I suppose by now everyone who reads my writings is aware of how I am a bit relaxed about my garden. I let things get out of control. Since today is Wildflower Wednesday, I would like to focus on some of the "wild things" which have seeded themselves all over the garden. Drawing a map in the early spring designating the location of each plant, is something I never do.
First, I will provide a follow-up picture of last months wildflower Daisy Fleabane. It appears if you don't mow it down, it will expand.
The best place to see impromptu sprouts is in my exciting compost pile. Last year's compost pile held various other surprises. Every year is different. Doesn't this look like an exciting place?
On the right side of the compost pile are parsnips romantically intertwined with Love-in-a-Mist.
The one parsnip I forgot to dig and accidentally allowed to go to seed last year was in the strawberry bed. It caused this situation. They are delicious roasted so it is impossible for me to weed them out. I will wait and then rejoice at the work saved because they planted themselves.
It has escaped the netting and is marching across the path.
Here is an unknown tomato plant in the middle of the path right where I walk. Its fate will depend upon the type of tomato it produces. It had better be good because I will be avoiding it constantly.
UPDATE: It wasn't anything special and was sent to the compost pile.
This tomato was a bit more considerate. It sprung up beside the Lima beans where it will be easy to tie it to their support pole.
The area around the fence which is supporting the tomatoes is full of more surprises. Last year this spot held the peanuts and three have popped up in the same place. Evidently, they were missed during harvest and somehow managed to survive the freezing cold winter. Since I still have peanuts left from last year's bumper crop, I have not planted any this year.
Malabar spinach has decided to join the tomatoes on the fence. It will be kept under control by being tossed into salads. I don't cook it because it becomes slimy like okra.
A Green Wave Mustard plant also appeared in the fence row and even though it is my least favorite of the mustard greens, I did not have the heart to rip it up. I will cook and feed it to someone.
A red Spider Zinnia decided to grace my garden with its presence. All zinnias are welcome in my garden.
Not everything that pops up is welcome. This is a tiny Poke Sallet plant which sprang forth in the watermelon patch. It was removed as soon as I took the picture. The adult plant which probably dropped this seed is growing happily in the field fence next to the garden. It is up to hubby to decide whether or not to chop it down.
Persistent as always, these Cockscomb flowers are trying to take over the walkway. I do not approve of their behavior and grind them under my shoe as I pass by yet they continue to return.
The worst trespasser is this newly discovered patch of POISON IVY which has overtaken a tree in my front yard. It will receive a death spray as soon as there is no rain in the forecast. Sorry, no close-up pictures.
Who lives and who dies in my garden is determined by my whimsey and I am fickled.
Links Mentioned Above
August's Garden (2017)
Growing Peanuts
I Hate These Flowers!
mine is is as bad, I handed a Pretty flower to the Amish lady that used to live at 209 and asked what flower it was and she smile and told me it was a weed.... LOL
ReplyDeleteSometimes amazing things grow out of compost piles!
ReplyDeleteHope you are having a wonderful week!
Your garden is so large, so you can let some plants grow as they like it. It is surely a surprise to see how they develop, particularly the tomatoes. But of course not the poison ivy! In the meanwhile I had learned how dangerous this plant is. In Germany I have never heard about it. I hope the spray will help.
ReplyDeleteChristel
YOU ARE VERY BLESSED TO NOT HAVE POISON IVY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am tempted to move to Germany now!
DeleteThe spray will work but I hesitate to use it because it is toxic. We are on well water and I do not want to do anything that might contaminate it. This is a time I consider spraying to be a necessity. The vine has grown about 15 feet up into the tree and is twining around the branches. It would require a ladder to reach high up and I can't risk it falling in my face or touching my eyes. We have rain in the forecast for the next day so I will wait until after that.
We had a summer of rogue pumpkins. We tossed them into the compost pile after Thanksgiving and got a new dog shortly after. He carried the pumpkins and gourds all of the yard like they were his treasures. Now three years later we still find the occasional plant piping up where the soil gets disturbed.
ReplyDeleteI love that you leave all the volunteers. We leave as many as we can.
I love volunteers. Only weeding when the enthusiasm smothers what I actually planted.
ReplyDeletePoison ivy? Yuck, yuck, yuck. Here, we have poison oak instead, but it's still yuck:)
ReplyDeleteI have had volunteer cilantro and have volunteer zinnias popping up everywhere. We ate the volunteer lettuce, and there are several potatoes growing out of the compost heap. There are a couple of cucumber plants that have appeared here and there, and a few other items. I have something new this year I've never had before. In the onions I planted out in a row, little pepper plants are growing between them. I guess there were peppers there last year, but I didn't get much from them, and so am super surprised there are little peppers coming up. I have no idea what kind they are. It will be fun to see:)
Becky
Poison oak, yuck, yuck, yuck. I agree!
DeleteI have never seen a pepper seed survive the winter and sprout. They cross easily so it will be interesting to see what you get. I have heard, never seen it myself, that pepper plants are perennial. You might bring one in for the winter. I can't grow anything at all in the house.