The Secret of the Quaking Aspen

On the other side of my mountain, 

Nature has planted Groves of Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides)

Quaking Aspen in Summer

These beautiful trees stand tall and straight

on slender trunks of powdery white.

Photo by Jeff Mitton (since I couldn't find an up-close shot of my own)

Their leaves tremble at the slightest breeze 

and seem to whisper a melody of peace and calm.

Seriously, if you've ever stood in a grove of Aspen,
you would know this to be true...
the sound is nothing short of divine.

Quakies in their Autumn Glory

 As Autumn approaches, these small near-heart-shaped leaves

turn vibrant shades of yellow and gold and orange.
 
Come take a Sunday drive with me,
and I'll share the secret 
the Aspen Groves hold so dear.

Driving the Alpine Loop

Many people may not realize 

that Aspen trees are actually 
one of the earth’s largest living organisms. 

Hundreds or even thousands of Quaking Aspens 
can be joined underground 
by a single root network.

  

The Aspen sends out underground shoots 
that re-emerge elsewhere as new trunks.
This aggregate of roots 
is called a "clone".

The Backside of my Mountain

Some Quaking Aspen groves 
have been measured to be 200 acres wide.

Many in the Rocky Mountain and Great Basin regions
are at least 8000 years old 
persisting since the last glacial retreat.

 

Aspen trees within the same clone 

unmask their colors at the same time in Autumn 

making it easy to determine 

where a clone ends and where it begins.

In fact, the trees within each clone are identical 

and can be distinguished from those of a neighboring clone 

by a variety of traits such as leaf shape and size, bark character, 
branching habit, resistance to disease and insect attack 

and autumn leaf color.

How many distinct clones do you see in this view?

(Some have already changed their colors... others have not.)

It is fascinating to discover that the massive root network 

of the Aspen clone is of great benefit to their survival. 

A forest fire may completely destroy a grove of Aspen trees,

but the underground root network will soon spring to life 

creating new shoots to emerge as trunks 

replenishing the Aspen Grove.

Remarkable.

Simply remarkable.


What life lessons can we learn from the Quaking Aspen?

I have a few ideas of my own 
but would love my readers to share.

Robins for Sale... at The Home Depot

The Home Depot... 

THE place to shop for all your HOME and GARDEN needs.

Now selling Baby Robins...

                             ...or so it appears.

Can you SEE me?

Can you see me now?

There are actually three baby ROBINS in this nest.

My recent visit to our local Home Depot, revealed more than just home and garden supplies. In the outside courtyard, there were several very large pine trees for sale. I looked at them and wondered how anyone could ever get them home. As I was walked through the area I spied a Robin tangled in a small piece of plastic wrap near the top of one of the trees.  I watched as she struggled to set her self free, falling from branch to branch down the tree.  After a couple of minutes, she was able to fly to the top of the building and I breathed a sigh of relief.  She sat there for the longest time looking back down at the tree. Wondering what caught her attention, I looked too! And there hidden in the branches was a nest of baby robins. The nest was made of twigs and small branches and... pieces of plastic wrap.  I stood for quite awhile as Mamma Robin made several trips to feed her growing brood. It was a slow day at the Depot and no one else was around to view the scene. I smiled at the thought of purchasing the tree and wondered if the baby birds came with it. Then I realized I don't really need another tree, and I actually have plenty of baby robins in my gardens as well.  So I left the Bonus Buy for someone else to discover. I did show the sales clerk my find.  

I wonder if they raised the price after I left?

Proof that you should always have a camera with you wherever you go. I didn't, so the pics are from my own garden. The birds look much the same... just imaging plastic wrap in the nest.

I ♥ Spring!

 Love  ♥  Love  ♥   Love 

my redbuds in Spring!

First come the sweet tiny blossoms 

and then with a grand Ta da!

the tender leaves emerge.


♥ ♥ ♥    Both are glorious.   ♥ ♥ ♥

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!

Fall, Winter and the Hope of Spring

A walk through my frozen gardens 

reveals an eternal truth that withstands the test of time...

Fall is always followed by Winter

and Winter is always followed by Spring. 

Autumn Leaf still clinging to the stem adorned by Fresh Snowflakes,
surrounded by the Promise of Spring with buds barely swelling.

Patience Required.

Oh the Possibilities...

POTENTIAL

Joy comes from reaching your potential.

Consider the possibilities...

Three trees in my gardens... 
                  covered with so much potential.

Where will the new forest be planted?

NOT Autumn...Just Fall

Today is Fall. 

Not Autumn...just Fall.

 The winds came last night.

I don't really like the wind. 

Sorry.

It blew the leaves from my trees.

Some are hanging on...

but some 

 are 

simply gone.

I wasn't ready to bid adieu.

But that's not all the wind did...

View from my gardens to the East

It brought the storm...

 View from my gardens to the West

that brought the snow.

So not ready for Winter yet.

She Tiptoed into My Gardens While I was Away...

I've been waiting patiently 
since the first day of Fall 
for her arrival.

I go away for six days
and while I'm gone...

AUTUMN 

tiptoed right into my garden.

My first suspicion came as I looked out the window in the early morning
to see that my back neighbor's fence
had exploded into a fiery deep red.

The Virginia Creeper was ablaze!
 
(Just six days ago, the only sign of Autumn in my gardens 
was the color changes found on the mountain
that I look up at each morning.)
 
Giddy as a school girl in Spring
I grabbed my camera,
slipped on my shoes
and raced out the back door
to confirm my reverie.


It's official...

The AUTUMN DANCE 

in 

This Grandmother's Garden

has finally begun!

A single branch of dainty leaves on one of my Honey Locust trees
is just beginning to turn to gold.

A glance upward at the Eastern Redbud greets me with a canopy
of lemon and lime dancing hearts.

Hard to believe that last Spring these tender Redbud leaves
emerged in shades of deep burgundy.

The Red Flame Maple trees have just a few scattered branches showing off their colors.
Their leaves turn from green to yellow
to orange
to bright red.

It won't be long before each of the Red Flames
will be completely consumed with burning colors in the Autumn sun.

The Bailey Dogwoods are a kaleidoscope of color
as the sunshine gently peaks through them.
Notice the ragged edges on each leaf
left by the Root Weevil earlier in the Summer.

These leaves were a dark green when I last saw them.

The leaves from the trees that reside in the green space beside the jogging trail 
have turned a delicious shade of amber
and have nearly dropped all of their leaves
in the short time that I have been gone.

The delicate leaves of the Coral Bark Maple are enchanting
with their many shades of pastels

deepening to darker, more vibrant colors.


Once begun, the change happens so quickly!
I can't wait to see what more this week will bring.



There are more plants yet to join this

Autumn Dance

with beautiful colors about to emerge.

What a frolic this promises to be!