Frass

Working in the backyard Saturday (the first nice day in over a week) I kept hearing a strange sound.  It sounded kind of like it was starting to rain.  But it was warm and sunny.  What was that noise?

Here's a clue.  Look at those maple leaves.

Here's another clue.  This is a Viburnum that is under the maple trees.

Got an idea yet?


Here is the culprit.  The caterpillar of the Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata).

This is an introduced species that has become a major pest here in Eastern Massachusetts.  They can completely defoliate trees of preferred species (a neighbor has a weeping cherry that is in decline from years of winter moth damage.  She has to resort to spraying to keep this full sized specimen alive).  While a healthy tree can survive defoliation once several years of defoliating can cause the death of the tree.

Oh, that sound?  That's the sound of millions of caterpillars chewing on leaves.  And the dark spots on the Viburnum leaves are the Frass (feces) of all of those caterpillars

No, I'm not kidding, you really can hear them.

RudEbeckia Surprise

I bought about 9 Rudbeckia (Black or Brown Eyed Susan) of three different varieties last year.  All went in during April.  Two of the varieties did very well (the other sort of limped along).

Now the snow is gone, the perennials are up and even my late starting Asclepias tuberosa (orange butterfly weed) is out of the ground and several inches high.  Where are the Rudbekcias?

None here.

 

Not this one.

Here's where Prairie Sun sat last year.  It's supposed to readily reseed.  Those are all Liatris (blazing star or gayfeather) seedlings (make note to weed this spot if I don't want Liatris to take over).

I'm not sure what happened.  The roots are well established (I can't tug them out of the ground) and undisturbed by burrowing critters.  Rudbeckia are supposed to be rabbit resistant but it's possible the young leaves aren't and were chewed by the Hungry Hoard of Hares that live in our neighborhood (yes, yes, I know they're rabbits, not hares but hare makes for nice alliteration and I always enjoy a nice alliteration).

I do fence the rabbits away from a few plants (notably Baptisia) but I'm not going to fence the whole garden.  That might cause issues with the coyotes, foxes and turkeys that pass through.  Not to mention the neighbors who would have to look at the ugly chicken wire around the garden.  I guess I'll replace the Rudbeckias with something a little less appetizing to the Hungry Hoard.

That means a trip to the garden center!  Woo-hoo!  New Plants!

I love technology

I love modern technology.  When it works it can make things so much easier!  You can now carry a smart phone to the garden center so that you can go on-line and check out the plant before you buy it.  You can blog about your garden and share pictures.  You can read other peoples' blogs to find out what works for them.  It's easy to check multiple sources for information.  No more needing a shelf full of book.  No more depending on a relative or neighbor for advice that may or may not be any good.

Lately I've started using technology to document the progression in my garden.  During the winter when it was time to order plants I was trying to go back and remember what the garden looked like, where there were empty spots, what blooms together.  Of course I've never made a map.  That would be too useful.  

I'm going out every two week to a month and photographing every inch of my garden.  I start at my driveway and take a photo of that end of the garden.  Then I take a big step to the left and repeat.  And repeat.  It takes about 100 photos.  Way too cost prohibitive in the old days of developing film.  Now?  Cheap and easy.  And I can find what I'm looking for if I organize it well on the hard drive.  Next winter I'll have a better guide to where I might be able to squeeze in just one more....

I love technology.

PS.  The end of the semester is in sight!  In about two weeks I'll have more free time and will try to get back to blogging regularly, I promise!

Interesting Anthurium Event

A few days ago Mr Subjunctive over at PATSP posted a picture of an Anthurium that he had tried to cross pollinate and he was hoping he was seeing seed formation.

Last night I noticed something odd on my Anthurium.

I think those are seeds.

[They look kind of, well, gross.  If these were on an animal I'd be calling the vet.  They're on a plant so I should be calling.... um...  the plant doctor?]

I did NOT cross pollinate.  In fact I only have the one Anthruium.  I like it.  It's a nice plant.  I wouldn't mind more IF I HAD ANYWHERE TO PUT EXTRA PLANTS. 

So what do I do with the seeds?  Do I cut the flower off and send them to the compost bin?  Do I wait for them to ripen and try to start them?  And then do what with the seedlings?  I'm running out of room for new plants.

If only I had a conservatory.  I can picture it now - an addition on the second story (over the first floor addition someone put in a while back).  Windows on three sides - East, South and West.  Skylights that open to let the heat out during summer.  Tile floors to trap the heat during the winter.  And more than a few plants.  Ahhhh.  

Now I just have to convince The Husband that this would be a good expense.  

I bet he'll expect up to complete the bathroom remodel first.

Spoil sport.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

It's already time for the April Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.  I rushed out last night just before sunset to get some pictures.  In the evening breeze.  As it started to cool down.  While still wearing my t-shirt and bare feet.  You know I love you if I'm outside, getting cold, just to take your pictures.  

Most people are over crocus but up here they're in full swing.

These have already closed up for the night.

Pansies

Pansies

Pansies.  I crave color right about now and if the summer is cool these plants will survive to bloom in the fall and again next spring.  It's the summer heat that kills them.  These pansies were planted last spring.

Cute little dwarf iris.  These don't last long but they're a great pick-you-up-plant in the early spring.

I'm disappointed with the Hellebore.  It just started to bloom this week.  I thought they were supposed to bloom late winter.  Now it's delicate blooms get lost among the bright colors of the early spring blooms. 

Like this almost-but-not-quite daffodil (variety bigboxus).

I have several types of Pieris.  These are getting moved this spring.  They are just too big for the spot.

This is one of the end of the season sale plants I picked up last year.  Pieris Valley Valentine.  I guess I should have expected pink flowers with a name like that.

HUH?  I recently upgraded the lighting where I keep my African Violets.  I have a lot.  I don't buy them but I will pick up leaves off the floor or rescue plants someone else is throwing out.  I didn't know I had a ruffly-white-with-pink blooming plant.  Not really my style.  I prefer bolder colors.

Did I mention I went overboard with the Pansies? 

The *NEW* Astilbe Area

Last weekend I cleared an area for my Bluestone Perennial order.  It's mostly Astilbe and Ferns to go on the shady side of the house (part sun, only in the afternoons).  Today the plants arrived!  Yipee!

Yesterday we got a lot of rain and we're predicted to get more in the next few days.  If I wanted to plant these guys before next weekend (10 days out) it had to be today.  It's a good thing our soil is loose and sandy.  Planting in damp soil is not a good idea and if it was damp clay it would be impossible!

Here's the after.  See all my nice little plants?

Now I just have to break it to the husband that I'm not ready to put in the Asters yet - that's another area that needs to be prepped!

FINALLY!!!!

After a long, hard snowy winter and weeks of below normal temperatures the weather pattern finally changed and I was able to get out in the garden yesterday.

A ladies' hands proclaim her habits.  I have a habit of working in the garden without gloves.

One of my neighbors worries about my tendency to wear sandals or, worse, go about in bare feet!  Yesterday she told The Husband that he needs to buy me some socks.  I explained to him that "socks" is New England code for pansies.  Got a shopping trip scheduled for today.

The Husband is like Royalty in that he has many titles.  One of his titles is Major Spoilsport of Plant Buying.  Every time I talk about buying a plant he asks "where is that going to go?"  So I check the tag and mention that the conditions are just like those needed by the vaguely-Latin-sounding-name-that-I-just-made-up and there is a gap in the garden there.  If he's on the ball he persists in wanting to know where that vaguely-Latin-sounding-etc  plant is - he doesn't remember which one it is.  Spoilsport.  The point of this story is that I have ordered plants from Bluestone Perennial and he wants to know where they are going.  So here they are.

All of those plant labels are where the plants will go.  This was my big weekend project - remove the grass, add compost, be ready for their arrival.  That will put a pin in his Spoilsport bubble.

Just don't tell him about the OTHER plants I've ordered that aren't going here.    Shhhh!

Gratuitous photo of Crocus and First Bee of the Season!