2bnMaine

In the middle of winter, it’s hard to imagine what the future will bring in a relatively short time.

Having four seasons is like moving to an entirely new place every few months.

Amazing!

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Maine’s winter branch of seasons enters center stage, with the first snowfall. This year it’s just slightly behind Texas.

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Even Mother Nature’s decorating for the season.

Just look what she’s done to brighten up the gardens during these short days.

These tiny crabapples not only look pretty, but must taste pretty good to wintering birds.

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Bright green moss creates soft, elegant slippers for shady trees at the Coastal Maine Botanical Garden in Boothbay — just one of the millions of beautiful spots you’ll find moss growing in Maine.

There are some who consider moss a weed, and eliminate it whenever possible. Others, especially the Japanese, appreciate it’s beauty and have perfected the art of moss gardens. – Images of Saiho-ji Zen Garden, known as Kokedera (Moss Temple) in Kyoto.

Moss requires low light and consistent moisture. In northern climates, moss is usually found on the north side of the tree or rock. And vice versa in the Southern Hemisphere. Where light is consistently low, it’s not so picky, and will grow anywhere.

There are multitudes of different mosses — about 100 species in an average US county.

They each have their own qualities. Spahagnum moss is very useful because it can hold 20 times it’s weight in liquid, and is often used in shipping nursery items to keep them fresh. It’s even used in surgical dressings. Spahagnym moss is believed to occupy 1% of the earth’s surface (half the area of the USA.)

This illustration is from Wikipedia’s entry on moss.

It’s rumored that a great way to start moss is to put the moss you want to grow into a blender, with a bit of sugar and even more buttermilk, beer, or yogurt. Then spread the mixture on a clean, smooth surface — rocks, dirt, pot — and keep it moist with mist. Would love to know if anyone’s tried it.

More on moss – -

Moss Acres — online source for purchasing moss.

Brooklyn Botanical Garden/ Joni Blackburn — Mad  about Moss

George Schenk’s Moss Gardening: Including Lichens, Liverworts and Other Miniatures

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Leaves get raucous before the raking begins.

And the last of the garden is, or has been, harvested.

So ends the growing season in Maine.

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It’s hard to compete with the spectacular colors on the trees this time of year, but the bittersweet vine is fearless. And triumphant.

You’ll find it growing wild in woodland settings all over Maine. As well as decorating shops and homes.

It appears that the two varieties are hard to tell apart, except that the Oriental Bittersweet is thought to be ‘invasive,’ and the ‘native’ American Bittersweet is thought to be more timid.

Either one can steal the show.

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Spiders hopefully won’t be found in the lines at Market Basket, Chases Daily, or Farm Fare, but they have a fantastic alternative.

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Hard to believe when you look at these pics of the Green Thumb nursery in Rockport, but summer’s just about gone.

No matter what time of year you visit, you’ll find an extremely tempting variety of plants, thriving in this climate.

And for those who like to pamper more exotic varieties, you’ll be tempted as well.

Given it’s density, it’s amazing to find everything very well groomed and flourishing. Even at the end of this very odd summer season.

Now’s the time to stop in and see what’s on sale so you can get things in the ground.

Every green thumb needs exercise.

Green Thumb is on Route 17 between Route One and 90 in Rockport — 207-594-5070.

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Just across the Rockport harbor from this, if you’re lucky, you just might stumble upon this wee bit of a garden.

Summer, 2009.

Spring, 2009.

A big thank you to the unknown, but talented, gardener.

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This particular species of folk art fish is thriving in their natural habitat — Patti & Bruce Westphal’s garden on Rockport Harbor.

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