So let’s take a look at what’s been going on around here.
This bunny is starting to grow some ears. See that little nubbin? I will be much more careful with this little guy than I was with his mom. He’ll get an outdoor vacation, but will come in come fall.
Most of the seeds I started have yet to put in an appearance, but the zinnias show up in 5 or 6 days. Now that’s what I call encouragement.
A few of us showed up to help our pal Patricia dig plants. It wasn’t entirely a selfless act. I came home with a nice clump of Euphorbia ‘Fen’s Ruby’.
And this tree with no name but scads of personality. The consensus was that it is a relative of the Monkey Puzzle Tree. Here’s the update from the always helpful AND knowledgeable Loree of Danger Garden fame: Cryptomeria japonica ‘Auricoriodes’. She supplied additional information, so check out her comment below if you’re interested.
March came through with several sun breaks surrounded by rainy days: perfect transplanting weather. I wrestled the wheelbarrow down into the woods, where I dug up several trilliums, salaal, vancouveria and a ribes to move into the cultivated part of the garden. Not that I have any illusions about my ability to compete with Mother Nature.
The Ribes pop up here and there of their own accord. This is an experiment to see if they take to transplanting.
I thought I would try ferns in the wall pocket this year. These come from Cornell Farm, which is way ahead of most places in trotting out a full array of plants. The one at top is dryopteris ‘The King’ and the two below are Polystichum setiferum. The tag says ‘Alaskan’, but these are very different from the Alaskan fern I already have. Anybody know anything about that?
Remember the ghost leaves left behind by Acanthus sennii? I put some of them to use to adorn a birthday gift, with the addition of a dried Chinese lantern for good measure. Here’s hoping April gets all joking out of her system today and sends us a bumper crop of sunny days to do what we love.
Well said, Rick. Very well said. I would love a present with a sweet botanical adornment. What a thoughtful and creative thing to do. I love your forest treasures. I hope they all survive and thrive. Your cactus ear is adorable. And I’m sure you know this but keep an eye on Fen’s Ruby. It loves to travel and is probably not for the neat nicks among us. But I love it and you got quite a score!
Alison~I thought it would appeal to your crafty side.
Grace~There’s that about all plants that are freely shared. Luckily, I have plenty of room for it to roam…plus, “neatnik” has never been applied to me that I can remember.
I think that tree is cryptomeria-japonica-dacrydioides , I just planted one to compete with my neighbors Deodara … well not the only reason , I love those whip cords !
I see there is another cryptomeria labeler. Well at least I’m not alone. As it turns out my neighbor proudly pointed out the monkey puzzle relative she bought and it looks pretty much exactly like yours (with slightly less personality) so I’ll take a peak at the label and report back. If I remember.
Linda & Loree~Thanks for the ID efforts. That sounds about right to me, but Patricia has promised to come up with the plant tag once things settle down for her.
I’ve got it! Xera tag still attached to my neighbors plant. They’ve reworded it so Monkey Puzzle is at the beginning (and thus more memorable) but it’s basically the same info as this via plant lust:
Cryptomeria japonica ‘Auricariodes’ Zn6a (-10º to -5ºF) Cupressaceae
Fantastic, exotic looking conifer with rope-like branches that are sparse and twisty when young but become denser with age. To 10′ tall and forming a conical shape over time. Grows slowly in youth, picks up steam after several years. Full sun to light shade in WELL DRAINED soil, with regular summer water. Excellent specimen tree, well behaved. Always looks cool. Coldy hardy. Old selection of Japanese Cedar. Monkey Puzzle in miniature.
Since Araucaria araucana and ‘Auricariodes’ are also so similar the confusion is easy.
Loree~Thanks for clearing this up. I will now put that into the body of the post. You are awesome, my friend.
Add me to your cryptomeria fan club. Love it!
I enjoyed your “end of month” view. Great idea for the gift decoration–wow! Beautiful plants, and everything looks very healthy!
Sarah~Our Club of Quirky Tastes is growing.
Beth~I only point the camera at the healthy things, but some I thought were goners are showing signs of life. Woo hoo!
Angie~This blogging thing turns up lots of helpers whenever one of us is in a bind…and good advice from those far away.
Hi Ricki! I am jealous – you can just go to the woods and get some trilliums for your garden – how nice is that!
Tatyana~We know how lucky we are.
Andrea~I’ve seen ‘King Edward’ on some blogs, but these just showed up with no calling card (they do look similar). I didn’t realize you were once a Portlander. Are you coming to the Fling?