Monday, March 26, 2012
Dogwood "Petals"
So Dogwood flower petals aren't really flower petals. They are just leaves that change color to capture the attention of passing insects. Kind of a cool and innovative adaption. The real flowers are the small spherical things at the center. This is the first year I noticed how the leaves go through a light green transition phase before becoming white "petals."
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Tulip Festival
We can't go to this EcoTulip Festival in Brightwood, Va...but you should. Check out 20,000 tulips at peak bloom, sample vegan/veggie/gluten free food, and I think there will be a winery on hand as well. You can also pick your own for a buck a stem.
Sedum Flower
We have a ton of sedum and it all started from just one pot from Nature by Design. This stuff is good native ground cover. Spreads well, but not too aggressively. Keeps down the weeds, provides pollen and color. Green all year round. It's a tough and attractive little plant. It really shines in the spring when it is especially green and it also makes these tiny white flowers. Perhaps most importantly, it requires no water beyond rainwater and makes a great xeroscapeing plant. Grows easily from cuttings so propagation is a breeze. Also...it's a great plant for green roofs. I almost want a green roof, just to try it out.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Spice Bush
Really enjoying the spice bush this year. The flowers of this thing really "pop" as my eye doctor's glasswear guy might say. They are small, but kind of lime greeny. I like 'em. I have heard these guys produce a "spice-like" smell. Haven't experienced that myself, but who knows. They are also popular among the Swallowtail Butterfly crowd. This thing is a native plant and an early source of pollen. Get yours today!
Special thanks to Johnnie B. for donating the spice bush and to Ryan P. for assisting with the transport and the planting.
Special thanks to Johnnie B. for donating the spice bush and to Ryan P. for assisting with the transport and the planting.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Fritillaria Growth
Hmmmm...seems to have grown 3 inches in 24 hours. Crazy. Might have to get a Plantcam.
All Beds Turned
Turned over the last three beds this weekend. Everything is looking good, but my back hurts a bit. The leaf mulch has cooked down quite a bit and we'll have to augment with compost and maybe even a bag or two of topsoil or compost. If you click through on the above image, there are "notes" that provide extra info.
One thing I noticed is that the roots of the cover crop are quite substantial and provide at least half of the biomass. Hope it breaks down pretty quick. I have heard of people covering up beds with burlap bags to help break things down. unfortunately, I don't have those.
One thing I noticed is that the roots of the cover crop are quite substantial and provide at least half of the biomass. Hope it breaks down pretty quick. I have heard of people covering up beds with burlap bags to help break things down. unfortunately, I don't have those.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Fritillaria Imperialis
We had been wondering when and if the Fritillaria would show up. I thought I was checking the area every day or two whenever I brought out the compost or coffee. Then one day this thing showed up...must have popped right out of the ground over night. Pretty strong plant I guess.
We got the thing out by Great Falls, Va. Stopped by a garden center near Cousin Elizabeth's place last fall. A kindly staff member and apparent fritillaria enthusiast talked us into this one. She seemed excited when we told her we like odd things and she brought us straight to the fritillaria. They get quite big: 3-5 feet and have multiple hanging flowers. They have a smell that squirrels find off-putting so if this thing works, there will be more.
We got the thing out by Great Falls, Va. Stopped by a garden center near Cousin Elizabeth's place last fall. A kindly staff member and apparent fritillaria enthusiast talked us into this one. She seemed excited when we told her we like odd things and she brought us straight to the fritillaria. They get quite big: 3-5 feet and have multiple hanging flowers. They have a smell that squirrels find off-putting so if this thing works, there will be more.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Begin the Worm-pacolypse
After 16 months of composting, mixing with dirt, and cover cropping, the soil has gotten pretty good. Good enough for a pretty big worm population. Turning over the cover crop has not been good for all of them.
Like Butter
MVI_2000 a video by Pike-uliar Gardenings on Flickr.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Cover Crop...Blowin' in the Wind
MVI_1984 a video by Pike-uliar Gardenings on Flickr.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Two Tone Daffodil
At first, I wasn't into growing flowers that much. My wife has pretty much gotten me to do a 180 on that. I have come to see their value for bringing beneficial insects and birds and even the way they look. This year we went a little crazy and planted roughly 40 bulbs. About 20 black ones...well very dark purple and with the evocative name, "Queen of the Night" and then a bunch of very unusual ones from a VA organic bulb place- EcoTulips. This daffodil is not a recent planting, it was left behind by the previous owners and for a while, these guys were under our brush pile. Each year the daffodils would grow up through the brush pile....tough little guys. So we finally decided to relocate the brush pile and start enjoying the daffodils. We will be adding to them as time goes on. This year we were talked into adding a fritillaria which is notable for two reasons: 1) They have a bunch of them at Mount Vernon and 2) Squirrels don't like them.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
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