Photo Art Contest: Entry #14
Amy Palmer says: “I found and shot this manzanita (Arctostaphylos) clinging to the rocky outcropping in the chaparral biome just before entering Yosemite Valley, while scrambling about and dodging rattlers.”
Photo by Amy Palmer
So You Think Winter Is Over?
Icy larches from my back yard this morning (May 11). 25 degree Fahrenheit (-4 celsius) last night here in the lovely, underpopulated (now you know why) Northeast Kingdom, Vermont. I left a mist on all night to protect these newly dug and newly sprouted larches. It worked, the ice has melted (it’s sunny and around 50 now) and all is well. Photos by Amy Palmer. An ugly little Eastern white cedar (Cham thyoides) made beautiful by icing. Eastern white cedars (not to be confused with Northern white cedars ‘Thuja occidentalis’ which are abundant around here) don’t do very well here, … Continue reading So You Think Winter Is Over?
An Excellent New Book & Big Book Sale
This luminous cover shot gives you a pretty good idea of the quality of A Natural History of Conifers. And quality is just the right word. Quality photos, quality drawings, quality text and an abiding love for trees and nature, coupled with a unique and learned point of view is what I’ve found so far. I look forward to spending more time digging in. Meanwhile, if you like books, our 30% to 40% off book sale ends in two days. Outlive your neighbor and take his property Here are some (but by no means all) of the pieces that make … Continue reading An Excellent New Book & Big Book Sale
Field Growing #8: Old Cole’s Hemlocks
A Cole’s prostrate hemlock (Tsuga canadensis ‘Cole’s Prostrate’) that went from nursery container to my back yard and then into this growing pot (it’s now back in the ground, no photo yet). I cut off about 75% of the original. Some of the deadwood is new, but the more faded deadwood on the trunk was already there. Photo by Amy Palmer. Old Cole’s prostrate hemlocks A couple years ago I stumbled across eight amazing old Cole’s prostrate hemlocks in nursery pots at Palmer Koelb’s Baker Valley Nursery in New Hampshire (Palmer also owns Shin Boku Nursery). Palmer loves Okatsune tools, … Continue reading Field Growing #8: Old Cole’s Hemlocks