Persimmon Tree Updates. 6.6.18

Nikita's Gift Hybrid Persimmon..  6.6.18

 The persimmon trees are doing nicely.  I planted the Asian Persimmon "Saijo" and the hybrid  (D. kaki X D. virgiana cross) Persimmon "Nikita's Gift" tree in 2013, bare root from Raintree Nursery.  They've been bearing for at least 3 years.  My mower isn't working - normally I would have the grass cut shorter.  I'm trying to limb them up to make mowing easier, by eliminating deer cages, but they are not quite high enough for that yet.  Nikita's Gift continues to outperform Saijo, faster growth and more flowers.

Of the American Persimmons,  I planted Yates in Jan, 2015.   This tree was in a small tree pot.  It has been bearing for one or two years.
Again, I'm hoping to limb it up to make maintenance easier, while avoiding most deer damage.

Nikita's Gift Flower buds.  6.6.18

 Yates also has a good crop of flower buds, so I'm optimistic.

I think I bought Prairie Star American Persimmon  in 2014.  It had setbacks due to rabbit or deer browsing, but now looks vigorous and strong.  I'm not expecting flowers this year.

Yates American Persimmon Tree.  6.6.18

Many growers report that persimmons are deer resistant, but I've had significant damage from deer.  Since I don't want setbacks, I keep them caged and am working on growing them so that the low branches are  above the main deer-browsing height.

Yates American Flower Buds.  6.6.18

Saijo Persimmon Tree.  6.6..18

Saijo Persimmon Buds.  6.6.18

Prairie Star American Persimmmon Tree.  6.6.18

Illinois Everbearing Mulberry Tree Update. 6.5.18

 I originally planted this Illinois Everbearing Mulberry tree in my yard in Vancouver, WA,  as a mail order bare root tree, 3.18.2010.  In summer 2012, I dug it up and moved it to my new place in Battleground, WA.

This tree is one of my top 10 favorite orchard trees, now.  It bears prolific numbers of mulberries which are delicious, outstanding flavor and texture.  They ripen over about a month's time.  Despite many articles stating that birds love these mulberries, there are always many for me.

The leaves of this tree are a pale green.  Many times, people have commented that this tree must need some nitrogen.  If so, I am happy with the fruit bearing and size now, and don't want to over-fertilize it.  I think it's just a pale green leaf tree, however, and there is nothing wrong with it.

As happened last year and the year before, the branches are covered with the start of another excellent mulberry crop.

Illinois Everbearing Mulberry when planted, far right, 3.18.2010

Greenspire Linden Tree Update. 6.5.18

Greenspire Linden Today, 6.5.18

I planted this Greenspire Linden tree (Tilia cordata) Nov 4, 2012.   So it's been in this spot for 5 1/2 years.  Nice change.  It was one sided, so I planted so the "flat" side was to the south, expecting it would grow that direction and fill in.  It did.  I also removed a low branch on the North side, last year. 

I planted four Greenspire Linden trees in 2012.  They've all grown fast, into handsome, beautiful trees.  They bloom nicely, with fragrant linden flowers.   These were all end-of-season, on sale at Home Depot, root bound trees that I treated by cutting off all of the encircling roots, and loosening the roots and soil, before planting. 

When I planted these trees, I was doing beekeeping, which I subsequently gave up.  I had hoped for linden flower honey.  Despite no bees now, the trees are rewarding in and of themselves.  I love standing by these trees and looking up at how fast and strong they've grown, in such a short time.

Greenspire Linden when Planted.  11.4.12

Each fall, I move the container geraniums (pelargoniums) into a dry sunny spot for a month, under the house eaves.  No water.  By drying them out, they go dormant.  Then I move them into the garage, which does not freeze but is cool.  In the Spring, I move them back outside, trim them a little, and start watering again.  I give them some growing plant food (more nitrogen), then when they are recovered, they get some blooming plant food.  These geraniums are about 4 or 5 years old, becoming large and bushy.  Nice plants.  Some of the containers also contain 4=Four O'clocks or Nerines.  I might remove the Four O'clocks this year if they are too rangy.  I have some of those in the flower border as well.

In the other containers, I stuck some nasturtium seeds -partly for flower and partly for salads; orchids, and carnivorous plants.  The cactus was a grocery store nopale that I planted in cactus soil a couple of years ago, and keep in the sunroom during the winter.

Carnivorous Plants. 6.4.18

Venus Flytrap

 Here are selections from my carnivorous plant collection.  It's a modest collection.  I'm a beginner.

The Venus Flytrap is highly magnified.  It's only a couple of inches across. 

They've all been catching flies and yellow jackets.

I've been following Jacob's instructions, in his ebook.  so far, with these plants, that means mainly they re in a shallow container with about an inch of low mineral (rain) water, and are in full sun, on the deck.

Sarracenia purpurea, I think.  It was unlabeled.

A Sarracenia hybrid.

 At this point, these are mostly fairly small plants.  I expect that as time passes, they will grow larger.  As perennials, they should increase in size each year. 

More Sarracenia hybrids.

The large one is Sarracenia oreophilia, I think.