Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) is such a pretty plant! This one seems to be quite happy, growing in an area that’s very wet in the spring. On the left are blooming stems of swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata). New to this particular planting bed, they’re marked with a stake, so they don’t get weeded out by accident.
Here’s the buttonbush in context – it’s part of a large swath of plantings on the east side of the back acre. This is an area that’s extremely wet in the spring. Formerly, about 6 years ago, there was nothing here but the low part of a mown field. Before that, it was a field with lots of invasive plants that hardly ever got mowed. These days, there’s a lot more cover for wildlife. The plants here now are mostly natives that support various species of animals and insects. From left to right: viburnum, swamp milkweed, buttonbush, false spiraea, purple smokebush, alder, willow.
This plant was a volunteer here. First there was one, and now there are a few. It’s been coming back for a few years, yet it doesn’t seem to be taking over. There are many different species of angelica. I’ve read that wild angelica (Angelica sylvestris) can be invasive in parts of Canada. This one appears to be Angelica atropurpurea, because of its purple stems, and because it hasn’t grown much taller than 5 feet or so. I hope it is, because if it is, it’s a friendly native that supports many insects. Bees do love it!
This was this year’s burn pile, believe it or not, the circular area on this end of the “milkweed river.” Over the years, I’ve been experimenting with techniques, to prevent ugly burn scars from becoming summer-long eyesores. It may not look like much now, but it’s actually a huge accomplishment that this area is almost ready for its next cover crop (probably buckwheat).
A couple of weeks after burning, I raked it, lightly weeded it, then seeded it, just by hand, with Botanical Interests’ Cover Crop Soil Builder, Peas and Oats. I threw a light layer of compost and chips over it, then waited. The result? LOTS of green stuff, almost waist high! I probably waited a bit longer than I should have to deal with it then, but the only reason I procrastinated was because I couldn’t figure out whether to weed whack it or mow it, or just turn it all over with the backhoe. The backhoe didn’t seem like a good option, since that would probably just bring more of the old field’s weed seeds to the surface. And at that point, I wasn’t physically strong enough to weed whack or even scythe it.
It turned out to be a lot easier than I thought to deal with all the growth, simply because we happen to be lucky enough to own a riding mower with a “grass” collector. First, I fished around and made sure there were no large stones or rocks hiding anywhere. I set the mower blades at the highest possible setting and slowly drove halfway into the middle of the circle. That’s all it took – I already had to empty the bag – it was full. I made several passes in different directions, stopping to empty the bag frequently. At the end, I spread the abundant, nutritious clippings as evenly as possible over the area. It worked like a charm, acting as mulch, suppressing weeds and adding nitrogen and organic matter to the soil.
I went into detail with the description of what I did here, because it was hard to find a how-to online about it. A lot of folks that plant cover crops are farmers with equipment to handle entire fields. I didn’t even need our tractor, just the mower, as this is just a small area.
I’m feeling much more optimistic these days about burn piles and what can they morph into. One idea for this circle is to enclose it within deer fence and grow vegetables. Growing food is something we’ve never seemed to have time to do, while dealing with all the invasive plants. But now there’s a light at the end of the tunnel; I could see that perhaps happening.
All of these lanky rhododendron divisions were planted last year. I wanted to see what would happen if I didn’t prune them back. Most have new growth at their bases and many actually bloomed.
The redbud front and center has evolved on the windy slope as a large shrub. To the right is an ash I’ve kept small by pruning. To the left is a burgundy-colored ninebark. Behind that, staghorn sumac and willow. In front is a row of globemaster alliums that I scored at Costco one year. Rocks and lambs’ ears serve as edging.
A large willow branch blew down and I’m leaving it there for now, because it might look interesting to have the red hot poker flowers grow up in between its branches. Behind it is a red maple kept smallish via pruning; it grows up from the rocky rip rap and helps stabilize everything.
Blue, green and yellow spreading junipers on the slope put all worries about erosion in the past. Any area they haven’t filled in yet, lambs’ ears are temporarily doing the job. Behind them, highbush blueberries are also loving the sunny slope. On the right is the red maple, on the left, a willow (perhaps a Bebb willow, not sure). In the back are dappled willow and Juniperus virginiana (eastern redcedar).
The blue-flowered amsonia in the foreground is actually in a pot. Rose campion foliage provides the silver color here, while there is no mistaking the brilliant purple flowers of salvia (May night). On the left is a tree lilac. Center is one of our pre-existing willows that I think might be a “Bebb” willow, because its new foliage has a reddish tint (though please don’t quote me because willows are notoriously difficult to identify).
Blue spruce, red Japanese maple and dappled willow provide plenty of contrast and interest in the front yard. Hopefully, the young bottlebrush buckeye will eventually fill in that entire empty area.
