Tangled Branches: Cultivated
happenings in and around my zone 6b gardens in northern Virginia and in central Virginia
Monday, May 05, 2008
More Natives: Salvia and Chionanthus
Over the weekend I noticed the ditch near the road had turned blue. I don't know how I missed these last year because the entire roadside is covered with them.
A few minutes with the wildflower books told me that they're Salvia lyrata, maybe a bit weedy (but native!) and hummingbirds will sip from them. And while I was sitting on the deck looking this up, a hummingbird came by to investigate some arugula that had started to flower but soon left in search of something better. Wait, wait, I do have something better! So I dug up a few Salvia plants from the ditch and moved them to the edge of the woods - one group where I can see them from the deck and one group in front of the house.
I thought the Salvia might look good next to this - another thing I missed last year - Fringe Tree or Chionanthus virginicus.
I feel sure that it didn't bloom last year and that's how I overlooked it, because it's right at the edge of the woods very close to the house. It's only about 3 feet tall now, but through my Gardeners' Glasses I visualize it as 15 feet tall and covered in white fringe.
Here's another curiosity at the edge of the woods - fuzzy oak galls. They look like some craft project from the 1960s involving spray paint - mostly white but just tinged with pink or red.
If anybody knows what they are, please tell me. A few Google searches didn't give me an answer, but I can tell you that the first hit for "fuzzy oak gall" is this post from Ki last fall. Not the same thing, however.
I hope to keep exploring the woodland over the summer and not ignore it when I get busy with the kitchen garden (like I did last year). Purely by chance yesterday, I found some foliage that looks very like orchid foliage. No photo yet, but I have high hopes.
Labels: chionanthus, hummingbirds, oak galls, salvia
10 Comments:
I love the fuzzy oak galls - I havent seen them like that before
I noticed something similar yesterday when cutting grass on the ground. I didn't think much of it until I saw a couple more today. I then noticed that they are actually attached to the leaves and then I saw a few still hanging on one of the oak trees. I am planning to post about it later this week. I did my research today and sofar I came up with wool sower galls. I have never heard of that before but pictures I saw look just like mine.
PatientGardener: I don't recall seeing any like that before either - they almost look artificial.
Bek: That's it! Thanks for the ID. I submitted it to bugguide.net after reading your comment. The person who responded to my query there asked me to confirm the type of oak it's on, which I will do this weekend.
I planted a Chionanthus last year & am still waiting for it to leaf out. I'd be thrilled if it bloomed. They have such interesting flowers.
Ooo, lovely, your old man's beard is already blooming! A rogue deer (aren't they all?) browsed on my tiny foot tall tree so I don't know if it'll bloom. It was sent to me already blooming at that size last year.
A sad note, I see no evidence of my hearts a'bleeding :((
MMD: I just read that they bloom at an early age (and Ki's was blooming at 1 ft. tall!), so maybe you'll get flowers soon. Supposedly the male flowers are showier, but I didn't look closely to see what kind I have.
Ki: Deer eat Chionanathus? Drat! They must have overlooked this one.
That's a shame about the Euonymus. I was thinking of trying to root some cuttings from mine. If it works out, I'll send you a couple and you can try again.
I've noticed a lot of Euonymus in the woods in central Virginia lately. It seems like everywhere we cut down big greenbriar tangles, Euonymus sprung up in its place.
I LOVE exploring the woods near us and finding wildflowers! Some even get 'rescued' and are happily living in our gardens. This particular woods is slowly being destroyed by some logging and it's a very small woods. It's sad to me to see what's happening to this place where we walk to enjoy its beauty. I'm certain hardly anyone else goes in there to see the treasures the woods floor holds. (We're in the middle of nowhere.) Their loss, but it will be ours too, for sure.
Hey, don't those gardeners' glasses work great? I am currently looking past the mess in my backyard, from the one cleaned-up bed close to the house to the other cleaned-up bed in the back. They keep me from seeing the wreck in between. ;)
So the hummingbirds will sip from the salvia lyrata flowers, eh? Maybe I'll have to leave some flowers on mine this summer, then.
Kylee: I'm all in favor of plant rescues like that. All the lots near where we live in central Virginia are wooded. I've never seen the next door neighbors venture beyond their mowed lawn (except to bring their dogs over for potty breaks in our "meadow").
Blackswamp Girl: Oh, I absolutely love my gardeners' glasses! We've only just started to garden at the new place in the country, and I'm afraid parts look a bit unmaintained in some eyes (see above comment about neighbors).
The books say the hummingbirds like S. lyrata, but I myself haven't seen them near it. I'll keep watching.
Wow, that's intriguing, and unique , haven't a clue but that is really cool!
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