Rhipsalidopsis Wednesday, Apr 3 2013 

gardening and Modern Photos , acairfearann 21:49

Isn’t that a lovely name? Sounds horrid.  Also known as Easter or Spring Cactus.  I picked on up the other day, I actually wasn’t paying much attention…I saw it and grabbed because I have been looking for a replacement white Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera) and the buds looked to be the right shade to be a good white.  I admit, I was in a hurry and annoyed by not finding what I was looking for (good, healthy primroses in something that isn’t eye-popping neon)

The challenge is apparently to get them to bloom again, it needs rooms at 50-55 during the winter months…which is hard for most people; but it should be easy for us!

Here it is blooming:

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Forest Giants Monday, Apr 1 2013 

Modern Photos and Trees , acairfearann 14:56

New England doesn’t really have giant trees; but we do tend to have any number of large and picturesque ones.  What always impresses me is why some of them can continue to stand.  This one, on the lane, is a big ash.  Its days are probably numbered because of the ever expanding road and the combined set of diseases and insects that are killing ashes.  These are bigger threats than the rather major structural failure.  For more than thirty years it has had the cavity in its base.  A few years ago, the spiral crack, splitting from the roots and curving up and around developed.  It creaks in the slightest wind, so there is probably quite a bit of movement.  However, since that crack developed it has weathered two hurricanes, several vicious thunderstorms, and any number of gusty, sustained wind days.  Any number of other, seemingly structurally sound, trees have failed in these events.  Would it surprise me to look out one day and see that it had finally ripped apart? No.  But it doesn’t surprise me to look out and see it still there.  Of course, when it does go it will be quite spectacular; the forces on it must be tremendous.  (for scale that road is a car and a half wide there, the wall is about 3 feet tall)

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Photo of the day Sunday, Mar 31 2013 

gardening and Historic Photos acairfearann 15:15

Actually, quite an old one, and a scanned print.  The bedroom in Happy Thought, with daffodils. 

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Crocus chrysanthus Saturday, Mar 30 2013 

gardening and Modern Photos , acairfearann 12:11

Possibly ‘Goldilocks’IMG_0129

 

From small beginnings Wednesday, Mar 27 2013 

Trees , acairfearann 08:58

come giants.  A photo I ran across the other day that caught my eye.  Note the seedling Norway maple there by the trunk of the big Cucumber Magnolia.  Or, I should say, by a small buttress section of the Magnolia’s trunk…

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Japanese Maple in Snow Monday, Mar 25 2013 

Modern Photos , acairfearann 10:12

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Children at Play Thursday, Mar 21 2013 

Historic Photos acairfearann 10:08

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August 1911. I suspect that the baby on the sled is Eileen Creevey Hall at about a year old.  The girl is Carlotta Creevey, the boy with the hat is Kennedy Creevey, the other boy is unknown.

The building in the background is Happy Thought.  It still has at least the pump for the old well, the odd little rectangular object.  It is interesting to note that the drive is not gravel at this date.  The chair was clearly regularly used on the lawn, you can see the runners to avoid the legs sinking in. What looks like a large birch tree is not; it is the big central oak on the lawn (the shadows are odd).  The very dark trunk just visible on the left is one of the big maples, they are long gone; but about where that one is there is now a young beech.

 

Hard to believe Wednesday, Mar 20 2013 

Modern Photos , acairfearann 07:47

That two months from now the view might look like this….

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That is a view of the west lawn taken last May, we are experimenting with not cutting the entire lawn, you can see the flowers in the grass on the left, all the faint yellow and pink.  We just cut some paths through it, and then cut it down in mid-August.  We will see how it works this year.  Right now (well before it snowed again), it isn’t looking gorgeous; I suspect as soon as the snow melts, I’ll need to rake it in order to pick up all the leaves and sticks.  The odd thing on the right is a cage for a young white oak.  I am quite sure that Robin wants spring to come.  He keeps forlornly going out into the field and looking for the grass.

 

Early March Sunset Wednesday, Mar 13 2013 

Modern Photos acairfearann 22:56

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Hah! Identified! Monday, Mar 11 2013 

gardening , , , acairfearann 10:54

We have here, in quantity, a certain daylily.  We have always referred to it as the ‘Double-ditch’ for obvious reasons and assumed that it was an unnamed oddity.  Well, what should I find in a gardening catalog today? (Old House Gardens; www.oldhousegardens.com)

H. fluva ‘Kwanso’ circa 1860 

Here it is at Esperanza

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