2012-08-02 Plant Update: July
Post date: Aug 02, 2012 4:43:24 PM
The gardens have grown quite a bit since I last updated you on the plants... let alone the fact that they are now all outside and in the planters! So, let’s get down to business:
All of the paintbrushes have been growing great, and some are getting quite large! No evidence of blooming anytime soon, but they are doing great.
The largest paintbrush plant
The blue flax has been doing alright. There have been a few blooms on the one plant, but they haven’t grown quite as much as some of the other plants. They have been a major favourite for the pea plants to wrap around, which has been pulling them around a bit. I have trimmed the peas back though, so hopefully they can grow properly!
A few of the grass plants have been lost in the West garden. With the sage, peas, and other things growing so large, some of the grass has become buried! I have been able to find most of it, and they are doing well, but they are still quite small. Only the one is growing very large, with blooms on the way!
The anemone is doing fine. It hasn’t shown any extensive growth, but they haven’t disappeared from the garden. I am waiting for these to show some great improvements here in August!
The violets have been spreading a lot! They are acting as quite good ground cover for the West garden. They have not produced any blooms since we receive them, but they still seem to be doing the job.
This is the spread of one violet plant
Our only locoweed plant has not shown any changes really in the past 2 months. It looks a little unhealthy, but is still holding on without worsening. I am not sure what it needs, but as long as it is not worsening I think it will be ok.
The nodding onion plants have not shown much growth either. They have been pretty static since we have received them! I am sure that when they come back next spring they will be a bit larger, but for now they are pretty small!
The sage is loving life in the garden! It is growing tall and wide, and also spreading and forming new plants across the garden.
Prairie Sagewort
The sagewort is also loving the garden, it is growing quite tall and is also spreading by forming new plants in the garden.
Sagewort plant that had found its way across the garden
The geraniums have grown quite a bit! Some new plants have also popped up, due to the seeds that were left in the reused soil. They have not produced any flowers yet, but the leaves are getting quite large (about as big as my fist!).
The avens have not shown much progress, they are simply filling out and getting slightly bigger.
The fleabane has also not shown much progress. They are mostly filling out as well.
The aster has grown quite a bit since it was planted! All of the plants have now produced at least one flower, although they are having a little trouble standing up straight.
The many blooms of the aster
The rue has not grown too much this past month, but it is growing. The leaves have been getting larger, but no bloom or vast improvements.
Our lonely bergamot plant is doing great. It has been growing so fast, and it has also been sprouting new plants around it.
The strawberries in the West garden are doing great! The last month has been the best for them, they are really enjoying the moisture on the West side. The strawberries on the East side are not quite as good, but are improving lots still. No signs of flowers or berries yet, but we still have at least a month!
The largest strawberry plant
Despite having lost the lone growing tobacco plant in the midst of the planting party, there are now numerous tobacco plants that are growing amazingly in the East garden! A few of the plants are nearing over 1 foot tall, and they are definitely the fastest growing plants so far.
The biggest tobacco plant
The yarrow has also been growing lots this past month, growing long feathery leaves and some plants even starting to show the evidence of flowers. The plants that were very small at the beginning of the month are now all growing large and wide!
Others
There have been quite a few other things growing in the garden. On the West side, there has been a strange fungus that grew last week, then ruptured with spores when I watered it. I haven’t seen signs of any new fungus growth, but I’m sure it is coming. It hasn’t seems to affect the plants. On both sides, there have also been a number of unknown plants growing. These must have come in with the potting soil, or with the plugs. Some are obvious weeds, but since this is meant to be a sustainable garden I will not pull them. As the plants become more established in the following years, I am hoping that they will be able to choke out or at least cover up such weeds, since our plants should be coming back larger and stronger every year.
Also, because this is a permaculture/self-sustainable indigenous garden, we are trying to keep them looking as much like they would in nature. If this means leaving strange species alone to grow in the garden, that is ok!
I hope that helps! Please go out and check on the gardens yourself!