Wordless Wednesday

Salvia nemerosa (May Night, Viola Klaus, Caradonna)

Iris idontrememberbuyingthisii

Heuchera (supposed to be Frosted Violet but two of the five I bought look like this and the other three look like, well Frosted Violet)

Heuchara mislabeledus

Dianthus Great Wicked Witch

Geum Totally Tangerine in front of Siberian Iris fromneighborii

Aqueligia fragrans scented varieties I started from seeds I bought from Plant World Seeds in England 

Fragrance is subtle and is overshadowed by my neighbors Lilac that's also blooming now

Baptisia australis

Siberian Iris lostustagus

Monday Wishes

I wish...

There was an easy way to keep grass from creeping into my gardens.

There was an easy way to keep grass from growing in between the bricks lining my gardens.

There was an easy way to remove grass to make more gardens.

I had a larger yard so I would have room for more gardens.

That the pictures of some of my favorite plant groupings looked as good in on-line photos as they do in the morning light.

That I would have more times with little wind so that I could do more garden photography (the curse and blessing of living close to the coast).

That the weather would finally get warm.  Highs around 70s sound nice but I'd like to open the windows!

I wouldn't mind a longer bloom period on my Tanacetum coccineum. What a bloom!

And if I'm really going out on a limb I wish The Husband's job would get transferred to South West Florida so that we could buy a house within biking distance of Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge.

Wednesday Morning Mystery

Last night I failed to bring my Salvia elegans (Pineapple Sage) into the house for the night.  I successfully overwintered this plant and was putting it out on warm days to get it acclimated to being outdoors.  This morning I discovered a tragedy.  Something has eaten most of the leaves off my Salvia!

Oh the Horror!

I'm not sure what caused this damage.  Surely it's too early for caterpillars.  If the pot was down in the yard I would suspect rabbits but it's right up on the deck by the back door that the dogs use to access the yard.

It's a mystery.   But for now I will remember to bring this plant in overnight (I WILL, unless of course I'm too tired and brain fried after lecturing on Photosynthesis for three hours so that when I get home around 10 tonight I forget again.  That's not likely to happen.  Well, maybe it is.  Perhaps I should try to bring it inside this afternoon before I go to campus.)

Miscellaneous Monday

I have three mini-posts backing up in my head so I decided to lump them together for today's post.

The Mystery Spot.  We noticed last year (the first year in our current house) that an area of the back yard thawed earlier than the rest of the yard.  Then we noticed a bit of a depression in the same area.  Not much of one, it's noticeable if you look for it or if you're mowing.  This year, it's back.

 

We're not sure what is causing this.  Is this where there used to be a septic system?  Why would that warm up before the rest of the ground?  Maybe a tree used to stand there and the roots rotting away are generating heat, like in the compost bin.  Can that happen?  My latest thought is that the sump pump in the basement might be draining to an underground spot right here.  A dry well?  I don't know where our sump pump drains to so this is a definite possibility.  Or it could where the aliens land (you know, like a crop circle.)  I've always suspected The Husband might be an alien.  Nothing seems to faze him.

Shoe Pond.  In town there is a series of ponds known as Shoe Pond.  The Upper Shoe Pond is a freshwater body.  Below a dam is the Lower Shoe Pond which is brackish water.  Then there is an arm of the harbor, which is salt water.  As Spring approaches I've been watching the thaw.  The brackish water Lower Shoe Pond is now thawed and this week the Upper Shoe Pond is starting to show cracks in the ice and an area of open water where a creek drains into the pond.  AND the ducks have been returning.  It started with Canada Geese when the brackish area was only partly thawed but now we've got Mallards and I think I saw something else on the water this week but I was driving past and didn't get a good look.  Something smaller than a Mallard.  You know what this means?  That's right.  The beginning of Spring Migration - the birds are headed back North for the Summer Breeding Season.  Woo and Hoo!

Salvia elegans.  Last fall I let my Pineapple Sage die back and then I hauled the pot into the basement and left it there, watering only when I remembered it.  Last week I hauled the pot up into our Mud Room/ Plant Room and it's starting to come back.  I'm really pleased.  I didn't know if it would survive my treatment.  This plant is hard to do without come late summer when it really starts to bloom.  And the fragrance when you brush the leaves is wonderful.  One of my favorite annuals.

And since this is one of the first signs of spring for me - a Salvia elegans close up.