What Did You Do In The Garden?

[SPedigrees]

i learn something new every day. i didn't know that waxed amaryllis bulbs were a thing.

They have everything needed (except sunlight) to bloom once (or sometimes twice) inside the sealed bulb. After it blooms you just throw it away. No watering needed, making them easier to care for even than cut flowers (which need a vase and water), just place the bulb on a sunny windowsill. The ideal gift for non-gardeners, old and infirm individuals, and lazy/tired people (like me).

 

[Zeedman]

They have everything needed (except sunlight) to bloom once (or sometimes twice) inside the sealed bulb. After it blooms you just throw it away. No watering needed, making them easier to care for even than cut flowers (which need a vase and water), just place the bulb on a sunny windowsill. The ideal gift for non-gardeners, old and infirm individuals, and lazy/tired people (like me).

At last, an indoor plant that suits my (Winter) personality.

 

[flowerbug]

At last, an indoor plant that suits my (Winter) personality.

i just let them go dormant as the light fades for the winter season, then i don't have to do much of anything with them again until when i want to wake them up again to flower. some people go out of their way to remove them from their pots and put them into storage, but to me that's not really a good thing, i don't have storage space here anyways and it is more work. once in a while i remove the leaves after they die back and dry out and then i feed those to the worm buckets. very simple house plants and i do like the flowers.

i have actually adopted another plant for the moment as Mom has been trying to kill all of them off that are living out in a garden and i would like at least one of them to remain. i'm not sure it will work out as a house plant but i've not managed to kill it yet. a bit of comfrey.

 

[digitS']

Comfrey?

Do you suppose that the name is related to "comfort?" I feel a need to think about flowers right now. Forget-me-Nots. Bugloss. Related. Chase the bugs away? Even bugloss weeds are pretty when they bloom. We used to collect wild baby's breath (not related), to be dried and used in DW's bokays, in one fallow area that had all this bugloss that would bloom – kinda fun just to walk around out there .

I started off the day thinking about 1968 – I know not why. I made it to the end of February and didn't pull out Robert McNamara's book on the shelf beside me. It was such a traumatic year for me. By now, I was doing okay that year. Not much had lightened any of the weight through the months but a certain sense of safety and resignation was setting in. I don't know if I baked pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving but, maybe. I need to think of flowers.

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

Comfrey?

Do you suppose that the name is related to "comfort?"

i think it was mistakenly used as it now seems to be considered toxic. the bees and the deer love it. i only like it because it seems indestructable and it really fills and holds an area if i let it alone. even if not left alone it seems very hard to completely kill it off.

supposedly the deep tap roots will bring up nutrients from "below" and it is frequently mentioned as a good cover crop for chop and drop because of how big it can get and how deep those roots go.

I feel a need to think about flowers right now. Forget-me-Nots. Bugloss. Related. Chase the bugs away? Even bugloss weeds are pretty when they bloom. We used to collect wild baby's breath (not related), to be dried and used in DW's bokays, in one fallow area that had all this bugloss that would bloom – kinda fun just to walk around out there .

I started off the day thinking about 1968 – I know not why. I made it to the end of February and didn't pull out Robert McNamara's book on the shelf beside me. It was such a traumatic year for me. By now, I was doing okay that year. Not much had lightened any of the weight through the months but a certain sense of safety and resignation was setting in. I don't know if I baked pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving but, maybe. I need to think of flowers.

Steve

all the late summer and fall flowers outside are now all brown after repeated hard frosts. we had some really nice mums and cosmos out there for a long time.

 

[Alasgun]

@flowerbug; Comfrey is so much more and I'm surprised how few folks utilize it! Each year i plant more and currently have over a dozen plants and this year that will over double.
I rely on it as a forage for my rabbits and in season hardly a day passes without it’s use. But back to it’s “mineral mining” claim; do a little net searching and you’ll find it comparable to a lot of fertilizers from an NPK standpoint! I cut mine 3 times a year and hang it to dry for use in compost tea or as a soil amendment by sprinkling a cup or so around any plant; it’s safe and wont burn anything.
This year i learned, it’s a common practice to put one plant under each of the fruit trees, which i’ll be doing for the Apples and Cherries.

I could attach numerous articles for you but sometimes half the fun is ferreting out the information.

As to it’s internal use which has caused some concern as of late; the pioneers referred to it as “knit bone” and while i heed the warnings nowadays, years ago i used it for a broken wrist (internally) with amazing results. It’s a common ingredient in salves or for poltices and so, so easy to grow. I have both Common (Russian) and Boking 14 varieties!

 

[digitS']

Boking 14. I had to look at that name source, @Alasgun , a UK botanical garden.

a good cover crop for chop and drop because of how big it can get and how deep those roots go

The owners of the bugloss/baby's breath property sprayed weedkiller on it and set up a For Sale sign. An acquaintance provided another suggestion. It didn't have the bugloss but we weren't wild harvesting that. And! It had a wonderful view of forest and mountains .

Mom has been trying to kill all of them off that are living out in a garden and i would like at least one of them to remain.

Older women can have a certain indomitabilty. Indomitability – one of those words that I don't have a lot of comfort using . Perhaps ... she would be more comfortable with forget-me-nots and it would have similar benefits.

digitS'

 

[flowerbug]

...
Older women can have a certain indomitabilty. Indomitability – one of those words that I don't have a lot of comfort using . Perhaps ... she would be more comfortable with forget-me-nots and it would have similar benefits.

forget me nots are here, not something i really want because they get into places i don't want them to spread.

Boking 14 is what we have.

 

[digitS']

I managed to shake 3 buckets of kitchen scraps into a hole!

The bed just south of the greenhouse receives the most sunshine and protection in the yard. It probably hasn't been frozen to more than an inch or two and the recent warm weather with no freezing overnight for several nights and sunshine today — meant that a hole could be dug. It was wet but the amount of organic material and rocks allowed it . The fact that I could shake out those compostables was suspected but not guaranteed. But, it worked!

digitS'

 

[flowerbug]

worked is good!

shaked

i managed to get the last big garden finished up right as it got dark outside. well, ok, not quite finished completely but all that is left now is to move some more dirt around and make it look more presentable. tomorrows forecast for rains will keep that from getting done but this week is looking good later on i should be able to finish up whatever garden tasks that are on my list and i may be able to even go looking for more.