More Freebies--Yay!

 Just when I think I’m done planting for the year, I get some more free plants! Lovin’ it!

My friend and neighbor down the street, who has gifted me with plants already, told me she had some rose bushes for me. I was excited! There’s a section along the one side of her house that is going to get cemented in at some point in the next year. She let me come dig up some stuff!

Here’s what I came home with, and where it went:

1 white rose bush—back corner flowerbed

1 mini red rose bush—in back, by the Jupiter’s Beard and the honeysuckle shrub (Actually, I’m not sure if they are mini roses simply because the bush is still so small, or if that’s the size they will stay as it grows)

1 pink and white rose bush—she said it was kind of striped petals. I wonder if it will look kind of like this one in my oval flowerbed, above? So, I put this one in the front fence bed, to replace the David Austin rose that died this year. I’m not really sure it’s going to go with the color scheme out front, but hey—it's a rose that has proven that it can withstand our winters, so that’s got to be worth something.

1 hosta—front flowerbed, in front of the lilac bush

4 large clumps of asters—these I planted in my perennial beds in the garden, starting a new row for “purple/blue” colors. At her house they were nearly as tall as me, before we cut them back for digging, but they were in partial shade there. I’ll bet in full sun they will be shorter.

1 clump that separated into 6 or 7—um…long brown things? I don’t know what they were. She called them coneflowers, but they weren’t like any coneflowers that I’ve ever grown. The seedheads looked like the cone part of the coneflower, on a 4-5’ long stalk. She said that’s what they were—no flowers, just these cone things. Anyway, I thought they might add some interest to my arrangements next year, so I plopped them in behind the greenhouse, between my eremurus that I got planted a couple of weeks ago. I’m hoping I didn’t just plant a pernicious weed of some kind! Ha!

I’m so excited to see these shrubs grow next year, and to have another hosta, some more asters, and some…brown things! She was so generous, and happy that her plants were going to a good home. I was happy to be that good home! Win-win!

Also, I was so proud. I dug them up yesterday and got them planted TODAY, friends! Good job me! They didn’t languish in their pots on my front porch for days and days…or all winter.

Okay, now I think I’m really, truly done. Unless I give in to the sale ads coming into my email inbox right now and order a bunch of tulips for 40% off. It is so tempting! But also, I shouldn’t. Maybe my amaryllis will come in this week and keep me busy getting those potted up, so I don’t have time to purchase any more plants or bulbs. If any one wants to give me some more plants, though—I’m all over that!

At some point, I want to make a large flowerbed just for roses, and another just for peonies, and fill them up with all kinds of beautiful shrubs to cut from. Until then, these go in my flowerbeds, where I know they can stay for awhile, undisturbed.

Are you still throwing things in the ground?

Do you have any beautiful flowering shrubs or plants you no longer want?

[shrug. worth a try.]

Garden Weed: Common Mallow

 

Frosted mallow in the grass. The round, veined leaves are quite distinctive and easy to identify.

This weed has been on my mind this week, as I spent a good portion of the day last Saturday attacking it in my garden. So let’s talk about it a little more, shall we?

It’s a native of Europe, but has now become naturalized throughout the United States. It is edible—my kids like to eat the little round fruits—they’re maybe 1/4” in diameter. They resemble a wheel of cheese, hence the other name for this plant “cheese weed.” You can eat the leaves, flowers, and roots as well, though I have never tried any of those.

It’s related to okra, and can be used to thicken soups and stews. One site says it releases “a thick mucus” when cooked. Boy, doesn’t that sound appetizing! Ha!

There are some herbal uses, but I can’t speak to those. You had better look that up on your own if you plan on using it to cure your ailments.

It is a cool-weather weed, so it will probably be one of the first you see in the spring and last in the fall—like now. We had some very very cold weather a couple of weeks ago, and the plants I was digging out last Saturday were still green and alive. So, kudos to you mallow (I guess.)

Here’s why it’s a garden pest:

It has a long tap root, and tends to hug the ground. Those roots are tough to get out, even in my sandy soil. If you let it grow much bigger than—well, tiny—it’s going to take a shovel to dig it out. Since I don’t tend to weed with shovel in hand, this is one that tends to get neglected, until it has sprawled over 2-3 feet of ground and has become such a nuisance that I’m forced to deal with it. Interestingly enough, it’s scientific name is Malva neglecta. I can see where they came up with that one!

The good news? It is annual or biennial, so all those little sprouts that you pull out or bigger plants that you dig out will truly go away—probably.

It’s supposed to be very nutritious, so I guess I should have been harvesting all those leaves for my salad—assuming we could get past the mucilaginous texture and everything. Hey, I guess it’s another one (like purslane) that makes me feel slightly better about the amount of food produced in my garden this year. It wasn’t very much, but at least I had some nice, healthy stands of mallow growing!

Also, note to self: next year have my kids harvest all the mallow fruits that they can find—nutritious snack (apparently) and fewer mallow next year! I’ll take it!

The Advantages of a Clean Slate

To take a break from my website redesign this afternoon, I went outside into the balmy 45 degree weather. I began to put away things that had been left out on the deck most of the summer—my toolbag, my plastic totes for holding weeds. That led me to the greenhouse, where such things will be stored until spring, and THAT reminded me that I still had some cleaning up to do in there, as well.

This year, I primarily used the greenhouse for transplanting seedlings. As it was unheated, I couldn’t do my full propagation in it. I spent some very pleasant hours in there, potting up seedlings into peat pots and getting them ready for bigger and better things. 
The world was rosy (but then, it usually is in the spring.)

Then that late frost came along in mid-June. Many of my seedling-related hopes were dashed, and the seedlings themselves turned dead and black. I was so discouraged. I managed to move the trays full of dead tomatoes and peppers, and assorted flowers, into the greenhouse, but that’s as far as I got. 
There they stayed all summer long.

Now here we are, 4 1/2 months later. The sting has gone out of the failure, for the most part. It was time to clear things out and get ready for a clean start next spring. With the help of my 2 year old, I dumped peat pots full of dirt and dead seedlings into the garden, then ripped up the pots themselves and put them into the compost bin. (She had great fun with the ripping!)

I stacked plastic pots of all sizes, then found more in other trays that needed stacking. I emptied the 2 large cement mixing bins, stolen from my husband’s outside projects, and used for soil recipes. That dirt all went into the garden as well. Trays warped by the sun beyond reclaiming, and various plastic containers I had saved from the recycling bin and used for seed starting went back to the recycling bin.

As I cleared away the evidence of my many failures, my mind began to clear a little bit. I could let go of those disappointments. The neat stacks and empty shelves seem to give a sigh of relief right along with me. Time to move forward. Perhaps next year I will be able to learn from my mistakes without holding on to their remains.

All together it only took me about and hour and a half. Another chore checked off the “Get Ready for Winter” list; a clear workspace, and a clear mind to move forward into next growing season. 

Feels good.

This Year's Bulb Roundup

I am happy to report that all of my bulbs are now in the ground! Woohoo! It was right down to the wire this time, too. Saturday was so warm—it got up to 60 degrees F in the afternoon—and I knew that it was probably really truly the last warm day of the year. I wouldn’t mind being wrong in that prediction, but this week we’ve had a cold front come in that has us barely getting up above freezing as a HIGH. So yeah. I knew I had to finish up Saturday.

I still had about 175 bulbs to put in, and as these things go, my children all needed my help with various projects. Finally around 2pm I got out there and started digging! I was hustling, let me tell you! Got it done and went in to make dinner, when I remembered the two euonymous shrubs that I had purchased earlier this month. Back out I went. My dinner plans ended up getting postponed for something easier!

I may end up having to move both of those shrubs in the spring. I put one in at the end of the same little bed the lilac bush was in and the roots were thick as I was digging a hole for it. I don’t know if it’s going to be able to compete there or not. I’m not super happy with the placement of the other one, either—it’s in the shade bed next to the front porch. What’s more, I read the tag as I was putting it in the hole and it said “Full sun.” Say what?! That bed definitely does not get full sun! The other euonymous I have grown have been shade lovers, I’m certain of it. So anyway, so much for doing a rush job. At least they’re tucked into the ground for the winter. If I need to move them next spring, so be it.

Okay, without further ado, here’s the list of bulbs I put in this year—divided into categories:

 

Those are the allium right there in front (bearded iris behind.)

ALLIUMS

25—Allium amplectens ‘Graceful Beauty’ (white, small)

10—Allium caesium (blue, about 2” heads)

50— Allium carolinianum ‘Rosy Beauty’ (pink, smaller heads)

100—Allium moly ‘Jeanine’ (yellow)

CAMASSIA

This is my first time growing camassia, so I don’t have any pictures of it to show you. Next year!

10—Camassia cusickii (sky blue)

10—Camassia leich caer ‘Blue Heaven’ (palest blue)

50—Camassia quamash ‘Blue Melody’ (violet blue)

These were some Dutch irises from my Washington garden. None of the varieties I planted are these exact colors, but the form will be the same. A little different than the large, ruffly bearded irises.

DUTCH IRIS

100—Iris ‘Alaska’: bright white, yellow blotches

100—Iris ‘Montecito’: white standards, yellow falls

100—Iris ‘Rosario’: pink

100—Iris ‘Silvery Beauty’: blue/white

100—Iris ‘Telstar’: violet/deep blue

This is not a great picture, but the pink lily in the back is ‘Elodie’, same as what I planted this weekend. It’s a pale pink with a few raspberry-colored freckles.

LILIES

5—Lily ‘Apricot Fudge’

5—Lily ‘Elodie’

5—Lily ‘Tiger Babies’

5—Lily Henryi ‘Lady Alice’: Reflexed, outward facing blooms (white with orange center)

5—Lily ‘Black Beauty’: Martagon (crimson red)

The grand total: 780 bulbs!

As you can tell, I really went big for Dutch irises and alliums this year. I put in the Dutch iris all along the garden fence, behind the daffodils I planted last year on the one side, then down where I tried to grow sweet peas on the other side. I’m hoping the foliage will help keep weeds down along there as well.

The alliums almost all went into my color-themed perennial beds in the garden proper. The blue ones I actually planted in the front corner flowerbed as a little surprise pop of blue.

Lilies—the red were added to the corner of my red/yellow/white flowerbed in the back corner. The others were planted on either end of the row along the garden fence, so they should all have some fence to support them as they grow. The average height they should grow to is 4’. Some said they could get as tall as 8’!

The camassia I interplanted amongst the poppies. They should bloom first, at the end of May, and again, I hope that their foliage will help keep weeds down and the keep the soil moist for the poppy seedlings until they get big enough on their own.

Planting bulbs always makes me excited for spring! As these are all late spring/early summer bloomers, I have got a long wait to go!

A Few Words About Yucca

We just got back from a short trip to Mesa Verde National Park. We got to see the amazing cliff dwellings and other structures built by the Ancient Pueblo people hundreds of years ago. 

It was a great trip! 
The scenery was absolutely gorgeous. 

There was pale yellow rabbit brush, scrub oak in glorious shades of orange and red, various types of wild grasses that had all bleached out to a creamy color, red sandstone, burned out trees in shades of black and gray, and also yucca plants. Yucca looks similar to iris foliage—except the yucca leaves come to a point on the end that is quite sharp—especially once those tips have dried.

Rewind to 15 years ago. The first house we purchased was very small. I almost said “tiny,” but at 750 square feet it was bigger than today’s tiny houses tend to be. Anyway, it had 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen. That was about it. This was the first time I had a yard of my own, and I started experimenting with gardening and growing flowers.

One of the first things we noticed was the enormous yucca plant next to the cement walkway from the driveway to the porch. I wanted to plant bulbs there and possibly some pretty shrubs. The yucca had to go. So my husband and I dug it out. It came back. We dug it out some more. Came up again. It turned out that pretty much any piece of root you left in the ground would generate a new plant. We were frustrated. We dug it up AGAIN. Folks, we lived in that house for 2 years and we must have dug that plant up 5 or 6 times. It was a beast!

Now on this trip to the high desert mesas, I was confronted with yucca again, this time in its natural habitat. It was beautiful. It truly was. It’s tall, spiky leaves provided the perfect contrast to the softer, rounded forms of the rabbit brush. The green complemented the other fall colors just beautifully. The plant itself, with the tendrils of fiber coming off down the length of each leaf was beautiful.

The mesas had burned several times in the last 30 years, and there were signs documenting the different fires. Guess what was one of the first things to come back? That’s right. Yucca. It is as tough as nails (as we found out, much to our chagrin!) In my flowerbed, this trait was not appreciated. In a place where fires are a frequent issue—it’s essential. We learned that yucca plants also produce their own antifreeze, and thus are pretty much evergreen, even though they are not woody shrubs.

In addition, we learned that to the ancient Native Americans, the yucca plant was everything. The flower stalks, flowers, and fruit are all edible. The fibrous leaves were used to create everything from clothing to baskets to ropes and nets. The root will lather up in water, and was used as soap.

So what did I learn from this experience?

Every plant has its place. While I still don’t think yucca is a great flowerbed choice, in its natural environment it was beautiful and perfectly suited.

Plants are useful beyond just their pretty flowers. What?! Says the flower farmer in me. It’s true, though—and I knew that, but it was a good reminder. Just because we can’t see the value in a plant, doesn’t mean it isn’t there. The exception to this may be bindweed. I am still searching for its value!

The traits you may find frustrating in a plant could be the very traits that ensure its survival in its native habitat, where other life depends upon it.

Also, now my husband wants to plant yucca at our house, so we can be prepared for any disasters that may come along. I told him as long as he plants it at the back edge of our property, along the fence and across the ditch, go for it! If he does, it will still be there when we’re long gone.

The Race is On

Along with much of the country, we had a deep freeze hit us this week. We’re talking lows in the teens for the past 3 nights. It was too doggone cold to do much outside! This afternoon we warmed back up to the low 60’s, which felt so warm after the arctic blast!

We have approximately one week before the deep cold returns—possibly to stay this time. One week folks! The list of Things To Get Done Before Snow is a bit daunting. Also because regular life doesn’t just stop while your weather reprieve happens. So—pretty much anytime after school hours and into the evening is out for working outside: parent teacher conferences, music lessons, soccer, homework, etc. etc. Earlier in the morning is also out, because it takes quite awhile for it to warm up out there and I have a 2 year old who can’t keep mittens on to save her life. So that leaves me—roughly 3-4 hours per day to work outside, if I’m lucky.

I had a couple of these poppies blooming late this fall, which was a pleasant surprise! Now I’m clearing them all out to plant bulbs (and spreading their seeds along the row in hopes of having them again next year!)

Here’s the priority list of Outside Chores:

1. Plant bulbs—HEY! Did I tell you? My bulb order came in! I’ve only got approximately 500 bulbs to get in the ground this week. Minus 18, which I got planted today. Yay! And also HURRY!
2. Plant 2 shrubs + 2 heucheras. So, I made a trip to Lowe’s last week. What can I say? I walked out of there with what I intended, along with a few tag-alongs. The shrubs are both euonymous, which I’m thrilled about, as they make excellent cuts. Got to get them in the ground before winter comes for real.
3. Clean out the rest of the garden. All the weeds and dead flowers. This one right here could eat up every spare hour. That’s why the planting comes first. I’ll be weeding before, during, and after the planting too—just in those focused areas.
4. Empty out flower pots.
5. Order seeds for fall planting and chuck them out there. This one may or may not get done this week. I need to look in my seed bin and see what I have already, first.

Last of the cosmos.

Really only 5 things, but 5 is plenty for this week. It is also Fall Break towards the middle to end of the week, so we may be going out of town. Slice that week down to …let’s say 3 days.

Ready, steady, GO, GO, GO, GO!

Where Do I Go From Here?

We have gotten several nights of frost, as the weatherman predicted. My field flowers are all done, and just a few in my flowerbeds that are extra tough are still hanging on. So, you may be wondering—what happens now? Am I all done until next spring?

Well, no. In addition to the usual fall and winter farming activities: planting shrubs, perennials, and bulbs (fall); and planning for next year, along with seed-starting later (winter), I still have a few plans up my sleeve for flowers throughout the winter.

I have made some planters this week for one of my regular clients—indoor, houseplant-type planters, like this one: 

I will order amaryllis bulbs and pot them up to bloom inside when it’s icy outside, like these:

I also have plans to order more paperwhite daffodils which are dead easy to grow from bulbs, sitting on your windowsill. I will put them into gift kits, complete with bulbs, container, rocks, and instructions, which will go on sale around Thanksgiving.

They’re so tall!

Then, as well, I still have my little booth over at the Morgan Mercantile, which you can see in some of these photos, in which I also selling unique and interesting vases and pitchers (some vintage, some just pretty), framed flower quotations, and handmade wreaths.

In addition, I will still be taking special orders for arrangements, for which I will purchase flowers as necessary. As I continue to hone in on the direction I want to take this business, that will be reflected (I am sure) in the list of fall/winter offerings. As for now, that’s the plan. Always something to be working on, which is just how I like it!