Unfurling

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Thanks to all the lovely older trees and fencing at our house, a lot of our little garden is in deep, deep shade. I'm embracing this, and planting native ferns, and other shade-lovers. These plants are supposed to provide good habitat for wildlife. At the moment, they're providing a hang-out spot for the local feral cats, so I doubt we'll see a lot of birds moving in to our would-be fern grottoes.

I really enjoy the forms of the uncurling fiddleheads. I know that certain Eastern ferns' fiddleheads are edible. I ate fiddleheads from the local grocery stores, when I worked in Central New York. They were a fleeting springtime treat, coming at about the same time as garlic scapes.




I planted a few ferns last fall, and when they weren't devoured by slugs (like the Western Columbine -- alas), I planted some more last weekend. I'm trying to replace the invasive oxalis plants with more suitable -- and tough -- natives.




For most of this past year, I've been feeling terribly shy. It's time to unfurl. I've got to take a lesson from the ferns. Open up. Be tough. And flourish.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Ah, memories...if you're ever in Hancock, NH, there is a little cafe called Fiddleheads--a tribute to the local seasonal delicacy.

Grumpy
Carol said…
These are beautiful shots of unfurling ferns and your root shot at first appeared to me as earthworms! You are right that we all need to let go and unfurl into the world. Here at blotanical you will be very safe and much admired. I am glad to have found you... thanks for finding me too! ;>) Carol
We see shoots unfurling casually almost everyday here... sometimes we take things for granted. Then beauty becomes ordinary. But shoots are such energetic force. Like babies... ~bangchik
Melissa said…
I love these photos! I've never tried eating fiddleheads although I know they are sometimes put in salads. Thanks for stopping by on Blotanical, and for introducing me to your own blog.
We live on a typical southern Appalachian farm - a tiny piece of flat land, a bit of hilly land and a lot of mountain ;-)) Last year I transplanted some ferns from our mountain to a 100% shade area I have in my "garden to be". I'm interested to see if they survived the very cold winter. They did pretty well all summer, so I have hope.
We were on a hike later in the summer and I saw some amazing ferns that were as tall as my daughter (a leggy 6 year old at the time) and while I fully support the "no taking plants" policy of the National Park Service...... I was sorely tempted! I scoured our mountain looking for that same fern, to no avail. So I must be content with what I have ;-))
Anonymous said…
If you want more of an edible landscape- plant some violets- they taste wonderful, even without the sugar coating! Also, dandylions make a dandy salad- however bitter. But they also make good wine!

Annalisa
Anonymous said…
Great image and words/advice to consider on this March morning.
I'm a great fan of theater, and wonder if you've had any connection to Magic, or Intersection's Campo Santo productions? Just curious....
My background is sculpture, but I find theater sustaining. best,
Alice
Lisa said…
Alice -- Robb did several "workshop" play readings at the Magic Theater, before his spinal cord injury. I've let other scenic artists, working at the Magic, borrow my studio. And, of course, we've seen plenty of shows there.
Meredith said…
I've never eaten fiddleheads, but garlic scapes are yummy. (I plan to harvest ours when the time comes.)

Your photographs are stunning!
Kerri said…
I too love the fiddlehead forms and can't wait to see them unfurling. Soon!
I enjoyed your crazy neighbor/raccoon story :) We have our share of raccoon stories...some not so happy. They're very cute, but unfortunately they can be extremely vicious and have killed our cats in the past.
The past couple of mornings we've had a possom cleaning up the birdseed under the feeders. Funny fellow he is :)

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