Sunday, May 31, 2009

Peonies

I think I'll be writing about peonies for the next few days. The one in today's picture is one of the Peregrinas, a species. They tend to have flowers on the apricot side of pink, small single blooms. We have a number of variations on this that have come from different parts of the world. Time is short today, so I'll have to leave it with just this little bit, but I promise lots on peonies with tons of pictures tomorrow.
Jane

Friday, May 29, 2009

Free Plants - Part 2

I didn't have a clue when I wrote about free plants yesterday that it would be a 2 part post. Mid morning, Hank brought me down a wheelbarrow full of Pseudacorus Iris (picture above). They had just expanded too much in the Lotus pond where they were growing. I couldn't bear to compost them, but really didn't have any place to plant them just then. Instead I went in and posted to Freecycle to see if I could give them away. I had a wonderful response and hopefully by tomorrow, they will be blooming in 5 new gardens.
I can't say enought good things about Freecycle. If you don't know it, it is an online group where you can post about things you'd like to give away or things you need. No money is exchanged - everything is free. Groups are for the local area. We have a fairly active group here, and though I've never gotten anything - after certain age you really don't need so many 'things' - but I've given away plenty, a trumpet, an air conditioner, a ceiling fan, a garden seeder and weed whip, an old typewriter, yarn, fabric, chestnuts, a lot of bamboo, and probably more I can't remember. It's so nice to find homes for things I don't need any more and that someone else does need. I'll certainly keep using it and if you don't know it you should check it out. Lots of garden related stuff this time of year.
No rain yesterday except a few drips. We really didn't need any more just yet. In a week we'll need rain, but we've already had almost 2 inches this week. Lots of weeds got pulled and I pruned (again) the overenthusiastic forsythia that had formed a tunnel over the path into my shed. Crawling under the forsythia is not fun and so, once again, it was trimmed back. I know you're not supposed to prune things repeatedly so you don't cut off next years bloom, but with forsythia it doesn't seem to matter so much and as I've said before, I like paths that I can walk on without my machete.
Jane

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Free Plants

This is a lovely tall bearded iris that is blooming now. I have no idea what its name is, or even if it is a named variety. It arrived as a small plant, mixed in with one of the bags of leaves that the city of Athens delivers to us to use a mulch and for making compost. We regularly find cast offs from the town folks in the fall - ferns and chrysanthemums are the most common, but also any manner of plants they don't want to keep over the winter. We rescue them and give them a good home if we can. I've gotten some really lovely things that way. I have 2 clumps of Dianthus, a lovely pink and white, that have been here for at least 4 years now, increasing in size every years, that someone had thrown away. One of our favorite light pink chrysanthemums was originally a cast off. I pot up a piece of it every fall to keep in the greenhouse and then make lots of cuttings from it in the spring to plant out. We also, on occasion, get a whole bag full of someone's tomato plants, complete with not quite ripe tomatoes, that they have ripped out and thrown away. These fruits have ripened quite nicely in my kitchen to provide quite a few meals. In my bathroom window are 2 pots of philodendron, one with large leaves, one with small, that also arrived via the trash. I know this is not the usual way to add to ones collection, but it's always like Christmas or my birthday when I start emptying the bags in the fall, never knowing what sort of surprises will appear.
Weather here is certainly tropical lately - sort of like you need gills to breathe. We had just under an inch of rain yesterday and lots more rain expected today. The weeds will probably be permanently ahead of me after this, but everything (weeds included, unfortunately) is just so lush and green - much moreso than we have seen in a number of years with droughty summers. I will just enjoy it and try to overlook the worst of the weeds and then spend a lot of time getting rid of them once the rains stop which should be tomorrow. Several tour groups are coming to see the gardens in mid June, so I need to spend a lot of time neatening up the weeds (actually not neatening them up, but rather sending them to the compost heap) and taking walks with my pruning shears to re-open paths where plants have gotten a bit overenthusiastic after all of this rain. Hank likes the 'jungle look', but I find it a bit tiring after awhile to take garden walks where I feel like I need a machete just to wander around the garden. A little jungle is OK, but a bit more formality and order is needed in most places. Hopefully I can get to it by tomorrow when the rains let up for a few days. If anyone out there just loves to pull out thistle, I have at least a half acre that is thick with it right now (really a daylily bed, but you can't tell anymore) and would gladly offer plants in exchange for willing volunteers.
Jane

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Whippoorwills

Before I get to the picture for the day, just a little reflection on something I heard last night - a Whippoorwill. I have always loved listening to them. Their call at twilight is both mournful and comforting. When we lived on the farm in West Virginia, my late husband and I used to sit on the porch most nights in the nice weather at dusk and just enjoy the sights and sounds of the approaching night. There was always a Whippoorwill who called from somewhere on the hill near the house. It was just a part of the fabric of early summer evenings. When I married Hank and moved to the farm here in Ohio, I was thrilled to find that we also had a resident Whippoorwill. There never seem to be a bunch of them, just one calling in the night. This one was not as relaxing as our friend in West Virginia had been since it seemed to be calling from just on the other side of my daughter's bedroom window. Really loud. After a few years it disappeared and another one did not appear to replace it. I missed the sound at dusk. Only frogs were calling. Then a few days ago, there it was, a Whippoorwill. It just brought back a flood of happy memories, of people no longer with us and children off on their own journeys now. I hope he/she likes it here and stays. Summer is not quite the same without them.





Here is a picture I have been waiting to take for a month or more. This is the leaf from Hamamelis 'Double Gold'. I had taken a picture of the bloom when we first got the plant earlier in the season, but the yellow flowers weren't why we bought this one. Here is a picture of the leaves, the first variegated witch hazel that we have in the gardens. I think it is going to be a nice addition.
Jane

Monday, May 25, 2009

Poppies and Memorial Day

I've always associated Memorial Day with poppies and so decided to post poppy pictures today. I was curious as to how poppies came to be associated with the day and here is a link to a site with lots of background.
US Memoial day Another place with some information is American Legion and VFW and Poppies
The poppy pictures were taken over the last few days. Most are unnamed ones, bought as mixtures and the few that had names have been lost or forgotten. Poppies regularly seed and so new ones are always popping up. There are shorter ones available in the Pizacatto (not sure of the spelling on that one) Series and they aren't as likely to be toppled by the winds in a thunderstorm.
Poppies present a sort of problem for the perennial gardener since, lovely as they are, they go dormant after bloom and leave a bit of a hole in the border. The reappear in the fall, after the rains start, and stay evergreen over the winter (deer and bunny food). I do love them, so wouldn't be without them in the garden, despite their flaws and the shortness of their bloom season. Ours are in what was 3 -100 foot rows, now a wide hundred foot patch since they have self-seeded randomly. If you want to use poppies in a vase inside, carry matches or a lighter when you go out to pick in the garden. The only way to get the flowers to last is to sear the end of the stem right after picking. Otherwise they lose all of their sap and wilt quickly. Searing the stems will allow them to last for several days, or until the kitties play with them to the point that they are shredded.
















Hope you enjoyed the poppies and will enjoy picnics later today. We're supposed to have rain, but I'll take rain for the garden any day over a picnic.
Jane





Thursday, May 21, 2009

Mukdenia rosii






In keeping with less common plants, this morning I have found pictures of Mukdenia rosii. We have grown these two version for a few years now and they have been pretty carefree, happy where they're planted and not bothered by pests nor eaten by deer or rabbits. Can't ask much more than that. The top photo is the species and the bottom one is a selection called 'Crimson Fans' that has reddish edges on the leaves. I have a new picture in the other computer from this year when it was blooming and you'll be amazed at how much it has grown since these were taken. I'll add them later today when I feel like sitting there and working. This crappy cold has really made doing anything difficult for the past few days, and sitting up at a desk as opposed to using the laptop in a cozy place has just not been at the top of my list. Not much weeding getting done either, unfortunately.

Jane

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Podophyllum 'Kaleidoscope'

This is a plant that doesn't seem to have gotten around to gardens as much as it should, given how pretty it is. Podophyllum 'Kaleidoscope' is an oriental version of our common Mayapple. It is a terribly slow increaser and a bit picky about location. Deep shade in woodsy soil seems to suit it. We have plants from several sources and the variegation is slightly different on each of them. I think it is still a bit pricey, probably because of the slowness to increase, but if you can find one and keep it happy, it makes a good show. It is smaller than the our native Mayapple also in both height and leaf size. It makes one small flower under the leaf at the top of the stem which forms a round fruit. Our large clump is a bit farther back in the border than it should be, designwise, but it's happy so I'm not going to move it.
Jane

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Monarda - Bee Balm

I have always liked Monarda, as much for the flowers as for the butterflies and insects it attracts. This first one if called 'Blue Stockings' and is probably about as close to blue as it gets. The only one I know of that's bluer is the wild one that grows along the roadsides here and it is a much lighter shade.

Next is 'Cambridge Scarlet', the first one I bought. Back then I was told it grew in shade, and that's where this one has always lived. I think it would be happier in sun, but since it grows and blooms, I'm leaving well enough alone. It is in a bed with mostly hostas and ferns and the bright color is a definite benefit there. As with a number of the older varieties, this one has a tendency towards developing a bit of mildew in humid, hot Augusts.


Now that I see this picture, 'Claire Grace' is probably about as close color wise to the wild one as I have seen. Still rather lavender and with a more grey leaf.


This is probably my biggest, tallest, thickest stemmed one. 'Marshall's Delight' is another older variety and very dependable. I always have plenty of this one to sell of give away because it is just so 'enthusiastic'.



Last is 'Petite Delight', a wonderful color on a shorter plant. This has been less hardy here, but is does survive.




Monarda are pretty adaptable. I have them in dappled shade and full sun. Most are in what would be called good garden soil, nothing special. If yours tend to develop mildew, the only thing you can do short of chemicals, it give them more sun and be sure they get good air circulation. They increase by runners and I've never seen one pop up elsewhere in the garden from seed. They are somehow related to the mints and have a minty scent to the foliage. I don't think the blooms have a scent, but they attract all manner of butterflies nonetheless.
Jane



Monday, May 18, 2009

Monotropa uniflora

Something that grows in my garden but that I didn't plant. Despite that, it has been one of my favorite plants since I first saw them growing in the woods when I was a little girl. The common name is Indian Pipes, or the decidedly less lovely Ghost Plant, and they appear June to September. I expect this to be a good year for them since it has been damp. It is a perennial, not a fungus like you might think from its appearance, but it has no chloryphyll and instead is parasitic, getting its nourishment from the trees upon whose roots it attaches itself. It is virtually impossible to transplant into ones garden because of its parasitic nature. Sometimes is has a pinkish color, but usually is all white. They are small, only about 4 - 10 inches tall, but they are rarely overlooked since nothing else in the woods looks quite like them.
We may have had frost last night, but I haven't been outside to check on things yet. My thermometer says 33 and that's not a good thing.
Jane

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Tolmeia menziesii

Something different this morning. I always knew this plant as a house plant, piggy-back plant we called it. I had no idea that there was an outdoor version (maybe it's the same plant, not sure about that), that would be hardy here. I have also taken babies of this one inside where they did quite well. It is a small, mounded perennial. Not sure about bloom since I don't remember it blooming, but is makes new plants but growing a new leaf right at the base of, and on top of an existing leaf. You can see a baby just left of center near the top. This one is a gold/variegated version, but the all green one does the same thing. The new leaf will start to grow roots after a time and you can either separate it from the parent, or if it's an outside leaf, pin it down to the soil until it is established and then separate it. The leaves are about the size of a Tiarella, so it's not a big thing. It stays evergreen here in zone 6 on a mild winter, but lately we've had pretty cold temperatures and it has disappeared, to return in the spring. I've not seen it in catalogs recently, but I'm sure someone is still selling it. Plants are very 'faddish' sorts of things, with some being popular and then dropping off while new things take their places. Nothing to do with their being worth garden plants, just fashion as much as short skirts or the newest colors. That's the advantage of having such a large garden; I don't have to get rid of the old to make room for the new. I always have plenty of room.
Jane

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Persicaria microcephala

As promised, typing between rain showers, here are my Persicarias. The one above is 'Red Dragon and is a lovely thing, happiest in shade and a woodsy setting. The one below is (or was) 'White Dragon' and not, apparently, happy here at all. There may still be a little piece left, but I'm not sure about it. It was never very happy here.
The flower on both is the same, these tiny white ones. Flowering is in the fall.

I'll probably have time to post tomorrow morning. This morning was an early run to the post office to send boxes of plants and I didn't get back to the computer until now.
Jane


Friday, May 15, 2009

Tovara virginiana

In case you didn't notice, I tend to like variegated plants. These two photos are of Tovara virginiana, the top one is 'Painter's Palette' and the bottom one is just called 'Variegata'. I think there are too many variegatas, which makes guessing at the name easy, but as one who likes unique and creative names, I find it not all that satisfactory. Both of these prefer dappled shade or maybe morning sun. They are not picky about much else; just give them good garden soil and enough moisture and they will grow in your garden. They don't seem happy in full sun. I do have some that grow there, but not because I planted them, these self sow and give you small colonies where the original plant was and occasional surprises in other places in the garden. They don't do this to the point of being invasive, but expect more of both of these if you have one in the garden.



This last one is listed as Persicaria 'Lance Corporal' though it is related to the others and I'm not sure what they're decided on for the official name - Persicaria or Tovara. I've seen all of them listed under either name. This has the chevron like 'Painter's Palette'. It seems to take a little more sun, but I keep it in a shady spot and keep in confined to just a couple of plants because this one, unlike the others, is invasive, extremely so, and I had a rather large patch of it before I realized it was just a bit too much. It is a pretty plant, though, and I won't get rid of it all together. The leaf color can vary from green through chartreuse, to almost gold, depending on the light conditions.



All of these bloom in the fall and have a slender bloom scape which rises above the plant and has red flowers, pinhead sized, which run along the scape. Quite unusual and pretty. Tomorrow I'll do the other Persicarias, which I tend to call Persicarias (rather than Tovaras) and keep separate (at least in my head) from these because they have a different flower.
Jane




Thursday, May 14, 2009

Yucca

First a little explanation of where I've been these last few days. I haven't forgotten you and did get a fair amount of gardening done - asparagus, peppers and tomatoes planted plus a lot of weeding. We were in the midst of trying to decide if we should finally get rid of our 15 year old car and get a new/used one. After a number of test drives and talks with our banker about loan rates, we ended up with a Toyota Yaris. It may take a bit of getting used to such a small car after driving an SUV for all these years, but we both pretty much fell in love with it (and its tiny pricetag and good gas mileage) right away. Enough about that - on to gardening.
This morning I thought I'd do Yuccas since they are going to be blooming soon. No scapes yet, but any day now. I first encountered yuccas in person on my farm in West Virginia. I had seen them in books, but never knew any one who grew them. Guess they weren't big in Philadelphia. I guess I always assumed they were hot desert things. I couldn't have been more wrong. Though some of them really prefer a sandy soil, a number of them will grow in a sunny (or even not all that sunny) spot in just plain old average garden soil.
This first one is Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard' and has a green leaf with a narrow yellow edge. All of the Yuccas spread by underground runners and you will get a clump eventually, though not right away. They like to settle in first. Most all will have a tall bloomscape with creamy white flowers. This next one is Yucca filamentosa 'Golden Sword'. It is the reverse coloring of the last one, yellow with a green edge.
This one, Yucca linearifolia, is one that seems to like growing in a desert-like spot and is at the edge of the large cactus bed. As its name implies, it has quite linear - and skinny linear - leaves.
It is a bit more fussy than the filamentosas, but still not a hard thing to grow. Most of these, not counting the bloomscapes, are about 18 inches to 2 feet tall.


This is the one I call the friendly yucca. It is Yucca flacida 'Ivory'. As it's name implies, its leaves are soft, almost droopy sometimes. Very un-yucca-like. Some of the other varieties are very sharp on the tips of the leaves and can be unpleasant to weed around. Not quite like a cactus, but still pointy.

Last but not least, it good old Yucca filamentosa, the common one found on old farmsteads, or where farms used to be, and about as dependable as they come. I have them growing in sun and shade and they bloom equally well in both spots. The bloomscapes on these are sometimes 5 feet tall and covered with large, bell-shaped white flowers. Just the thing to add a tropical look to a very un-tropical garden.


Hopefully I'm back on schedule now with no major distractions to keep me from writing.
Jane




Saturday, May 9, 2009

Veronica

As promised, more on Veronica. The one above is called 'Sunshine' and has yellow leaves, at least when it is in enough sun. It has not done quite as well here as the 'Georgia Blue' that I posted about yesterday which is extremely dependable. Not enough sun and this one not only loses its yellow color and fades to green, it might just fade away all together. It also seems to be more prone to damage by slugs.
The next on is one of my favorite Veronicas, 'Sunny Border Blue'. I have it growing in full sun and part shade and it seems to do equally well in both spots. It is probably about 18 inches tall, though sometimes it needs a bit of staking to keep it tall and not sort of leaning. The blue flowers are a darker color than the 'Georgia Blue' and are spikes instead of little tiny flowers. It blooms from mid-summer till frost. I have also found this one to be a good cut flower.


This last picture is another of the really dependable Veronicas, 'Giles van Hees'. This one is much shorter, the foliage not over about 3 or 4 inches tall and the spikes, maybe up to 8 inches and a lovely shade of pink. It also blooms pretty much all summer and until frost and has come back in the 3 or 4 places I grow it for at least the last 6 years, making a large clump each year. These flowers, too, are good in an arrangement, though in this case it needs to be a miniature arrangement in a tiny vase.


In addition to these, Veronicas come in a wide range of colors including white, blues, pinks and purples. The common name is Speedwell, though I've just always known them as Veronicas.
They are easy to grow either by division or from seed. In any of its forms, Veronica is a great addition to any garden from the rock garden to the front of the border to the back.

I think I'll stick with perennials for this week (some less common, more unusual ones, hopefully) since they are just starting to bloom and then maybe do some posts to show off the peonies which should be ready for some pictures the week after.

Jane


Veronica 'Georgia Blue'

Veronica's come in so many shapes and sizes and I was always told that they were difficult to grow. This one proves all of that wrong. It is a ground cover that thrives in full sun and doesn't even seem to mind drought too much, though I expect that even this one has its limits. It has dark green leaves and flowers of that shade of blue that seems to be electrified. The flowers are not even a quarter of an inch across, but what they lack in size they make up for in sheer numbers, totally covering the plant. It has its biggest bloom in the late spring, but will bloom sporadically during the whole growing season. It makes a low mat without ever bothering its neighbors. I'll do a more comprehensive post on the Veronicas tomorrow.
Today's project, in addition to hopefully selling some plants, it to dig my new asparagus bed. I'm actually looking forward to it, maybe not so much for the digging, but for the eventual eating.
Jane

Friday, May 8, 2009

Peonies


The peony season has started. Actually one of the extra earlies bloomed last week, but now there are beginning to be bits of bloom all over the yard. This fern leaf peony is always one of the first to bloom. There is also a double form with blossoms so tightly packed with petals that they take several weeks to open. That is one of my favorites (yeah, right, I know, whatever is blooming today has a good chance of being called my favorite). With all of the rain we've been having I have high hopes for a perfectly glorious peony season since they, along with everything else in the gardens are just growing wonderfully this year. I do love peony season because, like daffodil season, there are plenty of blooms to bring into the house. Hostas and daylilies are lovely, but neither give me those long-lasting bouquets for the table that I get from daffodils and peonies, and the scent of peonies is lovely, though subtle. Tree peonies will be a bit later getting started, and I'll be posting photos of both kinds off and on over the next month.
Jane

Thursday, May 7, 2009

One Fish, Two Fish ...

Just the time of the year when I have sooooo much to write about in the garden I have soooo little time to write. Yesterday was a very early trip to town for provisions and then home to try and get something done before the rains came. And they did come. We are pretty well caught up on rain, at least for the last few weeks, but we got another 1.75 inches yesterday between about 2 and 6. A bit more than we really needed. I took advantage of the time to get all of the paperwork done for the orders which I should have started shipping last week, but didn't because all of the daylily beds were too wet to dig into yet. Hopefully I'll be able to finally start to ship next week.
The picture is one I took to send to my kids who I'd told about my newly redecorated water plant holder but kept forgetting to take a picture of. I needed something where people could see the plants without walking all over the 10 acres to the different ponds. I've not gotten it all stocked up yet, but we're getting there. It is just an old freezer that didn't work any more. Freezers are a pain to get rid of, especially one this old and heavy, so I was trying to find a new use for it. This seems to work just fine. Last fall I painted it green and got the outlines and backgrounds of the fish, and a few weeks ago I got the details put in. I'm going to continue the story on the other side - if it ever stops raining. There are plenty more Dr. Seuss fish to go...
Jane

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Polygonatum

A quick post this morning. Sylvia had the most answers correct on the quiz. Thanks to all who joined in, including those who were shy about posting their answers on the blog and emailed them to me off-list. I think I made this a bit too hard, but it started out as pictures of things that looked not quite like themselves as they emerged in the spring, and just evolved into a guessing game. Hope you all enjoyed trying to figure them out.
This plant is a miniature Solomon Seal, only about 8 inches tall, variegated, and with a single bell shaped flower. Over the years it has formed a patch about a foot square. It has just come up in the past few days - very quickly - and is already blooming, as you can see. It does need its own spot because it is so dainty and would be lost in an overcrowded perennial border. It gets morning sun and then is in dappled the dappled shade of the chestnut trees for the rest of the day.
Jane

Monday, May 4, 2009

The Answers

#1 is Polygonatum hybridum 'Striatum', a Solomon Seal. I thought this was unusual since the ones I have scattered everywhere, a more common edged/striped one, comes up looking like asparagus.

#2 is Polystichum acrostichoides, Christmas Fern. That one was pretty easy.

#3 Adiantum pedatum, Maiden Hair Fern

#4 I don't seem to have a picture of when it matures, but it is Meadow Horsetail, another version of the more commonly known large one. I'll try and get pictures of the 3 that we grow and do a post on them sometime soon.
#5 Is on of the lilies, I think it is Lilium regale, but can't be quite sure on that. They look pretty much the same, or some version of this when they come up.



#6 Polygonatum x hybridum 'Grace Baker'. Now I didn't really expect anyone to get this one, but it was just so interesting I included it. This is a smaller polygonatum, only about a foot tall that grows in deep shade here and has a very streaky variegation.




#7 Hosta 'White Wall Tire'. I can't imagine why I don't have a more mature picture of this one. It starts out all white and then as the weeks go on, develops green veins, slowly becoming a light green all over. Quite robust for something with so much white in the leaf. It can take quite a bit of sun.



#8 Tradescantia 'Sweet Kate'. Another one without a good 'grown-up' pictures. This is a lovely spiderwort that has gold leaves and purple flowers. It will self seed, but more of my seedlings seem to come true. If you have parts that revert to green, they need to be removed because the green parts will be more robust and take over the plant.






#9 Polygonum japonicum 'Tricolor'. This is a lovely buckwheat, sometimes called Mexican Bamboo, though I've only seen that name in catalogs; never actually knew someone who called it that. We grow two variegated versions of Polygonum, this one being the larger, probably getting 6 feet tall. It has a splashed white and pink variegation with some green. The other one is less red coming up, more like a whitish/pink asparagus and has a white and green splashed variegation.





#10 Last but not least, is one I thought I had a picture of - no I'm sure I had a picture of - but can't find one now. Actually I can't find pictures of any of the arisaemas, which is what this is. Arisaema griffithii. Don't hold me to that spelling. It's as hard to say as it is to spell. It is a large Jack-in-the-Pulpit which leaves at least a foot across and dark green and black spathes. Not somthing you'd overlook when walking around the garden. I'll try and get a picture of this one today if it's all opened up. This rain is rushing things along, so there's a chance it's ready for its portrait.
I'll check over the answers I received and announce the winner tomorrow.
Jane

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Convallaria majilis- Lily of the Valley

For years we had trouble keeping Lily of the Valley alive. Not sure why because it was in the 'perfect place'. It finally died out. We got some of the plain green kind 2 years ago, a 'gift' in a bag of leaves that city brings us to use as mulch. Guess someone had too much and they just threw it away with the leaves. It is planted in almost full sun and is doing extremely well.
What does do well for us, and has for years, are some of the variegated ones. This first one has an edge variegation. and is called Convallaria majilis 'Variegata'. Another of those quite descriptive, but exceedingly unimaginative names. The edge will be more distinct in more sun and more distinct at the beginning of the season. This one spreads rampantly and I always have plenty of it to sell or give away.
The second one we grow is Convallaria majilis 'Albo Striata', this despite the fact that it has yellow/gold stripes and not white. It spreads a little less enthusiastically, but it does spread. You will find a few unvariegated leaves and you just remove them.
Flowers on both are white with that unmistakable Lily of the Valley scent. My favorite perfume back in high school, when I still wore such stuff, as Muguet des Bois, French for lily of the valley. I still like the scent. Enought nostalgia for one morning.
Hopefully the weather will be better for garden guests today than it was yesterday when it was alternately cloudy, rainy, sunny, hot, windy - you name it.
Jane

Friday, May 1, 2009

Dandelions

No, this is not a rant about weeds, quite the contrary. I'm going to guess that most of you don't know this flower. Amazing as it seems, there is a cultivated dandelion (other than those eaten for salads) and it is quite lovely.

It comes up and blooms about when the other weedy ones do, but it is pure white. I've tried collecting seeds and starting them, but with no luck. Fortunately, it self seeds a bit around the garden. We started with one near the house, gotten from friends, and there are now probably about a dozen plants of it in that vicinity. The curious thing is that one appeared at the back of the garden, quite a distance away. That has formed an even bigger colony. I've never tried to dig one up to share, but with so many now, maybe I'll do that. I know how hard it is to dig the weedy ones out, so I just haven't done it. Most would be impossible to dig since they seem to like to seed themselves into very rocky places. Not sure if you can see it, but this one is growing out from under a rock.

We're expecting some amount of rain every day for the next week. I guess I'm just going to have to be wet since there is so much to do and every day of rain just makes the weeds grow more.

No answers on the quiz yet???? If you don't want to post your guesses for all of the world to see, you can send them to me at jane(at)hootowlhollow(dot)com I'm the only one who has access to that account. Remember, the most right wins even if that's only one right answer.

Jane