Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, Sept. 14

Well, it's feeling fall-ish around here - at night. Not in the daytime. Is fall coming to your garden? The photo above is striking:

This white crape myrtle creates an umbrella of shade on the west side (front yard) of my house. The ground-level copper bird bath is very popular, even attracting a pair of mallards! This time of year it sheds its outer bark, revealing a cinnamon-colored trunk.

Over the winter it hardens off to grey, and over the summer the process repeats. Makes kind of a mess in the garden, though.

I have tried to grow perennials under it, but none survive. So I have put containers of annuals to fill in the area. The Boston fern does well until a hard frost. It seems to have the perfect amount of sun and shade.

Liz953, Maryland

Thanks so much for the great photo and seasonal information, Liz!

I think this tree may be the variety Natchez.

Crape myrtles named after Indian tribes are generally cross-species hybrids chosen for mildew resistance.

The Natchez crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia x ‘Natchez’)is renowned for its beautiful white flowers and unique bark that sheds, especially in the Southern United States.

This beloved landscaping tree is a pretty fast-growing specimen too, but how fast are we talking?

Crape myrtle ‘Natchez’ is a very fast-growing tree with height increases of 3 to 5 feet per year. This tree often reaches its mature height of 25 to 30 feet within just 3 years though some trees will grow at a slower rate depending on climate, growing conditions, and regular maintenance.

Whether you plan to keep it small or let your Natchez crape myrtle reach for the sky, it’s important to cater to its ideal soil, sun, and other environmental needs to bring out its best.

Here’s your guide to the Natchez crape myrtle tree — everything from its flowers and maintenance to the pests you can expect to deal with and how to utilize the tree in your garden space.

For a closer look at the diversity of Crepe Myrtle, check out my article, Best Crepe Myrtle Varieties.

Native Plant of the Week

Gm. Indian cucumber root (Medeola virginiana) goes through some striking color changes at the end of the summer—the inner portions of the leaves turn red as the berries form, then the green parts fade to yellow. pic.twitter.com/6o8rjqetLR

— Sarah 🥨 (@cosmopterix) September 14, 2024

From NCSU:

Medeola virginiana, commonly called Indian cucumber root, is a slender, upright perennial wildflower that typically grows 1-2.5’ tall on a single, unbranched stem rising up each year from a crisp, edible rhizome. It is native to rich moist woodlands with acidic soil in eastern North America. Leaves that grow below fruit develop red areas on the surface, matching the color of the dark fruit.

There are some nice photos of the plant at the link above. This plant apparently has a wide climate adaptability. Have you ever seen it?

Wildwood Survival provides foraging information and more photos. Here is a photo of the cucumber-flavored root. Ever tasted it?

Edible Gardening/Putting Things By

By-Tor hit the jackpot with Habaneros in his garden this year. And he has graciously provided us with a recipe. Looks better than Jalapeno jam:

I have a a gallon sack of homegrown habanero chilis so I made pineapple-habanero jam. Easy to make. I made a large batch medium heat, jarred half of that, then doubled down on habaneros for the remainder. It’s pretty hot but not crazy hot. It sneaks up on you but doesn't overwhelm. Good on toast, a bagel with cream cheese, grilled pork, chicken or fish, as a base for salsa; you name it.

2 20oz cans of crushed pineapple with juice
6 C sugar
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced fine
2 habanero chilis, diced fine for medium heat. Double for hot. Adjust as you like, but easier to add more than take it out
3/4 C vinegar
2 C of fresh or canned pineapple, diced small
2 boxes powdered pectin

Cook all ingredients in a large pot at a medium simmer for about ten minutes. Add powdered pectin and boil for two minutes. Jar and water bath can. Makes about 5 pints, 10 half-pints.

Looks great!

Nature

Plants find a way

This schefflera is growing on my neighbor's cabbage palm. Scheffleras aren't picky; my dad once cut the top from one then stick the top in a hole under our eucalyptus tree; it grew despite the shade.

wcgreen

Wonder if there might be some indoor locations where one might try something similar?

Hardscaping

Ambitious?

Adding a rock garden to your yard is a creative way to add depth and dimension to a flat or mundane space.

Learn more and get design & planting ideas https://t.co/Ingof4Rup2
Designer Burl Mostul, Villa Catalana. Photo: Janet Loughrey. pic.twitter.com/6btAp32xsR

— Garden Design Mag (@GardenDesignMag) September 14, 2024

Adventure

Are there places other than jungles where this would work? Would you like to visit?

Transparent dome on the rainforest at Anantara Golden Triangle, Northern Thailand.

[📹 abdulla_alsenaani]pic.twitter.com/zJgHDfx96L

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) September 14, 2024

Puttering

Bird Dog at Maggie's Farm has a nice post on Scarlet Tanagers. (Wiki says they have been re-classified as cardinals)

It's time when most summering, breeding birds return to their homes in South America.

The brilliantly-colored (male) Eastern US Scarlet Tanager is heading home. They look like tropical birds because they are.

Up here, they are more often heard than seen as they are birds of the woodland treetops.

The pic is a male in breeding plumage. Now, they are yellow-green.

Scarlet Tanager

Art

Gardens of The Horde

Grimmy has lots of nice things going on in his garden, but this is a not so nice thing:

The plague of Japanese beetles started showing up a few weeks ago. Between traps, and occasionally walking my fruit/berry plants with a bucket of soapy water to drown them in periodically, I've kept the damage on my priority plants to a minimum. There long fence between my neighbor and I is overgrown with wild grape, and the beetles love to cover those big leaves and devour them. Makes them easy to scrape into my drowning bucket, though.

What's going on in your garden? Something better than this, I hope.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

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Week in Review

What has changed since last week's thread? Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, Sept. 7

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 01:30 PM

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