Home is Where the Apple Trees Grow

Recently I was reading Garden Rant, one of my favorite blogs, where Michele Owens talked about the magic of apple trees and said that she is one of two people whe knows who bought their house because of the blooming apple tree in the yard.

I can understand this because in the spring of the year my fields are dotted with old apple trees, all in bloom right now. I can't help thinking of the former residents of this old farm who counted on these trees for a lot more than aesthetic pleasure.

I do remember my first sight of our old farmhouse one hot September day 29 years ago. It had been used as a summer house for a number of years and was poorly maintained. After a tour of the interior, the real estate lady and I sat in the shade under an ancient apple tree, and found a couple of edible windfalls. We chomped and we listened to the silence. No other houses were in sight. The realtor didn't have to do much selling. My fear was that we would never pull off the deal and I would never live in this 'charming' tumbledown house.

We did manage it and now we get to enjoy the old apples in every season, even taking a small harvest every year. The apple tree I sat under that September day has suffered further depredations, but it blooms exhuberantly, holds a tree house (platform would be more accurate) for the grandchildren and shelters the Cottage Ornee, our basic version of a summerhouse. Screens.

A New Groundcover Project

We are always trying to eliminate lawn, and the labor of mowing. Unfortunately more lawn always seems to pop up somewhere else, but this is the latest lawn elimination project.

In a moment of madness I planted a lot of daffodils in the lawn - never calculating that this area of lawn, in front of the peonies and rhododendrons, could not be properly mowed before the other plants were in bloom. Daffodils in the lawn were very pretty. The fading foliage was not so.

I have been moving the daffodils to the strip of lawn behind the peonies. This is a good move as far as it goes. Now we come to the next move. I have started removing the sod and planting Waldensteinia, or barren strawberry, in its place. This plant is pachysandra-ish, except that the foliage is like large strawberry leaves and it has the advantage of straweberry-ish blossoms. Only yellow.

The idea is that this large strip of lawn will eventually be eliminated. The barren strawberry will thrive, with shade in the morning and sun in the afternoon. It will be underplanted with the daffodils which will bloom in the spring and will wither all unnoticed as they should.

My beautiful big barren strawberry plants came from the Nasami Farm Native Wildflower Nursery in Whately, Mass. It is run by the New England Wildflower Society. There are now eight greenhouse operating, and this is the largest wildflower propogation nursery around. Check out their website

Bloom Day

I'm a day late with my Bloom Day posting. Curses to the computer and phone gods! Here is what is in bloom at The End of the Road. An ornamental plum. Chokecherries. Old apple trees, one of which is at the edge of the lawn sheltering the Cottage Ornee.

The ancient white lilacs just started. A single primrose. So far. I have to mention the dandelions in the lawn. And violets. I may eventually get photos here. Keep watching.

The Commonest Weed

Our first dandelions appeared on May 6th, after the violets in the lawn. This seemed early to me. After a very long winter, spring is arriving in a rush.

It is the dandelion I was thinking of when I named my website and blog. Although it is the scourge of those who strive for fine turf lawns, I look at it's cheerful face and see a reflection of the warm which I have been longing for.

In addition, because of its jagged leaves the name refers to the teeth of the lion - dent de lion - and I am a Leo. I like to think I have my leonine moments, majestic and roaring, but I rarely show my teeth.

Huzzahs to the common dandelion.

Tower Hill Botanic Garden

The daffodils were dripping in my own garden when I left for Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston. It was the weekend of the Daffodil Show and the Primrose Show. I got to walk the long border of the Systematic Garden holding all 11 classes of daffodils, more properly known as narcissus. The Systematic Garden has numerous other beds laid out to hold varieties of one type of plant. Then it was down the steps to the Daffodil Field with literally thousands and thousands of daffodils in full bloom The air was cool and misty. Perfect daffodil weather. Inside, where it was warm and dry perfect daffodil blooms were being judged in their own classes, but it was the experience of the abundance that was moving.

Primroses were also being judged and this P. elatior, otherwise known as the Oxslip primrose, was waiting its turn. There were many beautiful primroses in shades of yellow and purple and pink. Many different forms, but all singing of spring. I couldn't find any outdoors, but I did buy a tiny yellow auricula for my own garden. I have just the space.

Heath Weather

The daffodils are in full bloom and the three and a half inches of rain we got over Monday and Tuesday have given the grass a jolt, and everything else. The forsythia is blooming which means I should be planting potatoes, but it is cold outside. It is snowing outside! Not a lot, but enough to keep me by the fireside.

I should have known it wasn't spring quite yet. We don't have a single dandelion in the lawn. It almost resembles fine turf. From a distance.

Garden Extension

With my new camera in hand I finally went out to document the building of a new garden extension. The vegetable garden had been moved because of an apparent change in the water table and became too wet. It also had to become smaller because of a bad hip.

Now that the hip is new and well healed, it is time to add to the small garden. Last year we added raspberries (just to the right) and now more vegetables. Using the new technique of 'lasagna gardening, I spread manure and bedding fresh out of the chicken house right on top of the sod, at least four inches worth. I moved about 15 wheelbarrow loads, but who's counting This manure was given a good watering.

The manure was then covered with large sheets of cardboard, with lots of overlap between new pieces. The Transfer Station was happy to offload the cardboard. The cardboard was then well watered.


This year I have a 'yard man', 18 year old Justin who took on the job of moving another 15 loads of loam and compost to cover the wet cardboard.


No more watering was necessary. As soon as this was spread, the rains started. The rain was welcome and we've had 3 inches so far - and still counting. Saga of the lasagna bed will continue.