Wildflower Wednesday, September 28

Welcome to another Wildflower Wednesday, hosted by Gail, thanks for the photos of all the lovely wildflowers.  Check out her site and the other participants.  

Not many of  my wildflowers are blooming this fall, so here is the Evergreen Huckleberry instead-

Here is more fruit on Fragaria vesca, the Woodland Strawberry.

And nestled in a nice bowl made of fused leaves, some berries of the Western Trumpet Honeysuckle, Lonicera ciliosa-

The Oceanspray drapes itself with white frothy flowers every spring, but now they are brown reminders.

A reliable plant in the landscape here in the PNW is as tough as nails, transplants easily, and is a good filler, the Sword Fern-

Here are some Rudbeckias from a mixed packet of seed grown last year, unfortunately they all seemed to be annuals and did not return.

I'm looking forward to next year when some seed-grown natives may bloom.

Hannah

In Remembrance of Things Past- Daylily Season 2011

I had some renewed interest in my daylilies this summer because I needed to select some to give my daughter-in-law for her new house/garden.   One of my older beds was doing so great there was continuous bloom for weeks and weeds were not in evidence in the thick growth and flowering.  Tuscawilla Tigress kept one end on fire-

Along with the tropical peachy South Seas-

On the other end a fire was lit on Open Hearth, which is closer to a spider in form-

And also Mango Time, love those red eyezones!-

One that kept several lilting blossoms open every day at a nice shorter height, Rhinestone Kid, I love 

the clear color with the lighter midribs, ruffles, and twirly shape- 

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And here showing several blossoms-

Another cool color that bloomed well, Purple Passage-

And a crimson red spider form, Poinsettia Love-

But of course I should also show the real Spider Man-

Some others that looked good in the clump, Hunter's Torch glowing from within-

Another twirly flower that kept blooming a long time, Decatur Cherry Smash-

Another clump that bloomed at a nice shorter height and kept multiple blooms going for a long time, Carrollwood Red-

The appropriately named Orchid Corsage like an ethereal gathering of starfish-

And a few that made very lovely flowers, blooming occasionally.  A fantastic purple bagel that looks like a lightning storm in an evening sky, Night Beacon-

The lovely bagel Hug Me Big by Ra Hansen, love those recurved petals-

A lovely pastel pink with deeper eyezone, Janice Brown-

And the delicate bicolor Sunday Ruffles-

A perfect rounded form with ruffles, lovely pink, Rose Emily, love those rounded sepals with the little points, and the chartreuse throat-

The ruffled and pleated elegant form and color of Kate Carpenter-

And for eye appeal, a purple eyezone, I think on Wineberry Candy-

And the coolly elegant deeper purple eyezone of Moonlit Masquerade-

Well, it has been a dose of daylilies for your delight.   And there is always the allure of hybridizing your own creation of certainly one of the more persistent and easy perennials.   I have one bed of seedlings that is a blaze of glory in summer, many from the clownish Erin Farmer, a peach spidery form with a white midrib.  Unfortunately I kept neglecting to take a picture.

Hannah

A New Garden for a Barberry

I was looking for a place to plant my latest acquisition, Berberis darwinii, a Barberry with an edible berry.   It is a wonderful evergreen shrub, not quite as hardy as I would like but hopefully enough.
fruit photo.
 It is deer-proof  because of spiny leaves and sharp thorns, so can be used for a barrier or used without fencing.  It does get quite large, around 10' tall and wide, but can be sheared.  It should be covered with flowers in spring.  flowers photo.

Its leaves below are smaller and glossier than those of the native Mahonias, Oregon Holly Grape, also in the Barberry family.

I decided on a neglected east-facing area near our woodshed, growing grass, blackberry vines, and other weeds, in the partial shade of a large Big-leaf Maple-

After clearing the ground with my mattock, I found it had a dip that I had to fill up with some with soil from around the yard, and molehills, which are easy when the ground is dry like a rock as at present.  Here is the area with the barberry planted and mulched with chips from blackberry vines, cedar boughs, maple boughs, etc.- we've been doing a lot of trimming and chipping to get ready for fall mulching.   The black edging will be installed when the ground softens up from some rain eventually, and a grass border will be left on the driveway edge for stray cars and lawnmowers.  I hope it will grow well there.

I also have some Berberis fendleri seedlings from a previous post, that may get planted behind the woodshed this fall or wait until next spring.  They also have an edible but smaller berry, reputed by High Country Gardens to taste like sour cherries.  It is native to New Mexico and much hardier.

I am presently busy harvesting fruit from wild berries like blackberries, Oregon Holly Grape (Mahonia nervosa), and Salal, which taste good mixed together and also with Illinois Everbearing Mulberries and Aronia berries.  I like to make either gelatin (unflavored beef gelatin or vegetarian from seaweed) with Stevia for a sweetener, or a thickened fruit sauce with Guar Gum as a thickener and Stevia for a sweetener.  I'm also getting early fruit from William's Pride Apple, clockwise Harrow Delight Pear, Desert King Fig, and Ubileen pear, mostly from Raintree Nursery.  Rescue Pear will be coming up, aromatic fruit so large you need to be rescued if it falls on your head!  And also Greensleeves  Apple, early, mostly bug-free, and aromatic.

Happy Labor Day weekend!

Hannah