Posted on July 19, 2022July 19, 202207/18/2022 The Missouri fluttermill primroses just keep going! I’m wondering if it’s that I’m giving the new Justicia pilosella behind them water? It’s usually just a cup or two. A mystery squash has emerged. The green basils are getting sunscald on their leaves, I think. The amethyst basil are shaded a bit by the mealy blue sage and look better, but also wilt more often between watering.
Posted on July 3, 2022July 3, 202207/03/2022 more fluttermill Another bowlful of fluttermill primrose seed pods
Posted on June 25, 2022June 25, 202206/25/2022 fluttermill harvest I love the fluttermill primrose seed pods. Their four “paddles” split apart when pulled to reveal seeds inside in four channels. Most pods had seeds. Some just had some shriveled little specks fall out which I assume were seeds that didn’t get fertilized.
Posted on June 9, 2022June 11, 202206/09/2022 last (almost) of season Strawberries! Just a few left. They peaked back a while ago. Lemon balm is blooming. This salad contains garden radishes and garden lettuce. Butterfly milkweed in backyard. Verbena halei is leaning under the ironweed. The yellow in the rainbow garden has stopped blooming but the rock garden primroses are blooming! Standing cypress is looking magnificent after several days of tons of rain.
Posted on June 5, 2022June 5, 202206/04/2022 unexpected excitement Saw a great little jumping spider on the ironweed leaves. An interesting bee or velvet ant male or something, on white avens leaf. It was one of the nervous kinds who keeps flicking their wings constantly. The rain of the last few days prompted the Missouri fluttermill primrose to bloom again! The Chef and I cleared leaves off the patio. In several places they were up against the wood siding which is not great as they are essentially composting. Here Briar holds down a leaf pile for us. We leave the leaves in the rest of the yard as that is best for a healthy woodland environment! The worst offending area of leaf collection next to the house. This is after I pulled out the bulk of leaves. Our compost pile should be happy now! An extremely tiny planthopper that the Chef found on the outdoor work bench. The last round of tepary beans I planted are coming up. The big thrill of the day… The horse crippler cactus in the rock garden has bloomed!!!! I imagine this means it’s either happy here or thinks it’s about to die. Hopefully the former. Since I just planted it this spring I wasn’t expecting it, and its flower bud was not obvious, or grew in really fast the last few days when I wasn’t looking with the rain.
Posted on May 22, 2022May 22, 202205/20/2022 Beautiful plant. Rocky mountain bee plant Geometrid moth among the dayflower leaves. The striped planthopper on the elderberry. Very tiny bees on the widow sedum. One sitting, one blurring through in flight. One Missouri fluttermill primrose among the strawberries! During weedeater repair we found a DAMN EARWIG.
Posted on May 17, 2022May 17, 202205/17/2022 I meant to plant more beans but I got distracted looking around A new kind of plant in the plant window. Widow sedum in full bloom with a background of Englemann daisies. A second baby two leaf senna is coming up in a container!! This one is in yard soil instead of potting soil. Very excited. Briar lounges on the buffalo grass with the widow sedums to her left and Englemann daisies behind her. Going through the house to go see front yard, I glimpse the new plant. Hi Shacks! Rainbow garden orange is considering blooming (butterfly milkweed). Fluttermill Missouri primrose is living up to its name with new seedpods produced! A Venus looking glass volunteered in the strawberry bed! I love these. Apparently they’re annuals. This tiny native cucurbit vine appears every year and I adore it.
Posted on May 3, 2022May 3, 202205/03/2022 morning primroses By the front door and garage. Close up! In the rock garden! A baby Missouri fluttermill primrose. The other two babies. Only three came up this year, last year the germination rate was higher. While I was at the plant window, I saw the Ashy Sunflower seedlings are still alive in their humidity chamber!!
Posted on May 1, 2022May 1, 202205/01/2022 winecup sprouts The winecup sprouts are now in assorted soils. A few in a big pot, lots in sprouting pots. The rightmost pot is one of the purple and pink perennial pots. Lots of winecup seeds and sprouts to hopefully become ground cover where the soaker hose is! While I had the potting soil out, I also repotted the Missouri fluttermill primrose seedlings. There are three total – one kept wilting, so I figured they needed more soil to have a stable moisture level.
Posted on May 1, 2022May 1, 202204/26 and 04/28 assorted The Tupperware experiment Ashy Sunflowers have a few more sprouts as of 04/26. I need to move them more carefully as the last two I tried to plant promptly shriveled up and died. Texas mallow coming up! The other individual of Texas mallow coming up! Now on 04/28, an Ashy Sunflower actually sprouting from seed! I believe this was one that got stratified. 04/28 rock garden is looking good. Penstemon grandiflorus from prairiemoon.com as bare root seems to be growing! The Astragalus (ground plum) not looking as good again. Finishing up the 04/28 pics, the culinary sage is blooming in the rainbow garden!