critters

This year's cicada species. Their voices are much quieter than last time!

Delighted to find baby skinks in my mailbox spot (which is thick with celosia now, most of it self-seeded). I am pretty sure these are new young ones from this year, I've never seen any so small before. 

The whole body of the skink and its head, no larger or thicker than my pinkie finger. It was hard to get at least one decent photo, they darted so quick around the mailbox post to avoid me when I leaned in close. I saw three!

some nice surprise

Over a month ago, there were free plants offered at my library. Bare root trees and some rhizomes. I brought home a mulberry tree- it died. And two canna lily rhizomes, dug them into the ground, watered a few days, forgot about it. No sign of any plant so I thought that didn't survive, either. Until now! Trimming the grass after weeks of being off my ankle, found them both growing well. I'm not sure of the color- red or pink probably.

Common milkweed grew back better than last year (except that one has some damage on its top). I have only seen one caterpillar though.

Trimmed up the sedum around the front yard old stump spot, where dead flowerheads were looking unsightly. Tossed the trimmings on the big blank sideyard spot where stump got ground out. Just in case a few take. Three cuttings that I planted there last season, are looking good. I'd like them to fill some of the area!

The one ajuga that survived the stump grinding, has grown into a nice big patch.

Spiderwort is filling out its spot, too. I'll have to cut it back soon. 

garden update

But again, without pictures. I have not been out there enough- almost six weeks of very minimal garden work and it's all overgrown, shabby, full of bugs. Whitefly, aphids, leaf hoppers, striped beetles galore. At least I'm pleased to see the birds, skinks, spiders and dragonflies frequently- I'm sure they're eating some pests! Haven't spotted a preying mantis yet, but I was pleased a week ago to see a snake in the grass- and even more so today when trimming some grass away from the garden edges, I found two baby snakes! They were no thicker than a pencil, in fact at first glance I mistook them for a worm- but not as shiny, very dark, and when I looked close I could see the minute perfect scales, the shape of the head. I really wanted to gently catch one and take inside to briefly show my family members- but the first one quickly darted into a gap under a brick, and the second one I found disappeared when I stepped aside to pick up dry leaf and a container. Oh well.

We have been eating beets, collards, swiss and leaf beet chard, blue kale, turnips, amaranth greens, turnip-rutabagas, the occasional tomato, plenty of herbs. I have not yet tried pulling any carrots, though some look ready enough and they could stand thinning. No green beans or cowpeas yet, though the plants are growing. Last week I cut summer savory to dry for winter- it was prolific again this year. My fenugreek grew lovely tall and I kept it by the door to enjoy its scent, but now it is dead (insects?). My figs are doing alright. The other day I pulled the largest turnip-rutabaga- it was 2.5 pounds! Made enough "baked turnip whip" dish it fed my family for four days (the kids get tired of it but my husband likes it a lot). I was surprised but glad that in spite of its large size, this turnip-rutabaga still had tender flesh, and I cooked the leaves like most greens, they were good too.

Today I finally pulled the garlics. None had very large bulbs, though altogether it more than quadrupled the amount of cloves I started with. They are curing on a mesh chair seat under the deck in breezy shade, will show a picture after I've rubbed off the dirt next week. The hardnecks seemed to do better than the softnecks, so probably I will grow just those next year, though I haven't tried the flavor yet. That bed is mostly empty now except for the leeks- I lost a few but still have enough.

Also the tomato bed is a mess. I wasn't out there doing garden work for so long, the plants started to fall over because I hadn't tied them up to the stakes again, and they fell and dragged the supports over too. Haven't yet made the effort to go straighten it all up yet. Difficult to get out much because the heat hits hard once it's past 10am.

I did tidy up some of the yard today in preparation for my husband to mow- he doesn't always know where the edges of perennial or garden beds are because it got so messy. So I trimmed edges by hand, picked up sticks fallen from the wind, laid down a few as boundary markers. Dismayed to find the deer have eaten all my hostas again (I didn't get out to scatter irish spring soap, dang it) plus the solomon's seal and disappointingly my newest azaleas which we had bought from friends of my husband (they have a very extensive azalea garden it was a so lovely to visit and I was so happy to have these striking azaleas- one the salmon-colored flowers are shaped a lot like daylilies). The deer also knocked over some of the protective wire fencing I'd circled new baby trees with- I lost three redbuds and the persimmon. Glad they didn't get the pawpaw yet, and the spicebushes are okay too.

The pretty mixed-parentage japanese maple is doing fine on the sideyard, even though the fencing doesn't extend high enough to prevent deer from nibbling the branches, they haven't touched it. My tithonias over there are kinda pathetic, not very large yet, but I hope they grow enough to give some blooms. Milkweed has sprung back better than ever, but I see no caterpillars (though on the carrots, dill and rue I've found plenty of swallowtail caterpillars, and the other day saw a swallowtail butterfly in the yard!)

Also happy to see goldfinches visiting to check out my echinacea patch again. The echinacea plants look better than ever this year, I'd like to hope it's because I removed (by hand) the mealy bugs two years in a row.

The wren, cardinals and catbirds frequently come up on the deck, and I think I saw a fledgling last week too. I am sad the hummingbird has not come back again. My black-and-blue salvia isn't as large this year and not flowering yet; the cardinal climber vine is growing up its supports but hasn't flowered yet either. 

What else to say? I need very much to get out and clean up the other sideyard where joe pye weed is gloriously battling with gladiolas for space, falling all over the lambs-ears and the swamp milkweed is getting choked out by grass, dandelions and sprawling vinca. Just haven't felt the energy yet. It was enough to do a bit of cleanup and weeding today, see the state of things. 

tiny flower

My citronella geranium flowered!

I think it's the first time ever.

it's been a while

I kind of lost interest in keeping this blog going- I don't seem to have many readers, and nobody to talk about plants with. Didn't feel the need to track when things get started for the right timing to go in the ground and such (as reminders to myself) anymore. And then I had a setback, minor car accident, sprained ankle, on crutches for three weeks- so things got shoddy out there. Overgrown, neglected. 

However today I finally was able to go out again (my ankle strapped, I'm allowed to do "light walking" now) And there are things to note.

First, here's a picture from months ago. After our spring heat wave, it cooled off again and I actually got a decent amount of lettuce. We had fresh salads for weeks, plus I gave some away. The heads were beautiful thick green rosettes in the garden.

Where the lettuces came out, I planted the tomatoes. They had waited too long, some lower leaves were wilting so I pulled those off. And then remembering a tip from a gardener I read, removed more lower leaf petioles, planted the tomatoes deeply, burying half the stem. Watered on planting, then left them alone for ten days. This encourages stronger root system and what do you know, I think it worked. I have only been out to water once since (due to being laid up) and the rain has been enough- the tomaoto plants look fantastic. I tied them up once to some poles, they are sturdier than usual too. Either the deep planting and witholding water at the start helped, or the soil was richer than usual.

My turnips are also doing great. We've been eating them- made a new dish just last night. Turnips simmered until tender, mashed with onions and a bit of sugar, stirred w/eggs and baked in the oven. Surprisingly good. It's the first year I've actually had good turnips- not dry or tough. Even the bigger ones I pull are tender when I slice them up, almost buttery. And they're still not bothered by much, out in the garden!

Can't say the same for other things. I went out to cut greens for dinner and instead cut and heaped most of the entire bed of chard into the compost pile. It was all mottled pale sickly from leaf hoppers. (Why are such aggravating pests so darn cute? This year they're dark grayish purple with bright blue or red eyes). I could only keep the youngest unblemished leaves to cook with, but hope that a lot of the leaf hoppers got removed with the mass of chard foliage, smothered under leaf mulch and grass clippings in the hot compost pile!

My beets are swarming with whitefly. I cleaned up the worst pale and dead foliage, doused them with soapy water, but need to go get some actual insecticide. In the next bed over, garlics have all fallen over, and scapes are reaching tall. But I don't think they're ready to pull yet. Not enough watering? Too much heat? 

I removed all the pea plants- saving some for next year's seed. Of the shelling peas, there was only enough for one meal. However, they were really good! Into those empty beds today I planted out the cowpeas (to grow up the trellis), bush beans (only two, the rest succumbed to heat and neglect while still in pots), two yellow summer squash, and a third of the amaranth 'calaloo' seedlings. The rest are still too small for transplanting. 

Then planted out on the sunny sideyard my few tithonias for the year. And I only have three cardinal climbers, which is sad. A few weeks ago my husband saw a hummingbird come by and scout around the deck. But my cardinal climbers weren't planted out, and I think the black and blue salvia isn't flowering yet either, so there was nothing here for it.

It is nice to still see the wrens, robins, sparrows, cardinals, blackbirds and grey catbirds busy around the yard and garden. And the skinks! They come upon the deck. I only have one cucumber plant that survived the period of neglect, it's in a deck pot. My carrots aren't doing too great in pots, they keep drying out if I am not able to get out and water. My sweet peas died. 

But I am glad that the rosemary and stevia survived the winter, and this year the fenugreek I planted is doing well. I have it by the sliding door to the deck and often bend to catch its scent when going in or out. Summer savory in the deck planters is doing great, and parsley- have been using both. Most of the herbs have come back well- thyme came through the winter indoors, sculpit and tarragon out in the garden have grown, I did plant one new sage because the old two didn't survive the transplant when I added broken rock to the perennial bed. And my green onions all failed. The older ones never regrew this year, I started a few new but they died.

I like the catmint (not same as catnip) in the garden, so this spring when I had to trim it back (sprawling all over into the space where collards grow) I stuck a bunch of cuttings into little water jars to try for new plants. I had over a dozen cuttings, but only three actually grew roots. The rest just got moldy. (I did change the water out, but probably not often enough). Those three got planted today too- two against the fence between the patch of joe pye weed and the row of shiso (which is looking nice). At least I think it's shiso. Maybe this year I'll get brave enough to try eating it. The third one I put also against the fence but in the back, between the yarrow (tall and floweirng now!) and my kinda sad camellia. 

It was nice to see a bright glitter of blue skittering around- the small brilliantly colored wasps that frequent my joe pye weed, and are predators of japanese beetles.

One of my jacob's ladder plants has grown so much, doubled in height! and it had the most beautiful sky-blue/violet flowers. But the other one is overshadowed by yellow salvia spreading out from under the skirts of hydrangea nearby. I thought it had died but found it getting smothered. Pulled out some of the salvia to give it room. I'm going to have to start thinning that stuff more.

That's my update.

plant swap!

This was great. Local gardener's plant swap was today. Here's what I took to give away: two young tomato plants, three pots of sorrel divisions, a half dozen coleus, one african violet, a small pot of miniature geranium cuttings, three pots of jade cuttings, 

a pot of tradescantia 'bolivianus', some rooted spider plant babies, one pot of cuban oregano cuttings.

And here's what I brought home! The obvious: another ostrich fern.

Two Lysimachia Lanceolata var purpurea. They have purplish leaves, and will bloom yellow.

Four strawberry plants

a sad-looking handful of lamb's ears

Salvia lyrata (I think I got this plant before from swap, don't think it survived, hope to do better)

Red Monarda 

And what makes me most happy: some young trees and shrubs! American Persimmon:

Two Spicebush:

One Pawpaw (!!) (I think- it wasn't labeled)

and seven little Redbuds (!!!)

more spring stuff

Today pricked out the tomato seedlings into pots. 

Over half my tatsoi got eaten by a slug before I remembered to put out a beer trap. A single slug I think, because I only caught one medium-sized slimer, and the remaining three tatsoi are undamaged now. 

Squirrel is (as always) irritating me by digging in the beds. Where the peas, collards, lettuces and chard are planted it does little damage- I just fill in the holes again.

Where the young beets and turnips are coming up, quite a few have gotten destroyed. I put wire mesh over those beds, held down with rocks- but the squirrel digs through the mesh! Must be very determined to recover whatever nut he remembers hiding in that spot. Grr. I need to finally fence the garden, or build a few frames with chicken wire to cover the beds that are direct-sown more securely. 

My rhubarb is making funky fat flower stalks. Cutting them off to encourage more foliage instead. 

Delighted to find that the wormwood survived winter!

Bed of collard greens, tatsoi and tokyo bekana (although this picture from a week ago, plants are bigger now!)

Pink clematis is blooming!

more plants out, and 4th sowing

A few days ago I planted out parsley, dill and chervil. Parsley into planter boxes on the deck railing, chervil into deck pots, half the dill in deck pots and the rest in a garden bed, alongside the arugula (which has gone bitter now) and chard.

Last year was not a good one for summer savory, but this year looks promising! So many little seedlings I am probably going to double them up in pots, and discard the smallest.

Only eight tithonia seeds sprouted, but I got a whole thirty marigolds. Which is fewer than normal, and just enough to handle. I went ahead and potted them all up.

Moved basils to pots too- these are the purple aromatto.

More stuff got pricked out of seedling trays and potted today: blue sage (fewer than I'd like- only six)

Clary sage- saved from seeds on plants I bought at the nursery last year, then planted out just too late for the flowers to be enjoyed in the yard. But now I'll have plenty!

Mishap: my two fenugreek seedlings died one day when it got too hot in the mini greenhouse. I sowed borage in the empty tray, but then a far-too-tiny seedling sprouted the very next day. I think this is one of the fenugreek that hadn't sprouted the first time around.

A while back I sowed two large trays with over a dozen seeds from a cedar shrub (small tree?) that grew in my mother's yard. I'd harvested those seeds 12 years ago, wasn't sure any would sprout. Stratified them in cold, between a layer of damp sand in fridge for month and a half. Only one came up, so I am really trying to be careful with it!

Also potted one culinary sage- I'd sowed five or six seed but only got one. My sage out in the garden hasn't shown signs of growth. Also no sign of green onions yet this spring, I sowed a tray of that too. And two trays of celosia, to put out in the mailbox spot where nothing is growing yet.

what's coming up

Actually, that was not so hot for April yesteraday. I suppose it just felt so. I looked it up- record temperature for this area in April was 97°. Doing more cleanup around the yard- clearing away dead stems and foliage that I'd left overwinter, spreading mulch (still have a good supply from the maples we took out last year). The oakleaf and pannicle hydrangeas are leafing out, and the rose of sharons just barely starting to. Lilac is nearly in full leaf- but oddly one side of the plant has hardly any. Insect damage? Too much shade from the neighbor's tree? 

 Cranesbill are all sprouting up, bleeding hearts are in full bloom and the columbines look nice across the rear of the front flower bed, where there's nothing much else yet. Later on they'll be obscured by coleus and more when they die back in summer neat. My peonies are putting up shoots, hosta and gladiolas are emerging, yellow salvias already in full leaf around the base of trees. Ajuga spreading bright color so nicely, and I'm very happy to see the ostrich ferns emerging- there seem to be a few more this spring! Beautyberry is leafing, which makes me very happy, and all the heucherellas are still here (not eaten up by rabbits yet). Joe pye weed is growing back. I need to tidy up the liriope and hellebores. I have not yet seen any growth on the black-and-blue salvia, milkweed or mums. And disappointing, there's no borage seedlings. I think a few had come up months ago in the garden, but I dug them out when preparing the beds for planting, thinking plenty would grow in the perennial spot, or around the mailbox. Nope. I wonder if they sprouted earlier when it was unseasonally warm, and then died in the cold again.

Here's a few hellbore flowers I cut and put in tiny jars on the kitchen windowsill to admire for a week.

Just now I planted out the mulberry seedling, mulched and watered it, fenced it around to keep off the deer. The young holly I moved to a spot just downslope of it on that hillside is still alive! The other two look dead but when I scrape a tiny spot with fingernail on the bark, still green underneath so I'm leaving them there in case they can recover. Dug and planted the two canna lilies in a spot near the ostrich fern where it gets pretty damp- water flows there from both the downspout on that side of the house, and output from our basement sump. I've been thinking of someday putting irises in that area, too . . . 

Lovage is thick enough to eat now, so I might strike celery off the grocery shopping list.

spring heat

It's crazy hot today- for April. A few weeks from our last frost date, and it's 85°. But a few nights this week still below forty, so can't plant out my coleus and other tender ones yet. I actually brought the sweet pea, chervil and parsley seedlings back into the house in middle of day, to avoid the heat. Lettuce is done for. I never got more than a few bites. Hope my snap peas do okay and tatsoi doesn't bolt early from this hot day. 

On another note, I just picked up some free plants from my library. Went there for books, came home with two canna lily rhizomes and a bare root mulberry seedling! I think I'll plant the mulberry on the sunny sideyard where we took out the maples last year. There are small plantings of salvia, daylily, turtlehead, gladiolas and one small hyssop over there so far- just to have something to look at. I stuck rue plant trimmings in the ground- just for the heck of it, maybe a few will take root. But really the space needs a new tree- however a smaller one that won't tower over the house again. Mulberry is perfect, plus I like the fruit. I did want a redbud or witch hazel, but will take a free mulberry instead!

seedlings up!

 Yesterday my tithonia, marigolds, fenugreek and summer savory sprouted. This morning the clary sage, sweet basil and most of the tomatoes- just not the self-saved ones. It's an older packet so probably time to toss that one.

3rd sowing

Sweet basil 

Aromatto basil

Banana peppers

Ancho peppers

Sweet Italian peppers

Summer savory

Fenugreek

Marigolds

Tithonia

Culinary sage

Blue sage

Clary sage

'Sweetie' cherry tomato

Black cherry tomato

Beefsteak tomato

Cherokee purple tomato

random self-saved tomato I forget the variety or it was a cross- from 2017, not sure if they'll sprout

Also as a what-if experiment: seed I gathered off a cedar shrub in my mom's backyard years ago. Don't know if they're viable, or even really how to sprout them- I looked up info but (of course) found conflicting advice. I put the seed in damp sand in the fridge for a month and half (maybe two, forgot to note the date) and now have sowed in trays ordinary soil mixed with some sand. If it works, yay. If not, no surprise.

little holly

I'm trying again, to dig and move young holly plants. This one a three-year-old plant that I'd let grow up beside the fence.

Because the two I dug and moved in fall, appear to have failed. I had only watered them once a week or so but maybe even that was too much. This time, I'm not going to do anything past the transplant date.

violets

For the first time, most of my african violets are blooming simultaneously. It's hard to get a good photo of them together because of the backlighting from window.

Vintage lace

Royal rage

Frosted Brandy

Lady in Red

Paprkia

Which I like just as much for its tidy little leaves, as for the flowers

Lavender Magic bloomed for the first time! 

It looks a lot like 'Vintage Lace', and so pale against the very dark leaves, the contrast is a bit much

A little whorl on Paprkia petals

No picture of steady 'Bob Serbin'- that one just recently bloomed and was done.