Monday, November 29, 2010

The Forgotten Stroll

With such short days and numerous tasks to accomplish the late evening stroll has been neglected of late. I may have also lost interest when everything turned a crispy brown.




















The "cherry" brown Minwax wood stain of all the new trim is looking rather fetching though. This process is moving faster than I had anticipated.




















So yesterday evening there was time for a short stroll to look at the ridge top garden in its winter decline. Today the weathers are turning and there may be some snow headed this way. The ground is already being littered with storm dropped branches. Now is a good a time as any to start picking them up.


























I don't like the thorny Barberries. I prefer not to be stabbed in the garden. I have also learned over the years that if there is one small thorny stem in a huge pile of rubbish, the thorny stem is what you will grab when you pick up the pile of rubbish.

The berries are kind of interesting the way they hang on the stems though. Still, no barberries in the garden to be.


























The biggest, oldest and first planted rhododendron in the garden is loaded with flower buds. It is the sole survivor of a boy scout camping incident.




















The Pulmonaria is still looking good. This will make a fine plant for early winter interest in the shade garden. Planted in larger drifts it would make a nice showing. By spring they look pretty battered.




















Now you can look over and into the back forty. This section of ground could prove most important if the Time of the Potato should arrive. The soil is so soft and full of humus you sink right into it. It also has a very good east/west sun exposure.


























Bulbarella has gotten ambitious and starting flinging seeds into the sunnier parts of the back forty. It well could be part of the wild cultivated garden before the Time of the Potato arrives.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

You've always described Bulbarella as "flinging" seeds, but how does she truly do this? I have such poor luck with seeds I need some help.
Sallysmom

Christopher C. NC said...

Well let's see. Flinging seeds. Some are bought. Most are collected when ripe from existing plants, placed in brown paper grocery bags and allowed to fully dry. In fall or early spring depending on mood or sometimes the plant species, the seeds are sprinkled on patches of ground raked bare of leaf litter so the seeds have good contact with the soil. Seeds are then just pressed into the ground by walking on them. They are then completely ignored until a flower is spotted at some distant point in time.

Sometimes if there are a lot of seeds or raking to bare soil seems like too much work, the seeds will literally just be flung about. More often an effort is made to connect to bare soil.

I think the bare soil contact and sheer abundance of seeds sown accounts for the general success in the bigger picture of things.

Lola said...

Great looking Blue room. Have you heard of the ladder progress yet?
Strolls are so nice. Even in Winter there is always interest. The Pulmanaria looks like our Polka Dot plant.
I like the phrase "flinging seeds". Sounds like fun & adventure. My, quite a while since the Boy Scout camping adventure. I really like to be able to look through the trees when there are no leaves. I always saw patterns through the woods.

Siria said...

Hi Christopher! That trim looks really nice! I love the color of your stain against the wall colors. The windows look fabulous! I remember the Building Contractor telling us the "Boy Scout" story. That is amazing how large that Rhodo is! :)

Anonymous said...

OK I gotta hear the tale of the Boy Scouts and the great Rhododendron destruction - that's gotta be good! I too like winter strolls; there is much to be noticed that is not evident in other seasons.

bev

Anonymous said...

The colors inside both the lower and loft portions of the cozy cabin are yummy! You must be pleased. I can imagine Bulbarella flinging the seeds, it is the stuff of a fine painting, if I knew how to paint. Time of the Potato, may it come to fruition. :-)
xxoo
Frances