Well I have been too busy to really get here for any kind of serious post. Methinks there are too many plants in this yard. What with the rain and spring moisture we have so much growth that it is very hard to keep up to everything. Many trees and shrubs need pruning as well of course all the weeding. And then there is the weekly 3 hours of cutting grass. More than I can chew? Yes this year it is!
I wanted to at least post some pictures of what is going on here. Pictures of Clematis and Columbine are over on
Gardenbuddies and they are the latest so none here for now. The Edible Blue Honeysuckle are over on my Edible Blue Honeysuckle Blog as are the newest about lilies. Today was a very flat light day so the photos are a a little subdued. It is still very nice to see seedlings of all plants coming along and bringing new colors and shapes to the yard and flower beds. Something new which I just planted are
Solanum mammosum (
from seeds)- sometimes referred to as Titty Fruit or Nipple Fruit. They are a cutting plant for flower arrangements as the fruit is quite unique. OF course I had just planted them in the afternoon and then the hail came in the evening but there was no damage.
In the garden I am finding many volunteer Morning Glory so want to leave some at least to just vine their way on the ground. Ignore the weeds and the seedling Green Ash. The Morning Glories I planted in pots are so slow but they should be ready to move outdoors this week yet. I like to plant up a few different varieties in pots and then set the pots out to let the vines grow over what ever is near. I will post some photos later.
One of the persistent weeds (a plant in a place where it is not wanted) is Western Goat's Beard or
Tragopogon dubius. It really is quite a showy plant but it has such a strong tap root you hate to let it stay. This one and several others are given a reprieve and we will enjoy the flowers and the seed head. If you check out the Tragopogons on Wikipedia you will see they are a large family. We have here on the Prairies the large plant as shown here as well as the rare Tragopogon pratensis. According to my "Weeds in Canada" all the Tragopogons are European in origin. The purple flowered Tragopogon porrifolius is sometime grown in gardens as a herb/medicinal according to Wikipedia.
Around the yard other plants are blooming and an unusual combination is this Red Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) and it's friend Sweet Rocket (Hesperis matronalis). The Sweet Rocket is a volunteer here from another spot in the yard. We tend to encourage the spread of seed to various area to bring some color. As I said the light was quite flat this am so not too bright colors.
And the Dwarf Korean Lilac is also in full bloom. It is the hilite of this bed at this time.
One of the things which is a real challenge is bringing in seeds from outside when you gather bagged leaves in the fall from other peoples yards. Over the years while I was working we hauled home several large loads of leaves and spread then between the raspberry rows to bring some organic mater to the soil. The result was much bigger and better raspberry plants but also some unexpected guests. I planned to move these guys but did not. Now we have some rather large spruce and elms and green ash growing in the rows. Next will be to start a new raspberry patch and plant grass among the trees and enjoy the shade! They do grow well. Alongside the raspberry rows are a row of seedling Daylily plants which are also doing very well.
It is also the time of year to do a few cuttings and so I am trying to do a few Edible Blue Honeusuckle, Clematis and Thunderchild Crabapple cuttings in this tray. It is not like I nee more plants but I keep trying cuttings since I am not good at it!
So far so good. I do have a Sour Cherry I need to try and get some cuttings going on since the mother plant is in a bad place.
One of the persistent weeds (a plant in a place where it is not wanted) is Western Goat's Beard or Tragopogon dubius. It really is quite a showy plant but it has such a strong tap root you hate to let it stay. This one and several others are given a reprieve and we will enjoy the flowers and the seed head. If you check out the Tragopogons on Wikipedia you will see they are a large family. We have here on the Prairies the large plant as shown here as well as the rare Tragopogon pratensis. According to my "Weeds in Canada" all the Tragopogons are European in origin. The purple flowered Tragopogon porrifolius is sometime grown in gardens as a herb/medicinal according to Wikipedia.
And the Dwarf Korean Lilac is also in full bloom. It is the hilite of this bed at this time.
One of the things which is a real challenge is bringing in seeds from outside when you gather bagged leaves in the fall from other peoples yards. Over the years while I was working we hauled home several large loads of leaves and spread then between the raspberry rows to bring some organic mater to the soil. The result was much bigger and better raspberry plants but also some unexpected guests. I planned to move these guys but did not. Now we have some rather large spruce and elms and green ash growing in the rows. Next will be to start a new raspberry patch and plant grass among the trees and enjoy the shade! They do grow well. Alongside the raspberry rows are a row of seedling Daylily plants which are also doing very well.
