Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, Feb. 18

Hi, everybody! The delightful photo above is by a talented lurker:

These are the blooms of Ruby Moon climbing beans with a dragonfly with an obsession. It took 20 minutes to get this photo, due to wind, and dragonfly indifference to its profile. These were commercial beans; the similar beans from Monticello had a delightful pattern of the bottom flowers beginning as pale lilac, deepening towards the tip. They still make delightful cut flowers for an arrangement.

I live in Minnesota, bought these seeds from Park Seeds. I grow it in a pot on my back patio. It would grow to 15 feet + if I made the trellis high enough. It is an annual here.

Thank you for all your work!

That is a lot of growth for an annual vine! Hyacinth beans can be perennial in frost-free locations.

The mature beans from this plant are only edible with care. But the blossoms and other parts of the plant are edible. Eat the Weeds has the details.

Here's a nice Valentine bouquet with colors that go with the blossoms above.

Edible Gardening/Putting Things By

From Dr_No:

from 2017 at the AgriCenter Farmers Market came these Cherokee Purple Heart tomatoes. Or, using the 'New Orleans'-ism pronuciation, "Cherr-a-KEY Poiple Hawts" (which is usually accompanied by the word 'dawlin'' or 'dawlin' hawt!') at the end of the description. These may - or not - all be genuine Purple Heart tomatoes, 'cos there were Copia, Dixie Boy, Bradley, Carolina Gold, and many more varietals on offer. I have a sinking feeling that this year's Market may not be what it has been in the past. We'll know more when it opens on 01 June. For this purchase, I had to commemorate these before dispatching them to Culinary Glory ... they were, btw, great

Got anything started? Got anything ordered?

From Garden & Gun Magazine: What's the best way to capture how my garden grows?

Garden Clubs

A beautiful Hepatica japonica f. magna flowering now.

This genus of spring woodlanders is sure to make an appearance on the benches at the AGS Show & Plant Fair this Saturday, 18 Feb, at Llanwern High School, Hartridge Farm Road, Newport, NP18 2YE.

Doors open 11am - 3.30pm. pic.twitter.com/3LWIHptgyq

— Alpine Garden Society (@AlpineGardenSoc) February 15, 2023

Nice detail! Want to grow it now?

Travel and Adventure

There’s one question I receive more than any other: “Where, exactly, *is* the South?”

Here’s the definitive answer: The South is where kudzu grows. pic.twitter.com/9Z3OCuEPwc

— Shelby Foote Appreciator⚓️ (@NoJesuitTricks) February 17, 2023

This is in the South. From the Niece Network:

We went on the Silent Cities Cemetery Tour today and Brookgreen Gardens. The cultural differences between death now and then was fascinating to learn and it was in such a beautiful place!

Cemetery gate:

Graves with live oak:

Different styles for different generations from the same family

Original headstones embedded in brick plus modern readable headstone

Backward headstone on grave of unwelcome family member - facing away from the Angel Gabriel.

Beginning of the slave cemetery area - more natural

Sometimes a grave would be marked by a possession or possessions of the deceased (toys in the case of children), then a stone would be added later.

Carved slave headstone

Stones in the slave graveyard also faced east, perhaps toward Africa.

Gardens of The Horde

We have had frost, plus a sandstorm that has left MORE tumbleweeds everywhere. What's going on in your yard and garden?

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

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Week in Review

What has changed since last week's thread? Did you do anything plant-related for Valentine's Day? Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, Feb. 11

Any thoughts or questions?

I closed the comments on this 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 01:28 PM

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