Daffodils and Other Signs of Spring

I've only managed three posts in the last year, and the blog is essentially dead.  But since it started as a way for me to track some things going on in the yard - a public journal of sorts - and one thing I've consistently tracked is daffodils (first bloom date and color as well as total bloom count), I'm back. I might as well rename this "The Daffodil Journal"

Here's this year's winner:

Winning White

This brings the current record to:  Yellow 3, White 2, tie 1
2015: white (~27 Mar)
2014: yellow (~18 Mar)
2013: tie (6 Mar)
2012: yellow (25 Feb)
2011: white (9 Mar)
2010: yellow (17 Mar)

This is by far the latest first daff bloom of record.

I do have some other things going on in the yard, though everything is waking up a bit late.  Crocus are about spent.  I planted some bulb iris last year (my cuz now tells me they aren't likely to return) that were really pretty last week:

I think there should have been some white ones, too, but I can't recall where I planted them and they haven't made their location known.

Hellebores are enlivening the shady side:

Above the hellebores, the aucuba is producing an abundance of berries.  I don't think I've seen it this prolific before.

There were a few weak attempts at snowdrops:  they really don't like their parking-strip home, and have never been photo-worthy.  The flowering trees are budding, and I think the pear may beat the redbud, with plum pretty far behind (hmm...a new contest?)

See you again in about six weeks for the annual daff count.  I planted a few new ones in the fall and I look forward to seeing them!

June 2014 Blooms

Just two photos for June Bloom Day, to try to get myself back into the habit of posting something here for the record.

These are two of my favorite plant combinations in my yard, and they are both blooming now.  One was planned, the other a happy accident.  Enjoy!

Asclepias tuberosa (orange butterfly weed) and Spigelia marilandica (Indian pink)

Rudbeckia and Larkspur

I adore the long, fluffy petals on this annual rudbeckia.  Each year since this combo first "happened" along my front walk, I've shaken the seed heads of the rudbeckia and the larkspur over the bed, trying to get more plants the next year.  I end up with exactly one rudbeckia and about two larkspur.  At least they are near each other again this year.

The Daff Count

Just a quick post to record this year's daffodil count:  a record-setting 616.

Annual totals:
2009: 347
2010: 282
2011: 175
2012: 460
2013: 513
2014: 616

No, I didn't plant any new bulbs last fall, even though I intended to do so.

Plant-buying spree

Today I went to the annual FONA Garden Fair (it continues tomorrow), looking for garden inspiration.  I came home with a very light wallet and a full cart.

Here's what's in that jumble of plants.

From the FONA sale:

Brunnera 'Jack Frost' - I bought one of these last year, too, but killed it.

Red Banana - another container plant for my "Tropical Paradise Patio".  One of these days (years) I'll finally get around to having the patio rebricked so I can actually use it.  Meanwhile, I'm collecting plants for it.

Meadow Rue - I might have bought one of these last fall, but I couldn't remember for sure, so here's (another) one.

Echinacea 'Sundown' - Unlike my Daffodil Desires, I actually followed through on a musing (from two years ago) to add more colorful echinacea to my garden.

Abelia - I'm missing a shrub in my front border.  This one is tiny, so I hope it doesn't get lost among the grasses while it grows to actual shrub size.

Dahlia - For a front-stoop container

Phlox paniculata 'Tequila Sunrise' - I lost my most floriferous tall phlox over the winter.  This replacement is supposed to be short-statured, so I'll have to move some things around in the garage garden to place it appropriately.  I'm looking forward to the bright color, but it will most likely clash terribly with the mostly-purple theme I have (accidentally) going on over there.

Outside the FONA sale is a space for other plant vendors.

The Melwood Garden booth had some lovely perennials, and good prices.  I bought:

Polemonium (Jacob's Ladder) 'Heavenly Habit' *- I've bought a polemonium just about every year I've been gardening here, and I always kill them.  This is the most vigorous one I've started with, so maybe this time will be different? 

Coreopsis verticillata 'Main Street' (red flowers!) - My Coreopsis rosea has been slowly disappearing from the upper garden, so here's a showier replacement

Heuchera 'Berry Smoothie'- because I can't resist a new-to-me heuchera, and I have one that's only barely alive after the winter.

From the Herb Society, I didn't actually buy herbs, but I did get:

Bloodroot - for the shady side, with the brunnera. I've wanted one of these for a long time.  No idea if I have the proper conditions for it, but I'll find out next year.


Now, my biggest barrier to success when I go all-out with plant purchases is actually getting this stuff in the ground.  I had planned several hours this afternoon to do just that.  Thanks to a poor choice of driving route (excessive traffic), I arrived home just as the skies were opening up for a nice spring thunderstorm.  I did get the Dahlia potted up during the rain.  The other plants, well, maybe I'll get to them in a few days ....



* I've just re-read the tag. This is a selection of Polemonium boreale, not Polemonium reptans, which means I can't put it in my "native-ish" garden.  Into the side yard it goes!

A Floral Start to Spring

Happy Spring!

Here's the first daffodil bloom* in the yard.  I think it opened earlier this week, but I didn't get out to see it until today.

Next, some plum branches that I pruned about 10 days ago and brought inside.  All these flowers were just little white balls yesterday.  How did they know they were supposed to open today?

 Finally, my lodgers brought me these tulips before they departed today:

I'm so happy to have flowers to share on this first day of Spring!

* the current record:  Yellow 3, White 1, tie 1
2013: tie (6 Mar)
2012: yellow (25 Feb)
2011: white (9 Mar)
2010: yellow (17 Mar)

I thought the daffs were super late this year, but it looks like they are on a very similar schedule to 2010.  It's great to have a blog archive for things like this.  (Maybe I should keep up with this thing a little more, so it is not just a daffodil recording device!)

Black-Eyed Susan Grass

Today I found a new plant:  black-eyed susan grass.  Never heard of it?  That could be because it doesn't exist.  Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolia): now that's a thing.  I've even grown it, though not reliably.

So how did I happen to find this non-existent black-eyed susan grass?  Well, first, I didn't mow my yard for a month.  Maybe five weeks.  Normally in the summer four to five weeks is a typical span between mowings, but with actual rain this year it needed mowing about three to four weeks ago.  But I was on vacation.  Then it was hot.  Then I was so busy I had not a single daylight moment to myself.  Then I was gone again.  Then yesterday, well, yesterday I took a breather.  Then today I started to continue that breather.  But 1/2 hour before dark I decided the yard must be cut right now.

I dragged the mower out of the garage and coaxed it to start.  I sweet-talked it into venturing through the tall grasses and taller weeds.  "They" say one should cut about a third off grass stems in a mowing. At my mower's highest setting (where I generally leave it), I was cutting off not less than 2/3 of the growth.  It was slow going.

Because it was slow going, I was able to take time to look at what was being mowed down.  And there it was:  black-eyed susan grass.  It closely resembled an annual rudbeckia, just starting to flower.  Since it was growing in my lawn, however, it must have been a grass. 

If I'd stopped to photographic-evidence-taking, there's no way the mower would have started again.  You'll just have to take my word for it.

July 2013 Blooms

Once again, my bloom day post has been delayed.  I blame the excessive heat.  Oh, I took pictures on the 14th and 15th, but the heat has completely sapped my energy for even the most sedentary tasks, like blogging. 

Fortunately the garden doesn't complain quite as much about the heat as I do.  I did venture out earlier in the week to find a cucumber hiding among the very tall weeds.  It is over a foot long.

On to the blooms ...

Most of the yard this month has been daylilies and Rudbeckia.  But I also have these:

 Echinacea on the patio, forming the backdrop for the glider.  The 'White Swan' Echinacea is barely visible in this photo, just behind the glider and on the right edge.

 

More Echinacea in the side garden, shading some yellow-blooming blue spruce sedum.  Oh, and there's something else in there ...



 

It is all flopped over and only made two blooms this year, but the stargazer lily, declining for the past few years, is still there. 



And here's a closeup of the blooming sedum

 

The lower border in the front has some sedum, too.  I don't remember what this one is, with thick grayish leaves.

 

Also in the front border:  four o'clocks and catmint.

 

The upper garden is sporting some cute little Coreopsis rosea.

The garage garden is full of phlox.

The side garden, in addition to the Echinacea and lilies, has balloon flower (shown here with daylilies) and heliopsis (with a rose campion).

Back in the front are this year's new bulbs:  Acidanthera (Gladiolus callianthus).  I just love them!

 

Oh, I'm pooped now, just thinking about those plants out in the heat.  Time for a nap.  

Celebrating Independence

Summer Storms

I've been away on vacation for the past week.  During that time, there have been storms every day.  I was a bit worried what state my yard would be in when I returned this evening.  Fortunately, the worst damage was this:

I really should have planted some of those things before I left.  I think they all survived.  The only questionable one is the dahlia in the black pot that got completely squashed by the grill.  We'll see.

Peas, Reborn

Pea plants die off quickly in summer's heat.  Then it's time to rip them out an plant something else in their place.  This year, due to lack of sunny garden space, I had to get creative with my plant placements.  I couldn't wait until mid-June to replant this part of the garden, so in May I planted tomato seedlings in between the rows of peas.  That mostly worked, though I noticed this week that the tomatoes planted in the pea patch are about 6 inches shorter than the tomatoes planted in a clear area of the garden. 

Because the pea patch was already replanted early, I wasn't in a hurry to rip out the dry, brown pea vines.

When I finally went to clear out the old plants, I found that many had new pea sprouts growing from the base.  Some "reborn" plants were quite full looking, with several flowers and developing pods:

I decided to cut off the old stalks and see what happens.  Maybe I'll get a few more peas to nibble on, or maybe this experiment will go the way of the zucchini from two years ago.  I'll let you know.

Would You Eat It?

Back in mid-May, I found this growing in my garden:

I hadn't planted it, at least not this year.  I did put in some "mixed greens" seeds in that general area - about two years ago.  The plant was right where I planned to put a tomato, so I just put the tomato next to it and hoped they wouldn't interfere too much while I figured out if the mystery plant was friend or foe.

Then I posted the photo to FaceThing and asked friends:  should I eat it?

Responses varied. Here's a sample:

* It looks like a red mustard green. I have some Asian ones. If you grew a salad greens or stirfry mix, it might be from that. Or perilla--there's a red type.
* The question is.....will it eat you?  (my favorite response)
* No. But I wouldn't eat it if was served to me at a 4-star restaurant.
* Looks like something my horse would not eat; if they don't eat it, I don't.  (ok, this was the same commenter as above, but I thought it deserved its own entry)
* I'd eat it. It might be hallucinogenic lettuce.
* Yes!!!
* Why take a chance?
* Let another set of leaves grow. Sometimes you get surprised and then other times just another weed. Just make sure it's not jimsonweed, an entire family had hallucinations a few years back when they tossed it in some soup.

Note the range from "Yes!"  to an emphatic "No."  Note also two references to hallucinogens.  Who are these friends of mine?  By the way, the conversation devolved from here into me offering to dig up jimsonweed (which I can ID, and this is not it) from my parents' yard to give to the guy who suggested hallucinogenic lettuce.

I'm not a particularly adventurous eater, so I knew before I asked the question that I wasn't going to try it.  But I also knew my more culinarily adventurous dad would be coming to visit in a few weeks, and he'd probably be willing to take a nibble.   So I let it stay. And grow.

Dad arrived, nibbled, and declared:  mustard.  So my first respondent was correct.  Congratulations, cousin Sue!  We had some in our salad that same night.

A little mustard goes a long way.  Can't say I've harvested any since - it's not really my favorite green, though it does bring back some good childhood garden memories.

Now it is bolting:

It is also as tall as the tomato and shading my little basils.  Off to the compost pile!

Harvesting Dessert

My homegrown dessert this evening:

 

 

(First plum and blackberries of the year)

June 2013 Blooms: Lilies

Whether they be Lilium or Hemerocallis, the lilies bloom in June.

 First, the Asiatic lilies, growing under the honeylocusts in the side yard.

 

They grow up as the daffodil foliage is dying down.



 The "Easter" lilies grow by the garage door:

 

Over in the upper garden, common ditch and Stella D'Oro daylilies fill in under the plum tree:

 



The side yard has the showier daylilies, including these red ones.

 

 

All the lilies (day- and otherwise) shown above came with the property.  I've since added others, but they are not among the early bloomers.

 

Because I can't let Bloom Day pass showing off only one or two flower types, and because I've committed to showing more than just close-up photos, here are two broader shots.  First, the front walk, with Rudbeckia, Tennessee coneflower, and lavender:

 



Now, in the upper garden, my very favorite combination - Asclepias tuberosa (orange butterfly weed), Spigelia marilandica (Indian Pink), and Thermopsis caroliniana (Carolina bushpea):



Disclaimer: this was two weeks ago.  A. and S. are still in full bloom now, but T. is done.

Every once in a great while a plan that forms in my head becomes reality.  This vignette makes me smile just as much as I'd hoped it would.

What's blooming in your yard today?

A Berry For Me

I've had a few blueberry bushes for a few years, but I've never eaten a blueberry that I've grown.  Partly because they've not been very fruitful; partly because of my three highbush shrubs, one died (from lack of attention) and one doesn't care to flower, leaving the third with nothing to cross-pollinate it; and partly because it's not worth protecting the few fruits I'd otherwise have from the critters (birds and squirrels).



Oh, 'Sunshine Blue', why won't you make flowers and berries for me?

This year I bought a shrub to replace the dead one.  It has so far survived, and seemed to do its cross-pollinating job.  I know one is supposed to not let them fruit for the first year or so, but that seems silly to me.  There are finally actual blueberries growing - why would I prevent that?  So each of my two plants that flowered decided to grow some fruit this year.  I've been watching and waiting. Finally, last Saturday, I saw it:  a blue berry.  That's right folks, a ripe blueberry!  I was so thrilled I ripped it right off the shrub and had it halfway to my mouth.  Then I stopped myself, set the berry down, and went in search of the camera to record this auspicious occasion:

My First Blueberry

Yes, it was tasty.  I wanted more.  Oh, so many more.  Well, there aren't that many more to be had, but I want them all, yes I do.  So I pulled the bird/squirrel netting off the strawberries (their spring flush is done now) and wrapped up the blueberries, tying the netting around the bottom of the stalks to try to keep the crafty squirrels out and using all my twist-ties on the sides and top to keep the birds out.  I only knocked 3-4 developing berries off in the process.  I mourned the loss of each one.



Older shrub on the left, new one on the right, 'Sunshine' in front of the netting, and helianthus all around

 Wednesday I went out to check on things, and found this:

Three more blue berries (one's hiding)!

They were yummy, too.

While I was critter-proofing last weekend, I also (with Dad's help) netted the blackberries:

A row of bricks on the bottom (it worked for the strawberries, so trying it again here),  The sides and top are stapled to the fence.  So I'm going to have to harvest from the bottom.

I'll eat you soon, my pretties

It will be worth it.

Hilling Up

This is my first year growing potatoes - a real impulse experiment.  When I was at the garden center buying bulbs and seeds in early spring, I snagged a seed potato at the checkout counter.

I asked Potato Queen for planting advice (who better, right?).  She recommended slicing up the potato a few days before planting and letting it cure for a few days.  She also said she's too impatient to do that, and her potatoes come out fine.  So, with good intentions of doing the right thing ... I didn't.  My potato had about a day to sit, cut up, before I had to plant the pieces.

Five tater pieces, two eyes per, went in the ground between the lettuce seeds and the onion sets (also something new this year), near the parsley.  If potatoes, onions, and parsley are good together on a plate, they must be good together in the ground, right?  And the lettuce was there, too, because it was the only bit of garden I'd gotten prepped, pea patch excluded.

I waited.  Taters sprouted - hooray!  Then they grew - hooray!  Then it was May and they were getting tall. 

I'd heard of something called "hilling up" that I'd have to do.  When I saw my brother-in-law-from-a-root-crop-farming-family mid-May, I asked when the hilling needed to start.  "Oh, when they're about ten inches tall or so."  Oops.  Mine were already at a foot.  Time to get hilling.

One thing I hadn't considered about this hilling thing:  I would need dirt.  OK, I knew I would need it, I just hadn't planned where to get it.  Or quite how much I would need.

I started digging around my ugly compost bins.  They are in an area that used to be veggie garden until it got too shady, so I figured there would still be some good dirt around.  There was, but not nearly enough.  So I turned to the pretty compost bins, full of lovely black gold.  Would straight compost be too much tor the taters?  Well, I was out of dirt for blending, so on it went, straight from the bin.

Look at those hills!  The next question was:  how far to bury them?  Semi-expert opinion said leave about six inches showing.  OK, more compost.  Just one problem:  the plant farthest in the back is taller than the others.  I made his hill slightly taller, but couldn't go high enough without all the dirt sliding down onto the neighboring onions.

I did the best I could, but it seems potatoes need a lot more horizontal space than I'd planned.  I tried transplanting the lettuce that had been growing to the left of the potatoes, but none of it survived. The parsley (last year's, and starting to flower) also had to go.

Turns out the plants loved the compost, and grew like mad.  Now whether they're producing any spuds underneath, I have no idea.  But by the first of June they needed hilling again.  More compost.  I emptied one bin and started scraping up spillage from the patio.  Oh, and did I mention it was 95 degrees on the first day of June?  I hope these taters appreciate the labor of love.

I scrounged some patio pavers and a cement block and built a wall between the potatoes and the onions.  It was the only way I could get the hills high enough.  The plant in back is still the tallest by far.

Now I wait.