Moving Japanese Maples

Sometimes we gardeners find we must move plants, including trees. The reasons to move a plant vary and can range from simply needing to move a plant to a new location in the garden because perhaps it has outgrown its location or is not doing well in that location, all the way to needing to move the entire garden due to an impending move. The latter is the reason I find myself in the position of moving plants, trees, shrubs, bulbs, grasses, and hardscaping. Our new farm is coming along and yes, I surely have my priorities straight-the garden goes in first. It is really a simple decision. You see you can build a house in a few short months up to about six months, but you cannot grow a plant in the same short time. Additionally, plants must be moved at the right time. The right time will depend on the plant and other factors I will try to outline here.

So far the plants I have moved from Tiger Gardens to the new Tiger Way Gardens include:

[Trees]
5 Japanese maples
5 10' tall crepe myrtles,
'Empress of China' evergreen dogwood
Korean dogwood (Cornus kousa)
  Korean maple (Acer pseudosieboldianum)
Chinese redbud 'Don Egolf'

[Shrubs]
12 Oakleaf hydrangeas (half of them died and the other half are being eaten by the deer)
14 PG hydrangeas
5 'Raspberry Profusion' abelias
7 rhododendrons
4 'Annabelle' hydrangeas
3 'Bella Anna' hydrangeas
2 'Great Star' hydrangeas
2 'White Dome' hydrangeas
32 Bigleaf Hydrangeas
5 Butterfly bushes
1 Leucothoe
14 viburnums
8 Japanese snowball viburnums (three died so now five remain)
Several spiraeas

[Grasses]
3 clumps of plume grass (Erianthus ravennae)
3 'Northwinds' switchgrass
Pink Muhly grass

[Perennials] too many kinds to count but they include:
Turtlehead
Heucheras
Helleborus
Japanese anemones
Irises
Approximately 100 or so cultivars of daylilies
Amsonias
Tatarian asters
New England Asters
Sedums
Catmint (my MOST successful move as the clumps all love the new location in full sun!)
Salivas
Coneflowers
Shasta daisies
Cannas
Mums
Joe Pye weed
Compass plants
50 or so Peonies
Pulmonarias (not sure if they will make it as they are difficult to move)
Carex 'Ice Dance' (I love this tough little grass like plant!)

[Bulbs[
6500+ daffodils
 Muscari
Scilla
Lycoris radiata

Note: I have only listed here what I have moved to the land from my current garden. I have not listed all that I have planted on the farm. That will come at another date. It includes a whole orchard and several trees. Gotta get that shade and grow your own food theme going! As you read this I will most likely be outside digging and moving more trees. Sigh, a gardeners' work is never done! 

 Today's post is focused on moving the Japanese maples, but based on the list above of just what I have moved from Tiger Gardens so far, you can see I am fairly experienced at moving plants. Each time I move a plant I always anticipate that plant will live and thrive and be happy. I never contemplate losing a plant but in the past I have lost some plants. It is to be expected at times. Most of the time my failure at losing plants results from: moving the wrong plant (evergreens do not move well in my experience), moving the plant at the wrong time, not digging enough roots with the plant, or not watering enough or watering too much! It is a fine line you cross when you chose to move plants.  

I have thirteen Japanese maples growing in Tiger Gardens. Two are the dissectum types and are moveable even tho one is fairly large and has been here five years. I have not tackled these maples yet because the area they will move to is not ready. The remaining eleven Japanese maples are the palmatum type. They range in size from two feet tall to about 18' tall. The 12 and 18 footer trees are  much too big to move. Those two and one other Japanese maple in the front garden are the only Japanese maples I will not attempt to move. The rest average about 6-8' tall with a trunk diameter of about 1" to 2" with the exception of a short Japanese maple.

The above tree is the largest Japanese maple and the trunk is about 2". It is a named variety called 'Burgundy Lace'. I started digging this tree first because it is the largest tree here I thought I could move. I thought if I could dig it then I could dig anything. I have to be honest, I almost gave up the fight. This tree was pretty stubborn. One of the reasons I love Japanese maples is that I find they are quite resilient. This one was no exception to that rule. Its roots grew deep and strong. I started my dig about 2' feet from the trunk. I knew I would have to cut the main anchor roots in order to get the tree out. What I was not prepared for was that those anchor roots grew quite deeply into the ground. I started by making a ring around the tree just to feel out the root system. I slowly worked this ring all around getting deeper and deeper with my shovel at each pass. It would've helped me tremendously to have had a longer shovel. My shovel is only about one foot deep and I really could've used a spade about two feet long. To overcome the shortness of my shovel I removed soil and made a channel around the tree as you can see in the first picture. This enabled me to go deeper and with perseverance I finally got the tree loose from its spot.
Once the tree was free I wrapped the root ball with some large black garbage bags. These root balls of the trees I am moving are much too large for any pots I have here. I have to tell you I was very happy when the tree came out of its location with a significant root ball such as the one pictured above. Of the five Japanese maples I dug on this day three came out with awesome root balls, two came out practically bare root. Fortunately enough for me and the trees this is an excellent time to move trees whether they are bare root or potted (still in soil). This is because the trees are dormant and will not have to be stressed by trying to support a canopy of leaves. Additionally, as long as the soil is above 40 degrees or so the roots will continue to grow and provide nourishment to the trees. The only reason I will have to concern myself with these newly transplanted trees during this time of the year is if the soil freezes for an extended period of time the trees may get dehydrated due to not being able to take up moisture. Additionally, since the roots are not established they are not able to anchor the trees in their new spots on the farm. To compensate for this I have staked the trees only temporarily. Since these deciduous trees have no leaves they most likely will not fall over but there is always a possibility of that. Also, it may take up to one year for the newly transplanted trees to finally get anchored well and once spring arrives that canopy of leaves should pop out.  
Technically you can move plants, including trees, any time of the year-as long as the ground is not frozen and as long as you are prepared to water. Just this year alone I have moved crepe myrtles in early spring, the cornus species in the summer, and several other trees during the fall. This is not the ideal way to go tho because when you move trees and shrubs and even perennials during the spring or summer you need to be prepared for some serious transplant shock as well as be prepared to water a lot. Fall is usually not a bad time to move or plant trees because by the time September and October roll around the trees are beginning to go dormant and rains have usually returned to ensure a good continuous supply of water.
Another way aside from timing the move of your trees to ensure the transplant job will be successful is to root prune your trees. I did root prune at least one of the five Japanese maples I just dug up. I saw no difference between digging that one Japanese maple versus the other four non-root pruned Japanese maples. Perhaps it will settle in faster but perhaps not. If you do root prune plan to do so at least one season prior to the scheduled move.
One more tip on ensuring success with transplanting large trees and shrubs. There are several products on the market that will help with stimulating roots and you can also purchase mychorrhizae to help with settling in the plant. In my case I use a liquid concentrate I add to the water I use to water in my newly transplanted trees. Any kind of starting solution or additive will work if used according to the directions. I also am a firm believer in the addition of organic matter such as compost, rabbit droppings, eggshells, and bone meal. I add all of these if I have them available at the time of planting. If they are not available, I will come back later and top dress the plant.
Only time will tell if I am successful with the move of my large trees but either way I can rest assured I have done everything in my power to ensure their successful transplant. During the winter if I am curious as to the health of these newly transplanted trees I will do a scrape test to check and see if they are still green under the bark. I am always reassured when I see green on my newly transplanted trees. The 20' river birch I transplanted from Alabama in November is still green so I am pretty sure it is okay. I bet these Japanese maples will be fine too....

in the garden....

Happy New Year Everyone! Be safe! 

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Color-Everywhere In the Garden

I thought I'd display some of the wonderful colors plants can offer us in our gardens-sans blooms. This fall has been splendid and as I wander my garden I try ever so hard to appreciate every small thing my eyes take in-and it is a lot here. Mr. Fix-it says our garden is 'cluttered'. Those are just about fighting words but because I love him I tend to overlook that opinion and  just head to the garden for some solace. Here is some of what I see. 


The above shot is of Edgeworthia chyrsantha, aka Paperbush. It is a wonderful winter blooming shrub opening its fragrant buds in February or March. This is this shrub's second year in my gardens and this year it is doing much better since it has not been nibbled on by the evil dog, aka Lady Lou. That bud will stay looking good all winter even as the leaves turn yellow and fall from the bush.

I added Panicum virgatum 'Northwinds' to my garden early this summer and wow on it. The form alone is what had me sold but just look at that fall color. It will stay upright and golden all winter long. This is a keeper grass and I plan to divide it up and spread it around next spring. This grass is unlike most ornamental grasses in that it likes a moist area. It is a warm season ornamental that provides all year long interest.

The seedheads are quite pretty too.




Amsonia hubrictii, aka Threadleaf Amsonia or dogbane, is one of my all time favorite perennials. If you do not grow this perennial run out and buy it soon. It takes a few years to get going but once it is going nicely it provides a stately presence in the garden. This perennial blooms in the spring with pale blue flowers, then provides structure in the form of beautiful green foliage all season long. Come fall that foliage will turn a straw gold and shine in the garden like a beacon. It grows in both sun and shade, dry or wet soil. I have been very happy that it self seeds regularly in my garden and so of course I dig the seedlings and spread them all around Tiger Gardens. This amsonia was also the Perennial Plant Association's Plant of the Year for 2011. This plant is hardy from Zones 4-9.

Now this grass is my all time favorite grass. It is 'Adagio' Miscanthus sinensis. It is a grass that can take some shade and definitely some dry soil. It never fails to disappoint. This grass stays looking good throughout most of the winter. I cut mine down in the spring and don't enjoy that task but since it is all I do to this perennial I try not to begrudge that task too awfully much. This view is looking east from a vantage point on the north side of my home. This is part of my Foundation Bed gardens.

Do you remember my Front Center Garden? It is a focal point garden from my home. This is the view I get from the porch and front windows in the living room when I look out toward the road. Believe it or not the highway is back behind these gardens. My house faces east so each of  these plants are backlit by the rising sun. The yellow and red small trees are unknown Japanese maple seedlings. What a delight they are! The lower growing red shrubs are oakleaf hydrangeas. They provide great color and structure that complements the Japanese maples.



And here is a final view of one side of the garden. I am particularly fond of the bird bath and matching bird feeder. I tend to have lots of bird baths and bird feeders in my garden. I prefer the bird baths much more because I tell you the birds around here simply adore the bird baths. I will be tipping most of these ones over soon but I usually heat the concrete bird bath so I can enjoy the birds drinking in the winter. You'd be surprised at just how many birds come to drink when everything else is frozen. 


in the garden....

I wanted to tell you all many thanks for liking my professional FaceBook page found here. This blog may get all of the attention but I consider the blog, FB and my professional business (Coach In the Garden) and clients all facets of gardening and they meld together equally. Gardening has always been a passion for me and I work very hard to learn all I can about it so I can help others achieve their gardening dreams. 

I also want to thank my clients for trusting me. And a special thanks for the very nice recommendations on my page! You all know who you are!  
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Huntsville Botanical Gardens Part One

Part one of my two part Huntsville Botanical Gardens starts us out at the very large visitor center. Right away we find a fabulous Japanese maple that was just beginning to show its fall color. I wish I had thought to write down the cultivar of this Japanese maple but did not. It was not a cultivar I was familiar with but I'd like to know it better. Look at how it glows!

Here is another view of the Japanese maple. To the right of it was a large pot that surrounded another tree. This is where we all had our group picture taken. I do not have a copy of the group picture though so this photo will have to suffice.

The next stop on our travels was to a miniature city complete with trains and ponds and streams. It almost looks as though this city is full sized depending on your vantage point.

The bonsai trees were a real treat in this area. That deciduous rounded leaved tree you see in the center of this picture is a gingko. It was miniaturized (bonsai) very meticulously. The Jimster has read my large bonsai book several times over. He is planning to attempt to bonsai a seedling Japanese maple next spring (or sooner if I can find a seedling in the garden).

Ponds were the word of the day in the gardens. This pond was actually inside of a screened butterfly house. I have a small bathtub pond in my garden but the more I see beautiful ponds like this the more I wish for a larger pond here. My friend Naomi says she'll come and help me build a pond but I have not committed to one yet. The work in maintaining one scares me. Plus, in my garden there are a lot of trees and tree roots. I have no idea where I could locate a pond like this. If I ever did get a pond I'd like one like this. I like that you can see the bottom of the pond. It seemed more natural than the deep dark ones that you usually see.

This pavilion would be a perfect spot to lounge around for like forever. It was so beautiful. 

This water lily pond was surrounded by a hedge of mature 'Emerald Green' arborvitae. I just read in a pond book that water lilies must have still water. I had no idea and am guessing this pond bears that out since there does not appear to be a pump in this water lily pond. 

I happen to be a big fan of arborvitae like those you see in the picture above. I really liked the way the hedge enclosed the pond area in a formal manner. The arborvitae were so green and so lush and so formal. Even if your garden leans more toward the natural like mine these arborvitaes have a spot in all gardens. I have a hedge like this and it is doing okay considering I moved my mature trees earlier this year.

Another shot inside of the butterfly house finds us in the 'Misty Cave'. It was a cool spot where Mr. Fix-it and I were able to relax. This butterfly house had mostly, if not all, native butterflies. Most butterfly houses I have visited seem to have exotic butterflies from other parts of the world. Not so here. We saw mostly frittilaries but there were other types fluttering about as well.

Outside in the gardens the monarchs were busy on the asters. The orange and purple color combination is an awesome combination.



There were many vignettes scattered about the grounds that included scarecrows and other Halloween related creatures. This spider was great. That handsome young man under it is my youngest son Jimmy. He had a fantastic time hanging out with his parents at the garden. We not only saw lots of cool plants, shrubs, and trees but we got lost in a sorghum maze. Have you ever seen sorghum growing? It looks like corn but without the ears and it is much much taller than corn. It grows kind of like Johnson grass. The maze was a lot of fun. I can't remember if I've ever done a maze before but I tell you that you can really get lost quite easily.



Lastly, since I am a tree person I had to show my dear husband looking at a neat tree. Trees are the stars of the show in my opinion because of their structure, their versatility, their interest and their wide variety of types. I am not sure what kind of tree this one was but look at that branching structure. Don't you just want to climb it? 


One more post will be coming on the Huntsville Botanical Gardens this Wednesday....


in the garden....

My nearly eight year old point and shoot camera has decided to stop working. I am interested in recommendations for a new camera. I am looking at the class of superzoom cameras. In particular I like Panasonic DMC-FZ100, Fujifilm HS20, or the Nikon CoolPix P500. I usually use my camera for blogging and family pictures and videos. Any suggestions? 

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

More Spring Bloomers In the Garden

Spring is the season when things happen really quickly. I can't even keep up with it all so in a valiant effort to capture some blooms I'm trying to post some pictures. Here are a few for today. Dutch? irises are blooming big time.

'Carolina Moonlight' baptisia. I purchased three of these at Wal-mart a few years ago for a small price. They have really begun to come into their own and all three have a good bloom this year. I am looking forward to when I can showcase the blue ones that grow here too.

Epimedium 'Niveum' foliage. It is finally coming into its own despite the drought we had last summer. This is a good plant I hope spreads.

Here is the bloom of the 'Niveum'.

Some kind of Solomon's Seal. I have quite a few of the variegated but this has a different bloom and foliage color. Any ideas on the cultivar? It is doing fantastically despite being moved early this spring.

Technically not a bloomer I suppose but I just can't resist showing my 'lady' in the Front Sidewalk Garden. She sure looks like a ballerina posing gracefully. This unknown J. maple cultivar was planted in the fall of 2003 as a two foot seedling. Despite being set back several feet in 2007 after the late freeze it has come back wonderfully and now stands at about nine feet tall. One foot of growth per year is a pretty good growth rate I think. Unfortunately it is leaning toward the sun (the west area which is toward the house due a large pine being on the east side). I have had to stake this tree and the staking actually reduced it's height by a few feet.

Some common purple irises blooming in the Front Center Garden. The Roadside Shrub border blooms behind this garden from this angle. Just on the other side of these shrubs is a very busy road but I am quite proud that I cannot see it. You can see the 'Snowball' bush blooming. Irises and the snowballs make a great pairing.

At one time I might have known this cultivar but not now. Does anyone recognize it? Here it blooms in front of an aucuba.





The first peony of the season is in full bloom. Unfortunately the rains have beat it up quite a bit. Nonetheless this Japanese style peony that was labeled 'Festiva Maxima' (NOT) on the package when I bought it at Wal-mart in 2004 has turned out to not be what I thought it was. I still love this peony though. Once this one is done there is another peony right behind it that will kick in.





May Night salvia can't be beat. I find this works great with azaleas and peonies.
Here it grows along the front of my house along the sidewalk.



More unknown irises in the Front Center Garden.





Irises seem to be in abundance here. I love them backlit. Here we are looking west toward the house at the Redbud Garden. The redbud is a special cultivar called 'Forest Pansy'. While it's blooms clashed with my red tulips its leaves go perfectly with the lavender irises.





Lastly a few backlit pictures of more irises in my garden. This view is looking east toward the road in front of my property. The irises are glowing here. I do so love irises when they are in bloom but I have a bad relationship with them due to the conditions in my garden-namely too much shade and woody mulch. Irises do not like that. So when they bloom I enjoy them fully....

in the garden....

These are not all of the spring bloomers in my garden but I just can't keep up. I've been so busy lately and have to apologize if I've not been around as much. Tis the season...

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

A Japanese Maple Seedling with Yellow Fall Coloring

From In the Garden

I was sadly mistaken on some of my seedling Japanese maples turning a plain old green. Not so! This particular one is out front along with the orange one and a few red ones. It has turned an eye grabbing yellow and looks great in the Front Center Garden. This particular seedling J. maple took a lot longer to change colors than I would've expected-but the show was worth the wait.  It has taken several years to get to this point and I tell you I'm ever so glad it's finally presenting a show in the garden.
 
This particular garden is the center of my front yard and is a high visibility garden for me. I look at it from inside the house, while on my porch, when walking to the house and really all the time. It needs to have color and interest all year long. In order for this to happen I planted a lot evergreen shrubs, hydrangeas, and some perennials in this garden as well as the two J. maples. A mature oak tree and a huge short needled pine tree round out the plants growing in this bed. Looking just past the Japanese maple's trunk you can just make out the green split rail fence. On the other side of this fence is the busy state highway I live near.

Of course, I can't see the highway anymore because I have this lovely garden and J. maple to draw my eye....


in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, 
 
In the Garden

Some Fall Pictures from Tiger Gardens

From In the Garden

I thought I'd share a few fall pictures from Tiger Gardens with you today. I have cut back on posting a bit but that so doesn't mean I'm not still getting out and enjoying (and working) in my garden. Today we'll look at a few random scenes that caught my eye this very week. First but not least is an unknown Japanese maple seedling-just splendid! I have five unknown type Japanese maples out front and this one is the only one that is orange. Seedlings are quite variable I tell you. Three of the others are red, and one is a plain old green for fall. I think I'm liking the orange best.

From In the Garden

Here is a long shot of it. This J. maple seedling grows in my Walled Garden. The last time I posted on my Walled Garden was when I first planted it back in 2007! This vantage point shows both the Crabapple Garden (in the foreground with the Crabapple Tree) and the Roadside Shrub Border (in the background just in front of the green split rail fence-the other side of the split rail is a state highway). The orange just glows!

From In the Garden

Here is another vantage point looking north toward the Northside Shrub Border. You can also see a 'Nova Zembla' rhododendron in the foreground. This rhododendron is part of the walled garden as well as several PG hydrangeas, azaleas, mums, Solomon's seal and other plants including a 'Forest Pansy' redbud. This garden gets pretty much full shade. The seedling was planted in 20o7 when I planted the entire garden. The seedling is finally getting a bit of height on it-if I can just watch out for those voles I'll be golden with this small tree.

From In the Garden

Here is Christine's Japanese maple (really 'Sango Kaku' but I call it her tree). It colors up completely different from the red leaved Japanese maple. This tree turns a pure golden yellow in my garden. It is magnificent backlit! See the red veining? A nice feature. You can just make out one of the fall blooming camellias in the background.

From In the Garden

And here it is! It is an unknown camellia along the northern side of the deck. It is slowly gaining more girth than height-kind of like me I guess; which is not good for me but great for the plant. Eventually it will grow to above the deck rail so that we can enjoy the blooms at eye level when we are on the deck.

From In the Garden

'Jean May' has no problem gaining height as this shrub is more of a tree than shrub. It has one main trunk and has grown phenomenally in the 8 or 9 years it has been growing in Tiger Gardens. I have posted on how I grow camellias here if you are interested in learning how I do it (besides good luck:). Be sure to click on 'camellias' on my sidebar label section for more informative posts on growing camellias from all of here at In the Garden. I'll tell you regular readers and bloggers, if you do not have a label link on your sidebar you are missing a ton of traffic. The labels are used quite often on this blog and I'm glad I have kept them up-many that there are though. I know when I visit blogs it is one feature I sure appreciate-more than any other feature on a blog.

From In the Garden

Here we are looking west along the Northside Shrub Border. The blueberries in the foreground have colored up beautifully and my yellow button mums are blooming in mass quantities. The color combo is nice and I sure appreciate these late blooming mums.

From In the Garden

More of the yellow button mums in the corner of the Northside Shrub Garden. I mainly show you this picture of the Amsonia hubrectii a favorite perennial for my garden. It is very drought and shade tolerant. The blooms come in the spring and are not so much to look at but the foliage is great! It has taken several years for it to reach this size but I think that is good since the root system has plenty of time to develop nicely. This plant is extremely drought tolerant. I have several smaller seedlings scattered around and I am so enamoured of this plant that I've begun spreading it around the rest of Tiger Gardens.

From In the Garden

Another shot of my 'Jean May' camellia. As I was peeking around the shrub looking for a good vantage point a few song sparrows were most worried about my presence so I decided to investigate further. I'm sure this nest is not used for eggs but more for roosting. The evergreen leaves of the camellias and other multiple shrubs in my garden provide a fantastic hiding and warming place for birds to roost during the long winter nights-and even during the day. I can usually find the birds in this tree since it is so close to my house and I can tell you all types of songbirds including cardinals have nested and lived in this tree. It is a wonderful habitat tree for a wildlife garden. If you do not have a lot of evergreens like camellias, arborvitae, viburnums, eleangnus, hollies, boxwoods, yews, and multiple other types-plant some now to provide shelter for birds....

From In the Garden

One last shot (fittingly it is an orange one like the opener) of one of the three crabapples in my garden. This tree was planted as a twig seven years ago and it has really taken off. The 'apples' are a light orange and provide some great color in the garden-not to mention the birds love these little apples. Crabapples-any kind of fruit tree actually-are also excellent habitat trees for wildlife....

in the garden....

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

Keeping Track of Japanese Maples and Other Acers

From In the Garden

My son Brian was visiting recently and he and a friend came up with an innovative way to keep track of some special trees in my garden. They got the idea to seal the leaves between wax paper. We felt the result was a real work of art all on its own and then I had the idea it would help me to keep track of the different Japanese maples and other special Acer trees in the garden. The above leaf collage belongs to my son but he made me my own collection of leaves which he and his friend labeled for me. Now I have a great resource for identifying these trees (besides the labels).

I never really compared the trees themselves or their differences before but just looking at the leaves you can clearly see differences. Some of my Japanese maples are named cultivars but most are simply red Japanese maple seedlings. The two cut leaf Japanese maple leaves (first and last leaves on the second row) pictured above are 'Tamukeyama' and 'Crimson Queen'. There is quite a difference between the leaves even though looking at them in the garden you can't tell the two cultivars apart. I am loving my new pictorial collection of Japanese maple leaves....

in the garden....

Do you have any tips for keeping track of your trees?

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

Voles Eat Japanese Maple

No one can say the voles around here don't have good taste when they decide to totally chew the roots off from one of my Japanese maples now can they? Grrrrrrr! I was wandering around a front garden when I came upon this maple laying on the ground. I immediately thought perhaps the wind knocked it over. No such luck. Upon investigating I discovered the roots had been chewed off. It had to have happened really quickly because this tree is in bud and still looked alive. Geez, what do you do when this happens? Drive on, gardening is like this sometimes.

In order to hopefully prevent anymore plants from suffering the same fate as the Japanese maple I went around to all the small trees and shrubs in the garden, moved all mulch away from the trunks, and stomped the ground down firmly. I found a few more shrubs with damage from voles as well as the Japanese maple. A prized fothergilla will most likely meet the same fate as the above Japanese maple but after packing dirt around it I am trying to be optimistic.

The population of voles in a garden is mind boggling and even with two cats outside, plenty of rodent eating birds and maybe a few snakes and rat poison, nothing seems to make a dent in the population here. The voles have to eat and they evidently spend the winter nibbling on roots all throughout the garden. This has been a bad year for them. Normally I don't lose any trees or shrubs and have only suffered major damage to perennials in the past. No such luck this year. But oh well, time to move on and forget all about it. Perhaps the voles didn't like the tree in its spot? Who knows. I guess they were very hungry. All I can do when I walk around the garden now is thank my lucky stars the voles didn't eat the very large trees because to see one of them fall might be a very bad thing....

in the garden....


Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team,

In the Garden

Winter Damage

By Skeeter The sun is shining in my Georgia Garden today! A perfect time to take inventory of any damage the weekend snow fall may have caused. Above is the picture of my favorite Azalea Bush weighted down with snow. As you can see, she is a tough girl as she is once again standing tall with no damage! The Azalea's in the woods, even though protected a bit from the trees above, had a white blanket on them as well. Now standing tall and proud! I was not too worried about the front planters as the Camellia and Japanese Maples are stout thus, looked as though they were holding their own. However, the Nandina was a mere blob under the heavy snow. Upright she stands today! The snow really did weigh heavy on the Nandina's and I just knew there would be damage. But no damage could be seen by my eyes! The branches of the bush are pretty flexible to say the least. The snow covered planters were really pretty covered in white. I am thrilled to see them happy in the shining sun today! The Butterfly Bushes were so full of snow they were lying on the ground as if dead for sure. But a few hours with warm sunshine on them, and they sprung back to life as well... Since we do not normally have such snow falls in our neck of the woods, we do not own a snow shovel. In order to keep the snow off the front walk way to the house which faces north, I was sweeping the snow off with a broom every 40 minutes or so. One time as I was sweeping I heard this awful snapping. I turned to see this tree fall into our yard. Yikes, good thing we postponed our planned Virginia trip over the long weekend. We now had work to tend instead of playing. Arggggg, it never ends around here... The snow continued to fall after the tree was lying on the ground. It was a pretty piece of art work made by nature but must not stay in place. This tree is always the first to drop her leaves in the fall. I do not think she was healthy for a long time. She was leaning really badly towards our yard. I have talked about this tree in the past. If you missed that Posting, Click HERE to see the Winged Elm's story. As you can see, the tree was practically uprooted. The Elm was sitting in a pool of water. Look at the puddle under the root ball. We have had excessive amounts of rain fall the past several months and this ares is where the rain drains or should I say does not drain properly like most of our backyard. The tree is actually over our back fence and belongs to the land owners behind our property. They do not have a house on this land as it belongs to nature for now. So we decided to not bother the land owner and remove the tree ourselves. It also knocked over the fence post so we will repair that as well. We spent the day cutting the smaller branches and twigs and relocating them to the brush pile. The yard is so soggy that we were making ruts in the ground with the wheel barrow. We have decided that since the tree is arched and not too much of her is touching the ground, that we will leave her be for now. We fear we will do more damage to the yard if we cut up large heavy logs with the ground being so fragile. We will wait until the yard dries a bit to remove her. Gee, that condo living is sure looking good right about now. hee hee... Lookie lookie what I spotted today! The first bloom on a Spirea! Also the trees are budding! And my most happiest moment was when I spotted this bud on a Daffy! I never have luck with daffodils returning for me so I am most excited to see this bud...
Here are some of my friends that were not bothered by the white stuff falling last Friday evening.

Over all, One tree lost but no more WINTER DAMAGE, In the Garden...

Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden