Sunday, September 27, 2009

Weeping Gardens


Sunday, September 27, 2009

A wet morning here on the mountain--wet enough that Karl the Wonder Dog made a brief journey outside and bolted for the house to shake wet fur dry and get back to bed. The morning is 45 degrees but it feels much colder than that with a 3-4 mph wind. I wouldn't know the mph thing but I just bought myself a little weather station with an anemometer and I hope before I die I can figure out how to program it.

I love technology but I am a slow learner. The clock is the sticking point as it is an atomic clock which needs to be set via satellite. The directions are so-o-o encouraging, ending with a little statement about don't put it by a Low-E window as it won't program through the glass.......so what have I spent big bucks upgrading to??? low-e windows. It also says to point the unit in the direction of Colorado, thereby assuming you're bright enough to know where Colorado is. I'll tackle it all later today when I am a bit more awake.

Today's rain is a bad reminder to this year's spring that lasted until the end of July and accumulated as 15 inches of rain that month alone. Last week we received 1.4" of rain in one night and that began to remedy the drought that hardened clay soil and made apples fall plunk-plunk-plunk from trees long before they should. I haven't checked the rain gauge today but the rain is supposed to continue all day and is really coming down right now.

When we visited Maine Coastal Botanical Gardens we walked down the Haney Hillside Garden to the ocean. Along the way we stopped at the first backpath and I was pleased to see how well the weeping trees and shrubs had grown since my last visit. I call the area the weeping garden because the hillside is well planted with conifers including many weepers. When we visited, the day was bright and warm, a contrast to today's cold reminder that fall is here and winter is around the corner.

Weeping larches are easy to grow and not very expensive. They are the one confier that annually change color and drop needles like deciduous trees. They are easy to prune and I enjoy the way the branches reach to the ground and grow along the top of the soil as if to reach out for companionship. We have some spruces that do the same and they are very hardy in zone 4a too. The Atlas Blue Cedar I bought this year may not make it but that is another example we saw in the Maine gardens. I'll pound in some rebar and clothe the cedar in burlap this winter and hope for the best. The seacoast climate is so much warmer that it's not a problem there.




Whether I'm weeping about the weeping gardens or the rain today, fact is I have to get going here, Sunday or not. I brought the tractor home yesterday for the winter and today is "bring in the wood day" where we bring next year's wood supply in from the woods to split and stack for next year and the year after. Staying a year or so ahead guarantees that if something unpredicted happens here on the mountain, the home will still be warm all winter. Thursday the new Hearthstone woodstove arrives...and that's another story.


Writing from the mountain above Peacham Pond where one lone blue jay is sitting on the platform feeder begging me to add some seed for his breakfast. Vociferous ravens are at the compost pile checking the menu there. Have to get going.......

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
Vermont Flower Farm A garden website with plants for sale, gift certificates for friends and gardening info for all!

7 comments:

Barbee' said...

I agree with Karl, smart dog there. Even has you to split the wood for keeping him warm all winter. That new stove sounds interesting and cozy.

lynn'sgarden said...

Gotta love them gadgets...LOL on the Low-E instructions!
Okay, I WOULDN'T KNOW which way to Colorado!!
Hope ya got through wood moving day w/o any problems ;)

joey said...

I love the 'weeping garden', George. It's been way too long for a visit after my long, hard summer, yet hard to leave and not read everything to catch up. Delighted on your nomination ... enough to know I'm an 'old' huge fan :)

Jan said...

Hi George, I've just browsed your posts from your time in Maine and enjoyed all of them! My husband was born and raised in Maine (Rockland) and his whole family is still there. My family moved there while I was in HS...to the Portland area. His family now lives above Bangor, in Dover Foxcroft. We go up every year to their camp, which is on Sebec Lake--inland. I love the ocean, so on our way home we take Rt. 1 and go south until we decide to get back on 95. Each year I appreciate Maine just a little bit more. We've talked about moving there but with the work my husband does, the closest thing would be Boston. We're settled here in VA and still have a son at home, so we want him to finish school before we think about moving. We just might end up that way, if and when, we ever retire! Our oldest is 21 and our son is 12...and we're in our 50's. I don't know if we'll ever have time to do 'what we want' to do:-) Anyway, I've really enjoyed all of your photos of the gardens you visited as well as the other sites and scenes you shared! Good luck w/the Blotanical awards!!

cherry said...

Congratulations on your Blotanical Win. ~ hugs, Cherry

Lisa S. said...

Thanks for wonderful pictures and prose. I have always wanted to add a larch to my garden. They are so beautiful, but they seemed exotic and I assumed difficult. Your post inspires me to think about them again. Thanks for dropping by my Serendipitous Garden. Every visitor is always welcome. -Lisa

Anna/Flowergardengirl said...

Congrats on your blotanical award!

I've been to several blogs tonight who report temps of 45ish degrees even here at my house in NC. So I'm beginning to think it's in the 40's everywhere on earth tonight.

Beautiful pics and I know where Colorado is.