Spring's Successes

We've just finished up another spring season. I'd have to say that I was pleased with the spring, and have been reviewing some of the best of it.
Perhaps the best of the spring propagation was the first time germination of seed from the Euscaphis japonica. It was 18 or so years ago, on a visit to the NC State Arboretum, that JC Raulston gave me a handful of seed from this very special tree at the Arboretum. The tree was a seedling from seed he had collected on Paengnyong Island off the N. Korean coast in an expedition to Korea with Barry Yinger. JC's own notes:

"9511 Euscaphis japonica (Thunb.) Kantiz - "Euscaphis" (Staphylaceae). A deciduous tree to 30' from Japan, China and Korea of great beauty with multi-season interest. The compound foliage is glossy and handsome all summer; fruiting panicles up to a foot in diameter are produced with red fleshy pulp highlighted by shiny black seeds that are showy for 3-4 months in late summer and fall, and in the winter the bark is deep purple with white striping. They have grown well in our poorly drained clay nursery field and seem extremely stress tolerant. Cuttings can be rooted from softwood growth but have proven hard to keep alive through the first winter. Ample seed is now being produced by trees in The NCSU Arboretum (now the JC Raulston Arboretum) nursery. They seem to have double dormancy - requiring a cold period, followed by a warm period, and a second cold period before germinating in high percentages. We have also had more than average difficulty in transplanting and establishing young seedlings - with a very high damping off rate on seedling transplants. The plants are spectacularly beautiful and have commercial potential - but it will take time to develop seed blocks, and master the varied cultural requirements to get the crop to market. Likely adaptable for use in USDA Zones 6-9. Our best plants are unfortunately in the field nursery out of public view, and unfortunately the plant in the east arboretum (Hamamelis collection area near the Crepe Myrtles) is not as showy in fruit as many are. If one is visiting Wilmington, it is worth a trip to the New Hanover County Arboretum to see their very fine plants in the fall."



Of the handful of these gift seed, two germinated. One of them now grows happily at Specialty Ornamentals. I have collected and sowed Euscaphis seed from this tree for at least the last ten years without one successful seedling. This year's collected seed were sowed in fall, and germinated seemingly all together in late February. Today, after one transplanting, there are perhaps 100 seedlings doing very well and growing on. It is noteworthy that I finished reading the biography of JC Raulston Chlorophyll in his Veins by Bobby Ward in early February. Coincidence? Certainly. But a very sweet reminder of a wonderful man who was a gift to the world of horticulture. His legacy lives on in all of us, and now, happily, his Sweetheart Tree lives on here. (http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/euscaphis_japonica.html)

I've been particularly happy with the performance of some of the Hypericums I've been growing. They were great when we had total drought. But after the year of rain, I wondered how they would do. Two of the best are H. kalmianum
and H. pseudohenryi.

Hypericum kalmianum is native to the upper midwest, but grows easily from zones 4-7. It has lovely bluegreen evergreen foliage, flowers profusely, and makes a lovely low border shrub that looks good in masses. Sun to part shade and relatively poor soil tolerance also makes it a good choice for foundation planting.




Hypericum pseudohenryi is a native of China, has deep green evergreen foliage and masses of bright yellow sunburst flowers. In addition to the green foliage of the warm season, the foliage in fall has a magnificent crimson that holds thru the winter. It is every bit as tough and tolerant as kalmianum. Both species, in fact all species of Hypericum, are deer proof.



And speaking of deer.....The rain this winter made all the oakleaf hydrangeas absolutely lush and loaded with flowers. Hydrangea quercifolia 'Harmony' and 'Amethyst' are both fabulous selections. 'Harmony' has a flower that is extra fat and full. Hydrangea quercifolia 'Amethyst' seems like it might be your standard oakleaf panicle.....until it turns an amazing crimson and holds that color till November!



 But my favorite by far is Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snowflake'- the double hose-in-hose flower that keeps unfolding one inner flower after another. Below is my beautiful stand of 'Snowflake' before ......here are my gorgeous flowers after the deer made a tapas evening out of them.

As Confucius said...... "When prosperity comes, do not use all of it"

This spring, the deer have made sure of that.

Our Proper Work

I've been thinking a lot lately about my grandparents. My grandmother was one of my favorite people, and I've missed her often over the last 25 years. She died at 99, so I had a plenty of good time with her, and lots of lessons. My grandfather died much earlier- maybe 20 years before. But I also have a good handful of memories with him, too.

I guess it's a matter of getting older. Or maybe it's more a matter of my oldest getting married in a few weeks. It's all good, and happy, and the way it's supposed to be. But what's sneaking up on me in quiet times are the swelling emotions, the threads of time, the ties that bind.

So, why my grandparents? Well, I've been getting up very early to try to get all my work done. I remember visiting my grandparents in summer when I was a kid. My grandmother got up before light to collect eggs, to pour the cream off the milk the dairyman had left in the bin on the back porch, and to cook breakfast. But the first thing she did was to go thru the whole house and open all the windows to let the cool morning air in. And after breakfast, before the sun was much above the horizon, she'd go back around and close them all, and pull down the shades to keep the hot sun out. Seemed like a lot of work to me.


This last month or so I've been doing just that, and enjoying the sweet smell of fresh air and the sweet soft colors as the morning comes. Nothing like it, and worth all the trouble.

Getting to work very early also allows me early quiet time to look before the busy spring day begins. Maybe I should say time to see....Like the picture perfect field next door with corn coming up in even rows and the old farm house tucked back under the oaks.



I've planted some vegetables in front of the office, and spend a little time watering them each morning before the sun comes up. I've been keeping an eye on my potatoes, planted in big black containers. They've been reminding me of my grandfather's huge garden out back. After supper, he and I would walk to the potato rows and survey the plants. He'd pick one, and with his digging fork, he'd dig and lift one side. My job was to crawl down under and claw around for the new potatoes hidden underneath. It was like finding buried treasure, or panning for gold. Sitting here, I'd swear I can still smell the soil, and feel the smile grow on my grandfather's face as I pulled up one perfect red oval after another.

It's also a good time to walk around the garden and see what's new. Fothergilla gardenii

It's a way to appreciate every day, and to make every day special. It took me a long time and a crazy course to get here. But I see that in some very basic way, I am right back in Ameila Courthouse, VA in early summer, when the city life of a busy girl was replaced by walks to town for groceries at Bill Stengel's store, picking ripe tomatoes, and listening to my grandfather call back and forth to the bird out back.

My big girl, almost married, introduced me to Mary Oliver's poetry some time ago. Once again, maybe Mary says what I'm feeling best.

Yes! No! by Mary Oliver

How necessary it is to have opinions! I think the spotted trout
lilies are satisfied, standing a few inches above the earth. I
think serenity is not something you just find in the world,
like a plum tree, holding up its white petals.

The violets, along the river, are opening their blue faces, like
small dark lanterns.

The green mosses, being so many, are as good as brawny.

How important it is to walk along, not in haste but slowly,
looking at everything and calling out

Yes! No! 

The swan, for all his pomp, his robes of grass and petals, wants
only to be allowed to live on the nameless pond. The catbrier
is without fault. The water thrushes, down among the sloppy
rocks, are going crazy with happiness. Imagination is better
than a sharp instrument. 
To pay attention, this is our endless
and proper work.

George Bernard Shaw said "Youth is wasted on the young". 

I'm not sure that's totally true, if you can find a way back to it on a cool morning, with the sun still below the horizon.