It's beginning to look a lot like... ♪ ♫ ♪

            ...Finally we have snow!

 Early Morning Snow in my Gardens...
LOVE the shades of blue 
they reflect.

Just when we were beginning to think 

it was going to be a snowless Winter.

Never have we had such a season.

Welcome snow!

And to think that last Winter was a record snow season 

that kept Utah Ski Resorts open through July 4.

What a difference this year has been! 

♦♦♦

Remember to join me the first day of each month for the 
Walk in the Gardens Challenge. 

I'm looking forward to seeing what you have discovered!

Daily Blessings... November 15th

Today I give thanks for 

This Grandmother's Garden

 Eight years ago this ground was covered 

in stones 

and bindweed 

and a single wild sunflower.

What a difference vision 

and a lot of hard work can make!

Today it is a sanctuary for

birds 

and bees

and butterflies

and all of God's creations who grace these gardens.

It is the window to my world.

Bloomin' Evergreens

The tender shoots of the Evergreen only come in Spring 

and while your eyes may be focused on the bright tulips 

and pastel blossoms of the trees...

 the Evergreen "Blooms" 
always put on a subtle, yet dazzling display!

Bird's Nest Spruce

English Yew

 Austrian Black Pine

Blue Spruce

Mugho Pine

New growth on a mugho pine is often called a candle. Trimming the candles in Spring just before the needles begin to pop allow you to shape and control the size of your mugho pines.

Notice the Bloomin' Evergreens in your landscape.  

It only happens once a year!

Where Hummingbirds Gather

Last summer there wasn't much action going on at my Hummingbird Feeders... but near my grove of Leyland Cypress trees... there was a party going on!

Who knew that Hummingbirds love Leyland Cypress trees?

 It was such a fun discovery.

These photo's were all taken on a magical Summers day in August.

What a delight it was to watch these amazing little birds.

You can read more about that magical day and why the Hummingbirds are attracted to Leland Cypress by visiting 

Sunbeams Kissing the Air

♦ ♦ ♦

I must admit, Leyland Cypress was a favorite evergreen of ours long before I discovered the hummingbird's attraction to them. We first fell in love with these beautiful trees when we lived in Oregon. We had just moved to a new state into a new home, that had no landscaping. We knew nothing about plants in this region, so I spent a lot of time visiting nurseries and gardens before we designed the master plan for our landscape. I was on the lookout for new ideas for this new part of the world we had moved to. I soon discovered that just about anything will grow in Oregon so I had lots to choose from. (Oregon surely must be the nursery capitol of the USA, next time you buy a tree or plant, check the tag, most likely it came from Oregon.) We actually saw a row of Leyland Cypress in our neighbor's yard and decided in unison, "We've got to have those trees!" Yes they are that beautiful! So we planted several and absolutely adored them.

Summer 2010

When we came back to Utah, we wanted to include many of the features we loved about out Oregon gardens. Leyland Cypress was at the top of our list. We searched everywhere for them. Couldn't find them in nurseries or in landscapes. I finally inquired about them and I was told they wouldn't grow in my zone 5 gardens, especially in our area where the Highland winds can sometimes be intense. That wasn't the answer we wanted to hear. I longed for my Oregon gardens, it was hard to leave them behind. So I kept searching for Leyland Cypress in spite of the advice we had been given. 

And then I found them... at Home Depot. Doesn't Home Depot sell just about everything for your gardens regardless of what zone you live in? Well this time it was a blessing. I purchased six of them without blinking. Each tree was about five feet tall.  I was willing to take a gamble that they would grow in my new gardens. 

My Honeyman dug the holes in our hard clay soil and planted them on the property line 5 ft. apart. We wanted them to provide a screen and sound barrier from the neighbor's play area. We installed drip heads at the base of each tree so they would get get regular watering during our hot Summer months. Then we crossed our fingers and waited for them to grow. That was almost eight years ago. 

Summer 2009

We have not been disappointed.

Today they are thriving and stand nearly 30 ft. tall. They are a favorite element of our gardens. We're often stopped by walkers on the paths that run throughout our neighborhood to ask what kind of tree they are. I love to tell them our story. We took a chance and it has paid off.

Leyland Cypress 

X Cupressocyparis leylandii 

The Leyland Cypress is a hybrid between the Alaskan Cypress and the Monterey Cypress that occurred in Wales in 1888. It grows rather quickly (about 2 ft. per year) and has a dense structure, making it ideal for use in privacy screens and windbreaks. It has feathery, soft pointed needles arranged in flat sprays on long thin branches.  And as with most evergreens, its needles release a pleasant fragrance when broken. Leyland Cypress trees thrive in full sun to light shade and tolerate most soil types. They will grow to a height of 60-75 feet tall  with a 10 foot spread. 

Their lacy needles are delicate and light 

and so beautiful 

as the sun softly filters through them.

And they are absolutely stunning in Winter.

Besides,  the Hummingbirds adore then as much as we do!

Can't wait for the party next Summer!

Another post or two coming soon about Evergreens in our gardens.  Stay tuned!

EVERGREENS! Every Garden Needs Them

Evergreens are an essential ingredient in our gardens. They help to provide the bones or structure of our landscape. In our cold climate gardens they provide color when our world is covered in Winter Whites or has turned to shades of brown.  Without them, Winters in our gardens would just be cold and dreary. This post is the first in a series highlighting the importance of Evergreens in our gardens and some of our favorites.

The star of today's post is the

Austrian Black Pine

Pinus nigra

The Austrian Black Pine is a rapidly growing pine 

with long dark needles in bundles of 2's. 

It thrives in full sun and is cold hardy to -20°.

Mature size is 50 ft tall and 35 ft. wide.

Eastward View of Austrian Pines 2009

Evergreens provide peace and calm in our gardens 

as well as privacy and shade.

Have you ever just sat in your garden and listened to sound of the wind rustling through an evergreen tree's branches? It's a heavenly sound that soothes and calms on a Summer's night.

Looking North...Spring 2009

We planted six Austrian Black Pines in our landscape. We needed something to grow quickly and they have not disappointed us. Their growth has averaged about a foot a year. When they are full grown in our gardens their boughs will just touch, creating a place of privacy in our open path neighborhood. We love the shade they provide on hot Summer days and  the wildlife they bring to our gardens reminds us that we share this beautiful earth with God's delicate creatures.

Summer 2010... Glorious Mountain Background

Evergreens can be a considerable investment of money as well as our time, so it's important to choose wisely before we make a purchase. Careful consideration should always be given to the space where they will be planted. Know the ultimate size your evergreen will reach, both height and width, and be sure your space will accommodate your full grown evergreen. Often a gardeners biggest mistake is planting a cute little pine tree they bought at the nursery in a space that in a few years will be far to small for the growing tree. What a shame to have to remove a beautiful evergreen that could have provided a lifetime of enjoyment had the gardener planned more carefully. You can always fill that empty space you've saved to allow for growth of your evergreen with other plants that will be much easier to remove as your evergreen grows.

Baby Robin in Camouflage

Many species of birds and wildlife have chosen to live 

among our Austrian Pines and use them for food and shelter. 

Robins and Mourning Doves build nests in the strong branches.  Chickadees eat the bugs found among the needles. We have watched Hawks perch on the highest branches to use for a lookout. Mule Deer have found refuge in Winter months among these trees.

He Thinks We Can't See Him

If I Sit Very Still No One will Notice Me

Three Different Birds... Can you see them?

During the Summer months these pines are filled with birds of all kinds. We're thrilled that they consider our gardens home and always enjoy watching them nest and raise their little ones. Their morning songs awake us and fill us with delight for each new day we are blessed to live.

Austrian Black Pine Dressed in Winter White

And then there is Winter... our Austrian pines are royal dressed in the white of snow. They truly capture the essence of Winter beauty in our gardens. Look above at the blog header... one of my favorite Winter pics of our Austrian Pines.

What evergreen in our gardens will we highlight next?  

Stay tuned!

Today is finally the day...

My Mugho Pines have been begging to have their candles trimmed... 

and today is finally the day.

Mugho Pines grow by putting out new growth from the end of each branch in the Spring. 

The new growth is called a candle.

The right time to prune the candles is before the needles open.

  

As you can see from my pictures below, I've almost waited too long as the needles have already begun to open.  Experience tells me it's not too late, the branch is still very tender. Optimum time is before the shoot has opened but the reality of life is sometimes we don't always get to choose the optimum.

If I want to shape them this year, I need to do it today. 

Fast forward a couple of hours...

 Trim the Mugho Pines... done!

Here are the before and after shots of just a few of my mugho's:

In this particular location I love how this mugho is spreading wide and low. The before shot on the left shows this mugho needs only a branch or two trimmed. The after shot on the right shows it looking much more balanced. Just perfect for what I want to accomplish in this spot! I prune the candles each year to allow them to fit the space that I have planned for them.

This is the same mugho with the picture taken from another angle. The pic on the right is after my candle trim this morning... looks great! Can you tell which direction the winds blow in my garden?

For some reason this mugho is growing taller and more dense on the left side so I trimmed the candles on the left but not so much on the right to allow it to catch up a bit.  I want this plant to grow taller because it sits on a berm that lends a little privacy to our yard.  (We live in an open space neighborhood with paved pathways separating back yards. So much nicer than fences!) This mugho is still a work in progress, but then, aren't they all? Just a little effort for so much pleasure! 

So what have we learned today?
Cutting back the candles of Mugho Pines allows you to shape them

and somewhat control their height and width. 

It also encourages denser growth.

Never cut below the candles 
as it will never fill in properly
and will leave your Mugho Pine looking deformed.