My Front Garden Late April 2014 - It's Been a VERY Busy Month.

It has been a very busy month in my gardens with the wonderful cool weather and rain at least once a week. My spring ephemerals are flowering and the trees are beginning to leaf out with flowers soon to follow. I took some pictures early this month and then as I got into my gardens - front and back gardens - I found that I was spending full days out in the sun and cool weather pulling weeds and digging up wild onions. Here is a picture that I took just today and it is of an ever-growing population of Uvularia grandiflora (large flowered bellwort)

growing under my Chionanthus virginicus (White Fringetree). She is a female tree (Chionanthus are dioecious - male and female) and she is gorgeous when in flower. This population of Uvularia grandiflora started from one plant bought at a native plant nursery about 7 years ago and continues to expand every year. The flowers are a soft yellow and are at the tops of each plant. They face down and are wonderful to view up close.

The Erythronium americanum (Yellow Toad Lily) have already flowered and the population continues to spread throughout my garden. I have three other populations in my back gardens and they are older and larger than this population so they have more flowers and flower a bit longer than this population.

I have had friends ask me why I grow plants that are so small and last for such a short time in the garden and my answer always is to show them the plants close up - get on your knees for a minute or two in your garden to really see your plants. They are amazing and so gorgeous all on their own. No cultivars, no varieties, just the species that grow and reproduce even without a human to view them. What better reason to grow these plants? There are some other early ephemerals that are also flowering right now in my garden and they are all trilliums. I did my Masters thesis on trillium species and they are probably my favorite spring ephemeral. They are not easy to grow and must have exacting soil and water situations to grow well and even better conditions to set seed. Seeds must fall into places that are perfect for germination and I have been lucky enough to have some of those requirements in my garden and here is just a small set of new seedlings from this year

These are immature Trillium sessile plants and will take up to 5-7 year to flower. Here is the mother plant surrounded by small trillium sessile plants that could be from seeds or might be growing from the mother rhizome.

Other trillium that are growing in my front gardens are Trillium grandiflorum

and Trillium luteum - one of the yellow trillium

There are also Dodecatheon media (Shooting Star), Hepatica americana, Podophyllum peltatum (May Apple)and even a little Viola labridorica that has flown in from somewhere growing in my front garden that you can see in the pictures below. The last plant I want to show you today is Caltha palustris (Marsh marigold) that is known to be difficult to grow and these are growing in the swale that is on the other side of my driveway. I had to turn this area into a dry stream bed because it fills with water and flows like a rushing river every time it rains. I started with one small plant and I think I have a nice little population growing now. How exciting!

The annual vines are growing and are almost ready to be planted - more on them next week! Happy gardening and remember - April showers bring May flowers!

My Front Garden Late March 2014 - Finally the Snow is Gone!

Finally the snow is gone from my front garden and the bulbs are making an appearance. These are the daffodil bulbs that I planted over 20 years ago. Most of the bulbs are gone now, dug up as I planted and re-planted this area after removing all of the grass in our front yard. (that was an amazing process!) Now these are the first to flower these days and they tell me that my spring ephemerals are not far behind. CLICK ON THIS FIRST PICTURE TO SEE CLOSE UPS OF THE ENTIRE SET OF PHOTOGRAPHS ON A SEPARATE SCREEN. As you can see in these pictures, I do not add bark mulch to my front garden. Why would I do that if I have native trees in my garden that give me wonderful mulch every fall? It has taken 20 years to get my oak leaf layer to this level because throughout the year, the oak leaves will degrade and add much needed carbon to the soil. It also allows for the growth of microbes and fungi that are important in the growth of native plants without the need for fertilizers, plant food, or pesticides. Look at that multi-layer of oak, maple, and carpinus caroliniana (American hornbeam) leaves, they are there to warm the soil in the winter yet allow much needed water to filter through to the resting plants under this life-giving mulch. Now that the daffodils are flowering, I will 'cheat' a bit and move some of the leaf mulch aside and look for the first leaves of new growth but this year I didn't have to move any mulch. As I walked out into my front garden, I can see the Pachysandra procumbens leaves greening up through the leaf mulch. This is our east coast native pachysandra and it is evergreen with the new leaves unfurling from under the older, larger leaves. You can see the Pachysandra leaves next to the arrows in the picture. This is not the fast growing Japanese pachysandra that takes over any landscape where they are planted, but it is the native,deep shade, slow-growing pachysandra that adds to the landscape instead of taking over your landscape. I like to plant our native pachysandra near trillium plants so the trillium will grow up through the pachysandra. As I am standing in the garden taking pictures of the pachysandra, I look down and see some of the first leaves of the gorgeously beautiful Erythronium americanum (Yellow Trout Lily). As stated in its common name, this is one of our native lily plants and to say that it is difficult to grow is an understatement. They grow from bulbs and can take up to 7 years to flower but only if they are in an environment that mimics their native habitat. They will also 'travel' throughout your garden and will pop up in the most wonderful places. These little leaves (next to the arrows)are part of a 10 year old population that started on the opposite side of the tree from where these leaves are now growing. I got my first flowers from this population only 3 years ago and I can't wait to take pictures of their flowers this year. As I was walking back out of the garden, I saw the first of my Dodecatheon media (Shooting Star) rosettes pushing up through the leaf mulch, soon they will have gorgeous white flowers that stand high above the leaves. So! My garden is starting to awaken for this spring and I am excited to continue to mark the changing of the seasons in my front garden. I have also planted the seeds for the annual vines that are going on my tobacco lath fence this year. Here they are in a 'mist room' in a soilless media mix called 'Pro-Mix'. More on how to germinate these seeds in my next blog! For now, get out into your gardens and see if you can find an area for growing native plants!!!!!

My Front Garden in Early March, the waiting continues...2014

Here we are on March 4th and as you can see in this picture, we are still waiting for spring. We received 3 inches of snow between Sunday night and yesterday morning but I am not complaining as the predicted snowfall was to be at least 8 inches with maximum final amount predicted to be 12 inches. Most of our streets and roads are already completely clear and the snow continues to slowly melt in the gardens.

Last week I received my first set of seeds and they are now residing in my refrigerator for at least the next 60 days to stratify them for optimal germination. To stratify a seed is to mimic the cold period that occurs in its native habitat. This stratification period allows the seeds to overcome their natural dormancy and can be easily completed in your refrigerator or in a cold garage or out building. This is what I got in the mail last week.

When you open your package, check to see if all of your seed packets are there, add your slightly (and I mean slightly) damp germination medium (more on this later) and then mark the back of your packet with the date that you place it in your cold area. Make sure that wherever you place your packet of seeds, that it is not a wet or overly moist area so your seeds don't get too wet to safeguard them from fungal and bacterial diseases. These are 'Jacob's Ladder' (Polemonium reptans) seeds, a beautiful spring flowering plant that is native to the east coast of the United States. Polemonium reptans will flower for about 2 weeks and then they have wonderful light green foliage that will be a great background color for other flowering plants throughout out the entire spring and summer seasons. Here is a picture from years past of one of my beds in my backyard showing the Jacob's Ladder in full flower. Germination media needs to be media that is sterile but yet can hold water for a slightly moist, not wet, stratification period. The best medium to use is sphagnum moss due to its sterility but you must be careful that you do not overpower tiny or small seeds during the stratification process. For smaller seeds I would suggest using either sterile, good quality sand or horticultural grade vermiculite to stratify your seeds but be careful not to over-wet these two media because they can hold large amounts of water. You can use a plastic bag to store your seeds during this process and I am using small locking sandwich bags that are then placed inside the original shipping envelopes to keep them separate from other seeds and for ease of identification. I have also ordered some bare root plants of Polemonium reptans (basically just the roots and the plant buds) and they will be going into my front garden sometime in April. Yesterday was another great day because I received my packets of annual vines from Swallowtail Gardens and I am excited to get some of them them planted in trays so they can go into the garden in mid-May. Again, once you get your package in the mail, check through the packets to make sure that they are all there and that there are no back-orders. This is very important at this time of year as you have a short window in which to get your plants and seeds out in the garden for a long and colorful season. I ordered my annual vines (more info on these in a past blog) and I also ordered a few Echinacea seeds to add to the garden in April. These will go right into planting trays as I find that Echinacea seeds will often germinate quickly with or without stratification.

More in a few days as I get the Echinacea seeds and the Canary Vine seeds planted into their flats.

My Front Garden, Waiting for Spring - February 2014

It is now nearing the end of February and the snow covering my front garden is now gone (for now). We are expecting more snow tomorrow but it is to be only a small storm and we are not to have more than 2" of snow. As you can see in the pictures, the snow has uncovered not only the leaves and leaf mulch covering my garden but it has also uncovered some of the things left over from the holidays.... As the snow cover leaves the garden, the leaf mulch will continue to protect and warm the plants and the seeds that are readying themselves for the spring thaw and the exponential growth that happens at this time of the year. The next two pictures show the front garden from two different perspectives and I will try to copy these exact shots throughout the rest of this year. I have several ideas for the annual vines that I want to use on the tobacco lath fence that surrounds the garden and even though these plants are not native to the east coast of the United States, they are native to parts of the southern US, Mexico, and South/Central America. I am thinking about adding two or three vines to add variety to the garden. I have ordered seeds of four different vines from Swallowtail Gardens that should be here soon and I can't wait to get them in the ground when the weather breaks and the ground warms up in May. The first is called the Canary Bird vine (Tropaeolum peregrinum) and it is a gorgeous yellow color that can grow up to 10-12 feet long. It's bright yellow color and interesting flower will add light to the garden and will attract bees and other insects. The next one is the Cardinal Vine (Ipomoea mulitifida) and is a cousin to our Morning Glory vine and the sweet potato of Thanksgiving fame. It has bright green thin feathery leaves and a bright red flower that will match well with the Canary Bird vine. It is also a hummingbird 'magnet' and along with my native honeysuckle vines (Lonicera sempervirens) that already attract hummingbirds to my back gardens, I should have clouds of these wonderful native birds buzzing all around my yard. To add to that beauty of color and texture, I am thinking of adding the firecracker or Spanish flag vine (Ipomoea lobata) another cousin of the Morning Glory vine with a tall, vibrant multi-color flower that stands high above the leaves of this gorgeous vine. A close up of the flowers show the reason for the common name of Firecracker Vine. I can see them standing at attention above the spikes of my tobacco lath fence. I also have one more vine that I may add to the bottom of a couple of trees to allow it to wind its way up through the trees for another burst of color and it is the Cypress Vine and in this instance the seeds are of a Cypress Vine 'mix' (Ipomoea quamoclit) which, I think, means the mixture of three colors that could be either the white, pink, or red color of each individual flower. It also attracts hummingbirds so I hope this front garden will be a hummingbird haven. That's all for now! More pics once the seeds come in and I start purchasing more perennial native plants to add to the ones that are already in the ground waiting for that first warm spring day. Next time....a bit of a list of what is already in the garden and how to grow these wonderful native plants!

Is Spring really just around the corner?

Sitting here in my workroom and looking out the window at the three more inches of snow that we got last night (on top of the foot of snow that we got last week), I am wondering if I will ever see the snow leave Delaware and spring appear. One thing I do know is that this spring should be fabulous! With the continuous cold weather and the ground staying frozen this winter, I expect that the herbaceous plants, shrubs, and trees will be glorious! We added a tobacco lath fence to our front gardens about 18 months ago and this spring, I plan to add some very nice annual vines to that fence. I also wanted to spend a year in pictures showing the changes in that garden and that year starts today with these pictures. Here we are on February 17, 2014 and you can see the snow in the gardens. I will be posting pictures as the snow melts and the plants begin to appear so watch this blog! I will also be posting my possible choices for annual vines to add to the fence and I will be asking for some opinions on which ones to use...Keep thinking spring and it will get here! I can't wait to see all of the changes that will start happening in my front garden in just the next few weeks!!!!

Indulging a love of old books....

As promised in my last blog, I would like to talk about where and what to collect when it comes to starting your own early book collection, but first I must share my newest find! Click on this first picture to see the entire collection of pictures in this posting!

I was in Lancaster County, PA a couple of weeks ago on a buying trip for my February Update that was on Valentine's Day (this last Friday) and I came across what I first thought was a German Bible or Psalms book from 1813. Leather bound with both of its clasps intact, it is a beautiful little book from 200 years ago that is in fabulous condition. I was interested enough that I asked to see it and a very nice Amish lady came to my rescue by taking it out of its glass case and handing it to me. I couldn't read the text so I asked her to translate some of the text for me. Turns out it is a Schwenkfelder's song book and the Schewnkfelders were a German Protestant sect that settled in the Philadelphia area back in 1731. She seemed quite pleased to see the book in such good shape and told me that German songbooks from that time never had music added to them so they are very often mistaken for Bibles or other religious books. Looking at the exterior of this early songbook, you would never know that it is a songbook!There is even the name of one of its owner's from 1856 on the frontispiece.One little secret when searching out your newest book or starting your collection is to always look for and ask questions about any book that 'speaks' to you whether it is in a glass case or sitting on a bookshelf in a used book store. I will search the little out-of-the-way shops for that one little treasure of a book and when I pick it up, the feel of that early leather is wonderful but I will always dig deeper into the book itself. What is the subject of the book? When was it published? Are there illustrations? engravings? These are just a few of the questions that I ask when looking for new treasures to add to my collection and to my shop . The reason that you collect these wonderful pieces of history will determine what and how you collect. Some will collect for the decorating value alone and those books just need to have 'the look' be it a primitive make-do cover or a Bible, songbook, or other religious book with clasps. They can be stacked

or added to a shelf along with other early antiques that would have been found in an early home along side these treasured books. Some will collect for the look and for what is inside the book. I started as one who collected for the look and then as I continued to find and collect leather bound books, I began to look for those that were from the 17th or 18th century. As the obsession grows, so does the focus tighten. Look for those books that touch you in someway, be it through touch or look and then begin to look for those books that are different in some way. I recently came across a small paperboard book that just wouldn't leave my hands...

It is called 'The Cabinet of Momus' and is so rare that there may only be a few copies outside of museums and I was lucky enough to come across one when I was visiting one of my friends who is also someone who 'picks' for me. It was written in 1809 and published in Philadelphia by the author on handmade rag-end paper. to find one at all is amazing but I have one (and it may be the only one) that has a frontispiece hand-colored engraving.

Amazing? Yes. Impossible to find another rare book. No! Look for what you love but always research what you don't know. Look for your treasures in small, out-of-the-way bookshops and antique shops, at flea markets and of course in online shops like mine! I carry a variety of early books, leather bound and others. My inventory is always changing and I can also look for specific treasures for you. Looking for tiny, early Bibles? I have them! These two little Bibles (and I mean little!) are now both sold but I am always on the hunt for these little treasures. Do not hesitate to contact me through my website if you have any questions or requests. Until next time and a blog or two on Civil War treasures...keep warm and keep smiling!