I think things are finally back to normal here, at least as close as they usually come to normal. They had predicted 3 to 5 inches of snow and maybe a little freezing rain. We ended up with more snow than that and in the middle, a lot of freezing rain and then just rain, which of course, after it was on the ground, froze too. Judging from a container that was outside, we had almost an inch of rain. They had predicted wind overnight and we were pleasantly surprised when we woke up in the morning and the electricity was still on. By lunchtime, though, it was off and stayed that way. Some people around here still haven't had their power restored. Ours came back on a day before they had predicted it would so that was really nice. We do have a woodstove to keep warm, though this is a big house and we ended up using a kerosene heater in the other end of the house. Between them things were almost comfortable. I don't think they would have been if it had been off for another day since the temperature Friday night went down to 2 below zero. We carried all of the tender stuff in from the greenhouse (slipping on the ice) and it was quite nice in here with all of the plants for a few days. It looks kind of empty now since we took them all back 'home' yesterday when it got warm outside. We have dig wells, so we didn't have to depend on our electric pump for water and with all that snow and ice, we had plenty to keep our food cold. Freezer stuff just went in the car or on the sun porch where it stayed nicely frozen. Awhile back I used mostly kerosene lamps for light and still have them stashed away for emergencies. The one thing I enjoy about the power being off is the quiet. I don't think we realize just how much noise our electric appliances create in background hum. I got a lot of hand sewing , knitting and reading done and despite the inconveniences (no microwave!) I kind of enjoyed the whole thing, at least in retrospect.
This first picture is looking from near the back barn towards the greenhouse. You can just almost see the top of the roof at the bottom of the picture. I had hoped to get out to take pictures while we had just ice on everything, but it was raining so hard I didn't want to get soaked and get the camera wet, so these are snow over ice, everything coated very well.

This next one is looking up the hill from the daffodil/peony beds. One of the freakiest things about all this ice on everything was when the breeze would blow. It sounded like a million pieces of glass breaking. A kind of pretty sound, but scary since you couldn't be sure if it was just the ice or if something bigger was going to fall. We have a huge branch from a maple in the front yard down and it managed to do it without damaging anything as far as we can tell. It is about 30 feet long and a foot across at the wide end.
This one is looking towards the back. It is all pretty much gone from the trees and shrubs now, except in the deep shade. We had temperatures in the 40s yesterday, even down in this hollow, and lots of sun. As you walked around you got soaked because it was like it was raining out and you also got lots of mushy snow falling on your head. I just about gave up on wearing my glasses because they were always covered with wet mushy snow.

This last one is taken looking towards the root cellar. It was amazing to see how large trees were just bent over double with their tops touching the ground. As the snow came off, they slowly straightened up and by last night, most were almost back to normal. I was sure more would be snapped in half. There are lots of branches, large and small, to be picked up once the snow is off the ground. It will probably take several days to clean up this mess that is left behind. Since I still haven't quite finished my fall cleanup, it will just add to the mess that already needed attention.

I wouldn't mind having a little more snow this winter, but I don't want to see any more ice, at least like this.

Tomorrow back to 'normal' blogging and more of the ferns.

Jane

Sorry I've not been writing, but we lost our power with this horrible ice storm and just got it back late last night. I'll be back to normal by tomorrow, but today I need to get the house back in order, put away the emergency non-electric heaters, more the plants back to the greenhouse, get the water turned back on, get the food out of the snowbanks and back to the refrigerator and freezer and just basically get back to normal. I took lots of pictures - not much else to do - which I'll get downloaded today and post tomorrow. It was simply beautiful despite the destruction it caused.
Jane

Dryopteris - Part One

After the Athyriums, Dryopteris are probably the largest other group in the gardens. I wrote about the Autumn Fern so I won't repeat that. Dryopteris is also known as Wood Fern, Shield Fern or Buckler Fern. Most commonly wood ferns in the US and Buckler Ferns in England. These are ferns of the moist, shady woodlands or swamps in temperate regions. These hybridize freely in the wild. I know I sometimes find an unknown fern here and there, so I suspect that the Dryopteris aren't the only ones that do this. These are mostly all easy to grow and have few problems.
This first on is Dryopteris affinis stableri crisped. Quite a name, but a lovely fern. This is a big one, often getting 3 feet tall. It is identical to stableri except that the pinnae have wavy edges.
Next is Dryopteris australis, Dixie Wood Fern. It is said to get 4-5 feet tall, though only one of mine has gotten that big. It looks very tropical at that size and is planted among some large hostas. It is said to be semi-evergreen, but seems to die back here.

Next is Dryopteris carthusiana. This one has only been here for 2 years so far. It is commonly known as Spinulose Wood Fern or Toothed Wood Fern. For those of you in colder climates, this on will even grow in zone 2. This one a more normal size - one to three feet tall. This one is commonly found in swamps and wet woodland in North America, Europe and Asia. It will grow in full shade or partial sun.

Last for today is Dryopteris cystolepidota. This one is not listed in my fern book, so I didn't know much about it. A quick Google search, however, turned up this source of information which I will have to delve into a lot deeper to learn more about the rest of my ferns. http://hardyfernlibrary.com/ferns/listSpecies.cfm?Auto=33 Hope this shows up as a link since it doesn't look like one here.

Well, we got our snow. I just heard the plow come down even though it is still snowing. I guess they wanted to clear off the road before the ice comes later today and tonight. Not sure if that will make it better or worse.

Jane

Dennstaedtia

These are medium sized ferns with soft, feathery fronds. They spread by runners and can make a nice colony. They, like so many others, are primarily tropical, but one is native to North America, Dennstaedtia punctilobula or Hay Scented Fern. These grow in zones 3 to 8 so will be happy in most parts of the U.S. and I expect many other places as well. Unlike most of the other ferns I grow, these are partial to a more sunny spot and will tolerate only light shade. A very un-fern-like fern. Once established it will even tolerate fairly dry soil.
The name comes from the fact that when brushed against, they smell like hay. The scent comes from gland-tipped whitish hairs which cover the fern. This very adaptable fern is deciduous and turns a lovely soft yellow color in the fall.

No ferns showing outside today since we had a bit of snow last night and it is snowing again as I write. The forecast is for up to 8 inches over the next couple of days. So pretty outside, maybe I'll wander around this afternoon and take some 'conifer covered with snow' pictures.

Jane

Chrystopteris and Cyrtomium

The rest of my ferns starting with 'C' today. This first is Cyrtomium, Holly Fern. They get their name fro the leathery, holly-like foliage. This one specifically is Cyrtomium fortunei. It is listed as semi-evergreen and is pretty evergreen here, though it often will just replace its winter-worn fronds in the spring. This is the hardiest one and is good down to zone 5. It is a native of Japan, Korea and China, but is naturalized in the U.S. in a number of places.
My other Cyrtomium is falcatum. This one is only hardy to zone 6 and often dies back in the winter here even though it is also listed as a semi-evergreen. Both are about 2 feet tall and upright. This one is also native to the orient and even in Hawaii. It is sometimes grown as a houseplant as it will tolerate as it is tolerant of dry air, much more than other ferns. I don't see an awful lot of difference between the two, though they were bought with different names from a nursery that would know the difference. Actually, the pictures in my fern book don't look all that different either.

The last one for today is Cystopteris, Fragile or Bladder Fern. Fragile because the fronds are very delicate and easily broken (though quickly replaced) so it might not be a good choice for someone with a large dog or a cat (like some of mine) who think that a fern is a lovely place to nap. This one is Cystopteris fragilis and is a small thing, rarely over a foot tall and good for a rock garden or the front of a shady border. For any of you in the far north, this might be a good choice since it is hardy to zone 2. Do people in zone 2 really get a chance to garden at all seriously? Just wondering. This fern is native in northern North America and also in Europe and can be found growing in moist woods and on cliffs, but it is also quite adaptable to general garden conditions. This is one of the ferns that will appreciate a little lime. We usually provide that with a scattering of limestone around the plant which will leach out over time, rather than useing a faster powdered lime.
We're back in the freezer today after a lovely, sunny day in the 50s yesterday. Almost felt like I should be out picking daffodils. Soon enough, I suppose that will happen. For now, now updating of the website and working on my quilt.
Jane

Pteridium - Bracken

So as to not get too confused, I'm taking the pictures as I have them filed, and this one is filed under Bracken, even though the correct Latin name is Pteridium aquilinum. Our patch of it is right near the entrance to the gardens and it always gets people's attention. It is tall, at least 3 feet, so you can't really miss it. The fronds, 3 per plant, are at the top of a tall stem. It spreads by rhizomes and so I always have a good bit to share, but I have found that you have to dig it just as it is emerging, before the fronds unfurl, if you want to have any success in transplanting. Ours has moved across the path (something we had been hoping it would do) and is colonizing underneath the large spruce. Hopefully it will keep the area weed free there since it seems to not allow too much else to grow where it wants to be.

Bracken doesn't seem to be all that available, at least in catalogs that I get. It is hardy over a wide range from zone 3 all the way up to 10. There are also a number of varieties, even a crested one. A lot of people won't grow it because it does spread and some would even call it invasive. One plus, though, is that it can take full sun which is quite unusual for a fern. It is not hard to control even though its rhizomes are several inches below the ground unlike most other ferns. For this reason, it can survive a forest fire and may be one of the first things to regrow. Some people used to eat the fiddleheads in the spring, but they have been found to be carcinogenic, so it probably isn't a good idea. Not sure if this applies to all ferns or just bracken. They never really appealed to me anyway, so it won't be a problem. I have seen canned fiddleheads in some specialty stores and always thought that they would have been much nicer growing in the woods than in a can.

I have heard that in 'olden days' people would line their dresser drawers with bracken to keep moths and other insects away and sometimes also used it as part of their mattress filling. Since it is deciduous, gathering the leaves after frost and after they have dried doesn't harm the plant and could be quite useful.

Jane

Blechnum nipponicum

The Blechnums are mostly tropical, but there are a few which will be happy here. This one is Blechnum nipponicum, common name - Japanese Deer Fern. This is about as far north as this one will grow, since it really prefers a warmer climate. It is a small fern, about a foot tall, though tall is probably not the right word since the fronds lie flat on the ground rather than being upright like the Athyriums. The fertile fronds, when they are produced, are upright, though. It is said to be evergreen, but like a lot of the others that are supposed to be evergreen, especially those growing here at the north edge of their range, sometimes they go dormant over the winter. Some that don't can look pretty ratty by spring after being snow and ice covered. This one is rather hard and shiny looking and doesn't seem to form a large clump or increase quickly. I have it in a sort of woodsy rock garden place where it won't be overwhelmed by larger plants and it seems to do well there.
Jane