June 2013 – Weeding the West End of Pond

The northeast corner of the pond still has knotweed and bittersweet resprouts. It’s a tough area. The young river birch whip has been defoliated by sawflies. To its right is a baby bayberry, and further back on the right, a rosa rugosa. We planted rosa rugosa over areas that had the most robust knotweed rhizomes, and it seems to be holding down the fort.

before photo
Before
after photo
After

June 2013 – Happy Plants on Slope

photo of slope
Variegated dogwoods, willows, red maple, alder, all looking much happier, without the knotweed.
photo of slope, middle
The junipers and little bluestem are still tiny, however, the mulch has not slid down the slope too much. It’s working!
photo looking down slope
This young pine is putting on a growth spurt. Also in the area: variegated dogwood, green ash, irises, redbud.
photo of daisies
Native daisies blooming on the slope.
photo of dogwood
Existing silky dogwood is blooming.

July 2013 – The 4th Big Plant Order

10 Skyrocket Juniper (Juniperous scopulorum) – more evergreens!
10 Mugo Pine (Pinus mugo pumilio) – more evergreens!
10 Juniper andorra (Juniperus horizontals) – more evergreens!
10 Juniper broadmoor (Juniperus sabina) – more evergreens!
10 Juniper greenmound (Juniperus procumbens) – more evergreens!
10 Juniper saybrook gold (Juniperus chinensis) – more evergreens!
10 Sweet Crabapple (Malus coronaria) – another great native
10 Chinese Dogwood (Cornus kousa) – for the front
20 Northern Bayberry (Myrica pennsylvanica) – native, for slope
20 Viburnum Cranberrybush (Viburnum trilobum) – native
10 Viburnum Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago) – native
10 Dappled Willow (Salix integra) – too pretty to pass up

June 2013 Canoe O’ Weeds

In early summer, the east end of the pond is still pretty wet, so you can’t drive the tractor too close. Still, it’s an excellent time to pull phragmites resprouts, because it’s easier when they’re in the water. I put on my waders and patrolled the east end of the pond with the canoe, gathering up all the phragmites stems that were floating on top of the water at that point.

I piled them all, mostly dead stems, but a few resprouts, into the canoe, pulled the canoe up away from the water with the tractor, then loaded up the front end loader, then dumped them on the burn pile to dry out. I did about 3 canoe loads. The pond looked a lot better when I was done!

Plus – I am now strong like bull!

photo of canoe with weeds
Canoe o’weeds