2016-04-10 - Sunday - Plant Rescue and Re-Planting

Sunday I went on a native plant rescue with Project Idlewild. We rescue plants from impending construction sites. My friend Nick delineates wetlands before construction begins and knows where there are nice specimens of native plants that are going to be plowed under. Before that can happen we go in and rescue them to transplant into our yards. It's a win/win as the plants are rescued and native plants require almost no maintenance.

This was one of our objectives Sunday:
the cinnamon fern.

I have had some bags of top soil sitting on the edge of the driveway since last year. When I used them Sunday, I was surprised to find earthworms and moss inside the bags.

When I put down the landscape fabric I found a spider crawling across it. At first glance I thought it might have been a black widow based on its shape, but the abdomen was brown and distended with no hourglass underneath. I sent her on her way.

When I came home from Greensboro on Saturday evening I emptied the ice out of the cooler I took with me. It was in the cooler all day and didn't melt much. I often dump the ice in the flower beds outside the back door to let the plants have the water.

I knew it was cool overnight but I was astounded to find a bunch of the ice still in the flower bed at 1:00 pm the next day. It's a slow spring this year.

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2014-07-08 - Tuesday - Blood, sweat, and ferns

Tuesday I repaired the tiller, and luckily it was a quick fix.  I broke up the chunks from yesterday, added 400 lbs of topsoil and 4 bags of mushroom compost, and tilled it all in.

I planted the nandinas after chopping out several maple tree roots.  I had to work around the larger roots which were as thick as my arm.  I then planted the ferns from the plant rescue, and some lenten roses from friends.  Once that was done I top-dressed it with some partially composted hardwood mulch that has been in the yard for a couple of years.  Rich stuff.

The temperature was 78 F when I started and it was 93 F when I finished.  If we sweat out our toxins I believe I am currently toxin-free.

I'm sad to report that the dogwood did not make it.  I think I am just not supposed to have a dogwood tree.

While cooling down before heading inside, I snapped a photo of the callow lily by the raised garden beds and the boardwalk I put between the beds.  On Saturday I ripped an old section of dog eared fence to make the walk.

I really need to plant more of these.

The boardwalk to nowhere.

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2014-07-07 - Monday - Hard work and hazelnuts

On Sunday we made a plant rescue run, and got some more ferns and a dogwood.  Let's see if I can get this one to live.  On the right below are some dwarf nandinas that I purchased at a local greenhouse.  I am going to use the nandinas and ferns in the new flowerbeds by the porch, but first I have to till the soil up and amend it.

I have a small Mantis tiller that works great on many things, but rock-hard clay is not one of them.  I turned over the beds with a pitchfork and shovel which was no easy feat.  I planned on using the tiller to break up the chunks and mix in the amendments.  Unfortunately the primer bulb on the Mantis had cracked over the winter so I had to go get replacement parts.

I purchased 800 lbs of topsoil and six bags of mushroom compost to add to the clay, but I guess they will have to wait until tomorrow when I get the tiller back together.

My friend Nick gave me some hazelnuts a couple of years ago and they have really leapt this year.  They are a formidable size and two of the three are absolutely laden with nut clusters.  I have never seen so many nuts in each cluster before.  Unfortunately I have to wait for a month or more for them to ripen and last year the day the ripened the deer took all but two of them overnight.

I'm thinking about a temporary six foot fence...

The dogwood is pretty droopy.
Keep your fingers crossed.

Water break.

Finally!  This stuff is like concrete.

I'm using some of the old pavers to keep the soil in place
when it rains.  I ultimately want to get a couple of
nice rain barrels with planters on top.

The Mantis tiller
patiently waiting for parts.

Amendments.

Tuneage makes the job go easier.

Oh yeah, the grill came with a cover.

The hazelnuts are quite large.

Pods.

Lots of pods.

Lots of pods on each branch.

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2014-04-14 - Monday - New plants

I went on another plant rescue with Nic and Rick.  We got some new plants and some old standbys.  I believe Nic said the new ferns are "lady ferns".  We also took some May apples and some more Christmas ferns.  I am happy to report that so far they are all loving it in the new bed area I made for them.

One of the best things about growing native plants is that they require very little maintenance.

Christmas and lady ferns.

Lady fern.

May apples.

I just couldn't leave this
large group of  Christmas ferns.

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2013-01-13 Plant Rescue

On Sunday Nick, Rick, and I went on a plant rescue trip.  Project Idlewild is a non-profit that helps rescue native plants before the bulldozers come in for new development.

Sunday we were in a tranquil pine forest where I kept drifting off the task at hand to drink in the peace.  We dug out lots of Christmas ferns and had to lug them up quite a grade to the road.  Despite the hard work, it was a wonderful day to be out in the forest and I'm looking forward to going back.

Nick and Rick at the bottom of the grade.

Hauling in quite a catch.

 

My bundles.

Some spent puffballs on a stump.

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2009-05-28 Thursday Home and Clayworks

Thursday evening I put some more plants in the front yard. Some were rescued plants from Nick and some were from Grower's Outlet. We are creating quite a mixed bag out front. The coolest plants were the white ones that I got from Nick. They live in the deep woods on the roots of oak trees and completely lack chlorophyll. I hope they make it.

When I got to Clayworks I trimmed some more plates. After talking to Adrienne about my two-part pitchers she advised me to throw them as thin as possible. I decided to just try to throw some really thin forms and make pitchers later. Baby steps.

"Look Ma, no chlorophyll!"

"Us too!"

Their (hopefully) happy home.

The front natural area.

Maracas.

Trimmed plates.

Really thin pots.

2009-05-21 Thursday Clayworks

Thursday I got some more native plants from Nick. He is doing quite a rescue up in Huntersville. I did some clay work, but as usual I put everything away before I remembered to take any pictures.

One of Nick's rescued plants and
Nick working on carving his planters.