Ray and Melanie – Heath and Heather

Melanie and Ray Poudrier

Gardens are planned, grow and develop over time as dependably as any single plant. Ray and Melanie Poudrier’s garden could be said to have begun when Ray’s father bought land in Hawley in 1942.

Ray’s father joined his mother and their brood of thirteen children on Hawley summer weekends to see the latest developments. The family grew a vegetable garden, had an orchard and a blueberry patch. They even rented a cow for the summer to have milk for all those children. What they did not have was electricity or running water.

They didn’t have a car during the week either, which meant when a few extra supplies were needed, Ray’s mother would leave a note for the mail carrier to give  Avery’s General Store, and the next day necessities would be delivered along with the mail and a bill. “We weren’t the only ones depending on the mail and Avery’s either,” Ray said when I visited for a tour of the gardens. “I often saw other bags of groceries in the back of the mail car.”

Happily, when Ray met Melanie and they prepared to marry, she was as up for Hawley adventures as Ray. As newly weds they began building their vacation house. “It was always exciting,” Melanie said as she recounted stories of bathing in a frigid spring fed pond after a day’s work.

Ray explained that because Melanie is so slim and petite, she is the one who could fit into tight spaces, like a well, or next to the house foundation to apply tar before the land was graded. That vacation house became their permanent home in 1981.

Heaths, heathers, stone and shed

The house was snuggled into the woods which they both loved, but when they decided to put up solar panels in the mid-1980s trees had to come down. “That opened up a whole new world,” Melanie said. Vegetable and flower gardens were shifted around and now the sunny land in front of the house is filled with extensive ornamental beds that can be admired from the house in every season.

The gardens include a whole array of perennials, but once they discovered the heaths and heathers they fell in love. Heaths and heathers both belong to the Ericaceae family, but they each have there own genus, Erica and Calluna. They are similar in that they are both evergreen shrubs, some very low, some growing to a height of three feet, some are upright, and some are very spready. The Poudrier’s sunny garden has the kind of poor acid soil that all that heaths and heathers enjoy.

“There is so much variation in the texture and color of the foliage,” Ray said. As we walked through the garden this was clear as we saw gray-green foliage, golden foliage that was bright even on that showery day, dark green and light green foliage and even foliage that was an autumnal shade of red all year long.

Calluna 'Allegro'

Heaths and heathers also produce flowers at different times of the year depending on the cultivar, but bloom begins very early in the spring and continues through the summer. Many bloom in various shades of pink and lavender, but there are also white varieties. “During its bloom season a plant can be a beautiful cloud of color,” Melanie said. Melanie added that some nurseries will tell you to shear back the plants in the fall to remove spent flowers and keep the plants neat, but she never did that. “The flowers just disappear,” she said.

Melanie does not mulch the plants either, because she said the voles were a worse problem than weeds. Mulch provides good nesting spaces for the voles who love to eat the heaths, although they don’t bother the heathers.

All their plants have been bought locally and they have found a good range of varieties. Many people don’t pay much attention to the color of or season of the flowers, but concentrate on the form and color of the foliage that provides interest in the winter garden. “You get a lot of bang for your buck,” Melanie said talking about the pleasure they enjoy all year long.

The Poudriers have included other plants whose foliage contrasts with the heaths and heathers. There are alliums with tall thin oniony foliage, European ginger with its low shiny leathery round leaves, and creeping savory, a perennial, which resembles the evergreens and produces white flowers.

Hawley Crowsfoot Schist

As varied as they are, the heaths and heathers are only half the beauty of the garden beds. The other half is provided by the magnificent stones that Ray has moved into place to provide a framework and structure for the plants. He is especially proud of a large slab of Hawley’s unique crow’s foot schist he has placed among the heathers.

Ray has worked with stones from the site for many years, building stone walls that mark the cultivated domestic landscape, an artistically arranged stoneworks around an ornamental pool, and a rock garden that includes not a single plant. Ray smiled when he said he wanted to build a garden for Melanie that would never need weeding.

Perhaps the best of all worlds they have found is stones with heaths and heathers.

Between the Rows  October 8, 2011

Color in the Autumn Garden

Annual salvia

The days are growing shorter. When I drive down my road I have begun averting my eyes from a maple branch that has burst into flame. Autumn is officially upon us. And yet there is a lot of bloom in my garden.

One of the benefits of annuals is that many will bloom well into the fall. I have pots of snapdragons, petunias, osteospurnum and ‘Million Bells,’  a healthy blooming border of an annual salvia around the Shed Bed of roses, cosmos are blooming like crazy in the Lawn Bed, morning glories are right outside our window, a buttery yellow nasturtium has taken over the Front Garden and down in the Potager zinnias, gomphrena ‘Strawberry Fields’ and China asters are in bloom. Those alone would make quite a colorful bouquet.

China asters

Even without much effort a number of perennials are still blooming: garden phlox, achillea, and Russian sage. These three plants are a good lesson in the different ways to keep a colorful garden into the fall. First, varieties of garden phlox can begin flowering in early summer. Cut the flowers for bouquets or wait until they fade and cut them back. With a little luck in the weather they will produce a second flush of bloom. Achillea or yarrow works the same way.

Phlox, Cosmos and Perovskia

Perovskia or Russian sage is an airy plant with tiny lavender flowers on its graceful stems that begins blooming in midsummer and continues right on into fall. Echinops or globe thistle and Eryngium or sea holly are other plants that will give you bloom into the fall, and also make good additions to dried flower arrangements as do some of the yarrows. ‘Coronation Gold’ is an old standard achillea that is very good for dried arrangements.

I did not plant any dahlias this year, but a trip across the Bridge of Flowers anytime from August until frost will show what a good plant dahlias, in all their many forms, are for the autumn garden. Some are little pompoms, some are as big as dinner plates and named such, some are shaggy and some are spiky. Dahlias have long lasting color and form to suit any taste. The secret to having floriferous dahlias is to keep cutting them, keep making bouquets and you will have an amazingly long season of color.

Instead of dahlias I planted a chrysanthemum collection in our little circle garden. Buying a collection from a mail order catalog like Bluestone Perennials is a good way to try out a plant in its many forms. I ordered a collection of spoon and quilled mums in colors from cream to pink, lavender, red and copper. The words spoon and quill refer to the petal shapes. I was really looking forward to an interesting array of colorful mums.

However, I had not counted on this year’s crop of rabbits. We have gotten used to deer, nibbling at things and while we are not happy about that, we have come to expect it. This year, for the first time we had rabbits. Many rabbits. There are big rabbits and little rabbits. And they are all hungry.

They ate the new beet greens in the Front Garden early this spring, and young squash plants while the deer ate all our peas. It never dawned on me that rabbits would eat my chrysanthemum collection. But they did. Three days in a row I went out and found a mum plant gone. Three out of six plants went into a mum meal for the bunnies. Just in time to save the last three plants a friend suggested black netting.

The circle garden really exists because there a big boulder in the lawn and planting annuals there marks the spot so the mower doesn’t damage itself and we get a unique view every year.  This year I had put up a bamboo teepee for a morning glory collection. The rabbits kept eating the morning glory shoots too.

With a few additional small bamboo stakes and a piece of fine black netting that I found in the shed I wrapped and tacked the net around the circle. Success! The rabbits could no longer eat the remaining plants.

The morning glories that were left started climbing up the bamboo teepee and I pretty much forgot about that little plot of earth. My husband mowed around it, but I didn’t even have the time to do the neat edging. The other day I went to see how the mums were doing. One, possibly Starlet described as yellow/copper, has begun to bloom in spite of the tangle of netting, morning glory vine and the weedy galinsoga with its tiny tiny rayed flowers. It is not quite the display that I had envisioned back in May when I put those healthy young plants in the ground, but one takes what one can get in this busy world.

'Alma Potschke'

Right now I am admiring my ‘Alma Potsche’ raspberry pink aster which is starting to bloom, just one of the many asters available to gardeners searching for fall bloom.

As soon as I decide how to protect it from the rabbit herd, I am going to plant Eupatorium or Joe-Pye weed, a six foot plant with winey-pink flower heads that to me, is an icon of the New England fall.

The trees are gaining color every day, but the flower gardens are ready to throw in the towel just yet.  ####

Between the Rows    September 17, 2011

The Bridge Continues to Bloom

People are always asking me what is blooming on the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls.  It changes every day but here are  some current views.

Azalea

These azaleas are as sunny as our June days. The tornadoes that went through Springfield and beyond on Wednesday didn’t do any damage up our way.

Osteospernum

Azaleas have their own season, but the annual osteospernums will bloom all summer long.  That is what makes annuals so valuable in any planting.

Baptisia

Blue is always lovely with yellow.

Rhodendron

Everyone knows I am a sucker for pinks and reds.  This is one of my favorite rhododendrons.

Weigela

Weigela is another one of the striking spring blooming shrubs on the Bridge of Flowers.  I can’t wait to see what will come next.

Rose Season Begins

Dart's Dash

June is the most important month in my garden, especially this year.   The last Sunday in June is traditionally The Annual Rose Viewing, my version of Garden Open Today.  I send out an open invitation to anyone who wants to stop and smell the roses, visit with friends and have a glass of lemonade and some cookies in the comfort of the Cottage Ornee.

Madame Hardy

This year is different. This year our garden is part of the Franklin Land Trust’s Farm and Garden Tour which has been an important event in the gardener’s year for 22 years. Since this tour is not only about roses, I am thinking about what else might be in bloom that weekend.  So many plants, astilbe, cheddar pinks, heucherella, snow in summer, and Connecticut Yankee Delphiniums have fat buds or are beginning to bloom.  I am hoping that there will be other bloomers in addition to the roses, and the herbaceous peonies most of which are still blooming.  I’m going to pay close attention to the bloom progression this year. And I am going to record it clearly, week by week.

The rugosas, always the first to bloom have just begun.  Dart’s Dash and Rugosa alba are beginning to perfume the air. Madame Hardy is a replacement, and I should have pinched off the bud, but I really wanted to see that flower with its green velvet eye.

Also in bloom right now, besides the plants I mentioned before, is a pale pink columbine, Joan Elliott campanula, wisteria – and my new Pagoda dogwood, a native variety with unusual flowers. I bought this at Nasami Farm, a nursery operated by the New England Wildflower Society.

Native Pagoda Dogwood

Faster and Faster

The Holiday Weekend started for me on Friday afternoon when I visited the Heath School’s Garden Day. The classes have been working before now, of course, but on Garden Day, the whole day is given over to planting, weeding, mulching – and learning.  I am impressed with their energy, which I expected, but also with the quality of the child-sized tools they are using.  Many hands make light work was certainly the motto on Friday.

You may wonder what is with all the stones and stone -like things in  the Shed Bed, but you have to remember that the Shed Bed is right next to the hen house and for the past couple of months the chickens have considered this their personal Lido for taking dust baths.  First I kept the chickens in the hen house today. Then I finished weeding and edging, dug in some nice rotted manure and lime, and planted the little annual salvias that edge this bed every year. This is the way I fudge not being able to grow a lavender hedge.

You can’t really tell, but I also put tiny annual dianthus along the west edge of the Lawn Grove, as well as nine cosmos seedlings.  The big task was planting the weeping cherry that I bought at Home Depot.  I hope that was a wise decision.  It’s been watered and mulched with wood chips. You can see a small hardy azalea blooming on the far side of the grove.  Lots of weeding.

Guan Yin Mian

The garden is progressing faster and faster.  Everytime I turn around something new has come into bloom.  This tree peony is so lovely. The translation of the name is Guan Yin’s Face.  Guan Yin is the Goddess of Compassion and surely hers is the most beautiful of faces.

Boule de Neige and Rangoon have been slowly opening, but with temperatures in the 80s for two days they came into full bloom in the shady bed next to the Cottage Ornee.

Last year I found this rhodie forgotten and languishing in the weeds at the edge of the ‘orchard.’  I dug it up and this time I transplanted it properly, “Keep it simple, just a dimple,” as my rhododendron expert says. I think it is Calsap. What a lovely surprise to have it survive and put out new growth and bloom!

The lilacs are blooming and perfuming the air.  We even spent some time enjoying the beauty and fragrance of the garden: we opened the Cottage officially and entertained two friends who we see all too infrequently.  A perfect weekend.

Two Bs – Admire and Work

Bridge of Flowers entry

The Bridge of Flowers is blooming and blooming, ready for admiration, but you can see that greens are important too.

Azaleas are just beginning to blossom, and Solomon’s seal is still blooming.

Iris season is just beginning.  That’s a dramatic combo with a yellow iris and orange  azalea.

The Bridge of Flowers loves azaleas.

Bleeding Heart

Surely it is clear by now that the Bridge of Flowers does not depend on a single type of flower.

Double impatiens

The bulb season is about done. No more daffs or tulips. Perennials and flowering shrubs take center stage, but annuals have their place too, promising bloom all summer long.

It is always a pleasure to run errands on both sides of the Bridge and take a few minutes to enjoy an ever-changing panorama.

Bullitt Homestead - Fall 2010

The Bullitt Homestead in Ashfield is beginning to offer programs and I am happy to pass on information about workshops.

Putting Down Roots–May 28-29th from 8am-5pm Explore a different type of garden. We will install a native landscape at Bullitt featuring a variety of annuals and perennial plants, including edibles and plants that encourage wildlife. This will be a hands on experience planting trees, shrubs, flowers and more. The weekend will consist of two days of planting, running from . Just let us know what day(s) you want to attend. Lunch will be provided.

Workshops are hands-on, so bring work clothes, gloves and appropriate shoes. Both also have limited space, so please call to register and for weather-related updates. Contact us at 413 628 4485 or email Layla at lhazen@ttor.org

If you are a seasoned gardener, these workshops can help you to “garden with your whole yard,” and explore resilient diversity in your garden. So come join us and be part of a remarkable change! Our workshops are hands-on, family friendly and free.

Record Keeping

This is a close up of the old white lilacs that were on our property when we moved here in 1979. They are the earliest of all the lilacs we have and I can usually count on having them in full bloom by the 15th of May.  Not this year. You can see not all the buds are open. But I only know that because keep this blog means I have pretty good records for the past three years, thanks in large part to Carol of May Dreams Gardens whose meme of Bloom Day has encouraged me to keep a full bloom record at least once a month.

Our weather just seems so unpredictable with blooms varying by as much as two weeks, a week on either side of a standard date. For the past two weeks we’ve had cool temperatures and rain. All bloom slowed down.

This is what my wisteria flowers looked like last year on May 23.

See what the buds look  like this year on May 24.  Calculating bloom times for tours and such is getting very difficult.   Grrrrrr.

Is your garden ‘off schedule’ this year?

Wordless Serenity

For more Wordlessness click here.

Another Lawn-less Garden

Yesterday I attended a reunion of the book club I helped found in 1965. The book club continues, and the book under discussion was Per Petterson’s I Curse the River of Time.  I very much enjoy Petterson’s books, and indeed many of the chilly books of the Scandinavian writers, but it is ironic that this book of lonliness and the failure of emotional ties was the topic among a group of women friends meeting over tea and cake while rain fell on the verdant garden outside the windows.

The club membership has shifted over the years, but all of us could look back over the river of time we each have swum and been generally happy – while admitting that there may have been dangerous rapids from time to time.  We are all women of  ”a certain age’, no one gets to this point without having experienced sorrows, but we are all fortunate to have many joys.

The Gazebo

I enjoyed the view of this charming gazebo from the window, but just before we left I got a tour of Audrey’s dripping garden and got to peek into the windows where other meetings of the book club have met.

The brook next to the gazebo was racing and tumbling over the stones.

Next to the screened gazebo was a little seating area. I loved the little side table made of pots and a board.

Audrey said she has seats all over the garden because she can’t work for very long without needing a respite.

I looked at all those seats and saw the reminder that we all should sit and enjoy the garden from time to time –  without a weeder clutched in our hand.

Every garden should have a touch of humor.

Did you miss a lawn?  I didn’t.

Bloom Day May 15, 2011

I don’t think I have ever had this Bloom before on my blog. Several forsythia bushes were here when we bought they house : they are so old and entrenched that we have never been able even to contemplate the work it would take to pull them out. They rarely bloom, but they sure do grow.  But this year!  Not spectacular, but a regular profusion. A milder winter?  Global climate change? I have no idea why, but the blossoms are very welcome.

Ice Wings daffodil?

There are lots of daffodils in bloom right now. I must have at least eight varieties in various shades of yellow and white, but I will let this one stand in for all the rest. I think it is Ice Wings and it is the most unusual of my collection. If it is Ice Wings it is a tazetta. The daffodils grow in the lawn and you can see the hawkweeds budding up.

Primroses

I love the yellow primroses that has been blooming in this weedy spot under the trees near our blueberry patch for probably 20 years, ever since I stuck the pot that I bought at the supermarket in the ground.

Cherry blossoms

We planted this sour cherry tree years ago.  I love cherry pie.  But we never get the berries, the birds do.

There are thickets of wild cherry trees around the hen house. When I look from a distance they are not impressive, and when I look up close they are just beautiful.

Cotoneaster

Last year for the first time the cotoneaster bloomed.  Or at least I noticed it for the first time. The blossoms are quite quince-like.

Muscari

Three blooms in one photo.  Muscari or grape hyacinths growing in the lawn, as well as dandelions, of course, and if you look very carefully in the top left corner, a yellow daffodil.

Bluets

We’ve been planting our windbreak and saw the first clump of bluets just starting to bloom.  These must be a wildflower, surely.

Viburnam

The vibrunams growing in our woods where they can get a few rays of sun have started blooming.  Can I call this plant a wildflower, too?  They seem to grow wild in the local woods.

There are other plants blooming, white and purple violets in the lawn as well as ground ivy, johnny jump-ups, sweet violets (not the lawn kind)-  and the lilacs have fat buds, but no bloom yet.

Thank you Carol for inventing this wonderful way for us all to keep a good bloom record of our gardens, and for making it possible to visit the blooms in gardens across the country. Click here to visit Bloom Day at May Dreams Gardens.