Posts Tagged: roses
Remnants
Last of His Kind
Today, I read a story about the death of a man who was the last member of an indigenous tribe in Brazil. This man “known as the “Man of the hole” had lived in complete isolation for the past twenty-six years on the Tanaru indigenous land, deep in the Brazilian Amazon in Rondonia state.” Source: CNN
This completes the genocide of this man’s tribe. “The rest of his tribe was wiped out by several attacks since the 1970s mainly from cattle ranchers and land grabbers.” Source: CNN
I do not suspect this story will make headline news but reading about this man’s lonely and tragic death related directly to the message I wanted to convey with what will eventually be a series of posts related to hoary vervain and the remnants of the once vast prairies of the Great Plains.
When It’s Gone, It’s Gone
I often wonder how many of my fellow humans experience the same amount of exhausting sadness as I do when it is learned that some living entity has either disappeared completely or is on the verge of doing so. Granted one species or another will naturally die out for whatever reason as part of natural selection. BUT – what bothers me is when the human species is directly responsible for the extinction of any living organism.
With our ever expanding numbers and our insatiable desire for things, precious land is cleared. Habitats for millions of other living things vanish. Entire ecosystems are destroyed. I could speak of rain forests, swamp land, or temperate forests, but this series of articles will focus on the quickly disappearing North American Prairie.
The Mesic Prairie Systems Have All But Disappeared
According to National Geographic, all but 1% (ONE PERCENT!) of the Great Plains’ original plants have been replaced by farmed grasses. Source: Rootwell.com
Imagine an area stretching from Canada, through the entire middle to western US and then down to Mexico covered in swaying grasses. Mixed in would be the purples, whites, pinks, yellows and reds of various wild flowers. The vast array of plant, insect and animal species that once made up the North American prairie ecosystems must have been (and to a lesser extent still is) astounding! Flowers such as alliums, milkweeds, spurges, partridge peas, coreopsis, prairie clovers, prairie blazing stars, penstemons, royal catchfly, cone flowers and of course vervain. That is just a small subset of the plants that can call a prairie their home. Not to mention the multitude of insects, invertebrates and other animals!
Royal Catchfly from my own garden. There IS a story associated with this plant and I will definitely be sharing said story in a future post.
Interlude:
During my time on earth I only ever wish to make things better for others and for our planet. This is why I garden. I often embark on many online journeys researching plants or the other amazing forms of life that call my garden home. During one of these journeys, I was fortunate enough to discover the Prairie Ecologist Blog by Chris Helzer of The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska. His work, his words and photographs are so inspiring. I consulted him for advice for this blog and Chris’s words will appear in one of the next installments. In the interim, because of his exceptional photography skills, I reached out and asked him if had an image I could use demonstrating a healthy prairie showing grasses and flowers. This is what he sent. Thank you so much Chris!
A very healthy and diverse prairie. Photo compliments of Chris Helzer of the Nebraska Nature Conservancy
Hoary Vervain, A Prairie Plant for Every Garden
In time, I may create articles on many of the plants mentioned above but for this series of articles, I want to focus on the many attributes of Hoary Vervain. There are several reasons for this. To learn more of my thoughts on this plant, please be sure to visit next month when I shall continue with Part II of this article series.
I wish to thank all of you once again most sincerely and humbly for taking the time to read my garden musings. I appreciate your presence. Until next time, I wish for you and yours the very best in health and all things. Many blessings.
As always, here are some current photos of the garden. Enjoy!
The amazing beauty of the swallowtail butterfly.
My corn patch with mountain mint in the foreground. The mint attracts the pollinators who in turn help pollinate the squash nearby. I will be creating a post on this later when I discuss my three sisters bed.
The beauty of an emerging sunflower.
Some say love, it is a flower and I am so in love with this beautiful pink rose.
The story behind this photo: A random seed blew in and attached itself to this dried flower stem. I just love the intricacy of the design.
The beautiful down of milkweed seeds
Mae’s Garden Rose
To garden is to share, love and pray. I will be sharing with you today a story about Mae’s Garden Rose.
Dear friends,
I wish to say thank you so kindly for being here and reading my continued garden musings. I sincerely appreciate it.
Since my last post, the work in the garden has been nonstop. Well, not quite so nonstop as it happened. The weather gracing this part of the country in late spring was nothing short of GLOURIOUS! Week after week I was waiting for our typical heavy spring snow but it was not to be… or so it seemed. In kind, the garden responded accordingly. Trees were leafing out in full force, blossoms on the apple trees, flower stems emerging on the irises and so on. It looked as if it would be the type of spring I would normally just dream of.
And then…
Friday, 20 May 2022
One Week Before Memorial Day
All that week I was paying close attention to the forecast and becoming more and more nervous and anxious about all the prognostications. The proposed temperatures for Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening started off at or below freezing and as the week progressed, the forecasted evening temperatures were colder and then colder (in the end the coldest it got was 26 one evening). The projected snow accumulation was climbing and climbing (in the end, we received over a foot of snow). As the storm approached that Friday the 20th, I said a little gardener’s prayer and just hoped for the best.
As the snow relentlessly fell, I went out and used a broom to shake snow from trees all Friday evening but in the end I still lost a couple limbs from the maple in front. The irises, flax and all the other emerging perennials that had stood proudly were now flat to the ground. The limbs from the nannyberry, serviceberry, lilacs, bush cherry and chokecherry were also flat to the ground.
Interlude: Let me say this about the chokecherry tree. It is native to this part of the country and all around my garden and beyond, many, MANY trees lost limbs. Ash, elms and so on all fell victim to this very heavy spring snow. And, yet most trees that happened to be native (my chokecherry included) were relatively unscathed. Once the snow began to melt, the tree bounced back to life. I mention this because it directly relates to one of my core gardening principals — grow native as much as possible
Within days, the weather returned to normal and the snow disappeared almost as rapidly as it arrived. And, now, today, one month later, all is mostly fine. Well, now, we have a newer problem ironically enough and that is not having enough moisture. Oh! To be a gardener! Moving on…
A Day to Make the Previous Days Better
A couple weeks ago, I received some concerning health news. I will not go into details right now but suffice to say, I have been thinking a lot about what is truly important in life. Not that I did not do this prior but when one’s health is not optimal, those thoughts not only deepen but tend to become more prevalent.
That aside, I typically wait to turn my irrigation back on either the first or second week of June. As it happened, the person who was meant to help me with this along with fixing a severed sprinkler line was not available to help. Not wanting to prolong the ability to irrigate the garden, a friend who helps me with my seasonal landscaping needs came over to help.
When we turned on the water, we were greeted by spraying water from a large crack in the pipe, and this abruptly concluded the process of turning on the water. I called the company who blew out the sprinkler lines last autumn and explained what was happening. Bear in mind, I was already having a very challenging time mentally and this was really the last thing I wanted to be dealing with.
Let me pause for a moment…
Before I continue, I want to mention the company that helps me with all my sprinkler needs – Castle Rock Sprinkler Service. If you live in the Castle Rock area of Colorado and need help with anything related to your sprinkler or more, I promise you this company is the VERY best of the best.
Meeting John the Owner of Castle Rock Sprinkler
As mentioned already, I called the company who blew out my sprinkler lines for help with this cracked pipe. I was patched through to the owner John who asked I send a photo of the problem. I did that and he replied with a text of “I am on my way”. What a blessing!
When John arrived, he complimented me on my garden. He then shared a photo of one of the most exquisite yellow roses I have ever seen. This rose has been growing in his grandmother Mae’s garden in South Dakota for well over a century. Though no one in John’s family lives there anymore, this rose remains. I have always wanted to make a road trip to South Dakota and I mentioned I would love to set forth on a journey to view this rose. It will bloom again in late May so I am hoping I can make the trip next year.
Mae’s Garden Rose
John got to work on repairing my pipe and as lunchtime was growing near, I asked if I could make him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He agreed. Lunch made, we sat and took a few moments to breathe in the beauty of my garden. We talked more and as John shared memories about his grandparents and their beautiful garden that included this magnificent rose, I sensed the love not only for those days past when his grandparents were still alive but also of their garden and subsequently all gardens.
To Share, To Love and To Pray
We gardeners are a very special lot. Our love of the earth and what we can grow in said earth allows us to typically overcome the challenges nature and life tend to throw at us. One year I will have apples at the end of the season because there was not a late freeze. Most years, I will not. Bugs, rodents, gusty wind, cold, heat, drought, hail, weeds (some not all), etc. can dampen the spirits of even the most optimistic gardening soul.
Through it all though, we persevere. We love, we share and we pray. Just last week, I met John, a kindred spirit who loves to garden, and all that nature provides just as much as I do. We shared our love for what we humans can make out of a bit of earth. I shared some of my tomato, basil and thyme plants along with some seeds. John shared his love for not only his garden but also the garden belonging to his grandparents. And, for the love of Mae’s Garden Rose.
Thank you, John. Thank you for a day that bolstered my spirits and reminded me of the beauty that is everywhere around us.
In Closing And For Next Time
In the next installment, I promise to share the new varieties of penstemon I added to the garden this year along with all my other little projects.
I wish to thank all of you once again most sincerely and humbly for taking the time to read my garden musings. I appreciate your presence. Until next time, I wish for you and yours the very best in health and all things. Many blessings.
As always, here are some current photos of the garden. Enjoy!
Siberian Wallflower
Western Spiderwort, beautiful Colorado native
Lacy Phacelia, the very best plant to attract native bees.
Wild yellow rose… Originated from a very old rose from Riverside Cemetery in Denver, Colorado
Raspberries! I will have a decent harvest. How many will I get after the robins find them?
Lacy phacelia with our native bumblebee.
My Winter Garden
Sitting Outside on a Sunny, Mild Day
The wind blows gently but steadily throughout my winter garden. The chimes provide the melody while the swaying dried grasses create the chorus. There are still leaves blowing about the lawn and the patio seeking a home for the remainder of the winter. I leave them wherever they end up. They will hopefully find some place nice to settle in, sleep and transform. As they decay, they will provide much needed nutrients for the worms within the earth allowing for the cycle of life to complete. All summer they cleaned the air I breathe. Bits of flowing green gathering carbon, singing and dancing allowing the odd insect to have a nibble now and again. As the days grew shorter and the nights cooler, the roots sent the signal to the trunk who sent a signal to the leaves – it is time for rest. The leaves responded. Now, there are only a few clinging dried leaves on the trees but that will change.
It is days like today where I feel the pull to garden a bit stronger than usual. It got up to 65 today and I took a leisurely stroll through the entire garden. If Alice Morse Earle were here, she would be absolutely delighted by the viola blooms. I have two of them if you can believe it! Not to mention, there is a snap dragon beneath the cluster of aspens near the house that still has green leaves. How inspiring nature can be with her tenacity and fortitude.
Winter Snapdragons
First viola tricolors of 2017
Winter viola tricolor
Interlude from Old Time Gardens
I wanted to include this segment from Alice’s book “Old Time Gardens”. The words are so wonderful and beautifully characterizes this humble little plant.
For several years the first blossom of the new year in our garden was neither the Snowdrop nor Crocus, but the Ladies’ Delight, that laughing, speaking little garden face, which is not really a spring flower, it is a stray from summer; but it is such a shrewd, intelligent little creature that it readily found that spring was here ere man or other flowers knew it. This dear little primitive of the Pansy tribe has become wonderfully scarce save in cherished old gardens like those of Salem, where I saw this year a space thirty feet long and several feet wide, under flowering shrubs and bushes, wholly covered with the everyday, homely little booms of Ladies’ Delights. They have the party-colored petal of the existing strain of English Pansies, distinct from the French and German pansies, and I doubt not are the cherished garden children of the English settlers. Gerarde describes this little English Pansy or Heartsease in 1587 under the name of Viola tricolor: –
“The flouers in form and figure like the Violet, and for the most part of the same Bignesse, of three sundry colours, purple, yellow and white or blew, by reason of the beauty and braverie of which colours they are very pleasing to the eye, for smel they have little or none.”
Signs of Life
It is now nearly 4:30 in the late afternoon and I am sitting outside allowing the setting sun to wash against my face. I filled up all the bird feeders and a group of finches and nuthatches are darting about enjoying a feast of shelled sunflower seeds, whole sunflower seeds and a variety of nuts. In the distance a jay is calling out. Yes, I have food for you as well. Just come and look. I have a whole feeder of cracked corn and whole peanuts just waiting for you.
I went off topic a bit there. As I was saying, I took a leisurely stroll through the entire garden. Beyond the two little brave violas and snapdragons, verbascum leaves are popping up everywhere, the ajuga chocolate chip is also demonstrating its desire to wake from its winter slumber. Well, don’t be fooled my friend. The cold, bitter temperatures will return with a vengeance I am sure. Then again, we may get lucky as we sometimes do and the rest of the winter will be mild. The snow-in-summer leaves are gorgeous right now and they are faring wonderfully. The leaves on the early spring blooming phacelia have been pretty much evergreen. I am already looking for their gorgeous lavender clusters of flowers. Oh! Just near the ajuga and one of the small violas, I can see the tips of some bulbs! The only bulbs in this area are daffodils – unless a squirrel played gardener again. It is a bit early for them but still this provides an early reminder that spring will soon be here.
Common Verbascum Leaves
Snow-In-Summer draping over the retaining wall
First bulbs of 2017
At the top of the garden in the water smart garden, the silver edged horehound is still green and of course the sedum is draping beautifully over the rocks. Under the kitchen window the dragon’s blood sedum and vinca have been enduring the cold and I know they are eager to stretch their legs a bit. At the bottom of the garden where a grove of bee balms grow, I was amazed by how perfect the creeping Veronica looks. Once those warm days and evenings arrive, I have much to look forward to with this plant.
Silver edged horehound
Evergreen sedum
Dragon’s Blood sedum
Creeping Veronica
The excitement is building and already I have visions of what I hope to see this spring and summer. Last year the anemone Coronaria provided me with some exquisite blooms. I did not remove the corms so I am hoping they will survive the winter though odds would suggest they won’t. The star attraction under the kitchen window where the vinca and sedum grow are the old fashioned irises. Last year I had plenty of foliage but no blooms. I am hoping to be greeted by fragrant blooms this year.
In my mind, I have a myriad of tasks to carry out and it won’t be long before I can get to work. In the interim, the sun is setting on this small winter garden so I should think about getting inside. I ordered some biodegradable pots from Botanical Interests today and when they arrive, I shall get some lobelia and peppers started and maybe a few herbs. I am getting a bit of a head start considering I won’t be able to put my plants into the earth until mid-May. No matter. They can grace the inside of the house with wonder as they emerge and grow all the while staring outside waiting for their day in the summer sun.
I thank you kindly for reading! Blessings to you all and happy gardening!
And now some more winter garden photos!
Dried bee balm seed head emerging from melting snow
The Aspen Catkins are Forming!
Dried leaf on garden floor
Dried Leaves of Viburnum lantana ‘Mohican’
I had some frozen water in a bucket. I dumped it into the garden and as it thawed, some wonderful designs emerged
Seed Heads
Garlic Chives Seed Head
Dried Grass
Dried Roses