Making Mud Pies

It's been hot. And it's been June! I think we had 90's for 19 or 20 days in a row, and most of that was 96, 97, 98. There was one morning when I left the house at 5:45 am and it was already 80 degrees!

Even in the mountains, where we watched our big girl and her groom "take the plunge", it was unusually warm and humid. And although there were loads of rain opportunities, we seemed to be getting only the windy, thundery, lightening-turns-the electricity-off part, and not the actual drops of water from the sky.

So, what happens at the nursery when it's so hot so soon? First of all, the weeds seem to go crazy. That means long days of bending over, sweat dripping off your face, as you try to take control back for the sake of the "good plants". Then since it's June, there's fertilizing and herbiciding that has to be done, also involving much bending over and sweating. So...we start early in the morning, we try to work methodically, we spend a lot of time watering.
And then I've just got to change the subject.

So last week we led up to the July 4th holiday with "hypertufa week".

Hypertufa is defined by Wikipedia as " an anthropic rock made from various aggregates bonded together using Portland cement.Hypertufa is intended as a manufactured substitute for natural tufa, which is a slowly precipitated limestone rock; being very porous, it is favorable for plant growth. Hypertufa is popular for making garden ornaments, pots and land forms. Hypertufa is relatively light compared with terracotta or concrete and can withstand harsh winters, at least down to −30 °C (−22 °F)Hypertufa was invented for use in alpine gardens. Alpine gardeners formerly used antique animal watering troughs, which became rare and expensive.

There are many recipes for hypertufa, but most include peat and perlite with the Portland cement. It's always a bit of an adventure to get the water just right. The mixture needs to be solid, but still workable. It needs to conform to the mold, but not ooze once placed. But really, it's like making mud pies with your friends out in the back yard. It was summer activity from our childhood, when we were so hard at play that we never noticed the temperature.

So Maggie Sullivan and Adam and I mixed and molded; chiseled and brushed and scraped. At the end of the week, we had figured the right formulas for perlite and water, we'd gotten "the feel" in our hands, and we'd made a trailer full of pretty cool pots. We even expanded into a few other ideas to be pursued next time.



Meanwhile, the sweltering continued, but the hit and miss thunderstorms actually hit us for an inch and a bit in the rain gauge.
At the end of the week the weather broke, and we fell miraculously back into the cool low 80's. We had played through the worst of it, and had a great time. Mary Poppins was right....."

In ev'ry job that must be done
There is an element of fun
You find the fun and snap!
The job's a game
And ev'ry task you undertake
Becomes a piece of cake
A lark! A spree! It's very clear to see that

A Spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down
The medicine go down-wown...." *

* Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman

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.

"We turn not older in years, but newer every day"- Emily Dickinson

From time to time I am reminded about what makes the "plant biz" so great. Yes, it's being close to nature. Yes, it takes me outdoors and away from the computer. Yes, it's the constant wonder and magic of the plant kingdom each day. And yes, very definitely, it is sharing all that with other plant nerds. The fact is, the best thing about the plant biz is the plant people.

Hard to put into words just exactly what a "plant person" is. Maybe I can say that a plant person has a garden instead of a landscape. He or she may have a favorite plant or group of plants, but unlike the collector, she insists on sharing so that others can enjoy her favorites.

A plant person is eager to pass along information about growing techniques; tell you about her successes AND her failures; ask you about yours. In fact, in more general terms, I guess I could say that plant people share themselves as well as their plants. They'll tell you what they think without an agenda. They'll share whatever they have- plants, advice, encouragement, jokes, love. There's always a positive spin, an implied hope, a look towards the future.


Today, Toni Wright- affectionately known as the "queen" of the Georgia Hosta Society- is 91 years young. She's become a dear friend of ours in her later years, and is truly the epitome of a plant person. She's been gardening for many of those years, and has lots to share about gardening. She's also been sharing herself with others for all that time, and has developed a pretty sharp eye for good plants, good design, and good people. Although I am not young enough to be Toni's granddaughter, she reminds me a lot of my grandmother. She's someone who carries the courage of her convictions always, and has plenty of experience to back them up. She's done the work all her life, and now can show others how it might best be done. And best of all, she does it with a smile.


Joe and I are always eager to stroll thru Toni's garden with her. Joe marvels at her wonderful collection of Japanese maples, and I drool over her carefully selected conifer specimens. There's usually a story or two to go with each plant, and often a moral to the story. We sit like little ones listening to a grownup reading from the book of life. Good stories, and very comfortable.


Happy Birthday, Toni! We will see you again soon.
I have a question for you, and maybe for anyone else reading this today. It's actually a question from Satchel Paige, oldest baseball player ever to play in the major leagues....

"How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?"

I'm gonna bet the plant people will all be younger.

Why Do I Do This?

Forsythia x intermedia 'Beatrix Farrand'
I often ask myself, especially during winter, why I do this nursery stuff; this cold, wet, dirty, grueling work.
If April is the cruelest month, then what is mid-March?


After being colder and wetter and frustrated much longer this winter than most, I came out today to see where we are in the seasonal cycle. It was a break between heavy rains...."mud-luscious and puddle wonderful"...to borrow the perfect phrase from e.e. cummings.


I've been hanging on to the blooms of late winter hoping I could hang on long enough to make it through to spring again.



Daphne odora 'Alba' Cornus mas







Edgeworthia papyrifera



And it's been working! Delicious fragrant flowers, dazzling in the warm golds of the winter sun have kept me going.
It takes a while to get my eyes used to the glare from heavy clouds. It also takes a while to get my brain to focus on the minute steps the world is making towards spring. But today I've been looking closely, and now I am remembering again the best part. There is a tipping point- the day, the hour, the moment when winter's grip loosens, and the rite of spring is just about to begin.

Between yesterday and today, things have changed. Buds are swelling.
Euschaphis japonica


Colors are showing,






The first new shoots of Sedum 'Autumn Joy' turn up leaves
and the brown buds of Hydrangea quercifolia 'Amethyst' have given way to soft hairy new leaves emerging like a flames from a candle.



Seeds I saved and sowed over winter emerge and shed their husk in a two leafed striptease.
Subtle changes in colors now catch my eye; hazy shapes emerge. Needle fingers become tiny cones almost before my eyes.

Cupressus glabra 'Limelight'
Cupressus glabra 'Golden Pillar'







Thuja orientalis 'Beverlyensis'

It's sex, it's mystery, it's magic, it's passion, it's wonder.

Cunninghamia lanceolata 'Samurai'







Pinus thubergii 'Ogon'
 




Picea smithiana

It's rebirth in the primeval forest from which we all enter, and to which we all return. It's happening right here, right now.... new, seductive, unstoppable, ancient.

it's

spring

and

         the

                  goat-footed

balloonMan          whistles

far

and

wee

* In Just- Spring ee cummings

To be a witness to this is to be part of the grand scheme.

And for sure, it's why I do this.

"Winter's Sometime Smiles"

It's been a cold, wet, and even snowy winter. I've had to spend many more days and hours indoors than I would like, and so I turn to some of my favorite reading material to lighten the burden of such restrictions. Without doubt, one of the very best antidotes to cold outside is the warm enthusiasm of Elizabeth Lawrence, especially her Garden in Winter. This book has been an inspiration to me for many years, and it seems to be able to brighten my mood and teach me something every time I pick it up.
Here's the first few sentences:

"I never did care for fairweather gardeners. Standing behind glass doors, they look out at the cold ground and leafless branches, and exclaim' How beautiful this must be in spring!'
How beautiful it is now, I want to cry-"

I won't quote the whole book, although I am tempted. I urge you to find a copy and curl up in a cozy corner to taste some morsels of her wisdom. But I can echo her thoughts when it comes to some of her favorite plants, and maybe give you some pleasant dreams about your future garden.
There are incredibly fragrant plants performing in the winter here in the Southeast.
Chimonanthus praecox- Wintersweet- is an old fashioned garden plant that is a fragrant as any flower I know. It's habit is a little large and rangy for a manicured garden, but it's perfume from December to March makes it deserving of a spot nearby.


Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena' . Likewise, there are a large number of witchhazels that are both fragrant and astounding shrubs for the winter garden. They will take some room, but give you quite a show.

While many know the sweet smell of Daphne odora, few have enjoyed the white winter bloom of Eriobotrya japonica -Loquat- and it's evergreen, tropical, umbrella shape.


Or how about the sweet clove scented Prunus mume- Japanese Flowering Apricot- ?
The Southeast enjoys many many hollies in the landscape. The beauty of their berries in winter, their architectural habits, and their ability to attract birds to the garden make them gracious guests .
Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red'Ilex vomitoria 'Virginia Dare'







Ilex cornuta 'D'Or'

And of course we must include the color added by some of our best perennials and shrubs: Helleborus foetidus



Helleborus x 'Pink Lady'

Viburnum tinus buds all winter



Jasminum nudiflorum

Bind all these lovelies into a firm and colorful foundation of conifers,

and enjoy the garden every single winter day.

Thuja plicata 'Green Giant'

Chamaecyparis thyoides 'Ericoides'

Elizabeth Lawrence can teach southeastern gardeners to love the winter by showing them how to love the winter garden. For all of you who are tired of the cold, the gray, the wet; pick up one of her books, and warm up. As she quotes Coventry Patmore, a Victorian poet and author of a poem called

Winter :
" Sweeter yet than dream or song of Summer or Spring
are Winter's sometimes smiles".

Believe it.