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Garden Surprises in Spring

May 26, 2021 By Talya Tate Boerner 5 Comments

Garden Surprises

This spring, so many garden surprises have entertained me. Almost every day something reveals itself. Something unexpected, curious, even unusual.

It helps that I spend a crazy amount of time poking around outside. (The more time one spends with any activity, the more accessible and intimate the parts of that activity become.) Each inch of soil surrounding our home is habitat for fungi, bacteria, insects, tiny burrowing creatures and organisms. Healthy soil supports plant growth by anchoring and insulating roots, filtering water, holding oxygen, and supplying nutrients.  While soil provides life, it certainly enhances mine.

Our garden has been especially magical this year. Or, maybe I’ve simply fallen under its spell.

Dragons in the Garden

We’ve owned the cottage where my mother lives since 2012. In nine years, I’ve been wondering about this plant. It grows in lush mounds around the front porch but has never produced blooms or berries or anything.

I let it be.

dragon lily

I thought it was a type of mayapple. Or a variety of Solomon’s Seal.

Finally, this spring, it grew large enough that my plant ID apps identified it as dracunculus vulgaris (aka dragon lily, snake lily, voodoo lily).

Lo and behold, a couple of days after identifying it, the plant put out humongous conical bracts with maroon, scalloped edges. Each is over a foot tall. It was as though the plants practically announced, “Now that you dull-witted human finally figured us out, we shall bloom for you.”

DRAGON LILY

A few days later…the first bloom!

Dragon Lily

Umm, here’s the thing. Dragon’s have fiery breath. Everyone knows this, right? The dragon lily is no exception. The bloom is stinky the first day. Then, the smell dissipates.

We have at least seven more blooms to come!

Dragon Lilies

The Enchanted Peony

A couple of days ago, I set out to re-stake the heavy stems of my peony plant hoping to give it better support before the next inevitable rain shower. My peony looks beautiful for about ten minutes in spring. A storm always ravishes it just at the wrong time.

peony

After deadheading spent blooms, I noticed what I thought was a tiny leaf in the center of the prettiest blossom. But when I went to pick it off, I realized it wasn’t a leaf at all.

The leaf was a tiny tree frog!

treefrog in peony

If I were a tree frog, I would nap inside the plush fragrant petals of a peony. Wouldn’t you?

I’m pretty sure I found a tree frog princess.

treefrog in peony

I’ve been checking on her periodically. Sometimes she leaves her bed; later she is back.

The Little Pipevine That Could…Did!

If you’ve been a regular reader, you probably remember my story last year of The Little Pipevine That Could. (If not, read about it HERE.)

After what I can only imagine was a tumultuous journey from Florida to Arkansas, my little pipevine grew all summer yet never bloomed.

John overwintered it in the garage.

This spring it surprised us with an explosion of unique, pipe-like blossoms.

Turns out I bought a different variety of pipevine than I intended to purchase. (I wanted to buy Aristolochia macrophylla but purchased Aristolochia trilobata instead. Scientific names are important.) Even though ours is tropical, it survived last year’s -20 degree winter while tucked away in the garage.

This quirky specimen is host plant for both the pipevine swallowtail and polydama swallowtail.

Will we see pipevine caterpillars this summer? Time will tell.

pipevine

Butterfly Magic

Butterflies represent change and metamorphosis in many cultures and religions. Important pollinators, they are a vital link in our food chain.

We began trying to attract butterflies a couple of years ago, planting more natives and host plants. This spring, our milkweed is already loaded with monarch caterpillars. It’s the earliest I’ve seen them in our garden.

I saw this caterpillar yesterday. She had wandered away from the milkweed and into a sea of black-eyed Susans. I bet by now she has found a quiet place to pupate.

monarch caterpillar

I saw my first monarch butterfly a few days ago too.

Speckled Eggs

The eggs hiding in the finch nest inside our asparagus fern may not be golden eggs, but I feel honored to know they are there, to be able to check on them from time to time.

Even though I shared my surprise over this finch nest (plus the cowbird egg) in last week’s Sunday Letter, I think it deserves to be included in this garden surprises story.

It’s my first time to see a cowbird egg.

Finch Nest

Toil yet Trouble

Not all garden surprises are welcome. We work hard yet can’t wish away garden pests, especially during an extra rainy spring.

We have our share of slugs and snails. No magic wand will eliminate sawflies from my roses. It’s all part of the process.

sawfly

To quote Thoreau, I live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign myself to the influence of the earth.

And, I look for magic where I can find it.

Where there is none, I aspire to create it.

Secret Pocket Garden

See this empty space in our dry-stack wall? That’s a pocket garden waiting to happen.

stone wall
A baby hosta and a sprig of sedum add life inside this tiny secret garden. Stones and a miniature bird house provide structure and whimsey.

pocket garden

It’s a pocket garden fit for a tree frog princess.

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

Filed Under: Gardening, Simple Pleasures Tagged With: frogs, peony, secret gardens, Voodoo Lily

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Comments

  1. Barbara Tate says

    May 26, 2021 at 7:39 am

    ….”a pocket garden waiting to happen.” Love it.

    Reply
  2. Cathyv says

    May 26, 2021 at 10:57 am

    Tree frog princess for the win!

    Reply
  3. Colene says

    May 26, 2021 at 3:24 pm

    An exciting time in your garden world.

    Reply
  4. Nancy Kemp says

    May 26, 2021 at 6:11 pm

    Thanks for sharing the magic in your garden. I loved every word.

    Reply
  5. Dorothy Johnson says

    May 29, 2021 at 12:25 pm

    So many beautiful and whimsical surprises in your yard! I’m not familiar with the two lilies you mentioned but they’re impressive. My peonies were beautiful this year but no frog princesses took up residence. Alas, they were long gone by the time we returned from the beach. I love love the pocket garden. I agree you have a magical yard!

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Talya Tate Boerner. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (Now Available!)

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