Gardening, Home and Nature Thread, June 6

My terrace garden is pretty small so each blossoming is a little thrilling.This tiger lily was one tiny plant two years ago. I had trouble getting a good photo because they are in the planter and it is taller than I am. Of course, if you've met me, that is not difficult. Sharon(willow's apprentice)

Thrilling photos! You did well in compensating for the height of the planter!

Hi KT, The first Hog Wild daylily bloomed, plus white lilies (each stalk is like an entire bouquet).

Miley

What a gorgeous daylily! Interesting to see the differences in flower form between the daylilies and the lilies.

Edible Gardening/Putting Things By

Pawpaws spotted at the creek yesterday. They are not ripe yet so DO NOT EAT. They will make you really sick. September or so they will be ready.

- fd

Let us know how they taste!

In some earlier threads this week, there was some discussion of kale as a murder weapon, or at least as a non-food item. Suitable only as decoration on salad bars.

But for gardeners, there is another species of kale. The Siberian kales, related to rutabagas, are noted for bolting late in the spring. A kale breeder at Wild Garden Seeds says about Red Ruffled kale, "Rodrigo . . . harvested a treasure of "kale raab" from it during the hungry gap, before spring has arrived and markets are spare. He commented on the caliper of the tender stems, their weight, and sweetness. Leaves grey-green with purple-red veins and stems."

The Siberian Kales are not very decorative because they start to wilt almost as soon as they are picked. But they are easier to eat than regular kale.

Red Russian is the only variety of kale "napini", "raab", "rapine" - or whatever you want to call the bolted stems and buds - that I have eaten. The flavor is fine, considering that the plant bolts in very warm weather here. The flowers are perfectly edible, too. They would be highly appreciated at a time when other veggies were not available in stores.

Perhaps even Piper's Ghost might enjoy the little yellow flowers.

Gardens of The Horde

Hey, KT

Summer has arrived in Cowtown. Water lilies, dragonflies and rainbow minnows are flourishing, and bullfrogs have spawned. And the Pancho pup is keeping the squirrels away.

R/s

CrotchetyOldJarhead

Thanks for sending in the great photos!

Week in Review

What has changed since last week's thread? Gardening, Home and Nature Thread, May 30

I closed the comments on that post so you wouldn't get banned for commenting on a week-old post, but don't try it anyway.

UPDATES FROM LATE COMMENTS

Thanks to our commenters, plant I.D.:

Always like to see the Silk tassel bush (Garrya elliptica) putting on its annual show , looking good in Hyde this morning. pic.twitter.com/n1jmqU4nGm

— Jamie warren (@Jamiewa50042387) January 8, 2025

Oregon State University:

Evergreen shrub, erect, dense, to 8 ft (2.5 m) high and wide, may be a small tree 20-30 ft (6-9 m). Leaves opposite, simple, elliptical to oval, 4-6 cm long, leathery, margins entire and slightly wavy and irregularly turned under (revolute), glossy, essentially smooth and dark green above, paler and woolly below; petiole stout, to about 13 mm long, grooved and flattened above. Flowers appear in winter, male and female flowers on separate plants (dioecious), male catkin-like clusters are yellowish to greenish then gray, 8-20 cm long ("silk tassels"), female flower clusters are shorter, 5-9 cm long. Fruit are in grape-like clusters, each is round, about 6 mm wide, at first green but finally covered with a purplish-gray pubescence; may be present through the summer if not eaten by birds.

Sun or part shade. Not fussy about soil type, if well-drained. Considered a good foliage plant, can be grown as a hedge, moderate irrigation needed. Prune immediately after flowering. A few male cultivars with especially long "tassels" are available, 'James Roof' (30 cm), 'Evie' (25 cm).

From The Famous Pat*:

Name that tree: Husband and I used to live in the Bay Area of CA, and we strongly believe that tree is Garrya elliptica, also called Garrya, or Coast Silk Tassel.

Teresa in Forth Worth (and anyone else with sporadic asparagus): Cook the few spears you get, cut them up and add them to a salad - little tasty surprises as you go. Or cook them with corn or green beans. (We've pretty much given up on our asparagus bed. This year I planted broccolini at one end of the bed. And if I need space next year, I'll just overprint the asparagus some more.)
(post 1)

Did autocucumber say "overprint" instead of "overplant"?

We may need to do a feature on asparagus - choice of variety (for climate), planting and care.

Pat*'s Hubbie:

@40 > I have a question for you Morons, I have tried, unsuccessfully, for years, to eliminate Creeping Charlie from my lawn (northern MA). I have tried every weed killer mentioned on the interwebs and have pulled up as much as my old body will permit and yet it thrives. HALP!

Triclopyr is your huckleberry.

Martha Stewart has some additional advice and a nice photo for those who don't know what Creeping Charlie is. Related to mint, like lots of invasive plants.

Pat*

(overplant!)

From Boise area: lows 48-61 F, highs 72-91. Some heavy wind gusts, lots of sycamore sticks down - so far we've raked up half the lawn. Lots of blooms - fireweed, peony, blue penstemon, bearded iris, chamomile, larkspur, wild rose hedge (I'm gathering petals).

Checked the fruit trees - most have no fruit, or just a few. Strawberries are producing! Garlic scapes got cut off. Potato bags had to be topped up. Some of the orange bell pepper starts look very bad, but the reds and poblanos are OK so far.

Under Puttering At Home, we bottled beer, a style called Kentucky Common - made with corn, which we hadn't worked with before. It comes out short of 5 percent alcohol, with a very light flavor - what Husband calls "construction beer", and fancy people call "sessionable".

(post 2/end)

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

If you would like to send photos, stories, links, etc. for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.

posted by K.T. at 01:00 PM

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