6/17/09 PRETTY TRUE, OR PRETTY FALSE?

Wednesday, 8:00 AM. 56 degrees, wind NNE, light. The channel is calm to lightly wrinkled. The sky is clear but the barometer predicts rain.
The woods across the street has large patches of false Solomon’s seal, Smilacina racemosa, growing beneath the oaks. It is very pretty in flower. The “true” Solomon’s seal has flowers borne down the stem rather than at the apex. Both are woods plants in the lily family. I have no idea whether they were used by King Solomon as his seal.
I have finally caught up pretty well with the yard and garden work, and the perennial garden, even though overgrown, is becoming quite nice.

6/16/09 FLOWER WANNABES

Tuesday, 8:15 AM. 56 degrees, wind N, light. The channel is lightly wrinkled, the sky blue with some high, hazy white clouds. The barometer predicts partly cloudy skies.
Confer cones can be quite as beautiful as flowers. The Colorado spruce in the front yard bears bright purple female cones several inches in length, and the tamarack little rose-bud-like cones the size of a fingernail.
Conifers are far more primitive than flowering plants, without floral parts or fruit (gymnosperm means naked seed). Conifers are basically wind pollinated, so they have no need to attract pollinators with bright, odoriferous flowers. And yet the cones are amazingly flower-like in appearance.
It is as if their form anticipates a yet-to-be determined function. Things evolve, usually over eons of time, and yet the future seems somehow ordained in the present. Just look closely at the cones of conifers; they are virtual flower wannabes.

6/15/09 SEASONS OF INTEREST

Monday, 8:30 AM. 54 degrees, wind S, calm. The channel is like glass, the sky blue and hazy. The barometer predicts partly cloudy weather. Standing in the shade of the woods on Ninth Street Lucky and I could both see our breath, but it will warm up nicely.
The highbush cranberry, with it’s unusual ray flowers, bears cranberry-like fruit but is actually a Viburnum. This old fashioned pink Wiegela has been blooming for some time but still looks very nice. It is only attractive in bloom, having no other distinguishing characteristics so is not much used anymore. When selecting trees and shrubs for the landscape it is advantageous to select for as many seasons of interest (flower, fruit, fall color, winter form) as possible. The perennial garden is overgrown and too shady but is beginning to bloom and be attractive in spite of its shortcomings.

6/14/09 THE BEACH AS METAPHORE

Sunday, 9:00 AM. 63 degrees, wind WSW, light. The channel is lightly wrinkled, the sky clear with a few high, puffy white clouds, and the barometer predicts partly cloudy skies. We had a few nice showers yesterday that left a trace of rain in the gauge.
The walk along the beach was exceptional this morning, with sandpipers flitting about decoying their nests.
The primary colonizing plant of our Lake Superior beaches is the beach grass, Amophilla breviligulata, which spreads by tenacious underground rhizomes. There is some confusion as to whether it is strictly native or was introduced by conservationists, since it is a very widespread species. At any rate it does its job very well and is everywhere, forming dense stands on the beaches just back from the water’s edge. It is followed further back from the water by other soil-holding plants such as blueberries, poison ivy, wild roses, meadow sweet, raspberries, and finally sand cherry, dogwoods, red maple, ash and white pine, until at last the northern forest takes over. All this succession can be interrupted at any time by wind, wave and fire. There is a constant dynamic struggle between the water and the land.
In nature some conflicts never end, and the essence of all life is continual struggle for survival and dominance, and a striving toward mystical goals, individual and communal.
The ecology of the beach seems a fitting metaphor for the ecology of the soul.

6/12/09 IN THE GOOD OLD LUPINE TIME

Friday, 8:00 AM. 50 degrees, wind W, very light. The channel is glassy, the sky clear, and the barometer predicts partly cloudy skies. The wren in the apple tree is announcing to the world that it is a superb morning.
The lupines, Lupinus perennis, are in bloom everywhere, happily coinciding with the Bayfield in Bloom garden tours that take place tomorrow. I am taking the place signs around to the tour sites this morning. As I have commented before, it is unclear whether our lupines are truly native to the area or are naturalized, and this seems to bother some folks. They are native in the region, and also have long been cultivated, so there has been ample opportunity for their naturalization in fields and along roadsides. Anyway, they are native enough for me, and my advice is to enjoy them for what they are and what they give us, and not to fault them for what they may or may not be.

6/11/09 YOU DON'T NEED A PASSPORT

Thursday, 8:30 AM. 56 degrees, wind WSW, calm. The channel is calm, the day is overcast and the barometer predicts rain, but the sun is beginning to burn through the clouds.
The Canada mayflower, Maiantemum canadense, in the lily family, also called wild lily-of-the-valley, is a northern forest under story native which is quite beautiful, fragrant and prolific, if diminutive. It spreads by runners and can colonize good sized areas, and you don't need a passport to visit it.

6/10/09 DO YOU KNOW THIS BEAUTIFUL NATIVE DOGWOOD?

Wednesday, 7:30 AM. 51 degrees, wind WSW, light. The sky is mostly overcast with dark rain cloUds, the channel is dark and wrinkled, and the barometer predicts rain. It is an iffy day.
There are many native dogwoods, the most well known being the flowering dogwood of the east and south, Corns florida, known for its beautiful white blossoms, red berries and orange fall foliage. Unfortunately there has been a great decline of these magnificent trees in the last twenty-five years due to a rogue fungus disease.
The dogwood pictured, Corns alternifolia, is native to the Northeast and Midwest and is also very beautiful. It is called pagoda dogwood because its alternate branching habit renders it rather oriental in appearance. Its blooms are prominent, greenish white to white, and it has attractive berries and fall color. Unfortunately it also suffers from a fungus disease that makes it rather undependable in the landscape. In native landscapes it can take over large tracts of under story and be truly impressive.

6//9/08 LISTENNG TO THE RAIN

Tuesday, 8:30 AM. 46 degrees, wind W, calm. The channel is calm, the sky is overcast but the barometer is up, predicting partly cloudy skies. There is 1.8” of rain in the gauge but it is over for now.
Yesterday’s stormy weather was so welcome that we spent much time simply sitting and listening to the staccato drumming of the rain on the skylights. The garden will now burst with blooms of peonies, poppies, tall bearded Iris and Oriental and Asiatic Lilies.
I find Azaleas are hard to use in the general landscape because so many have garish colors, like this ‘Orange Lights’ azalea. I like to use them in their own groups, as collections, so one doesn’t have to make excuses for clashing colors. Rhododendrons and Azaleas are in the same genus (Rhododendron) the big anatomical difference being Azaleas are deciduous and Rhododendrons have evergreen leaves. Rhododendron colors are usually more muted and easier to use. The University of Minnesota has hybridized many popular Azaleas in its Northern Lights series (‘Orange Lights,’ Pink Lights,’ etc.) and properly used they are a welcome addition to the Northern garden.

6/08/09 "STALKING THE WILD ASPARAGUS"

Monday, 8:00 AM, 44 degrees, wind E, gusty. The channel is roiled. The sky is overcast and it is raining lightly. We have only received a trace of rain thus far, but the barometer predicts a (welcome)rainy day.
Wild asparagus grows along the roadsides, much of it ready to be harvested. The familiar stalks are unmistakable, and if not picked will soon flower, tiny green buds and blossoms on wild, wiry, fern-like stems, which will then bear bright red berries. We can all safely be like Euell Gibbons with this plant, and "stalk the wild asparagus." Asparagus has been a garden vegetable since ancient times. It is a native of Europe and the Asian steppes, but is now grown all over the world and is available throughout the year in our stores. It has considerable medicinal value, principally as a diuretic.

6/07/09 SURF'S UP

Sunday, 9:00 AM. 43 degrees, wind NE, moderate with stronger gusts. The sky is overcast and we got .25 inch of rain last night. The barometer predicts sunshine.
The surf was up at the beach, but it was a hands-in-the-pockets morning. The diminutive sand cherry bushes, Prunus pumila, are blooming on the dunes, as is the native black cherry tree, Prunus serotina, which is much larger and more floriferous. A lot of other beach dune plants, including native roses, will bloom soon and I will catalog them as I have the opportunity. Sand dunes are a harsh and ever-changing environment, and something is always coming or going.

6/06/09 A VICTORIAN BUSYBODY

Saturday, 8:30 AM. 40 degrees, wind WSW, light. The channel is lightly wrinkled, the sky is blue but overcast in the SW, and the barometer predicts sunny skies. It is a cool but beautiful morning.
The Viburum genus is full of highly decorative shrubs and small trees, native and non-native. The old-fashioned snowball bush, Viburnum opulus ‘sterilis’, of European origin, s growing in neighbor Cindy’s yard. It is spectacular at present, and was much used in Victorian landscapes.
A wren has again set up housekeeping in the red gourd in the apple tree. She chatters and flits about constantly, a real little (Victorian?)busybody.

6/05/09 WELCOME BACK!

Friday, 8:00 AM. 57 degrees, wind W, light to moderate. The channel is wrinkled, the sky overcast to the south and west, and the barometer predicts ran.
The native dogwoods are blooming, this one being the red-twigged dogwood, Cornus stolonifera. There are more decorative red and yellow twigged dogwoods which are of European and hybrid origin, but the native is fine for general landscaping and naturalizing.
Joan and I are happy to report that the great blue heron that is omnipresent summers in the sloughs west of Ashland (we like to think of it as “our bird” but it may indeed be more than one) has returned to its favorite haunts, we had almost given up on it. Maybe it has been better fishing south up until now. Anyway, welcome back!

6/04/09 DO YOU KNOW THIS NORTHLAND NATIVE MAPLE

Thursday, 8:00 AM. 62 degrees, wind W, just strong enough to stir the aspen leaves. The channel is lightly wrinkled, the sky is a hazy blue, and the barometer predicts rain. The lawn needs to be mown today.
The mountain maples, Acer spicatum, are blooming in the woods along 9th St. the spikey green blossoms are quite pretty, and the red-maple-like leaves turn a burnt orange color in the fall. It is a little known and seldom used northern native shrub/small tree.
The Rhododendrons do pretty well here, this one in a neighbor’s yard being quite hardy. Maybe Bayfield is the “Banana Belt of the Great Lakes.”

6/03/09 BETTER TO DO SMALL THINGS WELL THAN BIGGER THINGS POORLY

Wednesday, 7:30 AM. 47 degrees, wind WNW, calm. The channel is glassy, the sky blue but hazy, and the barometer predicts sunny weather . Warnings of frost were overblown. Birdsong fills the air.
David Eades, my editor at the Chamber web site, found many on-line references to Lily-of-the-valley being poisonous, so please consider it so, particularly to small children.
The little herb garden is put back together with the addition of a couple of tomato plants and a few peppers, It’s not much but is all we need. I have learned over the years that in gardening as in life, it is better to do small things well than to do big things poorly.

6/02/09 EGGS, NEW AND OLD

Tuesday, 8:00 AM, 52 degrees, wind WSW, calm at present. The sky is mostly clear and the barometer predicts rain, which we received a trace of last night. The back porch and the side deck are all freshly painted, the furniture and plants all arranged; time for a party on some warm evening!
Large flocks of Canada geese have been honking their way north mornings, they must be still migrating to distant nesting grounds, as the local geese are already sitting on eggs.
I’ve got the herb garden pulled apart to enlarge it a bit, and the big old Chinese “thousand year egg pot” from New York’s China Town, purchased thirty years ago for $25 and probably now worth many times that, is filled with water and is awaiting a water lily. Hope I don’t have to break ice when I finally get one.

6/01/09 SOME RAIN, FNALLY AND A COUPLE OF SPRING "DON'TS"

Monday, 8:00 AM. 40 degrees, wind NE, light. The sky is overcast but the barometer predicts sunshine. We got .6 inch of much needed rain yesterday. The low that brought the rain has moved to the east, and its counterclockwise winds are bringing cold temperatures right off the lake again.
Colorado spruce (Picea pungens) are much planted because they are very adaptable and quite handsome. New needle growth is covered by a hard bud scale, and when it softens and begins to slough off the new growth is very easily damaged. Spruce trees should not be transplanted or pruned while the soft new growth is vulnerable to damage.
Another caveat: oak trees should not be pruned in the spring until leaf growth is mature. Oak wilt, a serious disease of oaks, spreads by spores in the spring and can easily infect trees through pruning wounds.

5/31/09 THE SWEET SCENTS OF SPRING

Sunday, 8:-00 AM. 45 degrees, wind W, calm. The channel is calm, the sky is mostly cloudy and the barometer predicts sunny skies.
Spring is the season of sweet scents. Lilacs of course are very strongly scented, but there are many others. The lily of the valley, Convallaria majalis, of European origin and an old garden favorite, is extremely fragrant. Once established it will continue to colonize an area, and when one comes upon it in the woods one can be sure it is the site of an old settler's homestead. The white, nodding bell-shaped flowers are diminutive but pretty, and the fruit is a bright red, cherry-sized berry. It has been used since ancient times as a stimulant for a weak heart, with much the same effect as Digitalis but milder. I see no reference to the plant being poisonous as it takes specific preparation to render it medicinal. That said, it is not wise to ingest plants, particularly fruits, which are not normally used as food..

5/30/09 THE BAYFIELD HISTORICAL SOCIETY PLANT SALE

Saturday, 8:00 AM. 54 degrees, wind W, calm to moderate. The channel is slightly wrinkled, the sky is blue and the barometer predicts rain, which we got a trace of in a blustery half-hour last evening.
It is a fine day for the Historical Society's annual plant sale in Fountain Garden Park, and volunteers and customers are appearing already.
The European mountain ash, Sorbus aucuparia, on the south side of the house is blooming. They are called “ash” trees because of their ash-like compound leaves, but are not related to the ash genus (Fraxinus). The European species is more often planted than the native S. americana because it is more tree-like and adaptable, but the native species is beautiful and useful as well, it is native to the Boreal Forest and its fringes, and has red berries rather than orange. There are many hybrids and cultivars of both trees. They all tend to be rather short-lived and each has some problems, but the northern landscape is hardly complete without them.