Winter has arrived at Shadowlands
By ptarotuos
10 comments
Dear All,
Just arrived back from a day-trip to Shadowlands with my eldest son (nearly 3yrs old). Within a week, all the Maple leaves had fallen, and now all that really remains are the evergreens. Suddenly the bamboo is visible. The temperature has certainly fallen, around 5 degrees centigrade, with a very biting wind.
My son and I went on another exploratory walk in the woods at the back (with added caution). Despite the wind and the temperatures, I found this lovely flower growing in the woods. No idea what it is, but I’ll also post the picture on the questions board. Really nice to still find things blooming at this late stage in the year. The rose bed has now been more or less stocked, all roses appropriately pruned and, given the real drop in temperature, I have started to winterize them by mounded mulch over the lower stems.
I’m fascinated to see how they all fair. I transplanted one wild climbing rose into the bed, have another two nursery stock climbers, two other hybrids and one was given one by the friendly caretaker (it’s yellow, but he had no idea about the name). Plants that are given to you are always special. My inclination is that of course the wild rose will do the best in its natural environment, but we shall see.
I managed to get a snap of the weird tree with the spikey trunk I mentioned a while ago (my son provides the scale in this instance). I believe it may be what they call Sansho here, a tree which has leaves used for eating with eel, and as a medicinal herb. I’ve also identified a really good candidate prunus for transplanting from the wood at the back to the at-the-moment rather barren front. The challenge will be to move it with as much of the root ball intact as possible. I suspect (perhaps wishful thinking) that its roots are relatively shallow and not too extensive. The main project for next visit.
Regards, ptartuos
28 Nov, 2010
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Comments
Ptarotuos....It seems you are really cracking on with all your garden development. I hope you are able to manage the resiting of the tree for your front garden and that all your roses thrive.
Do you get any snow there or just the cold wind and temps? Your little fellow looks a lovely lad.
Interesting tree, as you call it, Prickly Ash. I've never seen anything like it.
28 Nov, 2010
Thanks for your comments Whistonlass. This will be the first winter we have had the property, so to be honest I'm not really sure how much snow to expect. However, the caretaker did say that beyond a certain hairpin curve (we are well beyond it), that is basically the snow line, and above the hairpin it's pretty much snow cover for the months of January and February. But, with weather patterns not as predictable these days, who knows.
Yes, the Prickly Ash, which comes in many varieties, is a weird one. I'd also never heard or see it before. But it apparently has a great many medicinal uses: even the knotty bark can be chewed. Rgs, ptarotuos
28 Nov, 2010
I think the blue flower is a Gentian it is beautiful, lovely blog Pt. That tree bark is amazing.
28 Nov, 2010
Dear Grandmage, thanks for the identification. Yes, it is definitely a Gentian looking at it. The habitat description I read on one site is spot on too. Rgs, ptarotuos
29 Nov, 2010
i agree with gentian they are lovely ~ does that mean you can grow lots of alpines?
your son is a lovely lad! hope he likes the garden.
29 Nov, 2010
:~)) from a very snowy Great Britain!
1 Dec, 2010
There will be plenty of snow at Shadowlands in a week or two, but the problem is, it won't thaw until the spring! Perhaps GB might get a White Christmas which will be nice as we are visiting relatives, but as long as the flights back are not affected...
1 Dec, 2010
Oh I do hope the airports are A-OK for your holiday trip to the UK at Christmastime, Ptarotuos. There were some airport closures in the UK today but hopefully it will all be cleared up before the busy holiday period.
You will have a few months of heavy snowfall at Shadowlands then....you will really be looking forward to the spring when it clears then.
1 Dec, 2010
Love the gentian and little boy blue:-)
5 Dec, 2010
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I've been doing a little further research, and it seems Sansho is a type of Prickly Ash. I've not narrowed down the variety yet, but its good to have made a start.
Rgds, ptarotuos
28 Nov, 2010