This was the third weekend in a row with a #monarch #butterfly just flying circles though the yard. #NativePlants #pollinators #gardening
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Marie Kung
@mariekung@growers.social
mastodon 4.6.0-alpha.1+glitchThis account is focused on my efforts to grow things in support of the humans and animals living around the house.
Header pic: a grouping of crocus flowers, five purple-and-white striped and one white, in a leaf-mulched bed
Profile pic: Me striking a casual explorer's pose- flat hand up, shading over the hat brim to look out into the distance- next to a Thomas Dambo wooden troll sculpture so large only the legs are visible.
137 Followers
36 Following
50 Posts
Joined September 20, 2023
Location:
Northeast Illinois US
Hardiness Zone:
5b
Land:
Suburban yard
Experience:
6th season
Not a glamorous shot, but half the #garlic harvest is in the basement after an initial dry in the garage. I increased the planting count and now need more space.
There's Music, Duganski, and German Red. I know which ones some of them are... just not all of them. #gardening
The hollow joe-pyes (Eutrochium fistulosum) are super popular right now. Lots of bees and butterflies. This monarch feasted all day Saturday. #NativePlants #pollinators #gardening
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A few spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) flowers still opening near the end of their season. As close to blue as I can get from the garden. #gardening #NativePlants #BloomScrolling #NorthernIllinois
Only a handful are open right now but the entire wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) area is so primed. #NativePlants #NorthernIllinois #gardening #pollinators #bees #BloomScrolling
Garlics are coming along. I didn't record my fall plantings correctly and now I have a section of mystery #garlic plants I have no memory of putting down. Note to #NewGardeners: You will not remember, no matter how "obvious" it seems that you will. 🙂 #gardening #GrowYourOwn
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I may have underestimated the space needed for #potatoes. Hilling with leaves but will need more leaves. #gardening #GrowYourOwn
Little bluestem grass (Schizachyrium scoparium) front of the expanding swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) patch. #NativePlants #NorthernIllinois #gardening
One neighbor is dropping off fallen tree branches. The other neighbor contributes coffee grounds and banana peels to the #compost. #Gardening is contagious! 🙂
The wild geraniums (Geranium maculatum) are 3x larger than last year. I'm also finding their catapulted seeds germinating all over lol. I'm glad they're in a happy place. Such lovely color and doing great in part shade. #gardening #NorthernIllinois #NativePlants #BloomScrolling
Aw yeah, garlic scapes. Some went on pizza. Some went into stir-fry. More for later. 🙂 #gardening #GrowYourOwn
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Bumblebees on Culver's root (Veronicastrum virginicum) and mountain mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum) for the white. #NativePlants #gardening
80F in early spring and 30F in late spring results in frost-damaged peas and frost-damaged Joe Pye (Eutrochium fistulosum). Luckily, plants are tough. #NativePlants #gardening #NorthernIllinois
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Celebrating David Attenborough's 100 - the baby rabbits in the compost bin have opened their eyes. Estimating at about 13 days old. I think there are at least three but they are quite squirmy now. #Attenborough100 #BackyardHabitat #BackyardWildlife
The blurry photos are because it finally rained after a dry spell and I didn't want to step out to get closer. This is the first year there's a mourning dove family hanging around and I'm fascinated how different they are from the usual bird residents. This one was basically showering in the rain, raising wings, stretching, and generally having a nice cleaning time. #birds #BackyardWildlife #NorthernIllinois
Last year, I added some woodland sedge (Carex blanda) to help the Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) stay more upright. It's working better so far but there's still a lot of growth to come. #gardening #NativePlants
Tall Boi Island started with six tall prairie #NativePlants. It is now dominated by three. Photo taken with the camera held overhead. Cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) is the big one. Obedient plant (Physostegia virginian) in front. Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) in the back. #gardening #NorthernIllinois
There are many stories about how naive young rabbits are. This little one thought nothing of coming alongside to see if the yellow coneflowers (Ratibida pinnata) are tasty. Don't worry, the bunny got to snack. 🐇🙂 #NativePlants #gardening #NorthernIllinois #BackyardWildlife #BackyardHabitat
My local indie family-owned nursery is celebrating a big milestone with free hotdogs. Just another indicator of why I vibe so well with them. 🙂 #gardening #food
Sharing a new Anjou pear tree this #ArborDay weekend. I'm trying for a backyard #orchard following Grow A Little #FruitTree by Ann Ralph.
Unfortunately, the nursery already psyched me out of the brutal first cut. I regret not doing it just like the book said I would. It's already so much larger in just 10 days. Any hashtags specific to this part of #gardening?
Still with freezing overnight temps here in #NorthernIllinois, but the #perennials are doing well. Re-located and re-spaced the green onions (yes, perennial in my #Zone5b) today. Also found the second flower of the yard: a small bit of yellow on a Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea). The 2025-added Carex blanda sedges seem happy and are expanding. #NativePlants #gardening
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I think the #rabbits left their compost bin nest yesterday after 16 days. Here's one of the last photos of them. I still can't tell if there are two or three. #BackyardWildlife
A weekend of almosts in #NorthernIllinois. Hit 80F and the bees are out but the plants aren't ready for them yet. Pictured: marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) and tulips. #gardening #NativePlants
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The baby rabbits in the compost bin are so much bigger in just a few days. Eyes still closed but a lot more hair. And did I mention bigger? #BackyardHabitat
Seems like everything in the #garden shot up by inches over the last three warm and rainy days. Feels nice to have some spots of color around and the rain barrels filled. #BloomScrolling #tulips #gardening
A DIY #RainBarrell system waiting. The garbage cans, bungee cords, and screening material work so well together that I'm not bothering to "upgrade." Eventually, they'll all be right-side up with the downspout redirected over top.
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Thanks to everyone for the good advice! I have reserved a loose soil area for the potatoes experiment so I'll try putting some in this weekend. Perhaps I'll hold back some of the seed potatoes just in case a replacement batch is needed. 🙂 #gardening
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@redcrew I probably should have gone that way, but I have Russet Burbank, standard brown, instead. 🙂 They're roaring for soil. I'll cut some up tomorrow for the weekend trial planting. Please let us (me) know how the bag method works for you. #gardening
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@redcrew@mstdn.social The ones one the left came out last week. The ones on the right are from earlier this holiday weekend. I took out the rest today and had one split bulb. Think I got right to the edge of their time in the ground. How are yours doing?
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There are still spiderwort flowering, but I didn't get outside early enough. So the hosta will have to do for the blue. The bumblebee doesn't mind. #gardening
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@redcrew@mstdn.social Their land must be so valuable now that I worry about their future. One of those mega-sized car washes just opened two businesses down.
I buy from them whenever I can and it isn't any hardship. Their super-affordable vegetable starts are healthy growers. And their native plant selections increase year after year. It's nice to see the same people and know them by name.
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@mikemccaffrey@pdx.social I'm definitely seeing the self-seeding in action. I was hoping for ground cover so it is still okay for now. 🙂 I have plenty of undesirable weeds to push out.
Are they something you could mow over? Or are you in a woodland setting?
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@Lizette603_23@mastodon.social Thanks! They are new to me and I'm not sure what to expect yet.
The more intense storms this year have brought down all the squirrel nests in my neighborhood. (And sent plastic up there instead) With otherwise bare trees, they're using the soft evergreen leaves of arborvitaes (Thuja occidentalis) for temp housing. Unsightly for the yard, but I'm glad the ecosystem provides. Sometimes I forget #gardening with #NativePlants is more than flowers for pollinators.
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@chris@westmichigan.social Michigan State has plant lists split by geography.
https://www.canr.msu.edu/nativeplants/plant_facts/local_info/index
You may have a local Wild Ones, botanic garden, or master gardener org as well. Their websites should be helpful.
I find #NativePlants very rewarding and relatively easier to grow once I got out of the "cultivated" mindset. I hope you'll enjoy too!
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@GPJohnston@mastodon.social Will our mysteries be solvable? We'll entertain ourselves staring and wondering. 🙂
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@Broadfork@mastodon.green I'm happy for the garlic. I'm sad for my brain. 😄 Maybe this will be the year I label properly. Ha ha
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@Quasit@beige.party Some people prune and some people not at all. There's a lot out there about the "right" way but I'm not convinced there is. I tend to just make sure the pollinators and my arm can get where they need to go. 🙂
The first pic shows the shadow of a head-down bee through the leaf of a cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum). As the name describes, the leaves attach completely around the stem, creating a large rain-holding cup on this large plant.
I wonder if this aids flying creatures and thwarts walking ones? We haven't had rain for a while, and I leave water saucers out but maybe I'll fill some of these natural pockets too. #NativePlants #NorthernIllinois #gardening #pollinators