Critters and other stuff

Harvest time is always nice.  The few tomatoes that managed to set and ripen have been good, and I've actually gotten enough for slices on tomato and bacon sandwiches (one a day - I limit myself!) and to freeze half a dozen quarts for winter soups.

The melons have been ripening enough to get one every two or three days.  'Petit Gris de Rennes' - the frist year for this French Charentais - has been more prolific than last year's favorite 'Savor' (which was also a first for any canteloupe in my garden, never mind French Charentais).  They're also bigger and earlier to ripen than 'Savor'.  All of that would allow it to displace 'Savor' in the garden except for the fact that it's not quite as tasty and sweet, and the ripe flesh is not quite as firm.  It's a good second best, though.  Next year, I'll try a third Charentais ('Escorial') and decide between it and 'Petit Gris' to plant in addition to 'Savor'.  If I only planted 'Savor', I'd have to plant the whole garden in melon to get enough to harvest.

Surprise!

Silly little guy.  Fortunately, I've not had any more raccoons tearing up my garden.  I did see a huge groundhog strolling through the yard one day, and he was perhaps one of the critters who gets to my melons when they're almost ready to pick.  But I imagine this little possum is in on the game.

Since the possums don't tear up everything in sight like the raccoons, I decided it's not worth hauling them off, so when I trapped this scroungey little thing, I opened the trap door for him (or her?) to run off, but he wouldn't budge.  So I propped the trap door open and went on about my business.  When I came back forty minutes later thinking he'd have figured it out, he was still sitting in the trap, facing the door.  I squirted his behind with the garden hose, and he reluctantly left.  This was the same possum I'd trapped and released a few days earlier, but who'd eventually left the trap on its own. 

The next morning, he was trapped again!  Same story: He wouldn't leave when I opened the trap door.  Again, I propped open the door, and when I came back, he'd curled up and gone to sleep!   I think he might figure if he waits around, that tin can will magically contain cat food again.  Either that, or he has Stockholm Syndrome.  This time, I picked the trap up and shook him out.   Still no raccoons, so I put the traps away.

My air layering to clone roses hasn't been a smashing success.  They developed roots, but after potting them up, they eventually died.  The 'Julia Child' clipping that I stuck in some potting soil to root, on the other hand, made it and actually has put out a little rose.

 Out in the yard, where there was one large toadstool last year, this year there are three.  These guys are 8-10 inches in diameter when they're fully open.  I'm kind of a fungus nut, although I never bother to find out what kind they are. I find all the various types fascinating.

 The snack peppers are finally ripening.

 

 And the cowpeas are flowering.

Till next time.

Air layering experiment update

In the previous post, I showed the results of my air-layering experiment on the 'Shazam!' rose bush in an attempt to get a clone.  Here was the picture:

I might have rinsed the little blob of roots for a better view, but it appeared to be a very delicate attachment, and I didn't want to chance knocking them off.   The leaves look pretty haggard, so I hope it's going to make it.  That was the wrong stem to use in the first place, as it had been damaged at the base by twig pruners.  Unfortunately, so had half or more of the other stems, and I didn't want to risk one of the few good ones left.  So far, this has not been a good year for the roses.  Too cold and wet for too long early on.

Anyway, the next day, I clipped off the two stems of the pink-flowered bush (whose name I don't know) where I made my second attempt to air layer, and this time I had much better success.

On one sample, there appeared to be only one root (which might actually have been a long fiber), along a white mass of callus - generalized cells that haven't determined what they're going to be.  They could develop into roots or scar tissue, which is what woody plants do to heal wounds, either one.

Again, apologies for not rinsing it for a better view.  I only thought of that on the second sample.  But you can see that the callus is forming at the edges of the stripped off area where the plant would be laying down scar tissue to seal off the living tissue.

This is the prepared stem after  being pruned from the mother plant:

Under the foil layer (which was there to protect the rooting area from being sun scorched), there was the plastic bag holding the rooting medium snug against the stem, and I could see roots had formed.

Once I carefully removed the medium, this is what I had:

I feel certain that's enough roots to support the little plant.  You can see that they formed at the top edge of the stripped off area, which is also where the callus is forming on the other sample.

I then clipped off the stem beneath the roots and potted it up, along with the other one that was still mostly callus.  

The one with all the roots was an "old" wood stem, and the one with the callus was this year's green growth.  I wonder if that has anything to do with the difference.

If I'd been serious about the experiments, I would have pulled off the foil to see if I could see roots before cutting them off the mother plant, but as it was experimental, I didn't really care if it were successful.  When I try to get clones of my favorite tea roses, that's what I'll do.  

Anyway, it was an encouraging experiment.

And I encourage you to experiment with your own plants in any way you think of.

Til next time.

Flora and fauna (no Meriweather)

Early this spring someone remarked that we just don't see many rabbits like we used to.  I don't remember the "used to" part, but I agreed that we didn't see many.  But this summer, we've got an abudance of bunnies here.  There are all sizes of them scampering around the yard and garden.  After the early damage to my peas and beets, they haven't been eating anything in the garden.  I think it's because they get their fill of clover in the yard.

And they're not diggers, unlike those rascal raccoons.  I set my traps out in the perennial bed where they were digging up all my newly planted gaura and trapped one raccoon and one possum.  

The next night was July 4th, and the nearby neighbors had a big fireworks display going for about two hours.  Neither trap was bothered for the next three nights, and there was no sign of digging in the garden.  Last night, I moved the traps back up to the house and captured (and released) two more raccoons.   Fortunately, there still wasn't any digging in the garden. So far, that's seven raccoons and a possum in seven days.

Yesterday we had an unexpected guest.  For the first time since I've been back (that I've noticed), a wild turkey came strolling about the grounds.

I hope s/he's not lost.

The lima beans look like they ought to be flowering any day now, and the onions behind them are pushing up out of the ground and could be harvested any time.

The cowpeas were showing a lot of what looked like insect feeding, but I haven't seen any actual insects on them, so I guess it could have been a leaf disease.

The newest leaves seem to be less damaged, so I won't worry about them.

So far, the Japanese beetles have been somewhat sparse.  I'd like to think the exteme cold froze out some of the grubs and we'll have a lighter population this year, but I don't dare say it out loud.

It seems like we've had a lot more shield bugs (named obviously, for their shape, aka stink bugs - aptly named when disturbed) this year than previous ones, although they were particularly bad on the tomatoes last year.  They don't have chewing mouthparts, but everywhere they stick their needle beaks leaves a small dead spot, and enough feeding disfigures the fruit.  Even though they're a  large enough size, they're hard to see because they blend in so well and lay pretty flat against the plants.  They're also fast movers, which is why I don't have any pictures.  (They could be what was feeding on the cowpeas.)

Here they are on the internet at Stink Bugs Guide:

This is the first time I've spotted their eggs, and unfortunately, these had already hatched.  It's very neat how they cut a perfect circle off the top of the egg to get out.

There are two types: the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) and the green stink bug (Chinavia halaris).  I think this must have been the green ones, because the eggs are on an asparagus stem, and that's where I've seen mostly the green.

I'm afraid my prized little grapevine is going to be an insect magnet.  The new growing tips have been assailed by aphids, and this morning I found a caterpillar feeding.  I believe this guy is simply the grape leaffolder - Desmia funeralis.  The internet literature says they also feed on redbuds, which we have several of near the garden.  Oh boy.

UPDATE 7/13:  I spotted this lovely little moth on the grapevine today:

I'd never seen this moth before.  It's the eight-spotted forester (Alypia octomaculata).  According to the literature, as an adult, it feeds on flowers in the day, which is unusual for a member of this family - Noctuidae, the noctuid moths. It's also unusually colored, as most noctuids are dull browns and grays.  This guy is quite fancy with his shiny black wings, big yellow and white spots, and those very, very fancy orange leggings.  It seems backwards: this one feeds in the daytime in its evening wear, while the others feed at night in their camouflage.  Other members of the family are armyworms and cutworms.  The eight-spotted forester feeds on virginia creeper and grapes.  So, maybe my little grapevine really is going to be an insect magnet.

Speaking of damage, it's not all critters.  I snapped this picture at the edge of the soybean field that's next to the house and garden.  That's herbicide spray drift on the grass, which will die out in a large swath.  The field gets nearer and nearer the house every year because the  farmer plants to the very edge and then sprays herbicides just beyond that edge to keep weeds out of the crop.  One day, we'll be swallowed by corn and beans.  But this wasn't intentional.  It was a big mistake.

The last two surviving cabbages may or may not produce anything edible, but I'll leave them as long as they're healthy.  

'Violaceo di Verona'

'Kalibos'

Carrots are harvestable.  This year I planted 'Short 'n Sweet'.  They're short okay.  Not particularly sweet.

One 'Fall Gold' raspberry ripened.  They're very pretty and have a hint of a taste of honey.  I'll be looking forward to more of these.  

The 'Glencoe' red variety has stopped producing fruit, but is growing new canes that are taking up more space than I was expecting.  

Perhaps it's the copious amount of rain we got - two and a half more inches last week added to the toad stranglers we had all spring.

Hooray! I actually had success rooting cuttings of my climbing rose 'Moonlight', so if the raccoons find a way under the screen and bricks I laid down to protect it, I'll have a replacement.  I wish I knew what made it successfull, so I could get cuttings from the tea roses.  (I did finally get one from 'Julia Child'.)

It may have been the medium I used - playground sand and potting soil - which held moisture well.  Or, it could have been something else entirely.  I'll try some more using that same medium one of these days.  

It looked like my air-layering attempt to get a start from 'Shazam!' might be failing, but when I opened it up, indeed there were some roots.  I can't tell, but I don't think they're from the area that I scraped, but from a node, which means I didn't really have any success, just luck.

I potted it up and hope it can stay alive.  The leaves are damaged and won't be able to produce much food, if any, so I'm not feeling optimistic.

Wrapping it up, I offer you a Sun Ball (Craspedia)...

And a bouquet in honor of my sister's birthday.

Daylilies, Zinnias, Carnations, Roses, Gomphrena, Yarrow, and Marigolds

Beginning harvest

We're getting beyond just the leafy greens and rhubarb now, which means we're heading toward the really good stuff.  The rabbits ate the peas down to about half what I might have harvested, but I managed to gather enough for about four servings, and they were delicious.  There appears to be at least that amount still coming on, so it wasn't a total bust.

This variety - 'Improved Maestro' - is so perfect I haven't tried any others since I found it in 2017.  Before it, I tried 'Wando', 'Sugar Flash', 'Sugar Snap', and 'Green Arrow', none of which was terribly impressive.  'Improved Maestro' doesn't need a trellis, it produces pods with an average of 6-8 peas each, and they are so sweet and juicy that even when they've gotten to be maximum size, which, in my estimation, is normally a pea that's good for nothing but saving for seed, they're still decent.  Anything before that stage is candy.

The onions I sowed as seed are about eight inches tall now, and I thinned them out to at least a couple inches apart, giving me two large bunches of green onions.

I harvested a couple stalks of 'Spring Tower' celtuce, and found that the outer ring is full of latex. I didn't figure that would be good eating.

I peeled the stalks and cut them into rounds - well, they would be round if I were a better peeler; they're rather limber, and the leaf nodes prevent a smooth stripping like you would get with a carrot.  At least, that's my excuse.

I thought they were pretty good and would make nice additions to a green salad.  They're less dense than a water chestnut, but they have a similar crunch.  There's a lot of water in them, and I didn't notice any difference in the taste of the younger stalk and the older one, the narrower top end or the larger lower end.  I asked three other people their opinions, and they all kind of turned up their noses.  "Strong" was the most used description.  To me, it tasted just like lettuce.

Speaking of lettuce, it's still looking very pretty, and I'm still not eating it.  It would be a waste, but I like it for its ornamental value as much as anything.  And it's cheap to grow.  I saved seed from a green arrow-leafed variety whose name I don't know, and ordered a mix of varieties with red coloring from Baker Creek called Red Wing mix.  So, now that I have the types I want, I'll try just saving seed for next year.  Even if they cross, I expect to have a pretty mix.

  

The 'Missouri Pink Love Apple' tomatoes are flowering now.  I decided this year to prune them a little to get less foliage to tomato ratio, and see if that improves the size or abundance of tomatoes.  If you're interested in how that works, check out this site.

The two 'Mrs. Maxwell's Big Italian' tomato plants I set out later in two different plots are now very different in size.  Apparently tomatoes aren't happy in composted tree bark.  And the canteloupe I planted in that plot aren't as vigorous as those in unmulched plots.  Last year, the onions loved it.

'Mrs. Maxwell' without tree bark mulch'

'Mrs. Maxwell' - and the cat - in tree bark mulch

'Glencoe' raspberry is ripening, oh boy.  And yes, I did eat this first one.  Not very big, but it was fabulous.  Why didn't I plant these four years ago?

The 'Navaho' blackberry plants that the deer ate off are putting out a few flowers now, and there's one berry.  I'm watching it like a hawk.

Some interesting coloration in leaves has shown up in two plants.  I don't know whether it's due to a virus - which would be odd since they're two very different genera: Tithonia (Mexican sunflower) and Trifolium (clover) - or just a misstep in the genetics.  This is the first year the absence of chlorophyll has showed up in my garden, and it's there twice.  Too bad I can't clone them and see what I get.

Tithonia rotundifolia (Mexican sunflower)

Volunteer clover

And now that I've brought up coloration, let's just keep going.

I always heard that there's no true blue color in flowers, but if these belladonna type delphiniuims are not true blue, then I can't tell color.  My camera doesn't always capture exactly the color I see, but in this case, it's spot on.  Unfortunately, different computer and TV screens render colors differently, but if you know the color cobalt blue, then...

There's this rich cobalt,

and this sky blue with purple highlights.

But, I'm really getting into orange this year, and among other orange flowers, this zinnia is new to me, and I think a new addition to the Queen Lime line.  This is 'Queen Lime Orange':

It will definitely be an annual choice.  Seeds are available at Johnny's Seeds.

And how nicely this 'Forever Susan' paired with the Asiatic lily whose name I don't know, as it was on the property when I got here.  I think technically a Tiger Lily is downward facing with recumbent petals, but whoever this is, it's the same coloration as a Tiger Lily.

Last year I tried something I hadn't seen before: globe amaranth (Gomphrena).  I think it might be something that was in older gardens but fell out of favor.  I don't know why.  They're wonderful, and they make great fillers for bouquets.  I had orange ones last year, and so this year I tried all colors I could find seed for.  I got them from Johnny's Seeds, but this year, they're not carrying so many.  I found another source at Floret (whom I haven't ordered from before), but it seems globe amaranth might not be reliably available when you want it.  I saved a few seeds last year, but I better save more this time.

'Carmine' and 'Strawberry Fields'

Purple and 'Audray White'

I happened upon a new critter at the edge of the garden.  And then there was a pair of them.  This one looks pregnant.

I left the picture smaller in case you have a slinky critter aversion.  I had a hard time trying to find out who it is (which I believe is a five-striped skink), because I tense up when I'm clicking on links to slinky critters in case a picture of one eating something pops up.  

Let's talk about something else.

I'm trying to air-layer a couple of roses to start new bushes.  I haven't had any luck rooting cuttings.  I've written about it in the previous post.  On this second bush, I dropped the plastic bottle idea and went with a plastic bag with both ends cut out.  It was so much easier.

After girdling the stem and trimming back the terminal end, I slipped the bag over it, positioning the girdled part midway inside the bag.

Then I tied the bottom end of the bag shut and scooped my rooting medium in through the top opening.  

I  watered it from the top, sealed that end, then wrapped it in tin foil.

So far, both bushes look good - the tops of the air-layered canes haven't wilted.  Either they're forming roots, or they're reforming bark if I didn't do it properly.  I can't peek yet.  The literature I've read says roots should form in about three weeks.

In the meantime, the rose garden is abloom, and only the new white one, 'Domina', is showing some blackspot disease on the leaves.  I've cleaned out the worst and sprayed the rest with neem oil.  It's getting established enough that I'll go ahead and treat it with a systemic fungicide.  If 'Domina' is going to be a blackspot magnet, she's going to find herself removed and replaced.  I already have some choices in mind.

The cut flower garden is in high gear, too.

I love the orange butterfly weed with the purple yarrow and blue belladonna-type delphiniums.

 

 We're heading into some cool weather for this time of year, or so they say.  Is that an "Indian spring"?  Whatever it is, enjoy it.  It'll no doubt be hades again after.