Does this sound like a shrub you could love? I have grown two small trees/shrubs of Poncirius trifoliata from seeds. I purloined the fruit from a Chinese bitter orange tree during a trip to Charleston years ago.
It’s the thorns that got me.
I did not covet it for its fruit nor its blooms. It was its thorns that captivated me.
Poncirius trifoliata thorns
Here is a little tree that can take care of itself. No forager is going to steal its fruit!
I know it can be invasive. I know it is a touch-me-not plant. I do not care if it ever blooms or produces fuzzy, little bitter oranges. I would never make marmalade anyway!
Poncirius: A plant not to be petted.Not invasive since no fruit…yet.
I love it because it has unmistakable, impenetrable, unapologetic bounderies. This plant screams DO NOT MESS WITH ME!
Our big leaf magnolia took over a dozen years to produce its first big, beautiful blooms. After thirty years of its living here in our yard, it has finally made numerous pods.
Magnolia macrophylla pods
Magnolia macrophylla pods are larger, rounder and fuzzier than the cultivated type that is common in the south, Magnolia grandiflora.
M. macrophylla Pod
They remind me of royal scepters. Green and yellow pods are very fresh and should not be harvested until they turn tan or brown in late summer or fall. These can be used in arrangements.
Magnolia pod/fruit/cone
There are also medicinal and culinary uses for the seeds. I have never harvested pods, but I may try to preserve one of these in the fall.
I love everything about this tree. It is one of my trees that I literally hug when I visit it.
I will admit that the blooms of Passion vines are outstanding. The complex details make the flower a favorite of photographers.
Passion vine bloom
The leaves are uninteresting, though also complex. But there is one, cute, little feature that gets ignored. The tendrils. I must admit to a tendril fetish.
Tendril
These little curls reaching out to grab anything for support have my heart. What faith these curls have in growing away from the stem and twirling around in thin air hoping to make contact with anything that will help them fight gravity and climb higher.
Hang on!
Wouldn’t it be nice if we had tendrils waving around finding close-by support. It’s one of the reasons I love vines.
An abandoned garden has certain signs that the gardener is absent. There is an unkempt wildness that is noticable to those of us who notice such details.
Most folks glance over blindly and barely acknowledge the weeds and flowers that need dead-heading. But certain signs leave no doubt that the gardener in out.
I have repeatedly scolded MR. FLOWER for acting as if he can replace my full-time expert care. He does not even know the names of my treasures, much less proper preening techniques.
Overgrown Creeping Fig
There is one sign that above all else shows an absence in proper maintanence. It does involve out-of-control growth. But even some of that could be the chosen look of a bohemian botanist.
When I see this anywhere, I know that nobody who really loves the garden is home.
Moss is under there somewhere.
When the face of a statue is cloaked in greenery, you can bet no botanist nor artist is making regular rounds.
I do hope I remember to atleast uncover poor Moss’s face before I leave town. Lily needs a bit of attention, also. The wall can be totally covered in greenery, but my cute, little, sentinel statuary should be visible.
I am home for a few days. It is too hot here. I have spent most of my time inside, on my bed, icing my hip. The new joint parts are great, but the incision is infected. I am taking antibiotics four times per day and changing bandages frequently. Nothing is ever easy with me. I joked with friends that I must go through hell and nobody should try to help me!
I arrived here Thursday evening just in time to see my ‘Spider to Fly’ daylily blooming. The blooms had been eaten by morning, so no photos. Such is the life when cohabitating with deer. I have thrown in the trowel! No more fighting nature over plants here. The battle must be constant or it is futile.
Since there are no flowers to share, I will show some human activity. I have done several posts about the new island which formed across the river. First a helicopter landed on it, then a plane landed on it.
PARTY SANDBAR
Now it is a party spot for boaters. Mr. Flower reported that nine boats and numerous jetskis had docked on the sandbar. He said he saw a football flying back and forth across the scene.
We used to do that, take the boat out and find a place to spend the afternoon. Our boat has not left the dock in two years. Fun has been low on the list for a while. I hope that will change. But for now, it is good to see some folks enjoying an afternoon of fun, sun and friends.
My first report is about the snail traps and beer. Three traps were empty, no beer, no snails. Two were disgusting. Full of milky beer and dead snails of every size. Some snails were still swimming. I have decided to test some other Snail products, since this was not a clear win. I cannot bend to change these. I imagine they would get more nasty over time. Stay tuned for Operation Snails Part 2.
Empty or gross. Lose:lose
I must also report on the snails that did not partake of the alcohol in the Tiki Bars. They just keep coming! Basil must be their favorite food. I put this pot up on a block and they climbed to eat it.
Snail climbing to basil.
Another favorite is Beach Bum Blue Evolvulus . It has no flowers, few leaves and is covered in slime. Not the look I was going for!
Beach Bum Blue. No blue, only snail slime.Irresistable plants moved to safety on pcinic table. Oh, the irony!
I have been graduated to no walker on flat land. I can also drive again. I am grateful to be unencumbered in my movements and not dependent on others so much. I will still use my all-terrain walker in the yard and grabbers to keep from bending past the 90° limit.
Ready for action
I am happy to report that the beheaded ‘Lucifer’ Montbretia has rallied due to deer repellant and is looking lovely, though lopsided.
Lucifer rallying
The rhododendrons are really putting on a show here in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This is the time of year my parents would host their church’s “Fifty Plus” group and serve home-made peach ice cream on the porch. I sure do miss them. I am doing projects in their memory to help with mourning. No worries.
I will work on these during rainy afternoons when I cannot silently stalk nature. Stay tuned for reports on these activities.
A family of turkeys came through our neighborhood this afternoon between storms.
A family/flock of turkeys
We spotted atleast three young birds with two adults. If their markings show which sex they are, they are called Jakes and Jennys. I could not tell if they were mature enough for that.
Turkey
We have had several storms each day. Sometimes we get a glimpse of a bright rainbow. I love it here on the mountain.
I will be very particular with my plant purchases for Zone 5. I have wasted a lot of money in my Zone 7 gardens over the years. That will not happen again. I now research every plant for deer resistance. So far there are four new plants that have not been devoured by deer. They are cone flower, lantana, ice plant and an Epimedium.
The Echinacea Sombrero ‘ Red Salsa PP#23105 tag says Zones 4-9. It seems happy on a slant near a wall.
‘Salsa Red’ Sombrero Echinacae
Ocean Sunset Orange Glow Ice Plant survived being stepped on by a hunky EMT named Kurt. This Delosperma’s tag claims extreme coldy hardy.
‘Ocean Sunset Orange Glow’ Ice Plant Delosperma
‘Hot Blooded’ red Lantana camara is growing uneaten in the front flower bed. It is hardy to 32°, so it will be treated as an annual.
‘HOT BLOODED RED’ Lantana camara
My latest Epimedium is named ‘Pink Champagne.’ I could not resist any plant nicknamed Fairy Wings. It also claims to be hardy in Zones 5-9. This is not blooming but also not being eaten.
My favorite plant store in Boone gave me this list several years ago. I will be referring to it religiously from now on. Thanks Mustard Seed.
floweralley 