My Bit of Heaven - by Kristl Walek

[Kristl Walek]

The Dicentras and Claytonia are both true ephemerals, entirely disappearing soon after seed production.

Claytonia caroliniana is another cormous species; the other (slightly later flowering) species is C. virginica (with larger flowers).

While the small, fleshy-leaved and glossy-flowered plants are actively growing, they can carpet entire areas and compete amazingly well even with much tougher and bigger plants.

[Kristl Walek]

My pet name for this particular site is "Ephemeral Ridge" as it is home to almost all of the true ephemerals of eastern North America.

I keep showing you Erythronium americanum, which falls squarely in this camp, because I do love it dearly and am mighty relieved to know it will be abundant in my new home in Nova Scotia.

[Kristl Walek]

Just down the road from ephemeral hill was another rich woodlands with examples of most of the great species from this area of North America.

Because this is an early, warm spot --- many of the species only just beginning their bloom elsewhere were well advanced here.

Notably, Trillium grandiflorum.

[Kristl Walek]

Uvularia grandiflora too, which is barely out of the ground in my garden, was in full swing here.

This species is not widespread in this area; found only here and there, and rarely in large drifts.

[Robert G]

Kristl,

I love the pictures! Familiar, but always amazing to me. After a winter these plants are the things I search for in the woods...like a child looking at his/her Christmas gifts. See you soon.

[Lvandelft]

Thank you Kristl for showing these wonderful series of woodland plants.
When scrolling through, I always have the feeling I am there myself, walking
with you from one plant to the next.
It really gives so much information how and where they are growing!

[Magnar]

Thank you, Kristl, for these wonderful woodland pics. Great to follow your thread here. 

[maggiepie]

Thanks Kristl, I thoroughly enjoyed the walk with you, I especially liked the Claytonia, the flowers remind me of an erodium.

[Stephen Vella]

hello Kristl,

Nice pictures as allways.

In regards to germinating Caulophyllum thalictroides you said;

"has me totally mystified as a seedswoman. I have it going into it's 3rd cycle now of alternating cold-warm-cold, etc, and have not had a single germination."

Just wanted to add that I have had success in germinating Caulophyllum very easily. I had 2 batches of seeds from the U.S, fresh and sown in pots in a mix of bark fines and sand. No need for gibberilins. A few germinated the second year. In the third year in spring I tip the pots over seeing if there was any activity as nothing was showing above ground and I found what looked very weird. There was a lot of germination activity happening and what looked like cotyledond beneth the ground (yellow in colour, no chlorophyll) with a large storage root sending tap roots down and a true leaf just unfolding. Cotyledons are never seen above ground, just their true leaves.

Looks to me I had 80% germination in their 3rd year. Tip your pots over and have a look, you may find something!

Cheers

[Brian Ellis]

Thanks Stephen for that information, I will try this year and bear in mind what you have said.

[Kristl Walek]

Thank you for this Stephen!!!!!!!

I am not doing my testing in pots....seeds are in vermiculite in zip lock bags, so that I can observe all activity (above and below ground); but I am now just in the second year (warm-cold-warm-cold-warm), so will continue on with this one into a third year cycle.

I had nothing at the second year.

[Kristl Walek]

9 days ago I left for Nova Scotia to search for my new bit of heaven ----a
1500 km drive across the southern portion of that province in search of an area where I might like to create my last garden, have easy access to good plants in the wild for seed collecting. My non-gardening, city friend of 35 years from Montreal offered to accompany me for much-appreciated emotional support.

I had already done a fair amount of research over the past year and decided I did not want to move to the area that most attracted international buyers and tourists---Nova Scotia's south shore---the open-ocean Atlantic side of the province.

Instead, the vineyard and fruit-growing Annapolis Valley on the Bay of Fundy side was where I felt I needed to be. This is a rather remote part of the province, with good soil and sun, little to no fog (area dependent), extended springs and autumns and a significantly warmer winter climate as compared to where I am coming from in Ontario. The land is not pancake-flat Ottawa Valley terrain and there are two stretches of nice hills (affectionally named mountains), but enough to add interest to the landscape.

Here there is also a good mix of deciduous and coniferous trees, unlike the south shore which is largely conifers. I did not want to lose entirely some of the familiar woodland species I have come to love here.

Arriving at the Halifax airport one sees immediately the predominately coniferous landscape interspersed with Betula. On the drive towards the Annapolis Valley, we pass through miles of apple orchards and vineyards. Eventually the landscape becomes more varied --- deciduous trees appear and the sides of the road are lit with the bloom of Prunus virginiana and Amelanchier laevis (the Allegheny Serviceberry).

The latter is a rather showy species, with good horticultural value. The white flowers contrast beautifully with the bronzy-purple new leaves.

[johnw]

Kristl - You're right as I mispoke. That would be Amelanchier canadensis along the roadsides, no "Allegheny" here as we call it the smooth serviceberry.  It's seems to be everywhere, even growing out of rock.

One to look out for is A. bartramiana - a real beaut - though not common, some around Digby & Yarmouth.

johnw

[Kristl Walek]

John,
Flora of Nova Scotia notes A. laevis is "one of our most common serviceberries" foliage was smooth and distinctly red-tinted; not the dense white-woolly of A. canadensis.

Of course there is that canadensis x laevis hybrid which has purple foliage---but usually confined to bogs.

I've seen A. bartramiana in Cape Breton---wonderful!!!

[Kristl Walek]

I had decided I wanted to live as far south in the Annapolis Valley as I could get without being totally isolated and the beautiful town of Annapolis Royal became the center from which we radiated outwards in my search for a new home.

I managed to negotiate a very affordable 9 day stay at the Annapolis Royal Inn and we were, in fact, the only guests during most of that time. During the summer this is a prime tourist area and accomodations are not as easy to obtain. This patio area outside the motel is where Manuel and I spent many enjoyable hours talking, drinking coffee and obsessing about properties.

The actual town of Annapolis Royal has 525 permanent residents and is the second oldest town to have been settled in eastern North America (1605). It has a national heritage designation and has the largest concentration of heritage homes in Nova Scotia. It also has an active arts community.

Most notably, this small town was voted the "Most Liveable Small Town in the World" in 2004 in an award given by the International Awards for Liveable Communities and endorsed by the United Nations Environment Programme.

The Saturday market here is a wonderful blend of music, food, artisans and plant vendors.