Woodland Restoration - aka Killing Buckthorn

What is a woodland and why am I trying to restore it? Great questions, I'm glad you asked :)

A woodland is a natural area where, unlike a forest, trees form an open canopy, with a ground layer made up of shrubs, grasses and flowers plants.  (In a forest the canopy is all closed off and it's pretty undisturbed on the interior)  Anyway, a woodland can have plant composition and appearance which are very different from it's surroundings (for instance, the woodland space I'm working to restore is between houses with grassy lawns). Woodlands are very susceptible to invasion by exotic species because it has a high amount of edge environment - waging wars on lots of fronts.

The first steps are deciding if the woodlands need restoration or simply better management. Woodlands management means means taking care of what’s already planted and encouraging continual growth and improvement. I think of "management" as a weak form of restoration, improving the site but largely keeping most of what's there intact.  Restoration represents a much more intensive,hands-on effort. Restoration, as the name implies, restores a degraded natural woodland, to a desired plant structure and species composition.  These areas to  be restored have the building blocks required for the woodland, but perhaps not the right mix, quantity, or quality. Plus there may be building blocks that need to be removed from the foundation and thrown away - for example, invasive species. Restoration is coddling the baby woodlands back to health by removing exotic species control, seeding and planting new items.

So - how did I decide? I took an inventory of the site. I mentally mapped it out and walked almost every inch of the land. I had a small patch to deal with so this was feasible and easy to do. What I was looking for / and what I discovered was:

Starting point - buckthorn hedge (trashy!)

• Invasive species - too many buckthorn, honeysuckle, mustard ginger, poison ivy, poison oak to count. (check this site for how to identify buckthorn, they are trees that hold their leaves longest in the fall.)
• Great woodland plants (keepers) - Good oak, maple trees. A nice Pagoda Dogwood too. I found two straggly apple trees (probably crab apple)
• Decorative garden shrubs / flowering plants: This area I was told used to be a brilliant garden about 50 years ago. Sure enough in between the buckthorn I discovered a beds of vinca, iris, daffodils, tulip (mind you none of these last three were blooming), lilac, viburnum, grape hyacinth,  - lots to work with. Plus wildflowers - trillium, white trout Lilly, solomon seal, maybe morel mushrooms? and more.
• Topology - Without the buckthorn - half of this will be shady, the part by the street with be part-sunlight. The north side is a flood-plain, the south side is generally dry. 
• Diversity of the canopy - not so great, lots of dying ash and elm. Evergreens, while large, are also stressed.  

Poison ivy vine - two inches thick!

Under-story of buckthorn crowding out mature trees

You can see a bit of the challenge in the photos above. Very thick with buckthorn - and check out that poison ivy! The vine went all the way to the top of the elm tree and even though the tree was dead, the ivy gave the appearance of it being alive it was so leafy! Buckthorn is a real challenge in Illinois and as I'm close to the Forest Preserve I think there will always be a management issue. But for now, what all this meant - I needed to get on the restoration path. I don't think that I appreciated at the time the amount of work that I was signing up for! This was a decision that I made almost 5 years ago. I'm still working on it!

I would estimate that I have spent nearly a 10 solid weeks working on this project just clearing out the invasive species. Sometimes a few helpers but mostly a solo gig. I work it in spring (before the poison ivy comes out) and in the fall when the buckthorn is the only thing that's green. It's slow but steady progress. Plus considering that this isn't my land, I need time for the neighbors to get used to the changes. Finally this year many are appreciative - however, there are plenty that are mad that I've taken out the "hedge" and privacy. I think they will be happy as the years pass - but they don't share the vision that I have for this space.

Wild grass with delicate flowers that appeared

Native wildflower returns to woodlands

This year the lilac bloomed, significantly, for the first time; the iris as well. 

I created a little flower garden on the south side - which is pretty much a cottage garden. I've been putting in all sorts of odds and ends, free items from CL, and seed bombs over time. It's a bit messy, but this way I can see what takes and I'm not spending my resources on it. 

On the street side - stay tuned. I'm going to be doing some major planting this month and look forward to sharing the (hopefully dramatic) results.

Anyone got ideas on plantings please do share with me. Or if you want a lesson in killing buckthorn - just shout, I would welcome a few hours of help :)

Teresa Marie

Barley Twist - antique furniture!

Ornate Antique Oak Barley Twist Stool

One of my weaknesses when it comes to antiques, and I have a few, is late 19th century oak barley twist furniture.  The smooth deep patina and the soft gentle curves is so sexy. Really! The first antique furniture I ever bought was a barley twist - and I've been hooked ever since.  I can't imagine the time, patience, and experience it would have taken to be able to hand carve the curve just right. Many an apprentice were probably driven made by their woodworking masters with this design! Even looking at how these are made on lathe makes me crazy. See these videos if you like. 

Aka Rope Twist, Barley Sugar Twist, Sugar Twist.  

To me it's just heavenly.  

In college, my apartment was 3 miles from campus. I walked past an antique store twice a day for two years.  One of the first trips I saw an antique oak table in the window with twisted legs. It was just so interesting to me. Every now and then I would go into the store to browse - albeit to really see where they have moved "my table."  The summer before I graduated I traveled to Europe; backpacking with the masses. Upon entering the Vatican, and St. Peters Basilica, it was hard for me to miss the Bernini Alter with barley twist pillars holding up the canopy.  The photo on the left captures what I felt like at that moment.  (Peter's altar and baldachino, an astounding bronze pavilion by Bernini, Photo by Ricardo Frantz, source here.)  

Antique Oak Barley Twist Gate Leg Table - English ?

After that summer trip, I continued to look at that antique oak barley twist table every day with renewed perspective and great memories of Europe. Oh yeah, I had to have that table now! Then when I completed college, I pulled up my U-haul at the antique store and bought it in addition to a dozen depression glass wine stems. The table cost me $150 - I think it was well worth it. The wine glasses are long gone. Oak lives on. Here is the gate-leg, oak Barley-Twist table I purchased - still in use today, some 30 years later (OMG!), and it will make a great hand-me-down to another antique lover some day! One thing to look at when considering barley twist furniture is if the direction of the twist on each leg or piece matches. On this table the left hand side of each twist is lower and it rises to the right - not all pieces are symmetrical.  The clock photo below is an example of the twist angle varying from side to side on a single piece. 

While you can see Barley Twist in several types of wood. I am crazy about Victorian era, and during this time most of the barley twist items were made from oak. Originally the Barley Twist was used as a more decorative support for large pieces of furniture - like chairs, tables, and sideboards. Over time, they became decorative pieces as embellishments.  The stool in the first photo above is a great example of ornate - someone told me that this stool could be for milking because of the hole/grip in the top. That would have to be some fancy barn :)

OK - here are a few pieces from my collection. My motto - no room is complete without a little barley twist!

Antique Oak and Wicker
 Barley Twist Drop Top End Table

Antique Oak Barley Twist Secretary -
Gothic brass details, leather mat inside

Barley Twist Antique Tiger Oak Mantle Clock

Antique Oak Barley
Twist Leg  End Table

Thanks for looking - happy antique hunting

Teresa Marie

For the love of Tulips

I love tulips. They add a nice pop to the garden mixed in with daffodils in the springtime. Everyone recognizes the flower and it's an easy choice with lots of variety.  Thank you to breeders out there making lots of hybrids!  Tulips can be simple, large, showy, charming - dramatic in mass, or just a pop with a few.   I'm a bit of a lazy gardener - so tulips have always posed a challenge for me. I've amassed a large selection and learned a few tips to ongoing success.

The history of the tulip is so interesting too. Lots of sites out there that do it justice. I like that I'm planting flowers that originated centuries ago in Persia and Turkey. There was a tradition of wearing a this flower in your turban - so  Europeans named the flower using the Persian word for turban. The Netherlands is home to most action for tulips and at one point in the 17th century the bulbs sold for exorbitant prices. Would you ever think of paying $150,000 for a bulb? Well that's what they were doing during the Dutch Golden Age - during Tulipomania!  While all "new" flowers command a premium for some period of time, this mania was more dramatic and memorable. Luckily prices came down! 

Ten years ago I decided that I "needed" a spring display of daffodils and tulips. Today I still have a great set of daffodils that have multiplied from the original planting - and  I've replaced the tulips several times.Mainly I didn't realize just how much deer and rabbits love tulips! Also I guess there is a reason that commercial buildings and park systems use tulips once and then rip them out as garbage. Although Tulips are a perennial, these commercial plantings treat them as annuals. That's because tulips can be a challenge to keep year after year. Each subsequent year the flowers diminish even with care. Large varieties, those really interesting sexy tulips that I love, need replanting every few years. However, small types usually multiply and spread on their own. Well this brings me to my first lesson learned. 

A distinctive tulip shape - colored edged, melded tones, single color beauties

My #1 tip for success with tulips is a process I fondly call "Tulip Rescue."  Several times during late spring I stop by shopping malls and even Michigan Ave to rescue the tulips as they are being removed to prepare beds for summer plantings.  I can easily make a deal for the bulbs which the grounds crew consider waste.  In some cases, spent tulips are given away for free. Garfield Park Conservatory has often been the site of their own "Tulipmania" - in 2012 they had two days of giving away free tulips from all the Chicago Park plantings.  This works for me as the tulip bulbs are largely free and I get a great variety. I immediately remove the seed pod and plant these in the garden. 

Second interesting thing I've learned is that tulips do best were there are very dry summers - in the picture at the right are some red tulips that have bloomed steadily for many years. These are up against the house, and under the eaves. There are no other plants in this bed other than a few spring bulbs (and weeds :)  ). So I never water here at all, no fertilizer, no nothing. I have found it very hard to grow anything here at all - yet the tulips love it. Some places recommend that for tulips that remain in the ground after blooming, gardeners should not place annuals or perennials planted over the tulip bulbs. Hum, really? Since I do like to have plants in the garden besides tulips, I have only a few places for flowers,  this means that I'm choosing to reduce the lifetime of the tulips. Too much water during summer and fall can lead to fungus, disease, and rotting. Hence another plus to having a tulip rescue process to replenish the bulbs each year. Plus there needs to be a care routine. 

Early in the spring I apply bulb fertilizer again when I see the plants emerge. I probably use too much fertilizer hitting them twice a cycle.  I also spray with a deer/rabbit repellent product.  Then I sit back and wait for the blooming to begin!  I am most fond of the appearance of the inside of the tulip! Scroll down and just take a look at the symmetry and beauty of these tulips. 

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I put on an application of bulb fertilizer as the flowers start to fade.  After the tulips have finished flowering, I cut back the flower stalks but allow the leaves to die back naturally. I probably wait too long to do this because I enjoy the "wide open" look of the tulips. It does get a bit messy looking with the dying leaves, but with continual flowering in the garden there are other focal points. I let the old leaves stay until they are really yellow - about 5-6 weeks. Finally I cut those off too. 

In the fall, I mulch the whole garden which I think helps the tulips. In the spring, as the tulips begin to emerge I hit them with bulb food again. With this process - I have been able to get  3-4 years of blooms from bulbs.  Alternatively it is recommended to dig up bulbs each season and keep them in a dry cool space until the next season. I've never had enough energy for that...

I'm closing with a shot of a little garden. This is under a large oak tree and is shady most of the year. However, in the springtime I can get a few tulips and daffodil to bloom adding a nice pop!

Happy Gardening;

Today I'm singing "Tip-toe Through the Tulips"

Teresa Marie