ellineer

First out

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.

Fall 2013

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).

Late summer 2013

Above is actually a slightly bigger garden – Hampton Court, outside of London!

Had quite a summer, a real one actually, with 70’s and 80’s and sun since Memorial Day. Several periods of rain saved me some time watering. The garden looked the best in late June through much of July, while the foliage was still lush.

Im trying to establish some young plants in newly cleared areas, as usual. New plants include seedlings of Balsamroot (sunflower yellow flowers) and Iris Setosa (dark purple) that I sowed last winter 2012, as well as some young ferns and other plants we bought at the native plant sale.

I have a bunch of seedling /bulb lets to plant out this fall including the smaller more delicate Common Camas, hookers onion, brodiaea, shooting stars, leopard and tiger lillies and other camasses. Those will be planted out around the yard with pumice to mark the spots. I need more of them in the front yard, but these have a harder time in general there, between the slugs and the moles, so I am usually reluctant to commit too many of these that I’ve spent time on.

Few Douglas squirrel sightings, and also of lizards. Three raccoon sightings in four days, all during the day! Here’s hoping for another one of those raccoon blights.

Bees finally here

The bees were late this year. That leaves us with no seeds from the trilliums and other early bloomers. They did come out in force, however, once the Cascara bloomed.

Springing in full swing!

On the Northwest native plant society tour a couple of weeks ago. This was fun, and transitioned into a party that afternoon. It was a bit early, though, on April 27. In the last two weeks so many more plants have bloomed!

First time to bloom for the Lewisia Redivivus, which is coming to life after being transplanted into a pot with cactus soil and better sun. It was coming back year after year but barely there with tiny leaves and no flowers. It’s a new plant!

Frogs still making noises and swimming in the front pond. The first several egg sacs were left in the pond, but the ducks have eaten them all. They have a few more chances, but its not likely to happen. Oh, well, there seems to be no shortage of frogs around!

So much in bloom at once! The penstemons, huckleberries,camas, daisies, Indian paintbrush, delphiniums, anemones, irises, lillies, buckwheats, orange trumpet honeysuckle, heucheras, rhododendrons, columbines, and sea blush are in full glory. Soon to bloom are leopard lillies and tiger lillies, lumpines, sea thrift, and pink honeysuckle. The air is perfumed.

Froghaven

The official name for our ‘estate’ is Froghaven, back when we wanted frogs to visit. We now have at least five adult males IN our front yard pond, all puffing themselves up and fighting each other, while swimming (frog stroke of course) around and between the planters. They are bigger than I thought, and we’re not sure why we never saw them out there before, though we’ve certainly heard them just like now, loudly and right under our noses. We searched for them a few times. They are about 4inches or possibly more from nose to outstretched legs, which is how they are to float and swim. With more than one present previously-we’ve heard at least three before-its hard to imagine how they weren’t obvious! We’ve only seen the newbies, which are miniature 1 1/2 inches versions of the adults.

Other critters that are back are the Mallard ducks, who have started to land in the yard as well as the pond. They first showed up IN the yard on the 10th of March, which is about 8-10 days early. They will come and go until about mid May. The lizard, a mid-size juvie, was sunning himself on the deck and had to get coaxed out of the way.

Almost everything sprouting signs of life, leafing out and giving us the glorious privacy we cherish in the yard. We are working on the barer spots with evergreen shrubs. Hopefully our summer will come early like our spring. Its been on the cool side the last few years. All the Lillie’s are popping up, especially the chocolate lily which is very prolific with dozens or hundreds of bulblets, though they don’t spread far. So I’ve transplanted them lots of places. The three year old trillium bulbs are now coming up. I have three larger pots of seedlings from two years ago, and if a lot of those germinate, I may be done with having to actively propagate it. I’ve taken one of the the inside early each year, in February, which according to one article of research should allow early maturation and maybe take a year or two off the seven-years-to-flowering schedule.

Signs of life

Brodiaea:

First plants to emerge, some in the last week. Mostly bulbs poking up: Brodiaeas in December, Shooting star in January, White camas, Hooker’s onion and some kind of lily (looks like chocolate) this month.

Shooting star, White camas:

Here already

Dodacatheon pulchellum and camas cusickii are up, as is one brodiaea type seedling. Most camas and brodiaea are late, they should be popping up by now.

Seed sowing time

Sowed some seeds of plants I need more of, including Iris Setosa (dark purple), Iris Chrysophylla (light yellow), Balsamroot (orange), small Camas quamash (purple blue), light blue Camas (Camas Howellii and Camas Cuseckii), Harsh Paintbrush (Castilleja hispida, orange), Golden Columbine, White Shooting Star (dodacatheon dentatum), Sea Pink (plectritis congesta), and mixed Brodiaeas – white, blue and lavender colored Congesta.

Planted out 2010 seedlings/ bulbs: White camas, Chocolate lily (very small bulbs, maybe they were 2011), small camas, White Brodiaea, Giant Trillium and two small fawn lily bulbs. Still have some 2010 Tiger and Leopard lilies to plant out.

Douglas and Eastern squirrels sharing the yard in a kind of co-op….Douglas in the mornings and the grey squirrel in the afternoons. Have been hearing the frog on occasion the last few weeks, until this past weekend, when it got kind of cold. Where do they hang out when it gets so cold?

October 20 2012

Mallard ducks came back for the afternoon, two females and a male, hanging around the pond to feed. They’re on their way down south for the winter. They usually only come around for a couple of months in the spring, I haven’t seen them here in the fall. Incidentally we have just adopted about 20-30 new goldfish, but we can barely see a one of the fish. They are all hiding out, and the pond is now full after the rains. I guess the nice dry late summer is over!
Images from the yard, October 2012. The garden is sure growing up! Lots of foliage still around from our good leaf-growing weather we’ve had this past summer, though not as colorful as it could be. Still a little color in the yard and still a few flowers…