Happiness

Happiness is the only good.
The place to be happy is here.
The time to be happy is now.
The way to be happy is to make others so.

(pic:  honeybee on avocado flowers, via commons.wikimedia.org)

Honeybees

On a chilly am, the honeybees cluster at the hive entrance.

Iris Raised Bed

 Raised bed for heritage irises and herbs.  A couple of irises are currently blooming.  Several more are in bud.  The later ones are from the Spring planted irises from Old House Gardens.

My goal last fall, until now, was for the irises to establish in this location.  They look good.  So now, some minor  maintenance, nurturing, and puttering from time to time, and hope for a more lavish display next year.  I feel fortunate that some of the Spring planted irises did indeed bloom, or will, so I get a taste of things to come.

The little blu-ish iris is Her Majesty.  It's not as blue in person, but bluer than the catalog color.  Effect of soil pH?  Climate?

New raised bed for heritage irises.  Built this past weekend, filled, and moved several irises from places where they had bee stuck due to no good places elsewhere.  The variegated iris is Iris pallida variegata alba.   The other blooming iris is an unnamed Iris I bought from a source in Tennessee last summer.  Slight fragrance.

I also planted herbs from other locations.  Chives, oregano.  Areas the will have irises later, I planted with swiss chard and carrots.  I planted the edges with sweet alyssum seeds.

Helen Collingwood

Night Hawk

Helen Collingwood.  I've been wondering if i would like this one.  I do.  It's handsome and has a mild sweet fragrance.  It has not fallen over in the rain, and the rain has not damaged the flowers, which gives it an advantage over a lot of the fluffy modern varieties.

Night Hawk.  Also a mild sweet fragrance.  Not a heritage variety, but I liked it.  This iris did fall over in the rain.  So I staked it for support.  The color on my computer looks true to the flower.

Bumblebees have been exploring these flowers.  I didn't see any honeybees in them.

Planting Seeds.

Spring Seed Planting

These are the seeds I planted in the past week.

Alyssum and Bonanza Mix Marigolds in the tomato bed.  They sprouted during the rains of the last week.  Also planted alyssum seeds in the border of the new iris raised bed.

Clemson Spineless Okra - Also in the tomato bed.  Clemson Spineless was introduced by Clemson University in 1939, 50-64 days.  That's in an ideal hot climate - possibly 2 or 3 months here if it bears at all.  After one week of rain, I also saw sprouts.  I read that they require soaking and heat.  So I started some today after soaking with 2 changes of water, for several hours.  I also read Okra doesn't respond well to transplanting.  The seeds I planted today I planted in newspaper-lined containers to reduce transplant shock.

Swiss Chard - in empty squares of the iris bed I set up last weekend.  It will be mid to late summer before I add the irises in those spaces.  I don't want to leave it with bare soil.  Space is at a premium.

Petite Yellow Watermelon ( 65-80 days) and Blacktail Mountain Watermelon (65-75 days) - Haven't tried watermelons here.  Starting in containers, today.  Then into raised bed.  Cleared some space in the raised bed, from winter vegetables.  Some of those didn't do well, others have been harvested - radishes, greens.

Minnesota Midget Canteloupe (60-75 days).  Haven't tried these either.  These are a small melon, 4 inches, and the vines are 3 feet long.  May plant them in containers, not sure yet.  Also starting in containers, today.

Japanese Soyu Burpless Cucumber (65 days).  Starting in containers today.  Will find a place for them.

Asparagus Pea (60-75 days).  Starting in containers.  Will need to fine a place for them too.

Parisian Carrot (55 days) and Red Cored Chantenay Carrot.  (70 Days).  Also in the new iris bed, for the same reason.

Also some cleome seeds for Ning's meadow.

Also the last of the sweet potatoes.  One week ago, I discovered what looked like near dead sweet potato starts in the mailbox.  They were there for the weekend.  I cleaned them up and planted the best looking ones in a half barrel.  These sweet potatoes were described as an early variety, good for the North.  The remaining set I placed in a glass of water, with daily water changes.  They also look better, grew new roots, so I planted them today.

Tomato Bed

Tomato Bed

Tomatoes, planted and ready for some sunshine.  The 3  smaller ones were plants I grew from seeds.  Late start for those.  Also some basil plants.  Last week in this tomato cage, I also planted 2 rows of okra, and edges of sweet alyssum seeds and marigold seeds, which have germinated.

Korean Dogwood

Trees I Planted Sept 2012

Another View of Trees Planted Sept 2012

Greenspire Linden 8 Months Later

Planted Sept 8 2012

May 26 2013

Growing Nicely.  Some care, mulch, compost, and watering, and it looks like it's settled in.   Being May instead of September, everything is greener.

Buddleia

Buddleia

I've planted several Buddleia hybrid shrubs around the Battleground place.  They are sterile hybrids, meaning they do not produce seeds.  Buddleia davidii is illegal in Oregon due to prolific seed production resulting in invasion of the plants into wild places, but sterile hybrids are legal.

Since I bought them at Portland nursery, I wondered about their legality in Washington State.  So I looked it up.

Image is from Wikipedia commons, public domain.  The images of the hybrids I bought are similar, but not identical to this flower.

I wanted Buddleia shrubs due to fast growth for some privacy, and good nectar source for insects.  Especially honeybees, but also other nectar collecting insects.

According to the WA noxious weed website, Buddleia davidii (again, the fertile one) is a Class B noxious weed.  Quoting, "Class B Weeds:  Non-native species presently limited to portions of Washington. Species are designated for control in regions where they are not yet widespread. Preventing new infestations in these areas is a high priority. In regions where a Class B species is already abundant, control is decided at the local level, with containment as the primary goal."

So the species would be considered an issue.  That does not designate sterile hybrids which, by definition, can't be invasive.  In King County, Buddleia davidii are on the nonregulated noxious weed list, which means they are not forbidden but are discouraged.  However, I'm not in King, I'm in Clark County.  I also looked up the Clark County list.  Again, it lists Buddleia davidii, but not hybrids

I think I'll be OK growing these varieties.  I feel like I have to be a lawyer to figure out what I can grow.  Gardening should be a respite.....

Bearded Irises in Bloom.

Sunny Disposition 1989, Accent 1952, Bumblebee Deelite 1986

Accent 1952

 Irises in bloom.  These photos were from a few days ago.  It's raining too much today.  All of these were divided and replanted last year.  From clumps that were filled with grass and not blooming.  After dividing and replanting, I watered multiple times in the summer with 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of Miracle Gro for tomatoes.  Not organic.  But no pesticide or herbicide.  I considered this intensive care for these irises.  It worked well.  They recovered very well.  This method was successful.  The clumps are each in a tree circle of edging to keep out grass.  That helps a lot.

Sunny Disposition.  One of the first ones I grew.  There are starts of this one around the yard, and at the Battleground place.  Sunny Disposition is fragrant.  It blooms despite neglect.  It sometimes falls over in the rain.

Accent.  Identified via HIPS website.  Accent is reliable, rugged, takes neglect, and does not fall over in the rain.

Bumblebee Deelite.  Much smaller.  These have also multiplied and grow nicely.  I planted them in the fence rows at the Battleground place.   None of those bloomed this year.  It's a cute variety.

Redondo.  Doesn't look anything like the web photo.  Red type colors do not come true in photos and the internet.  This is also a smaller variety.  It was an early bloomer.

Immortality.  As of last year, considered a heritage variety.  Lush white flower.  I'm glad it recovered.

Gay Parasol.  Nice with a light fragrance.  Will either keep  here or add to heritage varieties at Battleground.

Pink Bubbles.  A border variety.  The leaves were not vigorous but the flowers are nice.  Also a heritage variety that I might move to the Battleground place, but also like here.

Edith Wolford.  Not a heritage variety yet.  This clump recovered very well with the treatment above.  Many flower spikes and each with multiple flowers.  Very nice.

Red Oriental Poppy.  I grew these from seeds in about 2002.  They needed a year or two to bloom.  I've moved them once since establishment.  Lush and bright.  Nice.   Last winter I read about growing Papaver somniferum, and found seeds at Portland Nursery.  Then I read about potential legal problems with growing that species.  So I didn't grow those.  Papaver orientalis is just as lush, and no legal issues.

Redondo 2000

Immortality 1982

Gay Parasol 1974, Pink Bubbles 1980

Edith Wolford 1986, Gay Parasol, Pink Bubbles

Red Poppy

Bearded Iris Order

Gingersnap 1965

Gracchus 1884

 It's a rainy day, 4th day in a row.  Chilly, 40s.  Not inspired to work in the rain in the garden.

Even though I'm streamlining in some ways, and giving up some varieties, I ordered these.  Mainly for the heritage varieties and fragrance.

Gingersnap is described as having a root beer scent.

Gracchus is not described as scented.  I saw a bed of this variety at Schreiner's.  It is better in person than in the catalog.

Owyhee Desert is unusual.  The flowers are described as smaller than most.  Good in a rainy climate were the big flowers fall over.

Photos are from Schreiner's.  Since I'm linking to them, I hope it's OK that I'm posting them here.  Every order from them has been excellent.

Owyhee Desert 1997