Spring-ish

There is life out there, despite April being the sixth straight month of winter. I'm not exaggerating! Things began chilly and wet in November, and we've struggled to reach 50 degrees since then. Most days have been in the mid 40's, nights in the 30's. Plenty of snow and nearly daily rain. No wonder I'm drained and frankly, a little depressed. Soon I'm sure we'll flip the switch and it will be not only NOT winter but full-on summer, hot and dry, soil turning hard overnight. 

Okay. Sigh. Rant over. The reality is that it's turning into two seasons and it's beginning to impact my mental health. Thank goodness I still have the driving desire to go outside even in crummy weather for at least I still get some vitamin D. Anyhow, yes, gardening goes on, life on the farm goes on and I still take pictures of plants, so here's a look at Chickadee Gardens this week:

The sun came out for an hour or so; I was bedazzled.

Here's an Arctostaphylos 'Sentinel' and its weird, curly limbs.

A wider shot with the arcto on the left.

I have a love/hate relationship with this Douglas fir tree smack in the middle of it all. I love it in summer when it's 98 degrees and it provides a little relief. I love its beautiful shape and that it's a native tree to this region. I hate it most of the rest of the year for the millions of pinecones and needles it sheds, plus branches galore in storms. There has been an exceptional amount of tree litter the past two years, beginning just after Heat Dome in 2021. It hadn't been that bad before that stressful weather event. The birds love it, so it stays as long as it's healthy.

Dramatic lighting

Before: The meadow area has been a regular hang out for the wild birds. I leave it standing as long as possible, delaying clean up until the last minute. I've started cleaning it up now that it's April as hopefully all those perennials tucked in there will soon emerge and the light will do them good.

After: We had a nice hour or two without rain, an opportunity to clean this up. It will fill in quickly once the soil warms up (apologies for the shadows/lighting).

Arctostaphylos pumila, which usually blooms in February, has not bloomed yet. Still, it's lovely and sparrows have made it their home.

Erica 'Rosalie' is finally showing me its rich color. This too usually blooms like this in February, a full two months late this year.

A second Arctostaphylos 'Sentinel' that is smaller than the one pictured earlier but was planted earlier, too. Interesting. Also it's blooming more profusely. I wonder if they are both indeed the same plant now that I compare them.

Sedum spathulifolium 'Purpureum'

Jovibarba heuffelii (I think), I bought this years ago and never recorded its species. It sits in this little pot year after year. Perhaps I should divide it and plant some in the garden.

Native deciduous shrub osoberry, Oemleria cerasiformis, is one of the very earliest plants to bloom in late winter. It is just now getting going. It's a lovely multi-stemmed shrub, especially in hedgerows and for habitat gardens.

Carex conica 'Snowline' sends up its flowers this time of the year giving a spiky look which catches the light. This is such a useful little evergreen grass for part shade, it stays fairly small and gradually increases its size by growing in a larger clump. It doesn't run or set seed. It never complains about the weather, either (unlike yours truly).

Hacquetia epipactis (apologies for the fuzzy photo, it's in a lot of shade and wouldn't focus) is a sweet little woodland plant I bought as Joy Creek Nursery was closing with Maurice's recommendation. I'm thrilled to see it emerge and look forward to it growing in my garden.

Finally, my Garrya elliptica, silk tassel bush, has flowers. Hooray! Only a few but I'm thrilled. This large, evergreen native shrub is probably in too much shade to ever be a prolific bloomer, but it's happy otherwise so it stays.

Podophyllum 'Spotty Dotty' emerges which makes me happy. Our Podophyllum pleianthum, on the other hand, has no sign of life and I fear it died. Time will tell. FM is more hopeful, saying it's just really late.

Pachysanthum macrophyllum growing up through the Oxalis oregana. It's finally, in the last week or two, grown and bloomed. This is usually in bloom by February. The basal foliage is evergreen, however its new foliage in late winter freshen it up an add to its woodland charm, though the foliage is obscured in this example by the oxalis.

The moss is happy with the cool wet weather. I'm happy with the moss. Silver lining.

Edgeworthia chrysantha blooms made it through winter, a small miracle. Still a fairly immature plant in my garden, I look forward to a plethora of flowers as it ages.

Foliage of Asphodelus albus has been up for several weeks. Soon it will have spikes of white flowers a few feet tall. From the Mediterranean, it likes sun but will tolerate part shade. It goes summer dormant. From the Missouri Botanical Garden's website, an interesting bit of history: 

In Greek mythology, the asphodel flower (species decisions were not made in those days) was associated with mourning, the underworld and death. The souls of most deceased people went to Asphodel Fields which was the resting place for the mass of ordinary individuals who lived average lives. Asphodel was once believed to be a favorite food of the dead. In a more modern vein, Professor Snape informs Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone that powdered root of asphodel is an ingredient in a sleeping potion known as the Draught of Living Death. 

Good to know.

I realize this Spiraea thunbergii 'Ogon' is not much to look at but the remarkable thing is that when it loses its leaves in winter, almost immediately new ones appear. It has been at this stage for many weeks, so it wins the award for cheering me up and looking forward to the eventuality the weather will catch up and spring really will be here. Plus it's so forgiving, adapting to sun or shade and has fresh, teeny white flowers that are just beginning to bloom. In more sun its foliage takes on a golden cast and it really brightens up this corner of my garden.

Agave parryi ssp. parryi, one of a few in the garden. Even with excellent drainage and planted on a slope most of these have at least lower leaf problems, some have rotten leaves throughout. They will grow out of it when it warms up but it's been a brutal winter for agaves in general around here. I'm lucky, Portland friends had it much worse than we did.

Aaannnnd....cue the daffodils. Finally.

Helleborus foetidus flowers. I am excited to see seedlings at its base this spring, as I want to distribute this tough and lovely plant throughout my shade garden.

Yucca gloriosa 'Variegata' all look pretty good despite the weather. I think now that their trunks are getting to a certain size, they are far enough from the ground to avoid pathogens splashing up onto the leaves when it's really wet and cold. That's my theory.

Hooray, the Ribes sanguineum, whose flower buds have been tightly closed for six weeks, is opening up.

Now for some ugly bits caused by another super wet, long and cold winter. My Agave bracteosa has been pretty much spotless until this winter. I've since cleaned it up a bit and look forward to it (hopefully) recovering.

Grevillea 'Neil Bell' had a branch split at the trunk. It didn't rip apart, rather just leaned down. So, my experiment is to leave it be and see what happens. My first instinct was to cut it off but that would leave an open wound to try and heal in the worst weather, so I opted at the very least to leave it for protection until it warms up. Now, since the leaves are still healthy and it's blooming on both sections, I'll wait and see. I will report back in a few months.

I have two Fatsia japonica 'Spiders Web' - this one was more exposed to snow and looks terrible. The other smaller one is under the canopy of fir trees which I believe kept it fairly snow free (a light amount compared to this one). It looks beautiful. Hardiness is somewhat dependent on specific conditions within a garden, it seems. Plants are endlessly fascinating.

Most of my Rosemarinus 'Huntington Carpet' looks like this. Darn. I have to think about this one. Similar damage has occurred in the past which it grew out of. This feels worse, so I'm leaning towards removing them, but they're pretty established, so it would be a huge job. Plus, they just might bounce back.

OK, now onto FM chores. Here is my hero, hanging out with the hens. He lets them out of their (third of an acre, mind you) pen at least once a day to get some fresh grass in the orchard. You'll notice the attire, dressed for the Arctic. Yes, it's been that chilly here.

Hens! We're up to 18 these days and they keep us on our toes. And keep us in eggs, too. Hooray!

One of our Acer macrophyllum had a large branch break and get stuck in the canopy. FM managed to get it down safely, now I'm going to use the largest bit here, some 10' long, in the shade garden and plant ferns all over it. How cool is that?

He was able one dry-ish day to add these brick steps to a little slope that has been the source of potential injury for some time. Thank you, FM, I love it!

And the coolest thing is this! We got a cistern. Of course, we are going to make a shell of the same siding material our house is made of so it matches. It's 2500 gallons and is now officially hooked up to our downspout that handles runoff from the west side of this part of our home. 

We are super-excited for a little relief in the way of water for summer irrigation. It will take some time to pay for itself but it's something we've wanted to do for a long time, especially as it's only getting drier in the summer months. Makes sense to try and capture some of that winter runoff. Oh, and Annie is photobombing the shot for size reference. FM had to remove three rather large shrubs and a patch of asters to make room, but it's worth it. The shrubs were all replanted in other areas of the garden, more on that another day.

That's a wrap for this week at Chickadee Gardens. As always thank you so much for reading and commenting, we love hearing from you! Let's all collectively cross our fingers for kinder weather this spring. I'm ready.