On this cloudy, not so hot but still humid afternoon, I’ve waded into the mass of tall Verbena bonariensis to rescue several toad lilies (Tricyrtis spp., below) that are fading beneath the increasing spread of neighbors. Terrestrial orchids (Bletilla striata) and red hot pokers (Kniphofia spp.) flower successfully in spring, then tolerate the tall verbenas as they grow far above, but the early autumn flowering toad lilies are slowly declining.

There is no space to replant more than a few of the toad lilies (below), so I move a few paces below the greenhouse to dig out several orchids that are growing successfully but hidden beneath taller Sensitive ferns (Onoclea sensibilis). In most places, I don’t mind the invasion of fern sporelings, though even after a rainy late summer they are turning an unsightly brown.

The transplants are destined for the small area in the front garden that was recently extended. There is no firm plan for the new area, so after planting a few conifers and a small Japanese maple (Acer palmatum ‘Shaina’, below), I’ve mixed several new purchases with transplanted perennials and sedges (Carex) that are priced only by the effort to dig them.

Toad lilies have become recent victims of the garden’s continued spread, so a handful have been relocated. I did not intend for the expanded space to become a toad lily showcase, but it appears that is the case along with a smaller collection of pineapple lilies (Eucomis comosa ‘Sparkling Burgundy’, below), with a few transplanted and several to be delivered in the next few weeks.

I readily break into a sweat with minimal exertion, even on a chilly winter afternoon, so I’m quickly dripping on this muggy afternoon. For once, I prevent my wife’s wrath by remembering not to dry my sweat soaked shirt on the back of a wood framed chair. I look forward to the weeks ahead when temperatures and humidity drop, but for today the toad lilies and orchids must be put back in the ground before an overnight storm waters them in.