Maddening

A bit maddening, not life changing.  Well, except for the roses.  Two of our pink roses, two different cultivars, reverted back to the flower of the root stock.  We already had one such bush which we allowed to thrive because the flowers are pretty.  But the need for such roses is somewhat limited and it is safe to say that we are disappointed.

 This was a miniature pink rose which has graced our front walkway for several years.  It has been gorgeous.  Now this.

 This is a cultivar called "Simplicity."  It is a single pink rose most often used for hedges.  Not so pink anymore.  I think there is one branch of the hybrid rose surviving.  Perhaps by ruthless cutting back of the undesired branches I can preserve the plant.  Worth a try?

This is a part of the "mound" in the front yard.  You know mounds.  In the flat, featureless area in which we live, many people build these things in their yards just for the el-evation of it.

Anyway, I think these flowers very pretty though I've no idea what they are called.  I am sure that most gardeners would simply say "weed."  They are quite invasive and have to be controlled by root removal on a regular basis. They do offer these pretty blooms for an extended period of time.

Happy June First!

Waiting

Depart, Winter!  This is what we have been waiting for.  Lay in my hospital room dreaming of the day I could walk in the gardens and see greenery again.  Behold, the dream has come true.

 The naked ladies, aka the resurrection lilies have broken earth!

The iris are greening up, even the ones left lying atop the soil.

 What better sign of Spring?  Daffodils in bud.

I hope you enjoy Spring as much as I do.

It is a wondrous time of year.

     "The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle* is heard in our land;"  --Song of Solomon 2:12 (KJV)

*Many translations read "turtledove."

Flower or Weed? #T

A few years ago a little tree came up volunteer in the edge of the Secret Garden.  We thought it interesting, the leaves were pretty and soon enough we were able to identify it as a rough leaf dogwood.  Over time we found that it blooms profusely in the springtime, lovely white blossoms.  We cultivated the tree, pruned it and took secret pride in its appearance.

Then after several seasons we realized that the tree was not only shading a huge portion of the garden it was clearly sapping the sustenance for the flowers beneath.  The solution:  the axe.  I thanked the tree for its display over the years and apologized to it for the destruction I was wreaking upon it.  It was soon gone to the composter.

Then.  Then we discovered how insidious and how devastating to the garden this plant really was, for there soon sprang up all along the root system little treelets seeking to perpetuate the life of the dogwood.  The root was far from dead and now we see the extent of the sneaky invasion, for these roots extend throughout the garden to its very edges in all directions.

There is but one solution to the problem.  The gardener must dig and tear the roots by main force from the earth in which they are embedded.

Has some pretty little thing taken root in your life?  At first it seemed so innocuous, fun even, then it developed into a full-grown vice or habit.  You did not realize what inappropriate shade it was casting over your life until the fruit of your garden was shriveling, small and tasteless.  Worse, you did not see the extent to which the thing had embedded itself into your very life.

And when you do realize the extent of the problem you are helpless to resolve the issue.  The only recourse is to call on the Master Gardener.

Word of the day: innocuous

More Springtime Beauty

Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.  Psalm 40:5 KJV

The clover field behind the house.  Time to make hay.

 The iris have peaked and will soon be memories.

We used to call these flowers "flags."  Anyone

else remember that?

 The peonies always show up in time for Memorial Day.

The blooms are short-lived but magnificent.  Excellent 

as cut flowers, too.  A vase on the table brings loveliness 

into the house.

I had never heard these beauties called "pineys" until I 

moved to Indiana.  Say what?

The variegated dogwood is old now.  Lots of deadwood

had to be removed from the center and some serious

lopping for control.  Perhaps it will live a few

more seasons.

Kent and his mother admire the weigela which with

the hostas provide interest on the north side of the house.

 

Flora alone do not provide all the loveliness in

the yard.  I captured this lovely animal while 

working in the garden.  It crawled inside my shirt

sleeve.  Couldn't find it, thought perhaps it

had deserted me.  But no, after a bit I felt it

crawling atop my right ear.

The creature was returned to its habitat after

the photo session.

Groundsel

For years, I have seen the yellow fields in Springtime Indiana.  Being basically ignorant of botany and agriculture, I mistakenly assumed that the plants were mustard, and in some instances even imagined that they were literal rape (canola) crops.

Today I took the time to walk into a field and pluck a sample of this creature for closer study.  Imagine my surprise when at first look I saw not a blossom with four petals, but rather an aster-like cluster of flowers on each stalk.  To the interwebz!  A Purdue University site quickly made identification certain: Butterweed or Cressleaf Groundsel (Packera glabella formerly Senecio glabellus).

It’s everywhere!  It’s everywhere!

Look at that little dickens.  Would you look at that?

Revisiting the Christmas Cactus

The Christmas cactus actually gave us a few blossoms at Christmas, and it has had a few blooms ever since.  The flowers have been fewer in number this year than it has had some years in the past, but they are no less beautiful, wouldn't you agree?

The plant has been moved, repotted, 

overwatered, underwatered, chopped back, 

broken and otherwise abused over the years.

It is at least forty-three years old.

Flowers and The Word

I like dahlias  A lot.  I have never had much success with growing them.

This year I put in a few.  The results are quite satisfactory.

The red and yellow is quite unusual, but I really like the white one.

The sedum is at a fun stage, white turning to pink.











The hollyhock is near the end for the year.  The simple flower has long been one of my favorites, perhaps because it was the one truly showy flower we had in our yard when I was a child.









I have no idea what this flower is.  Planted along the foundation among a bunch of other stuff, it produced one or two flowers at a time all season. But no two were the same color!  Some little bug
enjoyed this one, perhaps even more than I did.













The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.  --Isaiah 40:8 (KJV)