What’s Coming Up In The Garden, 77: passionflower vine (or maypop)

 I’ve been looking for something native to replaced the clematis at the corner of the front porch. The clematis produces a deep burgundy flower and while I like it okay, I’ve never seen an insect go to it for pollen or nectar, so it’s not doing its job in the pollinator bed it’s in.

It has never really climbed profusely where it is, so I’m not sure it’s in the best growing space. It came out and the native passionflower vine has gone in. This vine has very fancy flowers in a pale lavender color that bees go crazy for, and the fruits are food for various kinds of wildlife. I think I read that box turtles like the fruit (or am I thinking of May apple?)

In any case, the passionflower is installed and come spring we’ll see if it likes its new space, with a lot of sun and a trellis to climb.

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What’s Coming Up In The Garden, 76: Carolina allspice or sweet shrub

 I’ve put a couple of these in my shady driveway bed, in back to provide a backdrop to the flowering plants up front. They are pollinator plants and have deep maroon flowers that will be a nice thing to see both looking out the windows on that side of the house, as well as driving in and out from the garage. I’m hoping they do well in this shady area that can also get some water when we have a lot of rain.

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What’s Coming Up In The Garden, 75: spicebush

 I’ve gotten behind again on updating the plantings for this fall. I put in two spicebush plants in the bird haven area - there were a couple of bayberries along the inner fence line that didn’t like it there and died, presumably because the rainwater creek was too much for them. Spicebush will tolerate that just fine, so I’m trying them there and we’ll see. 

They’re great for birds offering both food and shelter and are a host plant for a species of swallowtail butterflies. I’m looking forward to seeing how they do. 

MORE ABOUT SPICEBUSH

November Hill farm journal, 139

 Playing catch up with the native plantings here, as we had some busy days and my routine got messed up a bit. I have my vines and shrubs left to go and then there is one more batch that I’ll be getting in later this month.

However, I did have a moment this weekend to snap a quick photo of the corner of the oldest of the native pollinator beds I’ve put in. This one is three years old and has really come together well.

This is the fall bloom in this corner. I love how things are intermingling and the textures are varied. I planned some of this, and some volunteered here - the blue mist front and center - and overall I’m very happy with it.

We’ve had some rain today and more to come so my watering is taken care of for all the newly-planted things. A nice gift for the week. 

In other news we have closed and started moving furniture into the mountain house, and learned yesterday that our back-up offer on the adjoining 175 acres is now the primary offer. We should be closing on that in a couple of weeks. I’m very happy that this worked out this way. The land was in immediate danger of being developed, and it’s too beautiful for that to happen. It’s nestled in among thousands of acres of protected land and now it too will be protected. 

It’s October! I’m barely able to believe it but here we are, entering my most favorite season of the year. May it be a good season for us all. We need it, for sure. 

November Hill farm journal, 138

 A break in the plant series today, though of course some of what’s going on is me planting things. Today we got the arrowwood viburnum in, and I watered everything in the bird haven area since we had a hot day today. The stones are placed, and we need another load, so that’s on the list.

The butterfly bush in the grassy front “yard” was removed today in advance of a new/small bed that will angle the corner on that side of the grassy yard area. Its blooms had finished so it was time to get rid of it. Mowing that small grassy area will be a lot easier, I’ll have room for this new/small bed, and I planted a grouping of butterfly weed in the walkway strip to offer something next year in its place. 

We still have a number of new shrubs to put in, a couple of sassafras trees, and two new climbing vines. I’ll feature all these over the next week or so.

A few photos from today, starting with the wetter end of the bird haven area. We’ll fill in the rock, spread it further toward the inner fence line, and maybe wrap it around the bed of dwarf crested irises. The rock area is where most of the rainwater ends up when we get a lot of rain, and the rocks slow it down some. Unfortunately we can’t dig in the area to create a proper rain garden because telephone and internet lines go through here. Why they didn’t follow the fence line up the hill I do not know. If they ever put in fiber optic they’re going to run those lines up the side of the driveway and to that side of the house, which will be so much easier to deal with if any repairs are ever needed. 

This is just a photo to document the new colors of roof and house, and how things look at this moment in time from this angle. It also gives me a moment to just stop and appreciate some of the work we’ve had done this year. The upstairs front windows are FINALLY getting replaced next week, after 7 months of waiting. Pella does great work and they have great products, but they are SLOW.

Next, the view up toward the drier area of the bird haven. In the foreground are the southern shield ferns, behind them the hearts a bustin’, and behind that the arrowwood viburnum. Outside the fence are the southern bayberries. My aim with the shrubs is twofold - feed wildlife including pollinator insects, and screen this corner from the gravel lane. 

To the left of this space, outside the photo’s frame, are the winterberry hollies, and to the right a huge old oak tree and more southern bayberries. In the upper corner also outside this photo’s frame and outside this fence to the right, is a lovely redbud. I hope in the end to have four layers of height and a sun-dappled haven for birds and pollinators. For now, it’s a work in progress.

And finally, the view from the broken down chair I was sitting in, perusing the staging area for my plants waiting to be put in, and the autumn-blooming plants across the driveway. In another week or so the huge butterfly bush will be removed and a new native bush put in. I admit that I’ve put off removing the butterfly bushes because they were beloved by our cats early on when we moved to November Hill. The one at the corner of the bed and house is huge and a sort of fixture there by the back door. It’s going to feel very empty without it. Once I get it out, I’m going to also remove all the goldenrod in the lower terraced bed, as it has just taken over and I’d like something different in there. The goldenrod I moved last spring can stay, though I’m going to have to be truly tough on myself about pulling it out as it tries to move forward. That’s the thing about all this - it is not static! Which is part of why I love it.

In other news, Keil’s primary vet is going on maternity leave at the end of this week and she’s coming one more time to do his acupuncture before we switch to the interim vet. Keil Bay and I have a surprise for her. She’s been such a great support for both him and for me through this EPM year. 

And on Thursday we are closing on the new house. I’m excited and also a bit overwhelmed with the furnishing side of things. But as is always the case, I had to notch myself down some and remind myself that everything does not have to happen overnight. It’s a process. Slow down and let it unfold. The key to a more peaceful life, for sure!