Garden Faerie's Musings

Showing posts with label Seed GROW. Show all posts

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Garden Green

I can't believe it's July already, but here we are. And time for another SeedGROW post! A month ago, I had just sowed the basil and lettuce seeds, and the marigold seedlings had just come up.

Today, the basil 'Italian Cameo' is doing really well.

You can almost smell it!

The lettuce 'Garden Babies' is not quite as lush. I'm starting to think I should have planted it in a smaller container, as it's a variety created especially for small spaces.

I do enjoy its round form!

I sowed several other varieties of lettuce on the same day as the 'Garden Babies' into some drawers I got through freecycle. Both seed mixes are also from Renee's Garden, and I've already been harvesting from both. 'Cut and Come Again' (foreground) is a mix of baby and mesclun lettuces, and 'Farmers Market Lettuce Blend' (background) is a mix of sweet green and red lettuces. Both mixes will regrow after being cut.

I've planted the marigolds at the edge of my vegetable bed, because I was struck by an urge to go old school. They haven't flowered yet, probably because I only planted them in the ground a few days ago, and their roots needed to expand from their cell packs! I'm sure I'll have flowers to show you next month.

Have a super holiday weekend, everyone! I'm watching the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup, which runs through July 17. Go Team USA and Go Team Germany! Deutschland Vor! Noch ein Tor!

I'm growing with the SeedGROW project. Thanks to Renee's Garden for the seeds.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

The scenic route

I've always believed in taking the road less traveled, but lately I've been thinking of it as the scenic route, because that sounds like you'd meet a lot more plants. Plus, I'm way behind on everything lately and that sounds like a good excuse--I've been taking the scenic route!

Plus, the scenic route ties into the idea of focusing on the here and now (thank you, Cheryl!), not dwelling in the past or fidgeting about the future. And I like to take in what's here and now, savor it, appreciate it. For example, this is the only one of my three 'Spitfires' still blooming. I'd rather focus on it than the ones that died. Look how intense the color is and how the foliage looks like little lily pads!

And bless its heart, it's still budding!

And as long as we're standing together in my fall garden, check out my beautyberry (Callicarpa americana). Its berries are more striking than normal this year.

Is there any question how it got its name?!

My rogue queen of the prairie (Filipendula rubra) should have bloomed in early July, but it also took the scenic route. Eggplant 'Black Beauty' is still kickin' it and cheering Fili on.

Let's cross the street to my kitty-corner neighbors' house (hi, Jim & Nancy!). Do you see something special in their huge, gorgeous red maple?

Now you do! If I'd've been driving by too fast, I wouldn't have seen it.

My tomatoes are done, and I've been collecting seeds. I left these 'Tiger-Like' (which are soooooo good!) soaking too long and they sprouted in the water! And turned fuzzy, noogie! So while the seeds are no longer good for saving and planting later, I decided to sow the sprouted ones indoors now and see what happens. Maybe I'll have tomatoes in February! I love longitudinal research (the scenic route!).

I'm growing Nasturtium 'Spitfire' for the GROW project. Thanks to Renee's Garden for the seeds.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Ruminastions

How did I get here?
This is not my beautiful garden.
These are not my beautiful nasturtiums.
Letting the days go by, into silent autumn
(with apologies to the Talking Heads)

This is ostensibly a Seed GROW post, but it's also a Sundries Sunday post so be ready for random ramblin' ruminastions!

Well, my 'Spitfire' nasturtiums definitely look the worse for wear, especially after last night's low near 40! There isn't enough sun in this location; I've been needing to move a huge arborvitae. The hops is more or less gone, too, but look at the eeny beeny morning glory that popped up!

There are one or two more growing higher on the trellis.

The nasturtiums I planted to grow up my corn are doing somewhat better. To all the hatas who tried to tell me I wouldn't get corn with only one plant, neener neener! I got two corn cobs, but neener neener on me, they were both covered with corn smut, which was so gross I tossed them before even taking a photo. I suspect it self-pollinated (with the seeds above falling on the tassels below). Everything in my garden has to fend for itself, lol.

Pretty turtlehead I received in spring from my friend Joey.

There's something about the forming seedhead of the cup plant I really like.

On July 4 I direct-sowed some zinnia and sunflower seeds. Two months later things are blooming.

I didn't used to like zinnias, but holla!

Ready to bloom any minute now...

...There we go! I can't help but smile when I look at sunflowers.

My tomato crop was suboptimal this year, but I did discover an awesome plant tie: hair clips! Just make sure the ends don't pinch the stem. (These 'Great White' are high enough up to have (knock wood, toi toi toi) escaped the rascally raccoons so far.)

The obedient plant is kickin' ass and takin' names. Most of all mine for not dividing or staking it!

That's my girl!

This corner of my huge front bed is the first thing I planted when I moved into the house. It is now one hot mess, with weeds encroaching the bed. The other side is even worse but I couldn't bear to show it!

When the foliage of the goldenrod (I believe Solidago canadensis) came up, I thought it was native asters. It's not that I don't like goldenrod, it's just that there used to by be native asters in that space as well. The queen of the prairie is about to bloom, way later than the one in a sunny location out front.

I couldn't get the contrast of Big Bluestem grass against the buckthorn in the background to work, so I did an inverse and messed with hue saturation. HA!

Poison ivy growing up a stem of echinacea that the groundhog broke the top off of. Ah, nature. I have tons of small patches of PI like this and huge spreads. I've been hesitant to use Roundup because I often see American toads in this area and their skin is particularly sensitive to absorbing chemicals. Later in fall I'll paint it on.

We were talking on my facebook page about how some gardeners (volunteer at recent workday, left) seem to have a magic anti-dirt shield and others (me, right) very decidedly do not. Lisa pointed out in the comments that the woman to the left is holding pruners and so was likely standing while working. Which is a great observation and interpretation except that there happens to be very little to prune in that garden; mostly everyone was weeding and spreading mulch that day... and everyone finished clean, except me (though I was doing some more rigorous weed removal, lol!).

I got this sweet autumn clematis (Clematis terniflora) from my mom two years ago and this is the first time it's bloomed for me. I winter-sowed two native versions of this plant, virgin's bower (Clematis virginia), and will be interested how long it takes them to bloom. (Where to plant them is a whole 'nother kettle o' fish.)

Large milkweed bugs on (surprisingly enough) my milkweed seedpods.

A while ago I won some cool stuff, including a $20 gift certificate to Lowe's, from Lisa. Even though I had every intention of spending the money on bird seed, I couldn't resist these $3.33 gallon shrubs: two false cypress, two different cultivars of chokeberry, a spirea, and a red-flowered potentilla. No, I have no clue where they'll go.

My elephant's ears 'Illustris' really came into their own this year; they about quadrupled in size. They're gonna need a new pot before they come back in for the winter. Eep.

I've shown Pinky a few times. These are Siegfried (left) and Gertrude. G is named partly after Ms. Jekyll (I chuckle to myself as she hated fuchsia) and partly after my grandmother.

I wonder if I can get Siegi and Gerti to balance on a tight rope like these two? I adore everything about this photo of the Flamingo Trailer Court on Middlebelt Rd. in Farmington Hills, MI.

I'm growing Nasturtium 'Spitfire' for the GROW project. Thanks to Renee's Garden for the seeds.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Mish-Mash Seed GROW

This post is a mighty mish-mash of miscellany: my monthly Seed GROW post, an OOTS (public plantings) post, a seed swap update, and my favorite Dearborn Garden Walk photo revealed. Deep breath and we're ready!

Seed Grow: Nasty Mish-Mash
It's time for the August post for the Seed GROW Project. (August? How can it be August?!)

Well, things aren't looking so great. I admit I'm just not used to watering plants unless they are veggies. Which, incidentally this corn is, and I did water it, so I'm not sure what's up.

The two nasties are making a little progress up the trellis. Yeah, the hops in the center isn't looking so hot, either. They need more sun and more water, methinks.

The close-up of one of the flowers, with the cute little raindrops, is however, I'm sure you'll agree, noogie!

Out on the Streets — Because Late is Early!
I missed the June Out on the Streets (OOTS) entirely, but I'm right on time for the August OOTS! VP likes us to show public plantings in our area and I've been collecting a few photos.

There are always plenty of wonderful public plantings in my "adopted" (wish I lived there) city of Chicago.

See?

Nice aquatic plants at Trump Tower...

...and regular planters as well. This could change my entire attitude to Mr. Combover.

This photo is purely gratuitous, showing a scene from the Transformers movie being shot in Chicago.

Back in Ann Arbor, and practically in my backyard, is this 15-acre wetland preserve in Mary Beth Doyle Park. It was created two years ago to help reduce flooding and improve water quality in Malletts Creek (into which it flows). It's also aflutter with wildlife.

The wetland has a large central basin that can hold up to 15 million gallons of rain and water runoff during storms. This prevents flooding and reduces phosphorus input from Mallets Creek into the Huron River by a third. Native plants (flowers and grasses) are planted along the edges, and their long roots help clean the water. It's been fun checking the water level whenever I bike by. It's about half full in this photo, though you'd have to see the edges to really tell.

Gray-headed coneflowers (Ratibida pinnata) in Doyle Park.

This traffic circle in Pittsfield Village (Ann Arbor) is well maintained.

Washtenaw Community College where I teach has a few nice planters.

Michigan Avenue in downtown Ypsilanti has nice planters, too. Other parts of town have hanging baskets with ornamental grasses.

This photo is purely gratuitous, showing the Ypsilanti Water Tower, right across the street from my alma mater, Eastern Michigan University. They done teache'd me to write real good.

Had to stop for this bus stop in Westland (south side of Ford, just east of Wayne). It's so out of context with the surrounding area. I suspect the owners of next-door Thrifty Florist planted and maintain it. Good for them!

Save Your Seeds for the Swap!
I know it's early, but start thinking about what plants to save seeds from, to get ready for my third annual snail-mail seed swap in early January (for us winter sowers, holla!).

Favorite Photo — Kew Knew?

Cheryl came closest to guessing that my favorite photo from the Dearborn Garden Walk was this weathered Kew sign. I like the other photos you guessed, especially the stairwell and metal edging (but not those shoes, so not those shoes!), but the Kew sign is by far my favorite. I greatly enjoyed a visit to Kew Gardens in 1999 and it remains one of my all-time favorites. Aside from that, I love mass transit and the sign is in the style of the tube logo. Plus, I love the beat-up, forgotten look, with even the vines covering it being withered. And how even though the sign has holes in the corners, it wasn't even nailed to the fence, just stood up against it.

Plus, the houses on the tour run about $6 million and no expenses were spared in garden design. I'm sure many vignettes were created by professional designers (not even gardeners!), so this forgotten little sign, in an otherwise meticulously cared-for garden, really appealed to me and totally made my day.

Are you still awake? Thanks for stopping by and slogging through this mammoth entry!

Update 8/3: I appreciate all your comments and am getting back in the habit of commenting back (check and see). Holla!

I'm growing Nasturtium 'Spitfire' for the GROW project. Thanks to Renee's Garden for the seeds.