rock garden Archives : Page 3 of 5 : Cast Iron Garden

March 27, 2023March 27, 2023

03/24/2023 Friday mildly mysterious

Mystery plants in rock garden.

Mystery plant in rock garden. In the right place for where I put scarlet pea but maybe too pointy leaves? We shall see.

I think a Houstonia bluet and a baby ponysfoot.

This is in the right place for fuzzy beans.

I suspect this is also a fuzzy bean (Strophostyles sp).

October 3, 2022October 3, 2022

10/03/2022 Bean Club dinner and other excitement

My colleague gave me these delicious tiny tomatoes from her sister’s garden east of here. She said it’s a hybrid between tommy toe and another variety and has bred true for two ish years! I’m saving some!

A yellow iris by the rock garden.

Polenta with cranberry beans from Bean Club and fancy sausage from California. Salad includes farm share peppers and the main mean also included summer squash from the farm share.

A cooked cranberry bean. They were very creamy in texture!

The cranberry bean broth was very savory. The Chef laughed at us taking a picture.

Here’s some of the remaining cranberry beans. They have a tan base but occasionally the red speckles and stripes turn the bean almost completely red!

You can see they are nice chunky big beans. Larger than the average pinto.

September 24, 2022

09/24/2022 rock garden

The NPSOT plant sale rain lily has seeds!

Another friend from that plant sale, the Justicia pilosella, seems much happier here up front in the sandy soil of the rock garden than it did in the backyard.

September 3, 2022September 3, 2022

09/03/2022 rain lily daytime view

Two Ceratina bees on the rain lily today!!!

A little closer view. If you zoom in the wing veins are even in focus as is the whole flower! We’re still so excited about this plant.

September 2, 2022September 2, 2022

09/02/2022 Y A Y

As the sign says, it’s our one rain lily! I planted it this spring from the NPSOT plant sale. Norman got 1.4″ rain yesterday.

The rain lily was beautiful, and now home for a spider building its web from the lily flower to the ground.

August 4, 2022August 4, 2022

08/04/2022

Fall obedient plant is thinking about blooming! I think over the winter I’ll move it to closer to the bird bath to get more water.

One of the two leaf sennas has buds!!

The fluttermill primrose in the rock garden just keeps blooming!!

This “live forever” from Judy is budding.

I thought this was a plant hopper.

It’s insect poop. Technically this is called frass. 😏

This fuzzy plant came with some wild onions I got at Mom and Dad’s. I am hoping it might be snow on the prairie!

Paula said the mysterious pumpkin was ready.

While we were outside, we checked out the cushaw squash. Already longer than Paula’s arm to the elbow!!

Shackleton was neutral about the pumpkin.

Tuqu was interested in the pumpkin and smelled it carefully.

Shackleton was repelled by the fragrant Madhu ras cantaloupe. Tuqu tried to touch it.

Today’s two harvests plus the watermelon from the farm share.

July 19, 2022July 19, 2022

07/18/2022

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.

July 3, 2022July 3, 2022

07/03/2022 more fluttermill

Another bowlful of fluttermill primrose seed pods

June 25, 2022June 25, 2022

06/25/2022 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.

June 5, 2022June 5, 2022

06/05/2022 bird nest

Bird’s nest fungi, that is!!!

The Chef noticed these this afternoon. Very excited.

A William’s pride apple!!!

I realized there are multiple kinds of horse crippler cactus. Mom helped me identify this as Echinocactus horizonthalonius (the common and widespread subspecies), based on it having eight ribs. The flower closed in the sunshine today. Apparently it needs a second individual to make fruit, ie it’s self sterile (also known as self incompatible).

Some kind friends brought us a big obsidian rock!

I put it near the baby two leaf senna. I think the black and yellow will look very nice together.

A small pokeberry growing in backyard.

A Texas dandelion accidentally brought from home! Yay!