Rayless sunflower & native bee. |
These flowers are not showy from a distance because they are missing the showy florets around the edge that look like petals. When we think of sunflowers, we expect to enjoy a big show, but the show here is more subtle and draws you in closer.
I wrote about this plant and reported on the progress on this native pollinator garden in my monthly post over on the Native Plants & Wildflife Gardens blog: "The beauty is in the eye of the beholder."*
*Just to satisfy my curiosity on this cliché, I looked up the origins of the saying. This particular phrase, "Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder," is a paraphrase of Plato's writings and the theme has been repeated in various ways by different people, including by Shakespeare, over the centuries. See this phrase finder website for more details.
Unexpected projects
Has this ever happened to you? You think one bed is fine the way it is, but then someone makes an offhand remark that forces you to see it differently or maybe you have some nice potted plants, but you suddenly realize that the plants are too large for their pots. The two realizations then merge into one or more unexpected and larger than anticipated projects.Potbound! Two potbound yuccas are finally set free! | Untangling the yucca roots. |
Before: The cactus in this hot corner bed were getting messy after more than six years. |
The butterfly mound was a mess. |
The coreopsis seedlings are planted in the lower left corner and are mulched with pine needles.. |
The yucca is happily planted and is already showing brighter green in its leaves, but this is not really a true "after" photo since there is more work to do here...
The mound started in 2005 after one of the four 2004 hurricanes had severely damaged a sweet gum tree in the middle of the back yard. Instead of grinding the stump out, we built the butterfly mound. In recent years, I've moved to more natives and more natives have moved in by themselves.
Here's a link to my original post on the butterfly mound, "From Stump to Butterfly Haven" and I'll post more about its transformation when it's not so beat up.
Coreopsis
Coreopsis seedlings right out of the pot. | Some of the seedlings in the pot had spawned new plants that are attached via rhizome. |
I mulched the seedlings with pine needles and not the arborists' wood chips because it's easier to control and is less likely to react with the soil and decompose.
See a previous post on the beginnings of this bed.
I added half of the coreopsis seedlings to the front expanding butterfly garden. |
Sorting seedlings
I'd planted two cabbage seeds in each of 5 holes: 5 seedlings emerged, but two were from one hole. | Now which ones are parsley seedlings? |
Now is the time to transplant the seedlings while they are still small. Once you've grown some of these plants from seed, you'll figure out soon enough which are the wanted seedlings and which are the weeds. There are six visible parsley seedlings (two with a first leaf), two chamberbitters (Phyllanthus urinaria) with the oblong leaves of various sizes, and at the bottom are four weedy sedges. I pull more chamberbitters than any other weed.
Note the early morning evenly-spaced water drops along the edges of the cabbage seedling leaves--the result of guttation. During the day, water flows freely through the plants and evaporated into the air. At night the pores (stomata) close up because there is no photosynthesis, but the water is still flowing, so the excess is excreted through special glands (called hydathodes) that are evenly situated along the leaf margin.
At the St. Johns County Home & Garden Show, a special weekend appearance. | Roadside flowers in Clay County. Swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolia) |
I hope you're finding time to enjoy the beautiful fall weather in your gardens or out and about.
Green Gardening Matters,
Ginny Stibolt
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