The utter sense of loss, unnecessary illness and death from the still raging covid pandemic and a country failing to adequately honor and support the first responders and many heroes of the 9/11 attack have left me in profound despair. I don’t know what else to do but retreat to my garden Devotion and walk the NC Arboretum and the Biltmore Estate. Moments of peace are found there and I am grateful.
Southern harebell, campanula divaricata, is a gift from Mother Nature I have identified at DevotionLate purple aster, symphyotrichum patens, brightens the browning woodland gardenThe glorious sunflower in the autumn blue skyAn annual walk with the sunflowers on the Biltmore Estate
Whatever anxiety or loss you are feeling as the cool nights of fall remind us of the fact that change can also be an opportunity, go outdoors and witness the miracles all around you.
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Extreme weather is in the news every day. Wildfires in California, floods 0f epic proportions in North Carolina and Tennessee, and hurricanes that batter and destroy homes and lives. I am one of the fortunate ones because when Robinson Creek moved its banks 18′ following tropical storm Fred, it did not threaten my home nor my health but I knew major restoration work on the creek had to be done.
William Deaver, founder and owner of Trademark Homescapes, originally built my footbridge across the creek, but now that it no longer touched land on either side of the altered creek, he came with track hoe and crew to remediate future flooding. Two very sharp turns in the creek bed needed to be straightened out to relieve the pressure of the water at those points. Tons of large rock and debris needed to be moved to create steeper banks and the creek needed to be made deeper.
Then I knew I needed a way to cross the creek safely, and with dry feet, as I take my daily walks through the woodland garden. We chose Tennessee fieldstone boulders to serve as steppers and installed a locust handrail for added safety given that my recent hip replacement surgery following my bicycle accident has me more timid than usual.
The results are amazing!
Flooding of epic proportions from tropical storm Fred on August 17, 2021William uses the track hoe to reduce sharp curves along the banks of the creek to prevent future flooding.Chelone, pink turtlehead, still blooming along the reformed banks of the creekTennessee fieldstone boulders as steppers across the creek. Native rhododendron, cardinal flower, hydrangea and ferns create a perfect crossing spotI love my native woodland garden! Locust posts were set in concrete. The locust handrail already has lichen and moss for added character.Blue lobelia and cardinal flower still blooming along the creek despite the flood
I am grateful that my gardens suffered absolutely no damage, not even the mulch washed out!
Anemone ‘Wild Swan’ along the stone steps to the creek…a long bloomer!Early morning fog in the dahlia gardenDahlia ‘Bed Head’. What a perfect name!Dahlia ‘Willie Willie’ has a very unique shape to its flower
Then I wanted to experiment with fern spore collection and adding ferns to the area around the new creek crossing.
Lady ghost fern frond with sporesFern frond with spore side facing down on white paper for one nightFern spore pattern on the white paper. These spore have been scattered by the creek. Fingers crossed this little project bears fruit.
Gardening is a labor of love and also one of great optimism. Hurricane Ida is headed this way and all this work could be for naught. I am certain we won’t bear the brunt like New Orleans. Check back in September for an update.
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I simply adore this season in my garden. The labor of digging, storing and replanting the dahlia tubers is a natural rhythm that has become sacred to me. I will have blooms until first frost, which is usually late October to mid-November. The hummingbirds, butterflies and bees adore the dahlia garden. Visiting Swan Island Dahlias, the finest grower of dahlias in Canby, OR in 2018 was the trip of a lifetime.
Dahlia ‘Cafe au Lait’
A Martha Stewart wedding favoriteDahlia ‘Cooper Blaine’. Dahlia ‘Bed Head’.
Yep, that’s really its name.Dahlia ‘Vassio Meggos’Dahlia ‘Dad’s Favorite’Dahlia ‘Hot Shot’
Posted inUncategorized|Comments Off on August, 2021 – The beginning of dahlia season at Devotion
My summer took a very different turn than expected when I crashed on my bicycle on July 5. Fortunately help was there immediately and Dr. Adam Kaufman did a fabulous job of replacing the total hip. Now I am home, doing PT exercises, walking and taking stints on the new stationary bicycle.
Photography for the moment is not in my wheelhouse, but the healing I am receiving from my garden, my dog Clancie and many friends and family is wonderful. Because I am rather house bound, I did have the privilege of watching my Carolina wrens fledge the nest.
Healing sounds from my Robinson CreekCarolina wren babies hungry and getting ready to fly
Posted inUncategorized|Comments Off on July 20, 2021: OOPS! Bicycle Accident and Hip Replacement Surgery
You must get out in the garden early in the morning, even in the mountains!
Courtyard Garden in the cool morning after an overnight shower.Astilbe ‘Bridal Veil’, Hoogendorn holly, Mark Hewitt garden pot, hay scented fern and Fothergilla ‘Blue Shadow’Hosta ‘Patriot’ begins to bloomFothergilla ‘Blue Shadow’ with rain dropsScuttelaria ovata above the Courtyard Garden boulder wall Calla lily..almost Georgia O’KeefeMonarda ‘Jacob Cline’. July 4th fireworks from Mother Nature.Daylily Floribunda rose ‘Walking on Sunshine’Butterfly weed with a butterfly!Geranium ‘Biokovo’ with a butterflyFloribunda rose ‘Livin’ Easy’The most tender of pinks on this impatiensCaryopteris ‘Snow Fairy’Azalea arborescens
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When I purchased my property in 2013, I immediately began identifying the exotic invasive species that had basically taken over everywhere. The bittersweet, multiflora rose, and poison ivy were daunting but I had decided to manually remove them so that whatever lay dormant beneath might reappear in a few years. Here are some of the summer native perennials that are now thriving, thanks to much back breaking weeding.
Palespike lobelia or Lobelia spicataCommon gypsyweed or Veronica officinalisVenus’ pride or Houstonia purpureaVenus’ looking glass or Triodanis perfoliataWhorled loosestrife or Lysimachia quadrifoliaSundrops or Oenothera fruticosaWhite milkweed or Asclepias perennisEastern beebalm with spittlebug foamFire pink or Silene VirginicaJack-in-the-pulpit that is at least 4′ tall
Be reluctant to use herbicides or pesticides. The web of life is so important in creating a truly healthy landscape.
Posted inUncategorized|Comments Off on IT’S OFFICIALLY SUMMER AND THERE IS SO MUCH TO APPRECIATE AT DEVOTION
We have had a very hot and dry May, so many blooms are fading quickly. A morning walk with dew on the flowers is always a special time to me. Get out there before the heat and thunderstorms build.
StewartiaLupine with bumblebeeCalycanthus by the bass pondKousa dogwood ‘Wolf Eyes’Zenobia
How I adore the blue-green leavesFlame azaleaGeranium ‘Rozanne’Mountain laurel
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Azalea ‘Gibraltar’Yellow lady slipperFalse Solomon’s sealIris sibirica ‘Papillon’Red wake robin trilliumBluebird guarding the nestAllium ‘Summer Bells’Columbine ‘Denver Gold’Native ColumbineHay scented fern is an excellent ground cover in the woodland garden
Posted inUncategorized|Comments Off on The merry month of May at Devotion (2021)
