Sunday Best – Geum
Six on Saturday: Pruning
Rhody and I are still not taking many pictures while on vacation. I realize that I said that I should be more diligent about doing so, but we have been so busy vacationing. Perhaps I will do somewhat better next Saturday.
1. Apple trees before pruning look like a hot mess, particularly with the thicket of willow and other vegetation in their background, but are actually quite healthy and cooperative.
2. Apple trees after pruning still look questionable and disfigured, but really are healthy. I probably should not have thinned them so much. It will compromise their production.
3. Apple debris was not so abundant this year, since all the major cuts were made in past seasons. Almost all of this debris is one or two year old growth. Now, it must be burned.
4. Dandelion was one of the only flowers besides cherry trees that I noticed blooming in the vicinity of the apple trees. A cherry tree that I got pictures of last week is about done.
5. Western sword fern was featured in an upcoming gardening article. This picture is the same as the illustration but sideways. This fern is very common in the Pacific Northwest.
6. Rhody really knows how to relax on our vacation. He is very fond of my Pa, and enjoys lounging on his lap for as long as he can, typically with an inane movie on the television.
This is the link for Six on Saturday, for anyone else who would like to participate: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/
Sunday Best – Late Camellia
Six on Saturday: Neither Here Nor There
Between leaving on my trip and arriving, I neglected to get many pictures to select from for these Six. Actually, only two pictures are from the trip. I should take more pictures.
1. Prunus serrulata, flowering cherry of unidentified cultivar was featured in the garden column. It was the first to bloom. This picture was a bit too dark to use as an illustration.
2. Camellia japonica, camellia looks like a fried egg with such a prominent yellow center surrounded by a white corolla. White camellia are prettier with less prominent stamens.
3. Camellia japonica, camellia seemed more red than this when I took its picture. It was still blooming adjacent to the white camellia above. It is as pretty in pink as it was in red.
4. Bellis perennis, English daisy is the only picture that I took in Oregon. I must be more diligent about taking pictures on the way back, even if I do not stop in Oregon too much.
5. Prunus spp., cherry understock is growing from the base of what was formerly a stone fruit tree of some sort on my Pa’s farm. It is cool and rainy here, but is obviously spring.
6. Rhody is a good sport on our trip. We left at midnight and, because of a few stops, we arrived after six in the evening. That is an eighteen hours drive, or a 126 dog hours drive.
This is the link for Six on Saturday, for anyone else who would like to participate: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/
Sunday Best – Columbine
Six on Saturday: More
More flowers seem to be in order. The six that I posted pictures of last week got so much extra attention.
1. Gerbera jamesonii, Transvaal daisy, along with the columbine below, was observed in a nursery. It is a long story. To be brief, neither was within the landscapes or my garden.
2. Aquilegia X hybrida, columbine is the State Flower of Colorado, but also is the colors of the Flag of Greece. Perhaps that is too much trivia. It is elegant and pretty regardless.
3. Sisyrinchium angustifolium, blue eyed grass grows wild here. This one happens to be in my driveway. Its proliferation exceeds its intellect. It might otherwise soon be extinct.
4. Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Orange Storm’ flowering quince is appealing only because it is a flowering quince. I am unimpressed by its fancy breeding and orangish red garishness.
5. Prunus persica var. nucipersica ‘Fantasia’ nectarine is more respectable since it is not fruitless, and also since it is among the most popular cultivars of the Santa Clara Valley.
6. Prunus salicina ‘Satsuma’ plum is not as popular as ‘Santa Rosa’ plum is, but it is very traditional among those who are familiar with it. It is not quite as tart as ‘Santa Rosa’ is.
This is the link for Six on Saturday, for anyone else who would like to participate: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/
Sunday Best – Spanish Lavender
Six on Saturday: More Seasonal Bloom
The first is Spanish. The second is Chinese. The rest, including Oregon grape, are native. Only the iris and poppy were actually found growing in the wild, though. It is beginning to look like spring.
1. Lavandula stoechas, Spanish lavender compensates for its absence of floral fragrance with delightful foliar aroma, especially as the weather begins to get warmer after winter.
2. Loropetalum chinense, Chinese fringe flower blooms with these silly rosy pink flowers above lightly bronzed new foliage, which is collectively more colorful than simple bloom.
3. Ribes sanguineum, flowering red currant, although native here, does not grow wild in this particular location. This one was added to one of the landscapes, and is quite happy.
4. Iris fernaldii, Fernald’s iris does grow wild here, and seems to bloom more happily on exposed roadsides than in forests. Perhaps it appreciates the better exposure to sunlight.
5. Mahonia aquifolium, Oregon grape is the Official State Flower of Oregon. It is native, but was likely added to the several landscapes that it inhabits here, like the red currants.
6. Escholzia californica, California poppy is the Official State Flower of California. It can be a bit prolific in some situations, while less prolific where seed are intentionally sown.
This is the link for Six on Saturday, for anyone else who would like to participate: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/
Sunday Best – Stock
Six on Saturday: New Leaf
Warming spring weather is stimulating new growth among vegetation that was dormant or shabby through this winter.
1. Rosa spp., rose started growing even before the weather became warmer. It is good to see that squirrels are not eating the new growth. I do not know what cultivar this one is.
2. Hydrangea macrophylla, hydrangea, which is also unidentified, also started growing while the weather was still cool and rainy. It is now settling in after bare root relocation.
3. Nephrolepis cordifolia, sword fern, like many ferns, is beginning to replace old foliage with new foliage. It grew too large for its pot years ago, but somehow continues to grow.
4. Clivia miniata, Kaffir lily has been maturing slowly for more than a year, but is finally providing a pup. It is variegated with yellow stripes, but I do not know what cultivar it is.
5. Brugmansia X cubensis ‘Charles Grimaldi’ angel’s trumpet is producing a new flower as readily as it produces new foliage. It should be no surprise. it is rarely without bloom.
6. Musa acuminata X balbisiana ‘Golden Rhino Horn’ banana starts to produce its new foliage about the time we consider taking it out of the landscape because it is so shabby.
This is the link for Six on Saturday, for anyone else who would like to participate: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/
Tony Tomeo 