Witch Hazel – Blooming in the Winter Garden

Fantastic Winter Blossoms

  The Winter Aconites at Wegerzyn Gardens, a Five Rivers Metro Park in Dayton.  The Eranthis hyemalis  blooms beneath the deciduous canopy where the sun reaches the ground.  Winter Aconite creates a golden carpet, and has even been know to bloom above a snow cover. 
,

The forty different Witch Hazel, a feature at this park, are beautiful.

Witch Hazel, Hamamelidaceae,  is a deciduous shrub, or small tree which grows to about 15 feet tall.  

     The Witch Hazel blossoms are not only colorful, but fragrant, as well.
  

Dozens of Hellebores were not to be outdone.
 




 
Blooms  AND a 47 degree day in February, AND a clear blue sky.
 
Thanks for strolling along with me today.  c

Six Invasive Plants We Should Never Take Home

Garden Centers Are Selling These Invasive Plants
Periodically, I receive alerts from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The topics vary from the Emerald Ash Borer, to regional speakers who may be in my area.  But, the Invasive Plant alerts have had some startling information (at least to me) and so I wish to relay some of the plants that have become a problem.
First let me say that in my gardening history, I have paid good money on each of these plants. Little did I know that they would become a problem.
  Invasive plants become Invasive plants for several reasons. 
1)  They grow rapidly.  (That was one of the reasons I bought it. )
2)   They produce lots of seeds.
3)  They have no natural controls like diseases, or insects to inhibit their growth. 
4)  They grow well in a variety of conditions – soil – wet or day – shade or sun - ( Again, one of the reasons I bought these guys!)

So why are these attributes bad?  Let’s look at them.

This Japanese  Barberry – Burberis vulgaris  I bought this (and still have it in my yard) because I like the burgundy leaf. I placed in with gold or light green evergreens as a nice color combination.  But look at the woods above.  This infiltration into woodlands is caused by this -  lots of berries – lots of seeds.
Birds are actively spreading these berries and the plants are becoming invaders.

Another plant I have purchased is the Burning Bush – Euonymus alatus.  Again, it grows fast, and has great fall color – What’s not to like?


As these plants spread, they choke out native shrubs, wildflowers, and understory trees.  Many wildlife creatures rely on the natives for food, and when their food become scarce, so do they.

The Calery Pear is really one I was so proud to plant in my yard.  It’s snowy blossoms in spring were breath-taking. 
I regretfully take blame for this scene along many of our highways.  No matter which cultivar you see in the garden centers, they all have the potential to spread seed when pollinated by neighboring Calery Pears.  The ‘new’ variety along the hillsides are not intimidated and are truly invasive.

Purple Loosestrife- Lythrum salicaria -  has been in my garden since the mid-seventies.  But because of the high seed counts, Purple Loosestrife is getting into ditches, and waterways.  Control of this plant is costly and time consuming. Just pulling it out does not seem to stop this and the damage to our wetlands is extensive.  Again natives that support the environment, are being squeezed out and effecting the eco-system of these areas.

Privet Hedge – Ligustrum - (my bad, again!) framed the front yard of many homes as I grew up.  This fence did not create a ‘good neighbor’ for our communities. 
Here is Chinese Privet in the woods.

This last invasive plant is really hard for me to come to grips with.  I have several, and the pollinators love it.  But this is just another example of how some plants were introduced into the landscape and have since become a problem. The Buddleia, or Butterfly Bush, has been so popular in the market place the past years that they quickly have shown us the down-side of them. They grow fast and spread easily.  If you are not willing to dead-head (remove) all spent blossoms, I suggest you leave this plant at the garden center, too.
 
Invasion of the plants I have mentioned today is affecting the bio-diversity of the natural woods, prairies, and wetlands in our communities.  Becoming aware of them is a good first step to controlling the problems they present. 
Controls using biological, mechanical , or chemical methods are costly to communities.  Volunteers are a key to management of these invasive plants.

Check with your local extension office, weed management office in your county, nature centers, and garden clubs to see what steps are in place to control invasives and where you can get involved.
Thanks for stopping by today.  c

Technorati Tags: Invasive plants,calery pear,burning bush,butterfly bush,barberry,purple loosestrife,privet

Miniature Gardens - Tabletop and Landscape

Dwarf and Miniature Gardens that Stretch the Imagination

Winter is rearing its cold, snowy head today.  But we gardeners have our ways to garden regardless of the weather.

Local garden centers and garden clubs have workshops planned in the coming weeks to build terrariums and  dish gardens. So I thought we could take a look at this type of garden.   This muffin tin of baby's tears, a moss type creeper, is quite easy to grow if kept moist. Place on the kitchen counter under a florescent light and enjoy.

Herbs on the windowsill is another small garden we can ease into the home. We can get our fresh herbs as well as our gardening 'fix'.  Parsley, basil, thyme, rosemary all at our fingertips.

Now who doesn't have room for this little guy?  Sempervivum , or a succulent known as Hens and Chicks, is so cute.

Now just imagine our little fairy friends come to visit.  Make a welcoming sitting area for them and surround them with mini-thymes. All of these dollhouse accessories can be found at the craft store or I've seen fairy garden sites on the web if you are searching for something a little different.

 Terrariums are a garden in a glass container.  These small plants can be inserted into potting soil with a base of charcoal and sand to filter the moisture and keep the plant material fresh. The houseplant section of the hardware store has a variety of plants that will do well in low light and a moist environment.

Cacti or succulents sitting in a sand base have a nice contemporary style. And with this one, keep the moisture to a minimum.

Fairy gardens can be incorporated in the outdoors too.  Using miniature herbs like thyme, or even mini hostas can make the setting charming.  Rocks offer an added dimension  to replicate caves where the fairies would live in the forest.  Dwarf conifers would also be appropriate in a mini-forest. This mini-hinoki is just one example.

Here the gardener has created paths and walkways with small gravel and pebbles. And, don't forget the door to enter the world of the fairy.

Succulents make a great dish garden.  The arid terrain can be copied with sandy potting mix, gravel, and the dry environment will need little water.  Succulents come in many colors, so you won't miss the blossoms - but wait!  They do bloom - too cool!

Here is that muffin tin, again. 

Conifers make a great small garden.  Evergreens make this one a year round event. I would suggest picking plants that will sit out year round, to be hardy to one zone colder than your area.  The above ground roots that are exposed to the winds will withstand the cold better.

Mini hosta make a great dish garden.  They come in shades of gold, green, blue, variegated and, in a container, they are not on the slugs radar.  A fresh little garden I enjoy.

Well, I hope you have time to create a mini-garden.  Whether it is a fairy garden, a succulent garden, a terrarium, or a tiny corner of your landscape,..... we can always smile and say the 'size' does matter.

Garden Design - As Individual As You

Envision Your Space 

No landscape design fits all.  I've encouraged my readers to determine how they want their yard to function - to envision, your space, enrich your space with a few elements, and sit back and enjoy. 

 I'm going to throw out several ideas for you to consider.  And if you are like me, I freely blend garden styles from one area of the landscape into another. 


 Many times this garden style depends on the sun.  I've put roses and daylilies in a long bed that stretches east to west.  

Other times I have shade that determines the plant types I can successfully grow. 


I refer to  my 'garden style' as 'cottage'.  Not too formal, but there are boundaries.  You may like something different.  

 Formal gardens are not necessarily high maintenance.  Of course there are straight lines, borders, and shrubs that need a groomed appearance.  But knowing that this is your style, the grooming can be part of your pleasure in the orderliness. 

A White Garden


I particularly like white in the landscape.  Even if you don't make all of your plant choices white, I find that dots of white in the garden bed really stand out.  Dusk is when I find white plants really pop!  I had a white azalea (had, until the dog went after a shrew and dug it up!) that seemed to glow in the dark.  Awesome!


Meditation gardens are a style that is often requested.  What do you need for a meditation design?  1) A place to sit.  Benches and chairs do not have to be expensive, but I so believe comfort should be considered a priority.  

2) Minimum color.  This meditation area should not be a riot of color.  Psychology shows that the eye goes to color.  Therefore, if during your meditation you want to view inner thoughts, you need to minimize the distractions.  Cool, calm, peaceful.  

Japanese Gardens incorporate the symbolism of Earth, Water and Fire.  A water feature is a popular element in the Japanese garden design.  But I have seen the 'water' suggested just in the raked sand.  Earth is portrayed in the placing of rocks or boulders in the landscape.  And fire elements can be portrayed with lanterns placed about.  I find this style of garden beautiful but not practical if there are children and pets.  

Reflective Gardens  are closely related to the Meditation style and the Japanese style.  

Reflecting ones life is difficult to accomplish in the hurry-scurry, day to day activities in which we find ourselves.  So a quite walk into the garden can calm me like no other place. Whether it is the reflection of the beauty of the plants, the colors , or the expansion of the mind to another place through the 'window' mirror,  -- this garden style appeals to many. 






One last garden design I want to present today is the Vertical Garden.


Many of us don't have large yards, or even a yard at all!  Patio gardens can benefit from the vertical surfaces as well as those of us who have small spaces.  

 Taking advantage of a wall can add planting space and an easy space to maintain. Many of us are gardening with sore knees, or backs  that remind us that we are aging.  Vertical gardening is an extension of our gardening space and extends the pleasure for those of us who have a few aches and pains.  


There are many other themes for garden designs, that I'll discuss later.  Thanks for visiting today.  These winter months are a great time to make plans for your unique garden design.