Spring Forward....Step Back

So here it is the early days of February, yet my garden seems to say it is mid-March. It has been a long time since I experienced such a long bloom of my 20 or so camellias. "Magnolia Grandiflora" is a mass of shell pink flowers, and of course it is my favorites, at least at this moment. But an old timer, "Governor Mouton", has been blooming for two months, with the largest flowers I have ever seen. The longest time record is held by "Debutante" which started flowering in October and is just now finishing up. When I moved to South Carolina, a long experienced gardener told me that if I planted camellias and roses I would have flowers all year long.
Some of the camelias are now trees, after 27 years of growth. Some were moved from the front side to the back after the first three years. The rule seems to be to not plant them near oak or walnut trees, but aim for pines. Recently I had to do radical surgery on my woodland garden. Bushes planted originally too close together (a common fault) had to be thined out, with the result that a new vista appeared from my breakfast table window, down the hillside to the pond below. I can only see it in winter, but other times it is nice to know it is there.

Another loss was my largest pine, which was slowly finishing. I had a wonderful team come and take it down from the top, limb by limb, as it was only 12 feet from the house. Unfortunately, they only cut the trunk in rather large sections, as the charge to haul it away was too much for my pocket. So Billy, my faithful gardener, and myself set up a sawmill operation, and managed to roll all of them down to the bottom of the property, mostly out of sight. It will take a good 10 years for them to break down, but that is so much better for the enviornment.

I never realized I would go into woodland management, but that is the case when you have three acres of dense forest. We have slowly cleared under areas of trees, but not as radically as a good German farmer would do. I find birds like clearings as long as there is cover nearby. This, plus access to water, will bring birds to your porperty, even without putting out feed. Also, sandy areas attract doves, who like to sit in sand, or take a sand bath.

Our lovely new Southeast Park, situated off Garner's Ferry a few miles past the VA, is a great addition to this side of town. Today I noticed a small, slim wooden tower seeming to be about 15 feet high, with a top hat of metal that reflects the sun. According to the park ranger, it was built recently as a project by the Boy Scouts, and its purpose is to attract Swifts, which feed on the insects attracted by the reflection. The birds circle around it, feeding in the air. Its all too complicated for me, but it seems a nice addition. I guess the attraction is rather like moths attracted to light. Live and Learn!