The Internet is making me cry

I recently read (or rather, listened to the audio version of) Enshitification, by Cory Doctorow. Today I experienced some of what he rants about - how horrible search results have become. It nearly brought me to tears.

All I wanted to do was order some straight native plants for spring. One site that offered many of what I wanted would not let me order a measly three or twelve plants of each variety. Trying to find alternatives was a nightmare. Regardless of my search criteria, all that came up was barely related to what I asked for. At one point, I was even getting obituaries.

That was on my laptop. For some reason, the results on my tablet and phone are much better. One link took me to the Indiana Native Plant Society site which listed in-state nurseries that offer native plants. Whew!

Some of the sites listed are suspect, as I think they went out of business, but I'll take note of the ones I plan to look into and/or actually visit.

• Bernacchi's Oak Valley Greenhouses (La Porte)
• Blue Fox Farms LLC (Wawaka)
• Chapman Lake Nursery (Warsaw)
• Hardy's Farm Market (Fort Wayne)
• Heartland Restoration Services (Fort Wayne) (Wholesale)
• Laura Stine Gardens (Fort Wayne) (Designer)
• Naturally Native Nursery (South Bend)
• New Leaf Nursery (Nappanee)
• Riverview Nursery (Fort Wayne) (I think they are closed)
• Rozelle Lawn and Landscape (Fort Wayne) (Designer)
• Sanctuary Natives (Roanoke) (this is the outfit that redid my landscaping a few years ago)
• Saving Grace Gardens and Gallery (Kendallville)
• Spaulding Restoration (Plymouth) (Designer)
• Stantec Native Plant Nursery (Walkerton) (Wholesale)
• Wyatt Way Landscapes and Nursery (LaFontaine)

I'm guessing the designers and wholesalers won't want to sell to me, but I'll keep them on the list, just in case. There are a LOT more I did not list here because they are points south where I rarely travel. However, if they ship, they are also an option.

The local home and garden show is in a few weeks, so I'll see what nurseries are there as well. Meanwhile, I will dry my tears.

One side effect of searching for nurseries is plant creep. I ran across some clematis that grow in the shade. I have a trellis on my front porch where I have tried to grow a variety of things, including clematis, over the years. Maybe a shade-tolerant clematis will do the trick. And then there is the desire to grow dye plants like dyer's coreopsis. And wouldn't another spiderwort (or two? or three?) be nice? The question is, how out of control will I get?

I blame the weather. The snow is melting. In fact, the forecast is for temperatures in the 50's and 60's over the next few days. Besides making me itchy for spring, that should reveal a lot of dog poop in the backyard.

Planning ahead

I am not very happy with how aromatic aster grows when left to its own devices. I moved one plant since it was flopping all over the place, decided to let another take over its bed as the bed is confined by sidewalk, driveway, and lawn. A third plant received an experimental pruning in June, to about 6" (I think). It looks more like a mound than a sprawling behemoth. So next year, all the aromatic aster will get cut back in June.

This book has helpful advice like the above. (My edition has been superceded by newer ones.) Goldenrod, at least the 7-8' variety on the south side of the house, may get the June treatment, to keep it from flopping. The queen-of-the-prairie definitely needs to be left alone, though, or it won't bloom. I will let its rain garden sister plants, meadow rue and joe-pye, grow as tall as they want as well, even if they need some staking.

About the only plants blooming this time of year are the asters and the pineapple sage (Salvia elegans). Today we are receiving some much needed rain, an inch so far. I mowed leaves for the first time this season, but they had fallen from lack of moisture. Most trees around here are still green, although the sugar maples are ablaze.

How to measure a tree

I recently finished reading a book called The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession, by Amy Stewart. It contains portraits of people obsessed with trees in one way or another. My only complaint is some of these collectors are importing trees from other parts of the world without a concern that they may be introducing an invasive species into their own habitat; one has even planted Russian olive! It's a pleasant read, if you are so inclined.

One section discussed "champion" trees - the really, really, REALLY BIG ones. Points are awarded for girth, height, and crown spread. My trees are definitely not champions, but an annual measurement would give me a more objective idea of how they are growing (besides eyeballing each one and thinking, Yep, it's bigger this year).

Rather than repeat what the books says, here are some lousy photos of the relevent information:

My trees are mostly naked right now, so I'll wait until next summer to measure them. Hopefully, that will become an annual occurance.

Wish fulfilled

My SO wants to buy me stuff, a habit I try to snuff since I already have everything I need or want. BUT I did mention in my last post that I needed an insect identification book. Voila!

I've already used it to identify two bugs: a yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia) a friend posted on IG and the dingy cutworm caterpillar moth (Felita jaculifera) from my last post. Too bad the season for creepy crawlies is about over.

One of my witch-hazels is starting to bloom, the oldest one, while the four newbies, which are nearly as big, have not joined the party. If I hadn't been puttering in the yard, I might not have noticed.

Otherwise, not much going on in the yard plantwise. The hickory tree has lost all its leaves, so it looks rather bare, but the rest of the trees are still clinging to theirs despite windy day after windy day.

Birdwise, there is a LOT of activity, as they are in caching mode, gathering and hiding nuts and seeds for the winter. I bet there are at least 100 sparrows frequenting the feeders, plus a few other winter hardy species. I've seen flocks of starlings around town, but they must be grasshoppers, not ants, and hope to find their winter food catch as catch can. No wonder they are such gluttons come January.