The Hackberry Tree and other stuff...

Hi Sharon,
Have the computer until Wednesday.
Read your trillium article - beautifully written and very interesting content.
Wife (taught high school English for 31 years) said how literary it is.
Taught high school Science myself (Chemistry teacher) for last 19 years of work. Before that taught Physical (specialty) and Socio-cultural Anthropology at a post secondary level.
We have several trillium woods around us and these are carpeted with white trilliums in early May. There are far fewer purple trilliums. Also, my wife's family cottage (Lake-of-Bays) used to have lots of white trilliums. Think my late mother-in-law may have been correct in blaming the deer for the large reduction in their numbers. It fits with what you say about the vulnerability of trilliums.
Sunny (also known as Charlie)

Meant to add: Humanities - Sounds like you may have taught English yourself.

Thank you, Sunny (you are already Sunny to me, I will have to get used to Charlie). I am glad you enjoyed the article. Trillium is one of my favorite spring flowers.

We have a nice grouping of teachers here, I taught English and French early on, but spent most of my years teaching Humanities, and many areas of Art History and Studio Art. A total of 37 years was a long time to be teaching in public schools, but I would do it again if I could. I learned a lot about people. I loved teaching.

Interesting that we enjoyed teaching, and now we enjoy learning, particularly about nature. Most of my articles are based on experiences with wild flowers that grew in the mountains where I grew up. I live all the way across the state from those mountains now, but my fondest memories came from them. There is a vast difference in southeast Kentucky and my area here in western Kentucky. Going from east to west, we leave the mountains for the hills, and the hills for the flatland here. Many things that grew for me there, do not grow very easily here. But still I try.

Glad you still have your computer, and thank you to your wife. Seems the three of us have much in common.

I was writing when you posted, so we crossed....yes, many similarities and parallels.

I very much agree with you Sharon about enjoying learning. I'm very pro-teenager, but I'm also happy to now operate in another and more relaxing context. Your own movement and experience across Kentucky make for some very interesting contrasts.
I emigrated from London, England, in my mid twenties. Was an old and very urban environment then, though went to family cottages in some historical and scenic locations. Southern Ontario is so remarkably new by comparison.
I could have done with some of your Art History recently as am helping with some writing on gardens. After reading on-line, now know something about Italianate (new word for me) landscape painters, the Impressionists and a very tiny bit about abstract and cubist art (latter thanks to remarkable Brazilian landscape designer, Roberto Burle Marx). Very different from the Chemistry of Combustion or Atomic Theory!
Charlie

Very different, but art tells us about humanity, often more than the written word, as in the particular instance of pre history and the cave dwellers, the ancient Egyptians, and in your case, Stone Henge. Some we don't like, but we can still learn from.

You mentioned 'family cottages in some historical and scenic locations'.....any photos?

For sure.
Stone Henge is certainly an enigma. Were some burials there which I heard have turned out to be intrusive. Think the gist is that Anglo-Saxons had used it to bury criminals, from their time, on un-hallowed ground.
Didn't use cameras much when young, but tomorrow will check for pictures of the Lake-of-Bays which is quite pretty.

Somewhere I read that the Anglo Saxons considered it pagan territory, and used it accordingly. Don't remember where I read it, but now that you mentioned it I remember.

As much as anything, I love the longevity of the architecture in Europe. Ours is nothing comparatively speaking. Even your cottages are structurally sound, have been for centuries. Of course we have no centuries to speak of, but still.....they get old, we tear them down. That has always bothered me.

Looking forward to pictures.

We were reading along the same lines.
Guess it's all relative.
Thirty/forty years ago, spent some time in Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia. We were amazed at the long and fascinating history of the United States, compared to Canada.
Also: When just arrived in D.C. and walked out from hotel. Saw a Howard Johnson. Looked across the road. Saw a rather unusual building for D.C. Was it? Wasn't it? Yes. It was the Watergate complex. We were visiting history in the making!

When you are in DC, history is always in the making!! Not always great history, but history at any rate.

It would be good if you could visit again sometime.

Know what you are saying.
For sure.
Going to try for a couple of cottage pictures.
Lake-of-Bays - Hemlocks

Early fall sunset.

Silly.
Most of my wife's family.
Wife has sunglasses on head.
Me taking picture.

Just keep them coming, Sunny. I am loving all of them. Great trees and rocks at the cottage, and beautiful sunset. I live very near Kentucky and Barkley Lakes, and have some lovely sunset shots, too. There is nothing more beautiful than the sun setting over water, and there is no way to duplicate those colors.

Not silly, just a very happy family photo. Your wife is lovely, and so is her family. Something to treasure for sure. I think my hair/head has a permanent crease from sunglasses or reading glasses perched on top.

Hi Sharon,
Going to try for oldest bed in our front garden now and last summer.

Hi Sunny,
Wondered where you were. Nice bed. Crocus and tulips, I see, what else? And what is in the beds nearer your house? And the tree?

Last summer.

Didn't work.
Will try again.

Sorry Sharon.
Will try one more time.

Ah beautiful! Love the coneflowers. What's in the back, nearer the street? Not dianthus, is it? And look at the lone little daylily. Very lovely. Any surprises for fall?

It is so pretty it is well worth waiting for.

Wanted to show the difference three months makes to that bed.
Beds nearer the house were planted last year after stonework was done.
The white is actually Chionodoxa 'Giant Pink', which it seems does not seed much (or at all). I've been told otherwise. I'm not that great a photographer, but it never seems to take a good picture.
Couple of days of gardening - and feeling quite stiff (notably knees) - not in shape yet (well as good as I can get into shape!).

I always forget at the beginning of gardening season how much the first week of gardening hurts. Takes me the better part of a month to even get callouses built up. And I creak when I try to move.

Three months makes a tremendous difference. I found my columbines blooming today, and irises are full of buds. I will soon have all purple blooms, when the rhododendron pops open. But soon the columbine will begin their pink blooms. Such is the genetics of the columbine family I think. Started with one plant, one color, now I have many plants, many colors. Also have some in a red shade, but just getting them started, new seed variety.

I can see: Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' closest: the culver's root 'Fascination' (to left back) is just about finished: High on other side is purple loosestrife 'Morden Pink' (still going strong): the blue is balloon flower: the Helenium sp (in front of culver's root) is just coming out: and that bed contains quite a lot of New England aster 'Alma Pötschke' (not out yet). As you say, there's purple coneflower at the front ('Magnum' - very reliable - I also like the recurved flower petals - can see more of the flower from the side).
How's things going yourself?

How does culver's root do for you? I have some trouble with it here, but didn't in the mountains. Hotter here, I think. Where I grew up is more like your area. Loosestrife is what I couldn't identify. My balloon flowers bloom late and long, I have white and purple, as they age, the bloom becomes bluer. I have no asters, not sure why, just have never had them.

Things are going very well. Trying to get a book compiled and to a publisher for consideration. Two publishers actually are interested. Keeps me at the computer and I am beginning to wonder if my eyes will last as long as I need them to. When my husband was living he kept me more grounded, without him I lose track of time, and write for too many consecutive hours. I need a more disciplined routine.

Thanks for asking. What about you?

I am crazy about daylilies, and here is a portion of my largest daylily bed last summer.

In past, have not had time to raise plants from seed. Do have and use columbines though. Lovely plants. Can see a number just coming up now. I like the sound of your larger number of columbines.
Love rhodendrons, but our area has alkaline soil. We would have to grow them in acidified raised beds.
Had another indication today how much easier annual gardening is than perennial gardening. Was at accountant's (he grows annuals). He says for his annual gardening he starts the season by rotortilling the beds. Probably had to dig them by hand in the first place, but rotortilling would just spead the weeds around in a perennial garden. You can't just clean out a perennial bed at the end of the growing season.

But I like the constancy of perennials. They are comfortable to me. They are more work, and I have one bed that I am fighting right now. I mixed annuals in with perennials last year. Dumb. So now I am going from row to row, cleaning out alternate rows. Driving myself crazy, and thinking i'll just add more perennials by thinning from other beds. I used to be a little more structured, but having retired added that element of adventure, I think.

I have a friend who only plants perennials. Lovely gardens, but when they are gone, they are gone. I like my foliage.

I think I am in a rut, and would like to change, but am not willing to give up any of my perennial gardens.

Same plant, just a little further down the garden...

I like all garden plants, but culver's root is one of my very favorite ones. It does very well here (very hardy). The bees love it. I find balloon flowers also very hardy (once established): also drought tolerant. The white and blue-purple seem hardier than the pink. Am also a huge lover of asters (frikart's - very long flowering: calico - lovely shape late in the season - New England (both magenta and purple) and others. We have long and comfortable falls here and can benefit from late summer and fall plants.
Love your daylilies. You may have seen one or two on the front of that bed in the picture. Only planted them two years ago and bed is crowded. Like the double orange 'Mary Brown' but its not very vigorous in my circumstances.
Your book sounds very interesting. Am committed to some time editing myself, as said.
Suspect I may be more undisciplined than you.

Most of my gardening is all perennial, but it takes certain requirements (e.g. very deep beds with large numbers of plants in them and a careful avoidance of bad runners and seeders). Do use annuals in small areas (tuberous begonias, zinnias, etc), but avoid seeders like cleome.
Love the columbines.
Adventure is great, just not with seeders and runners!
Better hit the sack. Will check the thread before I take computer in.

Culver's root was at one time used as a medicinal plant, and as such has some interesting stories. I love the history of plants, their uses many years ago. I wish I could grow it here. Now you have perked my interest in asters. I am not sure why I don't have them. Dianthus is another that I have let fall by the wayside.

I suspect your is a good place for hostas, do you grow them?

I'll look forward to your computer's return. Have a good week.

Thanks Sharon,
You too. It will be like keeping my mouth shut!
Closer picture of my favorite culver's root. Shows the fasciation (elongation of the growing tip - flattening of tip of flower spike that routinely occurs in 'Fascination').
Keep up the good work!
Speak to you soon.

culvers root is really interestingSunntborders
I'm going to check it out.
Just lurking today.

Hi ge1836,
I love the plant (the bees love it too). It's a sunshine plant.
I do normally deadhead the central spikes (bloom first) to tidy the plant up,
but hadn't in picture to show the fasciation. Think it's only the central spikes that may show this peculiarity (and only in the cultivar, 'Fascination'). The species culver's root is also excellent, as is the cultivar 'Lavendelturm' ('Lavender Tower'). Looking for other cultivars!
Sunny

Hi Sharon,
Back in circulation. Couldn't remember which thread we were talking on!
Must be getting old.
Pretty humid (and hot) today. I really must work on being an early starter.
Starting gardening at 11 oclock and working through the heat of the day really isn't the best strategy. Going to be cooler and raining tomorrow.
Sunny

Hi Sunny,
Nice to have you back among the conversant!
It has happened here, too...the heat suddenly appeared, and my hours of garden work were shortened considerably. It has been in the mid 80's for more than 5 days now. I have no complaints, but not sure what happened to the 70's. The spring bulbs are no longer, and my bearded iris, rhododendron and roses have bloomed seemingly overnight.
Fun to see, though.

very pretty, Sharon.

LouC

Still got bulbs!
Below: our front garden today.
You are way ahead of us.
Today, the anenomes (ranunuloides and robisoniana have just started blooming). Love irises, but way too early. Only shrub roses and Explorer Series Roses are fully hardy here.
Love your picture of rhodendron (?), but as said, we have alkaline soil.
Had latter emphasized in my school, where a number of shrubs were donated for the flower beds I put in. One donor insisted I take rhododendrons, though garden didn't contain raised acidified beds. They only lasted about two years.
Pity because such pretty flowers.

Hello Lou,
I am so glad to see you here.

I have lots of purples blooming, funny how that happened, but this will be the week of purples in the front yard, i think. Columbine, iris, the rhodo, variegated vinca, just lots of purple.
But in the back gardens, I have roses....

For you, LouC..