Saturday Gardening Thread: St. Patrick's Day Already? [KT]

Hello, Horde! You eating Irish food today? Don't know if Savoy Cabbage is the most "Irish" kind, but I like it. Above, Wild Thing appears to be checking for a Leprechaun. Don't know what he would have done if he had found one. The family legend of a friend of mine is that Leprechauns followed her grandparents over from County Cork.

Potatoes are, of course, a traditional Irish food. They are often planted in cold soil, but St. Patrick's Day may be too soon to plant potatoes in Missouri. Interesting comparison of the history of the potato in Ireland and the USA at the link. Fourteen pounds is a lot of potatoes for one person to eat in a day.

Our Heritage

Of course, the Irish Potato Famine changed US history. There was another migration that changed history here in the San Joaquin Valley, the "Okie" migration. We received this recently:

Attached is a photo of some cotton pickers in Oklahoma in 1935. Includes some from my family. Might fit in a gardening thread sometime.
Javems

I had never heard that Oklahoma was a cotton state. But he checked. And his Mom's inscription on the photo checked out.

The good old days, right?

We have some interesting heritage photos waiting to be shared. We will take more.

Great Horned Owl Update

When we posted last week, there was live egg-hostaing activity noted in the comments. Now two babies have hostaed! CaliGirl has sent in a video of Luna with captured prey and some glimpses of one of her babies. Thanks to CBD for reformatting the video for AoSHQ. Luna is not only raising babies, she is earning her keep at the ranch.

Vines

Cumberland Astro sent the following impressive photo:

The beautiful photo today of Flame Vine reminded me of the arbor I installed back in Texas to create some privacy between our backyard pool and the house next door. I planted Crossvine at the base of the arbor and weaved it through the lattice as it grew. Every spring we got to enjoy a wall of red flowers. The rest of the summer we still had a pretty green wall to give us privacy.

Cross vine (Bignonia capreolata) can grow to 60 to 80 feet if the soil is ideal and holds to surfaces with little holdfast disks. There are cultivars in various colors from yellow to red, including 'Dragon Lady', Jekyll', and 'Tangerine Beauty'. In nature, brownish tones are also found in some flowers.

Cross vine and common trumpet creeper are both native to the USA. They are both attractive to hummingbirds. The Trumpet Creeper is hardier to cold than the Cross Vine. Growing tips, photo credit and more photos at the link.

Trumpet Creeper

A lot of other vines used to be classified as "Bignonia", and the invasive Trumpet Creepers, which send out root runners far and wide, are sometimes still sold as 'Bignonia'. These include the native Campsis radicans (Common Trumpet Creeper), Campsis grandiflora (Chinese Trumpet Creeper) and hybrids between the two species. You can buy cultivars in various colors. They can be spectacular in bloom. Best where their roots can be confined. Watch that they don't climb utility wires. I guess a Cross Vine could do that, too.

Since Cumberland Astro brought up last week's Flame Vine, here is a totally unrelated Mexican Flame Vine in Austin, with a Swallowtail Butterfly. Nice plant and butterfly close-ups at the link.

This plant (Senecio confusus) is less hardy than the Cross Vine and blooms in winter or early spring in the mildest parts of the coastal South, coastal California, the low desert and Hawaii. A light frost will kill it, but it will grow back quickly from the roots and bloom the same year.

Here's one in Baja California with a Queen Butterfly. Kind of a nice little story, with plant photos. Queen butterflies are related to Monarchs and lay eggs on milkweed relatives. They don't migrate nearly to the extent that Monarchs do, and are pretty much found in the South, like the Mexican Flame Vine. I have never seen one of these vines in the San Joaquin Valley. Too cold in winter here.

From the Marketplace

Here is a relative of the flower above that prefers cooler climes, say, San Francisco. It's the Florist's Cineraria. Usually grown as an annual even there. This one is a local Flower of Walmart. When flowers like these show up, it's time to look for smaller plants to bed out. Plants that haven't flowered yet. Check out the local nursery.

Senecio is an interesting genus. It also includes some Dusty Millers and some succulents.

Gardens of The Horde

I got caught a little short on time preparing for a weekend event, and didn't get everything posted that I wanted to post. And I won't be around until later today.

But I haven't given up on Mumbe's camellia. I'm thinking maybe air layering or tip cuttings. Anybody out there ever started a camellia plant?

Haven't forgotten about the edible orchid question. Haven't found much.

Weasel's latest adventures will have to wait another week.

No one identified Island Girl's flower last week. It was a single Gardenia. There is a dwarf single called Kleim's Hardy. Looks quite a bit like that one. Not that she needs a hardy Gardenia in Hawaii. There is also a Tahitian Gardenia that grows to tree size. The flowers are used in leis.

If you would like to send information and/or photos for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden
at g mail dot com

Include your nic unless you want to be a lurker.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 12:30 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 That first pic makes me think Little Shop of Horrors.

FEED ME, SEYMOUR!

Posted by: Les Kinetic at March 17, 2018 12:27 PM (5OEn4)

2 It too cold and snowy here to garden, but its above freezing so I'm heading out for a walk. Later!

Posted by: Muad'dib at March 17, 2018 12:32 PM (3fxCO)

3 Ground is frozen here, today. Mrs IMG is watering in the basement

Posted by: Iron Mike Golf at March 17, 2018 12:44 PM (di1hb)

4 >>>Of course, the Irish Potato Famine changed US history.

It's spelled P-O-T-A-T-O-E.

Posted by: Dan Quayle at March 17, 2018 12:45 PM (H+7tw)

5 Woot woot woot! My Fawn Lily survived the winter and is popping up again!

I also dug a Camas lily and planted it, now I know where to find them I am planning on digging a bucket of them to transplant. They all are going into the front planter, along side the wild native ginger (which isn't a ginger, but an Asarum caudatum) and the volunteer garlic.

No word on if the apple grafts have taken or not.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 17, 2018 12:50 PM (2K6fY)

6 It was progressives that fought for Ireland's freedom

Posted by: Yup at March 17, 2018 01:01 PM (apH+b)

7 Beautiful photos and great information. Thanks KT

Posted by: Mrs. JTB at March 17, 2018 01:05 PM (V+03K)

8 The pansies have started coming back. Green sprouts fill the hanging basket. The chives are thriving too in the Earthbox.

Posted by: Mrs. JTB at March 17, 2018 01:11 PM (V+03K)

9 The sweet alyssum self-seeded and is taking up residence anyware earth is exposed including the rosemary planter, pansy basket, grassy area, etc.

Posted by: Mrs. JTB at March 17, 2018 01:21 PM (V+03K)

10 Sort of garden-related.

Cats versus Cucumbers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXRkXmEK44U

What do they know that we don't?

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Gamestress of Triskelion at March 17, 2018 01:23 PM (qJtVm)

11 Your cabbage looks really good. I don't think I've ever seen just one head of cabbage. I'm used to rows of cabbage.

I'm glad you were able to post the owl video.

It's been raining at night so the dad owl has been dropping off dinner for the babies. I'm fascinated watching them.

The mother owl makes cooing noises like a hen. The owlets chirp just like chicks.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 17, 2018 01:24 PM (Ri/rl)

12 "Get that cat out of here"

that line from a Steve Martin movie still makes me laugh ... he's doing his special screw top brain transplant surgery ... and of course there is a cat in the operating room. (only heard, not seen)

My semi-wild barn cat never seems to bother the plants, but rabbits, raccoons, deer .. another story. Grass is greening up a little here, fruit tree buds just starting to swell. Hydrangea, daffodils, tulips all popped up.

cool to have owl video, this place is getting pretty classy. stay green ... the thumb at least.

Posted by: illiniwek at March 17, 2018 01:26 PM (bT8Z4)

13 "The family legend of a friend of mine is that Leprechauns followed her grandparents over from County Cork."

That's why immigrants used to be quarantined for a few weeks on arrival.

Posted by: hogmartin at March 17, 2018 01:26 PM (y87Qq)

14 My grandmother was from Oklahoma. She had to quit school when she was twelve and pick cotton. Her family lost their farm.

My friends and I use the term Okie interchangeably with white trash. Teasingly, with each other. I said okie in front of my grandmother one time and she yelled at me. It hurt her feelings. When we say that there is no malice intended.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 17, 2018 01:30 PM (Ri/rl)

15 Wow! I can actually go outside and fire up the grill!

Six months of winter has been kicking my ass, and it's time for grillin' meat.

Posted by: Fritz at March 17, 2018 01:31 PM (bJ0w+)

16 Mom and the other Morgan County monster gardeners will be at the local Martinsville Kung Fu monastery doing public seminars on Garden Fist style for the next hour or so.

Or I might have mis-read that and it's actually Gardenfest.

http://martinsvillechamber.com/gardenfest/

Posted by: hogmartin at March 17, 2018 01:32 PM (y87Qq)

17 The family legend of a friend of mine is that Leprechauns followed her grandparents over from County Cork."

That's why immigrants used to be quarantined for a few weeks on arrival.
Posted by: hogmartin at March 17, 2018 01:26 PM (y87Qq)

Ha!
I needed a good laugh.

Posted by: prof disarray, gumdrop gorila channel at March 17, 2018 01:32 PM (jS2zB)

18 St. Pat's is just a bit too early for potatoes here-- Good Friday is our 'holiday of reference' for planting spuds.

It's time to remove winter mulch and clean up perennials, trim shrubs and plant bareroot stock.

Posted by: JQ at March 17, 2018 01:33 PM (yD/Pf)

19 5 Wow! I can actually go outside and fire up the grill!

Six months of winter has been kicking my ass, and it's time for grillin' meat.
Posted by: Fritz at March 17, 2018 01:31 PM (bJ0w+)

We are going to a "cook your own" barn party/dance for St Patrick's day tonight. The men all stand at the huge pit and bbq the steaks and the women stand around and drink/talk.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 17, 2018 01:35 PM (Ri/rl)

20 "I never picked cotton
But my mother did
And my brother did
And my sister did
And my daddy died young
Workin' in a coal mine".........

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at March 17, 2018 01:36 PM (EoRCO)

21 > Fourteen pounds is a lot of potatoes for one person to eat in a day.

Yeah, that's bullshit.

Someone probably messed up converting from kilograms or something similar.

Think of the size of a ten pound bag of potatoes. Now, try to eat all of those and nearly half of another one.

Definite bullshit.

Posted by: Anagram Nation at March 17, 2018 01:40 PM (aId/R)

22 Love all the pictures and the owl video is amazing. Luna's husband should get the cred for bringing home the bacon though.

Crossvine is my favorite vine. I planted a bunch at our last house. It will do a small flush of blooms in fall too. I should plant some at our current house. This house has a great backbone of landscaping, but then the lady of the house planted some vines and specimen trees that really aren't suited to the climate and/or soil here.

Posted by: stace at March 17, 2018 01:52 PM (6HFDU)

23 Fourteen pounds is a lot of potatoes for one person to eat in a day.

I wonder how many french fries that makes?

Posted by: prof disarray, gumdrop gorila channel at March 17, 2018 01:57 PM (jS2zB)

24 Oops, didn't see CaliGirl's post at 11 about daddy owl.

Posted by: stace at March 17, 2018 01:58 PM (6HFDU)

25 Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.

Posted by: Insomniac - Nowhere Man at March 17, 2018 02:11 PM (NWiLs)

26 24 Oops, didn't see CaliGirl's post at 11 about daddy owl.

Posted by: stace at March 17, 2018 01:58 PM (6HFDU)

My husband watches the owl cam all night and tells me the dad is worthless, then the dad shows up with a mouse or rat. Then my husband quiets down.

The eggs just hatched last weekend. It's been rainy here. The night it didn't rain there were 2 mice and one huge roof/tree rat on the nest during the day. Today the pantry is bare.
I saw the dad bringing mice last night though.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 17, 2018 02:11 PM (Ri/rl)

27 Cooked cabbage is good, but you have to ditch the outer leaves or it turns out bitter.

Posted by: Insomniac - Nowhere Man at March 17, 2018 02:13 PM (NWiLs)

28 Fall planted garlic sprouting. Weeds starting to show. Maybe a quick tilling (weather ok, today)

Posted by: stonecutter at March 17, 2018 02:13 PM (Bfr22)

29 23 Fourteen pounds is a lot of potatoes for one person to eat in a day. I wonder how many french fries that makes?
Posted by: prof disarray, gumdrop
-
Oh, about 14 pounds.

Posted by: Morton at March 17, 2018 02:23 PM (vnv2H)

30 Spring isn't cooperating here, been below freezing every day this week and hear another Nor'easter is possible in a few days. Even my daffodils are afraid to come up as they are still only around 6 inches high.

Posted by: Skip at March 17, 2018 02:24 PM (aC6Sd)

31 Thanks, KT.
Online I've found that 14 pounds of potatoes = 28 cups of mashed potatoes. That is a whole lotta potatoes.

Posted by: m at March 17, 2018 02:25 PM (U6XUk)

32 I have coral honeysuckle in full bloom and it brings tons of hummingbirds. Plus it's an evergreen around here.

Posted by: lin-duh at March 17, 2018 02:27 PM (kufk0)

33 Will someone making corned beef and cabbage please invite me over? I'll be your best friend!

Posted by: Weasel at March 17, 2018 02:27 PM (MVjcR)

34 Wifey is making some right now. Come on over.

Posted by: Ronster at March 17, 2018 02:29 PM (MAzx1)

35 Just got back from a building I own in Norfolk Ct. Has a great old sign post with an old cast iron sign hanger I bought in France about 45 years ago, It has an old trumpet vine wrapped all around it. Unfortunately I lost about 1/3 a few years ago due to -20 cold

Posted by: REDACTED at March 17, 2018 02:31 PM (VWsDy)

36 >>>Of course, the Irish Potato Famine changed US history.

Not in the long run. With Hart-Celler we just opted for national suicide. Shitholistan, here we come.

Posted by: Steve and Cold Bear at March 17, 2018 02:33 PM (/qEW2)

37 That first pic makes me think Little Shop of Horrors.

FEED ME, SEYMOUR!

Posted by: Les Kinetic at March 17, 2018 12:27 PM (5OEn4)

========

My first thought was facehugger eggs.

Posted by: Steve and Cold Bear at March 17, 2018 02:35 PM (/qEW2)

38 Five feet of drifted snow on the decked lee side of the camp, up in the northern Adirondacks, the nor'easters having dumped a lot of white.

Took a big Case backhoe with front end loader to clear the uphill driveway.

It'll be Memorial day and there will still be snow in the shadowy parts of woods.

Posted by: Les Kinetic at March 17, 2018 02:35 PM (5OEn4)

39 That top photo looks delicious. I am a cabbage fan both for boiled dinners and home made sauerkraut.

Possibly a silly question but can you grow just one or two cabbages instead of a row of them? Maybe using a big tub? I've mentioned we will have a smaller garden this year, mostly Earth Boxes and other containers but a couple of cabbages would be a nice addition.

Posted by: JTB at March 17, 2018 02:37 PM (V+03K)

40 Love the photos and the video of the owl. When Jane D'Oh posted about the owl cam in Georgia a couple of years ago I could lose track of time watching it. A slow but fascinating drama. Last year it had eagles nesting. Neat but not owls. I might just be an avian snob!

Posted by: JTB at March 17, 2018 02:43 PM (V+03K)

41
Just came in from cleaning front flower garden, nice 60 degree no wind day.

But still...whew...doing the job the illegals won't do.

Posted by: Guy Mohawk at March 17, 2018 02:45 PM (r+sAi)

42 23 Fourteen pounds is a lot of potatoes for one person to eat in a day. I wonder how many french fries that makes?
Posted by: prof disarray, gumdrop
-
Oh, about 14 pounds.
Posted by: Morton at March 17, 2018 02:23 PM (vnv2H)

Hardy, har har. I was talking the individual number of fries. But you knew that.

Posted by: prof disarray, gumdrop gorila channel at March 17, 2018 02:51 PM (jS2zB)

43 Kinda bummed. Spring begins in a week or so and the night temperatures have continued below freezing. The ground and dirt in the containers is still hard except places right against stone walls that soak up and reflect heat during the day. The weather guessers are talking about a wintry mix this week. Hope that is the last of the winter weather. I don't want an unseasonably hot spring but a gradual, steady warming would be nice.

Posted by: JTB at March 17, 2018 02:51 PM (V+03K)

44 Gardening question for the Horde.
I've always been told that marigolds repel moles. Is this actually true, or an old gardener tale?
It'll be too likely to frost here until late April or early May. I have moles now. I'd prefer not to assassinate them but that's still an option.
Thanks

Posted by: Winston at March 17, 2018 02:52 PM (wgCUV)

45 Hardy, har har. I was talking the individual number of fries. But you knew that.
Posted by: prof disarray, gumdrop gorila channel at March 17, 2018 02:51 PM (jS2zB)

Estimates for individual fries range from about ten per 0.75oz to 20 per 3oz. Obviously, different brands use different die sizes, and some don't use metal dies at all:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuSfWgfgy5c

So, we can assume that individual fries per ounce ranges from about 7 to about 13. With sixteen ounces per pound, that's 112 to 208 fries per pound, depending on die size and the overall size of the pertader, longitudinally gifted spuds being inclined to longer fries. Multiply again by 14 and that's an easy 1,568 to 2,912 little fries per diem. It's just simple arithmetic.

Posted by: hogmartin at March 17, 2018 03:08 PM (y87Qq)

46 I planned to start seeds by now but have been thinking they might be full grown by time I could plant them outside

Posted by: Skip at March 17, 2018 03:12 PM (aC6Sd)

47
Wisteria blooming here.

Spring has sprung in the ArLaHomaTex...

Posted by: Spun and Murky at March 17, 2018 03:20 PM (4DCSq)

48 Wisteria blooming here.

Spring has sprung in the ArLaHomaTex...
Posted by: Spun and Murky at March 17, 2018 03:20 PM (4DCSq)

I'll remind you of this when I'm sitting on my deck in August, with a pina colada, 72 degrees

Posted by: REDACTED at March 17, 2018 03:42 PM (VWsDy)

49

I'll remind you of this when I'm sitting on my deck in August, with a pina colada, 72 degrees

Posted by: REDACTED at March 17, 2018 03:42 PM (VWsDy)

Believe me. I know it's a trade off. But, for now...

Nah nee nah nee no nee!

Posted by: Spun and Murky at March 17, 2018 03:49 PM (4DCSq)

50 So, we can assume that individual fries per ounce ranges from about 7 to about 13. With sixteen ounces per pound, that's 112 to 208 fries per pound, depending on die size and the overall size of the pertader, longitudinally gifted spuds being inclined to longer fries. Multiply again by 14 and that's an easy 1,568 to 2,912 little fries per diem. It's just simple arithmetic.
Posted by: hogmartin at March 17, 2018 03:08 PM (y87Qq)

That is too much math for my brain on a Saturday. But thanks. Pretty bowled over by that number of fries. More than I expected.

Posted by: prof disarray, gumdrop gorilla channel at March 17, 2018 04:02 PM (jS2zB)

51 So much for yardwork: 44F and pouring rain.

Yeah, I'm done!

Posted by: JQ at March 17, 2018 04:24 PM (yD/Pf)

52 Ahhh, all dried and *warm* again. Temp didn't seem too bad until I got drenched! Lol.

Posted by: JQ at March 17, 2018 04:54 PM (yD/Pf)

53 So, today was put out more bark day at the stately Blake manor.

During the process I remember I had a bad sprinkler that needed to be capped because: A. It's broken, and B. Not needed.

27 bags of bark took about an hour and half. The stupid sprinkler took the rest of the morning.

And I still have another one to tackle.

Yay me.

Yard's coming together though. I can't wait for the flowers to take hold and start spreading out.

Posted by: Blake at March 17, 2018 05:46 PM (WEBkv)

54 19 5 Wow! I can actually go outside and fire up the grill!

Six months of winter has been kicking my ass, and it's time for grillin' meat.
Posted by: Fritz at March 17, 2018 01:31 PM (bJ0w+)

-------------------

When I lived in MN, I never let the weather keep me from grilling. Though, I have to admit, it took a while to get the grill hot when it was 10 below out.....

Posted by: Blake at March 17, 2018 05:48 PM (WEBkv)

55
First Ruby Throated Hummingbird of the season arrived here moments ago.

Report yours here:

http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html

Posted by: Spun and Murky at March 17, 2018 06:07 PM (4DCSq)

56 Happy My Name-Saint's Day, from Idaho's Treasure Valley! We're having some rainy days, which is good, because we went short of winter snow down here in the valley. (Hopefully the mountains got enough snow to provide us with irrigation water for the year.)

Our tomato seeds all sprouted under the grow-light; 3 pots with 1 each of heirloom Nyagous, 3 pots with 2 each of 2015 seed Big Boy. Will need to decide when to cut off the second one in each Big Boy starter pot. (Husband started 6 poblano pepper seeds, but no sprouts yet.)

Outdoors, we have sprouts from the bunchgrass Calamagrostis 'Overdam', the purple Siberian Iris, and all the tulips (about 3 inches tall on average). All of the backyard daffodils are up, and some have buds showing. The hyacinths behind the house went from fat buds to full bloom this week! - the front sidewalk ones are way behind.

Husband got an electric de-thatcher, which looks like a lawnmower except for the small vertical claws under it instead of large horizontal blades. We did a portion of the backyard, then used the tractor's sweeper-cart to pick up all the mess of dead grass. (I'm not sure if we plan to wait and see if the grass in the completed area looks better than other areas, or if we will proceed to de-thatch more areas before all the grass starts greening up.)

Husband sprayed weed killer on the corn patch area - I think it's warm enough now that the grass is metabolically active and the poison will take hold. He still has more area to dig, but he has plenty of time before corn-panting season.

We've spotted the first Red-Winged Blackbirds this week - probably male, since my Peterson guide says females are the usual brown nondescript color many female birds are. I haven't seen them all winter, so I assume they migrate.

FIRST PLANTINGS! - We put in a half-row of Asian pea pods, a row of shelling peas, a row of spinach, and a row of year-old onion starts (we're hoping at least a few will sprout and become green onions). Each row is 8 feet, since our beds are 8 feet long (and 4 ft. wide, 1 ft. tall). A few more things will be planted by the end of the month.

Next tasks, I think, involve me turning over the soil in the other 4 "annual" beds, weeding paths (see below), and removing some of the grass mulch from the baby blueberry bushes. (I'm not sure I want to remove it all yet.) Oh, and it looks like I have not *completely* killed all the strawberries, since I do see some green leaves, but figuring out how much live stuff there is, will just have to wait till it gets warmer and I start removing the obviously dead leaves.

There's a weed that's flowering now, that I wanted to photo and send in, to see if anyone could ID it, but I found out its flowers close when it's cloudy, and it's been cloudy this week. As soon as I get the chance, I'll send a photo along. Meanwhile - it's a small plant with yellow flowers, its divided leaves are a sage-green, and its seeds are spiky burrs. (THAT is why I hate it - it's a hazard for me to go outside in summer in my sandals, when there are burrs all over the paddock. I'm trying to eliminate it NOW from the areas I most commonly walk on.)

Posted by: Pat* at March 17, 2018 06:50 PM (2pX/F)

57
Pat*, your reports are always the bestest! Keep 'em coming.

Posted by: Spun and Murky at March 17, 2018 07:00 PM (4DCSq)

58 small plant with yellow flowers, its divided leaves are a sage-green, and its seeds are spiky burrs

Pat*, I believe you're referring to Puncture Vine, aka Goat Head, aka Tribulus terrestris

Truly a menacing plant! Fortunnately, it responds (DIES!!!) well to 2-4-d.

We had a big patch of it by the driveway, and I grabbed the shopvac to suck up as many burrs as possible but many remained...
I then laid out cardboard, and walked on it to get the b*st*rds stuck on it, then discarded.

Then, watered to get them to sprout-- poison them-- water and sprout, poison again... I finally won. I keep an eye out, pull any I see before they get big enough to make more burrs!

Did you know, their primary leaves are quite rectangular? Easy to spot when the roots are barely an inch long.

*sigh* I wish morning glory (bindweed) was as easy to eradicate.

Happy St. Pat's!

Posted by: JQ at March 17, 2018 07:58 PM (yD/Pf)

59 Kindltot at March 17, 2018 12:50 PM

Thanks for the report. Fun to hear about the natives, and the possible grafts.

I read somewhere that wild native ginger (Asarum) was an alternate host for the Pipevine Swallowtail. Don't know if you are in this butterfly's range or if the report about the wild ginger was erroneous or a fluke. Would be fun, though.

Posted by: KT at March 17, 2018 09:46 PM (BVQ+1)

60 JTB, you can indeed grow one or two cabbages in a tub, but they are big plants. There are some garden cultivars bred to grow small, though.

Sometimes if you cut off the main cabbage and split the top of the stump in quarters (leaving the outer leaves) you will get 4 more little cabbages.

Posted by: KT at March 17, 2018 09:49 PM (BVQ+1)

61 Pat* at March 17, 2018 06:50 PM

Does the plant or flower look like it could be related to peas or clover?

Posted by: KT at March 17, 2018 09:50 PM (BVQ+1)

62 The weed is definitely not Goat's-Head; we have that elsewhere (along the back edge of the property, next to the irrigation canal) and most certainly know what it looks like (alas!). The leaves on that are full green, not sage green, and it doesn't flower this early. (Note to those who have problems with it: it can go from just-sprouted to flower to seed, in just 3 weeks! - it reproduces faster than tribbles...)

The weed is also not related to peas or clover; having been wildflower docents in a place where many lupines and pea-relatives grew, we can recognize those flower types for sure. We'll just have to wait till I can catch one that's got an open flower.

Posted by: Pat* at March 18, 2018 12:16 AM (2pX/F)

63
The weed is definitely not Goat's-Head

Oh, derp... I should've know-- it's not nearly warm enough for those to be sprouting yet. (And speedy, yes, I've seen them flowered with only ONE set of 'true' leaves!)

Back to your mystery weed:

Are the nasty burrs from last year's flowers? Do the flowers resemble a cross between strawflower and dandelion?

Possibly the noxious Yellow Star Thistle?

Posted by: JQ at March 18, 2018 07:26 PM (yD/Pf)

64 Are the nasty burrs from last year's flowers?

Aarrgh, what I mean is, have they flowered and set burrs already this season?

Posted by: JQ at March 18, 2018 07:33 PM (yD/Pf)

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