Remnants
Last of His Kind
Today, I read a story about the death of a man who was the last member of an indigenous tribe in Brazil. This man “known as the “Man of the hole” had lived in complete isolation for the past twenty-six years on the Tanaru indigenous land, deep in the Brazilian Amazon in Rondonia state.” Source: CNN
This completes the genocide of this man’s tribe. “The rest of his tribe was wiped out by several attacks since the 1970s mainly from cattle ranchers and land grabbers.” Source: CNN
I do not suspect this story will make headline news but reading about this man’s lonely and tragic death related directly to the message I wanted to convey with what will eventually be a series of posts related to hoary vervain and the remnants of the once vast prairies of the Great Plains.
When It’s Gone, It’s Gone
I often wonder how many of my fellow humans experience the same amount of exhausting sadness as I do when it is learned that some living entity has either disappeared completely or is on the verge of doing so. Granted one species or another will naturally die out for whatever reason as part of natural selection. BUT – what bothers me is when the human species is directly responsible for the extinction of any living organism.
With our ever expanding numbers and our insatiable desire for things, precious land is cleared. Habitats for millions of other living things vanish. Entire ecosystems are destroyed. I could speak of rain forests, swamp land, or temperate forests, but this series of articles will focus on the quickly disappearing North American Prairie.
The Mesic Prairie Systems Have All But Disappeared
According to National Geographic, all but 1% (ONE PERCENT!) of the Great Plains’ original plants have been replaced by farmed grasses. Source: Rootwell.com
Imagine an area stretching from Canada, through the entire middle to western US and then down to Mexico covered in swaying grasses. Mixed in would be the purples, whites, pinks, yellows and reds of various wild flowers. The vast array of plant, insect and animal species that once made up the North American prairie ecosystems must have been (and to a lesser extent still is) astounding! Flowers such as alliums, milkweeds, spurges, partridge peas, coreopsis, prairie clovers, prairie blazing stars, penstemons, royal catchfly, cone flowers and of course vervain. That is just a small subset of the plants that can call a prairie their home. Not to mention the multitude of insects, invertebrates and other animals!
Royal Catchfly from my own garden. There IS a story associated with this plant and I will definitely be sharing said story in a future post.
Interlude:
During my time on earth I only ever wish to make things better for others and for our planet. This is why I garden. I often embark on many online journeys researching plants or the other amazing forms of life that call my garden home. During one of these journeys, I was fortunate enough to discover the Prairie Ecologist Blog by Chris Helzer of The Nature Conservancy in Nebraska. His work, his words and photographs are so inspiring. I consulted him for advice for this blog and Chris’s words will appear in one of the next installments. In the interim, because of his exceptional photography skills, I reached out and asked him if had an image I could use demonstrating a healthy prairie showing grasses and flowers. This is what he sent. Thank you so much Chris!
A very healthy and diverse prairie. Photo compliments of Chris Helzer of the Nebraska Nature Conservancy
Hoary Vervain, A Prairie Plant for Every Garden
In time, I may create articles on many of the plants mentioned above but for this series of articles, I want to focus on the many attributes of Hoary Vervain. There are several reasons for this. To learn more of my thoughts on this plant, please be sure to visit next month when I shall continue with Part II of this article series.
I wish to thank all of you once again most sincerely and humbly for taking the time to read my garden musings. I appreciate your presence. Until next time, I wish for you and yours the very best in health and all things. Many blessings.
As always, here are some current photos of the garden. Enjoy!
The amazing beauty of the swallowtail butterfly.
My corn patch with mountain mint in the foreground. The mint attracts the pollinators who in turn help pollinate the squash nearby. I will be creating a post on this later when I discuss my three sisters bed.
The beauty of an emerging sunflower.
Some say love, it is a flower and I am so in love with this beautiful pink rose.
The story behind this photo: A random seed blew in and attached itself to this dried flower stem. I just love the intricacy of the design.
The beautiful down of milkweed seeds
Mae’s Garden Rose
To garden is to share, love and pray. I will be sharing with you today a story about Mae’s Garden Rose.
Dear friends,
I wish to say thank you so kindly for being here and reading my continued garden musings. I sincerely appreciate it.
Since my last post, the work in the garden has been nonstop. Well, not quite so nonstop as it happened. The weather gracing this part of the country in late spring was nothing short of GLOURIOUS! Week after week I was waiting for our typical heavy spring snow but it was not to be… or so it seemed. In kind, the garden responded accordingly. Trees were leafing out in full force, blossoms on the apple trees, flower stems emerging on the irises and so on. It looked as if it would be the type of spring I would normally just dream of.
And then…
Friday, 20 May 2022
One Week Before Memorial Day
All that week I was paying close attention to the forecast and becoming more and more nervous and anxious about all the prognostications. The proposed temperatures for Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening started off at or below freezing and as the week progressed, the forecasted evening temperatures were colder and then colder (in the end the coldest it got was 26 one evening). The projected snow accumulation was climbing and climbing (in the end, we received over a foot of snow). As the storm approached that Friday the 20th, I said a little gardener’s prayer and just hoped for the best.
As the snow relentlessly fell, I went out and used a broom to shake snow from trees all Friday evening but in the end I still lost a couple limbs from the maple in front. The irises, flax and all the other emerging perennials that had stood proudly were now flat to the ground. The limbs from the nannyberry, serviceberry, lilacs, bush cherry and chokecherry were also flat to the ground.
Interlude: Let me say this about the chokecherry tree. It is native to this part of the country and all around my garden and beyond, many, MANY trees lost limbs. Ash, elms and so on all fell victim to this very heavy spring snow. And, yet most trees that happened to be native (my chokecherry included) were relatively unscathed. Once the snow began to melt, the tree bounced back to life. I mention this because it directly relates to one of my core gardening principals — grow native as much as possible
Within days, the weather returned to normal and the snow disappeared almost as rapidly as it arrived. And, now, today, one month later, all is mostly fine. Well, now, we have a newer problem ironically enough and that is not having enough moisture. Oh! To be a gardener! Moving on…
A Day to Make the Previous Days Better
A couple weeks ago, I received some concerning health news. I will not go into details right now but suffice to say, I have been thinking a lot about what is truly important in life. Not that I did not do this prior but when one’s health is not optimal, those thoughts not only deepen but tend to become more prevalent.
That aside, I typically wait to turn my irrigation back on either the first or second week of June. As it happened, the person who was meant to help me with this along with fixing a severed sprinkler line was not available to help. Not wanting to prolong the ability to irrigate the garden, a friend who helps me with my seasonal landscaping needs came over to help.
When we turned on the water, we were greeted by spraying water from a large crack in the pipe, and this abruptly concluded the process of turning on the water. I called the company who blew out the sprinkler lines last autumn and explained what was happening. Bear in mind, I was already having a very challenging time mentally and this was really the last thing I wanted to be dealing with.
Let me pause for a moment…
Before I continue, I want to mention the company that helps me with all my sprinkler needs – Castle Rock Sprinkler Service. If you live in the Castle Rock area of Colorado and need help with anything related to your sprinkler or more, I promise you this company is the VERY best of the best.
Meeting John the Owner of Castle Rock Sprinkler
As mentioned already, I called the company who blew out my sprinkler lines for help with this cracked pipe. I was patched through to the owner John who asked I send a photo of the problem. I did that and he replied with a text of “I am on my way”. What a blessing!
When John arrived, he complimented me on my garden. He then shared a photo of one of the most exquisite yellow roses I have ever seen. This rose has been growing in his grandmother Mae’s garden in South Dakota for well over a century. Though no one in John’s family lives there anymore, this rose remains. I have always wanted to make a road trip to South Dakota and I mentioned I would love to set forth on a journey to view this rose. It will bloom again in late May so I am hoping I can make the trip next year.
Mae’s Garden Rose
John got to work on repairing my pipe and as lunchtime was growing near, I asked if I could make him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He agreed. Lunch made, we sat and took a few moments to breathe in the beauty of my garden. We talked more and as John shared memories about his grandparents and their beautiful garden that included this magnificent rose, I sensed the love not only for those days past when his grandparents were still alive but also of their garden and subsequently all gardens.
To Share, To Love and To Pray
We gardeners are a very special lot. Our love of the earth and what we can grow in said earth allows us to typically overcome the challenges nature and life tend to throw at us. One year I will have apples at the end of the season because there was not a late freeze. Most years, I will not. Bugs, rodents, gusty wind, cold, heat, drought, hail, weeds (some not all), etc. can dampen the spirits of even the most optimistic gardening soul.
Through it all though, we persevere. We love, we share and we pray. Just last week, I met John, a kindred spirit who loves to garden, and all that nature provides just as much as I do. We shared our love for what we humans can make out of a bit of earth. I shared some of my tomato, basil and thyme plants along with some seeds. John shared his love for not only his garden but also the garden belonging to his grandparents. And, for the love of Mae’s Garden Rose.
Thank you, John. Thank you for a day that bolstered my spirits and reminded me of the beauty that is everywhere around us.
In Closing And For Next Time
In the next installment, I promise to share the new varieties of penstemon I added to the garden this year along with all my other little projects.
I wish to thank all of you once again most sincerely and humbly for taking the time to read my garden musings. I appreciate your presence. Until next time, I wish for you and yours the very best in health and all things. Many blessings.
As always, here are some current photos of the garden. Enjoy!
Siberian Wallflower
Western Spiderwort, beautiful Colorado native
Lacy Phacelia, the very best plant to attract native bees.
Wild yellow rose… Originated from a very old rose from Riverside Cemetery in Denver, Colorado
Raspberries! I will have a decent harvest. How many will I get after the robins find them?
Lacy phacelia with our native bumblebee.
Penstemons — A Must For Your Xeric and Hummingbird Garden
Hello everyone and welcome! It is a tremendous blessing to have you here.
’tis the very best season… Spring! It has been a rainy day and we have been blessed with the best type of rain… that slow, gentle, constant rain. The ground is slowly soaking it all up and that in turn will work wonders in this very dry, Colorado garden. Welcome rain!
First, some updates:
Primula Denticulata: From my last post, I would love to be able to share with you my overwhelming success with growing this plant. Alas, I did not have any seeds germinate, not even indoors. I will not give up though. I will set a note next January to create a space outside where I can set aside some small dedicated pots with JUST primula seeds added and see what happens.
The Bird’s Nest Fern: As Charlie Brown said of his little tree, I killed it. Perhaps the root rot had already set in. I have not had the best of luck with these plants so this shall be my last endeavor to grow this plant.
Let’s Talk Penstemons
This coming Friday, May 6th and Saturday, May 7th I will be volunteering at the spring plant sale, specifically the Water Smart Division at the Denver Botanic Gardens. There has not been an in person sale for the last two years so I am looking forward to attending once again. This for me is a wonderful opportunity to talk about plants and emphasize the importance of growing natives and embracing a more Water Smart way of gardening.
Though I love all of the plants offered for sale by the Water Smart division, there is one plant I am rather fond of and that is the penstemon. I had never thought of growing them until I discovered them during my opportunity to volunteer at the annual spring plant sale. Since that time which was five or six years ago, the penstemon takes pride of place in my garden. I currently have them growing in a gravely bed and within the steps that lead to the top of the garden. This year, I have noticed I have MANY little volunteers appearing here, there and everywhere. I will be digging up a lot of these to share while relocating others out of the way of my normal walking paths.
The rain has subsided so I went out just now to capture these images.
Just look at all these volunteer penstemons!
What’s so special about penstemons?
Do you love hummingbirds? Do you prefer to garden with more native plant varieties that don’t require as much water? If you answered yes and yes, then this plant will reward you handsomely.
First, the hummingbirds: When your penstemons flower, they will be visited by hummingbirds daily. They will prefer this to any feeder.
Next, saving water: Within large portions of the western United States, it is becoming integral that we conserve water in all ways we possibly can. Converting your growing space to a Xeric based landscape will help with that. The penstemon is one of the best plants you can use for your water saving endeavors.
These are but two attributes associated with growing these amazing plants. When in bloom, they are, in my opinion, the most beautiful plants in the garden. Have a look at this:
Looking Forward to Growing New Varieties
It has been brought to my attention that this year the James’ penstemon (Penstemon jamesii) will be available at the spring plant sale. Looking at this plant’s profile on the Santa Fe Botanical Garden website, I have fallen in love. I currently have some open positions in the garden and these plants will be perfect! Look at those leaves and that color! I am getting very excited.
For Next Time
I am sure I will have a lot to talk about in my next post including the treasures I brought home from the spring plant sale. Until then, I wish to provide for you a little penstemon care sheet I created. You can download that here: penstemon-care
I wish to thank you most sincerely and humbly for taking the time to read my garden musings. I appreciate your presence. Until next time, I wish for you and yours the very best in health and all things. Many blessings.
As always, here are some current photos of the garden. Enjoy!
All being well and we don’t get any hard freezes the rest of the season, I could very well end up with a LOT of apples! Fingers are crossed.
Remember my bellis perennis obsession? Well! This image is of one of many volunteers appearing below the flax bed.
One of many sets of emerging columbines.
Beautiful phlox in the rock garden.
Do you see the little bug?
Another huge success! I have so many common violets growing now and I could not be happier since I very much wanted this plant to thrive in my garden. They are naturalizing beautifully.
Primula Denticulata and More
7 March 2021 16:30 p.m.
(Date I originally began this post)
Sipping deliciously refreshing Moroccan green tea. Busy day today. I am sitting outside finally able to relax. So, what have I accomplished today?
Trading One Fern for Another
In the family room, I have a beautifully decorated ceramic pot. There, an asparagus fern (actually a herb and not a true fern) has been languishing for a while. I brought the pot outside, dug out and discarded the asparagus fern, emptied the old soil into the bed where the elderberry’s grow, filled it with black gold soil and planted my little bird’s nest fern that has managed to hang on despite my neglect.
I am amazed the bird’s nest fern is still alive. It has been sitting on the north window ledge for so long in its original, small plastic pot, it was completely rootbound and removing it proved to be quite difficult. So much so, I had to cut it out. Once released, I discovered it was sopping! I trimmed away the little grow pot thing that encased it… well, as much as I could. I then tucked it away into its new home and topped off the pot with some orchid mix.
Looking into the crown, I could see that any new leaves that were trying to emerge were black. ? so hopefully it will find a way to thrive in its new home. One pleasant surprise was the Oxalis growing in the center. It is very welcome to flourish at will.
Bird’s nest fern in its new home. May it happily thrive!
Oxalis in center of bird’s nest fern
Interlude:
I truly do not know what I was thinking! Bird’s-nest ferns are epiphytic and grow in tight, nest-like clumps usually in nooks and crevices of trees. If I were to leave this plant in the pot seen above, it would languish and die. I promptly removed it and transferred it to a small terracotta pot as seen below:
More Primula Denticulata!
… The obsession continues. Prior to today (7 March 2021 when I wrote this post), here are all the places I have planted some drumstick primula seed:
• Climbing rose bed
• Under sugar maple
• Yellow pot under sugar maple
• The two small pots at the foot of the left set of stairs
• Little black pot indoors (set up in the basement as they need things cool to germinate)
The left set of stairs leading to the upper slope of the garden. I planted the primula denticula seeds in the two pots at the bottom.
…. and here is the right set of steps just so you can see the other side of the garden! 🙂
There may be more places but that’s all I can remember right now.
Yellow pot under the sugar maple (I still owe you part III of the Cicely and maple story arc). Just behind the pot are Flo and Ringo my resident flamingos and to the right of Ringo is Dum Dum my Easter Island head pot. 🙂
And Today (7 March 2021) …
I emptied a terracotta pot sitting on the bottom shelf of the wire grow rack. I don’t suspect the original inhabitant – Virginia Stock – that was planted last year will come back. I then broke up the soil clumps, added some black gold mix, soaked the pot and added the drumstick primula seed.
Here is the wire grow rack I mentioned. You cannot see the bottom level due to the drifting show from our recent storm.
Next…
I have two scalloped pots near a wagon wheel next to a bed dedicated to my strawberry mint. I filled these with black gold mix and again planted more primula seed.
My most sincere hope is that I will get just a few of these plants to germinate and better yet bloom! Oh! The hopes of the gardening soul!
Right Now (7 March 21)
The sun is setting lower in the sky, finches are arguing for a place on the cylinder feeders filled with black oil sunflower seed, the peanut feeder has been filled but so far, no jays have descended upon it, my custom crafted wind chimes made from bottle caps and various trinkets is singing to me, the dried grasses rustle, a robin searches for seeds and it is getting cold. So, that’s all for now.
A dear friend of mine custom crafted this wind chime using a colander, bottle caps and other random treasures.
Until next time, I wish to thank you most sincerely and humbly for taking the time to read my garden musings. I appreciate your presence. Until next time, I wish for you and yours the very best in health and all things. Many blessings.
As always, here are some current photos of the garden. Enjoy!
** All photos were taken by the author. If you wish to buy some primula denticulata seeds. I recommend Plant World Seeds. They have such a great collection of not only primula seeds but many other wonderful and unique varieties.
The Gift of a Christmas Cactus
For Linda
Winter will soon be here and the garden for the most part has gone dormant. I have failed to keep this blog up to date and for that I sincerely apologize. I have so much to share but it is just a matter of taking the time to sit at my desk and write. Easier said than done so it seems.
With not much that needs doing outside, my energies are devoted once again to the indoor (winter) garden. For this post’s inspiration, my Christmas cactus has once again put forth a profusion of blooms.
Meet Mary
Preface:
As it turns out, I have written about my Christmas cactus previously. That only confirms my sincere infatuation for this plant. You can read that post from nearly five years ago here where I not only share my thoughts on the Christmas cactus but the wonderful Cosmos plant.
A profusion of blooms on my beautiful Christmas cactus
I love to name my specimen plants and I do not think I am alone. This beautiful Christmas cactus was given to me by mother-in-law Grace. In her honor, we have named her Mary which is not only Grace’s middle name but also her mother’s name.
Each year, around this time (which I suppose technically would make this a Thanksgiving cactus), I am blessed with a sudden burst of abundant red and fuchsia colored blooms. As the outdoor garden sleeps, this magnificent display of color is definitely most welcome… particularly this year.
It has been a very challenging year for everyone and now more than ever, it is vital to appreciate anything that provides joy. My gardens, both indoor and outdoor, provide an abundance of simple joy. It is this joy that I love sharing with anyone who will listen or in this case read.
If you are able to visit your local garden center (please try and avoid big box stores and it is so important to support small, local businesses right now) I recommend treating yourself to the beautiful and easy to care for Christmas cactus. Given the right conditions, this plant will provide years of happiness. I promise.
Some intimate shots of Mary’s beautiful flowers taken a couple days ago:
The Secrets to My Success
I know there are some out there who have a difficult time getting their Christmas cactuses to rebloom. For all those people, I will share with you what I do. This is really a very undemanding plant and if you follow these guidelines, you too will be greeted with a plethora of blooms just in time (or slightly after) Thanksgiving.
Water and Fertilization
Do not let the name cactus catch you off guard! This is a tropical plant from Brazil. They are actually epiphytes and their native habitat is within the rainforest tucked into trees or rocks. So, they like water and humidity. Because of this, I do not let the soil go dry. I also am careful not to overwater. I find that in the summer maybe a thorough watering twice a week is sufficient. In the winter, just once a week.
When it comes to fertilizing this plant, I mix in some orchid fertilizer with my water. Just to make things easier, I mix in a pinch or two of Flower Fantasy Fertilizer granules from Fantasy Orchids, fill with very warm water and use that to water my Mary, the Christmas cactus. She seems to like that.
Light
My Christmas cactus is near a window that has a southeast exposure. It seems this is sufficient for what it needs to thrive and of course continually bloom. Oh yes! Speaking of this. Once the primary bloom of November ends, don’t be surprised if you see subsequent blooms even into summer!
Pruning
I never really pruned this plant until it grew so much I could no longer close the blinds. So, last September, I took my garden scissors and gave it a massive haircut. What happened next is why I will forever and always prune this plant in September.
The blooms had multiplied 10-fold! I was always so blessed with a decent amount of blooms but after pruning, every single stem had blooms. This year, I pruned again and had the same result. Based on this, make a note on your garden calendar to give your plant a trim in September before flower buds form.
Final Thoughts
As mentioned above, this has been a difficult year and any one thing that can provide joy is so appreciated. If you are reading this blog, you are one of those people that gain joy from gardening. I have always thought that if every single soul on the planet took the time to grow something, anything, the world would transform into something amazing.
As I close this post, I want to thank you so kindly for reading. I truly appreciate it.
There is one thing I failed to mention. All those stems you end up with after pruning can be planted directly in soil and they will make a new plant (rather quickly I might add). So, if you cannot get a plant this year, would you like me to start one for you? Just leave a comment or send a message and I will be happy to share a cutting from my plant.
Thank you again and I wish for you the best in health and all things.
Until next time, happy gardening!
Benny
As always, here are some photographs taken toward the end of this year’s gardening season. Enjoy!
A volunteer sunflower most likely planted by my bird friends. This sweet little bloom lasted months. It stood in solitude near the fence and brought me joy each day.
Ami blooms. You can barely make it out but there is a native bee on this cluster of flowers. I started these indoors but next year, I will probably just plant directly outside.
It rained and then the rain froze. This viola bloom became frozen in time as a result.
This is a beautiful variety of snapdragon called Night and Day from Botanical Interests. SO beautiful.
Seed pod clusters on the Norway maple.
A Swenson Swedish pea bloom. Sadly, there was a hard freeze not long after this photo was taken so I could not take part in enjoying a second crop of peas this year.
Special Notes:
If you too want to grow what I grow here are some links you may find helpful.
You can purchase the astoundingly beautiful Night and Day snapdragons from Botanical Interests.
If you would like a very dependable, robust pea, I cannot recommend the Swenson Swedish pea more. You can purchase this seed variety from Seed Savers Exchange.
Sweet Cicely and The Maple Part II
Sweet Cicely Appreciates Shade
With the end of each season comes sales! As autumn wears on, nearly all garden centers in the northern part of the United States typically discount the remaining summer stuck of plants significantly. I desired a smallish hardy shrub to go in the center of the raised bed where I had been attempting to grow my sweet cicely. The cicely is growing along the right edge, so I wanted something that grew up to 10 feet high x 5 feet wide. I perused all the shrubs and came across a bush cherry that was 50% off.
I took out my phone and did a quick bit of research. The variety I was considering was the Juliet Bush Cherry. This beauty is happy to Zone 2! It grows to ten feet high and 5-7 feet wide. Perfect! To top it off, one plant can eventually produce 25 pounds of cherries once mature. Quite a delightful bonus, wouldn’t you agree?
Interlude to share the delight of chickadees in the garden
I started creating this post on the 13 August of this year. With that in mind, here’s a moment that happened as I was writing that day:
I am sitting outside writing this and the sun is now in the west which makes it difficult to sit in the shade under the pergola. Because of this, I am sitting on the couch which is still shaded. I have a bonsai with a tray underneath that catches water. The chickadees love to drink from this tray. I am sitting right next to it so now and again I can hear wings fluttering near my head. The chickadee flapping around wanted to land but didn’t like my being so close. I moved down and stole these photos.
I absolutely adore the chickadees and have more dedicated feeders for them than any other bird.
Back to the Story
I purchased the Juliet Bush Cherry and once home, I created a respectable hole and planted it in snugly into the little raised bed. Digging and planting finished, I removed my gloves, sat down and immediately started looking forward to the day when it would reach maturity. When that day arrives, my sweet cicely will have ample shade and I can harvest fresh cherries as an added bonus!
Because winter would be arriving soon, I added an entire bag of soil pep mulch to the entire area.
Spring Arrived
Though the bush cherry is still relatively small, it did seem it would provide some decent shade for my (hopefully) soon to be emerging sweet cicely. But, would it be enough to allow for success?
I believe it was the second or third week of March when I noticed the little fern textured leaves poking through the ground. Though optimistic, I did not allow myself to get too excited. I had seen the foliage emerge in a similar fashion in years past. It did not take long for me to realize that this year was going to be different however. More and more leaves began to emerge and then! I was blessed with flower stalks. The little umbels were similar to that of Queen Anne’s Lace and their very presence allowed for the type of elation only a gardener would understand. When you try for something so long within the garden, an occurrence such as this is wonderful validation for years of hard work.
Why Was I Successful This Year?
I wish I had a photo to show you, but I cannot seem to find any of the photos I took when the flowers formed. With that said, here is a photo from Wikimedia Commons that is a fair representation of what I saw in my garden.
Sweet Cicely, courtesy Wikimedia Commons
I am not entirely sure why I had such success this year. It could be everything combined (clearing out competing plants, providing a bit more shade, etc.) but I am convinced that the main reason is due to adding the soil pep. I say that because I added soil pep to other parts of the garden. In each area where soil pep was added, the plants flourished. I absolutely love this product and plan to mulch the entire garden with it throughout the rest of this autumn season.
This concludes the Sweet Cicely portion of this series. I still owe you a story about the maple and that story shall be told in the third and final part of this series.
I thank you so kindly for reading.
Until next time, happy gardening and thank you for being a part of my community!
As always, here are some photos of my garden for you to enjoy.
This is just one of the many sunflowers that volunteered in my garden this year.
Rudbecia flower against fence
Hey! Look what I found! This is a photo of the cicely happily growing in my garden!
Borage flower. The leaves taste of cucumbers
Tragopogon dubius (Yellow Goat’s Beard) flower
Tragopogon dubius (Yellow Goat’s Beard) in seed. I gathered some seeds a long while ago during a road trip. I am now blessed to have these flowers growing everywhere.
Sweet Cicely and The Maple Part I
Introduction and Hope for Rain
Dear friend and gardener. It is a warm afternoon but with a slightly cool breeze drifting through now and again; sitting outside is tolerable. During the warmer months, I try to make it a point to enjoy my lunch outside as often as possible. I just glanced westward, and heavy gray clouds are heading this way. Maybe we will be blessed with rain despite the forecast indicating otherwise. Once can hope! I have spoken about this before but living in an arid climate, every drop of rain is so precious.
In my last post I mentioned that I have had some great successes this year. So begins the story of Sweet Cicely and The Maple Tree.
Botanical Drawing of Myrrhis Odorata, Sweet Cicely
Sweet Cicely
In the Beginning
This story began in May of 2013. I created a post describing my delight in planting some sweet cicely seeds. That was also the day I discovered I have high blood pressure. I would subsequently learn I have diabetes as well. That aside, it turns out May is not the time of year to plant sweet cicely. Cicely seeds need cold treatment to germinate so the ideal time to sow is in the autumn. Not knowning this, I thought something was wrong with my seeds. Months passed without germination.
I belong to an online community called The National Gardening Association. I cannot recall all the details but somehow, I reached out to other members of the site asking for advice on growing cicely. A very kind soul from Belgium reached out and explained I should sow my seeds in autumn. Thinking nothing would come of the seeds I originally planted, she was kind enough to send seeds from her garden. What a blessing! I planted this new set of seeds in December 2013 or January 2014. Because I planted at more or less the appropriate time, I hoped they would germinate after winter released its grip.
Germination
Winter blew in then melted away. Then, it happened! I believe it was April when I noticed small fern like foliage emerging. Success! Sadly, the plants did not put on much growth and they did not flower at all. All throughout the season, the plants declined and eventually faded away to nothing as the gardening season ended.
Try and Try Again
Over the next couple years, I contemplated, and attempted to correct whatever I was doing wrong. Is it too warm to grow this herb in Colorado? Possibly, but cicely should still perform well during the early part of the season. Maybe the bed I chose to grow this plant was too crowded? I had raspberry plants in this bed and if you have ever grown raspberries, you know they spread very rapidly. My raspberries never produced fruit, so I dug them all out. I thought maybe this would help. It didn’t.
I even tried digging up the clump and moving it to a berm in full sun and that failed miserably. The plant languished in its new location and eventually perished. I was certain my desire to grow this fine herb had finally been thwarted.
Fast Forward to 2017
April came around once again and thankfully the delicate fern like foliage emerged again ever so faithfully. I am sure I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized I didn’t kill it by trying to move it. Whatever root system that remained was enough to produce foliage once again. As it turns out, the root system of sweet cicely runs deep so that is most likely why I didn’t kill the entire plant when I tried to move it.
As the months passed, there were a few leaves but nothing remarkable. I kept the area clear, but the plant once again languished.
A New Plan of Action is Formed
2017 faded away as did the leaves of the plant. 2018 arrived, a few leaves emerged but then nothing. By this point, I was determined to successfully grow this herb! So, at the end of last season, I formulated a plan and put it into action.
…To be continued!
Thank you so kindly for reading. This story may be comprised of three parts so please stay tuned. The rest of the story shall be told.
Until next time! Happy gardening and thank you for being a part of my community!
As always, here are some recent photos of my garden.
Every morning, there is always a congregation of these little flies on my sunflower and black eyed Susan leaves.
Faded Cosmos Bloom
The wheat (Utrecht Blue Wheat purchased from Botanical Interests) has dried leaving behind the beautiful blue grains. I grew this with the sole intent of photographing it!
Pink cosmos with stinkbug
As the sunflower blooms fade, the seed heads form. This seed head is dropping almost to the ground. It’s only a matter of time before some critter chews it off and takes it away!
Green bug on pincushion flower
Dear Friend and Gardener
Dear friend and gardener. It’s been such a long while, I know. I feel it important to explain my absence somewhat. To put it bluntly, I have, for the most part, become disenchanted with the whole idea of writing anything. Despite this lack of inspiration or desire, I have been contemplating the idea of creating this blog entry for weeks now. Each Sunday, within my mind, I presented the idea of creating an article. Then… self-doubt would creep in. ”What would I talk about?” and my personal favorite, “What’s the point?” Hardly anyone wishes to read blog posts about gardening these days!” Well, at least, not the story-based articles. There are blogs-a-plenty that give basic gardening instruction and it would not surprise me if they were all written by bots. Yes, that’s a thing now… automated robot writing. It’s quite probable that you have read an article or news story that was written by some sort of AI program. So, what chance does an actual human writer have? I digress and must resist cynicism!
With all that said, my garden this year is in fine form ~~ exceptionally fine form. More on that in a later post but this is worth mentioning because it is a driving factor for my writing.
Today’s Source of Inspiration
Buried within my self-deprecating shadows of doubt, still lives the unyielding desire to write about and ultimately share the various happenings within my humble garden. I just couldn’t figure out how to emerge from the rubble and create… until this evening.
Each evening before I turn off the lights to go to sleep, I enjoy reading a bit from one of the many books that consider my nightstand home.
Not pictured because it is resting right beside me is Dear Friend and Gardener Letters on Life and Gardening by Beth Chatto and Christopher Lloyd (not THAT Christopher Lloyd from Back to the Future!). This book is absolutely delightful. It is an exchange of letters between two gardeners with two very unique styles of gardening. Each letter is like all the essential oils on a canvas that when mixed together portray the perfect scenes from two very beautiful, yet different gardens in different regions of England. With each exchange, I could not help but be inspired not only with planting ideas (I really want to try growing the Galanthus ‘Atkinsii’ snowdrop Beth mentions in one of her letters for example) but also to write.
Is Gardening Still Relevant?
One could be forgiven to believe gardening in this modern, digital age to be something vanquished into the annals of historical, quaint pastimes people used to do for leisure or sustenance. Further, the only people who actually garden today are the old human relics clinging to something that serves no real purpose.
At first glance, these ill-informed thought processes could be easily supported by simply looking around one’s own neighborhood. Gone are the glorious flower borders of cottage flowers flanked by various roses ~~ at least for the most part. Instead what we see in abundance are lawns heavily laden with various cocktails of some of the most horrid chemicals known to man. Beyond that, a cursory tree or set of shrubs and MAYBE a scattering of atypical annuals. Not quite representative of the glory of the gardens of our grandparents.
Oh Gertrude! How I long to see more borders like this!
So, does this truly mean gardeners are an endangered species doomed to extinction? No, I really don’t think so.
The Torch Shall Be Passed
May my words I have written this day drift surely and steadily toward a new generation of gardeners. A new generation of gardeners you may ask? Yes. You see, I have hope. Not just the selfish hope that my rather inconsequential gardening blog will one day find its audience but a much greater hope for the pastime itself.
I volunteer at the Denver Botanic Gardens and each year my job is to assist in the water smart section of the sale (planting a xeric based garden is a huge passion of mine). As each year passes, the crowds of people eager to try their hand at gardening grow tremendously. This is a crowd of glorious human beings of all ages (even as young as two) eager to make something of a bit of earth. A large percentage of these people will seek advice and inspiration from those working the sale. That’s where I come in! As mentioned, my passions revolve around gardening with as little irrigation as possible so the idea of volunteering to help sell plants that are water smart and can survive a bit of drought greatly appeals to me. As visitors arrive, they all have questions and I love answering them. Seeing a penstemon or a sedum go home with someone is for me a sheer delight!
So, yes. I have hope and I am inspired.
Thank you Beth and Christopher for YOUR words of inspiration. Thank you for that nudge I so desperately needed to start writing again. May my words keep flowing, may they find their audience and may they in turn inspire another and another.
Thank you so kindly for reading. I have so much more to share and trust me I will share. In my next post I will talk of two of my more significant successes ~~ sweet cicely and the maple tree.
Until next time! Happy gardening!
As always, here are some recent photos of my garden. Moving forward, I will be sharing exactly six images. I love the number six so thought that a good number to share.
I have this viburnum growing behind the elderberries. Each year it grows bigger and bigger and this year I was blessed by an enchanting bloom!
New pea vines growing steadily to escape their container and journey wherever they please. This is the heirloom Swenson Swedish Pea.
Oh yes, one of my absolute, most favorite flowers, the tiny viola. I have them emerging everywhere. I love these flowers so much!
A glorious shot of new rose leaves emerging. I just love the red tinge the new leaves have don’t you?!
This lily has emerged faithfully year after year. It sends up a huge stock which is then graced by a cluster of about four flowers. At the time of writing this article, it is about to open up in all its glory.
Pause, Reflect, Breathe
A Day to Pause and Reflect
As each year passes, Memorial Day is fast becoming one of my favorite days for pause, reflection, deep breathing and spiritual fulfillment. Just like last year, I am sitting in the garden writing this entry with my feet up enjoying the sites and sounds enveloping me. I have so much to do — beds need clearing, several plants are begging to be released from their small plastic cells so they may stretch their legs within the garden soil and the never ending list goes on. All these things weigh on my mind but I absolutely must sit, get this article done and really take time to be quiet. To accentuate the moment, I am listening to the beautiful music of Kristin Rule. Please click on the link and have a listen. It will add to your reading pleasure. I promise.
So Blessed
The dry winter, aphids, rabbits, hail, sudden heat spells but mostly lack of water. All have taken its toll on my garden paradise. What must be sheer spite, the garden is rebounding. Rather than wallow in all the things that aren’t as they should be, I shall celebrate instead.
In a large pot under the pergola, a lone columbine has thrived. Typically it is competing with the desert bluebells but this year none came up and this allowed the columbine to take over the pot.
The Pallida Dalmatica Irises
Preface: I ordered these vintage (circa 1597) Irises from Old House Gardens in March of 2015. I tracked down these irises as they bring back some very special memories. It was very important that these bloom so I thought moving them would help — it did!
At the end of last season, I moved two large clumps of irises away from the house and planted them along the edge of the steps leading up to the top half of the garden. This is their third year in the garden and when the weather warmed this spring, the foliage took off just as it did last year — (but foliage was all I had last year hence one of the reasons for the relocation). Weeks went by, I saw no stalks forming. I feared that once again I would have no blooms.
One morning, during an atypical saunter, I nearly cried out with delight when I noticed those ever familiar little stalks forming off the sides of the leaves! Now, they are blooming and that aroma! If heaven had a fragrance, the scent of an iris would definitely be it. Just like Francis said in “Under the Tuscan Sun” — they smell of purple — a very delicate, delicious purply heaven!
The Dedicated Poppy Bed
I could keep going on and on about all the beauty that surrounds me now but I don’t want to take up too much of your time. 🙂 Before I close, I would like to share with you a little something I created about a month ago. I wanted to have a dedicated rose bed and I have been successful with that endeavor. When I was finished positioning my roses, I had a rather large patch that I ended up designating “to be determined”.
A month ago, I was staring at this space and weighing my options: A selection of miniature roses (they don’t really do too well in our climate), herbs or perhaps a selection of prairie flowers? I then realized what I absolutely must do. I tilled the soil so to disturb it to the point where it was very loose. I then gathered all my special poppy seed and scattered them all throughout the blank canvas. What an amazing blessing it is now to see them coming up. Soon, I will have a miniature field of them!
I have written about the Flanders poppy many times and I will reiterate that this is the one plant I will always grow. When those papery red flowers sway in the breeze, I am reminded of all I am thankful for and my countless blessings.
Spreading the Love
The poppies I grow year after year originated from a grave site in Flanders. It has been my goal to share the seeds I gather every year with all who want them. The ultimate goal being that this little red flower proudly sways in every garden around the world. Last year I sent some to my friend Gloria. She planted her seeds last autumn and has kindly shared her thoughts on why planting these flowers were important to her. I shall close with her words that beautifully encapsulate this day and the magic a bit of sentimentality can bring to the garden. Until next time, thank you so kindly for reading. Thank you to all those in our military who give so much every day selflessly so I may have a day like today.
My garden is many things to me but mainly a sacred place filled with plants shared from neighbor and friend, some specifically chosen plants which remind me daily to be grateful for those who touched my life with love and lessons. When I discovered my friend Ben had Flanders Poppies I knew they needed to be a part of my garden, and in asking, he generously harvested his seeds and mailed them to me. I sprinkled, covered, watered and wait with anticipation, while remembering those who paid with every breath, those young hearts, new to war. It is always the staring down of fear that brings freedom. Is that not reason enough to plant the little Flanders seeds, watch as they take the ground, stand honorably and remind me daily to be grateful, so very grateful.
Here is a photo of Gloria’s poppies emerging:
And finally, images from my garden. Blessings to you all!
Sedum growing through the crack in the paving stones
I absolutely love the gorgeous purple hues on this hens and chicks specimen
Apples forming! I am so excited to get fruit this year! Last year, I didn’t
Soft, subtle purple of the irises
Sedum
Globe Mallow — Out of five specimens, I only have two left. This particular plant is thriving.
Lichen
Pansies in pot
Hummingbird vine
Verbascum — I grow this intentionally as it reminds me of ‘Old Herbaceous’
Clematis Flower
Vinca — a plant I have been babying. This was originally in a friend’s garden.
Flax flower
Irises with droplets of rain
Custom Made Wind Chime
Columbine in artistic black and white
Snow-In-Summer — Some call it a menace. I call it beautiful!
The beautiful blue flax
Anticipation
Dear Friends:
Well now, it seems I have once again been remiss in keeping this blog up to date. Take this post for example. It was actually completed back in February. I really need to step it up and update this blog in a more timely fashion. With that said, thank you for reading and thank you for your patience!
Originally written February 7th 2018
Snowdrops — One of the first flowers to poke through in late winter.
It always happens around this time every year – right around the time of my birthday. The winds are shifting, the days are staying awake longer and the sun is warming the earth. As in all previous years, I see signs of life. Already, daffodils are beginning to poke through, the flax is greening up, irises are poking through and insects are darting about. Yet, it is still only February and just the beginning of February at that.
Spring officially returns March 21st but here, in my little Rocky Mountain garden we will be flirting with winter well into the third week of May – typically. I mean, this could be an off year but I won’t be planting anything that doesn’t like the cold until after Mother’s Day. Just like The Who once lamented … I won’t be fooled again.
The Beauty
On this glorious day of days, I am afforded the opportunity to just sit outside. I wish you – you being any kind soul who happens upon these words and reads them – could be here sitting with me now, outside under my pergola, on my dusty, dirty chair and enjoying this quiet… this solitude.. this moment with me. Perhaps I would make us some iced tea. That does sound good and I was halfway tempted to stop writing this post and go inside and make some but this white tea I have is so strong, I find the effects of the caffeine to be too long lasting. So, perhaps, if you were here, I would make an iced tea but some sort of herbal blend. Hibiscus perhaps.
Oh, the GLORY! The sun is warming my aching bones and I can feel the healing transformation. There is a breeze and it is cool but not cold. It is blowing my wind chime about. Don’t you just love the sound of wind chimes? I would love to have them all over my garden. This one above me is a soprano chime so I quite fancy a bass or alto chime to accompany it.
Already, There Is Anticipation
As each day lengthens and warms, already I am feeling it. If you are here, reading this post, you must be a gardener of some sort or at least someone mildly interested in making something of a bit of earth, or container or something along those lines. I say this because if you have any appreciation for the natural world and how it invigorates the gardener, you know what the ‘it’ is.
“It” is abstract in form and changes with each passing day. “It” is a desire, a passion, a longing and a purest form of love. “It” is what is inside me, you and well, everyone really. “It” is what makes me feel alive. “It” is the perfection of a connection that is discovered – and not by accident. In my life, there are only a few core desires that equate to need. Beyond the tangible, the “it” for me is to sink my hands inside the warming earth, letting it slip through my fingers – but not before inhaling its aroma and mold it into something beautiful. It is this love I breathe into it that produces a garden.
My friends, I thank you so kindly for reading. Please accept my apologies as always for any and all delays in between posts.
Until next time, I wish you all the very best of all things. May this day and all days be blessed. Happy Gardening!
Please enjoy these photos of my Rocky Mountain garden in February:
In two large pots under the pergola, I planted some daffodils. It seems the only plants to emerge are those planted in the left pot. I will have to fix that next year.
My evergreen snapdragons. These are planted near the hose spout and stay green all year. Looking forward to the blooms!
Not too far away from the hollyhocks is my good old, reliable flax. It continues to spread and I could not be happier.
Hollyhock leaves near the kitchen window emerging. I should get blooms this year.
Dried Sunflower Head — I keep all the dried seed heads around until spring.