Kaseys Korner

Labor Day Sales

After reading Gails (Clay and Limestone) blog about her fun planting day with fellow gardener Frances (Faire Garden), I penciled one of her new additions, Matrona Sedum, onto my gardening wish list.  I thought I might look for one next spring never realizing one would practically drop into my hands so soon.  I promise I did not go into Lowes looking for more plants.  I did not.  Really, my little garden is stuffed.  but I can't go into that store and not go thru the greenhouse.  I just don't think it can be done, I dare any of you to claim otherwise.  So there.   Especially when they have the aforementioned sedum at the fabulous clearance price of $4.44 (bees included).  I've never had a sedum before so I didn't know bees were so fond of them either ~ that's a real bonus.  Here's another look at the substantial size plant I purchased:

Pretty sweet deal, huh?  I also picked up a 'Croftway Yellow' Cape Fuschia I'd looked and looked and looked at but didn't want to pay $9.00 for.  A one gallon container now mine for the bargain price of $4.00:

 

Isn't it beautiful??  It's going into one of my containers that has developed a "hole."  Let's skip hastily over that last four letter word and onto this no less exciting find:

Are you reading that tag???  Seriously??  I have never grown orchids; I look at them, admire them, lust after them, read about them and every other thing possible except purchase them.  They are the one thing I'm terrified of having my green thumb go crazy brown on and they are usually way too expensive to risk experimenting with like that.  But this, this is totally doable.  If I kill it at $6.25 I will be sad, don't get me wrong, but I won't feel completely stomach-in-knots sick.  I scanned the tag that was attached ~ I hope this is what I will be featuring as a post on my blog later this winter:

After I put my garden to bed, getting this little baby to rebloom will be my mission in the cold, snowy months ahead.  Wish me luck!

vine ripened salsa

The start of the holiday weekend seems like a perfect time to share my fresh salsa recipe with you.  Well that plus it's the right season for putting some of those juicy, hand picked, garden grown tomatoes to use.  I tell you, your stomach will thank you for it:

I whipped the above batch up last night so the lighting is not the best.  I'd offer to retake the photo but it would require chopping up more veggies because this bowl is sooooo gone!  When I've been desperate, I've used store bought tomatoes instead of the preferred home grown ones but you know which wins the taste test, hands down, no contest, etc., etc....  My recipe is on the tag tucked in this library pocket style project I had published in the June 2008 issue of Crafts 'N Things:

 

The outside of the pocket (above) and the tag (pulled out of the pocket) with the recipe (below):

When I give food as a gift, I usually attach the recipe, because often the recipient asks for it anyway, KWIM??  It's hard for me to give this one away tho, it's that good, I want to keep it all for myself.  Enjoy! 

It's a bug eat bug world

which makes it very hard when it comes to witnessing nature in action.  The more I garden, the more I see of the food chain at work and it isn't pleasant, especially when it involves a beautiful, beloved butterfly or an industrious honey bee.   In case you haven't guessed what's coming, a word of warning for anybody who prefers happy endings (myself included), please do not scroll down or read beyond this point.  The following is my distressing introduction to the Jagged Ambush bug (phymata americana) and his/her tactics in the garden.

It all started innocently enough with me, my camera and a beautiful Monarch butterfly flitting happily from one Buddleia (butterfly bush) blossom to another.  I take my eyes off said butterfly for several minutes to water my containers and when I returned (to take a few more photos) I immediately noticed the Monarch hanging oddly (try upside down):

 

Upon closer inspection, I noticed the Monarchs head is being held by a very small (about 1/2") bug.  That's the bug between the buddleia blossom & the Monarch in the photo above.  Of course my immediate reaction was to try and "save" the Monarch but once I was able to release it from the bugs grasp I realized it was too late.  What on earth???  This disturbing turn of events incited a whole slew of research into the identity of the bug and its habits so I could understand what had just happened.  For starters, I picked the bug off the buddleia and put it in one of my daughters old bug collecting jars.   Here's a close up of the predator in the jar:

My dad actually helped me identify it (he's better then bugguide.net) as the Jagged Ambush bug.  Apparently this bug has an abundance of patience, and lays in wait (usually on the underside of flowers/leaves, etc) for any kind of insect (doesn't matter how big or small).   At the first opportunity, it grabs the unsuspecting insect (with its powerful praying mantis shaped forearms) and stabs it with that beaked proboscis seen in the photo above.  The proboscis injects poison into the victim which not only paralyzes it but also liquifies its body contents so the bug can slurp up all the body fluids.  My poor Monarch butterfly never stood a chance.  Here's a look at how well camoflauged the jagged ambush bug was in the buddleia:

I've never noticed these predator bugs in my garden before and now I've started worrying for the safety of all the butterflies & bees I have been trying so hard to attract.  I almost don't want them to feed for fear of a repeat disaster.  Now that I'm aware of the jagged ambush bug, I see them on other flowers, like my Helianthus annus (annual sunflowers).  Check out this one sitting on the edge of the sunflower center: 

It wouldn't make me feel so bad if they would limit their prey to flies, mosquitoes, & yellow jackets but unfortunately, that's not how it works.  While inspecting the sunflowers, I noticed a honey bee on one of the heads then realized it too had fallen prey to the jagged ambush bug (you can barely see the bug on the underneath side of the bee):

I'll never watch butterflies feed in quite the same light hearted manner ever again after my experience yesterday.  Before I gardened, I never thought much about how difficult it was for other living creatures to survive but now I think it must be a miracle for any of them to make it to the reproduction stage.  Today I'm wondering if I will offset the balance of nature if I go out and pick all the ambush bugs off the Buddleia and Helianthus?????  What would you do??

veronicastrum virginicum

Yesterday I said goodbye to another favorite perennial (until next year).  I leave these beautiful, slender, flower spires until every last wisp of white is gone.  Only then will I deadhead it.  Luckily, the flowers bloom for a long time (during the Olympics, I was referring to it as my "Olympic bloomer"), starting in July and lasting a month or more.  The clump you are viewing has been with me for at least 15 years.  It's another (of about 10 perennials) that has made the move with me from garden to garden.  Two moves ago, I put it in a container and surprisingly, it thrived, so there it stayed.  A few years back, I removed it from that original container, divided it, planted one division in my front flower bed and put the second division back into another (bigger) container.  I would be hard pressed to say which does better as they both seem equally happy in their full sun locations.  The container division overwinters fine and in fact needs dividing again.

Both container grown & garden planted veronicastrums (also known as Culver's Root) grow 4' to 5' tall, their flowers very attractive to bees.  Butterflies are supposed to also be drawn to Veronicastrum but I haven't witnessed that so much in my garden??  The fabulous thing about this plant however; especially in my windy part of the world, is it never needs staking (despite its height.)  How can you beat that?!  The original plant was ordered from Milegars of Racine, WI.  I ordered many unusual plants from them fifteen years or so ago as my local garden centers didn't have as diverse a selection then as they seem to now.  Anyone else grow and love this perennial?? 

there goes my "baby"

This time of year can't be avoided, I guess, but it makes me sad seeing and hearing the rumblings of those big yellow buses in our neighborhood again.  I like the long, slower paced days of summer and I hate that my house feels like a tomb now that my daughter is back in school.  No TV, no noise, no one running in and out the front & back doors, etc.  Nothing but silence.  After awhile I get used to it and enjoy the quiet but at first it just feels "wrong."  I think even the dog & cat wonder what is going on.  I know I will get a lot more work done but I just have to get thru the adjustment period first.  Most of my friends think I'm nuts because they look forward to sending their kids off in the mornings but I know I can't be the only person who feels this way??

I created this 5" X 5" card last year for CardMaker's "Sketch Book" although nothing about it correlates to our current school district.  I never started school until after Labor Day but my daughter always goes back in August.  The date varies from year to year and the start time is also much earlier than 8:00 AM.  ugh.  If you have kids at home, have they started back to school yet?  If so, how do you feel about it?

no such thing (part II)

There's so much going on in my garden right now I decided to do a continuation of yesterdays post.  I hope you're agreeable with that??  The fabulous Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum 'Atropurpureum') is in full bloom.  The great "mop" heads are the first thing you see when you view my front garden.  Fuzzy and full of bees, there's nothing else like them.  Working in the side garden on Sunday afternoon, I discovered foxglove seedlings that had germinated from last years lone plant:

While this may not be noteworthy to many of you, it's the first time that's ever happened for me.  As you've probably been able to tell, I adore all cottage garden plants, the foxglove no exception.  I buy one or so each year in hopes of wintering over and having them bloom the following year.  It's been a dismal failure for me to date but finding the seedling gives me hope.  I am going to mulch, mulch, mulch this fall and maybe I'll have a much different outcome next spring....  Framing the side garden is a row of viburnums (I'll have to look up exactly which one) that have set fruit and are being besieged by flocks of robins hungry for the ripe berries:

Some years the bushes are so laden with berries their branches actually droop.  Not so this year.  The crop is sparse, groupings of two or three berries only.  I have always wondered if there is any correlation between crop production and the upcoming winter??  Does it mean anything?  Is it a predictor of mild or severe weather?  I saw what the Farmer's Almanac forecasted for our area and it makes me shudder.  In my mind, if a harsh winter is in store, logic says nature would provide an abundance of berries???  Anyone up on this kind of thing??  Talking about berries, my raspberries are notoriously slow to ripen, they are just now bearing edible fruit:

Yum.  Now it's an all out battle to see who eats them ~ the birds or me!  I'm willing to share but sometimes that feeling isn't mutual!  Lastly, my 'Hardy Plumbago' (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides) is providing some much needed color along my north walk.  This little ground cover is spreading along the evergreen border, something I am encouraging:

The blue flowers push out of the red calyxes, which is an eye catching combination in itself but wait, it gets better.  When plumbago finishes flowering, the leaves turn to a gorgeous mahogany red color.  Talk about getting a bang for your buck!  It's almost unbeatable, providing fall color from August well into October and sometimes November depending on the year.  Okay, I think I'm done for now.  I hurried the transplanting season (on Sunday) and moved my 'Black Cohosh" (cimicifuga 'brunette'), which I think was a big mistake.  It's not happy and is in desperate need of some TLC.  Wish me luck as I don't want to lose it....

no such thing

as an "end of summer" slow up around my house.  It (myself included) feel as busy in the garden as ever.  The Blue Mist Spirea (Caryopteris) could not be more alive if it were walking around the yard.  The flower stalks are so laden with honeybees & bumblebees alike, they literally sway about as if in time with music only it can hear.  Yesterday I was working near the corner of the yard where these bushes are planted and the incessant buzzing kept me company throughout my chores.  As I finished up, I noticed the 'turtlehead' (Chelone obliqua) was beginning to bloom:

This is another fabulous fall perennial.  I amended the soil in the partial sun bed where it's planted the other year and it's responded by quadrupling in size.  I say "bring it on" because look how fascinating the bloom heads are.  Kind of like with snapdragons, you want to pinch their "heads" together and look inside!  Also the 'Leonotis leonurus' (sometimes referred to as "lion's tail") which looked like this just a week or so ago:

is now breaking out in its signature bold color:

I truly love these plants.  They are commanding (6 -10 foot tall), exotic looking and hummingbird magnets.  What's not to love??  I have two different varieties planted in my front garden this summer and they are really spicing up the beds right now.  I grow them from seed each year (annuals in my zone) but for some of you they may be a reliable re-seeder??? 

There are one or two red gladiolus stragglers about to bloom that the grasshoppers haven't chewed.  I never dig these bulbs once I plant them and I'm happy to say they come back each summer and bloom beautifully.  (A nice change of pace for me since I used to have to dig them up each fall in my previous garden to overwinter).  The Anemones (wind flowers) have also sent up flower stalks crowned with tight buds so I'll be able to share those with you soon.  I know there are a million more things but I better stop for today.  I'll leave you with a picture of my cat lounging on the front step with me during one of my work breaks yesterday.  He only gets to go outside if he's supervised so it was a big treat for him:

Happy Monday to all.

ligularias

I've acquired several varieties of ligularias for my garden, purchased in the days when I wasn't quite so concerned about water usage.  Since then, I've grown exceedingly fond of them, despite the fact they are not practical in my climate, and thus I cannot imagine us ever parting ways.  This is especially true with 'Ligularia dentata.'  She's just beginning to bloom (end of August), see photo above, but I haven't been waiting around for the floral "show" with her the way I do some of my perennials.  No siree.  In fact I will sometimes cut the flower stalks off to keep the focus on what I feel is her finest attribute, the foliage.  In the photo below, you can somewhat see what I'm talking about (although I had my zoom lens on once again and didn't get back far enough).  The large rounded leaves get gigantic (often spanning 18 inches across) note the leaf on the right side of the photo: 

You have to plan for this kind of enormity.  In early summer, it appears I haven't done such a great job in that part of the garden, because there's such a wide berth of empty space between it and the surrounding plants.  By summers end tho, 'Ligularia dentata' has gobbled up that space and is crowding out those very plants that once enjoyed copious breathing room.  The one, original plant stretches magnificently across a four foot circumference.  I tell you, it's incredible.  At one time, I thought I would group my other ligularia with 'dentata' (since they both demand more water).  That concept is almost laughable now.  They are each so dominating, there would be no room for anything else.  So I moved "Ligularia stenocephala' (more commonly known as "the Rocket") to another bed.  Here you can see it nestled behind a languishing Rogersia (the latters needs to be addressed in another post):

The photo above was taken in July, the blooms (that haven't opened yet here) are completely spent now but just look at the fantastic serrated foliage on this perennial as well.  You cannot beat it.  See why we aren't separating?!!  So that neither thinks I'm partial to the other, here is a photo of 'stenocephala's' bloom:

Pretty sweet, huh?  Both ligularias are planted in partial to full shade and seem to thrive best that way.  I've had them in more sun and almost scared myself to death coming upon their wilted foliage (that I learned springs back quickly once the heat is off).  The soils have also been highly amended where they are planted (combine that with their shady positioning in the garden) and you see why they grow so robustly.  How can I part with plants that are obviously so happy and glorious in the garden?  I think I'll just keep overlooking their high maintenance.. 

Dear gardening pal

(read card message)

A sweet card I just made from one of my vintage watering can photos, an older Daisy D's patterned paper, a new "Little Yellow Bicycle" (by Deja Views) journaling tag, and friends rub on by Me & My Big Ideas.  I don't know that I can actually send it to anyone, isn't that selfish??  I like it too much.  So consider it yours via the Internet because that may be the only way you get it!  ;-)

margaritaville

Yesterday was somebody's birthday around here.  ahem.  That said, a celebration was in order, this time around by way of a margarita party.  Pomegranate & strawberry to be exact.  I was told they were girlie drinks but that's okay, we were a bunch of girls sitting around giggling and enjoying the evening.  Of course chocolate had to be involved too, that's where these came in:

It was a lovely night.  Thanks everybody!