Red Dragon Corkscrew Witch Hazel

I have a running list of plants that I want to add to the garden. Of course I could mail order them, or most likely find them at a big box store, but I like to support small independent greenhouses. When I spot one of the plants I want when I’m visiting a small shop, I buy it. Two weeks ago, I stopped at my local hardware store and spotted a ‘Red Dragon’ corkscrew witch hazel.


This is a plant I’ve been wanting for quite a few years, but haven’t spotted it anywhere. I was so happy to see it at my local small hardware store. I love to support this store because they let the farmers market use their greenhouse in the winter.



At the moment, I’m thinking that this beauty is going to go into a large container and be featured in the front foundation bed on the corner. In this spot it will pick up the late afternoon sun, which beautifully highlights the deeply colored foliage. I’ll have to move another small tree from this spot, but I think the hazel will be a much better feature plant in this spot. I also want to place it where it can be a focal point and be seen daily as I come and go. I’m really looking forward to watching the beautiful plant grow into a lovely specimen.

Have you purchased any new plants recently? Where do you like to buy plants?

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Lazy Days

Now that the days are getting warmer, I find the cats lounging around the gardens quite frequently. The other day, I went outside to find Littles and Big D just lounging in the grass. It’s like they were chasing each other, got tired, and just flopped over. Which probably isn’t that far from the truth.

I hope you’re enjoying the beautiful summer weather as much as these two are.

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“Insects are less conspicuous and less glamorous than songbirds, dragonflies or hedgehogs are the foundation from which a healthy wildlife garden is built. The American word ‘bugs’ contributes to a profound misunderstanding of the importance of insects as part of the chain of life. The more varied the garden’s insects population, the healthier it will e. Without a healthy insect population, the whole food chain of birds, mammals and flowers starts to fall apart. Not only to we want more insects, we need them.”

Monty Don in Down to Earth

I love this and have always said all insects are good, even if they are one’s we don’t want to see in the garden. This week I’ve been seeing lots of insects I don’t necessarily want to see, but they’re part of the ecosystem. I’ve seen: cucumber beetles, squash bugs, mosquitoes, deer flies, but also butterflies, bees, tiny native pollinators, and so many more.

What insects are you seeing this week?

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Friday Favorite: Snakes

I grew up in a snake loving family. We seemed to always have pet snakes, including a 12 foot boa constrictor. I’m always happy to see snakes in the garden, which happens quite frequently. I see lots of garden snakes, some ribbon snakes, and we have a fairly good sized milk snakes that I see occasionally in the garage.

Here in Maine, we have no venomous snakes. Where I grew up in Ohio we had copperheads, which we saw occasionally. In Colombia, where I spent most of my childhood, we had a fair number of venomous snakes, including one called the Quatro Narizes (Bothrops asper), which is a highly venomous pit viper. I remember seeing one when we were hiking once.

We have a good number of snakes here in the gardens, I see them daily. I’m always trying to keep the cats away from them as they like to catch the smaller ones. The chickens will also catch them and eat them if they see them.
There’s a three foot garden snake that lives under one of my raised beds in the back garden, I see it once a week or so. Snakes are so beneficial to our gardens, it’s too bad lots of people have aversions to them and kill them when they see them. Luckily, I think the wide knowledge of their beneficial nature of them is helping make those with fears leave them alone instead of killing them.

Do you have snakes in your garden? How often do you see them?

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I’ve Been Waiting for This

I’m always on the lookout for a few specific photos. Since my name is on various photo lists for various publications, I’m always on the lookout for things to photograph that I think I can end up selling. For quite a few years, I’ve been wanting to get a photo of a tick on a blade of grass. While walking up the driveway the other day, I spotted this guy in the tall grass on the edge of the driveway. Naturally, I had to grab my camera and get a few photos. After his photo shoot I squished him between two rocks so he didn’t end up on one of the cats or me. I have a running list of photos in my mind that I’m waiting to get and I’m always super excited when I finally get one of those checked off.

I grew up spending lots of time in the woods, so ticks don’t creep me out like they do some people. They can carry diseases, thorough tick checks are the best way to minimize the risk. During tick season, everyone in the family (including cats) gets a thorough tick check.

Are there any things you’ve been waiting to get photos of?

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