PlantFiles Pictures: Yellow Loosestrife, Circle Flower (Lysimachia punctata), 1 by vavsie

vavsie wrote:
Dear Frostweed,

What my mother actually said was that she wanted to be scattered over the liliac tree that is in front of the big picture window so that she can look in and make sure my Dad didnt bring another woman home, lol. We kind of split her between outside the picture window and the garden. There is no truth to the rumour that the reason for that was to prevent her from becoming a poltergeist. I am, in fact, quite disappointed that is yet to throw anything at all. Just to be safe we keep the giant jade in front of the window where she can see that we are taking care of it. *snork!*

40 years of pets are buried under the old apple tree-though I have taken to burying them (deep) in the flower garden (in areas not likely to be disturbed for awhile, such as under a rosebush). What a scare I had when I came home on halloween to see a light colored cat sitting on top of Aleister Yowley's flowery grave - as Halloween was Aleister Y's "Find-Day". It seems however, that the cat is a yellow stray, or perhaps even the one stolen right out of my arms a few years ago (I was mugged for a cat. long story).

The circle of life - the cycles of being. They never stop being painful, but in that pain is a certain kind of sublime beauty. To look away, to deny ourselves the pain or to harden against it as so many try to do, is to rob ourselves of that which is most beautiful, the richness of emotion and conscious participation in the eternal cycles of the Unity.

But then, most gardeners know this *grin*, for the very acts of sowing or reaping are timeless ritual admitting and celebrating our dependance on the seen and unseen forces of nature.

I just read that at least subspecies of native Black Eyed Susans are on the NYS endangered list. That does not surprise me, for I have been noting the past few years that these seem somewhat scarce in the wild compared to what I remember in my childhood. They are gone from my property and the fields used to be filled with them. I blamed the evil lawnmower, because being short lived they are dependant on producing seed. I tried to reseed, but they did not come back in spring, nor did the seeds produced germinate. I know the meadows should support them because they once were numerous there. Then it occured to me that the ornamental cultivars would not be naturally evolved for the conditions, so I went out and collected seeds from the wild. I will plant them in the spring and see if I have better luck.

I love the irony of most invasive species on earth worrying about garden flowers.

(looking at your list) Queen Ann's lace is too common and naturalized here to worry about. Several species of Golden Rod, New York Aster, and several more species-I think Calico, and Small Flowered Aster among them. I don't think I have seen your Aster oblongifolium. The New York and New England have larger centers. I saw some with small centers and long rays like yours, but they were very light/faint blue and seemed to be perhaps a natural hybrid. Joe Pye Weed and Boneset and White Snake Root. Two species of Iron Weed are listed in the National Audubon Field Guide/Eastern, New York Ironweed (Veronia noveboracensis) and Tall Ironweed (V. gigantea), Purple Coneflower is listed, as is Gaillardia pulchella. I put in Gaillardia aristata this past summer, which is supposed to be a perrennial, but I won't know until spring how it likes winter here. Yarrow thrives. At least some Yucca do okay here, and the NAS/Eastern says that there are a few species native to the North-east. I have not seen them in the wild, but a friends says she has them in her woods and will give me some next summer. I have lupin, and garden sage, and thyme. Rosemary is iffy here. The NASFGW Eastern usually tells if something is introduces from elsewhere-unsure of how reliable it is on "original" range.

So we seem to have a great deal of overlap. 4 o'clocks have to be dug up for the winter. My Salvia Azure did not come back after their first winter. My guess is that the prarie flowers native and naturalized to the north east are probably adapted naturally or horticulturally into specialized strains.

I crave Passionflower. There are strains that are supposed to survive here, but I don't know if yours would. If you have any seeds that wouldnt be much trouble to get, I would love to try-and perhaps bring one in for the winter just in case. I heavily mulch all the iffy plants-including those zoned for five (my zone) but not below.

Your web page is great. Did you do it yourself? Mine never come out all professional looking like that.

in LVX
Laurette