Wednesday Vignette: Peace

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“Peace begins with a smile..”
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Mother Teresa

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“Darkness cannot drive out darkness:

only light can do that.

Hate cannot drive out hate:

only love can do that.”

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Martin Luther King Jr.

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“The day the power of love overrules the love of power,

the world will know peace.”

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Mahatma Gandhi

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“The present moment is filled with joy and happiness.

If you are attentive, you will see it. ”

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Thich Nhat Hanh,

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Photos by Woodland Gnome 2017

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“The mind can go in a thousand directions,

but on this beautiful path,

I walk in peace.

With each step, the wind blows.

With each step, a flower blooms.”

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Thich Nhat Hanh

Geometry

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What elegant geometry is this,

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that builds itself day by day, cell by cell,

from the common elements of Earth? 

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What innate intelligence puts every leaf,

petal and stem in its proper place? 

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Such perfection bears witness

to the innate beauty of our universe. 

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The Architect knows the structure of every cell,

every atom of existence;

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consciousness permeates all that is or ever will be. 

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As we look ever more closely,

observing the crystallization of energy into matter,

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water into cellulose, thought into form;

we see the Artist’s guiding hand bringing life to all.

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What elegant geometry is this,

growing by the roadside and in the garden;

a joyful expression of aliveness.

 

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Woodland Gnome 2016

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Wordless Wednesday: Hydrangea

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“Green was the silence, wet was the light,
the month of June trembled like a butterfly.”
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Pablo Neruda

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Photos by Woodland Gnome 2016

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One Word Photo Challenge: White

Pitcher plant, Sarracenia leucophylla, native to the Southeastern United States

White,

All colors of light

Joined together in clear unity.

Yucca in bloom

Reflective, cool, at peace with itself;

Serene white beckons

with a promise of rest and respite.

Oregano, Kent’s Beauty

 

Bleached and clean,

Crisp or crinkled,

White linen putting a good face on

whatever may live  beneath.

Creamy white ice cream melting on pie,

Creamy white paint on porches,

Cream swirls in Cappuccino and Gazpatcho;

Creme fraiche on chocolate Creme brulee.

White shells ornament the sands of memory

Like bright white stars piercing an indigo sky,

Time travelers from other worlds;

Messengers of possibilities unknown.

Great white brothers and sisters

Offering Pleaidian promises of

Eventual evolution and peace.

Queen Anne’s Lace

-White-

 

Lacecap Hydrangea

 

Words and Photos by Woodland Gnome 2014

With Thanks to Jennifer Nichole Wells for her One World Photo Challenge:  White

Woodland Garden By the Pond

A hummingbird keeps watch from the deck of our friends’ forest garden.

Our friends live “across the pond” from us. 

We could reach their garden much faster by canoe than by foot or car. 

When I stopped in one morning recently, I was left speechless by the beauty of their Mountain Laurels.

It was the first time I had visited during this beautiful time in May when our community lights up with the blooms of Mountain Laurels, Rhododendrons, Ligustrum, and Hydrangeas.

Our friends invited me to return this week to take photos of the Mountain Laurel before they fade in our early summer heat.

The back garden drops steeply towards the pond in a series of terraces.

Mature Dogwoods, Hollies, Mountain Laurels, and Hydrangeas gather under the taller hardwood trees to thickly carpet the bank.

Wild grapevines trace patterns across the tops of the shrubs, basking in what sunshine may be had.

Ferns grow in dense shade near the house,

but a deck, overlooking this beautiful bank, and the pond beyond; holds a variety of beautiful potted plants which thrive in partial sun.

When the Mountain Laurel bloom, their white and light pink flowers billow like waves; white water crests rolling down the hillside.

Towering over my head, these mature shrubs have grown to become more tree than shrub.

Their tops reach towards the sky as their trunks remain cloaked in shady undergrowth.

This is a true woodland garden, inhabited by wild things. 

The deck feels like the deck of a ship.

It offers a secure place  for the human inhabitants to view the constant activity of all the wild things scampering through the garden below.

Photos by Woodland Gnome 2014

 

“Shopping” The Garden For Flowers

We all love to spend time in our gardens, but how often do you “shop” your garden for cut flowers?  Most of us have wonderful flowers and foliage every day of the year that can be re-imagined as cut flower arrangement for friends, special events, and of course our own homes.

Lantana, Pineapple mint, Rosemary, and Ageratum

We all know that most of the cut flowers offered for sale at the florist or the grocery store are flown in from another continent.  There are far too few growers here in the United States.  So just as grapes from Chile and oranges from Israel come with a “carbon cost”, so too do the pricey stems at our favorite florist.

Besides, when is the last time you smelled a deliciously sweet flower out of the florist’s cold storage?  Most flowers on the market have been hybridized for size, color, and staying power.  So many lost their fragrance along the way.

Basil and Dill

Like locally grown tomatoes, there is just something very special about locally grown flowers.  And you don’t need a special “cutting garden” to have a good supply of flowers and branches to cut.  You just need a little planning ahead and creativity.

This arrangement began with a desire to use the Beautyberry which is so intensely beautiful at the moment.  It is beautiful on its own in a vase, or mixed with something tall and airy, like Dill.  After reading the new Country Gardens magazine, I was inspired to use a pumpkin as the base for this little arrangement.

To prepare to “shop” your own garden, prepare a clean container with warm water.  The stems take up warm water faster than cold, and so are better hydrated.   This is a gallon jug, rinsed, and cut to make room for lots of stems.   I added a few drops of honey, which not only feeds the blossoms, but also helps control bacteria in the water.  The other important tool is a pair of sharp pruners.  Since I gather woody branches as well as herbaceous stems, the pruners work better than scissors.

First walk around to see what might be in bloom.  I was delighted to find that the Pineapple Sage had finally bloomed.  A few hydrangea blossoms sheltered under an other shrub were still fresh enough to cut.

Queen Lime Zinnias growing with Rudbeckia and African Blue Basil.

I have an abundance of Rudbeckia, Queen Lime Zinnias, Basil, and Ageratum.  I also had lots of white Lantana, flowering dill, mint, and some chrysanthemums about to open.  Herbs are a wonderful choice for foliage and filler, especially if the herbs are also in bloom. One must pick and choose.  The flowers I cut actually ended up as two separate arrangements yesterday morning.

Rudbeckia, Ageratum, and a little red pepper I cut, but couldn’t use this time.

Once deciding what to use, cut long stems, and remove all of the lower foliage.  Beauty berry still has all of its leaves, but they should be removed when you cut the branch.  The branch is more striking with just its berries.  Cut as early in the morning as you’re able, and allow the stems to rest in deep, warm water for several hours.  Cut more flowers than you think you’ll need.  I almost always head back out into the garden part way through for more of something.  Extra flowers can be made into something small  and will always be enjoyed  by someone.

Pineapple Sage has just come in to bloom.

To use a pumpkin or gourd as a container, first study it to determine how it sits, and what side is best.  You don’t have to cut it “Jack O’lantern” style.  The hole you carve can be off-center.  You can make a series of small holes around it and place just a few stems in each opening.  The pumpkin can be stacked in a basket, pot, urn, or on a larger pumpkin.  It can be set in the midst of grapevines.  I chose some little white companion pumpkins to go with my larger white pumpkin.

After opening the pumpkin, and removing the seeds, decide whether you want to hollow it out a bit and place a plastic or glass vase inside, or whether you prefer to work in crumpled chicken wire or oasis.    Oasis, like Styrofoam, is controversial since it is a chemical product.  It is what I happened to have on hand, and so I secured a half-round, pre-soaked, into the body of the cleaned pumpkin with wooden skewers.

Take inspiration from how your flowers blend in the garden.

I added warm water with honey to the cavity, and began arranging with the hydrangea blossoms first, and then the beauty berry branches.  Begin any arrangement by determining  the outer “edges” in space with your largest elements both vertically and horizontally.   I added lots of African Blue Basil next, which has blooms along with the wonderfully fragrant leaves.  Finally place the major flowers like the Zinnias and Rudbeckia, and finish with the Ageratum “filler”.  This arrangement would be viewed from all sides, so I turned it frequently so it was presentable from all angles.  At some point, “enough is enough”, and

Beautyberry, at its peak, is the inspiration for this arrangement .

you know it is complete.

We had a special event in our community this weekend.  Friends from our garden club made many beautiful silk arrangement to decorate our “Boutique Sale,” which were also offered for sale.  They were elegant and beautiful throughout the room.  My little pumpkin arrangement sat in our refreshment area, and went home today with a special friend as a “thank you” for her help this weekend.  It will only last a few days, but the joy in making it lasts a life-time.

The second arrangement with the dill, for home.

Whether you cut a single blossom, or a bouquet, just remember that most plants respond well to “pruning”, and generally give far more flowers over the season when you harvest flowers regularly.   Cultivate a “cut and come again” garden with blooms and branches ready for harvest throughout the season.

Share with friends, family, your community, and of course, bring the beauty of your own garden into your home as often as you’re able.

All photos by Woodland Gnome 2013

Related articles

• Late Summer Purple Haze (forestgardenblog.wordpress.com)
• Never Underestimate the Power of Fresh Cut Flowers (lisaslivinghealthy.wordpress.com)
• How To Create a Foraged Floral Arrangement from Amy Osaba (stylemepretty.com)

Deer Resistant Plants Which Grow Well In Our Neighborhood- Revised and Improved

This Lady Fern has grown on the bank for years, never bothered by the deer. It is deciduous, but returns each spring larger than the year before.

The plants in the following list are mostly ignored  by our herd of deer.  They are well suited to our Williamsburg, Virginia Zone 7B climate and our soil.  Some  gardening friends and I have been compiling this list over the last few years.

We have observed that plants which grow extremely well in some of our gardens, such as Camellias and Hydrangea macrophylla, also called mophead Hydrangea; get eaten in others.  Our mature Camellia shrubs are left alone, but I’ve had tremendous damage done to some, but not all, newly planted Camellias.   Even newly planted oakleaf Hydrangeas have been stripped of their leaves during the last few weeks.

In fact,  newly planted trees and shrubs are the most vulnerable because they are rich in the nitrogen based fertilizers growers lavish on them.  They taste salty and delicious to deer, like salted French fries for us.  Plants which have been in the garden a while tend to have less nitrogen in their leaves and so aren’t as tasty.  When considering how much extra fertilizer to spread around your shrubs and trees, if any, this is an important consideration.  Growing your garden on the lean side might offer additional protection from grazing.

Echinacea, or Purple Coneflower, is a favorite of nectar loving insects. A perennial, it is rarely touched by deer and grows more vigorous each year.

Key to symbols:

!  a native plant in our area

# attracts birds with berries, fruit, nuts, or seeds

*  a nectar producing plant which attracts butterflies and other pollinating insects

+ a nectar producing plant which attracts hummingbirds

Flowering Trees and Shrubs

Bamboo provides cover for nesting birds, shelter from the weather, and a steady supply of insects to eat. Deer never touch it.

# * + Althea, Rose of Sharon Hibiscus syriacus

! #   Bayberry, or Wax Myrtle Myrica cerifera

! # * Beautyberry Bush Callicarpa americana

# *   Boxwood Buxus sempervirens

! # * + Butterfly Bush Buddleia (various species)

# * + Butterfly Tree or Glory Tree  Clerodendrum trichotomum

*  Camellia C. japonica and C. sasanqua

# * +Crepe Myrtle Lagerstroemia

! # * Dogwood Cornus florida

# * English Laurel Prunus laurocerasus

Mountain Laurel blooms in early May in our neighborhood.

# Fig  Ficus carica

* Forsythia

! # * Fringe Tree Chionanthus virginicus

! * Hydrangea arborescens

Japanese Maple Acer palmatum

* +Lilac Syringa vulgaris

# * Mahonia Mahonia aquifolium

“Josee” re-blooming Lilac, in its second flush of bloom in late June, is appreciated by all the nectar lovers in the garden.

! Mountain Laurel Kalmia latifolia (all parts of this plant are highly poisonous)

! # *Magnolia virginiana and other species

Fall blooming Camellia extends the months of bloom well into early winter. Deer don’t graze established shrubs.

# *Heavenly Bamboo Nandina domestica (all parts of this plant are highly poisonous)

! * Native Holly Ilex opaca

! # Oakleaf Hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia

# * Fire Thorn Pyracantha (various species)

! # * +Red Bud Cercis canadensis

# * +  Silk Tree or Mimosa Albizia julibrissin

# * St. John’s Wort Hypericum

! # Southern Wax Myrtle  Myrica cerifera

! # + Red Buckeye Aesculus pavia

! #* Adam’s Needle Yucca filamentosa and other species

Perennials and Bulbs

Alocosia ( various species)

! # * + Butterfly Weed Asclepias species

* Caladium

Rose Mallow, Lavender, Artemesia and Dusty Miller hold no attraction for hungry deer.

* + Canna Lily Canna

*  Centaurea ( various species)

! # * Coreopsis ( various species)

 * + Crocosmia ( various species) 

* Daffodil Narcissus ( various species)

! # * Daisy Asteraceae ( various species)

# * Dianthus ( various species)

! # * Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea

* Euphorbia ( various species)

# * Fall Anemones A. hupehensis

Fern   (click for detailed information)

Autumn Brilliance fern produces coppery colored new leaves throughout the season. Here, trying to protect a little Hosta.

# * + Gaillardia ( various species)

The Passionflower vine can grow up to 50′ a year and produces edible fruit. Grown throughout warm climates, this perennial vine is beautiful and productive.

* Geranium ( various species)

St. John’s Wort

* + Ginger Lily Hedychium ( various species)

! * Goatsbeard Aruncus dioicus

* Goldenrod Solidago rugosa

* Lenten Rose Hellebore ( various species) (note, this plant is highly poisonous)

* Dutch Hyacinth Hyacinthus orientalis

 * #  Iris (Bearded, Dutch, Louisiana, Siberian, etc.)

Re-blooming Irises will bloom again in late summer, and then continue throwing out blooms through December. They need to grow in an area of full sun to continue blooming.

# Ivy

! # * + Rose Mallow Hibiscus moscheutos

! * +Joe Pye Weed  Eutrochium ( various species)

# * Lambs Ears Stychys Byzantina

* + Mexican (Bush) Sage (Salvia leucantha) or Salvia Mexicana

* Muscari ( various species)

* Pelargonium ( various species)

* Peony Paeonia ( various species)

* + Red Hot Poker Kniphofia ( various species)

! # * Black Eyed Susans  Rudbeckia ( various species)

 

Butterflies enjoy Echinacea growing here with Gaillardia, Comfrey, Pentas, and other herbs.

Gaillardia, gift from a friend’s garden, growing here with Comfrey.

Purple Ruffles Basil is one of he most beautiful.

Herbs

* Artemisia

# * Basil

* Comfrey

* Curry

# * Dill

* Fennel

* Germander

* + Lavender

* Mint

Pineapple Sage blooming in late October is a favorite food source for butterflies still in the garden

Pineapple Mint with Lavender

!# *+ Monarda

* Oregano

# * Parsley

* + Pineapple Sage Salvia elegans

*  Rosemary

* Sage Salvia species

Annuals and Biennials

* Angelonia

Castor Bean (all parts of this plant are highly poisonous)

Ginger Lily, hardy in Zone 7

# *+Spider Flower Cleome hassleriana

Spider Flower, or Cleome, is beautiful in the garden and attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.  Seen here with Lamb’s Ears and Coneflowers

* Dusty Miller Centaurea cineraria

Star Jasmine, also known as Confederate Jasmine, is evergreen, fragrant, and a magnet for butterflies. Very hardy, it grows enthusiastically.

Yucca filamentosa  in bloom in partial shade.

# * + Foxglove Digitalis purpurea

# * + Lantana or Shrub Verbena Lantana camara

* + Mandevilla sanderi

* Mexican Heather Cuphea hyssopifolia

* New Guinea Impatiens Impatiens hawkeri

Persian Shield Strobilanthes dyerianus

Persian Shield

* + Pentas ( various species)

* Plectranthus ( various species)

* Purple Heart Tradescantia pallida

# * + Zinnia elegans

Vines

! * + Trumpet Creeper Campsis radicans

! * + Honeysuckle Lonicera sempervirens

Purple Heart, Sage, and purple Pentas are safe from deer grazing.

! # * + Passionflower Passiflora incarnata

*  Periwinkle Vinca major & V. minor

# * Star Jasmine Trachelospermum jasminoides

! # * + Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Grasses

Bamboo (various species)

Miscanthus

Plants that will need extraordinary measures to protect in a forest garden include: 

Azaleas, Hostas, daylilies, lilies, roses, impatiens, some Sedums, Tomatoes, squashes, sweet potato vines, cucumbers, beans, and mophead Hydrangeas.

All photos by Woodland Gnome.

Virginia Creeper is growing up this dead Black Locust tree, delighting all hummingbirds and butterflies in the garden with its huge orange blossoms.

 

Related articles

• Still Optimistic…. (forestgardenblog.wordpress.com)
• A Beautiful Wildflower (forestgardenblog.wordpress.com)
• Bringing Birds To the Garden (forestgardenblog.wordpress.com)
• Figs (forestgardenblog.wordpress.com)
• Southern Wax Myrtle (forestgardenblog.wordpress.com)
• Camellias (forestgardenblog.wordpress.com)
• “Miss Huff” Perennial Lantana (forestgardenblog.wordpress.com)
• Information About the Beautiful Oakleaf Hydrangea (landscaping.answers.com)
• Goldenrod (forestgardenblog.wordpress.com)
• Pass Along Plants, Ginger Lily (forestgardenblog.wordpress.com)