Stressed Cheery Tree

About four years ago we planted the first of three cheery trees.  The oldest seems to be stressed. The south facing leaves on one major limb are almost all gone. Percy, a Master Gardner, inspected the tree yesterday morning and is making inquiries. We may be cutting off a limb that is most affected with whatever has decided to create some stress for our oldest cherry tree. This one is special because the local Boy Scout troop helped clear out the surrounding area and the young man working for his Eagle badge planted the tree.  Visiting the Bruce Company with a branch is the next step which I hope to do this week. We will learn more about what's happening to our beloved cheery tree.

Tree Removed

A box elder tree, showing its age and damaged over the weekend,was cut down today. Sections of the dried and rotten top fall and more would be falling. I informed the city forester late Sunday night and one of his staff came out yesterday. It didn't take too long before he whipped out his yellow spray can and assigned the death mark.  The death messenger told me that since the city crew is so busy he didn't know when the tree would be removed.  He led me to think it would be latter rather than sooner.

This morning while enjoying my breakfast in our backyard I heard the screaming chainsaw. I thought that the city was removing storm damaged trees in front of Ken and Diane's house. Yesterday Ken asked if he could have the orange traffic cones used at the Prospect Gardens.  Ken wanted to clearly mark two iron decorative pillars to the right of the damaged tree. The handsome pillars, no more than five feet tall, graced Diane's Grandfather's house. Another neighbor, David, was using the cones to divert path traffic while installing a council-ring- like structure consisting of several kinds of boulders and a thick slap of black locust. It's part of a butterfly garden that David, his wife and other neighbors developed last summer. The new sitting area is quite specular. I will post pictures when the project is completed.

So after finishing breakfast, I went to fetch the cones which meant going down to the path. To my great surprise, I  noticed the guy in the bucket high up in the old box elder, cutting off the top branches. The crew worked carefully, not stepping on plants and dropped the tree so it did little damage.The tree trunk and branches were gone by 3 o'clock.  A few sun drops near the bottom of the incline were damaged and can be easily replaced.  I will need to move a few hostas further under the remaining trees. The sedges and other plants were all intact.

To some extend I will miss the old tree while being relieved that it is gone. Today was a good reminder that change is constant.

Busy day

Yesterday we received a gift of a perfect Wisconsin day. Clear blue skies, temps in the high 60s and a gentle breeze instead of  chilly weekend rains.  A busy day unfolded. Sandy arrived at 8:30 a.m to pick up her share of plants for the prairie garden at the intersection of Glenway. I packed up the remaining plants and tools into the ergonomically incorrect green plastic wheelbarrow.

I want one of those old fashion wheelbarrows with wood handles. One that has you grab the handles, pull up and push rather than pull as I do with my low to the ground green monstrosity. My neighbor has an old steel wheeled wheelbarrow that once you get it rolling really moves smoothly.  I love the sound of the steel wheel against the concrete sidewalk. And then there is Ken and Diane who at last count had at least four wheelbarrows.Ken is one of our regular volunteers.

Joyce

Well enough about wheelbarrows. Joyce, Ann and I put in, according to Ann's count, sixty-two plants in an area west of the arborvitaes that was cleared out last fall. Put who's counting when you have a perfect Wisconsin day and putting prairie plants into Wisconsin dirt.

Planting in the gardens is relaxing and especially when individuals such as Joyce pitch in.  She has been a stalwart  volunteer.  Joyce lives in the Regent Neighborhood in a beautiful older home.  Joyce has been painstakingly refinishing the woodwork which includes ceiling beams. 

I would have included a picture of Ann, but she declined. She too has been a loyal volunteer after initially being somewhat reluctant.  I'm in my gardening uniform with shirt, pants and boots from Fleet and Farm. Shovel by Ace Hardware. Note the blue sky.

Me: Jake

Plants Laid Out Waiting to Be Dug In

Empty Containers

A Completed Area

Change in Plans on a Rainy Day and Abundance

The gentle rain continues to fall while weighing down the large climbing rose shrub and the irises in our backyard garden. If allowed to grew, the rose would certainly climb up and cover a good portion of the roof of the neighbor's garage.

The rain washed away today's intentions to plant in the Prospect Gardens. Early this morning I picked up the plants provided through the "Plant Dane. Cost Sharing Program."  These lush plants are now waiting in our garage. Some will be inducted into the gardens, maybe tomorrow but no later than Monday. Others will be planted in the prairie garden at the intersection of the path and Glenway.  In the trays are Black-eyed Susan, June Grass, Little Bluestem, Prairie Blazing Star, Rough Blazing Star, Side Oats Grama, and Prairie Drop Seed.

The rain did not prevent sharing cannas tubers from my backyard garden. Every year I plant cannas in pots and a few in the lower garden in anticipation that the hummer bird will once again come visiting. Love it when he comes buzzing in and lands on the red blooms while I am enjoying a cup of tea or reading a book.

And of course these prolific plants always generate many tubers to share with others.  I almost had a full bushel basket of tubers; dug up last fall and stored in our basement. After planting what I wanted, the surplus was posted on several three neighborhood list servers. I was quite surprised that eight folks responded. The last six may be delivered this afternoon to a gardener who lives on Monroe Street and a few blocks from our house.  She has several different species of prairie plants that she wants to give away and these will fit in  nicely in the Prospect Gardens. So if the rain stops or let's up, I am off to meet another gardener and share the abundance that results from gardening.   


  

More Blooms

Memorial Day and the sun is trying to make an appearance after a beautiful rainy Sunday. The gardens have once again been blessed. Here's a few more plants now in bloom.The Japanese Iris was rediscovered when we cleared out an area. Most likely this beauty has been gracing the path for a long time and even perhaps when rail cars were rambling by.

Japanese Iris 

Salomon's Sea in the Woodland Garden 

Jack-in-the- Pulpit on Steroids

Not Sure Could Be a Globe Flower

New Family Member and Extreme Gardening

Here on the third floor of our house, I can hear the sounds of gentle rain on this quiet Sunday before Memorial day. Emily, my adult daughter, is home for the Holiday. She is downtown visiting with a friend.  I thought I would do some blogging.

Tomorrow we travel to Milwaukee for a family gathering. We will meet the newest addition to the family, Reagan, who is almost eight months old. Reagan, her mother, Andrea and father, Anthony,  live in San Francisco. Andrea is my niece through marriage. So this means, once again, I am a great uncle and Ann a great aunt for the first time. I have the status many times over since most of my thirteen brothers and sisters have children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Ten of us are still on this earth. Oh my, this makes me a great, great uncle.

So, Reagan, welcome to Wisconsin and to the ancestral home of your Grandparents, Chuck and Kathy.

And now let's turn to extreme gardening. Extreme gardening refers to the conditions faced when working in the Prospect Gardens.  Large sections of the gardens have step grades and are covered with rip-rap or rock used to manage water erosion. Underneath the rock is a carpet-like weed barrier  installed to prevent weeds. That's been a total failure. Soil washes down the rocks and fills in the spaces, creating an ideal environment for weeds and invasive plants. Rocks were hidden from view when we started restoration nearly six years.  We reluctantly hired a contractor to "bomb" areas with  herbicides as the first step in the restoration process.

We have gained control of the weeds but vigilance is required. The following four pictures of my recent plantings of purple cone flowers illustrate what's involved in extreme gardening. The numerous and different shaped beds in areas with rocks were created and planted following these seven steps.

1.  Purchase top soil. If you are fastidious and use a car place tarp in a trunk. For this plantings I purchased four bags. Over the years, we have trucked in a lot of top soil.
   
   

2. Layout out a design for a flower bed. Dig through and remove rocks. This time I was lucky because the rock was only one layer and was easily removed. In some places, the rock can be almost a foot deep. Be mindful of your steps and footings because your body will be at an angle. If not mindful and careful you may loose your balance.  Safety belt attached to railing is optional.


3. Using a box cutter, slice and remove the carpet-like weed barrier. You will need a sharp cutter since the carpet is tough and thick.

 4. Fill bed with new soil to the top and gently compact the soil.

 5. Install plants, mulch and water. Also if you are so inclined offer prayers, incantations or wishes for growth and plant health. 

 
6. For at least a week, maybe longer, and depending on weather, water as needed.  We have access to city water, for a fee, through a connection with a nearby fire hydrant.


7. Enjoy watching plants grow and eventually bloom in what was once a weed infested area.


 

More Blooming Flowers

Here are a few more flowers in bloom from the Prospect Gardens.  I love this time of year as Mother Nature once again reveals herself and all her splendors.

Prairie Smoke

Blue Indigo

Golden Alexander