Yardening Spring 2013

Speedie, Just once did I find a dead mole in the yard. Much like you said just laying out not a mark on it but very dead.
Your pictures are so very nice. LOL on the Iris, Ric and I have a ton of white Iris to unload, at least I think they are white Iris.

My cat used to leave all kinds of "gifts" for us, voles, moles, mice, chipmunks, baby rabbits, and unfortunately some of the birds we fed, right on the porch. Many were not that damaged. Since I no longer have a cat (Holly's allergic ), I have to depend on the black snakes. They aren't nearly as nice to pet and I can't figure out how to give them treats. Holly doesn't seem to have an allergy to them. LOL
I turned most of the veggie garden yesterday and today's soft rain is showing me exactly where I need more compost. Where it's in good condition it just falls apart, where it needs amended, it remains in clumps; after the rain I will check the PH to see if I need to add lime, before I till it.

Well, I'll just shut up about the mole and be thankful then. =)

And oh boy! I had no idea what that was (pink flowering shrub), but yes, you three Ladies are right as rain, it certainly is the native wild Azalea. Woot!! I didn't notice a fragrance when I was near it.. but then again I'd been outside a while before I took the pics and the pollen had my nose quite stuffed. < =/

Paul, did you hit up HD the other night? Did ya get the Caddyshack bombs? ;) Maybe we should start calling you Carl? =)


... Platycodon coming back strong, Whee! =)

Haha no no. I did a little more reading and don't believe it is effective. The only effective method that I read is trapping them. The good news is that there are less moles then you think 2 to 1/3 of acre. And they do some good for the soil. I will just stick to stomping down their tunnels.

I agree -- voles are far more destructive than moles. Anything that eats grubs (and I think they do) is a "garden helper," not a pest. :-)

I got a mole trap some years ago thinking it would be effective for spearing voles, but that didn't work out. It was quite impressive, though, with its heavy spring and portcullis mechanism!

Holly: Don't toss any iris! I'll happily take them in lieu of them hitting the trash!!!!

Coleup/Aspen: Do you recommend any particular wild Rhodies? I'm on an active hunt for Rhodies these days.



This message was edited May 2, 2013 2:36 PM

LOL Happy, I will bring them to the swap.

Happy, I only have a few rhodies - just fairly generic ones that came from HD. I love the big leaf, big purple flowered ones (noid), but I also like the smaller leaf 'PJM' (purple) and 'Olga' (pink). Paul/UMD_Terp is a knowledge source for rhodies and azaleas, and I'm sure he has some favorites to recommend. I'm lucky to have native moutain laurel and native azaleas all through the woods. I don't think I've heard that people have much success transplanting them, but it may be worth a try if you want. Probably the low success rate is that they aren't relocating to the same woodsy conditions? Maybe we could convince Paul to come lend the digging muscle LOL.

I wonder if the wild Azaleas would grow from cuttings... I could try a couple for you Happy, stick some of my woodsy soil in a couple pots, plunk some cuttings in there and keep 'em in the tree-line to see if they take.. if they do, they're yours! =)

Aspen, how big is your mountain laurel? Those things are beautiful, I wish we carried them at work. We used to, before I started working there, but believe it or not, they were not a big seller at all, so we quit carrying them. < =/

[ quote="speediebean"]Aspen, how big is your mountain laurel? Those things are beautiful, I wish we carried them at work. We used to, before I started working there, but believe it or not, they were not a big seller at all, so we quit carrying them. < =/[/quote]

Speedie/Susan, It used to be not long ago that plants like mountain laurel or native azaleas, wild flowers ,spring ephemerals (Lady Slippers)and other site/condition specific, plant/micro rhiza community dependant flora were simply dug up from the wild, potted up and sold. Cheap stocks but high mortality not only to individual plants but to the in situ wild population. (Not many 'Venus Fly Traps ' left in the Jersey Pine Barrens for instance)
I know there was some sort of 'pressure' applied to ban the practice of wild collecting native dogwood and mountain larel here in Maryland and probably elsewhere but I am not sure by who and how....maybe the Nursery inspectors? Didn't matter too much on mountain larels because they weren't big sellers anyway (sine they don't transplant well) or Dogwoods, since that disease was effecting so many of them and there were Korean /Fla Dogwoods coming on line to take their place.
There are a few specialty Nurseries around/on-line that take the time and trouble (considerable) to raise and propagate their own stock for sale to others..supplies 'limited'.

I'm sure you see it all the time in your day job...people who pick and insist on (the customer is always right) the wrong plant !!!!

Lordy knows that some of them (and some of us, we know who we are) would come home with a polar bear cub or a baby elephant (if we could lift it and get it in our cars!) if they were for sale. Just think how cute they'd be in our yards! The elephant would make a great water feature. Personally, a tiger slinking through my tropicals would be so cool! And just to catch a fleeting glimpse of a snow leopard up on my hill...Awesome. I could sit for hours and watch my Giant Panda 'control' that invasive bamboo. What a labor saver that would be. Two birds with one stone.

I guess I need a good way to balance my irrational exuberance which is as high as the pollen count these days with some common sense . I'll go back to basics with "Don't pick the wild flowers"

lol Speedie...How are you doing on your 'argument' course work?

Just for the H---of it, I cut off about 4 cuttings from my lg. white Azalea. Removed any flower buds,
A couple of lower leaves, dipped in Rooting Hormone, and stuck it in some Mix in the bottle,
as I am now doing all my hardwood cuttings---and put it on my table against my house....
Thinking they "may" be rooting....fingers crossed...don't want to go tugging yet...

I KNOW it was the wrong time of year--but as coleup said--"Nothing ventured--nothing gained"...

Paul--There is still hope that you may get one from the white Azalea.
.....besides...Shhhhhhhhhhhhh! There is something else that, I believe, is rooted in it's bottle.
.Will pass the whole bottle on to you at the swap to continue care taking.....

G.

Speedie--

Maybe your Nursery stopped carrying the Mt. laurel because it is poisonous?

And--as been discussed above--it is against the law to dig one up in MD.
Same for the native Dogwoods...
Pink Dogwoods are grafted--not a natural occurrence.....as far as I know.
That is why they cost a lot more than the White ones....
G.

Aspen: Don't dig, but thanks for suggesting!

Aspen and Speedie: Apparently the best time for cuttings is in August/September, so it is too soon now. Many thanks for offering! My preferred method is to press a long branch to the ground and put a stone or brick on it -- the branch will root dependably within the year.

Do you think it is against the law for digging up mountain laurel in VA? Does it make a difference if it is your own private property? Speedie, the mountain laurel is very prolific thru out the 35 acres - growing anywhere between 1 foot and probably 8-10 feet if I had to estimate and depending on how old it must be. Here is a photo of a large clump that I repeatedly reminded Mike to save when we were clearing for the house site. They usually bloom around Memorial Day weekend - some years the blossoms are more prolific than others - I have never figured out any kind of condition pattern though.

The above photo is in the front yard at the left side of the house. This photo is in the front yard at the right side of the house. I kept hovering and repeatedly reminding Mike to save this one too. He told me that I was a pain in the @!!, but he sure is glad in the long run - I know I am!

Aspen -- that is beyond gorgeous. I am going to try to air layer my neighbors' mountain laurel -- I'm sure they've never even noticed it, and I can probably do it discretely -- it is just off the property line. But I know they are hard to root (the laurel, not my neighbors). So if you see any babies that you won't miss, I'd be SO SO SO grateful if you'd send them my way, and I'd be more than happy to dig. Ditto for any baby native azaleas. I just bought a Skip Laurel at MeadowsFarms in their marked-down "TLC" section -- silly me, I assumed without thinking it was a Mountain Laurel! Sigh. I've been azalea shopping this season (tomorrow and Saturday are the Landon Azalea fair for anyone local - they also have a plant sale), but the colors of so many are garish. I like the colors of the azaleas I have, so I may just propagate them more aggressively.

I'm so grateful to you for identifying my PJM rhodie -- now I am on the lookout for an Olga based on your recommendation...

Hi Happy, the Olga (actually Olga Mezitt when I looked it up in Plant Files) is on the hotter side of pink, so the color may not be as soft as you may like. Mine is getting beyond peak bloom, but I'll take a picture tomorrow so you can get an idea of how it looks in my yard. Like PJM, Olga Mezitt is also a small leaf rhodie. Olga is one of the first things that I bought and I planted two very small ones near the front porch. Over the last 20 years, they have really grown. I ended up taking one out and transplanting along the driveway. It marks an entrance to a woodland trail that Mike just cut through the woods for me a few weekends ago. The one remaining by the front porch is huge and is a spectacular sight when in full bloom.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/65469/

Coleup, Thank you for those wonderful links about the propagation of Azaleas, those are keepers to be sure! I like the idea of holding a branch down to the soil with a large stone, I think I'll try that and just watch patiently until this time next year. The soil in that area is completely untouched and rich rich rich!!

I have read about the incidents of native plants being dug up and sold... tsk tsk tsk!!! Where I work, we sell predominately "Native" (or 'naturalized') plants/trees/shrubs. Granted, there are always specifically labeled "Tropicals", and of course annuals galore at this time of year, but the nursery has (for over 25 years) prided itself on sticking mainly to either native or naturalized (not invasive) stock. We have several growers that we get our stuff from, and I believe they are reliable. The only thing that we sell, that I wish we didn't, is English Ivy!! Can you believe it!?!?! Thankfully it doesn't sell really well, heh heh. But yes, as you mentioned, there is always someone coming in looking for some special "thing", and it's always a trick to start asking them about soil/sun conditions... ZONE/micro-climates etc. I can't help but to be brutally honest with people sometimes "No, that will not work here, and even if it were available through our growers, I'd rather you not waste your money and time just to have it DIE, and it WILL, 'cause this is just not the right zone for it." ... there are always those who just don't want to hear it; they had it years ago when they lived in zone 9b, why not now/here? I tell them strongly not to waste their time, and all the response I get is "What other nurseries are around here? OK, thank you for your time..." Dude, good luck to ya, don't say you weren't warned!

Gita, I'm pretty sure the reason we stopped carrying the Mt. Laurel isn't due to it's poisonousness... we carry lots of things that could be harmful if ingested... by man or beast. They get sold with strong warnings! I'd discussed this with BossLady just the other day, the deal with Mt. Laurels, and she told me that they just weren't selling. **shrug** Okey dokey.

Oh.. heh heh, the class is going fine, thank you for asking. So far I've gotten pretty good grades on the papers I've turned in... 180/200, 185/200, 185/200, 185/200, and 186/200 = a 92.1 grade over all in the class so far.... + 50 extra bonus points for getting 100%'s on the grammar section at the beginning of the semester. =) Only one essay to go, rough draft to be reviewed on Tuesday. After this class I get a 2-week respite before the MATH (insert scary music here) starts! < =/

Happy, I'm gonna try layering that Azalea out there, and I'll keep thinking about you, especially if I'm successful! =) Meanwhile, I won't tell your neighbors about your "experiment" if you don't! < =D

Aspen, OH MY GOODNESS those Laurels of yours are spectacular!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a little something to add to the propagation of Azalea discussion. I have a little baby Azalea that I have been watching grow for the last couple of years. This year it bloomed for the first time. Thing is I didn't propagate it or plant it. It is the same Azalea as a nearby one (about 2ft) so the ? is could this grow from seed? or could I have dropped a small cutting when I was trimming and it rooted itself? Here is my tiny mystery Azalea.

Yippy Skippy! I just took my first Asparagus cutting, I still have no sign of the new Purple Passion I got from Landreth at the flower show. I hope I wasn't too tardy in getting it planted.
Teri, That Laural is gorgeous. I remember one area in particular in the mountains near Chambersburg that had burned badly, as it regrew, the Laural took over and covered acres beneath a few mature trees that survived. I saw it once in flower and it was like a sea of flowers.

Dunno Holly, but neato.

RIc- got asparagus too, tho my clumps are at various sprouting/not sprouting stages. Not sure why, but can say the Purple was later than the green.

I picked and promptly ate one huge spear of purple passion asparagus from my mini-bed yesterday! OH, MY it was delicious. I seem to have a few places where crowns didn't make it over the winter, but maybe they're just late sprouters. I think I started with 2 dozen.

NOM
Give them a little more time- given your zone V mine they're probably OK. But watch out for the beetles, I already have them hiding in the leaf buds and laying eggs

Thanks -- I'll be vigilant!

man I was Yardening every spare minute today !! planted tomatoes cukes and winter squash starts. among other things done .

I worked outside from 10:30AM until 5:30PM.
Came inside--did my thing on here--and then decided to go out and mow the lawn.

Can't exactly remember everything i did.....so many "little" things 5that still take up time...
Also---
I planted my 2 Tomatoes, put netting over my Strawberries, which took a long while--
dug up the broken Butterfly Bush (NOT easy!! and amended the soil and then planted
the little "mystery bush" (Mock Orange) in the corner there....cleaned, hosed, fertilized--
all that stuff--and mowed my lawn....My whole body is stiff......
AHHHH--what is it I always say? "Mind over matter"
Besides--yesterday, donner and I went flower shopping at THAT place--that was tiring too--everything is on the floor....

Tomorrow I go to Aina's and plant whatever veggies she needs to plant--mulch and water all that..
She is still on crutches and cannot do any of that herself....Those two are a good pair right now....

Sunday, is my first full day in Garden (at HD)...looking forward to it--just hope my legs and feet hold out....
But--I AM excited....
Wait until you see the huge sign I made for Mother's day!!! Another masterpiece......

Gita

Sally, So was Ric. He started at my Parents house while I took Mom to do her shopping. Dad fell a few days ago and has some really sore ribs no breaks but in a good bit of pain. No driving for him for awhile. Then he came home and jumped right into the Veggie Garden. I didn't do much myself but I did pot up a few things and put together a little rock garden planter. I'll post a pic of that later. Maybe time to start a container thread.

Holly...so glad your Dad didn't get any worse of a fall. Hope he heals fast.

Oh gosh Holly, I sure hope your Dad bounces back quickly, and like Sally, I'm glad too that it wasn't worse!

I noticed a difference already in his breathing, he is breathing much deeper than he was so phenomena won't be a issue. Also, he got dressed by himself while Mom and I were out shopping. Speedie, took a page from your book encouraged him to take his pain meds and told Mom not to fuss with him and let him get up and move around as much as he feels like. Told her he might hurt when he moves around but can't hurt anything and it is good for him.

phenomena
Love that spell check, snort
Keep moving, that's my motto.

When I went to ER after punching myself in me ribs when a rampant wisteria vine finally but unexspectantly gave way to my prowress, I was sent home with a 'volumizer incentive spirometer'. Instructions were 10 deep breaths 2000 and above, hold for count of 30 4 times a day as a pneumonia preventative.

I would have liked the kid friendly one, but was only offered the adult version.

Hope your Dad heals well and fast.

The kid friendly one should go home with everyone.

LOL Sally,
Talked to Mom he is doing good.

What could these be, the first one is all over the front yard. The orange one is pretty but I don't know what it is.

Robin- don't know on 1 but i have seedlings that could be the same.
2- wonder if a Wallflower that self seeded?

Robin my first thought was Crown Vetch but I think that flower looks like a Spiderwort.

I know that Steve (landlord) had spread one of those cans of wildflower seeds over the front yard last(?) year so I guess the 2nd one could be Wallflower, will check out Crown vetch and spiderwort.
Thanks.
I just know the yard needs cutting no matter what they are.

Absolutely NOT a spiderwort , dear friends. Crown vetch is a good candidate.