June Sunset Wander

I'm trying something new this year...inviting you to join me on my wild wanders. Here are some of the plants I visited with this evening, just before sunset. It's a beautiful time in the North Country!

The first rugosa rose of the year. These flower flush in June and then continue to bloom until the first frost. Each day, I harvest their petals for Rosewater Toner while tiptoeing among a diverse array of bees.

There is something so lovely about the subtle white and yellow flowers that are blooming in the field tonight — not too showy, almost comforting.

The nannyberries are blooming! A tasty wild edible that tastes like raisins, if you’re patient enough to remove the huge seed.

Honeysuckle bush that has taken over the understory of my woods. Each spring, I hand pull the seedlings and cut back the bushes, hoping to give other species a chance at the light.

A Japanese honeysuckle bush that was a decorative planting in my yard. I’m conflicted about keeping it, as the berries are non-nutritious for the birds when they eat them, but the bush is so very pretty.

I associate asters with fall, but these beauties are popping up on the field edges today.

The hawkweed is thinking about blooming! Every year, they grow up right in the middle of the lawn, and we don’t have the heart to cut them back when we mow.

The yarrow is growing slow and steady this year. The flowering tops appear in many Half Wild herbals, including Green Wonder Salve and Herbal Bug Spray.

The wild red columbine poking up from ditches on the side of the road get me every year. Such defiant beauty; we could all learn something from these flowers.

Daisy, daisy, facing the setting sun. They always make me smile.

Hawthorn Love: Easter Sunday pruning

After an early dinner with neighbors to celebrate Easter, the sun came out and the air warmed up, and the yard was calling our names. My favorite little hawthorn tree, which sits between the garden and our stream and is surrounded by comfrey, always needs a little love this time of year. The wild grapes and Virginia creeper and wild cucumber all love to climb onto the low branches of the hawthorn and quickly engulf the small tree. During the summer, I cut the vines off from the ground, but leave the remaining vine up in the tree to avoid ripping down too many leaves. Each spring, I carefully pull out the dead vines to give the hawthorn a fresh start...a little ahead of this year's vines.

This year, I also pruned two small branches off the tree that were growing cross-wise. The overall shape of the tree is just darling, so I was careful not to go crazy pruning away branches, as it's easy to do once you get the loppers out. Just as if you were painting a portrait, it is very important to take a step back and look at your work while pruning a tree, or you might just go overboard. 

While I was out in the yard, I also pruned a few branches off of a forsythia bush because I love to force them into bloom in the house this time of year. I'm trying to force the hawthorn as well, and took a small branch from our apple tree because the blooms are so pretty. Stay posted for a blog about forcing forsythia soon. For now, here's a picture of all the branches sitting in warm water in a sunny window, starting to wake up:

twigs soaking in warm water

In the garden near the hawthorn, the horseradish roots are just starting to sprout. I haven't harvested them in a few years, so this year will definitely be a horseradish year (get out the goggles!).

horseradish sprouts

It's such a wonderful time of year, as everything wakes up to greet the warming sun. Happy Easter/Ostara, everyone!!!

A jade plant in bloom

A wonderful thing happened shortly before Christmas: one of my jade plants came into bloom! I didn't even know jade could bloom, and in an entire lifetime of keeping jaded as house plants, this is the first I've seen bloom. 

The clusters of pink buds formed over a period of weeks, an then they opened slowly and bloomed for a very long time. It is over a month since the blooming started, and the flowers are still open, though just starting to fade. 

i've done some reading since this unexpected blooming, and it seems that cold temperatures and direct sunlight are needed for a jade to bloom. I also suspect that a couple of early fall fertilizing gave the old potted plant a boost. This particular plant was a recent gift, and I'm pretty sure it hadn't ever been fertilized. My new (and now favorite!) fertilizer for house plants is a nettle infusion added to the watering can. To make the fertilizer, I use half a cup of dried nettle plant, steeped in one pint of boiling water for 12 hours. Strain and add to your watering can. This has been a wonderful alternative fertilizer since I gave up Miracle Grow in my journey towards a healthier, more sustainable life. I use nettle fertilizer on all of my house plants now, and the are blooming and thriving in a way I have never seen. Try it on you plants and let me know how it works for you!

jade plant in bloom