Magpie Laughs

Howdy lovelies!
It's been a while since I checked in but I wanted to give you a garden/forest update:

So far, so good, mostly. I did try planting annual garden stuff like cucumbers and tomatoes and that was frankly a disaster, with only one three volunteers from last year's pumpkins hanging in.

The buttonweed, which is a lovely native plant with pollinator friendly flowers, continues to completely dominate everything in the yard and is my nemesis.

#NativePlants #Gardening #Update #Zone7b

Apr 26, 2023 at 1:15pmWeb
Show threadMagpie LaughsApr 26, 2023
In more on-purpose gardening news, my apple trees seem to be mostly still alive! (Winning!) My candycrisp apple seems thrilled with life and is very vigorous and my Granny Smith apple seems a little depressed and maybe a tiny bit root-rotten, but it looks like it's maybe just gonna grow a new leader and pull through. I'm rooting for it (get it?). I've got 100 strawberry plants in the ground now - 50 everbearing in two cultivars and 50 June bearing in 2 cultivars, and they are making berries!
Show threadMagpie LaughsApr 26, 2023

It's been a little more than a year since we moved in and I'm starting to get a handle on the absolutely incredible diversity we have growing here. I planted 5 blueberries so far (since they are from this area), and I even have one blueberry growing to show for it!

Additionally, we have some really cool species I've never seen before, including Black Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica), and Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboretum). I'll put descriptions with my photos for ID.

#gardening #Zone7b #NativePlants

Show threadMagpie LaughsApr 26, 2023

I want to write a whole post on the Sassafras sapling that is cheerfully growing under my deck, because I had no idea that Sassafras trees had such a fascinating history! I'm not from around here, and have never seen one before but now I love it and will find a good home for it.

Bonus trees - we have some kind of hickory (mocknut?) growing all around the edge of my forest which I love because it will make so much food for the birds and squirrels!

#NativePlants #gardening #Zone7b #Trees

Show threadMagpie LaughsApr 26, 2023

Wanna see some cool flowers?

Some of these photos go back a bit so you can see some of our neat spring ephemerals. Some I don't know for sure are native in our area because I couldn't get a 100% ID on them so if you know, shout it out! Oh, I also have Virginia bluebells that I planted and they are doing great, but no flowers yet because it's only their first year. Same for my milkweed and spiderwort and false indigo.

Let's go!
#flowers #nativeplants #gardening #Zone7b #wildflowers

Show threadMagpie LaughsApr 26, 2023

I have more wildflowers popping up everywhere but it's almost lunchtime and I have other obligations today, so I will leave you with blue-eyed grass (never heard of it before but I love it so much!), Venus's looking glass (this is everywhere in my yard) and some kind of mystery pink, apparently, and my woodland phlox!

#PlantID #Wildflowers #NativePlants #Flowers #Zone7b #Gardening

Show threadLionelBApr 26, 2023
@MagpieLaughs Nyssa has brilliant scarlet autumn colour. You are very lucky.
Show threadMagpie LaughsApr 26, 2023
@LionelB I feel like I accidentally bought a gold mine here! We purchased this home completely sight unseen from Germany where we lived. We had never even been to North Carolina before, and didn't see it at all until the day we moved in so it has been endless wonderful surprises. I think we bought the garden of eden. Just non-stop wishlist plants growing wild here. Every time I wish I had something it turns out we already have lots of it somewhere. (like the blue-eyed grass and the aronia).
Show threadLionelBApr 26, 2023

@MagpieLaughs

Hopefully a lot of milkweed and Joe Pye weed.

Show threadMagpie LaughsApr 26, 2023
@LionelB I hope so too! I haven't seen it yet - lots of common boneset and native grasses, but I planted bee balm and mountain mint and spiderwort and Virginia bluebells and two kinds of milkweed (swamp milkweed down at the bottom by the creek) and two kinds of Joe Pye weed so if we have some growing wild we will have even more!