Winter losses

Winter of 2014-15 was a hard one, with long stretches of sub-freezing temperatures, and of course lots of snow. One result seems to be late flowering: as of the end of April there are very few blooms. What I have as of now is just violets, plus the usual early non-natives (forsythia, daffodils, tulips, and scilly). However, after a warm April, a lot of stuff looks like it's close to blooming.

The other effect of a harsh winter is that I have lost several plants. Casualties are mostly among what I planted last September: ironweed, vervain, indian pink, and maidenhair fern. Maybe they didn't have enough time to get good roots down. Another possibility is that they are just very late sending up sprouts this year. Others missing so far include poppy mallow, Joe Pye weed, New England blazing star, obedient plant, bee balm, and Stokes' daisies, as well as two new winterberry bushes that have tiny buds - not sure if they are viable, though I think they are slowly getting larger.

Some other plants that were doing poorly by the end of last year's very dry summer didn't make it. These include Meehan's mint, bloodroot, lupine, Allegheny stonecrop, candytuft, and a dwarf spruce that I transplanted when it was already pretty far gone. Also some grasses (stout blue-eyed and little bluestem) show no signs of life.

Ground cover for rehabilitated forest

I have been keeping my eyes open for ground cover to use on the forest floor after getting rid of the Euonymous fortunei (one of my projects for this year). Don't want to leave the ground bare, since other invasive species (e.g., garlic mustard) will certainly take advantage. Criteria include:

• aggressive - I  want it to spread quickly without much coddling
• low-maintenance - must do well in dry shade
• cheap or already abundant - there's a big area to cover and I don't want to invest a lot
• deer-resistant - this may be too much to ask

Nothing ideal so far; candidates include:

• Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) - I should have enough to start transplanting this spring, though not a lot
• American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) - not a popular plant, but it meets the criteria
• Violets (whatever Viola species is in the lawn) - I believe these need some sun, but I'll try it
• Virginia creeper - need to keep this out of the trees
• Canadian wild ginger (Asarum canadense) - planted this in 2013, but it hasn't spread enough yet to take any away
• Eastern skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) - needs wet soil; also apparently hard to transplant
• Allegheny spurge (Pachysandra procumbens) - too slow, especially at $5+ a pot?

Other possibilities:

• Ferns?
• Brambles - blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) or raspberry (Rubus idaeus)?
• Sedges?
• Mints?

What to do about lily-of-the-valley?

I am saddened by my discovery that lily-of-the-valley (Convallaria majalis) is non-native and somewhat invasive. The scent and flowers are beautiful, and it fills shady spaces perfectly. But I guess I can't in good conscience use any more of it. Fortunately at present it is only in two fairly contained parts of the yard where the rhizomes have nowhere to go (except into the lawn from one area, and under a fence into a neighbor's garden from the other). I can't bring myself to consider ripping it out, not with so many other nastier species to worry about. I'm pretty sure birds don't spread the seeds given that they are toxic, and aren't produced in large quantities.

6/3/14

My hope was that mine would turn out to be the American sub-species rather than the European one, in

European columbine?

I'm pretty sure I figured out what this is: European columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris var. Stellata, possibly 'Blue Barlow'). The leaves are definitely columbinish, but the upside-down flowers are completely different from the native columbine I planted. I assume it was planted deliberately, but I only noticed it a year or so ago. Supposedly it doesn't last more than a few years. It is non-native, but very pretty, so if it self-seeds I will keep it around.

5/26/14

5/26/14

Rhododendrons

Despite (or because of?) the harsh winter, it has been a beautiful year for the rhododendrons. Just a few dead branches. Not sure what to do: thin them out? deadhead the flowers? I read conflicting advice, but being lazy I am inclined to believe that deadheading does not improve next year's display.

5/26/14

5/26/14

Winter damage

Winter damage to yew shrubs, presumably wind burn (though this is not a particularly exposed spot). This is the worst of the three. However, it looks like new growth is already coming in, so I am not going to panic.

5/17/14

5/17/14

Morrow's honeysuckle

I have a bad feeling this is another invasive. (I seem to have just about every one I have read about.) This looks like Morrow's honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii). I just pruned it back, and it has the indicative hollow stems. Flowers are white/pinkish, with yellow stamens. There are two of these bushes, both filling spots that will look strange if empty, so I may wait to remove them till I have alternatives. The sites are both very shady; one is moderately moist while the other is very dry. Too bad - they are reasonably attractive. Maybe a native honeysuckle to replace this?

4/29/14

4/29/14

4/29/14