The Queen of Seaford: ferns

Showing posts with label ferns. Show all posts

Sunday, April 20, 2025

Photo-a-Day Week 16

Happy Easter weekend and Happy Passover. Spring is in full swing and my garden is popping with new growth and lots of blooms. Let's jump into the photos from this past week.

Day 104-

I love our views. We have no curtains in our living area and two walls of windows. The views of the lake are wonderful. Sometimes there are birds on the deck, Great Blue Herons on the dock, and sometimes a flock of ducks is passing by; there's always something to see. Where do you enjoy your morning coffee?

Morning Coffee with a View

Day 105-

We had a pine tree hanging over our driveway since Hurricane Helene came through at the end of September. This week, we were able to get someone to come and take it down and remove it. Left on the driveway was this tiny pinecone. We usually only see the mature cones once they fall to the ground.

Tiny Pinecone

Day 106-
Morning light hit the white of these Rain lilies, Zephyranthes atamasca as they were peeking out of the Ostrich ferns, Matteuccia struthiopteris. The white really popped. These ferns really are aggressive in moist areas. I was glad to see the lilies still there.

Rain lilies and Ostrich ferns

Day 107-

The farm up the street just got this cute little donkey. I assume it was brought in to guard the two Brahman cows in this pasture. I was surprised to learn that donkeys are often used to protect animals in the pasture.

Guard Donkey

Day 108-

Continuing down the street where the donkey resides, we come to Cokesbury College. This historic building is often used for events at Christmas as well as for weddings (right Pam?). The building was completed in 1854, establishing a women's college by the Freemasons. The link above gives a bit more information about it. I will add some photos of the interior from an event at Christmas at the bottom of this post.

Cokesbury College

Day 109-
I need to let you all know, this photo was taken by my neighbor, Debi. We were both trying to get a good photo of this Bluebird and its mate. We were at our neighborhood gazebo for Happy Hour and this pair of Bluebirds were all over Debi's golf cart. They kept flying to the tree and back to the cart. Every time I tried to get a photo, they flew off. Debi was able to get this shot and a few others. I appreciate her sharing her photos with me.

Bluebird

Day 110-
I was down on our dock as the sun was setting. I thought the clouds and water were rather picturesque. Most sunset photos are vibrant reds and oranges and purples...this one was shapes and grays.

Sunset

That's a wrap for this week. Below are some interior photos of Cokesbury College from this past Christmas. Debi (the one mentioned above) is playing the harp for an Open House event for the holiday. Enjoy--

Sunday, March 30, 2025

Photo-a-Day Week 13

Welcome back for another week of photo a day wrap-up. We drove home on Sunday from my daughter's house. Part of the trip was through Pennsylvania.

Day 83-

I went to college in Pennsylvania, and seeing horse and buggies was commonplace. As we drove along the turnpike we saw one riding along the parallel road to the highway. It was a pretty horse and its gait was fun to watch.

Heading Out

Day 84-
Once we arrived back in South Carolina it was apparent that pollen season had exploded in our area. We had some rain and the yellow pollen of the pine trees cascaded down the driveway, forming some nice patterns.

And So It Begins

Day 85-
Several years ago, I had a lot of Muscari armeniacum, Grape Hyacinths growing along the driveway. Some volunteers appear along the other side of the driveway. I enjoy seeing them pop up wherever they want.

Volunteer

Day 86-
I bought some new shoes and didn't toss the shoe box right away. Seems it is a good fit for Millie. I still haven't thrown it away as she still gets in it a couple times a day.

Perfect Fit

Day 87-
I like how quiet the lake is, especially at dusk with the pink skies. We have very little boat traffic at our end of the lake, especially in the winter/spring. I probably should have waited a little longer to get a photo as the skies got redder and more vibrant.

Quiet

Day 88-
This time of year, it is really hard not to take lots and lots of photos of the newly emerging leaves for this challenge. I am trying to vary my photos so they are not all garden photos. This is a Netted Chain Fern, Woodwardia areolata. I brought these ferns to South Carolina when we moved from Virginia. I love their bronze foliage as they emerge.

Bronze

Day 89-
Some springs I think my garden is color coded. First comes the yellow blooms, mostly in daffodils and Edgeworthia. Pinks emerge in my flowering Crabapple and Redbuds. Now I have lots of white and green. Pictured is Spirea x vanhouttei and behind it is another flowering Crabapple, Malus x zumi 'Golden Hornet'. Also blooming in my white and green theme are a couple different Viburnum and Dogwoods, Cornus florida.

Green and White

This photo a day challenge isn't as easy as it would seem. Like I have said before, these are all new photos. My photo library is quite large, and I could easily dive in and get old pictures, but scouring my surroundings for an interesting photo adds to the fun.

Sunday, March 9, 2025

Photo-a-Day Week 10

Another week is done. This isn't as easy as it would seem. Every day I am looking for something to photograph. Trying to photograph a different view or a different angle and keep it interesting for everyone is truly a challenge

Day 62-

Playing hide and seek with my grandsons. See the little toes behind the curtain? It was the giggling that gave them away. One is 5 and his brother is 2 and they love to play hide and seek.

You Don't See Me

Day 63-

Once we got home from visiting the kids, we needed to retrieve the dogs and cat from boarding. Once we were in our small neighborhood, the rear window was lowered so Liebling could survey her realm.

The Ride Home

Day 64-

We have been behind in our rainfall totals this year, so every raindrop is appreciated.

Raindrop Prism

Day 65-

Once again I am drawn to backlit items in the yard/ garden. From afar, this looked like a bloom and I couldn't figure out what it might be. The Post Oak leaf glowed golden in the sun..

Backlit

Day 66-

Thursday was a busy day, I hosted our neighborhood book club, and a little later we picked up a friend and drove to Walhalla for a concert. The sunset was brilliant. While sitting in the backseat I kept trying to get a good photo of the bold colors.

Sunset from the Backseat

Day 67-

Spring is beginning to pop, every day there is something new emerging. Today was a fern, unfurling its frond- from a tight spiral. It wasn't until I looked at the photo on my cellphone that I noticed the dog hair hanging on the new growth. This is a Southern Shield Fern or River fern, it goes by many common names. Thelypteris kunthii, a native fern in our area. The Fibonacci sequence is where each number is the sum of the previous two numbers. This sequence is found throughout nature, from seed patterns on sunflowers to nautilus shells. It is the Golden Ratio.

Fibonacci with Dog Hair

Day 68-

This photo may not seem too exciting, but it is our attempt to block the opening around our dryer vent round tube. For the past few years, we have had an Eastern Rat Snake living in the space around the vent. The builders cut a square hole to place a round pipe for the vent. That little triangle was the perfect spot for Mr. Snake to reside. We had some temporary blocking but this should be more permanent. Goodbye Mr. Snake! If you are not keen on snakes, do not scroll any lower, I have included a photo from a few years ago with our 'friend'.

Dryer Vent

Many thanks for stopping by again this week. Time marches on, I am writing this quickly as I was stung after we were working with the bees this morning. After we were done, I reached for my phone in my back pocket and there was a bee on my phone. She stung me on my finger and I am sure as it swells, typing will be harder.

Here's one of the photos from a few years ago when the snake had taken up residence in that spot.

Thursday, August 1, 2024

Puget Sound Fling day #2- Searching for a Stumpery

A Stumpery? What's that? In a nutshell a stumpery is the use of fallen logs and stumps in your garden. Planting in and around these decaying logs with mosses and ferns is typical. The first garden of our second day was said to have a stumpery. Those of us who live in heavily wooded gardens like to see new or more ideas on how to artfully use the logs in our gardens.

The Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden and Pacific Bonsai Museum was our destination. Walking through the gardens on our way to find the stumpery we went through the Conservatory and gardens surrounding it. The flower below was in a mass planting and quite striking. I include it today because there is one that is similar in a later garden- so remember this one- Telekia speciosa, Heartleaf oxeye. The other one will be in the next post.

Telekia speciosa

Outside the conservatory we see a tease of a stumpery. Huge ferns planted in and around a log.

Inside the Conservatory there were ferns and mosses. The begonia below was huge and its leaves were so unusual, hairy or spiny- with red veined undersides.

Walking through the gardens we enjoyed the sculptures and hoped to see some of the Rhododendrons still in bloom. Most had already bloomed but there were a few still holding on to their blooms.

Mosses and lichen held on to branches and trunks of trees, lending to the feeling of Jurassic Park environs.

Love how the light plays off the multi-trunk tree below.

We encountered a new to me tree, the seed pods reminded me of an Ash tree, but no-

It was a Pterostyrax psilophyllus var. leveillei , say that three times fast!

Look at these leaves- they are huge!

Here are a few of the Rhododendrons in bloom, quite large white blooms.

But we were still on the lookout for the Stumpery. Every time I say the word 'Stumpery' I channel my inner Monty Python. It just makes me laugh. We asked everyone in our group coming from the opposite direction, "Have you been to the Stumpery?" Sometimes we got vague answers like- it's over there a ways or detailed answers like- turn left at the next path and go down and to the right then turn left....what???

Well, we finally found it!! What an enchanting part of this wooded garden. Sit back and enjoy the Stumpery photos.

I see a werewolf face in this one!

It is not just ferns and moss that grow in the stumps

Thanks for coming along on our quest to find the Stumpery (yes Monty Python). Stay tuned for more of day #2

Friday, June 9, 2023

Time for A Refresh!

Time to redo the lakeside. For those who have followed along with our move to South Carolina thirteen years ago, some of these photos might be familiar. We built the house, dock and lakeside patio while in Virginia. We documented the progress each time we visited.

2010

The bank of the lake was river rocks as riprap. The elevation in the backyard went from lake level of 440 feet above sea level to 450 feet above sea level near the trees to about 460 where the house is located.

Flagstone patio 2013

The flagstone patio was a nice spot to sit and enjoy lake views. Our brightly colored chairs stand out, allowing those on the water to know where our place is.

2014

Over the years the gardens evolved. The slope about killed me when trying to pull weeds or even walk on the pine straw. In 2019 we decided to do a makeover and streamline the plant material. Ferns, Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah', Illicium parviflorum 'Florida Sunshine' and a few Podocarpus macrophyllus 'Pringles Dwarf' lined the shoreline. Looked good for a while....

2019

Winter water levels are lower, so you see some of the sandy shoreline. Ferns and some of the Panicum filled in, the deer kept eating the Podocarpus, and about half of the Illicium failed.

2020

Midway through the thirteen years we had some heavy rains that over the years created a washout under the patio near the stone steps to the dock. The patio was in a slow collapse. The weeds grew up through the spaces between the stones. Some of the weeds were trees with long tap roots or wild hibiscus that reseed all along the shoreline with large root systems, both tough to pull out.

2022

Fast forward to this winter- the decision was made to get a seawall to replace the riprap, semi-level out the slope of the yard in the lower area, remove the patio and sod it to create an easier area to maintain. Permits were obtained, then the sequencing of removing the electric line from the house to the dock and back to the irrigation pump, removing the irrigation lines and pump, disconnect the fresh water line from the house to a spigot near the pump, then wait for the seawall work to begin. Heavy equipment came in and made quick work of the yard and seawall installation.

2023

Getting things put back wasn't as easy, nor timely. The irrigation and electric guys sort of coordinated their work, wet weather delayed a good bit of it. (Short story- we installed a new pump in the late summer. When it was time to disconnect it for the winter, it went quite easily. After patting ourselves on our backs, we forgot to turn off the power to the pump at the house. The pump was scheduled to run that night... oops. Not sure if the pump has an automatic shut-off but we worried that the pump burned out. Since it was already drained, we just waited until reconnection in the spring to see if we needed to buy another new pump.) Once the electric was back connected we tested the pump. Hooray!! The pump wasn't burned out, works well. After the electricians finished, then we waited for irrigation to be put back in. After installation, I tested the valves and all were working!

Because of the rain and no sod in the lower part of the yard, I had no need to run the sprinklers until a few days ago. A couple sprinkler heads are no longer connected, so until they come back out I have some hoses and sprinklers to get the areas where needed.

Sod time. The guys came and prepped the yard for two days to level out the ravines where rain had worn ruts in the raw soil. There were a lot of large rocks that needed to be removed, you can't grow grass on a rock. Sod was put down today. Once it is rooted in and growing this lower part of the yard will be a great spot to play with the grandkids when they visit and the dog(s).

2023 June

The yard is a lot bigger!! Thanks for reading!

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