I am joining the Six on Saturday gang at http://www.thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com with six photos of interest from my garden this Saturday. I am celebrating the simple pleasures this week.
The irrigation system has been repaired after a week’s hiatus with a clogged valve. My husband fixed it. Yay!. Droplets of water on Muhly Grass. It has been dry this week, the birds and butterflies were enjoying a drink along with the plants.
Irrigation in action. A half acre is too much to water by hand..
A mad cool black and white spotted moth chrysalis. I think this was two moths and they left together.
Tomato seedlings are coming up. Yellow Pear and San Marzanos are up, the Riesenstrube are shy so far.
My first homegrown carrot. ‘Very carroty’ is what my husband said. I planted the seeds in January!
Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus) emerging from seed. This is a native shrub to the Southeastern US that bears fragrant red flowers in the summer. I think I am a bit too far south for these. I collected some seed in a client’s garden a couple of years ago and decided to give it a go, not realizing they are famously difficult to grow from seed. Two out of eighteen sprouted. A shoot is appearing out of the middle of the curled leaves. The plant on the lower right is a weed, Artillery Fern, I was hesitant to disturb the seedling..
My six for this Saturday. Happy gardening…
The Shrub Queen 
I’m glad your got your irrigation fixed as it is a pain to hand water so much. I was testing mine late one morning and all the birds came for a shower.
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Me, too. Of course, it is raining today after all that. And the Dragonflies showed up…? Oh! I wanted to ask you a question. Do you cut your heirloom Pentas back? Mine are getting floppy.
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I’m not sure that mine are are heirloom. They are “Graffiti” and grow 12 – 14″. I have them in the front yard where I have to meet neighborhood requirements. (Got written up for a dead Bluebonnet, which was just ripening its seeds.) Most of these will come back after the winter and I do cut anything that looks dead and would upset the CIA…yes that is the name they go by.
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LOL, the CIA got after you for Bluebonnet seeds? That should be illegal in Texas. Yours are not heirloom, I think they are a variety of these. They are supposedly more attractive to butterflies. Something about butterflies not liking white throated Pentas. I will trim a bit and see what happens. Thanks.
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A good six! haha… your carrots are hairy just like mine!
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Instead of buying San Marzano ‘type’ canned tomatoes, I decided to grow the real thing this year. OMG they are ⁷SO vigorous!!! Sturdy, shoots coming off every leaf node, productive and fast growing and ripening. Give them lots of room!
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Yay, I started too late last year with seed so I am hoping for vigor. Thanks.
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Love that moth chrysalis. Will be fascinating to see the creature emerge.
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It is a Tiger Moth of some kind, they were gone the next morning.
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Sweetshrub sounds interesting. Those who are acquainted with it seem to like it. Our native is spicebush. I sort of like it, and am surprised by how popular it is. It really does not look all that impressive.
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The shrub is not particularly impressive but the flowers are cool. Ladies from the north Georgia mountains would put the flowers in their bras for perfume…
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It must smell better than ours, which smells like an old wine barrel. It is an ‘interesting’ fragrance, and I happen to like it, but it is not something to be worn as perfume.
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What is the latin on the wine barrel one?
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Calycanthus occidentalis. It is not native here, but it is native nearby. There are a few in the landscapes at work. I intend to propagate more. It propagates itself by layering. I pull up the layered plants and move them around.
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Interesting , I did not realize there were more varieties – Chloris has something called Hartlage Wine? Have to look these up, thanks.
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I did not realize either until I started seeing them online, posted by those who believed that their species was the only species. Some have rather ornate bloom, like small star magnolia flowers.
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Just looked this one up, not sure I could tell the difference between the two.
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Do you mean it looks like your species or Hartladge Wine? I believe that yours is more reddish or purplish burgundy. Ours is more brownish burgundy, with smaller flowers. I do not know though.
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Mine..if it flowers l will post pictures
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It is likely more brightly colored than ours. If looks like what I think it looks like, it is very similar, but with bigger and more brightly colored flowers.
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Congratulations on the carrot. I am currently growing potatoes. I love the detail on your photos – that grass is stunning!
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Thank you, I tried potatoes a couple of years ago. I think I got two, but they were really good.
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The two best potatoes ever! I am growing mine on a container and am very curious how it goes. First time.
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I think that is the way to go. too much sand in my Florida garden.
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Cute baby carrot– I love the taste if freshly dug carrots – delish!
Glad you got your sprinkler fixed, hand watering is soooo boring, I simply cannot find the Zen in it, esp. when it is hot.
Pretty spotted moths – guess you interrupted their intimate moment. 😉
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It was delish, the evil rabbit bit one and spit it out..can’t find Zen in watering either, though I have heard people say that. I am not sure about the moths – a type of Tiger Moth, crazy looking things.
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Well done for getting calycanthus to germinate. I have one called Hartlage Wine which I love. It is blooming for the second time this year. I love the moth chrysalis.
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Interesting! a Calycanthus cross from North Carolina between the American native and a Chinese cousin…I hope mine are fragrant, not all seedlings are.
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congratulations on your carrot! they are my veggie nemesis, i cannot grow them for love nor money. and yet i still gamely try every year. glutton for punishment..,.
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