The Queen of Seaford: ferns

Showing posts with label ferns. Show all posts

Thursday, August 1, 2024

Puget Sound Fling day #2- Searching for a Stumpery

A Stumpery? What's that? In a nutshell a stumpery is the use of fallen logs and stumps in your garden. Planting in and around these decaying logs with mosses and ferns is typical. The first garden of our second day was said to have a stumpery. Those of us who live in heavily wooded gardens like to see new or more ideas on how to artfully use the logs in our gardens.

The Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden and Pacific Bonsai Museum was our destination. Walking through the gardens on our way to find the stumpery we went through the Conservatory and gardens surrounding it. The flower below was in a mass planting and quite striking. I include it today because there is one that is similar in a later garden- so remember this one- Telekia speciosa, Heartleaf oxeye. The other one will be in the next post.

Telekia speciosa

Outside the conservatory we see a tease of a stumpery. Huge ferns planted in and around a log.

Inside the Conservatory there were ferns and mosses. The begonia below was huge and its leaves were so unusual, hairy or spiny- with red veined undersides.

Walking through the gardens we enjoyed the sculptures and hoped to see some of the Rhododendrons still in bloom. Most had already bloomed but there were a few still holding on to their blooms.

Mosses and lichen held on to branches and trunks of trees, lending to the feeling of Jurassic Park environs.

Love how the light plays off the multi-trunk tree below.

We encountered a new to me tree, the seed pods reminded me of an Ash tree, but no-

It was a Pterostyrax psilophyllus var. leveillei , say that three times fast!

Look at these leaves- they are huge!

Here are a few of the Rhododendrons in bloom, quite large white blooms.

But we were still on the lookout for the Stumpery. Every time I say the word 'Stumpery' I channel my inner Monty Python. It just makes me laugh. We asked everyone in our group coming from the opposite direction, "Have you been to the Stumpery?" Sometimes we got vague answers like- it's over there a ways or detailed answers like- turn left at the next path and go down and to the right then turn left....what???

Well, we finally found it!! What an enchanting part of this wooded garden. Sit back and enjoy the Stumpery photos.

I see a werewolf face in this one!

It is not just ferns and moss that grow in the stumps

Thanks for coming along on our quest to find the Stumpery (yes Monty Python). Stay tuned for more of day #2

Friday, June 9, 2023

Time for A Refresh!

Time to redo the lakeside. For those who have followed along with our move to South Carolina thirteen years ago, some of these photos might be familiar. We built the house, dock and lakeside patio while in Virginia. We documented the progress each time we visited.

2010

The bank of the lake was river rocks as riprap. The elevation in the backyard went from lake level of 440 feet above sea level to 450 feet above sea level near the trees to about 460 where the house is located.

Flagstone patio 2013

The flagstone patio was a nice spot to sit and enjoy lake views. Our brightly colored chairs stand out, allowing those on the water to know where our place is.

2014

Over the years the gardens evolved. The slope about killed me when trying to pull weeds or even walk on the pine straw. In 2019 we decided to do a makeover and streamline the plant material. Ferns, Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah', Illicium parviflorum 'Florida Sunshine' and a few Podocarpus macrophyllus 'Pringles Dwarf' lined the shoreline. Looked good for a while....

2019

Winter water levels are lower, so you see some of the sandy shoreline. Ferns and some of the Panicum filled in, the deer kept eating the Podocarpus, and about half of the Illicium failed.

2020

Midway through the thirteen years we had some heavy rains that over the years created a washout under the patio near the stone steps to the dock. The patio was in a slow collapse. The weeds grew up through the spaces between the stones. Some of the weeds were trees with long tap roots or wild hibiscus that reseed all along the shoreline with large root systems, both tough to pull out.

2022

Fast forward to this winter- the decision was made to get a seawall to replace the riprap, semi-level out the slope of the yard in the lower area, remove the patio and sod it to create an easier area to maintain. Permits were obtained, then the sequencing of removing the electric line from the house to the dock and back to the irrigation pump, removing the irrigation lines and pump, disconnect the fresh water line from the house to a spigot near the pump, then wait for the seawall work to begin. Heavy equipment came in and made quick work of the yard and seawall installation.

2023

Getting things put back wasn't as easy, nor timely. The irrigation and electric guys sort of coordinated their work, wet weather delayed a good bit of it. (Short story- we installed a new pump in the late summer. When it was time to disconnect it for the winter, it went quite easily. After patting ourselves on our backs, we forgot to turn off the power to the pump at the house. The pump was scheduled to run that night... oops. Not sure if the pump has an automatic shut-off but we worried that the pump burned out. Since it was already drained, we just waited until reconnection in the spring to see if we needed to buy another new pump.) Once the electric was back connected we tested the pump. Hooray!! The pump wasn't burned out, works well. After the electricians finished, then we waited for irrigation to be put back in. After installation, I tested the valves and all were working!

Because of the rain and no sod in the lower part of the yard, I had no need to run the sprinklers until a few days ago. A couple sprinkler heads are no longer connected, so until they come back out I have some hoses and sprinklers to get the areas where needed.

Sod time. The guys came and prepped the yard for two days to level out the ravines where rain had worn ruts in the raw soil. There were a lot of large rocks that needed to be removed, you can't grow grass on a rock. Sod was put down today. Once it is rooted in and growing this lower part of the yard will be a great spot to play with the grandkids when they visit and the dog(s).

2023 June

The yard is a lot bigger!! Thanks for reading!

Thursday, April 26, 2018

It's The Little Things

Spring has finally sprung here in South Carolina. Each day is an adventure in the garden. I enjoy seeing what is coming back from our harder than usual winter. Sometimes it feels like two steps forward and one step back as a pampered plant finally shows signs of growth and then we get another overnight freeze. I have new plants I am watching and established babies that I celebrate their reappearance.
A new plant from last year's native plant sale- Yellowroot, Xanthorhiza simplicissima is blooming and thriving...a great reason for choosing native plants.

I love fragrant plants in the garden and this Viburnum is one that really shines! Viburnum x carlcephalum had lots of blooms this year. Last year there were five, the year before only one! The fragrance is carried on the breeze and quite lovely.

Here is a native plant in the woods that I tied a ribbon to, a Pawpaw! Asimina triloba Last year it had a few fruit on it but with the drought conditions they dried up and fell off.

Sweet little blooms under the steps to the deck. Fringed Bleeding Heart Dicentra 'Luxuriant'- a lucky Costco buy a number of years ago.

When we moved here eight years ago, I carried two seedlings from the Red Buckeye tree in the Learning Garden in Virginia. I planted seeds the year before we moved and the tiny trees were less than a foot tall when I planted them here. This year they are well over six feet tall and full of blooms!

Aesculus pavia

Emerging blooms

Open blooms, ready for the Hummingbirds!

Every spring I find beauty in each and every fern as it unfurls its fronds. The fern below is a Royal Fern, Osmunda regalis

I have dry shade. I have been wanting some Epimedium as they thrive in such conditions. Last spring I planted one and then this past fall I planted another. The one from a year ago is going gangbusters.

Epimedium x versicolor ‘Sulphureum’

Today I finally saw some growth on the second one! Boy did that take a long time! A quick photo, a bit less than perfect.

Epimedium rubrum

Two little white blooms, similar in appearance, make me smile. One a white Muscari and the other Lily of the Valley.

Muscari armeniacum Alba

Convallaria majalis, Lily of the Valley

Amsonia putting on a great show this spring. I know some people aren't fond of this native grass. They call the blooms as exciting as skim milk. (Believe that is a close quote, you know who you are!) I like this plant! Amsonia x 'Seaford Skies'

Buds

Blooms!

Little surprises in the woods make me smile. I have a number of places on the property that this native orchid pops up. Tipularia discolor, Cranefly Orchid. Easily identified by the purple underside of the leaf.

What is my best little find this spring? The native plant sale last year had Bottlebrush Buckeyes, and I bought one. I was so thrilled to find one. I planted it in what I thought was a good spot. As mentioned above, we had a dry spell this past summer. I was afraid it died. The leaves dropped off last summer and I was not optimistic.....then on one of my walks through the garden last month I checked the little stick that remained in the ground.....

It's alive!!!

Aesculus parviflora

What are some of the little things in your garden that make you smile?

Sunday, May 17, 2015

How Do You Know?

You plant and you plant. Some are shrubs, some are trees, some are perennials, and some are bulbs.... one would think shrubs and trees are visible in the garden. HA! In my garden I have a lot of baby plants. When I say baby, I really do mean teeny tiny. See the palm leaf? The stem to the left of it? A small beautyberry 'shrub'. Callicarpa dichotoma 'Issai' was transplanted to an area where the weeds, grasses and rushes, are taller than this little guy. He needs to be marked, and remembered.

Another area in my garden, lots of oak and hickory leaves cover the garden. I am not going to rake out the leaves...they are just there. But the question arises, where are the plants?

I use various forms of marking where plants are located in the garden. Above you see a bamboo stake with a plant tag, pretty straight forward. It is marking where a deciduous azalea is planted.

Sometimes I don't have a plant tag so I use whatever is handy. For this struggling Mahonia eurybracteata 'Soft Caress' I used a stick. I have a lot of sticks that have fallen into the garden. Seemed like a good choice.

Last year I ordered some plant labels because I have a lot of bulbs planted all over the garden. I forget how many I ordered -- maybe 100, maybe 500- I don't know. Whatever the number, it wasn't enough. In the photo below is an Autumn Crocus...hence the AC. It helped this spring when I was looking for new growth emerging. I have stepped on a few of them though, breaking off the top. I found more than one wayward plant label snapped off. Oops.

Sticks also make a good defense against critters who like to dig up newly planted Hellebores. Sadly I didn't realize I needed to put up a small barricade, so I lost two out of the three newbies.

I was lucky enough to receive some ferns from a friend from Virginia when he and his wife visited. His ferns came with plant tags-- since they are deciduous ferns, having the location marked is helpful.

New trees and shrubs needed a new way to mark their locations in the woods. I ordered some bare root Cornus florida, Dogwoods, and Hamamelis vernalis, Witchhazel from Missouri Department of Conservation. I think it was 10 seedlings for $8.00 - a bargain in my mind. These seedlings are not small, averaging about 3 feet tall.

See the purple ribbons? Yes, my latest tool for marking my newest plantings.

After soaking the bare rooted seedlings, I tied a purple ribbon on each one. After planting them around the woods, I looked back, checking to see if I could 20 seedlings in the woods. See the ribbon below? It does stand out in the landscape enough to find each of them to water them and check for new growth.

My missing Chionodoxa alba finally appeared. I really need to mark its location.

Again, up by the street I used a wayward stick...marking some Gladiolus. Seems pretty straight forward early on, but now that other plant material has grown and filled in, it was a good idea to mark the spot.

Back in the backyard new ferns were marked with sticks as they were planted. I ordered some New York ferns, Thelypteris noveboracensis. After planting I found the notes from a talk my friend gave on ferns....his take was New York ferns were on the aggressive side. Oh man. Well, looking for the sticks wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Ordered five ferns, dormant, bare-rooted. Planted about seven (the bare-rooted ferns were easy to divide). So now I had about to find seven sticks marking bare-root ferns. I found some and planted them in planters.

So far I haven't seen any of them come up. Since then I have done more reading on Thelypteris noveboracensis, apparently the further south, the less vigorous they are. Hoping some of them come up.

As you can see, this post was started a while ago...daffodils were still blooming. The garden has filled in but still no New York ferns to be found. Feels like they should be up by now. How do you mark your bulbs or shrubs or bare-rooted saplings or ... or? I think I will find another way to mark new plantings as the sticks seem to disappear over time.

©Copyright 2015 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford.

words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.

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