Sunday Stroll- May 31, 2009

I didn't post a Sunday Stroll last week, but that doesn't mean I wasn't running- er, strolling! It's important to take time to stroll with a 22-month-old, so that you can be reminded of how thrilling it is to stand on the water-main cover, or drop gravel down the storm sewer grate, or giggle at each bit of cottonwood "fluff" that floats past on the the breeze. Every so often she would stop in her tracks and lift her face to the sky and say, "feelthewind?" or "hearthebird?". And, suddenly, I did feel the wind, or hear the bird. Miraculous!

But this weekend I was on my own to notice things. We have a woodpecker living on our block, now. I can hear it, but haven't yet seen it. I couldn't help thinking about how fast it hammers on the tree trunks, or how strong it's beak and skull must be to take that pounding. It's really one of the wonders of the universe, don't you think?

And, while we were gone, everything decided to burst into bloom. It was all out there for our enjoyment today.

If you go for a stroll, be sure to stop and feelthewind, and hearthebird. Oh, and throw some more gravel in the sewer grate for me will you?

To see what other strollers are noticing, visit The Quiet Country House.

Sunday Stroll- May 17, 2009

After a week of intense storms, we're having a perfect May Sunday. It's graduation weekend at the University of Illinois, as well as prom weekend for my family's high school. Those events, celebrated by several generations of my family, are forever associated with "iris time" in local gardens.

All of my irises are pass-alongs from family members. My grandmother, who was an ace gardener, made sure that when we moved to this house we would have all the beautiful flowers we wanted from her divisions. Forsythia, iris, lambs-ears, jonquils- all unnamed but much loved, have flourished in my flower beds. Now, I'm ready to share with my children as they get their own homes.

These beautiful lavender iris are from Grandma H. I've divided them and sent some on to my sisters. There are also some pale beige-y ones that you can just see in the left corner of the picture. They are not a very pretty color, I'll admit, but they have sentimental value to me, so I keep growing them. No one wants to take divisions of them, though!

These royal purple iris are from my sister's garden. She got them from a neighbor. Who needs garden stores? These are very tall and stately, and my very favorites.

Finally, there are some shorter gold and brown iris that contrast wonderfully with the purple. These are also Grandma's, and she told me they came from her mother-in-law's garden, so they are a cultivar that goes back to the late nineteenth century. It's just fun to think about the way all that gardening knowledge is passed down in the family.

To see who else is strolling, and what else is blooming, visit The Quiet Country House.

Sunday Stroll-May 10, 2009

It's "almost" time in my garden. The peonies are almost blooming.

The irises are sooooo close!

The serviceberries are forming, and almost ready to be feasted on by the birds.

The climbing rose is covered with hundreds of small buds. It will be a treat to see in a week or two.

I had a wonderful Mother's day, with half my children here for lunch (Robin, Grant, and Grant's wife Traci). The other two sons live elsewhere, but we had nice visits on the phone.

To see who else is strolling on Mother's Day, pop over to The Quiet Country House.

Sunday Stroll-April 10, 2009

Despite a steady drizzle, everything outside looked so fresh and green, and I had to go out for a damp stroll around my yard, and record what spring was offering us today. Above are the lily-of-the-valley that have sprung up in only the last four or five days, and are already developing flower buds. These were originally transplants from my grandmother's place. She gave me strict planting instructions: put them in the bed that is surrounded by concrete sidewalks and the house; if they escape, you will never see the end of them in the lawn! I took her at her word, and have been able to confine them and enjoy them for years, though, if I'm not vigilant, they will actually try to advance toward the lawn by way of the sidewalk cracks!

We had a remarkably long, cold winter, with some long spells of single-digit temperatures, and unfortunately that means that there were no forsythia blooms this year, and possibly we won't get our pink cloud of crab apple blossoms, either. I also noticed as I worked yesterday that we've lost two rose bushes.

That means we'll just have to enjoy the other, more subtle blooms and foliage that go with April, such as the soft, pale green of the oak leaf hydrangeas.

The Japanese spurge is blooming, and smells heavenly

Wrapped around the foot of the crab apple is a skirt of violets.

The peonies are not only robust, but have far and away outgrown the cages I use for them.

This is a clump of Moonbeam coreopsis, something that also seems to have sprung up over night. I love that soft, feathery foliage.

In the shade garden, chartreuse hostas are proliferating. These were also pass-along plants from a friend, so I can't tell you their name, despite scouring hosta sites to try to identify them.

It would hardly be April without daffodils. I need to remember to divide these poor things next fall; they're looking pretty crowded!

I have a favorite green glade, where the maple and Ye Olde Yew compete for space, and purple wintercreeper is sending out it's new bright leaves. I keep this groundcover trimmed at about four feet up the tree or it would climb to the top, I think! I saw that way of pruning it in a couple of English gardening books, and liked the effect. I think English gardeners value mature plantings and contrasting greens perhaps a bit more than most American gardeners, while we tend to go for color more. I'm glad I have this little spot near the patio.

There is also a "view" that appeals to me through an opening in this area. It would be even more striking on a sunny day. I'll try to remember to capture that on film sometime soon.

That's the end of my stroll; I needed to get back in out of the rain.

To see who else is strolling, visit Aisling at The Quiet Country House.

Sunday Stroll-February 8, 2009

This was my first Sunday Stroll in several weeks, and the sun was beckoning!

The mounds of snow that built up along our driveway over the last five weeks are all but gone. This is the third, and predicted to be the last, day of our January, er, February thaw.

The ground is still frozen rock-hard, but the snow is mostly to be found in the shadows.

We are entering the prime time of year for tree pruning, and this year we'll have to clean up the damage we received from the three big ice storms we had. The ragged breaks will have to be pruned back to the branch collars, and all that big mound of downed limbs will need to be cut up and hauled to the yard-waste recycling site.

I would like to give a shout-out to this wonderful shrub, the inkberry holly. I have several in my yard, and they are so beautiful and hardy I'm tempted to plant more. They are native to the area, and despite a long spell of single-digit weather they show no sign of "freezer burn", nor did they snap and break in the ice. Their leaves have remained a lovely glossy deep green through the whole winter. In summer, they look fresh no matter if we're having a flood or a drought. I like to keep mine pruned in a loose, natural shape, but some people clip them like boxwood and create a much denser look. If you're looking for a carefree native, the inkberry is my recommendation!

We're headed into the more interesting time of year for strolling. To see who else was tempted out by the 40 degree weather, go to The Quiet Country House.

Sunday Stroll- January 18, 2009

This is the view we had through our front storm-door Friday morning. It was -18F, and the windchill was -38F. The frost-flowers were the only thing blooming.

We haven't had nearly as much snow as some other areas of the state, but the four inches we did get blew around quite a bit.

Today, when I went for my Sunday stroll, it was a very pleasant 21F, with bright sun and no wind to speak of. Clouds have since moved in. I'm glad that I got out there to enjoy the sunlight while it lasted!

Over the last few days, the animals have found someplace warm to hide from the weather. This rabbit trail was the only sign of activity I saw, and it was freshly made. Someone finally thought it was warm enough to come out and forage.

To see who else had cabin fever, visit Aisling at The Quiet Country House.

Sunday Stroll-January 11, 2009

We're receiving another dusting of snow, over a layer of very dangerous black ice. I think every one I spoke to at church this morning had a sliding into the ditch story, or a falling on the ice story, if not on themselves, on someone near and dear to them. Many of our oldest members wisely stayed in.

It is beautiful, though. I haven't strolled the last two Sundays, feeling that the drab gray-brown we've been living with isn't very photogenic. Today, those colors seemed the perfect foil for the pure white of the snow.

To see who else is strolling today, visit Aisling at The Quiet Country House.

Sunday Stroll-December 28, 2008

This past month we've had just about every kind of winter weather it's possible to have. Today was the first pleasant day we've had in weeks ( 40F and sunny), and I had to get out and see what was going on in the yard.

Yesterday's all-day downpour caused the sump pump to run so much that it scoured away the earth and exposed tree roots, and the pale yellow sprout of a tulip, that should still be resting peacefully below the ground.


















In the back yard, I found the pile of limbs that Mike made when he cleared them from the front yard. We'll have to deal with them later. There are a lot of them. If only we had a fireplace!




















I went in search of anything green. There definitely isn't much, but I did find a few surprises. The lamium must have been pretty well insulated under all the snow and ice, because it will usually turn a deep purple when it's dormant.


















There were a few true geranium leaves still green beneath a mulch of leaves.


















The purple wintercreeper also has not turned color. Last week it was pretty well encased in ice, so I assume it also was insulated to some degree. The weight of the ice pulled it away from the tree trunk it is usually climbing.

That's all the greenery I saw today, and I expect that's all I will see for a couple of months.

If you'd like to see who else is strolling today, visit The Quiet Country House.


P.S.- Blogger and I can't seem to agree on spacing today. I bow to it's omnipotence.

Sunday Stroll-December 21

Okay, I know I'm a Ninny, with a capital "N", but the windchill is -25 F, and we still have a glaze of ice over everything, so this normally hardy prairie gal is staying inside. I kind of doubt that I would have seen any living creatures or green plants out there anyway. Even our adventuresome little winter birds have given up trying to cling to the bird feeder in this gale, and are huddled deep in the yew.

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season. Just remember, the days are getting longer now!

Sunday Stroll- December 7, 2008

Today is busy with extra seasonal obligations (all fun!!), so I took my stroll pictures yesterday. We were having a "snow globe" sort of snow, with giant flakes whirling down, sometimes with great intensity, other times gently.


I like to leave the sedum and chrysanthemum plants for "winter interest".

I did NOT mean to leave the asters and hollyhocks, but, because of a foot injury I didn't get the gardens cleared out the way I would have liked before the cold set in. I'm sure those reckless self-seeders will have planted their progeny everywhere by next spring, and I'll be weeding them out as fast as I can. Still, even my neglect was made attractive by the snow.

It's been unusually bitterly cold for early December, with wind chills down around zero most days this week. I look at it as a positive- fewer insect pests next summer!

To see where others were strolling this week, visit Aisling at The Quiet Country House.