5.05.2008

Garden Mysteries

Some puzzling questions.

  1. Why did the daffodils a street over bloom a week or two before mine even started budding?
  2. As long as I'm on the topic of bulbs, why do so many gardeners grow Grape Hyacinth? At our old house they were a terrible nuisance. Every year they somehow managed to escape a bed surrounded by a concrete walkway and the driveway and get into the lawn. They seemed to be heading for the neighbor's yard - they moved a little closer every year. Anyway, I never hear anyone complaining about their grape hyacinth spreading, and can't help wondering why?
  3. What will the Mystery Berry Cane turn out to be? I suspect either blackberry or raspberry. We had a large blackberry bush at our old house, along with a strawberry bed. I think I miss the fruit bed more than I miss any of the other gardens. Although the Lilac Bush is a close second.
  4. Last September my Mom got me 2 clematis plants that were on sale at the local farm market. If I recall correctly, it was buy one get one free. They are supposed to be climbing the lattice that is supposed to form a windbreak for my veggie garden. The mystery is: I mixed up the tags after planting them, and have no idea which one is which. The 'Clematis' photo folder has 2 sub-folders labeled 'left' and 'right'.
  5. What is the 'mystery weed', and how do I kill it?? This weed has frustrated annoyed plagued me since I built the (veggie) garden last year. At first it was only in one bed. Now it's in both beds, and in the paths. It spreads through it's roots, and for some reason I can't get the entire root out. I suspect that the newspaper layers weren't thick enough or didn't overlap enough and that's why the root always breaks, no matter how careful I am in pulling the weed out.
  6. The question most people ask around this time of year: 'Will the lilacs bloom for the lilac festival?' Right now they are on schedule. The question becomes 'Will they stay on schedule?'
  7. Will any more of my winter-sown containers sprout? So far the parsley and basil have sprouted. And one that doesn't have a label. I'm sure I thought I would remember what was in it, since it was the only one without a label. Based on my garden journal, the educated guess is that it's Cilantro.











Just some things to ponder.
~Sarah

4 comments:

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

I wondered the same thing about poker plants. My dad has the same ones he lives 1/4 mile away. His are finishing up blooming. Mine are just now starting to bloom. That is so weird. I use to have GH too but not sure where they went...lol a gopher ate them no doubt.

Anonymous said...

I've got tons of grape hyacinths and have not had any trouble with spreading. Until this year. And it's not so much trouble as it is perplexing. I bulb somehow jumped a sidewalk. How can that happen?

Charley "Apple" Grabowski said...

My deepest sympathy - it looks like you have horsetail weed. Try this link.

Sarah said...

Cindee- Maybe it has something to do with micro climates or something. Given our past experience with GH, I wouldn't lament their loss. :)

Jim- I wonder if they start to spread after a certain amount of time. I don't know how they manage to jump sidewalks, but somehow they do!

Apple- Thanks for the link. It looks like I may wind up taking the bed apart and doing some digging...
~Sarah