Bogturtle's Garden- July 21 to end, 2022

 

Strangely named the Tiger Lily, since it has spots, this 6 foot tall plant is an old fashioned item, passed from gardener to gardener. Apparently two proper or Scientific names are given to this same plant, Lilium lancifolium or L. tigrinum. Most interesting to me is the small bulbils that form in the axils of the leaves, that make propagation so super easy. But, of course, you would have to wait a year or more for the plant to get to blooming size, so the regular root bulbs are so much faster. 

A pleasant little golden yellow Crocosmia, half the size of C. 'Diablo'. Lost the varietal name, but do wonder why the rare plant nursery made this a choice to sell. Perhaps rare, but also unlikely to stop traffic, as 'Diablo' might.

This Cleome is specifically called 'Helen Campbells Snow Crown'.  I choose the white, but Cleome can shade to pale pink to quite dark pink. Almost the color I call magenta.  Repeating myself, a visiting proper lady saw a small one, and I think she thought I was raising marijuana, as the leaves are a little similar, and there were no blooms yet. Once it gets to be blooming size, and that seems strongly related to hours of daylight, not just plant size, a new ring of flowers comes, each afternoon, lasting overnight. Obviously, then, an attractive plant to moths. 

The Nasturium seed purchase was an impulse buy, while they can be beautiful, and I am glad to have them. Of course they came in white, yellow, pale to dark orange and scarlet, and some with patterns in the flowers.  Where I came from, and to my amusement, people were calling them Nasturshiums, or something like that. How any language just wanders off. 

Still learning things. The little pool has no frogs. Probably won't go looking for any. They often come, abandoning where they were raised, during a summer rainy night. One Green Frog was here for over a year, overwintering in the mud at the bottom of this pond. 3 little ones joined her (no plunky guitar string sound, so that's my guess). Cannot say if all wandered off or became prey for some mammal or bird. Just expect, as in times past, to walk out and see a little frog jumping into its newfound home. 

Failed to succeed at growing a white flowered Milkweed that is usually pinkish. A waste of about 8 dollars. Asclepias incarnata 'Alba' is the white form of a common streamside perennial. But I found a packet of seed. Often the company gives directions that the seed must be overwintered or packed into a fridge for a week or more. Planted them without bothering, and all sprouted. Three are now in this unattractive pot in the pool. Growing like perverbial weeds, but I think the plant needs not just water but Sun to do well. So I will have to either cut overhanging branches or take the pot elsewhere. There was sufficient Sun years ago, but valued shrubs have grown big. 

Planting seed of the common Milkweed called Butterfly Weed, or Asclepias tuberosa is so easy. There are quite a few plants here, now. That plant thrives in sun and hot dry soil. A. incarnata sprouted with the same ease and vigor.  

3 Guppies were added. Only one large female seems to have survived. But I saw two little ones, not seeing the big one for weeks.  Now there are ones medium and tiny. I think, once impregnated, a female will continue producing separate batches for a while. Fish are always added to control Mosquitoes. 

Never successful with Sweet Peas, and having grown edible Peas once, I am super successful with this perennial Pea, Lathyrus latifolius.Like a tough weed, and in two places on the property. The best was a erosion preventing mass of them on a local train track siding. There every year in every shade, from this white to deep

 reddish pink. 

Out trying to repair places where rabbits, apparently, could get under chicken wire around the vegetables. Beans, carrots attacked, and new beans have been put in, but a crop may be lost. I am just leaving the Carrots until Fall, as the tops are not as big as those sold in the supermarket, so the roots, themselves, must be small. Rainbow Carrots, or I would not have bothered, with protected space (sorta) limited. But another lesson is to have the camera with me, as I spotted this Spring Peeper, or Hyla crucifer, sitting in one of the Rhubarb leaves. 

Unclear, and dull, but I found a chance to photo an extremely common little mammal. A common Vole. Most would think it a Mouse, being that size and color. But the tail is short and ears small. Orange teeth like a Gopher or beaver, and, in desperation, they would be used for defense. Squeeking like a mouse the best it can do. I let it go, after the photo.