What's Blooming Now 2013

[linrose]

Thank you ellenwright, what a nice thing to say!

[linrose]

Goldenrod holding court. A stray volunteer garden phlox still blooming. One of the Ladies' tresses, almost ran over it with the mower. The deep purple of ironweed. Trumpet honeysuckle 'Magnifica' not showing signs of retiring.

[EllenW]

Originally Posted by linrose

From this morning in the field. I'm hoping the thistle is Cirsium discolor, our native Field Thistle.

Originally Posted by linrose

Goldenrod holding court. A stray volunteer garden phlox still blooming. One of the Ladies' tresses, almost ran over it with the mower. The deep purple of ironweed. Trumpet honeysuckle 'Magnifica' not showing signs of retiring.

Beautiful. Are all these pictures you take from your property? If so how long did it take to establish your gardens?

[linrose]

These are all from our property. We "maintain" the field, about 4 acres by mowing paths, trying to remove the invasives like Japanese honeysuckle and multiflora rose, and brushhogging every three years to keep the woodies down. That's where the goldenrod, ironweed, butterflyweed etc. live.

I also started a prairie garden four years ago New pocket prairie garden project
It took about three years to get established. I also started a mostly native terrace garden last year, renovating a mostly non-native garden. New terrace garden project

Other than those two garden borders I've planted various native shrubs, trees, ferns, grasses and forbs scattered around the acre or so around the house. I'm trying to get a small woodland area going now. That one may be the most challenging. I've had to smother invasive plants, mostly Japanese stiltgrass, with chopped leaves before trying to plant anything in there. The area was degraded, the builders used it as a dump for tile, broken brick, etc. After we cleaned that up we've been trying to build up the soil with leaf mold. Now I have a little corner with ferns, wild geranium, wild phlox, celandine poppy, bowman's root, etc.

[EllenW]

Originally Posted by linrose

These are all from our property. We "maintain" the field, about 4 acres by mowing paths, trying to remove the invasives like Japanese honeysuckle and multiflora rose, and brushhogging every three years to keep the woodies down. That's where the goldenrod, ironweed, butterflyweed etc. live.

I also started a prairie garden four years ago New pocket prairie garden project
It took about three years to get established. I also started a mostly native terrace garden last year, renovating a mostly non-native garden. New terrace garden project

Other than those two garden borders I've planted various native shrubs, trees, ferns, grasses and forbs scattered around the acre or so around the house. I'm trying to get a small woodland area going now. That one may be the most challenging. I've had to smother invasive plants, mostly Japanese stiltgrass, with chopped leaves before trying to plant anything in there. The area was degraded, the builders used it as a dump for tile, broken brick, etc. After we cleaned that up we've been trying to build up the soil with leaf mold. Now I have a little corner with ferns, wild geranium, wild phlox, celandine poppy, bowman's root, etc.

Wow that is wonderful all those gardens. I think my state will get a wildlife meadow started for you if you have an acre or more. Then you maintain it. My next door neighbor has several acres he mows every week. I told him about the program. He is still out there mowing every week...sigh!

I think I have Japanese stilt grass also. I have been trying to identify it for sure. Are there any native grasses that look like Japanese stiltgrass? I don't like to get rid of anything until I can identify it.

[havalotta]

The deep purple of ironweed.

Beautiful color. I see it's hardy to zone 5 or so.

[NEWisc]

Originally Posted by linrose

From this morning in the field. I'm hoping the thistle is Cirsium discolor, our native Field Thistle.

It looks like it could be C. discolor to me too. The flower seems to be the right shape and color. If the undersides of the leaves are whitish it is almost certainly one of the natives, probably C. discolor.
http://wisplants.uwsp.edu/scripts/de...?SpCode=CIRDIS
Pasture Thistle (Cirsium discolor)

[EllenW]

This is a very tall aster. I hope it is native because I love it. So do the butterflies and bees. What butterfly did I capture? I need to learn to id butterflies. thanks!

[linrose]

Beautiful capture ellenw! That looks like a Painted Lady butterfly. I don't know what the aster is but it's beautiful too!

[dapjwy]

Originally Posted by linrose

I'm trying to get a small woodland area going now. That one may be the most challenging. I've had to smother invasive plants, mostly Japanese stiltgrass, with chopped leaves before trying to plant anything in there. The area was degraded, the builders used it as a dump for tile, broken brick, etc. After we cleaned that up we've been trying to build up the soil with leaf mold. Now I have a little corner with ferns, wild geranium, wild phlox, celandine poppy, bowman's root, etc.

linrose, I'm looking forward to your upcoming thread on your pocket woodland project!

Although I think you are a lot farther along than I, we seem to be approaching our properties in similar ways.

I have a very small area that I smothered with wood chips about two years ago. I've since added a selection of native wildflowers hoping to create a kind of meadow. I have a lot of first year seedlings of wildflowers and some little bluestem grass to add still--they were supposed to go in last month. I figure next year it will begin to really fill in, then the following year, perhaps it will be pretty well established.

I'm still adding shrubs to various spots...and I have plans to add many more along the slopes and hedgerow areas...and bordering the back of my pond (once I get it installed!).

My woodland project seems to be a little stalled since I lost one or two of the few good-sized trees in that area. After hiking with havalotta and Equilibrium in some natural woodlands and later a pretty much intact strip of woodland where I work, I realize just how far I really have to go to get even close to what nature has going (it really reminded me about "the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago"--but I wasn't here 20 years ago!).

I hope to watch your projects progress as mine do here. I've a long, long way to go, but as things grow in, I'm hoping it will be less daunting and more beautiful.