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Thursday, November 3, 2011

11/03/11 INVASIVES, MOSS GARDENS, BLUEBERRIES AND CHERRIES

JAPANESE BARBERRY

A "MOSS GARDEN"

BLUEBERRIES

A  CHERRY ORCHARD
Wednesday, 7:45 AM.  32 degrees, wind WNW, calm.  The sky is clear and the barometer, although trending down,  predicts partly cloudy weather.  It should be a good day to travel.
    There are hosts of trees, shrubs and other plants that  are potentially invasive, and perhaps as important from a practical standpoint, many of them have little more to offer the landscape than one season of interest.  The barberries in general I consider to be in this category.  The variety of Japanese barberry pictured is beautiful now, but it was the same color all growing season long, and so becomes esthetically boring.  Might as well be plastic.  And, it has nasty thorns and bears myriads of berries, which make it very invasive.  It would take a very special situation for me to recommend it.
    Out in the orchard country the blueberry bushes are turning scarlet now, whole fields offering late-season color.  Blueberries are excellent ornamental plants, particularly the taller varieties, even though their flowers are insignificant.  The cherry orchard leaves have turned a wonderful burnished copper color.
    While looking for deer sign out at the stand, I came across this miniature moss garden, comprised of several different moss species, and studded with lycopodiums (club mosses) and wintergreen leaves.  I don't know the mosses well at all, but that doesn’t keep me from appreciating their delicate beauty.
    Now it’s off to Madison, WI, and then on to Columbus, OH.  Lucky is going along and we will see how he does.  I think he will be O.K., we can’t leave him in a kennel in his condition and we can’t stay home.  We will be back next Tuesday or Wednesday, so no blog for the next few days. 

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