Mariposa Lilies, European Hazelnuts and Balsamroots

Mariposa Lilies, European Hazelnuts & Balsamroots
Greetings earthlings! Today I am writing you on my new Alphasmart Neo, so if there are lots of mistakes, then please just ignore them.
Some of the European hazelnuts actually had their buds unfolding when I looked at them today! Last year they were really set back by the winter, but this year they look a lot better. In fact, they seem a couple of weeks ahead of the local beaked hazelnuts. I am quite excited about this, as I may actually be able to see them fruit in my lifetime.
Another exciting observation: next to the bitterroots (which are doing very well by the way), I had planted seeds from various species of fritillary and mariposa lily about one and one half years ago. Last year I was disappointed in not finding anything; however, this year I observed at least two germinants. I can’t be certain what they are for sure, but judging by the size of the seed and the width of the leaf, I’m going to hazard a guess that it is one of the mariposas. I’ve really been looking forward to this as I wish to determine if they can withstand our cold. Should this be the case, then I also wish to determine if I can cross them with our local species. What strange mutants I hope to make!
During the week I cleaned up the front yard by weeding and removing old dead leaves and stems. It looks a lot less wild now! In the process of cleaning up I observed that the rhombic leaved sunflower tubers are sprouting all over the place in their designated section. It’s almost like a carpet. Their cousins, the balsamroots, are also sprouting healthy furry leaves. I wonder if they will bloom this summer? They are barely one year old.
Good growing. MM

Prairie Anemone

Prairie Anemone
Two years ago I dug a prairie anemone (Anemone patens) out of the ditch and planted it in my front yard. Last year it produced leaves, but no flowers. This year it appears to have a bud. These native plants are becoming more popular in greenhouses and garden centers. Personal observation has shown that this plant prefers well-drained, sunny sites, usually with a south or west exposure. Due to the late summer moisture deficit experienced by these areas, it usually has a short intense period of growth and blossoming in the spring. After seed has set the upper portion of the plant usually dries up and the roots go dormant. For this reason it is a good idea to mark it well so you don’t accidentally uproot it while weeding.
Belonging to the buttercup family or Ranunculaceae, it has fuzzy leaves, seeds, and flowers. The flowers are usually solitary and are purplish blue. Many species of anemone are also referred to as windflowers as the fuzzy seed hairs are able to carry the seeds a fair distance in even a moderate wind. These are some of my favorite plants as the blooms are early and conspicuous amongst the grasses where they are found. For early spring color and cheer, you can’t go wrong with this hardy little plant in the cold dry garden. MM

Observations in the Bitterroot Patch

The Bitterroots Have Risen!
I finally made it out to the big garden and planted my thorn less honey locust seeds; the ground was thawed but muddy. Here, at this time of the year, it is hard to tell if there is still life in some of the smaller seedlings: I’m talking about the domestic cherry; domestic plumb; domestic apricot; Japanese quince; European hazelnut. The only seedlings that were overflowing with life were the elderberries and the princepia (the elderberries grew wild in my front yard and I transplanted them into pots that I buried in the big garden; they already had their leaves open!).
Of the more local native plants, the Spanish bayonet did very well and the beaked hazelnut looks very healthy. In the bulbs, the yellow fritillary lilies and the blue camas are just poking up the tops of their leaves. Best of all, the common bitterroots that I seeded in fall of 2005 are up and healthy; possibly the greenest top growth in the whole garden!
While I was out there I dug over my half of the greenhouse and planted some zucchini, long English cucumber and mixed melon (from fruit we bought at the grocery store) seeds. In the afternoon I went home and cleaned up the old dead leaves and stalks from the asparagus, the plants that were in the cold frame and some of the perennials in the front yard. A quick survey of the front yard showed that the crocuses and the blue starflowers are blooming, and the yellow fritillary and blue camas are poking their leaves up through the soil here as well. When I get a moment I must research the distinguishing characteristics of the different species of crocus as I wish to find a reliable source of colchicine to further my production of mutants. I hope everything is growing good with you. MM.

What My Readers Want (A Blog About Butterworts).
As a thank you for your supporting my blog I am devoting this edition to you: the reader. My sit meter has shown that the most common search term attracting readers is Pinguicula a.k.a. the butterwort.
This is a small plant with a cluster of dime-sized pale yellow sticky leaves that lay flat on the ground. The leaves can have slightly upturned edges. An erect flower stalk supports a small bilaterally symmetrical purplish flower vaguely reminiscent of a wild violet.
The big deal about this plant is that it is passively carnivorous. Instead of grabbing passing bugs it has adapted itself to a life of collecting pollen and small dead bugs on its sticky leaf surfaces and digesting them in the open. The main reason plants have selected carnivorous lifestyles is to supplement their nutrient requirements as they usually live in areas that are low in nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Protein is rich in these items (especially nitrogen), so these plants have adapted to extract the protein from the dead bugs and pollen and use it for their own metabolism. Many carnivorous or insectivorous plants live in fens, bogs, swamps and muskegs where the flowing water removes available nutrients but insect life is abundant.
Personal observation has shown butterworts are not much different from other carnivorous plants: they seem to prefer wet mineral soil, usually tending toward the heavier clays. I have seen these little guys growing in the moss along the banks of seasonally flooded mountain streams and rivers. I have also seen them growing around springs and seeps where the slumping action keeps competition down somewhat. Trails around mountain lakes also can be blessed with butterworts, probably because the disturbance of the trail users keeps down competition; an important consideration for something with such short stature. As for light requirements, they do seem to tolerate most light intensities except for the extremes of near either one hundred percent light exposure or absence.
If I were to set up a plot for butterwort culture I would use a basin at least 30cm deep (to maintain even heat around the roots), and fill it almost full of clay. Leave a small pocket or hole in one corner clear to the bottom to allow you to see how high the water table is (see if your plants need watering). Line it with a synthetic cloth that is not waterproof. To support the cloth in place brace some broad flat rocks against it. This way the water can flow around the rocks and through the cloth to get into the soil. Position the hole below a downspout to ensure that it receives a fairly constant water flow from a pure water source. Make sure the basin gently slopes down toward the hollowed out hole so that it is the only part of the basin with standing water – you don’t want to wash away or drown your butterworts.
Keep the water table high, even if this means supplemental watering during droughts. Try to use rainwater, and if this isn’t available, then try filtered water. If the drought is a short one, you may get away with using ordinary tap water; but try pouring it into your depth gauge hole and not directly on the plant. To hide the fact that this is a basin in your garden, you can pile rocks and moss or soil around it. Even more interesting and temperature regulating: you may want to burry your basin so that its soil level is even with the surrounding garden. If this is the case, make sure that it is slightly tilted to allow excess water to drain during wet weather: make sure the depth gauge hole is the lowest part of the basin. Happy planting. MM.

SOME HAVE SPROUTED!
Last Monday I planted all my pepo seeds: small shining light watermelon; snap melon; sugar pie pumpkin; vert grampant melon (all from J.L. Hudson); mixture of cantaloupe and honeydew melon seeds from fruit I bought in the grocery store; mixture of both small and large fruited papaya seeds from fruit I bought in the grocery store. I am pleased to report that some seeds have sprouted in all of the pots containing cactus seeds and pepo seeds. When I notice germination in a pot I leave the cellophane cover on for about three more days before removing it. The only seeds that have not yet shown any sign of life are the copal and the papaya.
The mold has made repeated appearances in the pots containing my star cacti. So far I have resorted to a good stout spraying of 3% hydrogen peroxide on three different occasions. After the cellophane came off of the pots I have discontinued hydrogen peroxide use and am removing small isolated tufts of mold with a clean toothpick. This seems to be effective at the moment, as the soil is beginning to dry out.
On Friday I took the ten Asimina triloba seeds that have been stratifying in the fridge for the last three and one third months (they still haven’t sprouted yet!) and planted them in the front yard, which is now free of snow. I observed that the soil is now thawed on the surface during the afternoon on warm days. I also noted that my crocuses have leaves poking up through the soil. I had hoped to plant my Gleditsia triacanthos inermis seeds yesterday, but was thwarted by the cold snowy weather.
On Friday I heard a Merlin behind our house. They usually hang around here for a couple of weeks in the early spring. I expect they are probably mating. I have had several different sized nesting boxes out for them for over a year now with no result. It’s possible that I might have more success in a more rural setting where I could have some larger trees to set the nest boxes up in. The red polls are still swarming to the feeders. I have become concerned about the stray cats that wander into our yard. Our town has a cat bylaw forbidding animals to run loose, but people don’t seem to care much for the safety of their pets. If it was my kitty, I would want to know that it wasn’t curled up on the neighbor’s nice warm truck engine when he goes to start his vehicle. I have known many a loving pet to have been seriously wounded by the unexpected starting of a motor. Sometimes I think people are a lot dumber than their pets! Happy planting! MM.