November 2013

Very first is western trillium, which shows up early fall. Now there are several other plants starting to break ground, like shooting stars: dodacatheon pulchellum and dodacatheon dentatum, Trillium chloropetulatum (fragrant), and a couple of rattlesnake plantains (though these are returning there are very few, small plants).

Collected Munro’s Globemallow seeds, looks like ~100 seeds or so. One of the two plants I had is not looking good after transplanting out of a container, so I’m back down to one. Last time I used the seeds, I got exactly one living plant from all of them. They need dry conditions and the containers aren’t ideal.

Almost all the leaves have fallen, so I did my yearly chores of cleaning out the stream and raking the steps. The chickadees seems to appreciate it, they were taking baths in the stream this afternoon.

We finally did the annual cranberry harvest, from two of the three plantings (the newest didn’t produce any). Record haul, slightly over three gallons! We should be in honey-dried cranberries all year!….or at least until we finish them all.

What a great summer, one that actually existed. November now well on its way, it’s time to accept that summer is over.

Most of the fall work is done – the dead-heading, pruning, digging up, sowing and planting/transplanting. Many new seeds bought at the native plant sale and sown outside in the yard and containers, such as mariposa lillies and other eastern Washington species (dry,hot summer and cold snowy winter), but no sense in listing those until they actually germinate next spring. I did plant out many one-year bulbs of small camas seedlings from last year, which makes me wonder: lots of authors advise you to leave those in the container an extra year, which results in larger bulbs but fewer of them than at this stage. So, will my numerous plantings of larger numbers of younger,smaller bulbs earlier result in more plants overall, or not? I guess time will tell. Other bulbs from last year include more small camas (dark blue-purple). hookers onion (rose pink), two kinds of light blue camas and Ookow, or Brodiaea Congesta (pink-purple).

Month: November 2013

First out

Fall 2013