Friday, April 11, 2008

Walk About

When we were at the park with Luna yesterday we saw that all the Dutchman's Breeches were abloom. So many things were blooming but it was so dreary I couldn't get in the mood to photograph much. The camera didn't want to focus without flash and the flash washed out everything...so... back to Greenbow we went. The May Apples are poking out of the ground. Just ready to open.
I sure wish I knew what kind of Viburnum this is. The leaves are just beginning to open and they are so pretty. The green is rich and the texture of the leaves just draws your eye. This spring when you are thinking about bushes to add to your collection you really should try some Viburnums. There are Viburnums for every situation. This poor thing is in deep shade and it keeps its lovely shape without pruning and even blooms. I wish I could tell you what kind it is but, I am not a good record keeper.
The fiddles of the Japanese Painted Fern 'Ghost' are much different than the Chirstmas Fern Fiddles that I showed you yesterday.
The Ostrich Fern is different in its way of growing. When they become mature you have these dark bumps all over the ground. They kind of remind me of Cypress Knees. When the Fiddles begin to develop during spring they curl up on top of the dark bumps and...
become nice little fiddle heads. I have been told that these are good to eat. I haven't tried them. While the ferns are busy unfurling for the season the Fern Leaf Tansy makes a pretty plant. Its leaves don't make fiddle heads but it sure looks like a fern. I have often had people ask what kind of fern it is. It has pretty yellow blooms in mid summer too. Another remarkable thing about this tansy is that it takes a really hard long freeze to make it disappear during winter. It stays green for a long time. Some winters here it is evergreen but not as lush as during summer.
I was pleased ot see that the Brunnera survived the removal of the big bush beside it. It is awfully small. I am just glad to see that it wasn't stomped to death.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and you find lots of Pop Ups in your garden as you Walk About.

32 comments:

  1. Hi Lisa,

    There's always something interesting growing in your gardens :o) I love that Fern Leaf Tansy - it would look so pretty around my pond.

    I hope Luna is feeling well. I haven't been around much lately to check in.

    Have a great weekend! We'll be enjoying rain, a cold front, and a frost warning! Oh, boy!

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  2. Lisa, l love the wild flowers. I have heard(folk lore) that when the May Apple blooms the mushrooms are out. You are right about the fiddles-any fern fidde is edible. Aren't I just a wealth of trivia!!:) What is the Brunnera? Jack Frost? I love the blue flowers.
    You have a great weekend, too!

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  3. Those ferns are just amazing!! I have heard of those Dutchman breeches but never saw one until now. Gosh, they are so beautiful. Gosh, with a garden like this I would be out there painting all the time.

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  4. Lisa, you've got quite a bit going on there! Looks like you're at least a week ahead of us here. I'll have to check the woods to see if the Dutchman's Breeches are blooming here. Two years ago, I transplanted some to our garden and they came up and bloomed last year. I'll need to check those, too!

    Do you find that your tansy can be sort of invasive? Mine is growing now too, though not as far along as yours and I notice it has spread a LOT. It spread a lot even during last summer's growing season, too. I'm going to have to take some out this year. I'll give it to our daughter, who needs some new things for her new garden.
    My Ostrich fern and Japanese Painted Fern are not putting up fiddleheads yet either. But soon, I'm sure!

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  5. Hi Lisa,
    I'm glad the Brunnera survived - it's an old favorite of mine, too. I started with a plant rescued when a house turned into a parking lot. Each spring I'd sneak out a small piece from the outside and eventually had lots of brunnera blooming.

    What pretty, pleated leaves on the viburnum!

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

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  6. Wow... your photos are gorgeous! I love the fiddle head closeups.... I've got to figure out how to do that!

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  7. I love all those new foliage shots! Where is that Luna in your pictures? Is the Arrowwood Viburnum, Viburnum dentatum, native in your area? That one does grow wild for me and it is lovely! I have to go out and check my May Apples. Thanks for that reminder.

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  8. Oh, I forgot to mention the fiddleheads. They are very tasty and usually available in the organic grocery stores. I don't know if you have Whole Foods out there. If you like greens, you will like fiddleheads.

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  9. That's too weird about your camera. I get my best shots on cloudy days. Your plants are way ahead of here. Last year my Dutchman's Breeches failed to bloom. I was so disappointed. I think the Wild Ginger crowded it too much.

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  10. HI Mary, Yep Luna is doing ok. We are going to have the same cold front come through. I hope there is not a heavy frost.

    Hi Beckie. I haven't heard anyone mention they have found mushrooms yet. I have seen people looking for them to no avail. Yes the brunnera is Jack Frost.

    Teri, I am usually too busy pulling weeds to paint during this time of year. Booooo

    It won't be long for you Kylee to have fiddle heads. I haven't found the tansy to be the least bit invasive. Probably due to the clay soil it is in. I usually have to give starts of it to people when they seeit too so maybe that has kept it in check.

    Hi Annie and Bec.

    Luna is right here Layanee. She doesn't like to have her picture taken so I have to sneak up on her. She hides when she sees the camera come out. Unfortunately we don't have a WHole Foods around here. I have never seen fiddleheads in the stores here. I will keep on the look out for them. I could probably collect a mess from our garden. I just don't know when or how to prepare them. I like most anything sauteed in butter tho.

    MrMcD, our wild ginger is up now too.

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  11. Lisa, oh rats. I have that viburnum, it is blooming now and I want to know what it is. The nursery where we got it didn't know the name and it was huge with a ball and burlap root. The blooms are small and sort of waxy, highly fragrant and are in groups about the size of a baseball, not the big snowball types. Glad to see your ferns, I love their beginnings.

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  12. Lisa, that tansy is gorgeous. I've never seen it before.

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  13. Brunnera is actually my favorite plant. I have a clump that grows to be fairly large. It is just now beginning to peak it's head up out of the ground. I was soo excited to see it again.

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  14. I will post some images of my viburnum this year; I never do for some reason.

    It is in shade and does wonderfully. I think it's a similar type to yours, but you can tell me when you see it.

    Great ferns!!

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  15. Lisa, we have amended the area of the garden where the tansy is, but it's strong on the clay, too. I hate that we have so much of it. One of the biggest businesses here used to be the clay tile factory just a couple miles away. Now they make the PVC tile there. The funny thing is, I have the tansy planted right beside a Staghorn Sumac and that thing sends up suckers all spring. Two similarly behaving plants competing for real estate. LOL.

    I checked my Dutchman's Breeches and they're leafed out, but no blooms. The Virginia Bluebells are up about 3-4 inches.

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  16. Even on a dreary day, all those different shades of green look beautiful to me!

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  17. I love Dutchman's Breeches.....there is a patch of them down by a local creek.
    You have a lot of neat things coming in your garden. Brunnera is favorite of mine.

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  18. Your garden is really growing quickly. I love the fiddleheads as ferns start appearing. I love Tansy - especially its name.

    Your Cactus painting turned out well - Keep on painting!!

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  19. Love the ferns, they are a favourite of mine. I appear to have problems with mine, they are very late in showing.??
    Love Viburnhams to, don't know which yours is, very different to the one I grow. Be interested to see yours in flower please.
    Have a fun weekend.

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  20. Maybe someone will be able to help us Frances. I don't even remember the flower on this viburnum. It is in such heavy shade here it may not do so well.

    Eal I will look forward to seeing your viburnum blooming. Maybe we can figure out what this is.

    Sherry those blue blooms on the Brunnera should make it everyones favorite. Plus the foilage is so pretty the rest of the gardening year.

    Cheryl, I will definitely post the flowers of the viburnum if it blooms. I bet it is just too early for your ferns to peek out. I have other ferns that aren't showing yet.

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  21. I like that term, "pop ups in the garden!" :c) Seems every day there is something more, doesn't it? Happy spring Lisa.

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  22. What a nice walk.. Your posts are always filled with great beauties.
    Thank you for the eye candy!

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  23. The carlesii viburnums have leaves kind of like that, and the flowers are fragrant like frances described... but the carlocephalums are similar, too. (And I may not have spelled that name right!)

    The leaves also look like the leaves on my v. plicatum (the doublefile)... hmm...

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  24. Lisa, so nice this time of year to discover something new each day you step into the garden. All you fiddles will soon be lush and lively keeping your perennials company I presume. I would have thought your Tansy a fern if you hadn't set me straight... it is fluffy and delicate looking.
    Enjoy your weekend too.
    Meems @Hoe & Shovel

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  25. Hi there Lisa, what a lovely garden walkabout :-)

    I love seeing the fern frongs uncurl too. I must go out and check mine too. I love the 'Jack Frost' brunnera too and mine is looking exactly like yours. I have noticed a lot of new growth too but I don't think my tulips will be flowering for GBBD. Ah well...

    Enjoy the rest of your weekend :-D

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  26. Your picture of the Brunnera "Jack's Frost" reminded me to look where mine is. I found it, tiny too, but at least it grows again. I like this plant with the special leaves (silver spotted) very much.

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  27. Nothing like what you have, so far. I think you got some great shots. Thanks for showing them.

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  28. I just love how the smallest of things can have such stunning detail, things I would normally not take any notice of,thanks for posting.

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  29. Great spring photos, Lisa. Watching spring progress northward on various blogs is fun.

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  30. Lisa, I know you get many awards, but I've awarded you the E for Excellent! You can award it to 10 more. (see my post for instructions)

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  31. the new life is just so beautiful!
    I love the new green.

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  32. I love your wildflowers here and glad to be catching up with all your post! You are the flower queen!

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