Bring Out Yer Dead! Plants

Here in the heat of midsummer, it has become apparent that various and assorted plants that were assumed to possibly still have a spark of life, are actually stone dead. Yup. It’s time to pull out those quitters and put some things in that will actually thrive! (We hope.)

My plan today was to do just that. Everywhere in the yard, orchard, garden, etc. However, as such plans tend to do, this one went a bit awry. I got sidetracked deadheading roses, chopping back catmint, weeding the front flowerbeds, and planting that one lone geranium that has somehow survived without watering in its pot since May. (See! Now THAT’S the kind of perseverance I want to see more of around here! Good job geranium. Props to you. You got a pot all to yourself just for that.)

So, for my own record-keeping, here’s a list of what I did, and what I still need to do.

Yanked Today 

Bonus! It was much easier to get all that grass out of there once the dead rose was gone.

• The dead English rose in the front fence flowerbed. It was supposed to be hardy to zone 4. Phhht. Tell me another one. It’s fellow got a stay of execution thanks to one live branch coming up, but only just. When you’re front and center, you gotta LIVE!

• Garden peas. These I don’t have as much rancor towards. It was just their time. The kids picked all remaining peas and ate them first—even the nasty old ones that I suggested throwing to the chickens. They would not be deterred. Better them than me, I guess!

Yummy peas. These were from a couple of weeks ago. Today’s were not nearly so delectable. Trust me.

I am toying with the idea of starting some peas now for fall. I have never attempted a fall crop of peas before, because usually by fall I’m ready to put the garden to bed. Have you done it? Do you recommend it? I really do love peas fresh from the garden, so maybe just maybe it would be worth the end of season work.

Okay, so there were only 2 today. Hey, 2 is better than none!

Headed for the Chopping Block

• The sweet cherry tree in the orchard. It was looking mostly great last year, until Attack of the Aphids happened. Then the grafted half died off completely. Then apparently the rest died, because that’s what it is now: dead all the way through. It’s right between the greenhouse and a rose bed back there, so once it’s gonzo, I think I’m going to put in a raised bed there or something.

We never even got any cherries from it—the cheapskate! Teasing us with the possibility of cherries, only to snatch that dream away. Four words for you, cherry tree: Goodbye and Good Riddance!

I still want cherries, so I am scouting out a different location for a new tree. Maybe somewhere in the front, across from my pie cherry tree. Also, no fancy grafted one this time. That tree was supposed to have 2 different varieties on it, but the trouble all started with the graft. Even before the aphids, there was a deep crack that had buggy webbing inside it, right at the point of the graft. That could not have been good.

 

• Apple tree. I tell you what, we can’t seem to keep our orchard trees alive for anything! We’ve lost one each year up until now, and this year we’ll be pulling out 2! It’s rough. Strangely, the tiny apple tree that’s pretty much been a deer buffet bar is the one that’s surviving. Weird.

 

• Sycamore out back. This one makes me sad. We had such high hopes for this tree. It was supposed to grow fast and be a climbing tree before all our kids were out of the house. We were also hoping for some shade for what will eventually be the back yard. We bought it big and it lived for…awhile. Nope. Not anymore. Done. Firewood. (SIGH)

Also, the front oval bed that looked amazing this spring is a mess right now. It needs some major help and attention. Mostly, I think, it needs some summer bloomers to fill in the gaps and help compete with the weeds. I’m thinking ‘Cheyenne Spirit’ echinacea, if I can find it this fall. Guillardia would work too. It’s got a few roses blooming, and the ninebark looks fantastic, but most of the rest is just an eyesore—to put it plainly. It is.

So round about next month I’m going to—what, you thought I was going to jump right on that this week? HA! I do not plant things in July. Not ever. Anymore. I have learned my lesson good and hard on that point. Do I seem like the kind of gardener that will baby something through a hot spell? Anything I planted this month would likely need to be watered a couple of times a day, even to survive. No thank you. Not doing that. I know myself well enough to know that it would not happen. So, like I was saying—mid to late August, early September. Target dates for planting a few more things. On it.

* * * * *

Now a break for Thoughts While Weeding:

I pulled up 2 goathead thorn plants in my vegetable garden today. I actually pulled up a couple of them yesterday, too. If I didn’t know what they were, boy would I have been fooled! They were not at the thorn-making stage yet, just a pretty little plant with tiny yellow flowers. There is no indication, at this stage, that the thorns these things produce will puncture bicycle tires, go straight through leather gloves and stick in the soles of your shoes, only to come off in the carpet later and cause serious damage.

Recognizing them for what they were, I immediately pounced on them and tore them out. They may not have gotten as high a priority if I didn’t know their true nature.

Is there something else in your life that is like that?

I’m going to just let you ponder on that for a moment.

Deep thoughts from the thick of the weed patch.

* * * * *

My son sold polished rocks, there on the left. I sold fork bugs, mixed bouquets, and a few vase arrangements.

Hmm..what else should I tell you? Oh, I did my first Farmer’s Market here in town last Saturday. It was a lot of fun! I sold a few things, got to hang out with my oldest son for a few hours, and met some nice people—some of them my neighbors! I even got 16 people to sign up for my email list. I had decided the day would be a success no matter how much I sold if I could get 10 signed up. Success! Now to get them added in to the computer. In fact, that may be the next thing on my list tonight.

Also, I met with my niece to walk about Wedding Flowers! So excited! She wants mostly silk flowers, except for her bouquet and groom’s bout, the table centerpieces, and the cake flowers. Since I haven’t done as much with fake flowers, it took some time to sit down and price things out. I did that, and got her estimate sent off, so whew! Even put in a preliminary order for some of the stuff I know I’ll need. The wedding is next month, so there’s not much time to lose! Her colors are going to be pink, blush, peach, and pops of coral and gold. It’s going to be so pretty!

p.s. I couldn’t bring myself to pay for fake carnations. The cheapest ones I could find, by the time I added on shipping, were still more expensive than real! My new plan is just to add in real carnations to the bridesmaids bouquets. I’m not sure how that will look, but it’s what I’m thinking.

So, how was your week?

Busy Planting

Just like the way you can have 15 books on hold at the library, then 10 come in all at once, all my planting chores have piled up this week! 

My big bulb order came in on Tuesday:

100 double narcissus (mixed varieties)

75 hyacinths (25 each of 3 kinds: 'Fondant,' 'Gyspy Queen,' and 'Pink Pearl')

100 Fritillaria meleagris (the checkered lily! can't wait for this one!)

50 anemone giant:  'Monarch de caen' mix

Plus, 10 Norway spruce and 2 lilac bushes from the Arbor Day Foundation.

I knew this was coming, so I was able to get a head start on weeding out the place for all those daffodils, at least! I put them along the left side of the garden.

I have peonies planted about 1 foot away from the fence and 3 feet apart in that area.

So I planted the daffodils in clumps of 10 (or so) in front of and between the peonies.

As I was digging the holes for them, I found a discouraging number of bindweed roots, but I got out as many as I could. I'm hoping the daffodils will help keep the weeds down along Peony Row.

In that same area, I FINALLY got the peonies planted that I got from my mom in August.

I don't know if they are even going to make it. 

There's still space for 2-3 more peonies on the end of the row closest to the lawn.

Probably room for 10 more on the far end--after I get it all weeded out and move the big logs next to the fence. My peony plan is to add some every year. They're expensive! 

They take 3 years to really start producing flowers for cutting, which feels like a long time to wait!

Today was a slightly warmer day (upper 40's), so I was able to get out there and do a little more planting. Not as much as I had hoped, frankly, because we couldn't get the little tiller going.

You see, my plan is to put the hyacinths along the back side of the greenhouse.

There was a small hill of dirt there from when my husband dug out the foundation for the greenhouse.

So I was able to remove that extra dirt and added a small amount of compost on top.

Then, while he was looking at the tiller and trying to fix it, I decided I had better keep going on the next things.

So I moved on to the 10 Norway spruce.

I put in 5 along the west-side fence, between the gravel and the back of the shed.

Assuming we can keep them alive (might be a big assumption), they should form a nice windbreak....eventually. They took a long time to plant, however, because I was digging out the weedy turf to make the holes. Then I brought in backfill from elsewhere in the yard (including the hyacinth hill), in hopes of not returning quite as many weed roots to the soil.

The other 5 I planted just 3-4 feet apart at the far end of the orchard. We don't really know where we want them to go permanently, but this will be a fine spot for them to grow for a year or two until we figure it out.

We have such a deer problem here that the next step was to put up some protection.We used our tomato cages, which didn't work at all for the tomatoes anyway this year, and flipped them upside down, securing them to the ground with extra long landscape staples.

Then we covered each cage with 1" hardware wire. Except that I estimated instead of measuring, so we were short on the hardware wire. By the time we got as many done as I had wire for, it was dark.

That was only 4 out of the 10. Yes. I was way off. 

So, assuming the other 6 last the weekend, I guess I will be going back to the store on Monday to get some more hardware wire. 

Never did get back to my hyacinth bulbs.

Oh well. I guess I'll have my work cut out for me on Monday, won't I?

After that it's just the checkered lilies, which are small and should go fast, and the 2 lilac bushes (which came as 2 tiny sticks--I have my doubts that they will actually grow.)

Last year we had our first big snowfall Nov. 16, so I can feel that clock ticking away.

Once I get these planted and get the garden tilled, I'll heave a sigh of relief and move on to other things!

Sycamore Tree

 We've got a new tree out back.

We wanted a shade tree that would be good for climbing someday.

The man at the nursery suggested a sycamore--they grow much faster than say, an oak.

He said with a sycamore, there's a chance our children will be able to climb it, rather than our grandchildren!

Exclamation London Planetree

Plantanus x acerifolia 'Morton Circle'

60' tall x 60' wide

Fall color--Yellow/Brown

It was a big hole to dig!

My husband and oldest son did the digging.

Luckily, the nursery delivered it all the way to the backyard, so we just had to drag it a few feet over to where it needed to go.

As the tree ages, the bark will peel off in spots, making the tree trunk mottled with different shades of brown and gray. It will also give us lots of leaves to rake in the fall--my oldest was excited about that! I'm looking forward to watching it grow.

p.s. Do you love those clouds in the background?

You know I do!

The Night Gardener, by Jonathan Auxier

I actually read this one, thinking it would go on my Middle Grade Halloweenish Books list, but it was quite a bit more scary than anything else on there, so it got booted to its own post. Also, I had a few more things to say about it, so I guess that worked out.

The Night Gardener: A Scary Story, by Jonathan Auxier

3 stars: Not my usual fare, but I liked it. Not going to read it to my kids at this point, though.

Molly and Kip are two orphan children, on their way to a new home. Molly has finangled her way into a place as maid and cook at Windsor manor house on its own little island.

However, once they get there (after many people have warned them away or refused to give them directions), they find that they're not really wanted. Molly will not let that deter her, though. This job was their last hope. She talks her way into it, with a few responsibilities on the side that Kip can manage, even with his crippled leg.

There's a huge tree that has roots and branches infiltrating right through the walls of the house, and she has seen a tall skinny man who looks like he's tending to the tree, but he only comes out at night. One frightening day she discovers that many of what she thought were branches sticking out of the trunk of the tree are actually the handles of weapons--swords, axes, and the like. Things just keep getting more strange.

They haven't been working there for long, when they notice some other odd things happening in the house. For one, not one of the family is well. They are all sickly and seem to be getting more so as time goes on. Also, something comes into the house at night. This... thing goes into every room, stops by every bed. Locked doors don't stop it. Pretty creepy.

Speaking of locked doors, there is one that Molly has been forbidden to open. The thing is, she finds a key that fits the lock. Before she really knows it, she too has been drawn into the thrall of the Tree. Like the others, what she receives is not free. The only question is--will any of them survive long enough to break away?

* * * * *
So you can see how creepy the cover is--perfect for the book, I would say. Black, twisty-branched tree with a shadowy figure interposed on it. Yikes! In this book, the tree is basically its own entity--The Tree. It is an Evil Tree, no doubt about that. The home that it has corrupted is not a cozy, safe place of pleasant dreams. Oh no. It is a place of nightmares and a slow leaching of a person's vitality and life (and interestingly enough, hair color.)

Auxier does a good job of building suspense, often by little revelations that turn something the children have never noticed before into something sinister and dark. There are plenty of heart-pounding moments, feeling trapped in various ways, being chased by the Night Gardener, and of course, a big climax. I appreciated the writing, particularly as it wove in the power of stories and storytelling to this narrative of the cursed Tree. I liked Molly and Kip, too. It was very well done.

That being said, this is not one I'm going to read to my kids right now. I am 90% sure it would give them nightmares. I think it would have freaked me out at their age. We don't read scary books at all, really. Suspenseful books sometimes, but not creepy, spine-tingling, don't look behind you! types like this one. Although, I recently read a quote to the effect that you should read your kids books like this, to present darkness in a more manageable form, and to show them that they can defeat the darkness.

While I can see some validity to that statement, I disagree with it overall. Yes, there are hard things that kids will learn about, and learning them in a safe home environment with mom or dad to talk it over with is the ideal. However. There will always be plenty of darkness in this world that they will come up against. I certainly don't need to be the one introducing it!

Reading a book can be a very immersive experience. I am always open to discussing the scary or hard things, but I don't think they need to read about them--i.e., experience them--to be aware. At least, not until they are old enough to process them a bit more objectively. Also, I'm the one they wake up in the middle of the night when they've had a bad dream. So, there is that.

My theory is that if they are filled with light and goodness, they will be able to handle the darkness in all of its forms--including closing the book or turning off the movie if it's something that's making them feel frightened or uncomfortable. You can't defeat darkness with more darkness--and knowledge of it can only go so far.  It takes light to overcome darkness.

Anyway...tangent over.

Content: 2 murders (off-stage, but characters hear screaming and see the blood afterword). For ages 12+.

My friend Amy over at Sunlit Pages recently reviewed this one, as well! So for another opinion, head on over there!

* * * * *
Okay, I'm ready for your thoughts and opinions! Talk to me about trees (evil or otherwise), this book, and reading scary books to your children on purpose. Ready, go!

On the Goodness of Trees vs. The Haunted Wood

We just got back from a short trip to Olympic National Park and the Quinalt Rain Forest in Western Washington. We saw some incredible trees!

Check out this moss-covered behometh!

[They were almost all moss-covered over there.]

We also got to see the World's Largest Sitka Spruce tree, which they estimate to be around 1000 years old. That's hard for my finite brain to wrap itself around.

I touched a tree that has been alive for 10 centuries. Wow.

We hiked in to see the World's Largest Western RedCedar, only to discover that it had fallen down.

(The trail had not been maintained, with 2 other substantial trees fallen across it in places.

Guess that could have been a clue!)

Another hiker told us that half of it split off 2 years ago, then the rest went last year.

Even in pieces, it was magnificent.

That's my two oldest up there--they somehow picked their way through the wreckage to take a seat in the crevice.

I love trees.

It all goes back to my childhood.... (HA!) Well, actually, I think it does. 

I lived in Barrow, Alaska for about 7 years, from age 10 until I graduated from High School.

Barrow is the northernmost town in North America. It is far, far above the treeline.

In other words, it is too darn cold for trees to grow up there!

(Okay, for you scientific sticklers, there is a species of dwarf Arctic willow that grows on the tundra--flat against the ground, and only about 2 feet long. Doesn't count!!) 

Barrow is surrounded by miles of tundra on one side and the Arctic Ocean on the other.

Some jokester had nailed a sign to an old telephone pole that read "Barrow National Forest."

Yep, that was about right.

Anyway. No trees in my daily life for quite a long stretch.

I remember when we would fly down to Fairbanks, which is blanketed in trees, and it was such a feast for our sore eyes! I may or may not have hugged a tree outside the airport at one point.

This deprivation may have contributed to my current love of trees (and gardening, come to think of it--there wasn't much of that to be had either.)

We all learned in Biology class at some point all the goodness that comes from trees.
I'm sure you know all the things.
So, all this to say that I find it fascinating when trees are portrayed as evil.

Many, many books take this approach, including The Night Gardener (review coming tomorrow!)

Think of the Whomping Willow in Harry Potter, the terrifying corrupted Wood in Uprooted, and all of the thousands of books about the dark, haunted, or scary woods.

So, what's up with that?

Is it just the "otherness" of forest life, with its nocturnal creatures and toothy predators?

The deep, dark shadows under those branches?

Why is this such a theme in literature?

I will admit, at one point last weekend, we were driving past some pine woods, where the trees were all quite close together. It was pitch black under there! You couldn't see in more than about 5 feet.

I certainly did not want to get out and explore it.

So...maybe just the physical darkness leads to a perception of otherworldly darkness, as well?

In The Night Gardener, part of what made the tree so sinister was that it was very, very old--there were hints that perhaps it was the original Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden, after the Fall.

There were also indications that many people had tried to cut down the tree and failed.

Again, in books it's usually the older part of the woods that is deemed unsafe.

So...great age = scary trees?

[Redwoods National park, 2015]

Again, completely opposite of my experiences.

As I mentioned in the beginning, old trees are particularly awe-inspiring to me.

Have you ever been to the Redwoods?

We went last year, to the Redwoods National Park in Northern California.

Amongst those giant trees, some of them hundreds of years old, there was a special--even sacred--feeling; even with all the manmade trails and such. 

I found myself getting emotional at times.

It was just amazing. I would go back in a heartbeat.

A tree planted in the wrong place might be annoying or even destructive, but that's not the tree's fault.
Wild trees....I just don't think they're scary.

I think they're awesome and interesting. 

What is your take on all of this?