don't grow this on purpose), yarrow, even dead tomato plants. Once I exhaust myself sampling all these, I may just go back to vegetables!

In the non-vegetable, non-fruit, non-dyeing realm, I'm going to concentrate on adding more trees and shrubs to the rest of the landscape, Specific shrubs are black chokeberry (to replace the one that died from rabbit girdling), smooth hydrangea, coralberry, and spicebush. I can purchase all these from a local grower, Riverview Native Plant Nursery. For trees, I want a Prairie Fire crabapple for the backyard and a 'Perfect Purple' crabapple for the front.

And to make everything look pretty, I'm considering a power edger of some sort.

What are your plans for the coming season?

What makes a Japanese garden?

While on the Garden Bloggers Fling in Minneapolis, we visited (oh so briefly) the Japanese garden at the Como Botanical Zoo and Conservatory. There was a lot of hosta and pachysandra. Today my son and I visited the Japanese garden exhibit at our own Botanical Conservatory. More hosta and pachysandra. Hmm. That got me wondering just what exactly constitutes a Japanese garden.

I consulted Google and wound up at a Wikipedia entry. Among other info, the elements that make up a Japanese garden are listed. I didn't take many photos at the Japanese garden at Como, but I could see the elements elsewhere in not-very-Japanese gardens (including my own), so they must be somewhat universal.

Water

I've long considered adding a water feature to my garden, but a little research reveals just how much work they are. Also, my imagination has been limited to the rubber ponds sold in big box stores. However, a water feature may be a pond, a stream, or even a dry stream of white sand or polished river stones. It's the metaphor that counts.

Rocks and sand

Rocks and sand may be incorporated into the water feature (see pix above), or installed in their own right, as garden art, a path, a wall, a border, etc. I confess the use of rock in my garden is limited to pea gravel around the AC unit and under the spigot, in the interest of keeping each area clear of weeds. I could add a couple of small boulders for interest.

Garden architecture

If a shed counts as garden architecture, I have this one covered. I don't think that is the intention, although there are countless garden buildings around, some practical, some rustic, some formal, some cute, some functional, some that are all of the above. I am still considering a screened in gazebo like the first photo below.

Garden bridges

No bridges in my flat, flat yard. I dimly recall crossing some bridges here and there on the Fling, especially in the Japanese garden. Apparently, no pix, though. Does an arch count as a bridge? Probably not, but I'd still like to add an arch somewhere. Or maybe my pergola counts as an arch?

Stone lanterns and water basins

I *do* have a stone lantern! Only because a garden design from long ago included some elements of a Japanese garden (I now realize). Do bird baths count as water basins? If so, I have that, too.

Garden fences, gates, and devices

There were some great gates (which I neglected to photograph) on the Fling. I have a (chain link) fence with three gates (two cedar). I'm contemplating replacing the chain link with a privacy fence, which could be simply functional or serve as a visual enclosure. OR it could be incorporated into the garden design as a wall for art, trellises, etc. Devices are trickier. The example on the wiki entry is of a shishiodoshi, designed to scare away birds. All I use are strips of mylar.

Trees and flowers

Interestingly, plants appear near the bottom of the list of elements of a Japanese garden. Naturally, we saw plants everywhere we went on the Fling, especially hostas, hostas, and MORE hostas. (There is a Minnesota Hosta Society. Also, I think it is a state law that every yard contain at least one hosta.) In a Japanese garden, plantings may be selected to hide something, provide a backdrop, or create a vignette. I recently planted a pagoda dogwood and was excited to see what it might look like one day, but only with selective pruning, I was sad to learn.

Fish

When one thinks of fish in a garden, koi immediately spring to mind. If one has a pond, the next natural step might be to add fish. But I have noticed quite a few garden art pieces that are either fish or are meant to imitate fish (like salmon leaping among the shrubs). Fish would be one step too far for me, but maybe some colorful ceramic koi would be a nice addition to the hosta bed.

More shopping

Yesterday I stopped by Arbor Farms and arranged (with money) for two trees to be planted in my yard. One is a Triumph Elm (Ulmus 'Morton Glossy'), for the backyard, to shade the deck (someday). The other is a Winter King Hawthorn (Crataegus viridis 'Winter King'), for the front yard. I would have bought more, but one tree I wanted, Perfect Purple Flowering Crab (Malus 'Perfect Purple'), will not be available until midsummer. I'm fine with that, because I need to dig out the old fashioned lilac first anyway. I also considered a Tiger Eyes Sumac (Rhus typhina 'Bailtiger'), to replace the grasses by the front porch, but there was a mature specimen at the nursery and it is not the kind of plant to go next to the house.

Then it was back to Stuckys, as my resistance to their Cardinal Vines had withered. I bought three, to put under the Redbud trees. I'm leaving them in their pots but burying them in the mulch - hope that works out okay. (Or maybe I should transplant them to clay pots? Hmmm.) I also picked up two more lantana for the pergola, plus three different pink petunias for my granddaughter to plant in her little plastic wagon. The petunias are to make up for the fact I accidentally broke the handle on the wagon. Bad grandma.

Meanwhile, I continue to chip away at the lost cause of a backyard I have. Most of the south shrub bed is edged and somewhat weeded and trimmed. I uncovered four out of five Blue Hostas I planted there a while back, plus a holly that is languishing amongst the weeds. There are three clumps of what I think of as ditch lilies, hidden from sight. There are additional holly plants equally languishing beneath the arborvitae. Now that my son has cleared out the area behind the garden, I am contemplating moving all the holly plants (they are still quite smallish) there, to provide some screening (assuming they ever recover and grow to their natural size).

Since the underground utilities will soon be marked for the planting of the trees, today my son and I cleared out the wilderness area where much of the marking will occur, including the pathway of the shallowly buried fiber optics cable. I also started some seedlings for squashes, cukes, and pumpkins. I used to direct seed these, but discovered I have better success this way. HOPEFULLY, this week I can transplant the tomatoes and direct seed the beans and corn. I did direct seed some zinnias where the transplants succumbed to a recent frost. (Stupid weather.)

Let's see - anything else? We weeded the blueberry patch and discovered that, although the rabbits had eaten the three remaining plants to the ground, they had recovered enough to make a showing. This year I WILL protect them with poultry netting. I've been wondering if situating the bird bath under the tulip tree has contributed to its sparrow problem, so I moved the birdbath. And speaking of birds, I was wrong about the sparrows and the blue bird boxes. Too bad.