Spring is Here!!

I have been on a winter hiatus, but now I'm just itching to get outdoors and plant, rake, dig, re-pot, hoe, mow, prune, sow, thin, transplant, cultivate, tend.....you get the idea. And there is no shortage of things to do.  If you are reading this blog, you probably like gardening, too, and you know exactly where I'm coming from.  So let the gardening begin....

Grape Hyacinths:  I love these little guys.  They are so bright and cheerful and require very little care.  Muscari are members of the Lily Family.  Muscari armeniacum can become invasive as the seeds are readily dispersed.  Muscari botryoides is less invasive.  The two species are virtually indistinguishable, and I'm not sure which one I have, but I certainly have not had a problem with them becoming invasive.  In fact, I wouldn't mind if they would spread the wealth of blue a little bit in my back yard!

                                                    

This is the first Celandine Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum) of the year.  These bright yellow native flowers are very easy to grow and like dappled shade. They are self-seeders so I always have new plants and move them around as I see fit.  Ants aid in moving seeds to other parts of the garden, as the seeds have an oily substance that stick to the ants.  Cool!   If you are cutting or digging up these poppies, be careful of the yellow sap present in the stems and seed pods.  The Native Americans used the yellow dye for baskets, clothing and war paint, and it is difficult to get out of clothes or wash from your skin.  I received this poppy from a visitor to my garden when we were on the Edwardsville Garden Tour in 2010.  She was so surprised that I had no Celandine poppies, and she said she would bring me one.  A few weeks later, she showed up at my house with the poppies.  I don't even know her name but that's what's so nice about gardening and gardeners. Recalling her kind deed, I am happy to pay it forward to my fellow gardeners.

This is such a sad picture!  I'm posting it to demonstrate the importance of monitoring your bluebird houses regularly.  I cleaned this bluebird house about 2 weeks ago, discarding a nest that was left in it over the winter, so I know this little guy wasn't here then.  It appears to be a juvenile Chickadee.  Maybe he was seeking shelter from the extreme cold we had last week. We saw our first bluebirds of the spring on Sunday. They were sitting on this house but I never saw them enter it.  Maybe now I know why!  Well, Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird, your house is now clean and ready for you to move in!

The emergence of Lysimachia nummularia.....well, that's a mouthful.  But if we break it down, maybe we can remember the scientific name for this Creeping Jenny or moneywort. The genus is named for King Lysimachus (661-281 B.C.), King of Thrace in Greek mythology. The species gets its name from "nummular" which means "coin-like."  When my daughter was little, she had "nummular eczema" which manifested as coin-like rashes.  The leaves of Creeping Jenny are round, coin-like.  I have this patch in a shady area in our back landscaping.  I also dig up swatches to use in large pots for the pool area.  And last year I tucked some swatches into rock crevices in the Koi pond, where it grew quite nicely with the roots directly in the pond water.  It's a very versatile plant!

In the opening for this blog entry, I forgot to include the verb, ERADICATE!

That is what we are trying to do with all the bush honeysuckle on our property.  It's not too difficult to cut the stuff down, and not difficult to paint the stump with glyphosate, but hauling it away is a big pain!  But, we will keep at it until it is ALL GONE!!!!!!

 

              🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻Happy Spring!🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

What plants do you have peeping through?  Leave me a message or comment and thanks for visiting.

More Winter Prep

Imagination as a Master Naturalist
Although many of the plants I have on our farm are non-native plants, I still do enjoy them. I'm not a purist Master Naturalist.  I think it's fine to have non-natives, but I do encourage everyone to plant at least some natives to encourage wild life to visit their gardens.  It's fun to think about the prairies of Illinois, and I do so often when I'm out working in the garden, looking out to the west, and seeing the Mississippi River flood plain.  I think about the Indians that used to be here, probably right on our property.  I look to the east and see the bluffs behind our house and how Chuck's great-grandfather said the Mississippi River would sometimes flood and come right up to the farm in the late 1800's.  Of course, this was before any levees were built and before Cahokia Creek was diverted.  He even said there were times when steamboats could be seen from the farm!  Using creative license, I can imagine prairies without any sign of civilization or perhaps prairies with some teepees and a cloud of smoke rising to the clouds.  It's fun to imagine!

A Primer on Elephant Ears
You all probably know what an Elephant Ear plant is.  I didn't know that these can be invasive in the far south in tropical regions.  We have no issue with that in Illinois since our winters will turn the corms to mush if you don't dig them up in the fall.   I also learned that the corm is used by Hawaiians to make poi, a Hawaiian staple.  I remember eating poi when we visited Hawaii, and I was NOT IMPRESSED!   I finally dug them up today, and I'm glad I did before they received a hard frost because they get very slimy after a freeze.  

You may have noticed that I used the word CORM.  Many folks think that Elephant Ears are bulbs or tubers.  There is actually a difference between a corm, a bulb, and a tuber. 
A CORM is an underground stem and a base for the flower stem.  It does not have layers, like an onion does. Crocus, Gladiolas, and Elephant Ears all are corms.
A BULB is and underground stem and leaf.  Inside a bulb is a miniature version of the flower itself. The flat, hairy, mass at the bottom of a bulb helps the bulb stay together, since the bulb contains layers. Tulips, daffodils, lilies, narcissus and amaryllis are all examples of bulbs. 
A TUBER is an underground stem.  Tubers have leathery skin and have "eyes" which are growing points from which the plant will emerge.  A tuber does not have the flat, hairy mass (basal plate) at the bottom, like corms and bulbs do.  Dahlias, begonias, caladiums, common potatoes, and anemones are all tubers. 

There were some flowers on the Elephant Ear stalks that I noticed when I cut them down. (See the light-colored oblong structure in the picture.)  These flowers resemble Calla lily flowers when they bloom.  Too bad I didn't notice the flowers when they were in bloom.  I will pay more attention next year!                                                      

Cut Elephant Ears' stems will ooze a liquid that contains calcium oxalate crystals.
These can cause a skin irritation.  Even though the corms are edible (poi),
 uncooked parts of the Elephant Ear are NOT to be ingested.  Do not allow this
ooze to come in contact with your skin.

Elephant Ears cut into smaller pieces and
placed into the compost pile.

Corms are cut and dried and then will be
place in the basement for the winter.

More Seeds, Pods, Flowers, and Bulbs

I'm taking advantage of this warm weather and bringing plants inside, potting up bulbs, and checking out what seeds pods need to remain outside for the birds. I've saved seeds from different sources ranging from the Benjamin Stephenson House, my sister Diane, and from Vicky who is a fellow Master Gardener/Naturalist.  I've also swiped a few seeds from the withering Coleus plants at The Wooden Nickel Pub and Grill in Glen Carbon, Illinois.  I labeled the seeds with the source and will store them in the refrigerator over the winter.  Pictured here are some very tiny seeds of Coleus, some very large, very hard seeds of Moonflower, and some shiny black seeds of Celosia.  The Ironweed seeds will provide a native plant that attracts butterflies and other pollinators.  It is a tall, purple flower that you may see in fields or other natural settings.  It is best to plant Ironweed at the back of the flower garden because it gets tall.  And another nice characteristic is that it requires little care in preparing the soil.  In fact, too much love (i.e. fertilizer, compost, etc.) will cause the stems to weaken and they won't stand upright.

Okra

The oblong pods are the seed pods of Okra.  I don't grow this at home because I don't like to eat okra, but the pods make very interesting dried decor.  These pods are from the Benjamin Stephenson House.  Sometimes I paint the pods with gold spray paint and use them as "picks" in my Christmas trees, both indoors and outdoors.

Echinacea

I will allow the seed heads of these Echinacea flowers to remain in the garden.  These are better known as Purple Coneflowers.  These flowers are along a sidewalk, fairly close to the house.  When I walk around the corner to the area these are growing, a half dozen yellow finches scatter about, vacating the area until I leave.  The yellow finches love these seeds.  It seems like yesterday when these brown, spiky seed pods were beautiful purple flowers, gracing the path.

Mandevilla

I've never had a Mandevilla vine prior to this year. My friend, Sherry, tried to overwinter hers last year and she had no success, so this year she asked if I wanted it over the winter.  I thought, "Why not?" So the rest is history.  I sprayed it with an insecticide before bringing it indoors, and I also pruned it back by about one third.  It now sits in a south-facing window where it will receive some direct sunlight.  I need to be careful because it will not like too much sunlight.  I will also keep my eye out for spider mites or aphids.  So far, so good!  It's been in the house now for about one month and continues to bloom.  We'll see how it does after the furnace starts running regularly!

Amaryllis
I kept my Amaryllis plants on my window sill all summer after they quit blooming.  They each had about 2 leaf stalks. Two months ago, I cut off the waning leaves, placed the bulbs in a paper bag downstairs with some powdered fungicide.  They sat in the those bags until today.  I potted them up with potting soil, only covering about half of the bulb.  I gave them a good watering, and placed them in a south-facing window where they will receive some direct sunlight.  I will be careful to not over-water, but keep the soil damp.  Hopefully, in a few weeks, I will see a green leaf coming out of the bulb.  I knew it was time to do this because I saw the Amaryllis bulbs at Walmart, ready for purchase.  This year I will have 5 of them, including one from my friend Laura, who gave me a 'baby' from her mom's Amaryllis in New Orleans.  I love thinking about the people from whom I've received plants.  Sharing plants can keep memories alive for many years.  (In the picture, you also can see an Orchid that Chuck received as a birthday present about 6 years ago from Sherry, a friend of ours.)


The Last Hurrah!

I'm sorry to see the nice weather leave us as they are predicting temperatures in the 20's for this weekend, but I am getting in the mood for Christmas.  I've even started my Christmas decorating.  As I sit here and enjoy writing my blog, I'm listening to Christmas music.  I know it's early, but what the heck!  November 17, and it's 78 degrees!  Maybe it will be a short winter.  

What plants are you preparing for winter or bringing in for the winter?  Have you had success in the past?  Leave me your comments below.  I'd love to hear from you.

Getting Ready for Winter

The Benjamin Stephenson House Cayenne Peppers

I volunteer at the Benjamin Stephenson House on Wednesdays in their vegetable and flower gardens.  One of the perks of doing so, besides learning so much about the people and plants of the early 1800's in the newly forming United States of America, is that we can save seeds from plants on the premises.  These are Cayenne peppers and are VERY EASY to plant from seeds.  They will also self-seed.  I usually let them dry and then cut them up to sprinkle on pizza or in salads.  Some like it hot, and I'm one of those!

Can You Dig It?

Last year I dug up my Caladium tubers in the fall because here in Zone 6a-6b, they will turn to mush if left in the ground.  I kept them over the winter in the basement and planted them in "Dad's Garden" in the Spring.  They were a total success!  After digging them up, I carefully knocked most of the dirt off and cut off the stem.  I then allowed them to dry on newspaper for a few days, sheltered from any rain.  (The dirt was damp today when I dug them, so I will be sure to let them dry adequately.)  After the dirt was dry, I put them in

It's sad to see the Caladium enter their winter phase,  but I will be happy next
 Spring when they once again grace "Dad's Garden."

a paper lunch bag with some peat moss and a powder fungicide.  I only put a couple tubers into each of the paper bags and then gently shook the bag to coat the tubers with the fungicide. I left the bags folded over/sealed, wrote on the bag with a Sharpie, and let them sit all winter in my basement (which isn't heated.)  In February, I took the tubers out of the bags, potted them up into some plastic containers, and kept them indoors in a sunny window to get a head start on planting them outside.  They all grew, but I found that the soil temperature needs to be warm to get them to grow indoors.

Pineapple Sage:

I've grown Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) now for 2 years in a pot out by the swimming pool where there is plenty of sunshine.  This has been such a fun plant to grow.  First of all, the leaves when crushed between your fingers, really do smell like pineapple.  I've never used the leaves in the kitchen, but I've read that you can seep them for tea or use the leaves and/or flowers in salads.  Secondly, what a surprise it was last year when the plant produced pretty red flowers in September and October.  I guess I really didn't do my homework on this plant because I didn't know it bloomed, let alone was one of the spectacular late bloomers. But this year, again, I'm enjoying the blooms even today in  November.  I am going to try

to salvage some of this plant and am testing 3 methods. The first method is to place 'slips' (as my Great Aunt Mary would call them) into water and place on my window sill.  The second method I'm trying is to place cuttings into damp sand.  I've removed all but the top 2 leaves.  I hope they will root in this manner.  I also intend to dig up the entire plant and over-winter in my unheated basement which has grow lights.  I will keep you posted on all three of these methods.

How Long Will They Last?

With the warm weather we've been having, I'm still getting green peppers, and the Cleome, Marigolds, Salvia and Impatiens are still blooming.  I like the pure white Cleome pictured, but I also like the dark purple one pictured.  It seems most times Cleome are sort of a mixture of these two colors.  I'm going to bag the seed pods and catch seeds of each and see what I get next year.  According to the weather forecast, we may still have another good 10 days before we say goodbye to our annuals.  All of the Marigolds pictured came up from seed, which was really nice of them!  The Purple and Red Salvia and the Begonias were all planted from seed in our basement under grow lights in the bleak months of Winter. When we walked down the 11 steps to our rather crude basement last February, we magically entered a green foretaste of the Spring and Summer seasons to come.

Ever Hear of Juglone?

It's surprising that anything grows in "Dad's Garden" because we have so many walnuts from our walnut trees.  Walnut leaves, roots and nuts produce a chemical called juglone which can stunt the growth of some plants, especially tomatoes and potatoes.  There are plenty of plants that are not affected by this chemical, so just be aware of the walnut's potential toxicity to other plants.

Leave A Comment:

Please comment below if you like my blog and leave any comments about how you prepare your garden and plants for over-wintering.

Corn, Spurge, Canna and Figs

I'm back from my mission trip in Belize, and fall seems to be in full swing.  Last year we cut down some corn stalks to use for an autumn display.  We thought we were really smart to get to the field and cut the corn before the combine got out there.  We put the corn in our granary and had planned to make a fall display a few weeks later.  When we finally got around to gathering the corn stalks together, we discovered that the squirrels had already dealt with the corn.  There were hardly any stalks that weren't shredded, and ALL of the corn was gone.  So....this year, we cut down the corn stalks, removed the corn from the stalks placing them in a sealed tin garbage can, and we will use the stalks later next week to make our decoration...and we will forgive those squirrels for ruining last year's corn stalks and feed them at OUR convenience.  Those darn squirrels!

You may have noticed these pesky weeds that seem to grow out of nowhere....in the crack of the sidewalk/driveway or in a heavily bark-mulched area.  They are fairly easy to pull out because they have one central taproot.  This weed is called Spurge and may be either Spotted Spurge or Prostrate Spurge (not to be confused with prostate spurge - ha!) Spurge is an annual weed which exudes a milky sap when broken, has hairy stems, and possesses a purplish spot on the leaves. This white sap can cause mild skin irritation and is known to be carcinogenic.  In a crazy way, I sort of like pulling these weeds because you get so much satisfaction for one tug!

                                

The 116 Year-Old Canna Plant

 No you didn't read this wrong.  I have a story to go with my 116-year old Canna.  In June, we re-did the front porch to our house, tearing out the floor, replacing the concrete blocks with bricks and exposing the 116 year old clapboards on the front of our house.  We also wanted a sidewalk leading from the porch to our driveway.  The sidewalk guy was very busy this summer, so he is just now getting around to making our flagstone sidewalk.  In the 4 month wait from June to October, a mystery evolved.  Two Cannas began to grow where the new sidewalk is going to be.  I asked our friend, Marty (the porch construction guy), where they got the fill dirt because I have NEVER grown Cannas myself and was wondering where they came from.  He said, "We never brought in any fill dirt.  We just moved dirt from under the porch, and pitched it out in front to raise the level."  That dirt under the porch had been undisturbed, in the dark for 116 years....since the house was first built.  I figure there were some Canna seeds in the dirt, and once they saw the light of day and received some rain, they started to grow!  The two Cannas appear to be different from each other...one is all green and one has red in the leaves. I have since potted them up and will attempt to keep them alive over the winter inside. Chuck's great grandfather and grandmother who built the house would be proud! I can't wait to see what color they are, but I will wait.  After all, the seeds have waited 116 years to show me what they've got in store!

We got figs!  Much to my surprise and delight, as I was pulling weeds around the pool, I checked out my fig tree and lo and behold, there are 2 figs on them. I've been told to judge a fig for ripeness by its color, appearance and size.  The fig will turn from green to a purplish/brown color and will be softer and droopier as it ripens.  It will also get a little bigger than it is now.  I can't wait....but I will because I'm also told that most people eat an unripe fig only ONCE!

If you like my blog, please consider subscribing via email (above on the right) so that new posts will be delivered to your inbox, and you will never miss an update!  Also, leave me your comments about outdoor things of nature that you enjoy.  I would love to read what you have to say!

Plants I Didn't Plant

Even though I didn't necessarily plant some of the things growing in our yard or on our farm, it doesn't mean that I don't like them.  There are some plants, though, that I absolutely could live without.  One of the dreaded plants is a weed called Lespedeza, also known as Japanese Clover, and is taking over our lawn.  Once again an imported plant goes bonkers and becomes a nuisance.  We will be spreading pre-emergent herbicide in the spring to take care of any seeds and will be spot-treating with Trimec this fall.  

This Common Lespedeza is taking over
our lawn, becoming most evident in late
summer.

Lespedeza has a woody stem and 3-leafed
clover leafs, growing low to the ground
in a mat.

Another thug that you probably know about is Bush Honeysuckle.  This is a very invasive plant.  In the Spring, we started to rid our creek side property of this aggressor by cutting down with our sawzall, and then immediately painting with undiluted Round-Up.  I'm not too fond of Round-Up for most things, but Bush Honeysuckle is a well deserved recipient.  There is NOTHING good about this plant.  You might think that the berries are oh, so pretty and good for the birds, but in fact, they are not very nutritious, and the birds just eat them and spread the seeds so more of the honeysuckle grows!  But, I guess I will agree that, close-up, the berries are pretty and the flowers do smell nice.....just sayin'.

One of the plants that I do like that I didn't plant is Jewelweed, (Impatiens pallida.)  I didn't know that this is in the Impatiens family, but on closer exam, I see the football shaped pods that shoot the seeds out when squeezed.  Jewelweed has been used as an answer to poison ivy rash, although I've never tried it.  It is a native plant and hummingbirds and bumblebees are frequent visitors to the flowers.  We have a 3-foot 'hedge' of these plants at the back of our property, and we like the way the hedge looks, blocking the view to our compost piles. 

This is the 'hedge' that we allow to grow.
Though there are not a lot of flowers, it
still looks attractive to me.

The small yellow flowers remind me of
a Snapdragon, but you can see the
beginning of the 'football' pod that holds
the seeds, consistent with Impatiens.

On our farm land, there are hops.  I've seen these years ago and would gather them for dried flower arrangements, but at the time I didn't know what they were.  These are American Hops, not to be confused with Japanese Hops, which are invasive and non-native.  The leaves of Japanese hops have 5 - 7 lobes.

The flowers on this female plant are
the hops, which are nice for dried flower
arrangements (and probably for beer!)

 

            Hops (Humulus lupulus)      

I think we could make quite a bit of beer
with all the hops on the farm.

Close-up of the female's flowers.

We've all heard of Goldenrod.  I think Goldenrod has received a bad rap...especially for allergy sufferers.  Goldenrod is a beautiful, yellow plant, painting the roadside and fields with color this time of year. Did you know that Goldenrod blooms at the same time that Ragweed blooms?  Goldenrod is pollinated by insects, but Ragweed is wind-pollinated.  So if you're sneezing this time of year, don't blame it on the Goldenrod.  You're allergic to Ragweed.  

Fields of Goldenrod are beautiful and have
a sunny disposition.

Wouldn't this be pretty in a vase in your
kitchen?  And you can cut it and not
be afraid that you'll be sneezing!

I will be gone for the next week on a mission trip to Belize.  You can follow me there at www.belizemissionteam.blogspot.com.  In the meanwhile I'd like to know, do you have any plants that you didn't plant that you like?  Or don't like?  Let me know.  Share your comments below.