Some of you may remember that I bought 10 witch hazel shrubs in the spring and that instead of planting them in the ground I put them in gallon containers. There they remained, flourishing, growing larger, despite fighting off gypsy moth caterpillars and various other nibbling critters. It was cold and rainy all week, but today was simply just right for planting them into the ground. All week I’ve been considering the best place to put them, where they won’t interfere with the view out back or be too near the well or septic tank, or become inconvenient for mowing. I decided along the southern side of the yard, along the fence, with the row ending not far from the front ditch. I worried at how difficult it would be to dig into the dense sod that covers every available surface here. Thankfully underneath that thick sod layer is a sandy soil. It took 4 plunges with the shovel for each spot and the square sod lifted out easily. The holes were deeper than needed so I filled them in with the sand I shook out of the sod. That was by far the most difficult part of planting them, shaking the heavy sod to get the dirt –and many, many worms — out of it to put into the hole after putting each witch hazel into it. I did the first 5, then finished digging the other 5 holes before taking a much-needed break. An hour or so later, I went out and finished. Easy peasy! My rewards? The biggest one is getting them planted and now not worrying about it anymore. You’ll have to wait until the end of this post to see what the others are.
from a leafless twig to this beauty in 6 months. can’t wait to see them next spring!
not the greatest shot but this is the row of 10 that have been planted
the row is near where the asparagus grows. as you can see the asparagus has gone to seed
A short video showing the pollinators going ga ga over the profusion of chamomile in the yard. Also a few yard gee gaws you might enjoy.
And now, a mega surprise reward from a mission accomplished:
This brown (DeKay’s — #15 at the link) snake was right outside one of the doors, next to my car. He/she was in a straight line when I happened upon him/her. I touched his/her tail and no movement so I ran in to get my phone/camera. By the time I got back, he/she had crawled under my car. I pulled him/her out and he/she curled up like that, which is just right for a pic. Guessing this little guy/gal is about 9-12″ long. (Notice pine needles near him/her.) I had to leave for an appointment an hour later and made sure to look closely under the car so as not to hurt snakey.
Tao Talk 
Cute snek! 🐍
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Yesssssssss ~——–o~
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Awe I adore snakes
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🙂
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Looks like you had nice weather today. Congrats to your planting success! And, wow, I had no idea how many different snakes Michigan has. At least your visitor wasn’t an Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake! Or a Western Fox Snake – up two 6 feet in length – yikes!
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Yes, it was great out yesterday and today is looking good out there also. I’ve seen a few of those other snakes around here and none I want to get too close to except this little one looked like a twig on the ground and so not too intimidating. I walked near one of those rattlesnakes once, as I heard it on the side of the trail at the state park, but that was my cue to make a quick exit.
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Wow! If I heard a rattlesnake, I’d accelerate like a Porsche 911 – or least I would try! 🙂
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🙂
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You’re brave too touch the snake 🐍 Great job planting the plants
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Only because it was about the size of a pencil, never that brave with any other snake. Usually snakes get away quickly whenever they are seen, at least the ones in Michigan do.
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I fear these reptiles very much. 😅
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I’m guessing there are some pretty scary ones around where you’re at. What’s the scariest experience you’ve had with a snake?
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It was nothing personal, but snakes hold a feeling of terror for me because of all the stories we’ve heard and read. Over here most snakes are poisonous.
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Sadje, no worries, I didn’t take it personally, I was just wondering if you’d had any close encounters with snakes. If it’s too scary to answer, that’s cool.
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No I meant I didn’t have a personal encounter with a snake, but what I had read or heard left a fear in my mind! 😅
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Well that’s good! 🙂
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😂
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I really enjoyed this insight into your life. Did you make the artwork that goes with post? I realy like it.
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Thanks, Suzanne. Yes, I did make it and then I put a weird filter on it.
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It’s very effective.
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Thank you 🙂
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They look beautiful! and everything is still so nice and green. I’m glad the snake let you take its picture. (K)
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Thank you, Kerfe. I worked on putting the “wetlands garden” plants in bigger containers as they never got planted out back because it was too overgrown to go back there. Hoping they survive over the winter and I mow the back in the spring. Yes, the snake was very accommodating 🙂
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I’ve never touched a snake in my entire life…I like the good ones but we have 3 types of bad ones here…Cottonmouth, Copperhead, and Rattlesnakes of course.
Garden is looking great!
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Somewhere along the way (probably a field trip to a nature center or something) I held a snake. They don’t feel at all like what you would expect (or at least what I expected) them to. I can understand why you wouldn’t want to get too close to those critters. They eat so many rodents that they are unsung heroes yet often portrayed as villains. Thanks on the garden. Those yellow leaves really shine in the sun. I also learned that witch hazel flowers in the wintertime! So strange!
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We had a black racer in our backyard…I didn’t mind at all because yes they eat rodents and they also will kill the bad snakes…. but no… I have a fear of them and heights…those are my two bad fears.
I did make sure though it wasn’t a Cottonmouth because both are black.
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I remember you saying you were afraid of snakes and heights before. I bet you never played that game Snakes and Ladders as a kid, did you 😉
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Lol… nope!
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Accomplishig a garden task is so gratifying, and your plants look so nice in the ground already!
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Irene, thank you, yes it is. I was amazed at the roots that developed in the containers. Hoping they all make it through the winter.
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