Mosaic Monday #37: Pottering, Patience and Poppies

Poppy that came by way of wildflower seed mixed

in with grass seed

How I adore pottering in my garden.  Examining the plants closely - are flowers imminent?  Is this sprout a non-desirable or a specimen to be nurtured?  How can I improve the look of the landscape?

Since my last garden report, my knowledge about the plants has exploded.  I have fought off a few infestations.  We've made improvements to the drainage system as a result of rain and hail storms.  Perhaps most importantly, I have become adept at reminding myself that we are in this for the long haul, this garden and I.  One day's disappointment will not be remembered a few years from now, when the garden has been transformed through patience and perseverance.  So, here's the State of the Garden, July 21, 2019.

POPPIES

I must start with the poppies. Last fall, when we scattered the 30 pounds of grass/wildflower seed, I knew not what to expect.  Imagine, then, my delight when red poppies began to bloom!  I especially felt redeemed because I had painstakingly weeded these areas and ensured that these fragile-looking sprouts were not disturbed.  Voila!  The poppy.

I always tear up when I think of my husband's

grandfather, and how he always called me "Flower"

It seems that they begin the classic red color and fade as the days pass - hence, the pink poppy above.  At the first sight of the red poppy, I immediately thought of my husband's grandfather, who fought valiantly for his country and returned home safe and sound.  Many were not so blessed.  How fitting, I thought, that we should have red poppies in our prairie garden! 

The red poppy is worn in many western nations as a symbol of 

remembrance of those people who lost their lives during WWI

and other military conflicts

Well, I am not sure anything can quite follow that act, but we shall Keep Calm and Carry On!

CHIVES

Most of us are familiar with this kitchen staple.  What I didn't know is that rabbits also find it tasty!  Head Chef has co-opted some chives for his cooking, and I am puff-out-my-chest proud.

"Volunteer" chives are coming up around the main plants

ROCKY MOUNTAIN PENSTEMON
Have you heard of penstemon? I first encountered this western United States native during our first hikes in Glacier National Park 13 years ago.  Found in many colors and sizes, all penstemon share tubular flowers on spikes.  This prairie plant thrives in hot, sunny conditions, and another common name is beardtongue.  As you can see in the collage below, this variety features large purple flowers.  Its stalks are thick and strong - maybe that is how it earned its name.

YELLOW PENSTEMON

This penstemon is much more delicate, with abundant stems and smaller flowers.  In early June, I discovered black aphids on the burning bushes, which prompted a close inspection of ALL plants.  I pulled open some yellow penstemon flower buds due to their gnarled appearance, and found small white caterpillars inside.  Another one of these plants had such an intense aphid infestation that I took the radical step to remove all flower heads.  Over the next couple of weeks, I fought black and green aphids by removing parts of plants, spraying others with soapy water, and scattering Sevin on others.  It only took about three weeks to declare victory.  Next year, I will be mindful to start checking for the little devils sooner!

THE BEST OFFENSE IS A GOOD FENCE 

This is as good a time as any to write about de-fence, and no folks, I am not referring to football.  Over the winter, I read somewhere about stringing fishing wire and cans between posts in order to fend off deer.  This idea is based on the notion that deer are creatures of habit - they follow the same routes every day to feed.  Since the deer can't see the fishing wire, walking into it will knock down the cans and make enough clatter to scare them off.  Even one time is probably enough to ensure your garden is not part of the breakfast or dinner buffet!

Wild Alyssum

I am pleased to report that we have not had deer in the garden until very recently, but neither have we had the cans knocked down.  Maybe just the sound of the cans clinking in the wind may have been enough to put them off.  (I have joked to some guests that these are Hillbilly Wind Chimes!)  Recently, we've had some deer activity on the southeast slope, which did have a gap in the defense to allow access to the firepit.  I have since reinforced this area and we have not had any recurrence.  Stay tuned for further reports.

PEARLY EVERLASTING

Isn't this just a delightful name for a plant?  I surmise that the color of the flower, plus the fact that the flowers last for weeks, inspired the name.  I should have three of these in my garden but only one has come back with vigor.  The other two have only one small sprout of the blue-green leaves.  In mid-June, I fertilized them without much effect.  Maybe they will get a sudden spurt on with the warmer weather we are having.

NORTHERN BEDSTRAW

The bedstraw shot up quickly, and showed growth away from the base.  Unfortunately, two of the plants fell victim to either nibbling or aphids, which has affected the blooms.  My consolation here is that we have many native bedstraw plants around the property that I can draw on if need be.

MOCK ORANGE

This shrub is so named in reference to its flowers, which look similar to those of oranges at first glance, and are purported to have a perfume akin to orange flowers and jasmine.  This spring, I was pleasantly surprised by the vitality of the leaves, since last summer this was the shrub that browned up quickly in the face of no rain.  The flowers are reminiscent of oranges, but I am not catching the scent.  And now that the plant is blooming, the leaves are browning.  Perhaps this is the normal cycle.  But the butterflies do not seem to mind!

SALVIA MAY NIGHT
I was skeptical about this plant at first - the basal leaves over-winter well, and therefore it's hard to determine if any growth is taking place in the spring.  But by June 2, it had new leaves and had already started to form flower heads.  A week later, it had fully bloomed, and I am sold on it.  It has a rounded, symmetrical look, and tall purple flower spikes - a striking plant!

NODDING ONION
Initially, only my landscaping design with the names of the plants helped me to distinguish the Nodding Onion from the Chives.  However, as both plants start to develop flower heads, you can tell the difference at a glance - the buds on the chives stand straight, whereas those on the Nodding Onion droop.  A member of the genus Allium, the Nodding Onion is also known as the Lady's Leek - I love that name!!!

Near Many Glacier, July 2018

BLANKET FLOWER
This plant is the opposite of the Salvia - sprawling and disorderly.  But I can embrace disorderly in exchange for the prolific and stunning blooms!  (Fertilizer on the two scrawnier plants did not seem to have much impact - maybe they are meant to be skinny!)  The plant gets its name in areas where fields are filled with them … they "blanket" the field in blooms.

You can imagine my dismay the morning I saw a small bunny hop over to it and start to nibble away.  While the deer defence system is pretty effective, warding off rabbits and Columbian ground squirrels is almost impossible unless you take the impractical step of installing chicken wire around every plant.  In the future, I am confident I will have a garden with more than enough for everyone to have a nibble, but for now we have had to take some dramatic steps with these nibblers (and no, I won't go into details here).

WALKER'S LOW CAT MINT
I was unfamiliar with this plant, but it has earned a place of honor in my garden - the foliage has a unique color and texture, and when blooming, it has an understated elegance that befits Montana.  It was one of the first plants to bloom, and it has lasting power that impresses even work-aholic me!

LEAFY ASTER AND ASPEN FLEABANE
As I journaled about these 2 plants, it took 4 weeks for me to realize I was mixing them up.  Clearly, my hand-drawn landscaping "map" was not very clear!  The leafy aster has some basal leaves and quickly devotes it energy to producing tall stalks that will eventually bear flowers.  This was another set of plants beset by green aphids; soapy water was quite effective to eliminate them.

The aspen fleabane is a shorter, bushier plant that produces abundant blooms.  I am fascinated by the narrow, plentiful petals that radiate out from the head of the flower.  I must admit (but don't tell the rest of the plants) that this is now one of my favorite plants in the garden - it is fast-growing, has required no protection from critters or other special treatment, and has stunning flowers. 

Yes, the rewards of patience and pottering (verb particle: to move around without hurrying, and in a relaxed and pleasant way).

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