Just when I was complaining about the length of this winter, the  first harbinger of Spring shows up right at my door!

Every Spring, very early on, we get a visit to The Burrow  from Red-winged Blackbirds.  Red-Wings are usually found perched on cattails in marshes, wetlands  or the wet  areas along roadsides where  purple loosestrife runs amok. They are migratory and are just on their way back to their northern home to breed , and I am always happy to have them stop over for a bite to eat on the way.

The flocks that arrive here in March are comprised of all males of various ages, the females follow later after the males have staked out their breeding ground.  The adult males are easily recognized by the bright red “epaulets” that appear on their shoulders when in flight , at rest all you can see usually is a yellow wing bar.

The 1 year old males( like this guy above) have wing feathers edged in a buff color and yellow epaulets. After this flock  finds it’s breeding ground I will only see solitary birds at the feeders occasionally.

What I, and others ,have noticed, is that when in the flock they are very easy to spook ( and thus very difficult to photograph), even noises in the house will scare them back into the white pines out back to sing and call until all is quiet here again and they will again approach the feeders. When the solitary birds arrive later on in the spring they are very comfortable with human noise and will remain close to the house even if I am acting like the paparazzi.

I have planted this garden to attract many species of birds and butterflies, but frequently wonder what it is that makes them stop by for the first time and  how they know to come back? I have a large hedge of willow, which is  a wetland shrub, and the Red-Wings will often build their nest in willows when they rest their destination and settle down( it defies explanation why I planted it and the other willows here and why they do so well in my dry sand).  I am guessing that it looks familiar to them and although they do not nest here it is cool to have them if only for a short time.

Follow this link to hear a video of the racket  they were making while they were waiting for me to disappear.

Here are a few  of  the sea of  things that are swarming around in my head today (which is single digit cold BTW)

-As I looked through my garden journals last night reading March entries like :

Blooming; snowdrops, crocus, winter hazel

Buds showing on hyacinth and daffs

Yard clean-up started

magnolia buds HUGE

Squill blooming and roses leafing out

Planted new crab apple “Mrs. Robinson” and three new peonies

I realized that yes, it is damn cold, and this winter is starting to drag on. I love winter, I love the change of the seasons here in New England, and I love snow too. But c’mon, it’s late March and there are inches of the stuff covering the snowdrops and the squill and a week ahead that is predicted to be staying below 10 and then maybe  low 20’s  at night later in the week and daytime temps not so warm either. We could even get some snow or icy rain. The snow pack is so frozen I can still walk on it .Enough. Be done already Old Man Winter. You may exit like a lamb now.

I spent the weekend answering questions at the Hort info booth at the Boston Flower Show and if the questions I fielded are any indication of the season ahead, get thee to the hardware store and stock up on vole traps and bait and rabbit repellent. Every other question I had got answered “Well now, that sounds like vole damage, so here is what to do….”

-The second  most asked question was what to do with the orchids  bought at ( insert big box store  name here) to make them bloom again. Sigh.

-Other than the Amateur Horticulture area where people enter their beloved plants, photographs they took ,and floral arrangements they made for judging, the show was uninspiring. Hence the lack of photos. I took none. Zero. Zip.

-I have to do a presentation this evening ( Monday) in Milford , MA. Last Monday I spoke in Milford, New Hampshire. I think that is a weird coincidence.

-I hate hate hate getting my picture taken, but I finally broke down and had some professional shots done and I  am ever so happy I did. I am speaking at the Suburban Boston Home Show in Lowell in April and would not have been happy with the picture I was using before plastered all  over their promotional material. You can see it here, if you are on a smart phone you will need to click the link  that says” Featured at the Show” then “Local Specialists” to view it.

-The third most asked  question, which is usually #1, is” Why won’t my hydrangea bloom?” I could recite the answer in my sleep ,that is how many times I have explained it and I wish that just once the nursery industry would work WITH gardeners instead of AGAINST us and only stock plants that  are reliable bloomers in the area in which they are sold Harumph.

-I started seeds over 2 weeks ago of eight different plants, sweet peas, chinese love vine, 2 kinds of sangusorbia, daylily, petunia exseta, allium cernium and huechera. Only the petunias have sprouted. This does not bode well for the season ahead.

On a happy note, the pussy willows are opening outside

-and Happy Saint Patrick’s day!

For those of you who were in attendance at the WGC meeting this afternoon here are the links I promised

Perennial Culture Handout     (in case you did not receive one or need an extra)

and

Home Horticulture Series Info

Clcik away! and thanks for being such a super audience!

Time to talk about forcing branches again. Let’s go back in time  and see what was up  here last year and then talk about what you can cut today……

If you cut branches from crab apples, Japanese Maples, quince, Amelanchier ( service berry),  or pear trees today, within 15-20 days you will have their flowers gracing your mantel or table.

If you have less patience ,then go for some Magnolia ( dreamy dreamy dreamy ), Fragrant Honeysuckle (lonicera fragrantissima) Andromeda , Cercis ( red bud) or any Prunus (cherry) tree and you can catch a little glimpse of Spring in your living room in less than two weeks.

If you are dancing around the kitchen whining about spring  like a little kid who has to use the potty  then  cut some Red Maple, Cornus Mas ( Cornelian dogwood) ,Pussy Willows , or Forsythia and brighten up your day on Feb 28 or so.

If you just can’t wait one second longer then I hope you have had the foresight to plant on your property one or more Hamamelis x intermedia, as they could possibly be in bloom now , and if not they will force in 1-3 days.

I have already started and have red bud and forsythia blooming in the house now, and magnolias in bud ready and waiting. Tomorrow  I will brave the snow that is waist high to cut some crab apples, azaleas and callery pears , the latter of which smells horrible but looks awful pretty  and get them going as well. I am waiting much later this year to try viburnum carlesii and lilacs and hope for success with both.

This week in MA we will have warm temps  of 40-50 degrees which is perfect for branch cutting. I cut them on an angle and immediately get them into a vase of cool water, then place them in indirect light until they bloom.  Because they will be in the vase for an extended period I  add floral preservative to help the water stay clear longer and change the water completely every 6 or 7 days.

Once they are in bloom you can combine them with any flowers you get at the florist or market especially of you cut smaller branches,  or leave them standing alone if they are large branches. Either way it is an early dose of  Spring  that is guaranteed to lift your drab winter spirits.

As I went to add the Spring Countdown timer to the blog this morning, I thought wouldn’t it be dreamy to take a look back at Spring here in the Burrow ? We just got a fresh new “coating ” of 12 inches of snow, and although I adore winter, I also miss and long for the color and vibrancy of the spring garden. I am no psychology guru , but I believe that it is this very  longing for the next season to arrive that  may be the sole reason I never mind the one I am currently in!

That said, I have also been updating some presentations with new photos, organizing the photo folders on my computer and backing them up which has caused me to stumble upon some that were to good not to share. So get a cup of cocoa and click the link below to the slideshow page, then literally scroll through the past few springs here . Enjoy!

Spring Slide Show

Living in New England where gray skies and leafless trees dominate our winter landscape, a wonderful way to add much needed color to the garden is by using what are commonly referred to as Red Twig Dogwood shrubs (even though some are flame colored, orange-y or even yellow). There are a few different species , and many cultivars that will all do well in our USDA growing zone and require little care once established.

Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ (sometimes called ‘Winter Flame’) is the least common of the bunch. It will grow to about 5 ft x 5ft and sports showy yellow, orange and red, almost glowing stems in the winter. If you have ever visited Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston and seen their very well done winter garden, ‘Midwinter Fire’ is the  backbone and show stopper of the garden above the turtle fountain and pond

Even smaller and perfectly suitable for container growing is cornus sanguinea ‘Arctic Sun’

Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’ called tatarian dogwood, has lovely variegated leaves in the warmer months and very twiggy bright red stems in the winter. It can grow to be 8 feet tall.  A dwarf form Cornus alba ‘Ivory Halo ‘is also available.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Cornus alba ‘Silver and Gold’ had variegated leaves and brilliant yellow stems in winter. Cornus alba ‘Budd’s Yellow’ is another great  yellow twig dogwood, both will grow to be 5-7 ft. i have had a tricky time with my yellow twig dogwoods because they are bunny magnets. I tried caging them off , and last year I went so far as to add a thick planting of big leaf coreopsis all around the base of the shrubs inside the cage. That seems to have helped immensely and they now seem on the mend. The photo below was taken at Tower Hill Botanic Garden , look how the yellow dogwood stems play off the foliage of the chamaecyparis ( the evergreen) to the right, pure garden genius!

I cut and use lots of stems in my winter containers and inside arrangements too.

All dogwood shrubs share the common characteristics of being tolerant of a wide range of soils including very wet and boggy ones, growing in sun to part shade and being easy to care for. They also will self layer, meaning stems low to the ground that touch the soil will send out roots so over time you can either separate and dig up the new baby shrubs  and give them away to happy gardening friends or start a thicket . I usually go for the thicket and/or relocating them somewhere here since I have so much space. ( But if you were here and asked me nicely I would not hesitate to get the shovel and share).

The only suggested maintenance is renewal pruning; or removing 1/3 of the oldest stems to the ground annually. This will prompt the shrub to put out lots of new growth, and it is this  young bark that has the most vivid winter color.As dogwood stems age they become dark and gray in color and really, since our world is already dark and gray in color during winter it is best to try to remember to thin them in the spring so your color starved garden soul will have a treat.

We all have  our dark pasts, our skeletons kept securely hidden in the closet. There are many many things I have done as a gardener that I am woefully ashamed of. The sin I shall reveal to you today is that of being a Zone -Pusher.

Here in the Burrow which is nestled sweetly in the heart of MA surrounded by conservation land, state forest and Rail Trails lives a  dirty little secret….although the current USDA maps give our  growing zone as a balmy 6a, due to our elevation and exposure it can be more accurately  described as 4a. Depressing? Maybe, but like any other problem, awareness is half the battle. When we first moved here, I belived the lie, and in my zeal to garden on the edge and impress, I pushed the zone.

Let’s just say, it did not go well.

Woody plants ( like shrubs and trees) are the most valuable assets of our landscape. They cost the most, they grow the biggest, and they are the hardest to remove if and when necessary. Most trees and shrubs go through two stages of dormancy from late fall to spring. The first is called endo -dormany or acclimation, and it occurs when the combination of shorter days and cooler temps “tell” the plant to stop growing. This is why we get the colorful leaf displays as the trees quit sending the green chrlorophyl of life to their leaves so the less dominant colors show (then they fall of f and we grumble and rake). The plant is now entering a very deliberate and determined dormant period when no growth will occur.

While dormant, the plant is keeping track of how many hours the weather is above freezing, these hours are called chilling units. Each plant/ tree has a set number of chilling units its needs for it’s winter dormancy and it will remain completely free of any growth during that time. Only after it has tracked those required chilling units it will break endo -dormancy.( eg An apple tree may need 700 chilling units  in the winter, so after the temp has gone above freezing that many hours …not in  a row mind you, but as a total, it is now ready to break bud and welcome spring).

After the endo dormancy requirement has been met ,the plant/tree is in what is called eco- dormancy , in which it remains dormant SOLELY based on the cold weather. It does not matter if it is January or July, chilling units complete, the “real” is dormancy done. Warm weather that occurs after  eco -dormancy has started  will stimulate growth. Most trees that are hardy around here will break endo- dormancy in January.

Wild temperature swings that occur during this time when the tree has acclimated to growing weather again, say like the -15 to 56 we had in one 25 hour span one day last week, will severely stress the plant as it has no ability to re-acclimate to the really cold temps now, and death may very well happen.

Most woody plants also have a specific temperature that is their breaking point  and below which they will die.  A sort of combination of dormancy requirements and bottom temp will tell you how hardy a plant is in your area.

Adventurous gardeners find a thrill in trying to outwit these biological facts. They will plant a zone 7 tree( after systematically tracking the warmer more sheltered areas of their yard), then mulch like crazy over roots that were not meant for such conditions , then pray they will be rewarded in spring when the tree survives and they can show admiring visitors their amazing feat!

I shamefully admit I was one of them.

When  I planted my first garden, I included a red bud , (cercis canadensis)…but not just any red bud, a cultivar called ‘Forest Pansy’ .Unlike the species, ‘Forest Pansy’ has dramatically colored leaves AND is a zone 6  (maybe even  a 7  …don’t believe the lies on the tag), so successfully growing it here would elicit gasps of praise. It died.

Ever the attention seeker, I planted another. It survive three years, then it died as well.

Third time is the charm I have heard , so I tried again, and guess what? Yep, death.

Meanwhile , I was now left with a whole in the garden that was five years behind in growth than the rest , not to mention the digging and planting effort wasted. So , I finally gave in and planted a straight species Eastern red bud, hardy to zone 4 and have enjoyed it’s delightful red covered branches every spring since.

This very scenario was repeated ad naseum over the course of my first few years in the garden. Chances were taken, weather was brutal,many  plants were lost. As I look back over my garden journals, I grieve my mistakes ( and the loss of cash). As an aside, the brutally cold weather and temperature swings are not unusual nor should they be unexpected, just in case you were going to tell me that this winter has been colder than the norm . It has not been, the meteorologists are more hysterical as a bunch,  that’s all. It has been cold here for eons, know it ; embrace it …or move 😉

So now I am reformed. I live the cold, love the cold, plant for the cold. I do not seek out the pleasures of microclimates in the yard in which to experiment,  I do not push the zone anymore and I am all the happier for it.

*this blog post is dedicated to my fellow zone pushers that have yet to see the light including one dear garden friend who has been taken to the dark side by  a monkey puzzle tree araucania araucanca . Peace and blessings Paul, we will know very soon.

After my little hiatus over the holidays, I have returned to work , which means lots of travel, and feel as though I am long overdue for a rant. I am also feeling a tad bit snarky today, so here goes…

We are all lucky to have easy access to driving licenses, cars, highways and other related infrastructure and as such it becomes all too easy to take for granted the roads and traffic laws that regulate them. (into the definition of the word “laws” I will add “Cheryl’s rules” and expect you shall follow them as suggested).

-Each and every day the sun rises and sets ; east to west it travels across the sky in a very predictable pattern ,so plan accordingly. Carry sunglasses that you can reach without looking away from the road and veering in to my lane and please please please take all of your coupons, folded papers and other emphemera out from behind your sun visor. It should come as no surprise to you, dear driver, that unsecured paper will rain down on you if you flip said visor when driving eastbound on any and all roads in the am and westbound in the afternoon.

-Your car may be small enough for you to think you can dart in and out of any lane you choose at whim but guess what? My vehicle is big. If you try to cut into the lane I am in I WILL hit you, and let’s just guess who may bear the brunt of the hurt.

– See that little red sign that looks like an upside down triangle with the letters Y I E L D on it ? If you can see and read it , it is meant for you. Act on it

_-The very large green signs announcing exits and lane merges conveniently  placed directly in your sight  line are meant for you too. Read them, use the information provided to make smart decisions none of which include waiting until the last 10 yards before an exit to get in the proper lane or remaining in a lane that is about to end until you pass all the cars who did what they were told when the merge sign appeared.

-We live in New England, our weather changes are notoriously well known. If you went in the house and it was 50 degrees at night, that does not rule out the fact that snow may have fallen after you dozed off for the evening and is now covering your car . You can find this out by

a.)watching the local weather , all of our local stations go absolutely bananas when even the most scant of frozen precipitation falls so you can be sure to catch it no matter when you tune in

b.) get weather alerts sent to your mobile device or

c.) look out the GD window.

If snow has fallen you must ready your vehicle for safe travel by clearing it of said snow, not doing so and creating a mini-blizzard for cars around you as you speed down the highway  is rude and self-absorbed. We all have schedules to keep, but squish in a few extra minutes to use the snowbrush. Doing so will insure I will not tailgate and beep/swear at you which would start  your day in a negative fashion.

-Before you get behind the wheel, do a  quick self-assessment. Do you have all day to get where you are going? Do you drive with your hands placed at 10 and 2 on the steering wheel carefully eyeing the speedometer lest you go above 55mph? Do you ride your brakes down every incline you encounter? Are you proud to announce you have never ever been g iven a speeding ticket? If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, pull into the right lane. The left lanes are for faster traffic, those of us who have places to go and people to see and want to get there in this century. If you are in the left lane and are not the fastest person in the road then put your blinker on immediately and GET THE HECK OUT OF THE WAY! Do not commend yourself for following the law and saving me from myself,I am watching for the police and as a bonus  I know how to pay a ticket and it’s not your money I am using. Worry about yourself while simultaneously driving in the RIGHT lane.

-Put,The.Phone.Down. You can tell your friend Eddy about the crazy lady that just passed you on the road later form the safety of your desk or home. To be truthful, Eddy is not all that interested anyway , and he already looked out his window this morning so he does not need your weather update either.

-I also have a personal rule “Never drive behind a Subaru” , but you can feel free to follow that one or not at your own discretion.

That is all, I am done now. Yes, I do realize there is nothing even remotely garden or plant related in this particular rant, but I needed to vent, and here you were to listen. I thank you for that.

P.s A shout out to the lovely ladies at Southborough Gardeners  this morning, they ROCKED the workshop!