Another welcome native volunteer

On May 19, 2022May 18, 2022 By CarynIn Garden

We had a strange plant come up in the front garden. Both my husband and I left it alone because we wanted to see what it would be. It wasn’t prickly or sticky, spiky or viney, in fact, it looked more like a cultivated breed, we just didn’t plant it. I’m glad we left it, because when it bloomed it was spectacular. I plugged a photo into iNaturalist and received a classification of Genus Sabatia. A little bit of image searching yielded a match: the Texas Star. Sabatia campestris, also known as a Meadow Pink, is an annual native in Texas, and, if left alone, will form clumps of flowers that bloom all summer. The petals close up at night and open again in the morning, so are longer lived. We will be leaving it just where it is and hoping it seeds itself, as it is the perfect height between the creeping blue speedwell and the artemisia bushes. We love having native flowers, and I’m glad the flower beds are attracting new natives. I’ve no idea where the seed came from, it wasn’t in any of the seed mixes we’ve spread on the property, but I’m glad it chose that exact spot to grow.

I have also let the native volunteer oxalis go to seed. It likes the garden bed so well that next spring I should have a nice border by just removing plants that stray.

Tassels

On May 18, 2022 By CarynIn Craft

The time has come for the annual production of bookmarks. Each year I make book marks for my youngest’s teachers with her picture and an inspirational saying. I also make book mark tassels to coordinate with the picture. This year I’m using thin yarn from my stash, and upping the bling factor by using crimp beads to round off the heads.

I’m using a 6”x2” piece of plastic as a guide. I cut a 6” length of both yarns, then do 20 wraps of yarn around the guide.

I tie an overhand knot at the ends of the 6” pieces of yarn.

Using common whipping, I secure the cut bits of yarn.

Then trim the bottom of the tassel straight.

Finally, I use a short piece of wire to thread the top loop through the crimp bead and lock it down with crimp bead pliers to round the tassel head.

Tulips in a jar

On May 17, 2022 By CarynIn Garden

I walked past the bulbs in a jar in the store, then turned around to get one. We don’t have any tulips, and there was an orange one available on the shelf, according to the picture.

My thought was I could reuse the container to force more bulbs, and the orange bulbs could be planted once the flowers were spent.

The tulips bloomed, but looked very strange, not like the picture at all, or like a classic tulip. I believe these are peony tulips, which are still tulips, but they have multiple sets of petals instead of a single set seen in a classic tulip. I’m not sure how I feel about them; it seems they are trying too hard. We have triple day lilies growing out front, and I feel the same about them. Showy, but not elegant.

The blooms are almost spent, and you can see the layers of petals

I’m not sure how the bulbs will do outside once they’ve been forced inside, but we’ll give it a go to see.

Down down deep in the ground

On May 16, 2022 By CarynIn chickens

We have been on a burn ban for a long time, so I have not made ash for the chicken’s dust bath in a long time. They have made their own accommodations by stirring up the dust at the bottom of the tire and carrying it off in their feathers, thus digging a hole deeper and deeper in the center of the tire. I do add some diatomaceous earth on occasion, but it is going to take buckets of ash and dirt to fill the dust bath back up again.

Magic almost disappears in the dust bath depression

It is probably cool down there as well.

Double cat

On May 15, 2022 By CarynIn Cats

Thanks for sticking with me through that eight-day extended post series. As a reward, here is a picture of a double cat. Sophie decided it was a warm place to settle.