If I can't locate the seeds, I will have cuttings I can root shortly because I need to cut some of it back. I'll let you know.
Weeds or Wildflowers?
I missed the picture in your post Carole - maybe just me?
I had to laugh over your pet bees. I keep meaning to buy a booklet, I think it's from MN ag extension about gardening for bees. Well we know how to do THAT but it also tells how to capture (I think) and breed (?!) bumbles.
Ah yes! It's so cool when I can actually find something - it's hard to organize links/bookmarks, but here's the link to the book about befriending bumbles:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/DG8484.html
AWESOME!!!
And now - if you want to figure out how to organize your bookmarks (though I've not done it yet) there is a browser (?!) called Opera.
I put it on my android cell phone and it absorbed my bookmarks and favorites that I had on the phone. It's an account you can log into on the web (I think though I haven't done it yet) and it will pick up your favorites on your desktop/laptop. I don't know why no one else has done this before. It's maddening - I now am working across at least 4 electronic gadgets at home, then there's my computer at school . . .... If it works the way it says it should, it could revolutionize my world! And that would be a hard feat for anyone/thing.
Well - today is Court's momma's birthday and we are driving to visit her in Stuart, VA. It'll be a gorgeous day for a drive and I'm looking forward to the greenup as you described it this morning Carole. :)
I saw a catbird in the yard this morning. They seem to disappear overwinter.
Also - about the stairwell trellis idea? I hung old hanging baskets inside the fence with my lemon cucumber seedlings to discourage squirrels or whoever digs up my pots. Inside the fence on the ground under the hanging baskets I have 4 window boxes stretched across with my snow pea seedlings. The inside fence wall faces west. I figure the plants will grow up and stretch towards the sun and hopefully across the wire. h aha ha. One section of fencing has bamboo poles attached for support. The second length of fencing has 2 of the giant metal plastic covered green plant "stakes" for support. I have a couple of wrought iron window box holders for a deck or railing that go over the top of the fence - I could plant in those too. I'm not sure yet about planting on the other section of wood fence, but it would have to be something upright - could put some lattice or something on the outside west facing wall . .. But the squirrels. . .. . ha haha . Not worrying about figuring out how to befriend them. They've already got me well trained.
Have a lovely day. Will see if I can collect any seeds in the woods up in southwest VA. Last season I found some Verbena hastata and some others I didn't identify as the stalks and flowers were all dried by the time I collected them.
A.
Which photo did you miss? It doesn't take much for me to get lost. :)
Everything I have needs organizing. I always say I will work on that over the winter ... but I have more or less success (usually less). Nonetheless, I plug away at it.
I hope you find some good seeds while you're at Court's mother's. Happy B'day to her!
Got to go help the hubbs. Everyone enjoy their day. It's sunny and beautiful here.
oops! The bee photo didn't come thru last time I looked.
Didn't get any seeds. It rained yesterday and the trails were awfully muddy for us and the dog. Plus the ticks were abundant.
And the butterflies! Amazing. And the carpenter bees too. Lovely day. :)
A.
Ticks should be emerging here too shortly. Ugh. Last year there were so many due to the unusually warm winter we had.
Here comes the jewelweed and astilbe (and, of course, lots of violets). Sorry for some that are slightly out of focus. I have no patience for photography sometimes. :)
Carole the images are lovely - some of my blurry images are my best shots. H aha .
I am putting together what I have today to make sure I have everything started. I'm a slow starter, but we have a long growing seasono. I also have a lot more full sun this year because the power company sent their "arborists" to clear the powerlines. O well.
Does anyone grow rattlesnake master (E. yuccafolium)? I tried to start some last year but lost them some how. I've been DYING to grow them. Ha ha hah. Same as the Veronicastrum, so I'll be taking special care this year to make sure one or two stay alive. May have to put some seeds in the fridge over summer. Just doesn't seem right.
I have never heard of either of those plants, will have to look them up.
Ticks are here too. I've picked three off myself with tweezers over the last week, itty bitty ones but they were definitely buried in. Gave Mickey a bath yesterday, not because he was ticky but because his last two grooming appts were cancelled / rescheduled due to bad weather that never happen either time. Waiting for a call back from the groomer this week for a re-reschedue. Little fellow is looking more 'beastly' than usual and is time for his Summer haircut.
Nice shots, Carole.
I have read to never pull tick the out, you can stick a hot match to their butt, or you can soak a cotton swab with dish soap, and let them back out naturally. If the head is left, it can get infected.
This message was edited Apr 15, 2013 8:41 AM
Thanks for starting this thread, Amanda. I'm obviously a native plants newbie compared to most of you. My wife uses native plants as part of land reclamation and, being visually impaired, encourages fragrant wild plants. Sansai87 , who gardens at Amargia, has an interest in edible native plants.
But, I have only recently started landscaping with natives when I decided to keep honeybees. I've started adding native plants to the landscape recommended by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. . They have specific list for both honeybees and native bees and the list can be narrowed to your state. Since the weather is fluctuating so much and since plants and bees don't acknowledge our state lines ,and I'm very near a state line, I checked out the list for both Alabama and Florida, but it was still a great tool for native newbies who want to help out honey and native bees. (Jim)
http://www.wildflower.org/collections/
Photo: This isn't a Solidago we introduced so I don't know which kind it is, but bees of all sorts are huge fans of goldenrod.
Amanda - I have grown E. yuccafolium in the past but it disappeared after a few years of "benign neglect". It was a fun plant with interesting flowers so I am currently trying to germinate some seeds. No shows yet. I have Veronicastrum growing in poor soil and only part day sun but it keeps coming back. I think I have been successful by watering it frequently.
Thanks for the report, David - isn't it? :)
When I worked at the wildflower botanic garden one area was a meadow garden and I was enthralled with the mix of plants. The veronicastrum I have only been pursuing recently and perhaps the rattlesnake master. I had never grown white flowers in my garden until a couple of years ago when I started a memory garden with white and yellow. Now I can't imagine life without white in the garden, although that part of the yard is very striking - especially in winter - with a backbone of dusty miller that is apparently "evergreen" in my zone. They both look like fantabulous plants, and I am so very keen on getting them to grow. I wonder if they bloom the first year.
I get 2 different catalogs from Prairie Moon nursery. They do an excellent job. One is the garden variety ( ahh ahha) catalog, the other has more detailed cultural information. I go thru every season and highlight the plants I have and the ones I covet. Now if I could only get some liatris ligulistylus. -sigh-
They show the Veronicastrum does not need pre-treatment, but the Rattlesnake Master needs some cold stratification.
LK - did you look up the plants? They are prairie wildflowers.
Amargia / Jim - Lady Bird Johnson is another one of my favorite sites. I love the NPIN database. I also like the USDA plant database for distribution information. The bees do favor the natives over the cultivars. I have really enjoyed watching the neighbor's bees in my garden. It's really thrilling to have hundreds of bees just sitting there. With that giant aster blocking the backyard gate, I would try to skinny past, and they hardly stirred. A couple of years ago, my BF and I would pull up our chairs in the driveway and watch them - ALL of them - every imaginable pollinator and some that we could not fathom - all over the mountain mint we transported from Stuart, VA (southwest VA). It's AMAZING. I can offer plants/cuttings/offshoots if anyone's interested in paying for postage:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/49908/
Jim - here is another excellent source for your pollinator purposes:
http://www.pollinator.org/guides.htm
Thanks for joining the thread. I'm enjoying the chance to talk about wildflowers.
I grew some fleabane from seed last year and the plants were sooo healthy - over winter they stayed green - and like last season, they are wilting in full sun. I thought they needed more water?! But now I'm wondering if they need shade? I will have to investigate this. I know there must be a zillion fleabane species. This one is mostly white with a purple tinge. The leaves are oblong and hirsute with a bit of a scallop on the edges. It's such a pretty mound of foliage, and then the flower heads are just now unfolding. I can't remember who sent the seed. I don't think I made notes in my journal. I find myself kicking myself a lot this season because I grew so many things from seed last season (my first spring after paying my DG subscription?!) I planted the survivors here and there. I recognize that there are new plants coming up that I don't recognize. hahah.
Will get back to you on the fleabane.
Hope everybody had a good weekend. Sorry to see it go, but we're supposed to get rain overnight and tomorrow.
A.
This message was edited Apr 14, 2013 9:48 PM
Our fleabane, which sounds similar to yours, grows as a "weed" in our yard primarily in all-day high shade. Think you are on the right track with the exposure issue.
Hee. One of my very best wildflower reference books is called "Weeds of Southern Turf grass" put out by the Ag Extension in Florida. I found this site just now with a "weed gallery" when I was looking for my fleabane:
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/weeds_intro.html
Thumb - don't think I want to move it while it just started to bloom! I do all kinds of crazy rigs by putting sun umbrellas over plants that need it, like new seedlings or plants that collapse in the heat. I think I'll have to get creative and find these 2 fleabane some shade.
A.
Thanks, Sooz.
Nice shot of the bees on the goldenrod, Jim. One of my favorite plants. We have lots of bees, birds, and butterflies. Real treasures! My "pet" carpenter bee comes by to say hello just about every time I open the door. A couple of other curious carpenters came to the door yesterday but he ran them off post-haste. At first I was leery of them until I found out that the males do not sting at all but just like to dive-bomb possible threats in an attempt to scare them away. I image that works a lot since seeing one of those huge bees coming at you is a bit disconcerting at first. The females are fairly docile as well but will sting if threatened or provoked or if they think they are about to be sat on, handled etc. I love those buggers.
Now I am waiting to see our first hummingbird of the year.
I have E. yuccafolium seeds but haven't grown it yet as I missed out on most of the growing season last year.
I am curious about your fleabane, Amanda. Mine grows in full sun all the time. Hmmmm.
Happy weed-growing, ya'll.
Oops, forgot pics.
I did look up those flowers, and I don't recall seeing the rattlesnake plant here, but I think I have seen the Veronicastrum along the sides of the roads. I will have to pay closer attention next time I am traveling.
Cville_Gardener, we have had hummers here in Texas for at least a month now, I love my hummers very much. Look at my new tattoo my son did for me yesterday!
Fabulous tat, LK, and lucky you that your son can do that. Is that his primary occupation or?
Yes, that is his only job. Both of my boys are tattoo artist, one in San Antonio, the other in Amarillo!
OMG - that's gorgeous LK! Almost makes me want to get one, but I'd have to travel a fair distance!
Carole - thank you for the seeds which arrived today. I am always amazed at what giant plants come of such tiny seeds.
Hmmm. I also looked at your snaps of the fleabane Carole, and they look just alike. I don't know why they wilt like this - but they are isolated with no other plants around them (yet) and I remember them always looking pretty hard hit at midday noon. Then they seem to come back later in the day.
I didn't get to brew my hummingbird punch last night so thanks for reminding me to do so now. I had a job interview with the City of Greensboro Stormwater division today which went well but took up my whole day, so I'm a little (!?) behind.
Will keep you posted. Looks a little like more rain this evening.
AND now, here's a question:
If someone asked you to send them native wildflower seeds of a species that is listed as a noxious weed in 46 states, would you send it to them? :D
Hummingbird feeders have been hung for a week now. We haven't seen the first one but a friend 10 miles away called Saturday to say she has swarms drinking Ajuga nectar, only thing blooming for her now and had been out of town so none of her feeders are out yet, and just had to rub it in.
That must have been a humdinger of an interview, wishing you luck but you don't need it. Go with your gut about the trade. Are they aware it's that noxious?
A lot of morning glories are considered invasive, but I would still grow them. Maybe she will grow them in pots?
You're welcome. I've had the same misgivings about sending out some of my seeds to certain places. And I've had the same debate with myself. My rule is that if it will seriously invade the watersheds or wetlands (like purple loosestrife, for example), I don't send it at all. I don't have that plant, but someone gave it to me awhile back ... I threw it away, but there are some others that I still debate over. If I'm unsettled about it, that's my cue NOT to send the seeds or plants.
When will you know about the results of your interview, Amanda? I agree with Susan, I'm certain you did very well. Hope you get the job.
I don't know ... perhaps the fleabane wilts here too. I never noticed it doing that, but it might. It's in a wide strip along the driveway and it eventually gets mowed down as summer progresses.
You mentioned white flowers up the thread. I love white too. Here are a few:
White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima), Cosmos, Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota),
Cville-gardener, on your previous post of plants, what was the 5th pic? looks like a vine with red calayx and white bud yet to open/
Crystal, that's Bignonia capreolata.
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/w830/bignonia-capreolata.aspx
did not recognize it in bud
And sometimes my photos are unrecognizable. ;)
Cville (Carole) that's funny because I looked at that photo too and wondered what it was. I think the buds/flowers on yours were hanging down and looked like . . . .. :D
I should know by the end of the week or early next if they will offer me the job. I worked for the City of Durham doing pretty much the same thing last season, but this will be a much more comprehensive learning experience for me. I'd be very excited to get the job, and it sounds like they would want the intern full time for an extended period. I'll be finished with classes this semester but have to register in the fall just to keep access to university services while I finish my master's work. Not having to commute would be a giant windfall just in itself. The stormwater division is also the arm of municipal government that does all the streambank and wetland restoration which is very high on my lists of "when I grow up I want to . . ..."
Took a good hard look at my fleabane. HA. That's what it is. They aren't used to being "cultivated" I'll bet and sitting alone with a little mulch over their roots ... This is their second season there, I'd expect them to have extensive roots, but maybe I need to tend them more like a fancy plant. BAH! They are sending up their long stems with flowers loaded now, white with just that tinge of lavender. Will try to get a picture when the flowers open. Thanks.
The weed seed that I have is the Ipomoea coccinea. Little tiny orange morning glory. I love it/had been wanting it when it mysteriously showed up in my driveway. Ha ha ha. This is the noxious weed, but as we've discussed perhaps elsewhere on DG, many states ban the Ipomoea family entirely for it's invasiveness.
A.
If it's considered "noxious or invasive" in 46 states, I'd have to look at the endemics list to determine if it's an introduced or occurs naturally. I'm getting pretty particular about that!
Amanda - did you happen to sow the Thelosperma seeds on the plants? I haven't had one of them come back at all and I'm seriously bummed. I usually have several patches but have none that I've seen. :(
Carey - are you still HERE!? :D
I believe I did sow the seeds and I know just where. No sign of them either, but then again, they probably need warmer temps to germinate than we've had till now. Will keep you posted.
Thinking of you and your big field trip.
xox
Thelosperma-- what is this? common name or link?
Thanks Amanda. There are several stands around the local area that I can harvest some seed. With the crazy rains we've had, the seeds may not have survived (probably why I haven't seen any of my new wildflowers. Boo. :( )
I'm in Dallas right now waiting on the next flight to London. We get to fly on really new aircraft this flight! :)
LK, actually I misspelled - I meant "thelesperma" in actually this particular strain: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/68433/
Enjoy your flights Carey.
Gosh she's off on an adventure! Africa? LK can't remember but I hope she takes her camera!
As for camera, I had to stop the car at a gas station on my way home from class today and walk back over a railroad bridge to take pictures of the wisteria hanging from trees over the banks of the railroad tracks (phew! run on sentence).
Weed definitely. But such a pretty weed. I tried to root cuttings a few years ago so I could perhaps train some into a tree form - definitely a labor of love. I'm still such a novice at rooting cuttings so they did not survive.
Does anyone have thoughts on or experience with this lovely invasive weed? :D
Wow, that is beautiful! I did not know it was a weed! I had a friend send me cuttings a few years ago, and they rooted pretty easy. it has not bloomed yet, but I have been told it takes several years to bloom.
There are ten (?) species some native and those escaped from cultivation typically Chinese or Japanese. Like Kudzu - it has the ability to cover everything in its path, crush trees and houses, and choke out native vegetation. But what a way to go!!!
I'm not sure what species this is - but judging from the amount of area it covered, I'd wager a guess it was not a native variety.
Plants grown from cuttings of a mature specimen should bloom fairly quickly I would think. I was careful to take my cuttings from vines that had already bloomed (that was the professional recommendation). Grown from seed can take many years based on my research a couple of years ago. I had hoped to start one and prune it into a tree form as I have seen elsewhere.
Good luck with yours. I am so dazzled by the images - but being in it was intoxicating - the scent was very heavy in the air!
A.
This message was edited Apr 18, 2013 12:34 AM
I have seen picturs of beautiful trees like theses, I imagine they take a long to get this big?
Wowee - the one on the right looks like an image I saw last night of the largest/oldest in China I think.
There are supposed to be ancient specimens in California too. The one on the left looks do-able in one's lifetime, I would think. :)
I'm a little torn out there in the backyard. Those wild white field asters threaten to take over the yard. So do the solidago - probably S. canadensis that got to over 10' high last season with our non-winter. Also Oenothera biennis (sp). If I REALLY wanted a meadow/prairie I would let them go? I think those natives threaten to choke out all my other weed/wildflowers. Maybe around the edges....
Carole - here are some snaps of the fleabane this morning. I even managed a macro shot with a tiny bee - not bad for a telephone!
A.
