Hellebore Mania is Imminent: Last Week at Squirrelhaven

A very confused great egret sits on the ice.

Dear gardening friends,
While the swallows may return to Capistrano, the excitement around here is the great egrets and great blue herons returning to the pond behind the garden. A great egret visited and snacked on fish on Wednesday. Then the mercury plummeted and snow fell. The egret looked most disappointed when it returned on Friday and found the pond had refrozen over.

The temperature is now on the upswing again, but the frigid weather stopped many plants in their tracks, such as this Hepatica nobilis var. acuta. It was on the cusp of blooming.

sharped-leaved hepatica

The only new blooms this week are some Crocus tommasinianus 'Ruby Giant', and a couple of Iris histriodes 'Katharine Hodgkin'.

While it's a pretty thing, the color is too pale to make much of a show when viewed from inside the house. I think I'll move some to the patio bed.

Despite the chill, the Bergenia cordifolia 'Bressingham White' has buds forming.

The other buds I'm excited about are those of Narcissus 'Pineapple Prince'.

Last year I discovered that they faced the wrong way when blooming, so I moved them to the raised bed, where they're forced to face me, painful as that may be on some days.
Newly sprouted last week are one of my favorite native wildflowers, the shooting stars.

Dodecatheon media

In addtion, the Sanguinaria canadensis and Thalictrum thalictroides (Anemonella thalictroides) 

started sprouting.

Instead of a squirrel atrocity, last week brought a human atrocity: the kids were on spring break and boredom had settled in, so they went outside to play. When I looked outside to see what they were doing, they had completely dug up a Clematis 'Vyvyan Pennell', severing much of the roots. It hadn't been performing well in the raised bed, so last June I replaced it with Clematis 'Evipo 008' (Franziska Maria). 'Vyvyan Pennell' had such a healthy root system, I hated to send it to the compost pile, so I stuffed it into the nearest available hole in a relatively sunny spot. The hole was the former home of the kids' "Worm Cafe," where they used to dig and dump shredded leaves to feed worms. They hadn't done any digging there in over a year, so I figured it was fair game, more the fool me. When I asked why they dug it up, the response was "We thought it was a weed." A vining weed with a huge root system that was partially frozen into the ground. Right. I replanted it immediately, but I fear the damage is too great. We shall see.
Well that's all for this week. What's that? You heard something about hellebores? Yes, of course, most of the hellebores are about to bloom.

Helleborus niger

First will be the Christmas rose, Helleborus niger, then probably this greenish white H. x hybridus seedling,

or maybe this Helleborus x hybridus 'Pink Lady'.

The buds of Ivory Prince

Helleborus x nigerericsmithii 'Walhelivor' (Ivory Prince)

remind me of rose buds. Maybe it will be the surprise opener of this season's Hellebormania. I'm certain that by next week there will be hellebores in bloom at Squirrelhaven.
Until next week, happy gardening!

The Healing Power of the Garden

Crocus tommasinianus

I took my first steps in the garden. I don't mean when I was a baby. I don't know where I took those steps, as my mother never recorded it. But I feel like I must have felt way back then, when I took my first steps without crutches since I broke my foot on January 7. I had the worst case of cabin fever, trapped in the house for weeks, with only a trip to the doctor's office to break the monotony. Following foot surgery, I was on crutches and wearing a bracing boot. I must have looked like an indoor cat, sitting by the window, longingly gazing out at the world.
Finally, by the middle of February, I could take it no more, I had to see if my snowdrops were up and blooming.  I hobbled out into the garden on crutches with a plastic bag over the boot. There was snow, there was pain. They couldn't stop me. I began to garden the next day, with a tiny bit of spring garden cleanup. That was the beginning of increasing forays into the garden.
By the last week of February, I was hobbling on one crutch Tiny Tim style. To go into the garden required a a plastic bag on the end of the crutch and one on the boot because of the mud. With one hand free, I could start carrying things.

view of the woodland garden with crocuses, snowdrops and winter aconites

During the first week of March, I was carrying a tub trug full of dead leaves to the compost bin when I suddenly noticed that the crutch under my right arm wasn't touching the ground. I had been so absorbed in looking at the garden that I didn't notice I had started walking. No, it wasn't a miracle, I didn't toss away the crutches and do a series of flips. Bits of gimpy walking were interspersed with crutching, but I was making progress. Last week, I put away the crutches and began hobbling full time.
Yesterday, I went to the doctor again. He was so impressed with how well I was getting around without crutches and how well my foot had healed, and he also noted that my foot had even added bone. I'm back in shoes again, standing on my own two feet. I owe it all to the garden.

It just felt so good to have dirt under my nails once again.

Wildflower Wednesday: Emergence

I love this time of year, when every day in the garden is a new adventure, when it seems I step into a different garden every day. Yesterday, there was nothing but soil and mulch there. Today, I can see the emerging leaves, and tomorrow there might be a bud. Despite the vagaries of the weather, the little native wildflowers do their thing pretty much on schedule.
In addition to the Sanguinaria candensis shown above, the other woodland wildflowers sprouting in my garden include: my favorite, Thalictrum/Anemonella thalictroides 'Rosea',

and the freaky celadine poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum.

Both the Ziza aurea

and the Geum triflorum are semi-evergreen but are now putting on new growth.

Soon the prairie smoke will be in bloom.

Even sooner, the sharped-leaved hepatica (Hepatica nobilis var. acuta) will be in bloom.

It's always the first of the native wildflowers to bloom. I cut back the old leaves so that the blooms can been seen to their best advantage.

Wildflower Wednesday is hosted by Gail at Clay and Limestone. Visit her to learn about more wonderful wildflowers.

When the Plants are Shipped Too Early

I was all hepped up and excited when I ordered my two new Clematis this winter. I requested a ship date in March. This was a silly thing to do, as I usually don't start planting in my garden until April at the earliest. Yet request I did, and the company dutifully fulfilled my request. Two beautiful, healthy plants arrived the first week of March, Clematis 'Aotearoa' and 'Trikatrei', both pruning group 3, meaning they should be hard pruned each year.

I asked myself, what am I going to do with them? Back when I used to order from the old Heronswood Nursery and I'd request delivery for March, I'd keep the plants in the garage near the window until it was planting time, but this year I had trouble getting out to the garage because of my foot. Instead, I kept them near the patio door by the overwintering plants, where I'd remember to water them. I did that for about a week, by which time, they looked like this.

The circles show how long the vines had grown. I cut them back to a node,

and then moved them to larger containers.

I've started putting them outside in the shade. I leave them out overnight when the temperature remains above freezing. On nights when the temperature is forecasted to go below freezing, I bring them inside. Next week, I'll plant them in the garden.

This Week at Squirrelhaven

Galanthus elwesii

Gardening friends - This has been quite the week at here Squirrelhaven; spring has truly sprung. In addition to the first appearance of the bees, it's been a bird festival around here. I've seen several flocks of great blue herons flying overhead, while the juncoes are still here.

The cardinals are now a nesting pair, robins are back, and the woodpeckers have been tapping out a tattoo.

On St. Patrick's Day I was unable to be in the garden because I was taking the girl to her Irish dance troupe shows with the Trinity Academy of Irish Dance.

I emceed a couple of the shows. When we stopped home briefly, we found that the Crocus tommasinianus had gone from leaves to blooms during the day.
Other excitement this week:

the Eranthis cilicica raised their heads and opened wide to the sun.

All the crocuses are now in bloom.

Crocus chrysanthus

And the Iris reticulata 'Pixie' quickly followed.

Clumsy me, I broke off one of the flowers.

Sprouting this week:

Mertensia virginica

the purple cabbagy native, Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica), daffodils, and Thalictrum/Anemonella thalictroides 'Rosea'.

The only squirrel atrocities this week have been a couple of dug up Iris reticulata 'Katharine Hodgkin' where I've yet to put out PermaTill. (Edited: For more information on PermaTill, see my post at Beautiful Wildlife Garden.)

I'm behind on spring garden cleanup. I just finished cleaning up the Nanoprairie.

I've got to run now. My sweet peas need planting.

Happy gardening!

MMD

Small Blooms: March 2011 Bloom Day

Crocus chyrsanthus 'Princess Beatrix' 

At long last, the garden has shaken off its winter slumber and is bursting into life. The crocus pictured above is the first crocus to open, but not the first bloom. That achievement always belongs to Galanthus elwesii, the giant snowdrop.

The Galanthus is in full bloom and has been been blooming for nearly a month now.

That's all I've got. To see more blooms, visit the hostess of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, Carol, at May Dreams Gardens. Also, check out today's post at Beautiful Wildlife Garden, where I offer tips for getting along with wildlife.

This Week at Squirrelhaven

Corylus avellana 'Red Majestic'

Gentle reader: Our thoughts are preoccupied with the disaster in Japan, as my nephew Phil is working there in Sendai, the city closest to the epicenter of the quakes. The city is without power or internet service. Early this morning, Phil managed to call my sister on a co-worker's phone (I guess his can't get any service). He and the other teachers are staying at the school where there's a generator. He's fine, the school and his apartment are luckily in a small pocket that's been less damaged than areas to the north and south in the city. We don't know much more than that, as the phone connection was poor and the connection was severed. Phil reported on his Facebook page that the nuclear plant exploded around 8:30 a.m. Central Time. He may have to be evacuated. We're worried about lack of power and water. We thank God that Phil is okay for now, and I ask for your prayers for him and the people of Sendai in this difficult time. If you're not into the prayer thing, you can help by donating to the Red Cross or one of the relief funds set up.

Here in Chicagoland, spring continues its steady advance. Only a few small piles of snow remain out front and all the snow is gone from the back garden, where more things are sprouting.

Caulophyllum thalictroides

Allium 'Purple Sensation'

 I started pruning the Clematis and I cut back more of the hellebores. Not a moment too soon there.

Woody plants are budding.

Paeonia suffruticosa

I was tickled to see signs of life in the tree peony and the hazel (top photo).

While walking home from school, the girl spotted a great egret flying overhead, so it won't be long before I start seeing them at the pond. The middle of it is still frozen. I did see some Canada geese.

Bad tempered as usual.

This week's squirrel atrocity:

dug up Thalictrum/Anemonella thalictroides.


P.S. I nearly cut in half the first worm of spring. It's good to see worms again.

I've Won a Yellow Ribbon

I may not be attending the 2011 Chicago Flower and Garden Show, but I'm represented there by three of my photos. This is the first time I've entered the photography competition. The image above, entered in the category of people and plants at a baseball game, garnered an award of merit and the shiny yellow ribbon. Thanks goes to Rose of Ramble on Rose for taking the above shot* for me while she was at the show.

If you attend the show, look for my other entries in the landscape category,

and the still life category.

The show runs through March 13, 2011, at Navy Pier in Chicago.

*I should have indicated that the photo she took was very clear. I intentionally blurred the tag to protect the privacy of the subject of the photo.

This Week at Squirrelhaven

Gentle readers, spring is here, the snow is mostly gone, and the gardening season has begun, and so I present the inaugural installment of weekly progress reports on the garden (we'll see how long that lasts).

The Galanthus elwesii are still blooming, and all of them have finally sprouted. What a cheery sight for winter-tired eyes.

Galanthus elwesii

I must divide them and spread them everywhere. Daffodils 'St. Keverne' and 'Ice Follies' are sprouting, as are some little crocuses and the species tulips.  A couple pieces of monkshood (Aconitum carmichaelii) that I missed while removing it from the raised bed have sent up the first leaves.  I found new growth on Phlox paniculata 'Nicky' when I pulled fallen leaves off its crown.

The hellebores are not yet blooming, but the buds look promising.

Helleborus x nigersmithii 'Walhelivor' (Ivory Prince)

I couldn't resist the temptation to start hellebore cleanup.

The witch hazel (Hammamelis 'Sunburst')  is still not blooming, and presumably will not bloom owing to the hegemony of bud-free branches. Half of the hazel (Corylus avellana 'Red Majestic') is dead, but the live half is sporting fat pink buds, ready to burst into leaf. I'm going to be taking stock soon of the damage wrought by the lack of rain last summer and fall, and the ravages of winter. In addition to the tragic loss suffered by the hazel, the three 'Little Honey' oakleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia) sustained several broken limbs apiece, probably as a result of the blizzard winds and less than careful snow shoveling of the front walk. Oakleaf hydrangeas have notoriously (at least around here) weak and brittle branches.

This week's squirrel atrocities include a large excavation at the base of Hosta 'Winfield Gold', a half-eaten species tulip bulb (Tulipa humilis alba caerula) planted last fall (probably the last one),  and the wanton exhumation of an Iris reticulata 'Katharine Hodgkin; planted last fall.

An order of Permatill should be arriving very soon.

Making a special appearance were the power company tree "trimmers." The blue spruce was left looking not exactly unlike a pollarded willow. They don't do as much damage as they used to since my very indulgent spouse has taken to chain sawing as a summertime hobby. In our defense, I must make clear that previous owners and nature are responsible for those lousy boxelders and the spruce under the power lines.

Migratory birds are on the wing; I've seen and heard several flocks of geese high overhead. It won't be long until the great blue herons and egrets return, but I won't be seeing them until the ice on and in the retention pond melts.

A box of two new Clematis arrived this week, but more about them later. We don't want to overdose on excitement this early in the season.

Welcome, Spring

Goodbye, winter. Today is the first day of meteorological spring. (Cue crowd cheering noise.) I have noticed a change in the weather over the past week or so. Although some days it failed to break freezing, the lows weren't as low as they had been a month ago. The sun is stronger and the days are longer. The snow and ice don't stick around long anymore. The migratory birds are starting to return,

Galanthus elwesii

and the garden is waking up. It won't be long until the woodland garden is filled with the scent and color of wildflowers; days of bliss.