Tiny Reclaimed Area

My biggest obstacle toward converting our field to a native meadow has been preparing the area.  I have tried smothering huge sections with cardboard and leaves, and, later, sowing eith a custom meadow mix...with mixed results.  Limited results.  I think I need to smother longer.

Last year, I smothered a small section with an old air mattress we used to use for camping--it had a leak.  Around that I used newspaper and leaves.  It is a small section, but a perfect place to plant some of the plugs I grew.

Knowing that rain was in the forecast, yesterday, I got a lot in the ground.  Mostly redtop grass (I think) and milkweed, but I also added a few others, including Penstemon digitalis.   Over the years, I have realized I need more grasses.  I planted the little I had.

It is small, but it is a start...reclaiming the property a little at a time.   Not very attractive...yet. 

Little Lady

I don't know if I have just not been watching, or what, but I haven't seen hummingbirds here for quite a while.  So, imagine my surprise when I saw one right outside my window several weeks ago (when the Penstemon digitalis was finishing up).

I encountered this little lady again, yesterday, while walking past the trumpet vine (that I inherited from a previous owner--it has only begun to bloom over the
past two years.

 Coming around the corner, I must have startled her...she took off ahead of me--probably the only reason I noticed.  Luckily, I had my digital

camera with me, and I zoomed in to snap some pics when I saw her alight on a branch of an elm tree.

I am glad to be seeing this little lady visiting...
and I hope she brings her mate and their friends--or their rivals...
I know how territorial they can be.

Second Batch are in Now Too

Look how root-bound they are.

I did get the second batch of first-year seedlings planted on Friday, but I didn't get a chance to post about it until today. Mostly I planted the wildflowers near the boulder again, but I did add a few near the sun porch and some near the front landscaping.

I decided to sprinkle a lot of the seeds from the daisy fleabane (Erigeron sp.) throughout the bare soil between the new plants. Hopefully they will help out compete any weed seeds and bring some additional beauty (and nectar) to the area. I also raked a light layer of mower-mulched leaves and grass clippings on top of them.

One Down, One to Go

I guess I only needed the right combination of time off, a sunny day, and some motivation to finally get the wildflowers I grew from seed into the ground. Who would've ever guessed it would be on Thanksgiving Day. :)

I found it easier to plant most of them near my pride and joy, the huge boulder. I'd been removing soil on the one side to expose more of the rock face, so digging down a bit more gave me a fairly blank canvas...except for some roots I didn't take the time to remove...and who knows how many weed seeds I probably exposed. At least the wildflowers have a head start and I'll have something to weed around if things do compete with them. Mostly, I planted the Penstemon digitalis near the rock; I tried to pull out the *tiny* meadow rue and planted them in a couple more appropriate places, but some of them were entangled with the Penstemon, so I let them go...along with the New England aster which, I'll try to transplant to a more appropriate spot next spring. Maybe this will teach me to plant each species of seed together instead of throwing them all in together--guess I'll have to wait until *next* year when I collect, as I've already mixed them all again this year.

Luckily it is in the high 50s today and it is supposed to be 60 tomorrow. I'm also lucky we are in the area this year and didn't have to cook either. I only wish I had thought to put on a pair of old jeans before I found myself kneeling in the dirt. I never know when the mood will hit and don't always think about what I'm wearing.

I'm not a good example, and I don't recommend to anyone to put off planting their seedlings like I did this year, but I do think as long as the ground is not frozen, the plants do continue to make roots, so hopefully they'll set even a little bit of roots into their new location. If not, they should still be fine. :)

Oh well, I'm thrilled to have half of them planted with plans to do the other half tomorrow. Dinner is at 3:00 today, so I'm going to have to stop now. We have another dinner with friends tomorrow at 3:00, so I'd better get up early and do some more--gotta remember to put on some work clothes next time.

Happy Thanksgiving. :)

tall meadow rue, Thalictrum dioicum, (I think)

Winter Interest

Here is another picture from today:

More Flowers

After the snails, bugs, and slugs post, I thought I'd post some things that are more traditionally considered beautiful:

Meadow Wildflowers

The woodland wildflowers are mostly done blooming now. During summer, I tend to turn my focus to meadow and wetland wildflowers. Here are some that are just starting to bloom.

The butterfly weed was actually the one I purchased two weekends ago. It is still in its pot and is a bit ahead of those I planted last year. Those are now up and forming flower buds.

The Penstemon digitalis is just starting to open up. The sundrops are from the flowerbed created by the previous owner(s).

I took these pictures before mowing the lawn, and before my encounter with the doe.