Early September 2022 - The Wild Garden

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  What would the world be, once bereft
• Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
• O let them be left, wildness and wet;
• Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.

~ Gerard Manley Hopkins, from Inversnaid

The Kidneywood on the left is the star of the garden this year. It's beautiful and allegedly a favorite of butterflies and bees. It's hard to tell - there's much competition.

I keep trying to develop a way of keeping track of the gardens - wild and vegetable. Avoiding replanting of those things that have refused residence would be nice. A list of overly aggressive plants would also help. But what I have learned is that plants behave differently in this garden. Things that grow for my brother and sister laugh at me. Plants that don't thrive in their gardens consume any spare space for me. And growth, even in a time of drought has been surprising.*

What's new?

This year I located plants I wanted - Mexican Buckeye and Texas Redbud for two. Having seen a Kidneywood in a friend's bird photos, I sought one out. It is definitely a standout in the garden. I'm going to need to see about how to train it as it more than filled its allotted area. 

And I've gathered a few chose and volunteer spot fillers. Both basils (Italian and common) have self-seeded throughout the garden. The pollinators love them, so who am I to pull up these lovely and useful plants. My Tropical sage took over the left side of the wild garden. Other plants (and St. Frank) have been swallowed up by the lipstick red sage. Only now have I pulled a few plants that had spread into the walkway of the raised garden area (there are two basil and one milkweed there as well, but I let them stay).

Oh, almost forgot the sunflowers. I had sunflowers I planted, birds planted (from sunflower mixes) and that are the common type from the area. I left a number of plants up to feed the birds and the birds have LOVED them. I've seen all kinds of sparrows, Lesser Goldfinches, House Finches, at least one Red-winged Blackbird and a few doves (mostly white-winged) on the plants. The hummingbirds hang out there as well, apparently after garden spiders.

I've some bulbs coming up. They aren't natives, but I couldn't help myself. I suppose I am feeling confident enough to expand the plantings in the wild. It's never been a "native" garden although there are many natives planted there. So, what the heck....

What has struggled?

The Elderberry fell and have looked less than their lovely selves. The Copper Canyon Daisy is all but gone after splitting last year. Schoolhouse (oxblood) lilies are missing (swallowed by sages). I don't know if they are under the growth or not. Cut-leaf Daisies grew tall and fell over in the wind. They will be propped in the future. Many plants have struggled from an infestation of aphids. They have gone after Altheas, milkweed, and other plants I probably haven't remembered. Why? NO Ladybugs! Where are the ladybugs? I can only think the drought got to them or else some predator was at work in the garden. I'll order some next year.

Insects?

All in all the insect population was down. I still had a few wasps, but no stings so far. The fire ants moved around as I sprinkled diatomaceous earth (it does work) on their beds. Neither of us are winning. I've had a few stings, but not as many as most years. I also am short moths and butterflies. I wonder if neighbors poisoning yards may be having an impact? [I am now completely surrounded by developed lots.] We will see how things go. 

Vegetable Harvest?

The drought has impacted the harvest. While I have picked a few tomatoes, but the plants have suffered. I had a bit of luck with a patio variety early in the summer. Okra loves hot and dry so I have more than I can eat and share with friends. I planted eggplant this year, but haven't really done much with them. I've a batch ready to take to another friend this weekend if she's around. 

I had two varieties of lettuce early-on. I'm not sure what went wrong...freeze? And I had what looked like gorgeous garlic (2 varieties as well) planted last fall that never really developed bulbs. My onions on the other hand were LOVELY. I'll have to plant more next year. I'm apparently hopeless with green/purple beans. My peas looked okay, but didn't produce much. I've given up on squash (vine borers hate me, but love my squash). Radishes grew! Potatoes grew and have no calories as far as I can tell. Trust me.

Right now I still have ruby chard and kale producing along with the okra, tomatoes, shallots and a few varieties of peppers (Serrano, purple bell, and some mystery peppers). I've planted broccoli and cauliflower for the fall as well as some cover-crops (buckwheat and field peas) on the smaller raised beds.

Photos - - - The good, the bad, and the ugly.

These were all taken today just to capture the current condition of the garden. I'll comment on them and add some at the end showing the book I'm using to document some of the planting. Don't be upset by the hoses. They were just thrown out of the way for the young man who mows for me. [I also hauled about 80 gallons of water that I caught during the gully-washer rain from earlier in the week. I purchased two large sturdy garbage cans to consolidate the water storage (and treatment for mosquitoes) and tried to empty all the small pots I use to catch water off the roof. I'll be calling someone to come in and talk about a system. 

The vegetable garden with a hazardous couple of piles of hose...and recently emptied water pails.

L-R Buckwheat, shallots, cherry tomato plant in the small raised beds.

Buttonbush on the left stayed alive through the drought. This sad common sunflower is a bird magnet. A second was removed today.

In the front is one of the basils. I'm hoping the fig (in the corner) will start producing next year. Last year this was fairly open, but old, new,  and volunteer plants have made it impossible to walk through this side of the wild garden. Once I get to the fence I can approach that way.

These broccoli plants will be in pots. Fingers crossed.

I removed 5 sage plants from this area - some. More work is required, but I ran out of steam.

Friends don't let friends go to the store for tools or anything else that is near a garden center.

Partridge pea is a great companion to Indigo Spires. 

Chaos in the veggie garden. Tomatoes "get away from" me every year. I have an excuse this year. I traveled for a week.

I planted NO loofah this year, but stray seeds from last year's harvest started growing in the vegetable garden path. I left them for the pollinators (they love the blossoms) and I can eat the small gourds like the squash I cannot grow.

The Bur Oak is blocking the ugly elderberries. This is usually full of growth, but not this year. Briefly had Horsemint and am missing a Mexican sage (froze) and the huge Copper Canyon Daisy.

Some onions and herbs. In the wild are bulbs. This may become by bulb garden. The need for mulch is showing on the left. I've 2 bags in the garage and 6 coming tomorrow. Once the weather starts to cool, more mulch will be required. For now, getting 8 out there will take some time. 

One broccoli. The basil on the right is growing in the path.

This eggplant is really pretty.

Really pretty.

Buckwheat 

The Mealy Blue Sage has become well established.

American Bumblebee - They are the super pollinators this year.

The Bachelor button self-seeded from last year. The gaillardia was hiding under the sunflower.

This tomato is loaded down with tiny fruit.

This sage survived my two week trip in the house. I'll be moving it to the garden tomorrow.

That empty area. The shriveled sunflower is about to be removed. It was still feeding birds.

You have to love Wax Mallow!

This is a pretty view of the garden. You can see I will be working on more small trees on the fence line to block the neighbors.

That is the third "volunteer" sunflower on the upper left. I'm not sure that you can see the ridiculous amount of red sage in that group of plants. One plant turned into maybe 20? I should have counted.

You might be able to understand one reason I left the sunflowers to grow. But this one will require a hatchet when it is time for it to come out of the garden.

The Louisiana Iris on the left will need some attention. They bloomed in the spring for the first time in this garden. Some days I counted hundreds of blooms. I know I owe some people rhizomes. I hope they reminds me in October so I can mail them in time for planting.

Many of my herbs are kaput. This is a sage and is in great shape. I'm a big fan of cone flowers. There should be 4 plants in the wild garden.

The pot behind the Gaura is a face keeping a secret. I'm in love with it.

Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies.

Well, it is the "WILD" garden.

One of three oxblood lilies blooming. I gave away at least 100 bulbs. Now it is time to find a spot for them. There should be some under all the Tropical Sage.

My temporary water container. I filled two of them and I still have about 20 extra gallons in other containers. It will be good to save on watering for a while.



THE GARDEN BOOK

I've saved tags from 3 years of planting. It's a way to remember what was tried - what worked and what didn't.

Notes and diagram of the raised beds. There are templates for drawing each year's garden. The smaller raised beds move around. They are bigger than mere pots. Gotta call 'em something.

It was blank when I took the photo, but it has many notes now. You know there are plants in those geometric shapes.