Worts in the woods

Liverwort

I have a wide variety of plants in my garden with "wort" as the suffix.  Even though they look nothing alike, I've always assumed they were in the same family since they all shared the same suffix.  Before writing about all my "worts" however, I decided to do a little research.

To my delight, I learned that "wort" is an old English word meaning either "plant" or "root" (depending on what source material I read).  Either way,  identifying a plant as a "wort" is merely a general designation.  What it does tell us is that any plant identified as a "wort" is one that has been associated with gardens for a very long time.

I do have two "worts" in my woodland garden that are in the same family; a liverwort and a bloodwort, which are both in the same family as buttercups (ranunculus).  Both of these native woodland species have white flowers that appear on leafless stems before the leaves come up so it is always a sweet surprise to see them in the spring.

Bloodwort

 

Bloodwort is also known as bloodroot because its root sap is reddish in color (I read this--did not dig it up to verify it).  It's Latin name is sanguineria, which is why I shall continue to call it bloodwort.  The flowers are quite large for a woodland flowers, about 2 inches in diameter, with a sort of daisy-like appearance. 

Liverwort (hepatica) blossoms are only about a half inch in diameter so they are easy to miss in the woods.  The common name is derived from the shape of the leaves; three lobes on each leaf like the liver organ.   I confess that I harvested my liverwort from the banks of a stream along one of our horse trails.  I have rules when I take plants from their native habitat--always leave the parent plant; take only a small specimen; and never tell anyone where it came from. 

My trillium are blooming!

These native woodland plants fascinate me.  I never even knew they existed until a few years ago when I saw them at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens.  They come up in early spring, bloom before the tree canopy leafs out and then quietly go dormant until next year.

Although trillium plants can be found at some nurseries, they are pretty expensive for their size and demand their version of perfect growing conditions to thrive.   My first attempt to grow trillium failed completely.  I planted them in my woodland garden but just assumed they would like to grow in my favorite medium of horse compost--bad choice.

Then I learned that trillium want to grow in deep leaf mold.   My good friend, Denise, has lots of trillium growing around her woodland home, and she graciously invited me to dig up some of her trillium to try again.   This time, I dug out the soil and replaced it with leaf mold from the bottom of my mulch pile.    Much to my joy, the following spring, five little trillium sprouted in my "woods." 

This year, for the first time, my trillium are blooming! 

Bluettes are better

Although I enjoy lavender and green henbit "lawns" I like bluettes better.  These tiny flowers are true blue so they practically sparkle in my yard.  They are also not as invasive as the henbit which make them easier to control. 

One woman's trash

A few years ago, my daughter bought her first home.  It is an adorable little house in an older section of town.  It was landscaped with random shrubs that had been overrun by privet around the foundation.  She didn't enjoy the shrubs and begged me to help her pull them out, which, as a good Mom, I did.  I kept a few of them, and potted up others to share with friends. 

One of the shrubs I saved for myself is a white spirea.   It has been in my yard for three years and is just now beginning to recover from the replanting process.   Because it blooms before it leafs out, the visual effect is flowers that seem to be freely blowing in the breeze--we don't notice the branches they are growing on.  

The other day I pointed it out to her.  She remarked how pretty it looked--then I told her it was one of the shrubs she didn't want. 

By the way, my daughter has been working on re-landscaping her yard to her own tastes and is doing a great job.

Sunshine on a cloudy day

When it is wet and gloomy outside, bring some of spring's sunshine indoors to enjoy.  I'm not much of a florist,  but I can't mess up with bright colors and a pretty vase.

Not quite off my soap box yet

The other day, as I was driving through my neighborhood, I noticed a landscape company working at a local pool.  In addition to chopping up the crape myrtles, they were using electric hedge trimmers to "shape" up the privacy hedge trying to grow around the perimeter of the property. 

This privacy hedge is made up of closely planted elaeagnus shrubs.  While elaeagnus would not be my shrub of choice it does grow quickly, is evergreen so it provides year round privacy, and grows thorn-like leaves which would greatly discourage anyone wishing to take a short cut onto the pool property. 

Before pruning at my house

When the landscape company had completed their project, the elaeagnus was reduced to a thicket of sticks with a few random leaves--not a pretty sight.  Because it was hard-pruned in this way, the shrubs are going to immediately start directing their energy into growing new branches.  This species will do it by growing four to six foot long whips in just a matter of a few weeks.

After pruning at my house

If the purpose of the landscape company was to create neatly shaped hedges, that orderly, sculptured look (although merely a twiggy thicket) will completely vanish.  If the purpose of the landscape company was to reduce the height/area of the hedge, this purpose will have also been defeated by the elaeagnus before the pool season even begins.   The pool owners will either have to put up with a wild hedge or bring the landscape company back to re-cut it.

Why do people wack their shrubbery with electric hedge trimmers???  There is absolutely no benefit to this method of pruning.   With the exception of boxwood (which we don't grow much

Before pruning at my house

around here) there are no shrubs that respond well to this kind of treatment.   Scalped shrubs are not attractive and the new growth rapidly distorts the "nice" shape.

After pruning at my house

I just pruned my shrubs this week.  Although I am not a professional, I am smart enough to learn how to do it correctly.   My front foundation plants are loropetalum.  They grow vigorously and I need to trim them once a year to keep them off my walls and below my windows.  This is an easy task.  I take a hand pruner and clip off the long branches that have grown too tall for my taste.  They should be clipped back to where they attach to the main shrub or back to a new branch that is growing in a "better" direction for my purposes.

This entire project took about 30 minutes (less time than the electric hedge trimmer), my shrubs still look lovely, and they will continue to do so all year.  Anyone can learn to prune a shrub.

If I don't get of my soap box soon, we will all be drowning in the suds.   

Hopping up on my soap box

Same variety--which one appeals to you?

Spring is generally a joyful time of year, filled with the sights, sounds, and fragrances of new beginnings.  There is one spring time activity that just irritates and frustrates me.  So, I'm hopping up onto my soap box to rant for a few minutes. 

Why, Why, WHY do people hard prune their crape myrtle trees and shrubs every spring???  Crape myrtles are one of the most beautiful of southern shrubs, or would be, if people would stop hard pruning them.  This shrub blooms all summer long, produces interesting seed pods for the fall, and has uniquely colored trunks that create lovely winter interest after the leaves have fallen. 

But all of this beauty is absolutely ruined by this strange landscaping practice of wacking off all the branches.  As I drive through the neighborhood I see what would be lovely trees and shrubs grossly misshaped with thick trunks, bizarre knobs, and no branches. 

When other trees are budding out, crape myrtles are forced to put their energy into growing all new branches.  These branches are thin and sucker-like, creating a weird snow-cone shape on top of misshapen trunks.    It is amazing to me that the crape myrtles even survive this abusive treatment.

There are a few lovely crape myrtles in my neighborhood that have escaped hard pruning.  These trees and shrubs are allowed to grow and bloom in their natural shape and provide graceful beauty all year long.

Sometimes a tree or shrub does need to be pruned.  I had to prune mine several years ago when we had new siding put onto our house.  I also have to do some pruning to keep suckers from obscuring the shape of the tree.  Pruning can be done without wholesale butchering.

Butchered shrub vs. properly pruned shub

Even these trees that have been butchered can be saved and regrown with their natural growth habit. 

Please stop the abuse of crape myrtles!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

There are those who are dedicated to keeping a golf-course like lawn and I would never criticize anyone who is willing to work hard to maintain a lawn that they love.  However, there is another perspective on the green spaces that we mow and this season of the year demonstrates it vividly.

These days, as we are all eagerly watching for the signs of spring, the well-kept lawns are brown and crunchy looking.  Those who are more relaxed in their lawn philosophy are enjoying the abundance of spring wild flowers that thrive in a lawn-like environment. 

This one is not my lawn.

One of my favorite spring wild flowers (but in my garden is recognized as an irritating weed) is henbit.  I love seeing the masses of green and purple spreading across my spring lawn.  They are much prettier to me than bland and crunchy dormant grass.

Spring is officially here

I don't care what the calendar says or the thermometer reads, when my little crocuses bloom, spring has arrived.

Every plant in my garden has a story and my purple crocuses are no exception.  After we had lived here for more than ten years, I was strolling across the yard and noticed some bright "grass" growing up through the dead turf in late February.  Upon closer examination I realized that these bright green blades could not possibly be grass.  I grabbed a trowel and popped up the sod to see what was growing underneath it.  There were three or four small bulbs attached to those blade-like leaves.  Not knowing what they were
, I planted them near my front steps.  Nothing bloomed that spring, but the following spring (when I had forgotten all about them) three dark purple crocus blossoms magically appeared next to the front steps.  They spread a little more each spring.

When the crocuses bloom, I know that winter will soon be over.  I don't think I have ever been as pleased to see them bloom as I have this year!