After the Thunder Storm

NOAA gave us ample warning that severe weather was headed our way.  From the comfort of the living room we watched lightning strikes hit behind the ridge that we could see.  We did not know what to expect to see when we walked down to the mail box.  The difference in the plants was absolutely stunning considering that the rain had just ended.  These transplanted ferns benefited from water that was carried here.  That water protected life but today's heavy rain caused these plants to fully open.  Visible buck rubs on the tree trunks clearly show that wild animal life consider this ground their home.

Here we have a mix of transplants and naturally sown plants.  Jack In The Pulpits were transplanted here several years ago while the Early Meadow Rue grows from naturally spread seed.  Deer broke off all of the Jacks before their seed had ripened.  Hoof prints were everywhere so the fate of the Jacks was uncertain.  Additional cages will soon be added.  We needed to wait until all of the plants could be seen.

William Cullina suggested planting Wild Ginger and Maidenhair ferns together.  As always, the Ginger has an early start but the ferns will soon catch up.  We find this combination attractive while the underground plant parts occupy different depths.  Soon this display will be stunning.

 

These Shooting Stars were moved here from the shade garden near the house.  The more attractive blue flowered plants are less hardy  and have basically disappeared but these are firmly claiming ground.  Perhaps they prefer more sunlight.

The recent frosts severely hammered these Bleeding Hearts.  The damaged foliage was quickly hidden by new growth with today's rain drawing out the flowers.

Two years ago, Daisies were moved from the gravel bank lot here.  Flowers were seen but this year there was no sign of these plants here.  These were moved from nearby ground and several days saw water carried here as transplanting them looked like a failure.  Today's heavy rain made all of these plants look alive.  Perhaps Daisies are a biennial and we will have to adjust to them claiming new ground leaving weed filled ground behind.

Cardinal Flower has truly struggled to hold onto life this year.  Repeated warm days were followed by hard frosts.  Yesterday these plants appeared to be dead and we found comfort from the fact that this ground held seed from last year's flowers.  Water was also carried to these plants but it made little obvious difference.  Today's rain seems to have brought them back to life.
 

Red and White

We do not usually cut our flowers and bring them into the house.  Yesterday included a special event.  Our cut flowers were to be a gift at an open house.  One of our massage therapists is moving her studio to a building that she now owns.  Since she plays such an important role in keeping us able to continue to work among our plants, we wanted to mark her special event with some of our special flowers.  More stems were cut than needed so we now have flowers inside of our home.  They were temporarily placed outside for the picture.

These Red Norlands are our early potatoes.  Their vines blackened and dried signaling harvest time.  We planted only six of these potatoes.  The basket holds the harvest from only three hills.  This is enough for several delicious meals without creating storage problems.  We would prefer to harvest enough to eat without having to discard any that were in storage too long.  Our later potatoes will be ready to harvest by the time these are gone.

This is our first year growing both red and white Cipprolini onions.  The reds have been a favorite here for years.  Their colored rings extend all of the way to the center adding visual snap to any recipe calling for raw onions.  This year Becky wants to braid both colors together.  The resulting bi-colored onion braid  might win a prize at the fair.  Our onion plant supplier will be given a picture to be considered for use in his catalog.  A past braid containing only reds has appeared in his catalog.

Cardinal Flowers and stones are popular photo subjects here.  Now that we understand that their seeds need both generous moisture and warm soil temperatures to germinate, we will be able to write a complete chapter for our future book.  We have finally stumbled over the missing last piece of that puzzle in a book, taming wildflowers by Miriam Goldberger.

Summer sweet has long been a favorite plant here.  It combines dark glossy leaves with white flowers that fill the air with their sweetness.  Last fall we discovered this plant's willingness to be transplanted.  Two were placed in the newly opened bed in front of the house while an unneeded third plant was stuck in the ground at the edge of a compost pile.  All three transplants survived and each will flower this season.  We intend to utilize both their beauty and their hardiness to create a hedge at the edge of the garden down by the road.  Deer sometimes nibble on the new growth taking the flowers buds.  The trimmed plants grow on seemingly unfazed.  While working outside now we frequently walk into a sweet fragrant cloud.  Could it be their scent that has been carried a considerable distance from the plants.  Does it get any better than that?