A maple is a maple is a maple... or not

Good news and bad news.

The good news (at least, for me) is Norway maple leaves can be used to dye yarn (which I will do sometime, using leaves from the 'Crimson King' in my front yard). The bad news is Norway maple trees (which includes 'Crimson King') are a non-native invasive species.

(Commentary: It is difficult for me to imagine 'Crimson King' outcompeting other maples as it is the s-l-o-w-e-s-t growing tree I have ever owned. Also, no seeds I've ever noticed, an observation supported by this site. The roots don't seem to be invasive, either. But some experts disagree with me on all three counts.)

If you are looking for native maples, choose black maples and/or sugar maples. Red maples are also native. (Silver maples are native, but I hate them. The trunks split, which makes them dangerous in high winds. The roots are shallow and can be invasive. Also, the 'helicoptor' seeds (samaras) clogging my gutters. Thanks, neighbors.)

To read about the differences between Norway maples, black maples, and sugar maples, go here.

But after perusing this site, I'm not sure I would ever choose to plant a maple of any kind in my yard. They all seem problematic in one way or another, at least for homeowners. It's another thing if one wants to develop a sugarbush.

My 'Crimson King' came with the house. Trees take a long time to grow, and this one is finally throwing some shade (after more than 35 years of growing). If it were to die, though, I would replace it with a native, but probably not a maple of any kind.

Around the yard:

'Marguerite' sweet potato vine and 'Hells Heat' petunia:

Leafing out of hickory tree - I didn't see how the tips formed, so not sure what we're looking at here:

The honeysuckle vine that ate New York:

Up close:

Latest yard art, a gift from my son and his girl friend:

'Amethyst Kiss' spiderwort:

The forecast for the coming week is cool temps, perfect for transplanting. I moved an aromatic aster today, from the front bed to an area in the backyard. They spread via seeds, so if I want to control them, I need to deadhead them in the fall, before the blossoms form seeds. That sounds like a lot of work. I also transplanted a coneflower from the front to the back. And then I sprayed some weeds and mowed.

I was hoping the yard would become easier to take care of, and in some ways, it is. BUT my energy is not keeping up. "They" say we age in stages, and I think I have reached the afternoon-nap stage.

What's it good for? Northern sea oats

Once upon a time, ornamental grasses were a new thing, or at least they were new to me. I believe that is when I first purchased northern sea oats (although I could be wrong about that). At any rate, they became a problem - spreading everywhere - so I moved some to the south side of the house where they can run rampant and eliminated the rest (mostly - an errant one pops up here and there in the front beds).

While whacking back the tops of the northern sea oats during my "fall cleanup" this spring, I got to wondering just what they are good for. Are they useless beauties or do they serve a function in the landscape?

According to this Missouri Botanical Garden post, northern sea oats attract birds, but which ones? The Avian Report says sparrows, juncos, chickadees, goldfinches, and mourning doves.

This Morton Arboretum post doesn't identify any uses for this plant.

The plant's Wiki page claims it is a "larval host plant for the Northern Pearly-Eye, and its seeds are food for birds and mammals. It is also eaten by the caterpillars of the pepper and salt skipper, Bell's roadside skipper, and bronzed roadside skipper butterflies.".

The entry at the Grow Native! website echoes its use as a host plant for the above insects and food source for birds and small mammals.

I've never noticed any caterpillars on my plants, nor have I observed birds or small mammels eating the seeds, but then I haven't really looked. Maybe I should pay more attention. At any rate, I'll keep them for now.

I *did* happen to notice this Gem moth the other day, across from the northern sea oats, on what is probably a rudbeckia. Initially, I didn't think I would be able to identify it, but upon closer inspection, saw the "eyes" on its wings.

Spring chores continue. I attacked the suckers at the base of backyard trees (have yet to tackle those in the front yard), pruned back the viburnum that were overtaking the witch hazel, and planted annuals and perennials. The only online purchases that remain to find a home are the heucheras, as I need to remove a couple of the aromatic asters first.

Installing a butterfly bush was on my list of goals for this year, but I have since reconsidered. It turns out that they are invasive. :-( Never mind that I can't seem to keep one alive. There are so-called "sterile" cultivars out there, but even those can still produce some viable seeds, up to 2% of 40,000 seeds per seed head. So scratch that item.

For Mother's Day, my daughter and I went kayaking at Chain O' Lakes State Park. The weather was perfect, it wasn't crowded, the water was high enough through the channels between the kettle lakes, there were no bugs, just turtles sunning on logs. We finished the excursion with dessert at the Magic Wand in Churubusco - I highly recommend the cherry cobbler with ice cream.

Creeping Charlie and his cousins

I complain a lot about the Creeping Charlie in my yard, but some plants I've been referring to as CC are actually something else.

Borrowed photo (can't recall from where)

Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea), a member of the mint family, is known by several other names: Ground Ivy, Creeping Jenny, Field Balm, Alehoof, and more. While eschewed by most gardeners, it does have its uses: provides nectar to some pollinators in early spring, is edible, has medicinal uses, was used in place of hops when brewing beer, etc. Some no-mow lawns include it in their seed mix.

Last summer I let it run rampant on the south side of the house while trying to keep it out of the garden beds there (it may have allelopathic qualities that cause it to compete with other plants). I thought it might be a natural (if non-native and invasive) no-mow alternative to lawn, but it doesn't withstand light traffic very well, so that area is a bit muddy now. Elsewhere in the yard, it gets treated with a broadleaf herbicide. For more info, see this post.

Purple Deadnettle (Lamium purpureum) is also a member of the mint family. It may be known as Red Deadnettle or Purple Archangel. It too provides forage in early spring, is edible, and has medicinal uses (as described here). I have it in my yard, but being a winter annual, it dies when the weather gets hot and isn't that much of a problem, or where it does pop up, it is easy to pull.

Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) is yet another mint relative that is very similar to Purple Deadnettle. I probably have this in my yard, but I have not noticed it or assumed it was Deadnettle. To read a comparison between Purple Deadnettle with Henbit, visit this site.

What *is* growing in my yard is Bleeding Heart. They seem particularly prolific this year. I love them, wish they hung around longer.

While I whine about the lack of bugs in my yard, this year I've noticed a lot of ants. These busy little critters were trying to drag something much larger than themselves into their nest.

We have been having a LOT of rain recently - everything is so *green*. The lawn has needed twice-weekly mowing, and I've already cleaned out the gutters twice as well. The chokeberry shrubs are blooming, so maybe they will produce fruit this year. The ragwort is in its yellow glory, the wild geranium and blue star are doing their thing, and the columbine is just starting to bloom.

On the edible front, the strawberry plants are taking root, the garlic poking up, and the rhubarb heading toward first harvest. Even a remnant of my asparagus patch is providing me with a few spears here and there, enough for an omelette now and then.

But first...

Digging out the compost pile was on my to-do list for this spring. Sifting the existing compost from the rest of the detritis required the use of my yellow Vigoro garden cart... which had four flat tires, one of which was also shredding. I purchased a new tire, but could not figure out how to get the old one off (despite viewing several YT videos). No matter - I just filled all four with air (using my scary air compressor). The compost sifter also needed some repair. Finally, I completed the original to-do item, followed by spreading a shovelful of compost around each shrub.

Black (or brown) gold

I decided to take a look at my goals for this year, to see how I'm doing. Not bad so far. Ten coneflowers ('Sombrero Hot Coral') went into the bed by the sidewalk, and while I have planted the strawberries ('Evie-2') and garlic ('Early Italian'), the temperatures need to be a bit better before starting the green beans (there is a lined milk crate planter ready to receive them). The number of garlic cloves were more than the raised bed could handle, so the extras went into some containers; we'll see how that works out.

Fencing is to discourage Finn from treating this bed like a litter box

While not on the list, some dill seed ('Mammoth') was strewn around the spicebush, hopefully to attract swallowtail butterflies. And there is a pot ready for a tomato plant ('Sun Sugar') I purchased on impulse at Menards. The citrus plants at Tractor Supply tempted me, but I've been complaining about having too many houseplants, so I refrained.

This is the spring for flowering trees. I can't get enough of them (except for the Bradford pears).

'Perfect Purple' flowering crab, neighbor's flowering pear in the background

Redbud

'Prairie Fire' flower crab blossoms

One advantage of aging is one stops worrying so much about what other people think. An exception is my serviceberry specimens. They bloom at the same time as Bradford pear trees, but I hope no one thinks I actually planted the latter.

Around the yard:

Oak gall on witch hazel?

Milkweed!

We had some gale-force winds this past week. One day, a particularly athletic and daring squirrel took advantage of the wind to leap from the privacy fence to the sunflower feeder. Rather bodacious of him, if I do say so myself.

Spring color

Last year I called my lawncare guy and told him, "I miss my clover" (said no one ever). We eliminated weed control from the program, and I now spot treat the random dandelion, mulberry, and nutsedge that crops up. A little clover is coming back with no help from me.

I would also like to see drifts of snow drops and other early bloomers in the lawn, which led me to this posting by the Laidback Gardener. In brief, he recommends very early bulbs that will be done by the first mow. I can probably fudge that limitation, since I mow high, at least 4".

• Bulbocodium (Bulbocodium vernum) (While listed as a spring bloomer, it actually blooms in summer; also, poisonous.)
• Crocus* (Crocus spp.) (I would limit these to early crocus like Crocus tommassinianus)
• Glory of the snow (Chionodoxa spp.)
• Narcissi (early varieties) (Narcissus spp.) (Too tall and not early enough around here, me thinks)
• Puschkinia (Puschkinia scilloides) (a.k.a. striped squill)
• Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis)
• Spring snowflake (Leucojum vernum) (tolerates boggy sites and pond edges)
• Squill (Scilla spp.)
• Winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis)

For me, I think tommies, glory of the snow, puschkinia, snowdrop, spring snowflake, squill, and winter aconite will do nicely in the lawn.

About the only spring bulbs I have left in my yard post-native install are crocus, daffodil, and grape hyacinth (plus one lonely purple hyacinth of unknown origin and a tulip that must be 30+ years old). When I walk the dog through a nearby neighborhood, though, I see beds full of pink hyacinth, which look delightful. My daughter has lots of what I think of as Narcissus in her beds, more delicate than my daffs. Even though none of these bloomers are considered native, I still love seeing all that early color. We'll see if my excitement carries over to fall planting.

Meanwhile, the serviceberry shrubs in the backyard have popped, while their tree-form cousins in the front yard are lagging behind. Today I saw a pair of cowbirds a-courtin' in a redbud which is also starting to bloom, a bit early.

While listening to something on NPR the other day, a glacier expert commented that "climate change" should be renamed "climate weirdness". That pretty much sums it up, as we had more hail this past week, followed by an 80-degree day yesterday. Today it is just windy, too windy to enjoy the yard. Even the dog wants to stay inside.

I'd rather mow than vacuum

Once upon a time, I could spend a whole day out in the yard, doing this, that, and the other. Now, after an hour or two, I'm done. But mowing takes little energy - I have a zero-turn riding mower - so I leave it for the end of the day, when I'm too tired to do much else.

Yesterday's hour or two was spent creating a little trench to help manage the wet area of the yard. The digging was easier than I expected, as what I was scooping up was basically composted mulch. I added that to the raised bed. Now I would like some stone to fill in the trench.

The raised bed is full. There is a layer of yard debris on the bottom, topped with four bags of "raised bed and garden soil". On top of that is some spent potting soil from containers I found in the shed. Then came the composted mulch and four more bags of bagged soil. I'm waiting for those layers to settle before planting anything in the bed.

This is the bagged soil I used:

And this is why I chose this particular brand: no peat. The peat would make a lighter mix, but it decomposes over time. I wanted a fill that was basically dirt but better dirt than my heavy clay.

My order from Burpee arrived: strawberry plants, garlic, and echinacea. The latter is on the deck, soaking up water and hardening off. The strawberries plants and garlic are in the refrigerator, awaiting that settling I mentioned above. I'm not sure how well the strawberries will do in such a tall raised bed. Specifically, I'm worried how the plants will winter over that far from the ground. But I guess that is what a winter mulch of straw is for.

Today's activity was spraying weeds, mostly Creeping Charlie; there is a crazy amount of it in the yard this year. I also attacked the yucca that won't die and the random mulberry trees that pop up endlessly.

I didn't spray all the Creeping Charlie, as it is one of the few early plants that pollinators appear to depend on. Which got me wondering about what else I could provide as an early source of nectar. An online search led me to Tag Alder, something I had never heard of, a shrub that likes it wet. I was thinking I could plant one by (or in) the rain garden... but it has a suckering habit, which means it would spread. Not sure I want to go there.

Hail yeah!

We are having all kinds of whacky weather these days: hail, thunderstorms, lots and lots of rain. The rain garden is currently a water feature - very full. That end of the yard is rather soggy as well. I have plans to remedy the latter.

I have a mason bee nesting box that has never hosted a mason bee. But perhaps this paper wasp nest is fulfilling that job? If I keep an eye on it, maybe I will see what emerges from those plugged cells.

It's going to be a busy week here at Woodchuck Acres, starting with the installation of a new furnace and AC tomorrow. The joys of homeownership are overrated, in my opinion - eventually stuff wears out and needs to be replaced - but I do like having a yard to play in.

Spring has sprung

I no longer have forsythia in my yard, but I've noticed it elsewhere in town; ditto magnolias. The usual spring bulbs are on display in my beds, which always leads me to wanting more, especially drifts of snowdrops in the lawn. However, by the time fall rolls around, my garden energy is flagging. Now I have an auger to attach to a drill, the easier to create holes in my heavy clay soil, so maybe I will follow through on that desire come autumn.

The "fall cleanup" is almost done - just the north side of the house left to tackle. The removal of plant debris has revealed some mulberry and yucca that cry for eradication, so that is on the to-do list. The earlier one attacks the undesirables, the better.

The reception for my oldest brother's wedding this weekend was at a country club where the golf course is currently undergoing a major renovation, including the removal of many trees. Boo! Their goal is to return the course to its former (treeless) state. If they want to *really* get back to their roots, IMHO they should play golf in an overgrown pasture, complete with cows. Right?

Wake up!

Now that it is officially spring, things are happening. The weather itself is still on the cold side, but the grass looks greener and some perennials are popping out of the ground. It won't be long now.

Cup plant

Rattlesnake Master

Goldenrod

I dismantled the dead hedge and relocated the branches to a somewhat hidden area, between mature shrubs and the privacy fence. May they rot in place.

I think the sparrow has finally ceded the bluebird box to its rightful owners. An employee at Wild Birds Unlimited commented that she puts a empty tuna can in the bottom of her bluebird box, to discourage the sparrows. I didn't have a tuna can, so I tried a plastic sour cream container. That worked against the sparrows, but it also seemed to spook the bluebirds - too white? I replaced it with several layers of corrugated cardboard, and now I think all is well.

A pair of mallards appeared in the backyard, apparently interested in the rain garden which was full of water on that day. They didn't stay long, but it was fun to see them.

My SO reports bees at his birdbath. I found a busy one at the witch hazel.

I've been transcribing my journals and am currently on year 1979. Back then I was just as itchy to get into the garden as I am now. Back then I had more energy, though. Hopefully, the arc of the yard is bending toward less labor-intensive activities as I ease into my later years.

Bird wars

The sparrows have not lost interest in the bluebird house yet. I read here about how the male sparrow is more attached to a nesting site than he is to his mate. The bluebirds have tried to oust him (bird fight!), I've cleared out the bit of nesting material he built, and I've left the door to the box open to discourage him, all to no avail. Meanwhile, the bluebirds have tried every other birdhouse in the yard, but can't fit through the entrances.

I moved the cat birdhouse to the backyard, hung the flamingo birdhouse where the cat one had been (but took it in for the interim because of high winds), removed the metal plate around one of the wren houses so the sparrow could use that (I never get more than one nesting pair of wrens at a time), but so far that booger maintains his ownership of the bluebird box. Jerk.

While not watching the backyard birds, I've been puttering in the yard. A stop at Home Depot yielded some supplies for one raised bed. I'm going to build the filling from scratch (more or less) per this site, then top it with the bagged soil. Since some settling will occur, I wanted to get it started as soon as possible.

I tried locating the bed near the oak tree, but didn't like it there. Now it is next to the "meadow" near a redbud, where I am building the dead hedge. It still really stands out - all that *white* - so I will probably plant something or position some containers to block the visual glare.

Speaking of the dead hedge, I don't like it. For some reason, scattered piles of yard debris don't bother me, but the big pile of branches does. I'm letting it grow on me, but all that is growing is irritation. Expect to see it relocated in the near future.

Inside, the lettuce has sprouted, so the boxes have been relocated to the top of the freezer where they are happily reaching for grow lights. The germination was a bit spotty (probably due to gardener error), but there should be plenty just the same.

The vultures are back, the "Tommies" (Crocus tommassinianus 'Roseus') are up, but the grass is still khaki colored. This is a weekend of high winds and thunder storms, so even the pets are hunkered down inside.

On the cusp

Despite some snow this week, it is beginning to feel like spring. The birds are starting to gather nesting materials (and unfortunately, a pair of sparrows are interested in the bluebird box) and my earliest daffodils have broken through. I expect to tackle fall cleanup this week.

I am still puzzled over the differences between the witch hazel bushes. One I purchased in 2016 from Riverview Native Plant Nursery (which is no longer in business), the other four were planted by Sanctuary Native Landscapes in 2022. They are not alike, even now when they are just starting to come back to life, despite both being "straight" species. Maybe someday I will figure it out.

(I just did a Google Lens on these photos. The reddish one may be 'Boskoop'. I will have to investigate further.)

After cleaning out one wren house and the bluebird house, I decided to hang the cat birdhouse in the Japanese maple out front, on the east side of the house, away from the weather. When I am lying on the living room couch, I can watch it for activity.

I am not growing any seedlings this year, but I did decide to try growing leaf lettuce inside (because the stuff in the grocery store is a gamble). Today I filled a couple of the plastic containers that the grocery greens come in with seed starting soil and planted some seeds.

On the left is the Burpee 'Looseleaf Blend', on the right High Mowing 'Gourmet Blend Lettuce'. Beneath the containers is a seed starting warming pad; extra plastic containers form domes over the future seedlings and capture the condensation.

I'm loosely following instructions I found here. We'll see how this works out.

In like a lion...

When I picked up my 14-year-old granddaughter the other day at school, we were experiencing high winds. I said, "In like a lion, out like a lamb." She had never heard that expression before. *What* are they teaching (or not teaching) kids today at school?!?

Just as I feared, as soon as I purchased some lettuce seeds locally the ones from Burpee arrived in the mail. The new ones are from High Mowing Seeds and are called "Gourmet Blend Lettuce". We'll see.

This weekend was the local Home and Garden Show, which we always attend even though, after over thirty years of living in this house, there is not much left to do to improve it. The past couple of years I have purchased metal yard art, but this year none of it called to me. This birdhouse, did - the birds fly into the cat's mouth.

I've been trying to talk myself into doing *something* outside today. It's not windy but it is a bit chilly, just enough to cool (no pun intended) my motivation. I did bring in the plastic (sorry) wreath that hangs on the front porch all winter, before the sparrows start building a nest in it. And as the snow melted, I've been picking up pounds of dog poop.

Speaking of dogs, the past few years I have had my lawn treated organically, with applications of biosolids. There are now studies about the presence of microplastics in biosolids. What has me concerned is one of my dogs (Watson) developed a tumor in his sinuses about a year ago and died (sinus tumors are next to impossible to treat in dogs). Perhaps I should limit the lawn treatments to just the front yard? I've already paid for this year's treatment, but I'm at the lowest rung of their payment scale, so it would cost the same whether they did just the front yard or both. I'd hate to lose another dog before her time, if that was a contributing factor.

Clio and Watson in happier times