Prairie
06-05-2008, 12:55 AM
Hello everyone,
I am not sure who all is here. There were some requests last month that might or might not have been added. Cyricx may be able to let me see the history and make sure everyone who wants to be on this forum is getting messages. The Rudbeckia started this spring by David and Snakebite in Iowa is completely ready to plant. They were in little 21/2 inch pots when they brought them down. Later, i bumped them to gallons and they are very happy in my compost. These will almost certainly bloom well this summer. I will bring them out next Friday when i come out for the board meeting. There are 12 gallons, i think. So that should be a nice display.* The same number of Echinacea are not far behind them for development this year. There is also a large flat of Lobelia syphilitica, the lovely blue one. It also has bloomed the first year from seed for me. So, this could be a very nice year in the gardens. Those are the fastest-developing species. So, some of the others will have to wait for fall. I would particularly like it if the Flora's gardeners got to know all the plants in the gardens. That way, if someone is weeding, there is less chance one of "our own" will be discarded. Also, sometimes meritorious plants find their ways in to the garden on birds, animals or other means. So, the best policy would be NEVER to remove ANY plant you cannot name by botanical name and state exactly the reason why it would not be desirable in the gardens. Any lesser standard would be the cause of regrettable losses. The wildness of the gardens is shifting into a more ornamental direction. Quite a number of the species in Flora's came in "on their own." So, let's learn from the Mother and become sagacious, selective weeders. I would be very happy to conduct tours for anyone wanting to know what is what. Let me know in this forum.
In the enclosure for wildflower propagation, two small Callirhoe that survived the year in plastic pots are establishing nicely. There are other plants there. I started some roots of Senna there a couple weeks ago. That is a big space. So, it will be years before it is fully functioning. Right now, there is a lot of K-31 fescue maturing a large crop of seed there. I would be VERY open to anyone who would mow this down and rake up the seed tops for distribution on the trails or other mud areas. The K-31 will certainly produce grass from that seed. I would prefer that those did not germinate in the native grass area.
Again, it would be a delight if some Flora's Gardeners would learn to identify natives and sometimes even harvest seed for propagation. Collecting plants from the wild is often frowned upon. I would be disingenuous if i did not admit to collecting plants sometimes when the population in a given area was large enough to spare the collected plants. ALso, plants in ditches that are mowed and sprayed by the county are in danger of being eliminated by those means if they were not collected and moved to safer venues. So, not all "wildcrafting" is created equal, no matter what botanical snobs tell you.:cool:
Blessings,
Prairie
*One way of filling the prairie propagation area up quickly would be to deadhead species like the Rudbeckias in the fall, when they are finished blooming. The deadheads could be gathered up and spread on areas of the propagation field designated as beds. These would result in populations the very next year. So keep your eyes open for deadheads in the gardens and in the wild as well.:puter:
I am not sure who all is here. There were some requests last month that might or might not have been added. Cyricx may be able to let me see the history and make sure everyone who wants to be on this forum is getting messages. The Rudbeckia started this spring by David and Snakebite in Iowa is completely ready to plant. They were in little 21/2 inch pots when they brought them down. Later, i bumped them to gallons and they are very happy in my compost. These will almost certainly bloom well this summer. I will bring them out next Friday when i come out for the board meeting. There are 12 gallons, i think. So that should be a nice display.* The same number of Echinacea are not far behind them for development this year. There is also a large flat of Lobelia syphilitica, the lovely blue one. It also has bloomed the first year from seed for me. So, this could be a very nice year in the gardens. Those are the fastest-developing species. So, some of the others will have to wait for fall. I would particularly like it if the Flora's gardeners got to know all the plants in the gardens. That way, if someone is weeding, there is less chance one of "our own" will be discarded. Also, sometimes meritorious plants find their ways in to the garden on birds, animals or other means. So, the best policy would be NEVER to remove ANY plant you cannot name by botanical name and state exactly the reason why it would not be desirable in the gardens. Any lesser standard would be the cause of regrettable losses. The wildness of the gardens is shifting into a more ornamental direction. Quite a number of the species in Flora's came in "on their own." So, let's learn from the Mother and become sagacious, selective weeders. I would be very happy to conduct tours for anyone wanting to know what is what. Let me know in this forum.
In the enclosure for wildflower propagation, two small Callirhoe that survived the year in plastic pots are establishing nicely. There are other plants there. I started some roots of Senna there a couple weeks ago. That is a big space. So, it will be years before it is fully functioning. Right now, there is a lot of K-31 fescue maturing a large crop of seed there. I would be VERY open to anyone who would mow this down and rake up the seed tops for distribution on the trails or other mud areas. The K-31 will certainly produce grass from that seed. I would prefer that those did not germinate in the native grass area.
Again, it would be a delight if some Flora's Gardeners would learn to identify natives and sometimes even harvest seed for propagation. Collecting plants from the wild is often frowned upon. I would be disingenuous if i did not admit to collecting plants sometimes when the population in a given area was large enough to spare the collected plants. ALso, plants in ditches that are mowed and sprayed by the county are in danger of being eliminated by those means if they were not collected and moved to safer venues. So, not all "wildcrafting" is created equal, no matter what botanical snobs tell you.:cool:
Blessings,
Prairie
*One way of filling the prairie propagation area up quickly would be to deadhead species like the Rudbeckias in the fall, when they are finished blooming. The deadheads could be gathered up and spread on areas of the propagation field designated as beds. These would result in populations the very next year. So keep your eyes open for deadheads in the gardens and in the wild as well.:puter: