Stratifying Perennial Seeds. 1.8.22

 This year I want to grow Echinacea "Cherokee Spirit".  The colors are very nice, and the plants are more compact and bushy, compared to species Echinacea.  They are expensive, so I ordered seeds.  Species Echinacea seed requires cold stratification.   The seed packet did not mention that, so I'm stratifying half and starting the other half directly.  I don't know, but maybe early starts will give first year flowers.  With species Echinacea, I don't get flowers until the second year.

I use the same method that usually works for me - place the seeds on a moistened paper towel, place that into a zipper sandwich bag, and place that in the refrigerator for two months.

I'm also starting some Goldenrod.  Same method.

As an experiment, I also sowed half of the Echinacea seeds in a six-pack, which will be on a seedling warming mat. 

Then I opened a paper bag of Rudbeckia seed heads, that I collected in the fall and stored in the pantry.

A lot of seeds had already fallen into the bag (which I missed when preparing to stratify).  I brushed seed heads with my fingers, to harvest seeds. 

Then I treated some of those, same method as the Echinacea.

We'll see hoe they do.

Red Star Quilt. Getting Started. 1.8.23

 This will be another quilt that starts using a pattern in Modern Quilter, by designer Lynn Goldsworthy.   I like her designs very much.  I made changes, based on my use of (mostly) upcycled fabrics.  One major change, the original design has a lot of background in cream colors, wide areas of fabrics.  Mine will have patchwork background, mainly greys and minimalist patterns on white.  

The changes have taken quite a bit of trial and error on paper, but I think I have it.

Here are the shirt fabrics, curated, washed, starched, pressed, cut at the seams.

The reds are mostly a deep color, sort of ox-blood, or burgundy.  One is light, sort of mauve.  

This is a preview of the star pattern, minus one point.

I could do a few things to fill in the missing point.  Such as, repeat a fabric, vs. buy something at the fabric store, vs. continue shopping for shirts to upcycle.  One point is the reverse side of another, I could try that. I decided not to be a purist, and ordered a yard of a deep red Indonesian Batik on Amazon.  That will add a little something extra, if I actually use it.

The original pattern was published as a supplement in Today's Quilter, Issue 75.  The complete link seems to be broken.

Accidental Timber Bamboo Harvest. 1.7.23

 These bamboo fell over three weeks ago during an ice storm.  The root mass is unexpectedly minimal.  I've been cleaning them up and cutting them to useful lengths.

I cut most into approx 8 or 9 foot lengths.  Some ars very thick and sturdy.

I used some of the sturdiest lengths to replace an espalier trellis, including adding the third and fourth tiers.

I like how that looks.  I think it will last a number of years,

Pepper Plant Overwintering. Update. 1.7.23

 There is a little growth on the overwintering pepper plants.  Minimal, which is what I want.  Enough to show they are alive.

The bottom left plant is a cayenne pepper.  I think most of the growth is early flower buds.  I removed the obvious flowers.  I don't think the plants can support them yet.

Pruning a Massive HorseChestnut Tree. 1.7.23

 This tree seems to have a semi-weeping configuration.  It's been spreading too wide.  The branches trail to the ground.  It's a major challenge mowing under the tree, or doing cleanup.  So I generally don't.

Today I did a lot of pruning.  Here is the before picture.

That big branch on the left had to go.  I could not mow under it.  Also, it looks like it might be at risk of breaking off.  In fact, when I examined it more closely, this alarming, full thickness, several feet log split was about two feet from the trunk.

Here is the tree after pruning.  I was careful.  My chain saw is just an electric 16 " blade.  

I think that the branch on the right side also needs to be removed.  I want to use the pole saw to remove as much as I can, first, due to the height and size of the limb.  That will have to happen some other time.

Interesting, with the area cleared, I saw this fig tree sticking out of a dwarf evergreen.   Where did that come from?  i can't imagine that I planted it there.  It's probably been there since before we bought the place.