The 2012 March heatwave...... Early flower blooms, busy bees, sunburns. And chatty people. This is one place(on Long Island, NY) where I've put things in the ground 1-2 years ago. This time of year I love appreciating all the green subtleties, the reward/excitement of this year being the year motherwort will get flowers, among others....more to come, can't wait to see everything grow! but i can.
Some little cuties coming up. Sun loving Moonwort seedlings.(They'll take 2 years to flower and go to seed...they're the shiny 'money' plants or silver dollars. Sowed some peas around St. Patrick's Day(I'm still just going to follow regular planting times) that's a mini teepee for them to climb up for now.
A second year woad plant, use the leaves for making a blue dye. Last year it was just a basal rosette, but this year it's stalk will form with little yellow flowers and long seed pods. It's invasive in some areas. Right now I've got one which won't yield much, but I'm going to save the seeds(and maybe freeze the leaves) for that special time when I'll have space for 'harvest' dye crops. I like this loner. It'll teach me more about the plant by being the only one. For now.
And there's my little window box I built 2 years ago out of my aunt's old kitchen cabinets. Originally I had 'crops' growing in it but last year when I planted a strawberries, they seem happy and come back so it is now a berry/perennial herb box. I just transplanted the oregano, chives, mint, and blackberry vine(purple leaves) which has been neglected but is now showing new leaf growth(after pruning) and probably happier in a more spacious home. With some friends.
And for the other garden patch.....
Nettles are coming up, eventually they'll be a patch in this section, since it stays pretty moist. They seem most appropriate over here. Watch out bunnies. And I know I may be crazy for domesticating mugwort but I like it in company with my garden. All over New York you'll see these little green(actually they're fuzzy bluish when they're young like this) creeping over roadsides, fields, anywhere, really. We've been pulling it up at the Restoration Farm I've been volunteering at. Its roots spread quickly by underground runners that easily snap but easily send out new growth. Prolific, invasive, makes nice tea, aromatic, makes a good third eye incense(clairvoyance). Its underside leaves have matted soft hair. It gets much bigger(3ft) with tiny tiny magenta flowers. I like mugwort, looking forward to getting to know it better. I like invasive plants that can be of use.
Speaking of use, here's some Motherwort that's coming back, looking great, and more pointy than its first year. Yay!
More to come! Happy Spring everyone! I'll be posting my turtle construction progress soon........<3
