Garden, Home and Nature Thread, May 16

Iris 'Broadway Lights'

Isn't the iris above from badgerwx gorgeous? I was finishing a spring update from her, and somehow the entire thing was deleted. Drat! Even from the HTML translator! As she noted, gardening always comes with surprises! Next week, I hope! Here's another of her irises:

Iris 'Gold'

Edible Gardening/Putting Things By

Hi KT,
It is blistering hot here and I have put up many shade cloths in the garden and mulched everything. I am not sure if you have ever heard of perpetual spinach but I always have at least 6 plants going and it is pretty good at self seeding so I usually end up with more. I picked this today and even though it is over 100 degrees, the perpetual spinach just shrugs off the heat and it doesn't get bothered by pests. If I haven't planned well, I know I can always go pick some for a side for dinner. This bowl is a mix of red chard and perpetual spinach which I am doing with the recipe below. Here is a bit about perpetual spinach
Perpetual spinach (Beta vulgaris) is a variety of Swiss chard, not true spinach, providing a heat-tolerant, high-yielding "cut-and-come-again" green that tastes similar to spinach but lasts for months. Unlike true spinach, which bolts (seeds) quickly in heat, perpetual spinach thrives in warmer weather, features smaller, tender stems, and lacks the intense, earthy taste of traditional chard.
https://pin.it/3DcHOemMC

Perpetual Spinach sounds great! Looks good!

I also harvested my garlic. We had such a hot March that it was ready to be pulled. The heat in March decimated my mulberry harvest. I usually am drowning in mulberries but this year I got none. They set fruit just as it was super hot in March and they just shriveled and dried on the tree. I was hoping the trees would bud out again but they didn't. Hopefully I will get an epic harvest next year.
Hope everyone is busy with their garden plans. I look forward to seeing what you all grow.
Weekreekfarmgirl

Thanks for sharing your updates!

Ah, Nature

One reason we spend time in the garden:

Did you know we find birdsong relaxing because our brains associate it with safety since birds stop singing when predators are near?

On top of this, their songs are particularly pleasant to your ear also because of the striking similarities between theirs and human music. pic.twitter.com/Lf6JnDtU7G
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) May 13, 2026

Tree of the Week:

Tulip poplar in the backyard. The blooms didn't stick around long.
- fd

Gardens of The Horde

What's going on in your garden?

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

If you would like to send photos, stories, links, etc. for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden at g mail dot com

Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.

Week in Review

What has changed since last week's thread? Gardening, Home and Nature Thread, May 9

I closed the comments on that post so you wouldn't get banned for commenting on a week-old post, but don't try it anyway.

Posted by: K.T. at 01:42 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Sorry I'm late! All my updates since yesterday disappeared. Not sure how.

Posted by: KT at May 16, 2026 01:45 PM (rdeQO)

2 Birdies!

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at May 16, 2026 01:48 PM (Kt19C)

3 Second!

Posted by: Chairman LMAO at May 16, 2026 01:48 PM (cWLG3)

4 Fourth!

Posted by: Chairman LMAO at May 16, 2026 01:48 PM (cWLG3)

5 Have you ever seen an iris flower at the bottom? No stem. I got one right now. Never seen that before.

Posted by: Dreams of Pruppets at May 16, 2026 01:49 PM (7Q0e+)

6 Absolutely gorgeous iris up top! It looks like Delft china.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 16, 2026 01:49 PM (kpS4V)

7 My cat ran into the room when I played the birdsong.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 16, 2026 01:51 PM (kpS4V)

8 Good afternoon Greenthumbs
Can't say much going on as in new plants yet. Chives and oregano are going gang busters

Posted by: Skip at May 16, 2026 01:52 PM (Ia/+0)

9 We have 2 kinds of Iris, out now is dark purple and celers yellow.

Posted by: Skip at May 16, 2026 01:53 PM (Ia/+0)

10 We've finally got consistent warm weather and rain so I planted my leggy tomato seedlings (some stems broke, alas) and my hot peppers. All this rain is encouraging thick growth of cone flowers, zinnias, and marigolds I bordered the vegetable plot with.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 16, 2026 01:56 PM (kpS4V)

11 Beautiful irises in the photos. I also enjoy seeing many colors of them as FenSpouse and I took a walk this morning.
I didn't know that one of the reasons we find birdsong relaxing is that birds don't sing when predators are around.

I also again wanted to recommend "Merlin Bird ID" which is a free ap you can get on your phone. It is from the Cornell Ornithological Lab. It will listen to birdsong and then give you the names of which birds are singing and a picture of you don't know the sounds.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 16, 2026 01:56 PM (OYsYV)

12
Tulip poplars have always intrigued me.

Posted by: KT at May 16, 2026 01:59 PM (rdeQO)

13 Well, let's see.
Green house cold crops are doing fabulous, though the mizzuna, Asian greens and bok choy are starting to bolt.

After those go away, I have heirloom tomatoes in the grow tents that I transfer to the greenhouse for the summer. Lesson leaned, strictly plant determinate types (Roma) as I had Amish pastes llast year that filled the green house to the rafters.

All the pots and bedding plants were planted two weeks before the avg last frost date when it was 80, and yup, frost threatens tonight. Scrambling around with covers. I'm always cautious but it was so warm for so long....dummy.

My gardening hobby has turned into a job. We've tried to get to the point where we can grow our own produce year round in a zone 5, and we've been close to succeeding.

Problem is that we produce so much we can't process or use it all, but I can't even give my excess away. I'm getting the impression most people prefer the grocery store. It's weird.

Even the food bank people are picky and strict.

Posted by: Derak at May 16, 2026 02:02 PM (TnlVK)

14 I didn't see no marmots or rabbits tearing thru the garden so it's a good week. Watch out for those aphids. There goes the neighborhood!

Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at May 16, 2026 02:06 PM (D1E+2)

15 So this year for some reason, we have a mighty flock of pine siskins hanging around. They usually migrate through but they decided to stick around.

They are small birds related to gold finches, but just a flash of yellow. They fly and dart and startle so fast, and every morning they hit the windows. Bang. An occasional concussion or two but they usually recover.

I have a peach tree that just blossomed and the other day I noticed the pine siskins were....EATING the peach blossoms. GAH!

Cute as they are, that's unacceptable. I flap a towel at them and they scatter pretty good.

Stick to the conifers, you rascals.

Posted by: Derak at May 16, 2026 02:09 PM (TnlVK)

16 I love that perpetual spinach! I've sent a link to my brother (the greensman).

Every Wednesday I take Mama Publius to get her N-plate shot at the cancer center. They have a fantastic bird garden setup outside the glass wall - dozens of feeders of all kinds, some hanging from trees and others from hooks. Of course the squirrels are there too. Very restful if you have to be there for hours getting an infusion (Mama just gets the shot, but it usually take them at least half an hour to make it up). Sadly, you can't hear the birdsong through the glass.

I decided to buy one of those 6-hook sets on Amazon. Stuck it in the back garden here so the birds could avoid being attacked by Bunny. They love it! Often a half dozen or more, pigging out.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at May 16, 2026 02:10 PM (w6EFb)

17 Gorgeous iris, too.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at May 16, 2026 02:11 PM (w6EFb)

18 Oh yay. Hail.

Posted by: Derak at May 16, 2026 02:12 PM (TnlVK)

19 I highly recommend Historical Iris Preservation Society. Their sale is in July. They are having a sale the end of this month to rescue the beds of a breeder. Mine are finally blooming and I've been pleased with them.

Looks like all my fruit trees are settling in. I have one Asian Pear that still hasn't leafed out but does have buds. I still need to plant the garden part, which I will do as soon as we get past the 97 degree day tomorrow. At some point, I need to try and put in the irrigation supplies I bought.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at May 16, 2026 02:13 PM (7T8ei)

20 Badgerwx here.

I've always liked tulip poplars, but no way could I fit a tree like that in my yard. The NC Extension says they can get to 150-200 ft tall and the trunk eventually gets to be 8 ft in diameter. The biggest tree I've planted here is a Red Rocket crape myrtle that's not quite as tall as my 2-story house. Since it's upright, it has a narrow footprint and doesn't need much limbing up. I found out the hard way that the shape of a tree is even more important than its final height.

Posted by: badgerwx (long time lurker) at May 16, 2026 02:15 PM (VnNy+)

21 I've been growing Benary's giant zinnias; purple yellow, red, yellow, lime.... they grow every bit as tall as dahlias and are as spectacular, perhaps even more so as they flower far earlier and blooms per plant far outshines the dahlias.

The dahlias provide much more in terms of range of color, shape and size, but the digging, dividing and storing are becoming a serious chore.
I twist my knees at spring planting and fall digging, as well as trash my hands dividing.

After 20 years of this, I'm seriously considering zinnias only. It's a lot easier to plant seed and grow transplants than screwing around with 100s of dahlias. But I love them so......

Tales of an aging gardener. Ouch season is here.

Posted by: Derak at May 16, 2026 02:23 PM (TnlVK)

22 Schreiner's Gardens has a one day sale today - a free $42 iris with a purchase of $79 of rhizomes. Their stuff is gorgeous!

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at May 16, 2026 02:26 PM (w6EFb)

23 I quite like irises, but I like pupils more.

Posted by: Don't you see? at May 16, 2026 02:30 PM (TbWk/)

24 How did centers come out celers?

We also have lavender Iris but they don't come out at same time

Posted by: Skip at May 16, 2026 02:31 PM (Ia/+0)

25 Ok, one more comment and I'll go do my book work, since it's so utterly crappy outside...

Five years ago we planted 10 -25 foot rows of asparagus.

We fought with voles and weeds for three years, with nothing to show for our efforts. Last year, they started to really produce. This year, oh my stars!

We're harvesting a pound or more a day. Our frig is filled with quart yogurt containers of cut fresh asparagus. You treat like cut flowers and they last for at least a week, or more. At this rate I may have to pickle some.... but made a batch of asparagus cream soup.
Yowza. That's a real treat.

Some of the spears are an inch in diameter. Oh so tender. Success for the patient!

Posted by: Derak at May 16, 2026 02:40 PM (TnlVK)

26 I take the dog out to the lake. In one area, I've spotted two small patches of asparagus! There must have been a house there once. I planted asparagus last year, but I may check our the wild ones next year

Posted by: Notsothoreau at May 16, 2026 02:43 PM (7T8ei)

27
Here in SW Wyoming we are in a severe drought.

No gardens, landscaping, no outdoor water use.

A couple of neighbors have very green lawns, while the rest of the lawns are dead. I think they are watering their lawns during the night. Some people think they are special.

Posted by: four seasons at May 16, 2026 02:45 PM (3ek7K)

28 I have some spots in my yard where grass just won't grow. It is in very sunny spot...how can I tell if the issue is the sun or the soil?

Posted by: 18-1 at May 16, 2026 02:46 PM (sKqQm)

29 Dolly: " and my big…..uh… personality. Lord those, uh, that, would make anybody swimmy-headed.”

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at May 16, 2026 02:49 PM (Kt19C)

30 I think we in east have had a very wet winter/ spring. Everything is very green

Posted by: Skip at May 16, 2026 02:53 PM (Ia/+0)

31 Skip, we've had a ton of rain, and everything is lush and green. Wonder how summer will treat us.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 16, 2026 03:00 PM (kpS4V)

32
This might sound weird, lol.

Being in a severe drought has an effect in the cycle of life.

You make it through winter and look so forward to planting in the spring. We depend on growing vegetables so we can and freeze them to have during the winter. I know we can't control the weather.

Posted by: four seasons at May 16, 2026 03:02 PM (3ek7K)

33 Both balloons of Iris are over here. First bloom is the.low flowers, about the height of the leaves. A week or so after they fade, the plant shoves up a stalk about twice the height of the leaves with a single flower. Those are gone, as well.

Posted by: buddhaha at May 16, 2026 03:05 PM (Ffkme)

34 blooms, damnit, not balloons. FSCKin autocorrect.

Posted by: buddhaha at May 16, 2026 03:06 PM (Ffkme)

35 Derak, zinnias are absolutely the best flower to choose! Plus they self-sow.

I encourage everyone to try their hand at cleomes. They should be sown in the fall since they require cold stratification.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at May 16, 2026 03:21 PM (w6EFb)

36 Publius confessed that he prefers canned asparagus. I guess I should cross asparagus off the wanted list.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at May 16, 2026 03:23 PM (w6EFb)

37 20 and 25

Congratulations on the asparagus!

And just pick three or so compatible dahlias each year or something. And remember that there are some interesting small types you can grow from seed.

Posted by: KT at May 16, 2026 03:30 PM (rdeQO)

38 The squirrels have decided that my tomatoes are for them. They have ruined eight so far. More than I have harvested.

Posted by: toby928(c) at May 16, 2026 03:39 PM (4NO2D)

39 Pro-tip: Electrified fence.

Posted by: no one of any consequense at May 16, 2026 03:42 PM (qFwJc)

40 I have some spots in my yard where grass just won't grow. It is in very sunny spot...how can I tell if the issue is the sun or the soil?
Posted by: 18-1

18-1 To test "growability" of soil, I like to use rye grass, since it germinates so quickly.
Put 2 or 3 inches of your soil (right from the center of that patch) in a small pot, and sow a bit of grass.
If it lasts a week, it's not the soil.
If it grows, then crashes, start with activated charcoal, and work from there.

Posted by: MkY at May 16, 2026 04:24 PM (q6tQZ)

41 The top-soil in my yard was scraped away many years ago to build the berms for the nearby football stadium. I built a 4 x 8 raised planter box. The tree rats ate the tomatoes. I was thinking of planting tobacco.

Posted by: no one of any consequense at May 16, 2026 04:38 PM (qFwJc)

42 Just weed wacked for a hour, got most but not all.

Posted by: Skip at May 16, 2026 05:12 PM (Ia/+0)

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