Mystery Flower from Saved Seeds

My neighbor, Barb, is a seed saver. She has container after container of seeds on a shelf in her basement. She saves seeds from Marigolds, Icelandic poppies, phlox, bachelor buttons, cosmos, and lots of other plants – mostly annuals, but some perennials—including this beautiful orange flower.

Neither of us had any idea what it was when she came over a few years ago and sprinkled the seeds over the tulips in the sunny boulevard garden. She described the then unknown flower as pretty orange flowers on long flat leaves. She was convinced they’d look fabulous with the Russian Sage I’d just planted. We planted the seeds and I waited!

I’d gotten the long, iris-like leaves for a couple years, but no blooms—not even a hint of a flower stem. When the leaves appeared earlier this year I wondered if this would be the year they would bloom. I confess that I had my doubts. But, bloom they did, and beautifully.

I was wandering through a local nursery last weekend (it was raining so I couldn’t work in the garden) and saw my “seed flower!” The tag said Leopard Lily! And, even though the name says lily, it’s in the iris family. I can’t decide what’s more thrilling – finally knowing the name of the flower or having it bloom and set seeds.

Becoming an Impatient Gardener

I am a patient gardener. I buy small plants and wait for them to mature rather than buying mature plants for instant gratification. I sow seeds for perennials, too, which take even longer to mature than the small starts. I appreciate the flowers (and fruits) of the seasons. When the tulips are blooming, for example, I soak them in, rather than wishing for peonies or roses.

But, the weather we’ve had this week is making me seriously impatient. Since Sunday, we’ve had temperatures in the 90s peppered with strong storms – making it impossible to do anything in the garden. The heat (accompanied by oppressive humidity) is exhausting, and the rain is making the ground soggy – not to mention it’s not recommended to work with plants when the leaves are damp because you can encourage fungus and rot among the plants. (I did pull a few pieces of quackgrass yesterday, but was careful to touch only the grass.)

We do get 90s here occasionally, and we do also get our share of summer storms. It’s uncharacteristic, however, to have them in combination for such a prolonged period. Today is supposed to be the last day of both the heat and the storms. Cooler weather (and perhaps my patience) will return tomorrow. I can’t wait.

Black Walnut Woes

A neighbor has a mature Black Walnut tree in her yard. It provides wonderful shade for about two thirds of her back yard, where we sit and have morning coffee or a glass of wine in the evening. There are two pieces of bad news about Black Walnuts:

• They’re not a great neighbor – killing all but the hardiest of companions because of the toxin they exude. Last summer, our local paper had an article about Black Walnut trees and provided a list of “good neighbors” for Black Walnut trees.
  
• They have nuts, which contain a substance that stains instantly and forever, and which the squirrels use as ammunition – whole or in parts – on unsuspecting humans who are enjoying the shade of the tree.
  

Sunday morning, three of us were having coffee after taking the dogs for a walk. We had been sitting and talking for a half hour or so when the bombardment began. Thwack. A whole nut hit the brick patio—close to us, but not close enough for us to move. Splat. Partial nut hit Nancy on the shoulder. She ran inside immediately to soak her white top. (She was able to get the stain out, which she attributed to her quick action.) Plunk. Direct hit into my coffee cup. We laughed at the bombardier’s perfect aim as we cleaned up the spill (and I got up to rinse and re-fill my cup).

When I got home, I noticed a stain on my right foot, which I tried (in vain) to wash off. Today is Thursday, and the stain is still there. Perhaps, with time, it will fade, like my tan summer skin. Perhaps, it won’t fade, and I’ll have a permanent reminder of a summer cup of coffee with the neighbors!

After the Storms

Yesterday, the forecast was for some rain. What we got was wave after wave of downpours starting mid-morning and lasting well after dark. In total, we received over 3 inches of rain. That's a lot of rain in one day where I live. It was too dark last night to see if there was any damage, but the streetlights allowed me to see that the water in the streets – even at the top of the hill where I live – was overflowing the curbs and coming onto the sidewalks! I haven’t seen rain like that since the 1980s.

“Bye bye fresh mulch” was all I could think. But, the mulch was in-tact when I went out for a walk this morning. The stones I had placed around the boulevard gardens did a great job of keeping the soil and mulch in the gardens and out of the streets and off the sidewalks! Some of the plants – lamb’s ear and artemesia silver mound – got pretty matted. And, the liatris are leaning over quite a bit, but nothing sustained permanent damage. Whew!

The grass in the front yard, however, is turning getting quite tall. The rain has been coming with enough frequency this week that there hasn’t been enough time between storms for the grass to dry enough to mow it! We’re expecting more rain Thursday and Friday. I’m crossing my fingers that it dries enough today that I can mow this evening.

Strawberries on the Run

A friend put in half a dozen strawberries earlier this year in one of her flower beds. She got a few berries and was happy. But, she called me over the other day to ask what was wrong with them. “Nothing’s wrong,” I said. “They’re sending out runners, so you get more plants next year.” She gave me a horrified look as she responded, “More? Oh, no. That’s no good. They weren’t supposed to do that!”

I asked if she had bought June bearing or everbearing. She didn’t remember, but still had the tags. June bearing. Yep. They send out runners. Everbearing do send out some runners, but not nearly like the June bearing varieties. She started ripping out the runners even though she wanted more strawberries next year because she didn’t want them taking over her flower bed. Her goal is to make a new bed and transfer the berries there later in the year.

Betsy plowed under her strawberries on the run a few weeks ago. We were relaxing one afternoon and she proclaimed with more satisfaction than I was expecting, “Yep, I plowed those berries right under.” They had apparently run their course and needed to go. She’ll start new plants in a new area.

I don’t have strawberries yet. I had planned to put them in the two raised beds, but didn’t get the hostas that had spent the winter in the boxes moved early enough to get the strawberries in. So, it looks like I’ll be joining the crew of folks who will be planting strawberries in the fall! I’m going to try June bearing in one box and everbearing in the other and see what happens. I’ll keep you posted.

Repellents versus "-cides"

I had planned to mulch yesterday in the two beds that still lack mulch since the forecast is for five more days of 90 degree temperatures with dew points in the 70s. Weather like this means stress for some plants – especially transplants – and mulch can help. It cools the soil and holds in the moisture. But, when sweat was pouring off us as we took the dogs for a walk, I decided to change my plans and stay indoors—in the basement, actually since the fans weren’t keeping us very cool.

The day I was experimenting with essential oils for insect repellent, a neighbor asked me if it would work on getting rid of the Japanese Beetles in her yard. We then had a good conversation about the difference between repellents (compounds designed to keep the bugs away from you) and “-cides” (compounds designed to kill that which precedes the –cide).

I’m battling the Japanese Beetles, too, but am loathe to use an insecticide, because many of them are broad spectrum killers and I want to keep the butterflies and the bees – so I’ve been going out a couple times a day and picking the beetles off the plants (roses mostly) and dropping them into a container of soapy water. (The soap coats their wings so they can’t fly away.) I know it sounds cruel, but they’re eating my roses!

I haven’t done a lot of research on natural or specific insecticides, but there’s a week of 90s ahead – providing lots of opportunity for research. If you’ve found a natural insecticide that doesn’t harm bees or butterflies, post a comment and let me know!

Mosquito Magnet

I am a mosquito magnet. I always have been. I carry insect repellent with me everywhere. I have used “Deep Woods OFF” in the middle of the city with only minimal success. Lately, I’ve been using some of those commercial brands that smell better and come in a pump bottle, but I STILL end up getting eaten alive – and smelling like a walking chemical plant.

I don’t know why they go for me and not for others, but they do. This year has been particularly bad. In the last week, I’ve swallowed no fewer than four mosquitoes while having conversations at outdoor gatherings at dusk. I needed help – big time. So, I talked with a neighbor who has made her own insect repellent for years using essential oils. She let me spritz myself with it and I liked how it smelled!

So, I went to the co-op in search of essential oils that would repel insects. Lavender, apparently, is the best repellent for mosquitoes! I grow that – lots of it – in the gardens here. Peppermint is next and then Lemon or lemongrass, and scented geranium. I had several bottles in my hand when I saw one labeled, “insect repellent.” It’s sort of an all-in-one mix of the oils that repel mosquitoes and black flies. I went home and mixed it up – 20 drops per ounce of diluting solution. My friend uses water. I used rubbing alcohol for quicker evaporation.

I smelled a little bit like Lemon Pledge for about an hour, but it worked – even at night when we had dinner on the lawn! I can’t believe I went an entire day without one bite! I’m definitely sold on this solution.

Has anyone else used homemade insect repellent?!