A gardener just can’t get an even break.

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beetroots, borers, elder, Japanese beetle, midges, pitcher plant, roses, sorrel, waterlily

Ugh. First Japanese beetle (Popilia japonica) of the season. Found it on the ‘Gold Medal’ rose.

Sometimes it seems as though the world conspires against gardeners. Every time I think, great, this plant/setup/new thing is going to be awesome! something happens to it. The elder bushes had elder shoot borer caterpillars (Achatodes zeae), which they never had before. The leaf-mining midges (Cricotopus sp.) didn’t waste any time at all chewing on the water lilies. Beet leafminers (Pegomya hyoscami) have been making a mess of the beetroot leaves, which fortunately I don’t bother with (I only want the beetroots themselves), as well as the sorrel (Rumex acetosa), which IS being grown for the leaves.

And now the Japanese beetles are back, as they always are, right on time.

And of course, squirrels digging and killing and making a mess, rabbits chewing and killing everything, raccoons crapping…it’s like some demented gardening version of A Partridge in a Pear Tree. Where’s a fox when you need one? Or a hawk? The local hawk’s a tiny one, barely bigger than the robin I found it eating once (on my neighbour’s lawn).

There is one success story though…sort of. When I put the tropical pitcher plant (Nepenthes ‘Deroose Alata’) outside for summer, I have no trouble at all with wasps. Unfortunately, the local chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) often rip the pitchers open. Whether it’s to get at the dead bugs or the liquid inside or both, I haven’t figured out yet.

Summer flowers and furniture.

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anemone, arnica, columbine, dahlia, elder, harebell, hazel, lavender, lovage, milkweed, Ozark sundrop, pyrethrum, roses, rue, spiderwort, thyme, vervain, wood poppy

It’s odd to see the butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) and the swamp milkweed (A. incarnata) in full bloom at the same time. Usually the former blooms first and is just setting seed when the latter is opening, but I suppose like so many other things this year the butterfly milkweed is blooming late. It’s something of a colour palette disaster in my opinion, though: the combination of bright orange and dusty pink doesn’t do it for me.

The other early summer blooms recently opened are the elder flowers (Sambucus canadensis), the Ozark sundrops (Oenothera missouriensis), and the swamp vervain (Verbena hastata). Meanwhile the Canada anemone (Anemone canadensis), harebells (Campanula rotundifolia), American arnica (Arnica chamissonis), dahlias, and Ohio spiderwort (Tradecantia ohiensis) are still going well. Among the herbs the lavender (Lavandula sp.), rue (Ruta graveolens) and the lovage (Levisticum officinale) are in full bloom. And the thyme (Thymus vulgaris and T. citriodorus). I like thyme. I have it in pots all over the garden, not just the herb bed.

The wood poppies (Stylophorum diphyllum), eastern red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) and pyrethrum daisies (Pyrethrum cinerariifolium) are also still going, but I think those are about to fade.

Speaking of elder flowers…elderflower wine soon! A pity it wouldn’t be ready in time for the Master Gardener potluck coming up, but I guess it just means more for me.

The roses are finally in full bloom too. I just put up a page for the roses, but it’s still a work in progress and I’ll add the missing types when I get half-decent pictures of them. I might make sub-pages about roses and rose care if I’m ever bored enough in future.

Unfortunately, I think I have to admit even to myself that the hazel (Corylus americana) I planted in May is truly dead. They’re usually tough little things, so I held out hope that it would resprout, but it just kept dying back and no new growth. Sigh. Next year.

I now have garden furniture! It was a windfall, really: my next-door neighbour’s mother passed away a few months ago and they recently got around to clearing out her storage locker (she’d been in a retirement home for the past dozen years). They’ve been scrambling around trying to find homes for all the furniture, so they offered me a bunch of plastic garden chairs and tables. I felt bad taking it all, but they assured me I was doing them a favour and wouldn’t take any money.

It does feel kind of odd in a way, because I never had any garden furniture except a potting/worktable and a small bench that’d been in the garage for donkey’s years and I have no idea where it came from. There was never really any incentive to get garden furniture because I’m generally the only person in my garden and if I feel the need to sit down, the ground or the steps are good enough for me (the aforementioned bench usually being covered with pots). Sadly, the first thing I did with them was stick the chairs in a corner, and put plants on the tables.

…I wonder which is longer: this rambling post, or the list of tags…

Moss in the wind.

Tags

garlic, moss, roses

It’s really starting to feel as if in every other post so far this spring, I’m complaining about the wind. Well, here’s another one. One hell of a windstorm yesterday: things in pots got blown over, all the garlic and other things got flattened. Particularly annoying was that several of the young rose canes got snapped off at the base. Just as they seemed to be getting over the recent hard winter.

In the big picture though, it’s rather petty of me to be complaining of wind, because there were tornadoes here and there in Ontario. It could be worse. It can always be worse.

Other than that, the stage is now set to try a moss growing trick I’ve read about. I like having a moss lawn…I certainly like it better than having a grass lawn, but then again, I like having a cold better than having a grass lawn. My previous moss lawn took a loooong time to get going; in fact, it’s still not really established. I’ve come across this trick whereby one takes existing moss and puts it in a blender with water and buttermilk and blends (the relative proportions apparently being not very important). The resulting slurry is poured over the desired area, and presto, luxuriant moss growth, assuming the area is kept damp and/or shady. Allegedly, anyway.

So I got a blender cheap from the thrift store, a carton of buttermilk (which is already half done because I like buttermilk) and pulled up some moss from the lawn (the grass lawn) and rinsed off some of the dirt. It rained again today, so I’ll wait until tomorrow to do the deed because I didn’t want to risk everything just washing away. And then we’ll see.

A note about buttermilk: actual buttermilk is the liquid left over when butter is churned out of cream. It’s quite healthy, because most of the nutrients remain behind while most of the fat has been taken out (the butter). However, the “buttermilk” one finds in the store is more like a runny yoghurt. When fermented milk came to be called buttermilk, I don’t know.

Finally, aquatic carnivory.

Tags

arrowhead, bladderwort, iris, Venus' flytrap

The plants (viz. last night’s post) arrived today. They were all alive, though one of them was clearly unhappy.

So! One northern blue flag (Iris versicolor), a broadleaf arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia), some floating bladderwort (Utricularia gibba), and a  Venus’ flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) have joined the collection. All are native water plants except the last, which is more of a bog plant (native to the Carolinas).

Man, if they hadn’t gotten here today, or if they’d been in bad shape, I was ready to breathe fire.

Also, the bladderwort and famously the Venus’ flytrap are carnivorous plants. I’ve been fascinated by carnivorous plants since childhood…I used to have more, but one year I had to go away for a couple months and my plant sitter killed them. -_-

Anyway, it has to be admitted that people who know of the Venus’ flytrap are often disappointed by other carnivorous plants; the VF is one of relatively few that have active traps (i.e. ones that actually move on their own). The small ‘bladders’ that give bladderwort its common name are basically just sacs that operate on a valve and negative pressure principle: when sensory hairs on the mouth of the trap are triggered, the valve flies open and water and whatever triggered the trap gets sucked in and the valve closes. It all happens in less than a second. Water gets pumped out, decreasing the internal pressure and thus resetting the trap.

This particular species is a small one suitable for tub gardens, but it has correspondingly small traps. I got this species knowing that many carnivorous plant enthusiasts and aquarium keepers consider it something of a troublesome weed. That way at least I know it won’t be fussy. And the flowers are pretty. But the real point is to remove mosquito larvae without insecticides or having to worry about fish.

It has, however, been some years since I’ve had a Venus’ flytrap and I’m out of practice. Other than these new ones, the only other carnivorous plant I currently have is a tropical pitcher plant (Nepenthes sp.) (did I mention someone killed the others?). I would really like to get my hands on the native pitcher plant: Sarracenia purpurea subsp. purpurea, but for various reasons haven’t been able to yet. And one or both of the native butterworts, Pinguicula villosa or P. vulgaris. And possibly the native Drosera rotundifolia. Unfortunately, garden centres, when they carry carnivorous plants at all, tend to carry non-native species that need special care, or odd hybrids and cultivars, which I’m simply not crazy about.

No big deal. I’m patient.

Sod, sod the rabbits, and sod Canada Post.

Tags

dahlia, leaf-mining midge, roses, waterlily

Today I rearranged the container garden to accommodate a…I guess you could call it a sod platform. Basically, it’s the sod/turf that got cut out from the lawn when a new flowerbed got put in, stacked up into a nice neat pile. This one is a bit of a first, because it’s going to be permanent, or at least long term. Always before, it was really just a matter of finding some corner to put the sod, let the organic material break down for a year or two, then take it apart and use the dirt somewhere else. This one is going to stay where it is so I can use it as a platform for pots and containers, and/or possibly a birdbath. Specifically, it’s to keep certain plants out of the reach of the rabbits.

Gods I hate rabbits. I feel like strangling people who call them cute little bunnies. They’re only good for the stewpot.

Anyway, I imagine the sod platform will have other uses or benefits as well: solitary bees might nest in it and I might be able to plug some trailing plants into the sides when the whole thing settles a bit. The main thing is really that it was somewhere to put the sod.

Hmm..what else. Oh yes, I also extend a general HateGram of extreme depth to the incompetent and overpriced failure that is Canada Post. Some plants I ordered from a nursery in British Columbia were shipped out last Monday (the 9th) and were guaranteed (by Canada Pest, not just the nursery) to get here by Friday. They didn’t. Canada Pest does not deliver on the weekend, so the best guess (HOPE) is that the plants will get here tomorrow. Whether or not they’ll still be alive after three extra days languishing in Hell is anyone’s guess. And don’t give me no BS that it was Friday the 13th. This is not the first time I’ve been screwed over by our wonderful national postal service. It was the nursery’s decision to use only Canada Pest; otherwise I would have paid for a real courier service. There’s much more I could say, but if I get started I’ll be ranting for days.

I find that I’m also coming to grips with water gardening. I suppose I did have a rather naïve and starry-eyed idea of having a tub garden, but it certainly does turn out to be just like most other types of gardening in most ways. Specifically, I mean it comes with the same general problems, such as the leaf-mining midge (or possibly the false leaf-mining midge), the larvae of which feed on water lily leaves. It also comes with its own set of problems, but I was expecting those.

But just to prove it’s not all doom and gloom, the ‘Arabian Night’ dahlias are gorgeous. I am so so pleased with how they’ve done, despite the ridiculously windy spring. And the first flush of roses for the year has finally started.

More lies.

Tags

blue-eyed grass, starflower, tomatoes

Well, it seems I lied in last night’s post. There was enough rain to fill all four of my rain barrels, so I should hopefully be set for another month.

Today I finally planted the starflower (Trientalis borealis) and the blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium montanum). I also planted three more tomato plants: an heirloom variety called ‘Black Prince’.

…I’m pretty sure I did more than that, but I just can’t remember what. I know I spent several hours in the garden today…

Aaaand, unfortunately, I have seen mosquito larvae in the tubs. It was just a matter of time. Time to hie me down to the petshop for a couple of fish.

Some good, some bad, some sad.

Tags

duckweed, water hyacinth, waterlily

Whoosh. It’s been a hectic few days here.

On Friday afternoon, some of the other Master Gardeners came over to organise all the plants that had come in so far and add price tags. Saturday morning was the sale, but since setup began at 7:00 am, I sat (slept) that part of it out. The sale itself was supposed to run from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm plus one hour for cleanup, but we ended up going for an extra hour because people were still buying.

Then yesterday I went to the Greater Toronto Water Garden Society’s plant sale and came home with a few more things for the tub ponds: Nymphaea ‘Helvola’ at an amazing price, some water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), and some duckweed (Lemna sp.) stuck to it. I think I might be getting a little too enthusiastic with these tub ponds…

Talking about the tubs, life never ceases to amaze me. Not life as in my life, but the phenomenon of life. One week after I did a complete water change in one of the tubs, I looked in and there was a water beetle swimming around. I certainly wasn’t expecting that. I was expecting (dreading) mosquito larvae, but I thankfully haven’t seen any at all.

A week ago, I broke my gardening trowel. Don’t ask. I finally got a new one today, so I can get around to planting the last few things. And it’s been pretty dry for May, so the rain barrels are pretty much empty already (admittedly, some of that went into the tubs). Actually, there’s some light rain as I type this, but I expect it will be just a passing cloud. And this has seriously got to be the windiest spring I can remember experiencing.

Today I found a dead juvenile American robin (Turdus migratorius) in the garden. Couldn’t see any injury on it, so I guess it could have been disease. I buried it in the rose patch.