I Don't Remember, I Don't Recall

Last year a number of columbines were added to our garden - a few red and yellow Aquilegia canadensis included in a native plants order from Possibility Place, Colorado blue Aquilegia caerulea, Aquilegia chrysantha hinckleyana 'Texas Gold' started from seeds received at Spring Fling - thank you Renee and Pam - and three (unknown varieties) self-sown seedlings culled from a client's garden. I have no memory of planting this pretty columbine.

Only the seedlings from the client's garden bloomed last spring. The rest were planted later, some not until fall. This pink and white one was by far the largest and most vigorous of all, and was inexplicably the only one unaffected by leaf miners.

All summer I thought this plant was one of the native red and yellow Aguilegia canadensis - in fact I was sure of it, and wondered how it managed to grow so large when the rest of the columbines were similarly-sized and much smaller.

Columbines are known to self-sow easily, and to be fairly promiscuous in their cross-pollinating habits. I supposed it's possible this one actually is one of the ones that had been labeled canadensis as I remember, and came from a canadensis parent that was pollinated by another columbine. Wherever it came from, it's really lovely, and as you can see, it's blooming like crazy - a very nice surprise in a garden that never fails to surprise and delight me.

Wildflower Wednesday - Dutchman's Breeches

Last weekend K, my new granddaughter, and I visited Mom and her Garden Buddy. We got to enjoy their beautiful woods, wonderful company, introduce them to their 10-week-old great-granddaughter, and attend a wild foods and medicinal plants seminar.

While there, several wildflowers in Mom's woods called to me. Among them was Dutchman's breeches (Dicentra cucullaria,) an old-fashioned bleeding hearts relative. Dutchman's breeches is a native plant I've long admired in the woods and occasionally in cultivated shade gardens. There is a large colony of them blooming at the foot of Mom's driveway. Since they were in such plentiful supply, I dug a few to add to our shade garden.

According to Wikipedia, this delicate, pretty spring ephemeral was a medicinal plant used by Native Americans and early settlers for syphilis, skin conditions and as a blood purifier. Now, it's considered toxic, containing alkaloids that may have detrimental effects on the brain and heart. The seeds of Dutchman's breeches are spread by ants, in a process called myrmecochory.

Mobot says Dutchman's breeches typically occurs on forest floors, rocky woods, slopes, ledges, valleys, ravines and along streams, that it prefers rich, moist, humusy soils in part shade, and is intolerant of wet soils in winter. While our shade garden soil is rich, humusy, and well-draining, it's also dry in summer thanks to its tangle of maple roots. These plants tend to go dormant earlier in dry soil than in moist. Since I've seen this plant naturalize in other dry shade gardens, I'm hopeful it will be happy here.

Gratuitous shot of Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis,) another wildflower in our garden. These were either trampled by critters or blown down by wind. Wilting, I cut these blooms to come indoors where they quickly recovered and are now gracing our kitchen window.

To see more spring wildflowers, please visit Gail at Clay and Limestone, host of Wildflower Wednesday on the fourth Wednesday of each month.

Spring Blooms

This morning when I went outside to take pictures for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, there was a coyote in the backyard. I didn't see the coyote until I was out there, and I was so startled, I didn't think about taking a picture before I shooed him away. It's rare I make George stay inside. He goes where I go, but this morning my intuition kicked in, and I told him "No." I'm very thankful I didn't let George come out with me. I know him well enough to know he would have chased the coyote. I suspect the coyote would have run faster than George, but I'm glad I didn't have to find out what might have happened.

Intuition can be a powerful force, and it was in high gear this morning. I learned a long time ago to listen to that little voice inside, and it rarely steers me the wrong way. There have been times I've disregarded intuition and acted on 'logic' instead, resulting in mistakes and regrets. I'm grateful I paid attention to it today.

Anemone Sylvestris

Chocolate Chip Ajuga

Old-fashioned Bleeding Hearts

The first columbine to bloom. And what's up with this??? It's supposed to be Cardinal. It was Cardinal last year. Now it's this oddly-shaped white blob. I hope it straightens itself out and subsequent blooms look like the lovely Cardinal that I planted. If it's decided it wants to be white, I hope the rest of the flowers look better than this one!

Woodland Phlox

Double Impatiens. I just love their rose-like blooms. It's too shady for roses in my garden, but double impatiens thrive and bloom from spring to frost in the morning sun here. It's a little cool to plant them yet, especially since I just bought them home yesterday and they were still in one of the greenhouses, so they haven't been hardened off yet. I left them outside in the sun after I brought them home, and brought them in overnight. When I told George to stay inside, he backed up from the door and trampled one of them, breaking off three stems. Oh well. It will recover. Better to have a damaged plant than a damaged George after a coyote encounter!

Neon Lights Tiarella

Creeping Phlox

Gaelic Magic Pulmonaria, down and dirty. This one was just divided. I guess I could have sprinkled off the soil before I took this shot. Oh well, just keeping it real!

Thank you Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting Garden Bloggers Bloom Day!