We came, we saw, we bought... plants

My daughter and I took a trip to Hicksville, OH, to check out the plants at Strait Gate Greenhouses. Rumor has it that their prices are better than around here; see comments below. They had a LOT to choose from, too.

I have not been happy with the aster by the front walk, wanted to replace it with something. I considered a fancy redbud, but visually another tree does not fit there. Then I got hot 'n bothered to put a Rose of Sharon there ('Aphrodite' which does not reseed itself), but I think something yellow would work better. And voila - a 'Lemony Lace' elderberry came home with me.

Sambucus racemosa 'Lemony Lace' (cultivar SMNSRD4)

Some of you may remember that I planted one of these in front of the picture window back in 2017. It's a good plant, but it was a bad location. And most plants deserve a second chance. (I notice that the price on this specimen is less than the price of the one in 2017. Score!)

Some plants deserve a third chance, like the ninebark. Instead of trying to find the same variety, I went with two of these 'Ginger Wine' ones. The price is less than half of what I paid for the 'Amber Jubilee' they are replacing. Another score!

Physocarpus opulifolius 'Ginger Wine'

One plant that has had its second chance is a Canadian hemlock that has been replaced once. In its place will go this 'Fluffy' western arborvitae. I had planned to find another big gold mop like I had in the front yard, but I think this one will do nicely. I might have found it cheaper elsewhere.

Thuja plicata 'SMNTPGF' 

I keep trying to find something that will thrive on the trellis by the front porch, despite the lack of sun in that location. Against my better judgment, I selected this 'Happy Jack' purple clematis. We shall see. Another bargain.

Clematis 'Zojapur'

I have tried petunias and sweet potato vine in the hanging basket on the shed in the past, decided to try something different, like these portulacas. It's a tough location, on the north side of the building, but midsummer sun still reaches it. We'll see how well they do.

Portulaca grandiflora

Coleus for the planter on the front porch has been an annual success story, so why mess with what works. This is ChargedUp Campfire.

Coleus scutellarioides

I've seen lantana growing in containers here and there and admired it. Now I have one, 'Hot Blooded Red'.

Lantana camara 'Hot Blooded'

An impulse purchase was a trailing snapdragon, something I had never seen. I considered putting it in the flamingo planter, but decided I still want to try a tuberous begonia there. The snapdragon will summer on the deck instead.

Asarina procumbens

And that's all for now. My schedule this week is tight, but maybe I can get a few plants in the ground each day. Step by step, hole by hole, slow and steady, etc. If it weren't for gardening, how would we make it through the winter?

I frequently hear bird strikes against my windows but rarely find any dead birds in the yard. Sadly, a white crown sparrow met its demise last week. I thought the mallards in this pic were dead, but they were just keeping a low profile.

My daughter, son, and daughter-in-law all have birthdays this month. We will celebrate with birthday pie tomorrow. Rhubarb, of course.

Have a happy Mother's Day!

Home is the sailor...

No, I'm not a sailor, but we did take a trip up to Michigan City for our early family Thanksgiving. The weather was halfway decent (for a change - we frequently seem to bring rain and wind with us), so we spent some time outside.

One stop was the Galien River County Park, which is a mix of upland and marsh. We ambled out onto the Canopy Walkway, which is 60' high and *sways*. Despite the safety fence, adults are warned to not carry children in their arms on this structure; strollers and backpacks are de rigueur. A l-o-n-g stairway leads from the upland to the marsh (we went down it, but not up), then there is a nice path that took us back to the beginning.

At a different park (don't remember the name), I was taken with this red oak tree. It could be one of many several, but I'm going to guess it's a pin oak.

While wandering around Chesterton, we spotted this vine on a chainlink fence. I was puzzled about the "flowers" until Google Photo Lens revealed that they are the seed pods from a "white clematis".

From our AirBnB, we were able to walk down to the shoreline of Lake Michigan. In the neighborhood, there were several vividly red trees. Only after I arrived home did I realize they were probably Japanese maples, just like the one in front of my dining room window.

Yes, we received some snow yesterday. It's gone already, but a good sign that winter is on its way. I plugged in the birdbath and set out the feeders yesterday. The birds have found them already, especially the blue jays who are actually fighting over the whole peanuts.

The birds and a wall

It may be officially autumn, but the local bird population looks pretty much the same: sparrows, sparrows, sparrows, with the occasional mourning dove, cardinal, nuthatch, etc. A hummingbird shows up almost daily, to sample the butterfly bush blossoms, then it hovers in front of the window where I sit, presumably admiring its reflection.

The sparrows are making good use of the birdbaths. There seems to be a ten bird limit to how many may be in the water at one time.

The house finches appear to be gone, yet something has been eating the safflower seed. Today I spotted the culprit: a chipmunk. I thought nobody cared for the safflower seeds except the finches and sometimes the sparrows, so it hung from an unprotected pole. I moved it to a baffled pole, although it may come down altogether if none of the birds are feasting there.

While we were in the Hudson Valley last week, we visited the town of New Paltz. I took this photo of what I presume is a row of clematis, one of them the late-blooming paniculata. Maybe someday mine will look like this.

We also visited the Storm King Arts Center, where we encountered Andy Goldsworthy's Wall. These field stone structures fascinate me.

Where there is open field, the Wall runs straight.

In the other directions, the Wall seems to disappear underwater, only to reappear across the pond.

Once on dry land again, the Wall twists and turns around the trees.

Goldsworthy is known for creating ephemeral works of art, some lasting only a few hours. This Wall will stand... for a while, until the trees grow large enough to displace it or a tree falls on it or the ground heaves, as "there is something that doesn't love a wall."

(Goldsworthy has written a companion book about the Wall, appropriately titled Wall.)

I'm back

My SO and I spent the past week in the Hudson Valley, our first major vacation since the pandemic. We thought about flying, but since we can't get a direct flight from here to there, I worried about getting stranded somewhere along the way. So we drove. And drove and drove and drove. There is a LOT of golden rod between, but not too much of anything else. On the way home, we saw the trees were just beginning to turn. In a couple of weeks, those hills will be ablaze with glory.

Now it is back to mowing and watering and weeding. While we were gone, about 1.25" of rain fell, so none of the new plants suffered. But the sickly Canadian hemlocks are definitely done. The landscaper is going to replace them.

One of the aromatic asters, the one that gets the most sunshine, is blooming its little heart out. I sniffed the blossoms, thinking that is how it got its name. Nope. The common name comes from the balsam-like fragrance it gives off when you crush the rigid stems.

I was beginning to wonder if the Clematis Paniculata was going to bloom at all this year, but it was just taking its sweet time. All the blossoms are at the top where I would need a ladder to get a decent photograph. Some pollinators are enjoying it.

The sweet potato vine 'Marguerite' I planted in containers in the backyard really took off for an end of summer burst of color, overwhelming the geranium. Next year I plan to plant it in hanging baskets along the fence. That should be quite a show.

I am very tired of watering all my new plants, but if I hadn't been watering, I wouldn't have seen these two guys munching on the butterflyweed. This photo is from a week ago, and there is no sign of the caterpillars anywhere now. A younger caterpillar I spotted yesterday is already gone, too. Monarch eggs and larvae are mostly a food source for other creatures.

Have a munchie good week.

Still feels like August

I needed to buy some oversized t-shirts for post-surgery wear. Initially, I was aiming for long-sleeved, but I just can't imagine it will be much cooler by then (and WeatherBug agrees). Ditto pants - I'm sticking with shorts for now.

The 'Claire Grace' monarda arrived from Bluestone Perennials along with a backordered 'F21 Jackmanii' clematis. I chose this variety of monarda because it is supposed to be more tolerant of dry conditions, which describes the bed along the south side of the house to a T. I can't plant it yet, though, as new windows are to be installed late next week.

The Jackmanii is destined for a container. It's rather tiny right now. I assume there won't be much top growth this fall, so the pot can overwinter in the garage. In fact, it can probably overwinter in the garage forever, after being pruned in late fall.

Speaking of clematis, the Clematis Paniculata is blooming a bit. It's in a container as well, will be pruned later on and overwinter in the garage. This variety can be invasive, especially in southern climes, but the winters here are usually severe enough to kill off the seeds.

The goal of these two clematis plants is to cover the pergola. Maybe this experiment will work out. (Fingers crossed.)

Bird feeding hiatus

There have been mysterious deaths among the wild bird population here in Indiana. The Indiana DNR is asking backyard bird feeders to suspend operations for a while and clean feeders with a bleach solution. I will comply, even though this time of year the birds seem more interested in other food sources.

Although the directions were less than straight forward, I managed to assemble the bamboo mini LED grow light garden from Gardners Supply with only one or two mistakes. It fits well on top of the upright freezer. Now I just need to start some herbs (again).

Here is proof that the 'Golden Spirit' smoke bush does smoke. As I've said before, not as dramatic as the purple leaf version, still a sight to behold. I transplanted some 'Autumn Joy' sedum under it, but it needs something else, maybe some dark-leafed Heuchera for contrast?

Sometimes my landscaping works out as planned. The Bishop's Weed under the 'Limelight' hydrangea has recovered from dog trampling and has filled in that corner nicely. And the natives I moved last summer are thriving; see below. There is coneflower, rudbekia, ironweed, and several types of aster in this bed along the fence. I can't wait for them to bloom. The area needs some spring and early summer bloomers, though, that will grow in clay.

This Clematis Paniculata, a.k.a. sweet autumn clematis, looks like it is cooperating with my plans as well. It is in a container next to a trellis that is tied to a pergola post and starting to climb already. If it reaches its projected length of 10' to 20', it should provide some nice shade for the deck.

As long as the dogs don't try to breach the fence, this crop of sunflowers ("Russian Giant", I think) should do fine. The Mexican sunflowers in the next bed are not as robust, but I think they will come through just fine.

The grass in the sunny area is finally growing, helped no doubt by the off-and-on showers Mother Nature has been providing lately (I tend to be forgetful about watering). The rainy weather has made yardening difficult, though.

A couple of weeks ago, I started taking Claritin to treat sinus headaches. I had never taken it before, and a bonus side effect was the arthritic pain in my shoulders improved. Apparently, there is some evidence that antihistamines help relieve inflammation. I was ecstatic... until a different side effect kicked in: this supposedly non-drowsy OTC medication left me somnolent to the point I was drowsing my days away. It took me a while to connect my sleepiness to the Claritin, but once I stopped taking it, I perked right up. Interestingly, my shoulders continue to feel better. Maybe I can take it once a week and continue to get some relief?

Doesn't feel like June

Some coldish temps have struck our area. Tonight it is supposed to get into the high 40's. Very unusual, but I am not complaining about sunny days in the high 60's and low 70's. What do the plants and animals think of this?

My Japanese maple apparently is not happy with the climate, or something. It is barely leafing out. I don't know if a late frost interrupted its usual progression or if it needs more water or less or what. The gardening column in today's paper discussed problems with Japanese maples, one being that the root flare ("the portion of the trunk that flares out just before the roots begin") is covered by soil or mulch. I'll check this, but also, in my experience, the area within the drip zone needs to be free of mulch, too. I killed a previous Japanese maple in this location by covering the root zone with lava rock. The next one, a lacy leaf variety, I killed by underwatering. This one has been there since 2009 and has reached its full size, so I hope it revives and continues for many more years.

The petroleum jelly helped reduce the number of ants in the hummingbird feeder, but did not completely eliminate them. The oriole feeder has a built-in ant trap, but not the hummingbird feeder. My handy SO constructed one from these instructions.

My arms hurt today because yesterday I trimmed the boxwood out front. If it gets too tall, it blocks the electric light on that side of the garage. Even though I exercise my arms and shoulders, holding the hedge trimmers at that height put extra strain on my muscles. That, or I am getting old.

I'm new to strawflowers, and so far am impressed with them. Each blossom goes through an interesting progression until it reaches full bloom.

'Betty Corning' is putting out a good display this year. The 'Blue Muffin' viburnum is done blooming, so now it is time for 'Chicago Lustre'. I had forgotten all about 'Niobe', a clematis by the front porch. It has had a rough life but it hasn't given up and is blooming well. And today I saw a cedar waxwing in the Japanese maple.

So THAT'S what smells so good

Recently, when I stepped out the patio door, I smelled something wonderful but could not place. Today I realized it is the common milkweed. I'm surprised there isn't a perfume called Eau de Asclepias syriaca.

I have seen a few butterflies this summer, including a random monarch or two. I wish I knew what this guy is. I initially mistook it for a leaf. The legs and body are fuzzy, like a moth, but it has its wings folded like a butterfly. Anyone know?

The Betty Corning clematis experiment is half fail, half successful. I didn't get the tuteur moved early enough for one, plus I did not provide it with stable support, so now it looks like it is crawling toward the redbud. Another problem is some critter hides underneath it, so the dogs are always nosing around there.

The other BC is doing what I hoped, except this particular variety of clematis does not get tall enough to twine through the tree branches. I will have to rethink this experiment. (Sorry for the poor pic - it was a bit too sunny for quality photography.)

I have tried repeatedly to get some butterflyweed established, even purchasing a variety that is supposed to do well in clay soil. One problem is it is easily overwhelmed by its neighbors, which is my fault. It needs a little elbow room. (In the background are the black hollyhocks.)

I could try to convince you that these hollyhocks are a new variety known as "Lacy Leaf". I plant hollyhocks for two reasons: the blossoms yield a lovely natural dye and the plants act as a trap crop for Japanese beetles. Success on both counts.

As if my bum hip weren't enough, I caught a summer cold (THANKS, JANINE!) and now it is unbearably hot out. A few minutes standing in the sun chatting with my neighbor just about gave me heat stroke. It's a bit too dry (didn't think I'd be saying that after our wet, wet, wet spring) but not so dry I am watering anything... yet.

No rain!

Today was supposed to be dry. I planned to mow. There are a few outdoor chores I can attend to, like planting the coleus in the flower box on the front porch and weeding between showers. Otherwise, it is yet ANOTHER indoor day.

Here is a pic of my stick-of-a-crabapple tree, Prairie Fire. I'm amazed at its output. (And I see another between-showers chore - cleaning up around the base of the tree.)

The following pic is an "oops". I want to guide the 'Betty Corning' clematis to grow on the redbud trees instead of sprawling across the junipers, but I forgot to move the tuteur on this one before the vine took hold of it. If I like the effect of the clematis blossoms on the redbud, I'll try to do a better job next year... or even move the clematis a bit closer to the redbuds.

Another experiment I am attempting is growing Lonicera 'Clay Hills' in containers on the deck, so they can eventually cover the pergola. Finding appropriate containers has not been very successful, so I planted them in old-but-very-sturdy-and-no-longer-used recycling bins. I plan to surround the bins with bales of straw over winter. If the vines survive, I'll invest in more attractive containers.

It looks like my new neighbor behind me has taken it upon himself to mow "no man's land" between his privet and my privacy fence. Whoo hoo! I wonder if I can talk him into pruning and shaping the privet, too.

Around the yard

The weather is going to turn hot, hot, HOT for a few days. Even with AC, I get to feeling logy when it sizzles outside. I'm just glad it doesn't last long. Why do people move south when they retire? Beats me.

I think I did a blog post once bemoaning the views from my windows and deck and in general around the yard. While those views aren't necessarily a lot better, I find there are some that provide simple joy. Not something one would see in BH&G, but then the yard is for ME, not a general audience.

It also occurred to me that I usually take photos of plants and flowers head on, face to face. That strategy shows the plant but not the plant in its environs.

The tao of some views is more difficult to capture than others.

Anyway, back to the head on photos. I've come to the conclusion that one difference between tiger lilies and daylilies is the tiger lilies look down while the daylilies look up. Maybe they are looking at each other?

The hollyhocks are for dyeing with, but I wasn't sure about how to harvest the blossoms. Turns out that is not a problem, as the blossoms curl up and fall off. I just need to pick them up every day or two and put them on a screen in the garage to dry.

My container experiments this year are growing crocosmia and penstemon in pots. The crososmia grow from corms, so once they started to send up shoots, they took off.

The penstemon is a perennial, so this is its first year sleep. I had an extra hibiscus, so that has gone into a pot, too. I'll move the pots into the garage for the winter.

The pole beans are starting to blossom.

The dill is blooming, too. Looks like fireworks.

I couldn't decide which 'Luna Red' hibiscus photo to use, so I'm posting both of them. The blossom is almost bigger than the plant, which is about 15 inches tall.

I started the hibiscus plants from seed this past spring, so was not expecting to see any blooms this year. I am happy to be wrong!

This Japanese beetle is on an aster, although its favorite garden plant is the hollyhocks. What a pest!

Last night I mowed and tonight I watered selectively, so now I can hunker down for the weekend and let the heat pass on by. Stay cool!