Bogturtle's Garden- 5/11 to 19, 2023

 

Athyrium japonicum, the Japanese Painted Fern is in many places on the property, but this is the largest sample, among all, and in the main perennial bed.

Tradescantia virginiana, I think. The Spiderwort, named for either the filaments in the middle of each flower or the clear strands of sticky sap that comes if you break a stem. Ordered from Lamb's nursery, which is famous, but long out of business, to my knowledge. Available in many colors from them, in named varieties, but all have long blended and the common deep violet is most frequently seen here. But any shade might show up, and this is a pale lavendar. A grand addition, but also a too successful plant here. Constantly weeded out, with having to just break the soft stems off at ground level, usually 2x. So an easily managed weed. 

The yellow is the flowering part of Arum italicum, with a ghostly green part easily seen. The spadix? I only have this plant for the neat foliage, that may die down later into the Summer, but endures all Winter. 

Very high up, but I am impressed by the vigor of this shrub. 

Calycanthus 'Hartlidge Wine' at its best.

 

Quite a plant explorer story behind this clone of Styrax japonica 'Emerald Pagoda'. From Korea, I think, but growing in Japan and China, also.   

Two Styrax growing by the barn. The nearer is the native from our South, S. opaca, and harder to see, the smaller leaved S. japonica.

Here are the flowers of S. Opaca. And lessons in botany are illustrated by how flowers are often the indicator of relationships more than leaves. The flowers on both Styrax seem almost identical, while the leaves are quite different in size. But the other is that here we have two little trees, one from the Orient and the other from our South that clearly show how temperate regions in both continents were, somehow, connected. Climate change, and of a much warmer time, clearly. Many similar species and Genera show this.

Selaginella uncinata has just been ordered, and placed in a kitchen canister. The most amazing shifting turquoise blue plant. High humidity is a must, and I will see how it does, here. Supposedly Winter hardy in my zone 7B. Just important to keep it out of the Sun, considering how the heat would build up in this closed container, and I suppose I will have to open it or put some holes, so gases can exchange. An experiment. I expect the color is partly due to light being broken up by microscopic structures on the surface, the way oil breaks up light on a pool of water, or what is seen in the rainbow or on the surface of a bubble floating in the air. Or the color one sees in most blue and green birds. Not pigment at all, just broken up light. 

The post at one corner of the pool deck is totally buried in Lonicera sempervirens 'Magnifica' and Bignonia capreolata, the Crossvine. I think it is B. c. 'Miss Jeckyl'.

The date is inaccurate. This was collected 5/13. The Catbird is nesting really close by. Most interesting to me is that the Swamp Milkweed, Asclepias incarnata 'Alba' in the pot, has come back. Grown from seed planted last Summer, it may be in too much shade to bloom. I have a number of others. The seed packet said to chill the seed or let it go through Winter, as some seeds need that conditioning to sprout. I planted them when they arrived in July and they sprouted easily. I don't know if the company had pre-chilled them. I doubt that.

Iri tectorum again

Probably here over 30 years, this Peony was also ordered from Lamb's Nursery when we first moved here. Isani Guidi?? Generally the single Peonies were given Japanese names. Don't know why. And I must have liked the faded out white with yellow, since I was averse to pink, and am still, sorta. 

Clematis 'Ramona' has been here just about as long and is blooming crowded in among the vines covering the fence that hides the pool.

Arum italicum 'Marmoratum' must have grown away from the main clump from seed, as I just let it bloom and form the red seeded stalks.

For reasons unknown, this common Butterfly is called a red spotted purple. This one was flitting around alone, seeming to want to sit soaking up the Sun. I found alot of them easy to photograph on the stones where we park the vehicles, one Summer. The small black fruit had fallen off our native Wild Black Cherry, Prunus serotina, that overhangs the area and running the vehicles in had crushed some. I think the fruit had fermented and the insects were flitting around erratically and super sluggish. I think some were drunk. 

Bignonia capriolata again.

The woman who agreed to sell us these acres was a generational native and called the Tradescantia 'Noonsleeps'. And they are, unless the day is cloudy and damp, usually closed by noon.  The Peonies that are fully open have faded to the white I would have seen in the catalog photo. The low growing perennial Geranium will soon be covered with white flowers, not just these few. Geranium sanguinea, I think. So usually a red, I suppose. The Irish Pot contains the white flowered form of Lychnis coronaria, which is usually is a royal purple color.  I noticed, in this photo, a sprouting Black Walnut Tree, thanks to the Squirrels. That will go.

A few Digitalis purpurea 'Alba' are in various places. From the proper name I assume the commonest color is a purple.  Started with saved seed, they do have to grow, stay evergreen through the Winter and then bloom, have seed and die. Biennial, so extra work. Seed must be retained to be sure blooms are here, every year. Foxgloves are supposed to be changed from the original common name meaning little folks' gloves, from when people believed in such. Of all the plants, Foxgloves are truly resistant to Deer and Rabbits, with the dangerous, heart damaging chemical Digitalis in them. The animals seem to know.

 

Aesculus pavia, the Red Buckeye, again.

 

In two places on the property, this 'Purple Passion' Rhododendron is unusually reluctant to bloom. Perhaps just where they are planted.