Weeping Maples

While in my yard yesterday, I noticed something interesting. My husband recently re-edged our landscape beds. In the process he cut a couple of roots from our maple tree that were at the bed edge. It has been really dry here lately. However, the soil around the pruned roots was wet. I snapped this picture, but I am not sure if you can see the wet soil. This is just another sign of spring coming. Maples are known for sap weeping or "bleeding" in the spring season, especially from pruning cuts or other wounds. This is caused by the sap beginning to move just below the bark tissue and should correct itself once the leaves begin to emerge.

Cutting Back Ornamental Grasses

Yesterday was beautiful in Kansas City. The gardener in me had to get outside and get my hands a little dirty! I decided to cut back my ornamental grasses that I wrote about yesterday. To make the job easier, first I tied each grass up with natural twine.

Then I used my Felco hand pruner to cut off last years growth about 6-8" high.

Since, I only have three, this was not a problem. If I had a lot of grasses, I would use a hedge trimmer. A hedge trimmer makes the job go really fast!

Ornamental Grasses

While walking around my yard over the weekend, I realized I still needed to cut back my ornamental grasses. I left them up over the winter for some interest during the cold months when I don’t have a lot of other color in my landscape. As you can see, they are starting to fall over (part from snow and wind, part from my kids hiding behind them.) Now is the time to cut them back before growth begins to resume later in the spring. If you wait too long, you will cut off the new growth and your grass will look funny.

Spring is Coming

I know it is cold and we'll probably get some snow before spring is officially here, but spring is on its way. I walked around my yard over the weekend and looked at my landscape plants. I noticed my daffodil bulbs are starting to emerge from the soil. I snapped a picture of the new foliage coming up. I also noticed the buds on some of the maple trees in my neighborhood were starting to swell. All signs that plants are starting to come out of dormancy. I love spring!

Remove Tree Stakes

If you staked any trees that were planted last fall, make sure you check them periodically to see if they are stable. Once stability is achieved, staking material should be removed. Young trees can grow quickly around staking materials, girdling (or strangling) the tree. As you can see in the photo above, the staking material was left on this tree way too long and the tree had begun to grow around the material. Trees should only be staked for one year or less.

Basseterre Day 5

Elephant ears! Some in the rain forest had germinated very high on the tree.

A dam in the middle of the rain forest. Early engineers hoped they could use the stream to power the sugar mill. The plan failed.

The rain forest was amazing. Lots of vines and nut trees (especially almonds). The rain forest on St. Kitts is fairly small and simple (only one canopy, unlike the Amazon that has several canopies and rain forest levels--so much that the jungle floor is completely dark).

Basseterre Day 4

Bananas

Basseterre Day 3

Not sure what this is, but I doubt it would grow in Kansas!

A few of the many palms in the Caribbean.

Basseterre Day 2

The top photo is an impressive native tree related to the locust. The bottom photo is another shot from the botanical garden. The stone edifice remains from an old sugar mill, an important part of St. Kitts' industry in the past. Below the tower and a little to the left are some pineapple plants.

Basseterre, St. Kitts

Mango Tree

Can you find the lizard? I am not sure what this tropical plant is, although it was in the botanical garden.

I went to St. Kitts last week and toured a botanical garden and took a short hike through a bit of rain forest. I will post a few pictures for you to enjoy this week. I will do my best to tell you what is in the pictures.