Several years ago, through one summer a garter snake resided in the vigorous clematis (Clematis montana ‘Rubens’, below) that covers the rail on one side of our deck. I suppose there were occasions when the small snake followed the sturdy trunk of the vine down to prowl the ground below, but my wife and I…
Category: ponds
Mysterious disappearances
This is hardly surprising, or disturbing, but very little seems to go exactly as planned in the garden. Perhaps this is why the gardener is so pleased when one thing or another goes right, which fortunately occurs with some regularity. On occasion, a perennial or bulb disappears from one year to the next, and I’m…
Foolish speculation
Years ago I realized the folly in speculating about natural cycles. I am continually amused that folks presume to forecast a winter’s cold or a dry summer, or that as a result of some weather event there will certainly be fewer mosquitoes, ticks, or whatever in the next season. If a scorecard were kept, perhaps…
Too many to count
I don’t claim knowledge to distinguish between one bee or wasp and another, any butterfly or moth besides the ubiquitous Tiger swallowtail, or even frogs and toads. Toads, I can identify by sound I suppose, and I’m quite certain that the high pitched, agitated squeals I hear today as I walk along the paths that border…
No lions and tigers, but …..
When wildlife is invited into the garden the gardener must be prepared for anything. Of course, not lions or tigers, but possibly bears (below). The cycle of life that we promote is likely to attract beasts of all sorts, large or small, welcomed or not. Some will arrive for the water, shelter, or berries, and…
My seventeen feet of heaven
One seventeen foot stretch of the garden is of incomparable lushness and beauty. I walk these six paces frequently, though I take my sweet time about it, and six full paces are more typically a dozen shuffling steps. Often, a few moments are spent kneeling to enjoy the scene longer and from a lower perspective….
Tracks in the snow
The morning after a recent snowfall the back garden was crisscrossed by deer tracks. This was hardly a revelation. I can’t claim that the local deer community is comparable to areas nearby that are vastly overpopulated. By comparison, there are few in this neighborhood, but the small group of deer beds down in the thicket…
Koi on a warm winter afternoon.
Last week the edges of the large koi pond were frozen, the result of prolonged cold. There is no harm that comes from this, even if the pump is turned off and the pond’s surface freezes over. On smaller ponds water must be kept moving, or a hole kept open for harmful gasses resulting from…
The last hurrah
The Tatarian daisies (Aster tataricus ‘Jindai’, below) at the back of the koi pond are blooming, but for a period in mid summer there was a question if they would. The daisies were in danger of being overwhelmed by exuberant hydrangeas and a paperbush (Edgeworthia chrysantha) that continues to spread far beyond the boundaries that…
End of summer blooms
Gardeners and non-gardeners ask, “what happened to our summer?” And, it’s true that we’ve experienced little of the heat and humidity that so often encourages local residents to head for higher (and cooler) ground in July and August. My garden has both profited and suffered from the unusual weather, but as the season nears its…
Quack, quack
When the large pond in the rear garden was first constructed it was dug deep enough so that I could take an occasional dip in it on a hot summer afternoon. Despite recommendations by pond references to the contrary, I stocked the pond with ten small, inexpensive koi and two goldfish that were transferred from…
A bit unusual
A year ago the Seven Son tree (Heptacodium miconioides, below) was ripped from the ground in a violent summer storm. Unfortunately, it was not uprooted, for trees with roots intact can sometimes be replanted successfully. The manner of the Seven Son is to grow quickly and decidedly top heavy, so when the winds blew the…
Ramblin' through Dave's Garden 