Magic Light in the Garden

I must be kin to a lizard. I suffer terribly on gray, cold days, coiled under cover and biding my time with a sluggish spirit. But let the warm sun shine, and I am out! Basking in the regenerative rays, all energy renewed, taking it in, joy, joy!This Talavera lizard doesn't like freezing weather, either, but he enjoys warmer months outside on the patio.

Winter, mild though it is compared to most of the country, has persisted far too long for my comfort. So when temperatures recently climbed into the 70s and the gentle light of spring washed over the earth, I was ready to officially declare winter gone for the year. Out came the cushions for the patio furniture. Into the garden went the tropical plants that had spent the last few months in Lou's office. ( And Lou was happy that his work space no longer smelled or looked like a greenhouse.) 

Cruel joke! The last two days have been cold again with rain, and more predicted today. But I'm OK. I know it is only winter dragging its last nasty tentacles behind. On the good days I was able to get out to take photos, and I have enjoyed reviewing them as I prepared this post.

The garden is pretty enough, but there are moments when light transforms it into something magical, and those moments are maybe what I do all the work for.

Here are a few shots of the magic light in the garden. Enjoy!

In the woodland garden:

The new birdhouse at the entrance to the woodland garden will soon get a flowering vine, probably a clematis. Meanwhile, plants around its base are beginning to grow:

Here's another birdhouse in the woodland garden. It's an old birdhouse in a new location and an equally old, rusty bird has laid claim to it:

The columbine I planted earlier this year continues to bloom well:

A few more shots inside the woodland garden:Clockwise from upper left: This Pieris japonica (Japanese Andromeda) was a rescue plant. I think it has finally made the turn toward health. Acer japonica 'Vitifolium' has put out its first leaves. I planted this little tree last September. A recent late freeze frosted a Saucer magnolia, but I am happy that some undamaged flowers are now opening. Fern fronds are coming up all over the woodland garden. Surely a sign that winter is past!

I love the woodlands this time of year, but other parts of the garden will not be overlooked.

Dogwoods and azaleas are just beginning to bloom, and soon they will be putting on a show!

Columbine: My Favorite Flower

In all the world of flowers, Aquilegia blooms, also known as Columbine and Granny's Bonnet, are my favorite. That is saying a lot!

Why do I love them so? I don't know; it's an emotional response. The first time I found one blooming in my garden, I was enchanted. This was soon after we moved to our current home, and I was yet a baby gardener. The charming pink flower with its frilly white petticoat reminded me of a little fairy girl, dressed for a party. I also love the clump forming, fern-like foliage with deeply lobed leaves. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds all love these flowers, too, and I love that they love them.

I soon found several more columbines scattered about the property. I suspect these were planted long ago by the original owner of my home, Mrs Dearing, and I think of them as a surprise gift from her. I transplanted my finds to a location in the front garden, and they have flourished in the rich organic mulch that covers the paths in that area. These perennials live only a few years but reseed readily, and every spring I search the paths for new seedlings, which I move to better locations as needed.These photos, taken last year, show columbine blooming beside a path in the front garden along with other spring flowers. My columbine haven't begun blooming yet this year, but they should be flowering by the end of this month.

The many varieties of columbine will cross pollinate, producing offspring with different characteristics. Because I love what I have, which I think is Aquilegia vulgaris, I have hesitated introducing other species. But this past weekend I relented when confronted with the multiple hued blooms with widely space, long spurs that characterize the McKanna hybrids. I bought several and then planted them in the woodland garden away from the others in the front. It will be interesting to see what sort of offspring they produce and if they do as well as my originals.Just planted McKanna hybrids, shown here in the woodland garden in front of spreading yews, have only a few blooms now, but new buds should open as spring unfolds.

Columbine isn't perfect. The foliage is subject to leaf miners, which leave unsightly trails in the leaves. While this doesn't seem to harm the plant, it spoils the beauty. The flowers bloom in spring, then the leaf miners arrive by summer. I usually cut the affected plants back to the ground, and then fresh perfect foliage will sprout back. In my mild climate, the foliage will often persist through the winter.

Aquilegia varieties will grow in hardiness zones 3-8. They do best in well drained, moist soil high in organic matter, and they prefer light to moderate shade. With their naturalizing but never weedy habit, they are most at home in a cottage or woodland type garden.