Friday, June 29, 2012

Unprecedented

I found a new wildflower on the edge of the garden becoming, Penstemon canescens. I have seen hillsides covered with this. I hope it makes more. It is very close to the  new Gentiana saponaria I found last year. This particular slope was less disturbed than other areas closer to cabin construction, faces south west and is drier than other parts of the 'aina. A very different plant community has arisen here. A much better one than what has appeared were the dead hemlocks used to be. That is turning into a thicket of Blackberries. What a pain.

The diversity of plant species in this small little piece on the mountain is quite astounding. I keep adding more, natives and not so native.


























The daylilies are in full swing. It is hard not to want more when I have the space, plenty of sun and would be happy with drifts of plants at that height.




















I will have to keep an eye on the Lychnis coronaria, Rose Campion. I have seen them in enough places to know they are rampant seeders. I have already found babies about that must have come from the very few seeds made last year. They pull easy which is a good thing.




















Miss Collar gave me a little scare yesterday not showing up for her midnight snack, breakfast or dinner the following day. I thought for sure I was down to none. Seems she went next door, asked permission to enter and spent the day in the cool basement closet. The hot has reached the mountain top. We hit 91 degrees up here today. This is unprecedented. We don't do these temperatures. Miss Collar slept it off in the nice cool basement next door.


























The native Ratibida columnifera, Mexican Hat I seeded two years ago has settled in and is looking like it will put on a nice show this year. This plant will be allowed to seed itself wherever it wants. It is even a candidate for seed collecting and seed flinging to move it to new locations farther afield.

I should just admit it. My garden is really a field with a few baby shrubberies.



















And it will only get worse. I have been stopping by the reject plant racks at Lowes whenever I am there. Today I came home with six fat healthy, one gallon Liatris at a buck each and a Sabiosa columbaria for 50 cent. It's a big field. I will find a place for them.

6 comments:

Rebecca said...

Your flower "field" is developing a personality all its own, isn't it? To me, that's the pleasure of the gardening venture--to watch the evolving diversity in which nature itself is the composer; each gardener a conductor; the plants the instrumentalists; the land itself the score...

This morning, our "score" is cluttered with debris from a severe storm that blew through fast and furiously yesterday afternoon. Temperatures dropped dramatically; and this morning rain is falling... Where to begin clean up????

sallysmom said...

I am so jealous. I would have bought every one of the $1 liatris if our Lowes had them. I love them and when they get settled in they are pretty drought tolerant.

Christopher C. NC said...

Bummer about the storm Rebecca. Nature is good about starting a new soft melody after wild crescendos.

Sallysmom I had to stop at six liatris even though there were more. I have a feeling they will seed a bit. One of the good things about Lowes is the plant reject rack and their employees couldn't tell half these liatris had not even opened the flowers yet. They reject many still very alive plants after they are done blooming. Of course Lowes also lets a good number of plants dry up to a crisp.

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

Love the new 'find' Penstemon. I had something similar in my garden in Virginia. After our hurricanes or nor'easters I had new things float in.

Lola said...

Love the new find. Glad Miss Collar is ok. I do like the color of that lily. So glad there are surprises for you in your beloved mtns.

chuck b. said...

That lychnis looks great with blue geraniums.