The northern winter sun sits decidedly low on the horizon.
And paints long, dark, dramatic, shadows on the snow.
Who says winter lacks excitement?
Archive for the ‘landscape’ Category
Winter shadows.
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010The winter branch of the seasons.
Monday, December 7th, 2009
Maine’s winter branch of seasons enters center stage, with the first snowfall. This year it’s just slightly behind Texas.
Exterior decoration.
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
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.
First frost.
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
Moss slippers.
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
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
