The Unrelenting Genetic Drive to Reproduce

 I'm starting this post with a picture from another year because it's prettier.



These are globe thistles. It's not really a thistle, The genus is Echinops (which means spiny). The leaves look prickly, and the ball-like flower heads look spiny, but all those parts feel soft when you touch them.

Anyway, I used to have a whole row of these in my flower garden when the house was down by the road. They were here when we bought the property in 1971. Despite complete neglect they have refused to die, although they are getting pretty crowded out by grass. Alive is a good thing because I really love them. Here's what the flower heads look like in full bloom.



They aren't blooming yet, but they are in bud. I want to move some of these up to the driveway flower bed that I have been cleaning out. You know that transplanting a plant while it's in bud is the very worst time, right? But there are still quite a few plants, and I decided to move the smallest and see if it would survive. If it even lived, then next year it would blossom.

I moved one plant on June 12. Here's what it looked like on June 17. I was pretty sure by then that it was going to live. Even though it's very droopy, some of the leaves perked up every day, so I knew they were drawing water up from the roots. The recovery never quite made it all the way up the stem, but I watered it heavily at least twice every day.

Here it is today. The lowest leaves have yellowed and wilted, and it still looks droopy, but can you see the real difference?

I'll help you out. Even though the upper stem can't recover to be completely vertical, look at what the bud is doing. It's turned upwards to the light and is getting larger. If a plant can be said to have desires, those are to find light and produce seeds. That means to create a flower. Despite some really tough odds, this plant is going to live and reproduce. It is putting all its energy into that flower head. Forget the leaves, just get water and nutrients to the top! Unrelenting.

Today was much better, weatherwise. We had 0.6" rain this morning, which cooled things down. It got a bit steamy this afternoon, but never made it to the really high temperatures. It was too wet to do any real gardening.

I edited. Gotta keep at it.

See Spikey Things

Color of the Day - Yellow

  It seems to me that most of the summer-blooming sedums have yellow flowers. Not sure if this is really true, or just the ones I own.

But right now, the rock garden is blanketed with yellow. This picture has two different plants, but the farther one is Sedum elecambeanum. I had some of this, and a friend gave me more. It's a great, reliable groundcover.

Also seen in that photo is Sedum sexangulare (the stalks have 6 sides). It's not one of my favorites, but it does add a lot of color when it is blooming.

Remember those fountain-like sprays of blue-ish sedum that look like spruce twigs? This is what they look like in bloom. Sedum reflexum

I showed you this before, but to complete the theme, and it's still blooming wonderfully, this is the Sedum 'Bright Idea.'

For the last shot of yellow, we have to go to the front flower bed. That mystery lily is looking great. Last year, it had three flowers. This year it will have four.

The heat got to me today. I have managed to do 3 hours of computer work and 30 minutes outside. Mostly I read a book and drank ice tea. I'd call it age, but this has been my heat MO for years. We may get some rain and a break tomorrow.

See SunSparkler Sedums

SunSparkler Sedums

 I've mentioned the Sunsparkler (trademarked) Sedums several times. These are ultra-hardy hybrids of Sedum and (at least in some cases) Orostachys. Orostachys is a genus of succulents mostly from the far east. I had never heard of it. I believe the first of these released for sale was in 2012. Of course that represents a lot of years of research and testing, and then growing enough to be able to sell them. They are commonly referred to as sedums, but most seem to be in a new genus Hylotelephium.

You might also remember that I've been trying to track down where their demonstration garden is located. I'm pretty sure it's in Hudsonville, MI, and is part of Garden Solutions, which also creates the Chick Charms brand of Sempervivum. Well, that's a bunny trail for today. (But only for today.)

What I want to do today is show you all the Sunsparkler varieties that I currently own.

Before I even knew that the trademark was going to become of great interest to me, I bought this one as a reward for a week of hard work in 2020. It came from Wal-Mart, and as you have heard me complain yesterday, was not labeled as to the variety. But it has to be 'Dream Dazzler,' patented in 2019. The original was a single sport of the already hybrid 'Plum Dazzled' (which is solid purple and much taller). I've already split this a couple of times, so I can't complain that the original clump isn't much larger than when it started. The leaf bi-color is stunning.



The second one I bought in 2023. It's 'Lime Twister.' I liked it so much I bought a second one at the end of the season last year. Here's what that first one looks like now. It spreads well, and is filling in this space. The newer one isn't quite as large yet, but it's also doing fine. 'Lime Twister' was released in 2015.

Not long after getting 'Lime Twister,' I looked up the Sunsparkler series and realized these were going to seriously be plants I wanted to acquire. In fact, I confess to being covetous. So much so, I ordered two plants. Well, this is often not too satisfactory. You get some tiny sprig of the plant for an exorbitant price. Nevertheles, I ordered 'Cherry Tart' and 'Dazzleberry.'

'Cherry Tart' is a bright red-purple. It's doing OK, but it certainly doesn't spread very quickly. That said, it's looking a little bigger than it did this spring, and my purchase last year only got me one little stalk. Interestingly enough, this is no longer listed in their official catalog, so perhaps it hasn't been as successful as some of the other hybrids.

The 'Dazzleberry' has dark blue-black leaves which I love. I might have gotten two sprigs of this for my $8.99 plus shipping. :/ (that's what greed costs). When it gets large enough to bloom, the flowers are a bright raspberry color. Meanwhile, it seems to be slowly getting larger.

By now, I was actively on the prowl for other varieties created by Sunsparkler. I have found three more this year. The first one I found is 'Firecracker.' I almost wouldn't care what color the flowers are, the leaf color and spread is so great. The flowers are supposed to be magenta. I've only had this a month, and it's spreading fast.

A week later I came across 'Wildfire.' I wildly love this. It spreads quickly and the colors are spectacular. I've already pulled off one sprig to get it started in another place. Just for contrast in price. I got this entire large plant for $6.99. Interestingly enough, this one was developed from a sport of the previous one, 'Firecracker,' in 2014. It's supposed to get rose pink flowers. I've had this less than a month and you can see it's already growing new shoots.

Then I saw this one at Wal-Mart a few days ago. And I'm really sure this is 'Lime Zinger,' one of the first ones Sunsparkler released. I love the growth form as seen from the top. Very concentric.

Now, mostly for my own reference, I'll list the Sunsparkler varieties I don't yet have:

'Plum Dazzled' - dark purple leaves and it grows upright rather than spreading
'Angelina's Teacup' - pretty much like Angelina, but it stays small and doesn't spread all over so much.
'Cosmic Comet' - very blue foliage and low growing (apparently popular- it's sold out in their catalog)
'Dazzling Dynamite' - a lot like Dream Dazzler but add orange to the two shades of purple/pink
'Jade Tuffet' - more upright habit with pointed green leaves and pink flowers
'Saphire Tuffet' - taller and upright, with smoky-blue serrated leaves and hot pink flowers (new 2024)
'Blue Elf' - one of the first ones released, a low mound of blue leaves with purple flowers

That might be all the choices for now.

There was a breeze all day which saved the weather from being oppressive. I did a lot of editing and a good bit in the gardens. I might go out for another 15 minutes yet this evening.

See Sorting Out Sedums

Sorting Out Sedums

 First, I have to tell you that I broke two of my rules last week. I shopped at Wal-Mart, and I bought a plant that wasn't properly labeled. OK, I go to Wal-Mart a couple of times a year, and one of them is to just check out the garden section in case they have something I want. I think maybe one of the reasons things are cheaper is because they don't care whether stuff is labeled correctly. This is a Sunsparkler hybrid Sedum, but it doesn't say which one. However, by elimination, since there are only a limited number of Sunsparklers, I think it has to be 'Lime Zinger.' When it blooms I should have a more solid idea. I do like the way it fills in a space.

It's also interesting that W-M's plants have the Better Homes and Gardens Label, Lowe's carries Proven Winner, and Meijer has Garden Exclusives. But if you read the small print on the tags, they were all grown at Sawyer Nursery.

This is the Sedum I showed you a few days ago in bloom. I bought this last year. It's Sedum hispanicum 'Pinkie.'



It was another I thought I'd give a second try because I'd previously killed a S. hispanicum. That one was 'Blue Carpet.' Guess again. Two little patches of it have shown up. Opposite corners of this picture.

I also had another tiny low-growing sedum, S. dasyphylum. I haven't discovered any of that yet. But so many things have unexpectedly popped up, I'm keeping my eyes open.

Finally, for today, Sedum spurium 'Tricolor.'

Remember the one I bought that was only green and white, and I hoped it would stay that way? I should have known better. Now that it's getting sun, it clearly has pink edges. That's OK, it looks nice.

This is a tricolor I've had for a long time. It has settled in and become almost "woody."

And then, this is a tricolor that Betsy gave me last year. It wants to ramble all over the place, unlike the other two. It's interesting to me how variable this is. That said, it's a hybrid, and might have been created by different greenhouses. It's an "old" hybrid, so it's not like it's patented any more.

It's so hot and humid here that I struggled to keep working, but I managed laundry, shopping, editing for others and myself, and a couple other things. I can live with that. Only a little garden time. Too hot.

See Newly Blooming Mid-June

Swoopy Sky

 Today's big event has to be the storm that swooped in early afternoon.

Literally.

I looked these up, and this kind of cloud formation has a name. It's called Asperitas clouds. It is defined as a low layer that looks like the upside-down surface of a roughened sea. Interestingly enough, these rarely carry rain.

There sure was a good suggestion of rain. I could see the radar. I could smell the rain falling somewhere (actually the smell of the newly wetted earth). Even better, I could see the rain falling behind these interesting clouds.

The "waves" were moving fast. The heavenly sea was roiling.

Quickly, this formation moved off to the east. You can see that ragged edge on the back side. Sure enough, not with these clouds, but behind them, within a few minutes the rain reached me.

It was almost like a spring rain, gentle and falling straight down. A half-inch total. Very nice.

I pretty much took the day off. I did write a newspaper column, but other than that I goofed off. Hopefully, tomorrow morning I'll be ready to jump back into working hard.

See Yesterday's Storm

Got Rhubarb? Got Apples?

 With an abundance of the two items mentioned above, I decided to make a crisp. I actually have a recipe for Apple-Rhubarb Crisp, but I tinkered with it. It is very good, but I think I'll tinker some more if I make it again. I liked the changes I made, except I think I'd use even less sugar. The apples moderate the sour rhubarb quite a bit.

I used 1 1/2 times the fruit called for, added oatmeal to the topping and sprinkled it liberally with walnuts.

Serving 1 was dinner, and serving 2 was dessert. No regrets. Serving 3 might be breakfast.

I edited the general text of the book and worked outside. Oh, and went to the food bank in the morning.

Recipe as I made it (I think I would cut the sugar-I like things a little tart- a little more and add more nutmeg)

mix in a bowl:
1 1/2 c chopped apple
1 1/2 c chopped rhubarb
1/2 c stevia (this can just be additional sugar, but I try to use part stevia in desserts)
1/4 c sugar
1/2 t nutmeg
1 beaten egg
spread in a glass 9x13 pan

mix in another bowl
1 stick (1/2 c) softened oleo
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. oatmeal
cut together until well mixed

spread over fruit and press down

sprinkle with as many walnuts as you want

bake at 375 for 30 min

See New Rhubarb Recipe

Newly Blooming- Mid June

 Lots of the plants I've shown you before are still blooming. The pink and the magenta cranesbill (geranium), Dianthus 'brilliant,' The Siskiyou primrose (which is a spectacular success), the Sedum sexangulare, Dianthus 'Kohari,' Dianthus 'Eastern Star,' Heuchera 'Firefly,' the Salvia I showed you yesterday, daisies, the two ice plants, and the ground cherry. I'm beyond pleased with all this.

Things seem to be a little earlier than last year. That's been true all this season, so no surprise.

But some more plants are now adding to the color. I'll start with one that was just beginning last week, and I did show you, but look at it now! This is Dianthus 'Zing Rose.'

Out front, last year, only one of these bloomed. This year, there is a whole patch. Actually, with the bed nicely weeded, they are out-competing a lot of other things. I'm ripping a lot out that are invading other spaces. I used to have white ones too, but I guess they are gone. Globe Bellflower, Campanula glomerata.

This is one of the Sedums I bought last year. It's doing really well. Spreading slowly, but it's very healthy. 'Bright Idea.'

This is another of the sedums I bought last year. I thought it was not going to survive it looked so sad all season. However, there are now several happy patches of it. I'm a little confused, because it's very similar to another sedum I used to have. There are more patches of this (maybe, or maybe only similar) than I can account for. But I'm quite sure this one is Sedum hispanicum 'Pinkie." It's not showy, but its a good filler between rocks.

This one has a story. This is plain old Creeping Thyme. I got a whole pile of it for free back in about 1999. I was walking Maggie (my last dog), but before she was mine. This was in Ann Arbor, and a lady was ripping vast wads of it out of her lawn. I asked if I could have some. She said, "you'll be sorry!" Well, you do have to pay attention or it gets out of hand, but it's very pretty. I might grab a chunk and add some to the newer spaces of the rock garden.

I've now got 3 varieties of thyme, and would like to replace the Wooly Thyme I used to have. However, it can also be pretty aggressive. We'll see. Currently, sedum hybrids are making me more happy, so I'm not desperate.

And for the last act of the day... are you ready?... I am jumping-up-and-down happy. This is the 'Arctic Fire' dianthus. It's mixed in the clump of 'Brilliant (center front),' and the softer purple are one of the geraniums. There's another bud behind it that's opening up. No way will I try to separate these out this year, but maybe there's hope I'll have more of them next year. I don't think I can tell the leaves from the 'Brilliant.' Maybe they are a little darker, but maybe not.

Soon, we are going to have to have an update on many of the hybrid sedums I bought. I can tell that some spread quicker than others. That's OK, I'm beginning to understand which ones can have friends in their spaces, and which ones not so much.

I finished the second time through editing the book today. Hooray! Now I can move on to general editing. Staring at those scrolling columns of campsite data was seriously getting to me.

See Garden Fun

Cleaning the Driveway Flower Bed

 I've been working on cleaning up what I call the "driveway bed." This is the largest part, section 1. It's always been kind of a mess, even when I got it weeded, because it had no plan. But at least, it's clear for this year. First time in quite a while. The beds are so easy to weed if you don't wait years between each time. Maybe that will motivate me.

I did show you this plant when it started to bloom in May, but then it was surrounded by grass. Now it gets to show off. This is a perennial purple salvia, probably Salvia nemerosa, or wood sage. It will bloom all summer if you keep it deadheaded. I have no idea when or where I got it. I don't always get the plant records taken care of. Apparently, Marie gave me this.

You can see a bumblebee checking it out. No picture at all, but I was standing there this morning, thinking about a plan, and along came a hummingbird who stuck around and enjoyed a little snack. That's pretty cool, because I don't see hummers here very often.

And here is the almost free coreopsis I got last summer. It's covered with buds and looks quite happy.

My brain is kind of spinning with a plan that won't cost very much. I might buy one plant, but a lot of the plan can be created with things that I have other places and can be moved or split.

Also out there is this tall sedum that looks pretty healthy. I have an 'Autum Joy,' a pretty common one. I'm not sure if this was part of that one, or something else, maybe, if it blooms, I'll be able to narrow it down. I moved it out there quite a few years ago. [edited- found my record for this and it says it's one I dug up in the woods in New York!]

You know the drill. I edited, and edited, and worked a little bit in the garden.

Soon it will be time to show you new things that are blooming.

See The Rest of the Freebies

Bees!

 I said I had bees in my wall. I do. And they are honeybees. They moved into the hole where the German Yellowjackets had residence in 2017. Shame on me for not plugging that hole after I killed those monsters. I pretty much forgot. But 3 days ago I had 25 dead bees on my kitchen floor. I found them just before I went to bed and didn't go hunting until the next day. But as soon as I opened the door, I knew what had happened.

I got ahold of a local person who is considered a bee expert. He came out yesterday, and again today.

Today he brought a thermal imager. He was trying to determine where they are making the hive. The choices are: in the wall behind the refrigerator, in the space between the first floor and the basement, in the wall of the large bedroom downstairs. They are definitely not in the crawl space. That didn't seem likely since it's farther away, but was a possibility.

But he couldn't get a definitive reading. My choices are: start tearing out walls, kill them, ignore them for the summer because without treatment for the mites that kill bees over winter they will almost certainly die. Sheesh! I don't want to kill honeybees.

I am not deathly allergic, but if I get stung more than once, I'll probably need to go to the ER for observation. I guess I'm just not going to use that door this summer. Annoying, but doable.

I couldn't get a good answer about whether having 50 pounds of honey in the wall was going to be a problem.

I'm not thrilled, but I'm not going to kill honeybees unless something becomes critical.

See German Yellowjacket- It's What's for Dinner