No lice in my garden

It took me awhile to discover the name of the strange plant I found growing in a horse pasture about 10 years ago.  The leaves are fern-like but it has a blooming stalk with whorls of small, beaked red and pink flowers.  I dug up a small section for my own shade garden, where it has quietly thrived.

Eventually I learned that the common name for this quirky plant is lousewort.  The old English word for "plant" is "wort," but who in their right mind would name a plant after a nasty insect?  Research on the National Native Plant database website (I love the internet) revealed that at one time farmers believed cattle that grazed on this plant became infected with lice.

Another interesting discovery is that louse wort is semi-parasitic, feeding partially on the roots of other plants.  In the 10 years I've been growing lousewort, I have never noticed any damage to the plants growing near it so I assume its parasitic habits are very mild.  Since it prefers a shady environment, I am guessing its favorite host would be tree roots.

I'm pleased to report that, although lousewort thrives in my garden, I do not have any lice.

Redefining spring

My sister's front yard

My parents' apartment garden

My Alabama front yard

I just returned home from a visit with my family in southern Minnesota.  I grew up there and I understood that in early April spring is more about wishful thinking than an event.  However, this year in Minnesota spring is still in the distant future.  It snowed twice while I was there and they had another significant snowfall this morning (April 14th).  It has been a record breaking snow season for them.  I was overjoyed to return to my blooming (and warm!) spring season.

Shocking pink

One of the most amazing sights in the springtime Alabama woodlands are the native azaleas.  The nearly neon pink blooms seem to float effortlessly among the dark trunks and budding leaves of the canopy.  The color seems to explode upon the senses.

These azaleas are slow growing so clear cutting forests forces them to the ground to start over, meaning it is years before they bloom again.  The rest of the year, the shrub is virtually unnoticeable so they often go un-rescued when a woodland is scheduled for harvesting.

While I have many woodland rescues in my garden, I never take a native azalea from the woods.  They are available for purchase at specialty nurseries.  I purchased a tiny, 6 inch speciman of a piedmont azalea about 8 years ago.  I've waited and waited for my own display of shocking pink flowers floating in my landscape.

It was well worth the wait.  My piedmont baby has been randomly blooming for the last three years, but this year there are about 15 blooms, enough to create that ephemeral, double take explosion of pink I've been waiting for.

It just isn't pretty

The growing mound of weeds

Not every day in my garden is a pretty day.  There are some days that merely involve wheel barrel loads of weeds, dirty finger nails and muddy knees.  In the weeks while I wait for the last frost of spring, it is time to pull weeds, dig up invasives (i.e. planting mistakes) and spread mulch.  There is nothing lovely or glamorous about it.  I keep reminding myself that all this hard work will please me in a just a few weeks, when I won't be trying to pull up weeds around tender new perennial growth or digging up weeds when I would rather be planting annuals. 

Another bed that needs weeding

Of course, we won't discuss the fact the these are merely the winter and early spring weeds, summer weeds are yet to come.

It's official

It is difficult to determine the beginning of spring in central Alabama because we have plants that thrive and bloom all year long.  The daffodils often begin blooming in January which is definitely not springtime.  I've been enjoying the early bloomers for several weeks now, even though frost is a common morning event and it could still snow in the right (or wrong) circumstances.

For me, it is the spring woodland flowers that are the true harbingers of spring:  trillium, trout lilies, rue anemone, wild geranium, and wood violets.  I've been watching them bud out for the last week and I'm pleased to announce that spring has officially arrived. 

For the next month, my backyard will be bursting with energy as the perennials begin their spring show and prepare for another glorious summer.  Everyday, a stroll through the garden will reveal something new and lovely.  I am SO excited to see what each day will bring this spring.

Looking forward

Like my gardens, my life is an ever changing and growing affair.  This past year, at a time when I had thought the pace of my life would slow down, I chose to take on a full-time job that would provide much needed health insurance for our family.  While I enjoy my new job and the benefits it provides, time management has become an important factor in all of my decision making, including decisions about my gardens.

One of my first decisions was to move most of my container plants directly into the ground where maintenance is much simpler.  I tried to choose wise locations for each of my treasured plants and as spring approaches, we will see how wisely I actually chose.

I also decided not to use my cold frame this winter, which meant that all the containers which were not cold hardy had to find a place somewhere near a window in my house.  Some plants have fared well but there were some that missed the bright sun of the cold frame and are hoping I will put them back outdoors soon.

The other major decision was to cut back on germinating my own starter plants for the garden.  I have been playing with my own version of sweet banana peppers for several years so I decided to keep them going.  This spring, I will let the garden centers start my tomatoes and annual flowers for me.  I found an old packet of basil seed and since there was room in my single starter flat, I decided to see how many would grow.  Basil is a great filler plant both in the vegetable garden and in the flower beds too.

I'm looking forward to the future of my more laid back gardening style.

The garden awakens

One of the best seasons in Alabama is springtime.   While many places in the USA are still struggling with snow, ice, and cold temperatures, February in Alabama is when the daffodils and forsythia bloom and the buds on the trees begin to swell in anticipation of summer.

I enjoy the daffodils and forsythia and eagerly await the first crocus blooms near my front steps, but there is also a sense of great excitement in the air as the spring growth begins to emerge from its winter sleep.  I can almost feel the ground quiver as my garden awakens to spring.

As I strolled through my backyard, I found flowers and tender green shoots rising to meet the spring sunshine.  Enjoy the bright daffodils, but also take the time to look for the quieter signs that the garden is waking.