Yellow Loosestrife, Circle Flower (Lysimachia punctata)

Yellow Loosestrife, Circle Flower
Lysimachia punctata

I inherited this in my mother's garden-it is probably quite old.

Hello Vavsie, How beautiful! I imagine your mother is smiling seeing her wonderful flowers carried forward through you. Keep up the good work .
Sincerely, Josephine.

Hi-thank you. I was afraid to look in case it was someone yelling at me. *grin* I came to an understanding about the environment here after reading comments from other people in other areas of the country regarding problems they have with invasiveness.I think that the incredible amount and varieties of plants in Upstate New York really keep competition up. We do have problem plants, but I think it takes more oomph for a plant to break through.

I am so appreciating what has come to me from my parents-not only hands on learning and great values, but the incredible blessing of the plants here. As it was overgrown and mowed I didnt know what a gold mine it was for awhile. Only as I weed and let "funny looking grass" grow do I learn what is growing here.

Yes, I am sure my mom loves it. She lives in the liliac bush-her ashes were sprinkled there.

PAX
Laurette

Dear Laurette, What a lovely thing to do! Scattering your mother's ashes by the lilac bush.
Did she request it? She must be very proud of you, knowing that you really value the plants and all the moral principals that your parents passed on to you.
On the subject of invasive plants, I think that some people make too much of it. Yes, we have to be careful not to cause harm to the environment, but a few plants in your yard are not going to cause a disaster, especially if you are careful to not let them spread outside of your garden. I happen to love Queen Anne's lace and I have it in my garden, but I am careful to leave only a few seedheads each year. A little common sense goes a long way.
My yard is a cerified native plant habitat, I dont know if some of our plants would make it in New York state, but if some do, I will be glad to send some seeds.

Sincerely, Josephine.

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

Dear Laurette, Wow! you are amazing. Not only are you a gardener, but you are also a philosopher with a sense of humor. I like that very much. It looks like we are going to have fun corresponding.
You are so right in saying that some people are afraid of being fully involved for fear of being hurt, and yet we know that pain is as much a part of life as joy, perhaps even more common.
It looks like you love your family and pets very much. I also see that you love cats, which I also do, we have a beautiful siamese female named Angel and she brings a lot of fun and joy to our lives.
I do have some Passion flower seeds and I can send them to you. They will not be hardy in your climate, but you can grow them in a pot and bring them in for the winter.
I will need you address please. Also I would like to send you some seed of Frostweed.
I beleive that this one will be hardy in you area and it is a perennial, I love this plant because it is good in sun or shade and it looks good all year, very reliable.
I do not have Aster seeds, I usually propagate them by cuttings.
The website was built by my husband who is in the web business, I do think he did an excellent job. I take most of the pictures and input information. I also have seed of the varigated Four O'clock yellow with red streaks.
Well, let me know if there are any other plants that you might use. Your picture of the purple cone flower is very nice too.
Sincerely, Josephine.

Hi Josephine!

I emailed you-let me know if you don't get it.

Laurette

http://www.geocities.com/vavs_soror/