LAND DESIGNS UNLIMITED LLC

A Patient Craftsman Creating Exceptional Landscapes

Author: John Holden

Cardinal Flower Habitat

A week ago I posted a picture of a Cardinal Flower and said I don’t often see it in the wild. Today I stumbled on Cardinal Flower several times.

Here in Connecticut, USDA Hardiness Zone 6a, Cardinal Flower is in full bloom. You’ll spot it on the edge of streams where the soil is consistently moist. Cardinal Flower tolerates brief flooding. We’ve had so much rain this year it must tolerate brief flooding.

Cardinal Flower will not tolerate is dry soil. If Cardinal Flower dries out it’s going to disappear from your garden forever.

Today at Putnam Memorial State Park I spotted a grouping of Cardinal Flower on the edge of a pond. It was growing just off of the edge of the water. The grouping to the left is in the stream that feeds the pond.

I also found some growing on the edge of a culvert. Cardinal Flower is tough as nails when growing in its preferred moist place.

If you’re going to plant Cardinal Flower remember the Cardinal Rule:

Plant Cardinal Flower ONLY where the ground remains moist year round. Cardinal Flower loves to grow right on the edge of streams almost touching the water.

Happy gardening!

August 10, 2018
Cucumber Vine Growing

I marvel at how much growth is in the tip of a vegetable vine. Whether it be pumpkins, squash or cucumbers. All that potential growth bundled into a little ball.

The image above is the tip of a cucumber vine.

I’ve got a ton of photos of my Square Foot Gardening experiment this year. More to come.

August 10, 2018
An Evening Walk – The Road not Taken

Last night I went for the best walk I’ve had in a while. We’ve had high heat, high humidity and a ton of rain the last couple weeks which hasn’t encouraged walks.

I started around 5:00 PM without much of an idea where I was headed.

At one corner left would take me home in half an hour or right in two hours. I went right.

I haven’t felt so calm and at peace in months as I did last night.

Robert Frost wrote “The Road Not Taken” about a similar situation.

I enjoy getting lost in the details of houses and landscapes as I walk by. You never know what you’ll see.

The picture at the top of the post is an old mill-pond. There’s a guy on a canoe or kayak somewhere in there. The pond is on a seldom traveled dirt road where it’s always calm and quiet.

Walking through a different neighborhood I stumbled on a giant boulder or ledge. I’m not sure which. If I were standing in front of that rock my head would be in the shadow.

Near the rock a Caterpillar D5N sits waiting for work. It’s a BIG machine.

I stumbled on a Callicarpa closer to home.

This picture, taken in early August, shows Callicarpa blooms. Purple berries will be coming soon. If anyone knows the species please let me know.

The picture below was a surprise. I walked by a hidden stream and glanced over to see a Cardinal Flower in full bloom. Cardinal Flower is a native in Connecticut but I rarely see it in the wild. I don’t know if this plant grew on its own or planted/tossed in the stream.

We’ve had a lot of rain the last couple weeks and that stream is normally a trickle this time of the year.

This post reminded me of The Road Not Taken by Bruce Hornsby, on of my favorite musicians.

Thanks for joining me on my walk. I look forward to sharing more pictures with you soon.

August 6, 2018
There’s a Fungus Among Us

While working this week I spotted this cool fungus. I wish I could tell you more about it.

In the picture at the top of the post you can see a puddle of rainwater on the fungus. We’ve had a very rainy summer which is probably why this fungus looks so healthy.

Looking down at the fungus and the puddle. I bet a frog finds that sooner than later.

A shot from the side showing the fungus attached to the tree. The tree it’s growing on is a Japanese Maple, probably a Bloodgood.

Fungus only grows on decaying matter. This tree has dead wood.

If you notice fungus growing on trees in your yard have an arborist you trust have a closer look before it’s too late and the tree falls injuring someone or damaging your property.

If you know anything about this fungus I’m all ears.

August 3, 2018
Why I love Gardening

Tonight as I walked through the yard I saw a spider weaving a web. If you thought a spider carefully crafted a web over the course of days you’re wrong. I would guess it took the spider an hour or two to weave the web below.

This post isn’t about spider webs but it’s related to that moment. As I watched the spider weaving it reminded me of one of the reasons I enjoy gardening.

I enjoy watching the changes in the garden season by the season, month by month and day by day.

A neighbor often comments how he always sees me walking around the yard. I stroll through the yard in the morning, after work or in the evening and admire the plantings and enjoying the changes.

A new addition to the garden this year is my square foot garden. When I was a kid back in the 80’s I read Mel Bartholomew’s book Square Foot Gardening. I loved the concept and planted many squares back in the day.

This spring I read All New Square Foot Gardening and tried it again. My square foot garden has received the most attention of any part of the yard this year.

I’ve made plenty of mistakes growing my square foot garden. We’ll share those lessons another time.

This spring I visited the White Flower Farm and bought a Dinner Plate Dahlia. I’ve always wanted to try one of those giant flowers and figured, “Why not?”

The extent of my soil preparation was digging a hole 10 inches deep, placing the tuber in the hole and filling it half way with dirt. All I’ve done since is water the plant and give it some liquid fertilizer. A couple of weeks ago I filled the hole in the rest of the way and today I staked it.

About 2 1/2 months later my Kelvin Floodlight Dahlia is three feet tall with a yellow flower ready to pop (see image at top of post). I’m in shock at how easy dahlias are to grow and how much fun it was to watch.

You can see the yellow bloom of the dahlia just to the left of the purple coneflower.

Why do you garden?

July 29, 2018
How to Mulch a Tree Incorrectly

Every spring I cringe when I see freshly mulched landscapes. The more is better principle gets beaten silly and mulch spread with reckless abandon.

This isn’t the first time I’ve discussed how to mulch and it won’t be the last. How to mulch correctly is a topic worth repeating.

Volcano mulching is when a mound of mulch is spread around the base of a tree (See photo top of page). The cone grows yearly with each new layer. The sooner we can stop volcano mulching the better.

Below a tree thrives in the forest with no volcano mulching ‘help’ from man. There’s moss growing at the base of the tree because leaves only begin to cover the ground six inches away.

Mimic how mother nature mulches. She doesn’t dump piles of leaves against the base of trees. She spreads a light coating of leaves over the entire forest.

Why is this so hard to understand?

The illustration below shows how to mulch a tree incorrectly by volcano mulching. Mulch spread against the bark creates a moist place that encourages rot. Further, tree roots grow into the mulch making them drought prone. Finally, the mulch is so deep rain runs off and doesn’t reach the roots.

The illustration below shows how to mulch a tree correctly by spreading 2-3 inches or less of mulch 6-12 inches from the trunk of the tree. Mulch doesn’t touch the trunk.

If a tree has over 3 inches of mulch carefully remove it without injuring the bark or roots of the tree.

How to Mulch a Tree Correctly Samples

Below a tree I mulched last year has some dirt and moss around the base of the tree. It would be a shame to slowly kill this beautiful tree by over-mulching.

Another tree mulched the right way. You can see dirt at the base of the tree and that’s good. A few weeds may grow but it’s worth the effort.

How to Mulch a Tree Incorrectly Samples

I often see trees so over mulched you could mulch several more trees with the excess. I’m not kidding!

More volcano mulching. It doesn’t look natural and it’s no good for the tree. The madness has to stop!

Same look, different parking lot.

A beautiful oak tree sentenced to a slow and painful death.

Why would someone do this? I can’t make this stuff up.

Please help stop the volcano mulching madness.

July 26, 2018
Farmall Cub Tractor

This morning I woke up early and went for a walk. The sun was shining through the window and the day called for me to join.

Half a mile from my house I passed a couple of old farm tractors.

The first tractor I saw was the Farmall Cub above. I wish the tractor was in my garage. One of my dreams is to own a Farmall Cub and wagon and take my kids for rides around the yard or just drive it in circles around the yard.

Someday.

Next I saw was a Farmall 656 Tractor. I don’t know a thing about this tractor besides the fact that it’s big. Very big!

I wish you a fun Friday.

July 13, 2018
Another Day at the Office

I’ve been working on Lake Zoar in Monroe CT the last couple days. The weather this week has been beautiful. High 50’s to low 60’s and sunny. Last week I worked in a drizzle mixed with snowflakes.

The improved weather is a welcome change.

The picture at the top of this post is a fire pit overlooking Lake Zoar. If you look over the end of the dock you can see the Stevenson Dam in the distance.

Below is one of the gardens I’ve worked in. It’s straight forward spring maintenance; clean up leaves and sticks, weed, prune winter damage, cut back perennials, edge, turn mulch and re-mulch.

Besides working on a lake there are two streams flanking the property. I’ve listened to babbling brooks most of the day.

No matter how far in my career I am mother nature beats me every time. She uses just the right mix of elegance and randomness. If we take a moment to truly look at nature she is something to behold.

I urge you to go out and look at, not rush through, nature. It does wonders for the mind and body. Time to head to work. Poor me. 🙂

April 24, 2018
My New Favorite Park

For the last week and a half I’ve visited a small park in town. The park starts level by the road but quickly drops off to a small rolling river below.

I’ve gotten in the habit of getting a bacon, egg and cheese and stopping at the park to eat my breakfast. It’s on the way to where I’m working.

My breakfast nook.

The path entering the park.

The real treat comes at the bottom of the hill when you get to the river. It’s a great place to collect your thoughts.

If you look through the crystal clear water you can see the ledge beneath. There’s no mud, just coarse sand below.

Looking up the river you can see the hemlocks that flank it. What a peaceful place.

I couldn’t stop taking pictures.

The old foundation of some sort of building. It’s been a long time since that building served any purpose.

It’s neat how this maple tree grows even though the dirt washed away around its roots. I wouldn’t be surprised if something lives under that tree.

This yellow birch started life growing between two boulders and continues to thrive.

If you live in Newtown, CT you can find the park about a half mile up from where 34 meets 110. You have to look hard or you’ll miss the little parking lot. It takes about 10 minutes to get to the river.

Here’s an article about the Halfway River Open Space.

October 28, 2017