Water garden plans and sunroom update

There wasn't much opportunity for gardening this week. Rain has left the ground far too wet for work. So I spent my free time drawing a plan for the water garden that will occupy most of the front yard outside my sunroom.

Speaking of the sunroom, the walls are painted and the woodwork is stained. It's very pretty. Jerry is working today to finalize the wiring and install the lights and ceiling fans. And tomorrow the slate tile will be laid. Those tiles are really beautiful. The only thing that will be left then is cleaning and sealing the concrete floor. Yes, the delays have been painful and disappointing, but it's hard to complain with such a beautiful space just begging for plants.

Okay, now that I've gushed over the sunroom, back to plans for the water garden. Here it is. Outside dimensions, not including the waterfall (brown area), will be 10' X 12'. I've moved the pond out from the house to insure a good view when I'm seated at my desk. I may run the supply for the bog filter through the pond rather than around, but this is the basic layout.

I was excited to learn about bog filters just a couple of weeks ago. There was a large article in Reflections, the newsletter for the Water Garden Society of Greater Kansas City. Nelson Water Gardens in Katy, Texas, authored the article that illustrated several possible layouts and explained the construction. It's actually called a gravel bog filter. I love the concept because it allows for a more natural looking planted area. You see, the plants are placed, dirt and all, in 12" deep gravel partitioned off behind a permeable rock wall. The roots absorb waste to feed the plants. By doing so they filter and clean the pond water in a way that mimics nature. So rather than placing my bog plants in water, I can put them in the gravel where water is pumped in at their roots. If you're interested in more details about the concept go to the Nelson Water Gardens website.

My builder will dig the deepest part of the pond for me. It saves us some money on fill dirt needed around the foundation of the sunroom and will save me a lot of hard work. I'll dig the shallow shelf and use that dirt to make the outside edge level, because my front yard has a gentle slope south and east to the street. Then I'll have the liner and rocks delivered. I think this will keep me busy for a while. I'll make sure to share pictures. Stay tuned - but don't be shocked at the mess!

Needless to say, with the weather as wet as it has been, the digging will have to wait a few days. But, if our weather man has it right this time, there will be several dry days this week. Of course, it will rain again on Friday but a few days of sun will dry things out quickly.

I have a few more plans to put together, so the extra time isn't so bad. The crocuses don't seem to mind, either. They are blooming brightly near the mud puddle beside my front door. They keeping me smiling in spite of the mud just because they're pretty :-)

Common Dittany - that's what it was and here's how I found it

In a previous post I included this image of a plant I saw on my trip to Mount Nebo State Park in Arkansas. It was a small plant with these delicate little lavender flowers that I thought might be a nice native plant addition to my garden. I didn't recognize it from my plant studies in college, so I've been keeping an eye out as I research native plants on various websites. Well, I finally found it while cross referencing the wildflowers available at Missouri Wildflower Nursery in Jefferson City. Here's a link to the plant profile on the USDA plants site http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CUOR. I found another even better description on this site http://www.missouriplants.com/Blueopp/Cunila_origanoides_page.html. This plant has an added benefit of producing frost flowers in the fall. That would be interesting!

I've added links to the Missouri Wildflower Nursery, USDA's plant profile search, and the Missouri Plants site to my links list. These seem to be the sites I've used the most in my recent research. I've had literally hours of fun browsing these sites.

Progress toward Spring

There's nothing wrong with being so close to nature that your moods swing with the weather. Is there? I read in another blog I follow that it might not be healthy, but I think just the opposite. I love the outdoors and spring is one of my 3 favorite seasons. Winter is the only one I struggle to enjoy. Although occasionally it does provide glistening beauty that stops me in my rush to get on with life. Frozen mornings like this one last week is an example. Sparkling crystals hung everywhere as the sun rose and it looked like an ice garden :-)

The snow has nearly melted now bringing muddy tracks into the house and new birds in the garden. We have robins year-round, but this week
I saw my first robin in the yard picking through the wet leaves looking for, and finding, worms. With highs in the 40s we are still below normal, but that hasn't stopped the bulbs or the birds. The cardinals, chickadees, and titmice are calling loudly, determined to set up territories and begin nesting. In spite of the cold and mud being out in the yard is a treat for my ears.

This weekend I built a prototype for my benches that will be placed under the windows in the sunroom. My sunroom, which will be my haven next winter, is still in progress. But in a couple of weeks I should be able to begin moving plants into their new home. I'll need to have the benches ready to raise the smaller plants up to the light. Last week I found commercially built "light stands" that were pretty pricey and too tall for my purpose. So I came up with a plan that would fit perfectly and give me space for starting seeds next winter. This bench, including the trays and light bulbs for the fluorescent fixture cost a little less than $60 to build. It measures 22"H X 52"W X 12"D. The fixture uses 2 T-8 bulbs and can be adjusted to hang at different levels as seedlings grow. The wood will be stained and sealed to match the trim in the room, so it will eventually be a little prettier and water resistant.

As I wait for the construction to be completed and spring to officially arrive, I've been planning and gathering information like crazy. The Metropolitan Lawn and Garden show left me with information overload. My challenge right now is to focus on some realistic goals for my new garden. The area just outside the sunroom, the front yard, is just mud. I think that's where I'll start.

My first newsletter from the Water Garden Society gave me a great solution for the pond that will occupy the front yard. This issue had a large article about gravel bog filters. I had been trying to figure out how to make a more natural edge to my pond and how to configure the filter. This is the solution I've been looking for. Now I just have to decide what type of layout to use. The pond will be roughly dug by my builder. He has agreed to use the dirt from the pond to fill around the sunroom foundation rather than having new dirt brought in. Cross your fingers that the digging happens before the spring rain begins!

The pond should take up most of my time and energy this spring, but the rest of the year will allow time for observing what surprises are hiding in my sleepy new garden. I am already anxious to see what flowers will top the hundreds of bulbs I see sprouting in the overgrown garden spaces. Everything is in sore need of tending, trimming, dividing, and mulching. So I will probably have no need of new projects. But my list of native shrubs is growing and the hedge row at the back of my property looks in need of some serious attention. The road just beyond is clearly visible through the spindly Althea that has self seeded in the shade under the walnut, box elder, redbud, pines, and other shrubs. That may be a worthy effort before next winter.

I guess in spite of my distaste for the cold and uninviting winter, the time it gives me for dreaming about the fun I'll have outside is a gift. And the occasional beautiful sunrise is admittedly uplifting even for this seasonally sour gardener :-)

Cooped Up

Okay, like all the other gardeners out there I'm battling cabin fever. Luckily I've had some opportunities to get out recently. And that's kept me somewhat sane but still grumpy and unfocused. As usual, my rambling weekend thoughts turn to plants and plans for my new garden.

There have been several days lately when the streets were clear enough for my pre-dawn jog and yesterday the snow was melted completely. So I took time to explore a little of the woods around the lake to spy likely spots for finding native spring plants. There was a lot of evidence of deer, but no spring plants sprouting yet. I think I have about 2 more weeks to wait. That is, if the sun would come out to warm the ground.

As I explored the muddy ground there were some encouraging signs of things to come in my own little patch of woods. I saw some bulbs beginning to sprout. Late last fall I planted a few crocus bulbs that I dug up from my old house. Knowing how silly I look with my binoculars searching the ground for signs of their flowers, I planted them very close to the walkway that leads to the new front door in my sunroom. Two have spiky leaves showing already. They need a little more mulch, I think, because in one or two cases, they have been trampled by our builder. I'm hoping the freezing rain and snow falling today will protect them. Neither the builder nor the workers he contracts to help seem to notice what's planted under their feet.

Today the weather is dreadful and luckily I'm forced to stay inside and finalize plans for my new growing space. The sunroom is now open to the house because the former entry to our home was removed. Jerry and I are experimenting with balancing the different heating systems in the two spaces. Even with no sun, the space is bright, warm, and open. I'm sure it won't seem as spacious when it's filled with my plants. But, for now, it's an echoing cavernous room. Just standing in it makes me smile :-)

My plans for my "benches" to lift plants up to the windows and for starting plants next winter are almost complete. I did some research and found this light stand on Harris Seeds' website (www.harrissseeds.com). I'm using it as a model for my bench design. As you can see the light fixtures here are adjustable rather than the shelf as I had originally planned. And in looking at fluorescent fixtures, I think making the fixture adjustable will be simple as they come with chains for hanging.

My benches will be wooden instead of aluminum like this one, and they will have only one fixture. The "shelf" on the bottom will actually be a frame into which I can drop 2 trays like those shown here. Only mine will position the trays end-to-end instead of side-to-side. The light fixture will be suspended from the bottom of a similar structure 20 inches above the bottom shelf. I will drop trays into that top structure and sit potted plants in them. I should be able to build one bench before I post again next week. I'll take a picture to share.

There's a good possibility that painting and staining will begin in the sunroom next week. So my space is almost done. I think in two, maybe three, weeks my large tropical plants can move into the new room.

They are suffering like me from the close quarters imposed by winter cold. In their current crowded condition watering them is difficult because I have to crawl on my hands and knees to reach the smaller pots. As a result a bout with scale has resulted in some serious pruning of one plant and the total destruction of another. I hate killing plants, but I haven't found a way to curb the infestation on a beautiful gardenia my husband gave me several years ago. It's huge, but it had to go before every plant around it became infected. If it survives in the garage, perhaps I can revive it next year outdoors where I'll be free to spray it with dreaded chemicals. But I would be surprised if it makes it until spring. Yuk.

I'll be glad when my space is done. Even if spring hasn't come, the sunroom will make those last days of winter easier to bear. I'm sending encouraging thoughts to my builder and I won't even mention my trampled bulbs. I'll just grit my teeth and put down mulch... and draw an occasional calming breath... and meditate a little. "Oohhmmm...ohm..."

Indulging my flower fetish- KC Metro Lawn & Garden show

What a fabulous way to spend Valentine's day! At the invitation of my husband I visited the KC Metropolitan Lawn and Garden show. Of course, being an introvert and near-recluse, it wasn't easy to drag myself out on the last day of my stay-at-home weekend time. But, I'm so glad I did. Running into plant freaks like myself around every corner was pretty thrilling and enlightening.

My favorite exhibitor was the Orchid Society of Greater Kansas City. Oh my gosh! This is the closest I come to being like a kid in a candy store. I can't believe what a weirdo I am, but my heart beats faster in my chest just thinking about all the flowers. My little Phalaenopsis has been in my home for 6 or 7 years and has only bloomed 4 times, but maybe with a little more education, I can have more of this kind of eye candy in my sunroom next winter. In any case, I'm hooked for now. They'll have my membership money soon. Even if I never attend a meeting, it's great to know there is a community of people who have a freakish attraction to plants similar to mine. I don't mind supporting their fetish at all. Giddy? Yes, I think that's exactly how I feel about it. I mean, there was even a guy who likes our native lady slipper orchids!

Here's another photo just for fun. It's a tree covered with orchids. There are also some little balls covered with Tillandsia bromeliads. One of those little "air plants" was my only purchase today, by the way. The guy selling the little plants had a great booth inside the door and sold the "pups" for $3 or $4. They don't even need a pot or soil; just a bi-monthly soak to keep them growing. I'm thinking I can grow those on the interior wall of my sunroom. There would be plenty of room for a collection if I get good at it.

A close second favorite exhibit was the Water Garden Society of Greater Kansas City. In their case, it wasn't the display that impressed me as much as the person with whom I spoke. Maurice was great. He told me about all the projects the Water Garden Society has in the community, particularly in conjunction with schools. The organization does so much to share the love of gardens, plants, and the outdoors with children. It's good to know there are so many doing good work out there. I talked with Maurice about my intention to build a larger pond just outside my sunroom near the entry to my home. The edges, just outside of the pond liner, are usually dry, but I have been mulling over how to create a bog garden near the edge. Maurice suggested I let an area spill over and discussed the way to flip the liner out rather than in to allow water to fill the space occasionally. I was hoping that would work. Since my pond has yet to be dug, I think this is the perfect time to get to know this group. They will be getting a membership application from me as soon as I have time to fill out the paper. Maurice says I'll get a discount at the House of Rocks with my membership. That should come in handy. Rocks aren't easy to come by or cheap. And I'll need a lot of those for my pond.

Maurice, and you guys at the Orchid Society exhibit, thanks so much for sharing your time with me. I had a great time. You really made a cold day in February fun :-)

Winter drags on - Sunroom is a bright spot

After last weekend's busy household happenings this weekend has brought lots of time for happily pondering progress on my winter workspace. The sunroom now has a door, all it's windows, and insulation. And Jerry, my fabulously handy husband, hooked up the radiant heating system he installed in the floor.

Radiant heat feels very different from the forced air heat in the rest of the house. The thermostat that will run the pump for the hot water hasn't been connected yet, so last night Jerry connected the pump directly and let it run for about 4 hours to try it out. Before we turned it off for the night, the air temperature in the room rose from the low 40s to near 60 while the temperature on the concrete slab floor reached about 68. It felt very comfortable. That was rather amazing considering that same temperature might be a little chilly with forced air heat. The temperature shift in the room was slow, I believe, because the slab loses heat very slowly. My plants should thrive in the gentle warmth at their roots. Kudos to Jerry for coming up with the idea and for seeing it through :-)

I'm looking forward to moving into the new space soon, and so thoughts have turned to how to use the space efficiently. As you can see the windows are about 2 1/2 feet above the floor providing very little light to plants sitting under them. So I am designing narrow, movable benches on which plants can sit just below the window. They need to be low enough that the plants sitting on them will not further shade the floor yet high enough that the plants can capture a little sunlight. I think about 20 inches high will work well. On the underside of the bench will be a fluorescent light fixture to light an adjustable shelf. The electrician has installed outlets beneath each window so I'll have power. I hope to start plants under the benches next winter. I think 4 benches should be enough to span the two 9-foot windows and adequate space for several flats of seedlings. I've never had space for starting plants. Learning how to do it and tending the seedlings as they develop should provide some happy distraction while waiting for spring in the years to come.

For this year, I'll have to suffice with watching my sunroom develop. In spite of the fact that most of the work is not mine, I am enjoying the progress. It's a lot like watching a scrawny perennial planted in the fall sprout from the ground the next spring and become the beauty you hoped it would be. In fact, as I see this room grow into being it's almost exactly that same thankful, full-in-your-chest, wide-eyed feeling I get when I discover a plant is about to bloom - like I've discovered treasure. It's an odd, but welcome, feeling this time of year for a gardener.

My Garden is Overwhelmed

I discovered over the weekend that my life can be overwhelmed by stuff just like my garden. And when that happens I feel surrounded by weeds and helpless to change it.

Most of us gardeners, I think, derive a great deal of pleasure from weeding and tending their garden if only because we love the time spent alone with the outdoors. Some may think the payoff and joy is all in the admiration of the beautiful, weed-free garden when the work is done, and that is definitely a big part. But, for me, the time outside is the best part. The tending to details is restful and gradually I find I've created a sanctuary. Well my weekend was anything but restful. My home didn't feel like a sanctuary. It was totally overwhelmed by weeds in the form of laundry and broken desks and an unfinished sunroom.

My sunroom-to-be is the intended winter home of all the tropical and other non-hardy plants I have always over-wintered in my home. Given that winter is nearly half-way through and my sunny indoor garden is not yet built, there is one plant that couldn't fit in the house and that is suffering from a winter in my garage. My practical sense tells me my beautiful spider lilies will come back as soon as they are moved indoors or out into spring air when it arrives. But the creator in me is mourning the loss of the beauty I've enjoyed for several years. The bulbs were a gift from my sister-in-law in Mississippi. She leaves them in her garden over the winter and they come back every year. But having tried that and destroyed a few in my garden, I know they aren't hardy here in Missouri. The last two winters I've kept mine inside in a warm sunny place and they thrive, keeping their strap-like leaves all winter and producing these lovely flowers in July and August.

They look very sad now. Although I have kept them from freezing badly, I can tell they have suffered from the cold. There are very few green leaves left. I'm not sure how much they need the food their winter leaves provide, but it certainly seemed to have paid off last year as they bloomed profusely. With any luck my sunroom will be done before the last frost and their bulbs can get a jump-start before I set their pots outside. It's so difficult to see them looking so very dead. But maybe a winter's rest will actually do them good and this summer they will out-shine their previous performance :-) Can you tell I'm trying to reassure myself?

As for the broken desk and the laundry - they, of course, were tended to. I spent most of my Sunday dismantling my teenage son's old desk, shopping for a new desk, then assembling the new furniture and rearranging his room. Of course, the newly folded laundry has yet to make it into his well-positioned dresser. But somehow it eventually gets done and we all seem to get what we need to thrive.

And that includes mom writing in her blog - even if it is a day late :-)

Time for planning and dreaming

I received a back issue of Horticulture magazine this week and it's got me thinking of more native plants to include in my garden this season. As I mentioned in my last post, that first break in winter came early this year and began my annual impatience for spring. Lucky for me, the arrival of this fun magazine reminded me of how much planning I have to do and now I'm thankful for a little down time.

Horticulture's December 2009/January 2010 issue is the one that arrived yesterday. You might be asking, why now, since I've already received the February/March edition? Well, there was a subscription snafu because I moved. Now I am up-to-date.

This issue includes a fine article on native plants from all US states, plus Washington, DC. Plant habitats don't honor state boundaries, so many of the selections are also suitable for my zone 5 garden in suburban Kansas City. I will be looking for these plants on the private open areas around the lake, as well as in my local nurseries, to see if there are specimens I could collect. Take a look at the magazine's website www.hortmag.com. There you'll find suggestions in a tab called "Plants We Love" along with photos.

Another great reference I use to learn about plants that are suitable for gardens I'll be creating is the Missouri Botanical Garden's Plants of Merit webpage: www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Merit.
It's a great place to browse. The entries for specific plants explain whether the plant is a Missouri native and provide a lot of information about the plant's environmental requirements. I like the Plants of Merit in particular because these plants have performed well. The "emeritus" list is very long and provides hours of entertainment - great for those days when weather makes going outside a dreadful chore.

I've also just purchased my first landscape design software: Punch Home & Landscape Design Studio for Mac. It's the most inexpensive program I could find for my Mac. Since mine won't be a money-making endeavor (at least not for a long while), I don't want to spend a lot. I've never actually created visuals of my garden plans. It's all been in my head prior to it's existence in reality. So I'm looking forward to being able to see a preview of my ideas before actually implementing them.

Hopefully in next week's post I can show you my first plan. :-)

A Winter Flower Fix

There is a thaw afoot. My dormant lawn shows through in patches throughout the snow that was solid white just a few days ago. Moisture is everywhere. There is water dripping in the downspouts and for the moment the air smells of spring. This is my signal to start impatient foot-tapping and searching from my windows with binoculars for sprouting crocus or buds on the trees. I know, it's still only January. Winter still has time to freeze everything solid several more times. But that won't matter. I want to be the first to spy the signs of life. My new neighbors, I'm sure, will think I'm spying in their windows :-)

As I wait for my sunroom to be constructed, the plants crammed into my living room provide a helpful flower fix.

A peek over the back of my loveseat gives me this shocking splash of bright pink. The tiny non-hardy azalea my husband gave me for my birthday 3 years ago has struggled to survive. But, this year, on the floor next to the wall of windows in my living room, it has exploded with blooms for weeks. It's thriving.

This summer it will get a bigger pot and a nice spot next to the pond (that, like the sunroom, doesn't exist yet).

My new house has also been a good thing for my African violet. Next to the east-facing windows it has bloomed continuously this winter. I can't complain about the beauty its purple blooms have always added to my home. But I am a little anxious about repotting this large plant. As you can see it's large stem has tumbled over the edge of the pot. It's almost so heavy on one side that it tips the pot. In addition, several new plants have sprouted from the stem's base. This plant is the result of repotting last summer to put the plant back in the center and to separate several sprouts. I think this is the old main plant and that all the sprouts I tried to separate died. I'll cross my fingers that I end up with at least one plant like this one again. With a little luck maybe I'll have sprouts survive that I can give away, too.

I think I should add another violet of a different color for next winter. I'll have more room in the sunroom. Hmmm - does this mean I'm addicted? :-)

Follow me

I've added a new gadget to my blog. Now you can follow my ramblings by clicking on the "Follow" link to the right. So if you like reading my weekly entries, please follow me. That way, I'll know who shares my interests and have an opportunity to read similar, or even very different, blogs. I'm looking forward to finding some other garden ramblers out there.  :-)

Thoughts about winter and tough little birds

Well, winter has made an big show this year. Missouri can be brown and unpredictably mild or frigid. But this year it's been very predictable: unrelenting cold and snow.

We returned from our trip to Mississippi the day after Christmas to find a winter storm had dumped about 8 inches of snow on the Kansas City area. The temperatures weren't too bad, so it was nice to get outside the next day to shovel the driveway and listen to the birds. - Good to be home.

The next week brought incredible cold to the area and more snow. The birds flocked to the feeders outside my dining room. I've counted at least 6 male cardinals and groups of 5 titmice and 5 chickadees at the same time. This photo shows a cardinal in the big burr oak next to the deck and a pink house finch on the feeder. The snow was light but constant the entire day.

Even though it's been at least a decade since we've seen it, our Zone 5 is known to drop down to -10 or -20. The forecast high for today was 0º F. with sunny skies. The sun made the snow clinging to the trees and branches even more beautiful.

As I look out my windows, there are so many reasons to be thankful for the gardener who lived here before me. The purple coneflowers that I left standing attract goldfinches and juncos, but I have seen as many as three cardinals sitting in the plum tree as others forage among the seedheads

Today I watched as a streak of electric blue stopped in that rather scraggly plum. It was a female eastern bluebird. A few minutes later she flew to the pine trees and a male landed in her place. After reading in the Missouri Conservationist that these birds don't tolerate our coldest temperatures well, I was worried to see them out in this weather. I'm hopeful they found food to fuel them at my feeders. These spruce trees at the northwest corner of my home as well as the pines planted nearby should also provide some shelter in these coldest of days. And again I am thankful to the person who thought to position them so well.
The windows on that end of the house look out right into those trees and occasionally I'm given a closeup view of the ever-present cardinals. On the west side of the house is an overgrown forsythia that's as tall as the house. I watch the birds as they forage among the buds and wonder what it is they seek. I can hear them peeping as they congregate in what must be a favorite spot.

This morning I heard another bird that has a distinctive call - a white-throated sparrow. As I watched from one window, then the next, I finally caught sight of the little brown bird. It looks much like those very common, but not native, house sparrows. But this bird is native, at least in winter, in our area. unlike the house sparrow, the white throated sparrow has a white throat and a black and white striped cap. The distinctive call is a high thin whistle, with two notes followed by a series of 3 quick notes repeated 3 times. It sounds a little like, "old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody," or I've also seen it written as "pure sweet Canada Canada Canada." Either way works and even if it's not the entire phrase just a few notes will make me stop to look for the source.

Well, the sun is out today and it's still cold. But looking out my front door I see an encouraging future - my sunroom in progress :-)

Even though I had intended this as a sunny spot for birdwatching this winter, it seems obvious that the person here before created a solution for me with wonderful trees that bring the birds close. But next year this will be my spot, I think. My huge ficus and Norfolk pine will have plenty of light and space to grow. And I will have a happy, sunny place to enjoy a few tropical blooms and even more of the hardy little birds that seem oblivious to temperatures that even the snow-lovers among us avoid.


Meanwhile, you have my admiration and appreciation little carolina wren. Thanks for your loud and cheerful song. I'll make sure to keep that feeder filled :-)

Beech trees in Mississippi

I spent Christmas in Vicksburg, MS, where my brother and his wife have 10 acres of woods. I was fascinated by these trees with terraced branches. They looked like dogwoods, but they were holding onto their leaves in December and had no flower buds.
These photos were taken on Christmas morning. It turns out that these are beech trees. I had heard of them and seen a few cultivated varieties planted around here, but, in the woods around my brother's house, they are native and plentiful.

Look at how ferns and moss seem to love the protected spots around the base of the trunk.
And isn't the bark pretty - a wonderful mottled pattern of light and dark grey.

I explored the woods a little more with my sister-in-law, Eileen. We hiked down to a small stream bed that had running water the evening before. The soil around Vicksburg is called loess. It erodes easily forming steep, sometimes vertical, inclines. The hills were somewhat softer in this little patch of woods. The plentiful, towering beech trees may help to hold the soil in place here. Perhaps eroded soil is what leads to the little gaps that appear at the base of the trees where the roots enter the ground. Whatever the cause, the result can be lovely.
Beneath one tree near the edge of the stream I saw this interesting fern. I did some research today and found out it's a Japanese Holly Fern (Cyrtomium fortunei), a non-native fern. According to the Hardy Fern Library link posted to the right, it would also grow well in Missouri.

The eroding of soil around the stream in most areas seemed well-controlled to my naive eyes. But, for Eileen, erosion is an issue she is working to control on her land. The stream had eroded a large amount of soil since she and my brother bought the land (about 10 years ago). That was evident as we neared a road where a culvert allowed water to pass underneath. The stream was several feet below the culvert and this beech tree with exposed roots stood nearby. It seems to be adapting to the situation and still stood straight and tall. I felt a little like I was looking under it's skirt. Maybe the roots will thicken at the bottom in years to come. I'll have to visit again and see what happens. I have a feeling this tree likes the spot it's in and won't move without a vigorous fight :-)

I returned from my holiday trip to find 8 inches of snow had fallen in the Kansas City area. It made my trip to Vicksburg seem even more exotic - and my holidays even happier.

I hope the holidays held wonder and happiness for you :-)

Slideshow of Mount Nebo trip

I've just added a slideshow to share the photos I took on my trip to Mount Nebo, Arkansas. This was in October. I know, I'm pretty slow to get it out here. This is new for me. There's a learning curve :-)

You'll see our cabin in the first photo. It was on the edge of the mountain with a beautiful view. We drove a short distance to Sunrise point the morning after we arrived. I tried to get a photo of the asters, but it was pretty dark. Then we hiked the Waterfall trail that started right next to our cabin. I photographed this small bush with little purple flowers. I haven't had any luck identifying it, yet, but it was pretty and seems to tolerate shade pretty well. It reminds me of something. I hope I figure it out soon. Near the bottom of the trail there was a rock fall of pink sandstone with these beautiful lichen rosettes. And shortly afterward I came across a lovely assortment of moss and lichen growing on the same, seemingly dry rocks.

My husband, Jerry, took a photo of me doing what I always do - plan. I'm looking at the trail map, trying to figure out where we are. The trails were enclosed by trees and much of my time was spent watching my step. But, at every break in the trees there were spectacular vistas and often at your feet would live these incredible mixtures of tiny plants. There were also these towering rock formations. I took a photo of Jerry looking up where I shot the "stack" photo.

The final morning of our trip we spent another sunrise at the point and I learned how all these plants could grow in such a "dry" place. As the sun cleared the horizon mist began to form. The trees appeared to breath out this moist air that the wind would carry up the mountain side. The light formed rainbows right below my feet. Before we started home, I hiked one last trail. It was flanked by gorgeous American Beautyberry that seemed to sprout from the stone. The mix of stone, pine needle, bark, and gravel trail, with the backlit trees in the mist reminds my of Japanese gardens. I'm already thinking of places on the east side of my home where a small garden might recreate that look.

Well, that's the Mt. Nebo trip. Goodbye little cabin.

Mt. Nebo, Arkansas

I just added the favorite photo and just thought I'd explain. Jerry and I took a trip in late October to Mt. Nebo State Park in Arkansas. It was beautiful. The park is at the top of a mountain (more like a huge mound) with cabins and a great hiking trails. I took this photo hiking the "rim trail" shortly after sunrise.
I'll post more when I have time. There were lots of native beautyberry bushes with purple fruits. I also saw asters and verbena and some fascinating moss and lichen. I photographed a few plants that I couldn't identify. I'll post about them soon.

My first post

This is just the beginning. Since I'm working today, I won't have much to share. But I want to tell you why I'm blogging.

I've been thinking about this new garden I inherited when I moved in late September. The house was built in 1967 by a couple who were teachers, Bob and Judy. Both of them have passed away and my husband and I bought the house from their son, Mark. It turns out that Bob was a master gardener. And, although the garden is overgrown, the evidence of his work is everywhere. I've already discovered some fun things that I am anxious to share.

Also, my previous home, as well as the one I now own, are in a lake community. To gain more garden space, I moved from a lake front lot to a fourth-tier, nearly 3/4 acre lot. Unfortunately, only lakefront owners can pump lake water to their gardens. So, in an effort to conserve water, I'll share what I learn about gardening with plants that require little water - like native perennials.