Hey Jim! Nice to meet you here. I'm up late still frustrated, but DG is another place I like to "go" to hide from my worries. :)
The grape mom had in our yard had thick chewy juicy innards with seeds. The skin was a deep dark glaucous purply blue. We would squeeze the fruit out of the skin and pop it into our mouths. Good God, they were so tart and I start salivating just thinking about them. Ha haha.
I do believe it was a scuppernong. I have had a bottle of wine from the vineyard up near Martinsville made from "native indian" varieties that tastes and smells just like mom's backyard on a summer day.
About the Ohio spiderwort. I have it here. It does not misbehave in my red clay, though I've seen it in cultivated gardens (North Carolina Botanic Garden) where it was 3' or 4' high or more and competing in dense stands of other wildflowers. I was very impressed with that and hoped mine would someday get that tall. Perhaps if the baby rabbits would not feast on them for the first few months of the year. :)
Mine grow out from the center and spread that way - not by runner or underground rhizomes. They have never popped up in other parts of the yard. It's one of my favorites and I'll take it with me everywhere always. :)
Mine doesn't bloom all season either. Could be the high humidity? I'm guessing a lot of our common regional natives act differently in our different climates. Maybe Greenbrain has had different experience with it in IL?
Weeds or Wildflowers?
ps. Jim - I have quite a few items on your "want " list so I'll send you a dmail!
There are 2 types of spiderwort that come up volunteer every summer in my yard. They just seem to appear out of nowhere, so I'm assuming that the birds spread them. They are very nice, so I leave some plants alone and others I pull.
The blue one is actually called dayflower & mig ht not be a spiderwort. It'san unusual bright blue color, but more weedy.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/653/
A nice purple volunteer spiderwort that I found growing along the alley. I've tried moving it, but it doesn't transplant well. Instead, it still comes up along the alley every spring. I'm not sure which variety that I have, but it looks similar to these pictured.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2079/
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2026/
Good evening Greenbrain! The asiatic dayflower is listed as a noxious weed here I think. It's a pretty flower but I do my duty and pull it up. :/
Have you seen some of the fancy cultivars of spiderwort? There's one with lime green foliage I just remembered that I would love to have. So pretty with the purple flowers. :)
http://www.colourparadise.com/productsDetails.php?Sweet-Kate-1335
That is nice with the lime green foliage. I like that it's not particular about light exposure.
I have 'Sweet Kate' and it is one of my favorites. But I have a thing for chartreuse plants anyway, especially paired with purple, and plant that color combo alot.
My grandfather grew a small slipskin grape that was deep purple and delicious. Makes my mouth water to think about it as well. I have fond memories of eating them on their small farm. He also grew a white grape that was similar. Lovely. Our Southern Fox grape around here is smaller and tougher.
'Sweet Kate'
Sorry about the irregular spacing on my previous post. A key popped off in the middle of typing it & I was struggling to pop it back in place. lol
You all are making awefully jealous of your shaded areas..... I've got a yard that is magically positioned so that it faces in such a manor that I get sun on all 2/3ds of an acre. Except for a 10 foot patch underneath my pine trees that border the drainage ditch on the east side of my house. It is lovely in the morning but come around 10 am it's getting beat down until about 2pm. I've tried hyrdrangeas there and hostas and of all the ones I've put there I have one hydrangea left it has been there for 3 years but never gets taller than about 14 inches with a very small flower head maybe 2 inches. Sadly I don't remember the name of it though and can't find it in my notes.
I hear that, Mike. Actually, I need to move 'Kate' as she gets too much afternoon sun now that I've cut down some other things. We are on almost half an acre and most of the cultivated part of that manages to get full sun except under the spruce and maple and a few other trees where there is too much root competition. :(
However, we back up to woods and that's where I get full to partial shade all day long. That's a lot of shade if I can stay out of the poison ivy and the ticks. Bleech! :)
Here's a lovely hardy vine growing last year (now sprayed, pulled, hacked and hopefully gone forever from at least most of the fenceline). I know it's advantageous to the fauna/wildlife but NOT to me. :(
Eastern Toxicodendron radicans
There are lots of native "weeds" that I'll encourage for their wildlife value, but not Toxicodendron radicans. Cville, I hope you got it all.
Ack. I had never bothered to learn the taxonomic name before, but now I can impress my friends and stump my absentee neighbor. There is some growing up from her yard into mine. :/
I just LOVE Kate. My spiderworts are now in full sun since the powerline easement was cleared. Not sure what I'm going to do - plant full sun stuff behind them!
I found new growth at the ground on the Texas Star Hibiscus I grew from seed last year. Very excited! :)
What's popping in your yard today? I'm about to go out and start pulling more weeds to find out.
A.
Anyone here recommend a good book ( with lots of pictures) to help not pull up any "wanted volunteers"? I recognize most of the stuff I don't want most of the time but I still find myself wondering from time to time and letting the unidentifialbe ( by me) go a bit longer to see what they may be. I have more weeds than enough in my yard and as I understand it that is a sign of poor soil content ( please correct me if I'm wrong).
Thanks. Now I know for sure we have the Ohio Spiderwort (Bluejacket) here and I don't have to try to get rid of it. That would have been a major job. It is just very very happy here lol. (Jim)
Blankets of yellow from my four-nerve daisies! Butterflies and birds are heavy this spring. Kind of a nice change!
My Anacacho Orchid Tree has been popping it's fragrant blooms in a roundabout manner this spring. Our wacky weather has obviously confused the poor thing and it looks pretty ragged.
Mexican Hats (Ratibida) should start showing their color too!
Mike - my very favorite weed/wildflower guide is called "Weeds of Southern Turf Grass" from the University of Florida Extension Service.
I can't recommend any other, but it pretty adequately represents what we have here in the Piedmont.
Boy, do I ever feel like a newbie! I recently moved to Cleveland Ga area. Have about .8 acre, mostly wooded. I wanted to go with native plants as much as possible. Many years in Michigan and I could identify just about everything there. Here, I am lost. I recognize a few things, like Queen Anne's Lace, that were common in MI, but most things are new to me. I understand jewel weed grows here, but I've yet to see any. I moved in back in Oct. so now everyday is an adventure of finding new things popping up. For the most part, I have mainly oak woods. But I'm not even all that familiar with the trees that grow here. Then there are the ferns, and the moss, all of which I want to identify and learn about.
There are two small areas that get sun because the previous owner took down all the pines and opened the woods a bit. But we are only talking max 6 hours of sun. I want to grow some veggies in the areas with the most sun, but the rest will be for natives that can tolerate shade. I know there is some joepye here because it was still standing with dried flower heads when I moved in. So far I have identified several varieties of violets, hawkweed, silver wintergreen, lots of solomon's seal, wild ginger, and many Catesby trillium. There is a lot coming up that have leaves that make me think they may be some sort of aster. There are a lot of things coming up that look interesting, but I have no clue. So I will be in here picking you folk's brains!
Once the previous owner opened up those areas of the woods, he did nothing with them. Since that let in sun, wild blackberry and Japanese honeysuckle, tree saplings/seedlings and other stuff went wild and took over. I spent some time over the winter going through that mess with a long handled lopper and surface cut stuff stem by stem. I had a feeling that in the midst of it all there would be a lot of plants I would want to save, so didn't want to dig. Got a fairly good size area cleared, but have a lot yet to go. Now, with everything coming up like crazy I'm only cutting things I recognize that I know I don't want. Meanwhile, I'm eyeing the slopes, low spots, mini climates and trying to make a plan. Any help from you folks will be welcome!
I agree, l6blue, almost anything for the critters besides poison ivy. I rarely spray but I do make an exception for the p.i. :(
My favorite weed book isn't technically a weed identification book but it sorta works out that way. It's titled "Edible Wild Plants: Wild Foods from Dirt to Plate" by John Kallas, PhD (Gibbs Smith Publishing). I find a lot of IDs in there. And much useful info if you want to prepare and dine on any of your weeds.
Carey, are you back or haven't left yet?
Hi, kattykorn, it sounds like you've found and identified quite a few interesting things. Very nice. The jewelweed is a treasure. At least I think so. Mine (smile) has started to sprout in large numbers this year. What variety of Joe Pye do you have? This is mine last winter ... one of my favorites that I leave standing for winter interest. It actually came in a trade from someone up north. I've yet to get it cut back this spring.
Hi Katty - sounds like you have a neat opportunity out in those pine woods maybe for a meadow-ish garden? Lots of things stored in the seedbank. Maybe mow it once you've got it cut down the way you like (truly a labor of love!) and wait to see what happens.
I don't have shade anymore, but a native that I had wanted to purchase this year is amazing in shade!
Spigelia marilandica/Indian pink.
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SPMA3
and a reliable place to mail order:
http://www.plantdelights.com/Spigelia-marilandica-Perennial-Indian-Pink/productinfo/2315#.UXv8xqz_F34
Glad you've found us. I'm not as good at wildfower ID, but I'm sure someone knows what you've got in your backyard!
A.
Plant identification is an issue for me also. I made the mistake of planting wildflower mixes. Not a smart move for a native’s newbie. Now I have to try to figure out if what is coming up is something from the packaged mix or a real weed. Thankfully one of us did think to write down the names of the flowers in the mixes.
Amanda any seeds you could share would be appreciated. We have six acres to play with. Although, Amargia only owns 2 1/2 acres. We grow vegetables and exotics in large containers and leave the remainder to natives. It's a sandy, west-facing hillside with a small creek on the north border. The existing trees are huge pines, willow and turkey oak, red cedars and magnolia.
Photo: My m mystery plant of the day
Photo: Leaf of mystery plant (Jim)
Hi Jim!
I'm happy to share! If your address is not in the member's exchange could you send it to me? I'll see what I can put together. Not enough for 6 acres, but still . . ... :D
Yes, seed mixes are like a box of chocolates. a ah hahahhahaa A DG member sent one last season which I dutifully spread and got not a whole lot. o well. They will stay in the seed bank and maybe someday, if I live here long enough . . ...
The picture you posted looks like a plant I've been meaning to post for an ID. I have thought it looks like a salvia. Mine has square stems and forms a basal rosette in winter. While still rosette the leaves are almost purple! I transplanted some into my driveway from a field down the hill last year. The flowers are pale blue/violet with a white throat. Have you posted it on the Plant ID forum yet? Your question might be answered faster there, but all the folks who are experts on natives will prowl this thread eventually.
Jim if you have riparian property then maybe you'd do well with some wetland natives? I'll see what I can come up with. Gives me some ideas.
Have a good evening. I wonder if it's raining where you are? Looks like this giant rain system might skirt us to the south.
A.
the leaf is from lyre leaf sage
I agree, Crystal. The plant appears to be a lyre leaf sage (Salvia lyrata).
We just had a doozy of a storm last night with thunder so "big" it shook the house. I think the total rainfall was well over 6" ... at least my rain gauge ran over at that point. To say everything is soaked would be an understatement.
Now that is cool... my daughters name is Lyra. I'm sure she would get a kick out of that! Her very own "Lyra" flower.
We got back on Tuesday. I was coming down with a cold on the flight back so I've been battling that while trying to re-establish the correct sleep schedule. Then yesterday LK (Taters) and I rode together to Joy's (rouxcrew) for the spring round-up. You can see the pictures here: http://bit.ly/12vGuff :)
I guess my decision to let the backyard go "wild" this year has paid back well! I'm making sure to keep the feeder on my back porch well stocked with songbird feed - I now have two pair of Cardinals that pretty much own the feeder, with the occasional mockingbird and dove dropping in (before the cardinals chase them off). Best surprise though - a pair of Painted Buntings! First time I've seen them was yesterday, and they're back today. First time I've had repeats!
Wow Carey, I've never seen bunting in person.
Welcome back! I look forward to seeing pics of the RU. we have one in VA in May then one in NC in June.
Thanks also for the ID on the sage. I will have to look that one up. The one I have has green foliage now, no markings like that pictured.
Have a great day! We had a great time yesterday doing yard stuff because we knew the rain was coming.
Oh how I want to grow WildGinger.
I got into Woodland wildflowers about 30 yrs ago. Have been in current home x17 years and front yard is naturalized woodland wildflowers from the Gatlinburg, TN area to the NC Piedmont. I also focus on flowers & shrubs that support hummers & butterflies. Many Viburnums already here when I bought in ''96.
Have May Apple, Soloman's seal, false Soloman's seal, Trilium, last year my very 1st Trout Lillies appeared. Few Dwarf crested Iris (blue), Bluets and Wintergreen (which always reminds me of a street lamp).
Love anything Yellow. Absolutely love Maltese Cross. I've had 1 that returns every year. Last year there were 2 of them and I collected seed which I cast all around a 3' area.
I also have that tiny Imopoea [(orange w/ yellow throat) and the same size one that is solid white]. There is a vivid crimson vine with feathery leaves and tiny vivid red flowers- it's name escapes me.
Would really love some Hyacinth Bean Vine as mine did not come up last year. Also Black-Eyed Susan Vine is a favorite that I long for each year.
That reminds me: a friend stopped by to give me a yellow trillium! :)
Oh how exciting. They are such special woodland babies to watch for each spring.
Cville, I don't know about the variety of Joepye. I noticed it in August last year when I first saw the property. Wasn't able to move in until Oct. Before I moved in, a friend's husband came out and cut down some tulip poplars that were too close to house and shed. While he was at it, he started cutting down other things, including the Joepye! But now I think I see it coming up again. Last year I saw a lot of it along roadsides and in fields on my way driving up here.
AmandaEsq, not pine woods. Previous owner cut down the pines, only one huge one left. Lots of hardwoods, mostly oak, some native dogwoods. Heavy shade except where he took out pines and at edge of woods near house. Not much at all is growing under the hardwoods. Pretty dense shade there. Thanks for the tip on the Indian Pink. Gorgeous plant. I wrote it down on my wish list.
BirdieBlue, I have wild ginger coming up everywhere. I will be happy to share if someone can advise best time/procedure to dig and send. I have moved nothing so far, just marking stuff and identifying it. Need a season here to know how much sun is going to be where before I start digging and moving stuff. It's going to look like a crazy mess for at least one more year!
If it is up, now is probably good. Next weekend is supposed to be cooler and this week , pretty mild. I will send the return postage to you
yippee- I- o- ky- yeah!!
katty, the Joe Pye should come back readily for you from those big old roots. I love that stuff. Butterfly magnets, that's for sure.
I am longing for Mayapple if anyone has any to share. Will pay postage or trade for something.
Birdie, I have some purple Hyacinth Bean Vine seeds I can send you, if you still want them. I've just planted them for this year but I have a lot of saved seeds. I have a few seeds of the white 'Alba' that I'm planting this year as well. I do hope that one grows. Seems I lost it the last time I planted.
Shheesh, Carole - look at the buds on that prickly pear. Ours is just starting to fatten up after a long winter.
And your Lablab is very pretty - the blooms so upright! I grew it a while ago but gave it up when we moved. This year I'm trying Spanish Flag/Ipomoa lobata this year, and I'm very excited. I don't usually do morning glories, tend to be so prolific with the seeds, but this will be in the driveway so maybe it won't escape.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1317/
I have an arbor/arch just inside the yard which I will again grow the very exotic (but not nearly invasive) Vigna carcalla, Corkscrew Vine. I grew them from seed last year after seeing the bloom in pictures fell in love. I gave several away and now have three. The one I grew on the arbor got to the top, bloomed once, and sort of fell dormant. It has developed a big knot on the stem at soil level so it looks like it's pretty sturdy. I have 2 others that never got out of their 4" pots which are rearing to go.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1884/
Of course, the rest of my fence around the yard will be covered by those native grapevines on the uphill/west side and passionflower on the east/downhill side. I have both the P. incarnata grown from seed and P. lutea with a tiny yellow flower that is a volunteer out around the front of the house.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/58221/
I dug and transplanted a trumpet vine along a roadside one summer to the condo. It was just starting to go WILD when we moved out. Would love to have one here, but there's just no more upright space for such a sprawling vine. But maybe . . . it might be a good species to compete at the back of the yard where thorny brambles, english ivy, and the giant wisteria want to take over. It's sort of semi-evergreen isn't it?
A.
Duh. Thanks Goldhillal for the ID. I knew we had lyre-leaf sage in a very shady area. Someone on the ID forum told me what it was a year or so ago. I didn't realize it was the same plant. It looks different when growing in a sunny location. The foliage is more colorful and the blooms are smaller, but much more numerous than I remember. I'll file the leaf shape in my head from now on.
'Sweet Kate' is definitely on my acquire list now. I'm relegating the sky blue spiderwort to a steep bank we took back from a stand of seacane (arundo donax). I like the fact I can get a seamless look from spiderwort in mixed sun/shade conditions.
How many of you direct sow your wild seeds? I'm wondering what has a greater success rate from starting indoors to just tossing them on the ground and hoping they take. I have found when I start mine indoors I seem to get them out too late or they get real leggy and just don't make it after transplant. I want the natives in my yard but I want to have a controlled chaos to the look of where things will be in my yard. Plus I have super sandy soil and many things just don't like my soil so I find myself amending alot of organic materials into my beds.
That prickly pear is Opuntia humifusa - from the pads Sooz sent me. They have grown by leaps and bounds, bloom and set fruit the last two years.
Love all the vines, Amanda. On my fences I have several varieties of honeysuckle, the hyacinth bean vine, bignonia capreolata, moonvine, passiflora incarnata and some other passifloras, some wild roses, and a lot of wild things on the back fence by the woods. Oh yes, and the wild grapevines. I have mixed feelings about those.
Mike, I almost always direct sow my wild seeds and then just thin if necessary. I've started the hyacinth bean vines and a few others in cups and then planted them out but rarely start them indoors.
"Controlled chaos" - good term.
My wife has a theory that the ability to transplant easily inadvertently gets bred into plants during the normal course of the nursery business. She thinks natives are more difficult to transplant successfully. I think she might be on to something.
We start seeds outside in areas reserved for the purpose. Nursery beds of a sort. Then, move them once they are well established and multiplying. We have the luxury of more than the usual amount of space, however. and we are off the beaten path. The controlled look I see in your photos is impressive, Mike. Not even the pickiest housing association could find fault with using natives your way. Sometimes, when weeding, I wish we had less space. Amargia is barely on this side of complete chaos much of the time
Hi, Birdie.
The storms reached our area last evening. Looks like I will be inside today. (Jim)
Mike - like you - I feel that the ability to germinate and grow things in containers before transplanting to the yard is important if I want to ensure that I have a specific plant.
There are a lot of factors working against us in an urban setting, I think, as Jim says for one the amount of space we have.
With natives also, the germination rate is often difficult to assess. Some seeds need pre-treatment to mimic natural processes. Some seeds with tufts of floss can be dispersed by the wind. Stormwater runoff takes seeds with them and pools them in different areas. Plus, when trying to reproduce the reproductive (!) cycle, I have so many fewer seeds than Mother Nature herself who has an abundance of seed to work with. If I'm lucky, I will have 100 seeds, or less. Usually less.
So my thoughts on the question is - I always start from seed if I want to make sure I have germination and transplant success. There's only one place in my yard I have direct sown seeds and have had a wildflower mix with natives mixed with vermiculite.
I even start Zinnias in pots because I don't have enough full sun to dump a handful of seed. I need to place each and every plant (!) except of course those goldenrods and white asters. Once I get something established it's free to move about the yard, and seeds are disbursed by wind or birds giving a more natural effect.
The only other seed I sowed directly was this spring, in my front flower beds, where I put the California poppy seed down. I have tried for years to grow in pots and transplant without success. A DG friend from CA says direct sow is the only way to go and sent me several packets with hundreds of seed in each (!!). I if I can get just one single orange poppy, I will be delighted.
Just my thoughts.
A.
Thank you all for the responses. The experiment that is my continues. ;) I get more than enough sunlight I feel for just about anything to germinate, however the tricky part is ensuring that I keep the "right" level of moisture with my sandy soil. I have plenty of soggy areas in the yard but that is mostly just that, yard! I've often thought of a rain garden project but that is for another time. I have one bed that has come along nicely soil wise from when I began. It was and the others remain largely contractor grade sand that they use to level the foundation..... what a pain in the butt.
*Smile* So very true. We each have to experiment with out little part of the world, our micro-climates, our resources, our weather. So many variables. Getting something to sprout and keeping it alive are two different things. ;)
Well, snap, I didn't realize I'd captured a picture of one of my pet carpenter bees gathering pollen on the Joe Pye until I just went back and enlarged the pics quite a bit. Awwww. Amazing, if I do say so myself. I'd never have been able to do that if I was actually trying.
As an aside, I have lots of seeds of the Mojave Aster (Xylorhiza tortifolia) fresh from the Mojave Desert if anyone wants any. Very drought tolerant but zone 8 and up. Likes it warm and dry. Not a Southeastern native but I'm trying it here anyway since a friend sent all the seeds. I'm going to grow mine in a container so I can move it around, out of the wet and into the warmth. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/94449/
Birdie, your hyacinth bean vine seeds just got picked up by the mailman and are on their way. I hope you have good success with them. ♥
Hey Mike - funny I was just going to say the same thing about the mailman coming to the door.
I am sending you the Carpheporus corymbosum (sp?) on your want list. I still have a handful of seeds left from when I went a-searching for them a couple of years ago on behalf of the butterfly forum. :D
I am going to try again this year to grow a mess of them. They look very much grass-like as a new plant, and the rabbits just loved them! Yet another reason to plant things in pots first. Particularly RARE things.
The sun is peeking thru here in the Piedmont. Hard not to notice especially when I should be studying for finals and writing final papers. ack.
A.