Finally Seeds

The first hope when trying to grow native plants is that they will remain alive.  That may seem obvious but we have watched entirely too many simply disappear quickly or slowly over several years.  When we transplanted Wild Ginger next to the stones separating planting areas from path, we hoped that the change there in elevation would allow us to see flowers.  That has happened but we never expected to see mature seeds.  We will most likely leave these seeds alone allowing nature to take its course.  Success will be hard to find since the leaves form a solid canopy blocking ground activity from view.  It is enough to simply know that here in our native plant garden, plants are producing seed for the next generation.

  

Twin Leaf has held our attention for many years.  We have had difficulty just keeping it alive and never expected to see seed from this plant.  Watching this seed pod develop has held our attention for several weeks.  Books described these seeds as being forcefully cast about by the design of the plant.  Not knowing if a spring throw was likely similar to Jewel weed, or a ride on the wind like Milkweed, we have been carefully watching frequently not wanting to miss the action.  The lid has opened revealing smooth hard looking seeds that will not float on the wind.  No spring mechanism is visible either.  It looks likely that these seeds will simply fall to the ground.  We will continue to watch every day for this show is not yet over.

Getting perfect closeup pictures with our inexpensive point and shoot camera is uncommon.  Near the center of the picture Miterwort seeds are in focus.  This is another show that we usually miss.  One problem with successful self planted seeds is the small new growth is mistaken for weeds and removed.  This plant naturally occurs in our woods and with a cage cover has maintained its existence in our garden.  Just seeing the seeds is an unexpected bonus.  We will look for new young plants.

 

Pictures of the old grouch are not common.  I was totally unaware that a photo was being taken.  Being able to stand up from a kneeling position is no longer taken for granted.  A spade is nearby and is sometimes needed to have something to push on.  The attire also deserves explanation.  Its strange appearance may discourage interlopers from visiting here.  The old man may be a little crazy.  The white colored shirt, pants and hat serve two useful purposes.  Protection from the sun to avoid any more skin cancers seems like sound thinking.  The hat, neck cover and shirt are all Solumbra products.  The pants are more commonly worn by bakers.  The white colored cloth also makes ticks easy to see and remove.  Trilliums are the chosen plant here and the invasive grass has once again been successfully removed.  New young growth is finally visible indicating that these natives are settling in here.  That gives one something to look forward to next year. 
 

From Frost To 84

The past several days have featured overnight frosts.  NOAA provides our weather forecasts and most of the time we cover frost sensitive plants.  Last evening their overnight low temperature was 37 degrees.  With our self imposed cushion of 4 degrees, I felt that frost was unlikely.  Wrong again.  When I wake up I can see some of our lawn from the bed.  The grass between the apple trees was bright green and frost free.  However, frost drains downhill from the bedrock ridge following low ground to the final drop to the river flat.  Once out of bed, it was apparent that frost had once again poured across our gardens.  A trip to get water was made.  My footprints across frozen grass will turn black once the sunlight hits them.

This Golden stargazer clump is about all that remains of our period of major efforts to grow Oriental lilies in climate zone 4.  These plants are close to the south facing wall of the house but did have frost on them when I gave them a cold shower.  Our belief is that the change of state from frost to liquid gives off heat that burns the surface of plant leaves.  This cold shower simply washed the frost away.  Yes these lilies need to be both weeded and divided.  Here I will play the getting old card and hope for a little understanding.

Today's heat sent us on an afternoon drive across the valley to a dirt road that cuts across a forested slope.  This natural group of a moss covered tree trunk with two Trilliums and Miterwort growing between its roots is close to the road.  No trespassing was needed to snap this picture.  This is the look we are trying to create in our shade garden but rather young Sumac trees growing on river bottom flat land will never look this great. 

It seems that Toothwort is a mild mannered companion plant.  Its clusters of three toothed leaves are both attractive to the eye and open for neighboring plants.  If one can still approach ground level, the scent of these white flowers is delicious.  We have managed to keep some of this plant alive in our gardens but huge sweeps are the look we are trying for.  We have neither the slope nor the stones to create a copy of this scene.

 

Here three Trillium plants, two in flower, are surrounded by many Toothwort plants.  All seem to be thriving together.  Our weather this year has been harsh and dry.  These two flowers will likely set seed but the plants are only about half of their normal height.  The missing third flower could be a weather causality. 

These speckled Violets are a rather recent purchase at the Fernery.  Their beauty is subtle and they need to be growing under a wire cage.  Our deer herd frequently visit here and they find Violet leaves tasty.  Both the leaves and the flowers are safe for humans to place in natural salads.  Harvesting would be easier if the growth was not this close to the ground.  Plans are forming to place several of our special Violets under a cage.

Going Native

The whole idea of our native plant garden was to have native plants where they could be observed and appreciated by Ed and myself but for others too.  However going native is not easy!  My beautiful Miterwort plant is caged for protection from being eaten or stepped on.  But because of the cage this plant has had a chance to grow, flower and even go to seed.  Tiny black seeds sit in little green baskets.  When the wind blows and the seeds are ready Mother Nature will disperse them.  Wow I'm so happy that I got to see that!

Maidenhair spleenwort looks like a delicate wispy little plant but tucked into a rock crevice for protection it is doing beautifully.  This plant is lovely.  I never saw this plant in the wild or if I did I never noticed it.  I'm watching it now.  What a pleasure that is! 

Partridgeberry is a plant that grows wild here. When Ed last moved trailing arbutus here it was when long time friends moved away.  He never moved arbutus plants in October before.  He had no choice. It was his last chance. That was in 2019.  Sadly the Trailing arbutus died.  However, the Partridgeberry and the Wintergreen that came along with it are doing great.  Partridgeberry is to my way of thinking a perfect native plant.  The leaves are attractive.  The red berries are edible and have the unique mark of two navels.  I was delighted to see that the twin flowers are starting to bloom.  One flower is open here but there are more buds showing.  Knowing when your favorite wildflowers bloom makes them so much easier to find!

Wintergreen is also a perfect native plant.  It has a reputation for being somewhat difficult to transplant and that has been our experience.  It is almost three years later and finally we are finding new growth on these plants.  I love to chew on fresh wintergreen leaves, but these are forbidden fruit!  It was not until I saw the photo that I noticed the tiny beginning of wintergreen flowers.  If we have flowers we might have berries.  Wow I love teaberries!  These plants had beautiful berries when they were moved.  I will keep watching and perhaps see them again!

A New Wildflower, For Me Anyway!

I knew when I took the picture of this delicate looking wildflower that I had never seen it before. I looked in my new wildflower book with the great flower pictures, but it was my 1948 wildflower identification guide with the line drawings that gave me my answer. The co-joined twin leaves were the distinctive clue this time. The three basal leaves are similar in outline but are borne on separate stalks. Mitella diphylla or miterwort is the name of this one. The delicately fringed petals on the flowers are distinctive too, but you need magnification to see that. The flowers are tiny just 1/6 of an inch across. It's always a treat to see a new wildflower for the first time. It makes for a special day indeed!

We missed a frost last night, but just by a whisker. The condensation on the cars was liquid on the side surfaces, but frozen hard on the windshields.I know this since Ed was outside before 6 am. He believes that if frost is rinsed off the plant surfaces before sunlight strikes them damage can be avoided. Fact or fiction? I do not know if this is actually the case. The sun is shining so it should warm up quickly.