A Different Kind of Packing
Over the past 6 years I’ve been collecting a wide variety of plants of all colors, shapes and sizes, some of them rare, many of them nurtured from tiny seeds. Many of the plants from my collection will be moved to Maine via cuttings, seeds and a few as potted plants.
Over the past month I’ve been taking cuttings of the hydrangeas in my collection that I won’t be digging up. Most of these have been gifts from Mr Chiots. I have close to 30 different varities in my collection, they range from mature shrubs of 10 feet to tiny first year plants with just a few leaves. There are 10 or so that are small enough to be dug up and potted to make the move. The larger ones are moving via cuttings.
I’ve also been saving seeds for a wide variety of plants that have proven themselves to be great specimens. There’s a stunning yellow/green foxglove that is very hardy and quite lovely, as well as a regular tall purple foxglove that has seeded down every year and managed to survive our coldest winters. My black hollyhocks will also travel by seed to Maine, along with a beautiful pink hardy hibiscus. My collection of herbs will be also traveling by seed as well, catnip, greek oregano and a few others.
There’s even a master list of all the plants I want to take so I don’t forget any. Luckily if I do miss any of my favorites I can probably find seeds or plants in Maine, though I’d much rather have a descendant of one of my plants here. My mom has most of the family heirloom plants so I don’t have to worry about getting those this year, I can get starts from her next spring.
There are plenty of plants I wish I could take but can’t. Many of which, I’ve nurtured from tiny cuttings themselves to the grand specimens they are today. My ‘Limelight’ hydrangea is one in particular, I planted it 10 years ago when it was a mere 4 inch tall stick. I’m also sad to be leaving the boxwood hedge I planted last year. Hopefully whoever ends up gardening here in the future will have always dreamed of a box hedge like I did.
Have you ever moved plants from one home to another? If you could only take one single plant which would it be?
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It’s Blooming!
A few weeks ago, I noticed my Echeveria Peacockii Succulent was getting ready to bloom. I’ve been carefully watching and waiting for the blooms to open up.
It really is quite lovely and interesting. It’s not just a pretty face, I notice that the hummingbirds are always flying around it enjoying it’s nectar.
I sometimes wonder if the hummingbirds love plants like this in northern gardens. No doubt they enjoy echeverias when they’re spending the winter in tropical regions. Maybe for them it’s like it is for me when I savor a Colombian treat that reminds me of my childhood in South America.
Are there any foods/scents that bring back memories of a different time/place for you?
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It’s a LIME
I have 2 citrus trees that lead a very pampered life. If you remember, I purchased them on my trip to Monticello in 2010. The prime window acreage in the living room is all theirs during our cold NE Ohio winters. They’re even lovingly carried out to the front porch to enjoy any unseasonably nice weather we have in late winter. These two plants truly are my favorite houseplants, mostly because I want them to produce fruit.
This spring, the key lime tree produced 3 or 4 blooms, sadly none of them were pollinated. That gave me hope that it was finally old enough to fruit. I’ve been watching it like a hawk all summer waiting for blooms. Sure enough, two weeks ago I noticed buds. Last week it started blooming profusely. I moved it to the front porch right by the catnip plant, which is blooming at attracting tons of pollinators thus hopefully increasing the odds of pollinating the lime blossoms.
Sure enough, earlier this week I noticed that at least a few of the blooms had been pollinated and were sporting tiny lime fruit. Will they mature into fruit? You really never know when it’s the first time a plant blooms. Sometimes it takes them a cycle or two to figure out what’s going on. I certainly hope all these little blooms turn into limes, if so, our glasses will be filled with limeade in a few months!
When we get to Maine I hope to add to my citrus collection. I’ll have a bigger house and more windows to house them. Kumquats, Meyer Lemon and a few other varities are on my “must-buy” list.
Do you have any favorite houseplants? Do you grow any edible houseplants?
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Plants I Can’t Grow: Nasturtiums
I’ve been trying to grow nasturtiums for years. From what I hear, they are great in lean dry soils, but that doesn’t seem the be the case here. Perhaps my soil is just too acidic or silty for their liking. I can get them to grow a little and bloom, but they never look as good as these I spotted these beauties growing in containers at the National Garden in D.C. Granted these are probably fed a steady diet of chemical fertilizer.
This year I planted a ton of them on the back hillside where all those tulips were, but they’ve been languishing. There are a few plants that look OK, but most of them are still tiny little things.
A couple weeks ago, I gave them a bit of chicken manure and that seems to have perked them up a bit. They’re still a little thin and don’t bloom very profusely.
Funny thing is that I don’t really like them all that much, I don’t find them all that attractive. I continue to grow them because of the benefits they are said to provide. Perhaps my issues with growing nasturtiums will cease next summer in the new garden in Maine.
What is a plant that you simply can’t seem to grow in your garden?
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My Mom’s Potager in Late July
Last week I was over at my mom’s and took a few photos of her edible garden. I often help her with the garden chores, though this year, with the move, I’ve had less time to visit and work in the garden.
She was having trouble with a few baby rabbits getting in and eating her beans and peas, so she decided to put up a traditional scarecrow. I must admit, it looks great and I might have to put one in my garden next year.
My mom’s garden looks better than any garden I’ve seen. She’s reaping the rewards of years of hard work adding organic matter to the soil and avoiding chemicals. As a result, her garden retains moisture better than most do.
For over a month, we’ve been harvesting ‘Early Girl’ tomatoes from a really early planting in a cold frame super early in the spring. You can clearly see where I got my green thumb from!
Do you have any family members that have big beautiful gardens?
