Chad and Carly Weekend Duty

Friday April 3, 2015

The day started off gloomy with fog; however, we were full of life and energy ready to get the day started.  We started off the day by signing out the equipment and cleaning the patio areas. 

 

 

 We used a backpack blower, rakes, brooms, and wheelbarrows to remove all the dead leaves and debris.  It was then onto filling the turf stone that we installed in autumn.  For this we used brute strength, rakes, shovels, cultivators and wheelbarrows.  We moved soil from the somewhat frozen pile of soil to fill the holes and around the turf stone.  We then feathered it all out to make it look great!   The wheelbarrow ended up making more tire marks in the area in front of the soil piles so we ended up having to forgo fixing that area.  We then decided to go start cleaning up the dry garden pruning, weeding and cleaning up the leaves.  It was then time to clean up for the day. Much to our surprise the water was turned on in the tool shed.  What a great day, we were able to properly clean our tools. 

We then started to fill in the tire tracks in front of the turf stone with soil which was no easy task, given the muddy circumstances.

Saturday April 4, 2015

We were welcomed this morning by frozen soil! We started out the day by gathering the required tools for day.  We attempted to complete more of the filling in of tire tracks; however the soil pile was frozen so we decided to again tackle the dry garden to further maintain that area.  A couple of the gardens were still frozen and under snow which made it difficult for us to complete. We then moved onto cleaning up around the dry garden and pruning back the Hydrangea plants back to 2-3 nodes. This also included cleaning the crown of the plant and removing the dead stems first. By doing this it provided us with ample time to wait for the dry garden and the soil pile to thaw a bit so we continued with maintaining the dry garden which included filling holes with soil, weeding, removing branches, and leaves.  To finish off we raked up the walkways and swept off the borders.  It was then time to clean up all the tools and finish the day. 

Sunday April 5, 2015

Today we arrived to beautiful snow falling from the sky; however, this was a major hindrance on our duties.  We decided to prune the Hydrangea, which is no easy task because they required a lot of attention due to their age and they were covered in snow.  Due to the snow we were not able to continue with this task. We decided to move to our next task of creating a walkway by the turf stone so everyone will have a clear path to the house.  We accomplished this by placing driveway markers with caution tape and placed compost material on the path.  We also used pylons to block off the area where we fixed the tire tracks.  

We then moved onto removing burlap.  The snow melted a bit by the time we were done removing the burlap so it was back to finishing the Hydrangea pruning.  

It was then time to move onto pruning the Clematis along the dry stone wall.  By the time this was completed we needed to begin cleanup of the walkways and grass areas with the backpack blowers.  We then cleaned up the tools and finished the day.

 

 

Michael’s Opinion: The Heart’s Tongue Fern is unique compared to other ferns.  This species obtains a thick rhizome where the undivided, wavy, leathery fronds emerge from.  Under these fronds the spore clusters can be seen.  They create a visible pattern which makes it rare and attractive.  Because this plant is slow growing and only reaches 60 cm in height when fully mature, it can be used as an accent plant and it can also be planted in containers, steps, or stone walls. This fern should be planted among other woodland plants as it likes moist, alkaline soil in full shade to part shade. 

Botanical Information:

Family- Aspleniaceae

Genus- Asplenium

Species- scolopendrium

Category- Perennial Evergreen

Type- Rosette

Origin- Europe

USDA Hardiness: 6-8

Canadian Hardiness: 6A-8A

RHS Hardiness: H6

Temperature (°F): -10

Height: 10 - 60 cm

Spread: 10 - 50 cm

Growth: Slow

Description and Information:

General Description- Asplenium scolopendrium is a fern that has strap shaped shiny green leaves that are 45 cm long.  This plant grows from rhizomes.

ID Characteristics: The identifying feature is its long 45 cm leaves that are tongue like and wavy along the margin.

Shape: Tufted

Landscape: An attractive fern which can be used in a rock garden, border, stone walls, container, or naturalized areas

Propagation: Propagate by spores August- September, division March- April, or leaf cuttings which can be accomplished by placing the base of the leaf into moist soil and once a bulbil emerges separate it and plant it on its own.

Cultivation: This plant prefers full shade to part shade in moist, well drained, alkaline soil.

Pests: Pests such as slugs and snails may feed on the foliage. Root rot and rust can also be a problem.

Notable Specimen:  A.M. Cuddy Gardens, Strathroy, Ontario, Canada.

Habitat: Horticultural Origin

Leaf Description: The fronds are 2.5 - 5 cm wide and 45 cm long, Tongue like and wavy along the margin. The underside of the leaf has brown stripes which are the organs that produce spores for reproduction.

Flower Description: Asplenium scolopendrium does not flower

Colour Description: Asplenium scolopendrium has green fronds with light brown coloured petioles.

Texture Description: This plant has a leathery texture.