June 14, 2020 Survival

In this time of so many dark forces, sometimes survival is about all we can expect or hope to achieve.
Can we survive the ....
There are so many ways to fill in the rest of that sentence.

Well, this week in Iowa City we survived...a hurricane.
What?
Well, for 3 days starting last weekend we watched the radar as hurricane/tropical storm Cristobal worked its way up the Mississippi River. It was predicted to get to Iowa.  We knew it was to arrive on Wednesday.
It had been a little dry so I actually watered a few things that needed it last weekend.
(Potted plants are usually the first to really show signs of stress.)
Cristobal arrived on Wednesday about noon. While it did not have big winds, by the time we got home from work, a little after 5, our rain gauge measured 5.2 inches of rain. (Bob's more conservative gauge said 4.75.)
The new little dogwood that had been planted a month ago was about at a 60 degree angle.
A stake and a tent peg and some string seemed to do the trick.

When we were done with the hurricane  the cool weather arrived.
It has been a marvelous 3 days with windows open and a lovely breeze out of the east.
I actually appreciated a light sweater early in the morning.

With windows open I can get some great shots from the upstairs window. I removed the screen for better pictures. I love looking out over the backyard. (Part of that is that you cannot see the weeds.)

In last week's voting 

you liked these two blue flowers.

The blue in this first picture is just off the charts.

The full voting was:

This week 

is a little bit of a challenge.

We seem to be at a little in between time again.
The Siberian Iris are over.

We are waiting as the lilium come into their season.
The first Asiatic lilies were last week.
The daylily scapes, as they are called, are rising.
But they are all coming if the can survive...the deer.
Yes, at least one deer is back, so far just munching on some phlox, along with part of one lily.
I got the stinky spray out yesterday evening when the wind died down.
I sprayed the entire perimeter.

So here are some pictures.
REMEMBER YOU CAN VOTE FOR TWO, SINCE THERE ARE SO MANY CHOICES.

#1 Pink Orchid Cactus

#2 Orange Martagon lily



I bought this plant last year. I then lost it. I found the label this spring but I thought maybe I had planted it with the new dogwood tree on top of it.
I was wrong.
The plant turned up with its distinctive swirled leaves, about 12 feet from where I found the label.
Finding a lost anything is always good.
These martagon lilies grow nicely in partial shade. They should be perfect for my garden.
I have put this down on the 'more' list.

Here is some information about this little group of lilium.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilium_martagon

#3 Pair of white Iceland poppies

The poppies have lost their novelty and are quickly being overshadowed by the Japanese anemones. But they sill are blooming and are lovely.

#4 Asiatic lily Lollipop

Here is the second Asiatic lily to bloom.
I have always loved its name. Lollipop.
I gave some to a friend once. He lived 4 blocks away. His plants would always bloom on the very same day as mine.
We have some Lollipops in the front yard. They were a couple days behind this clump in the back yard. (See bonus section)

#5 White waterlily

I love how waterlily pictures can have reflection of the sky.
You can see the leaves reflected in this picture.

There was a pink waterlily bud yesterday. I expect it to bloom in a few days.

#6 Pink Calla lily

This flower just keeps getting better.
These are second year calla lilies. The bulbs came inside for the winter and survived some pretty serious neglect.  (Plants are more hardy than you think.)
In their second year they are bigger, reflecting the fact that the bulbs are bigger.

I did one thing a few years ago that is worth repeating.
I ordered and planted calla lilies in June. They then bloomed in August.

#7 Blue clematis

I have struggled at times with clematis in the garden.
But even with some neglect, if you give these plants a few years, they will hold their own.

#8 Purple Louisiana Iris

The light was just right for this flower.

#9 Yellow orchid cactus

There must have been 15 buds on this plant. I sort of hoped they all bloomed at once. But no. I got one or two all week. They will be done soon. I have displayed this plant in the front yard from one of the sky hooks.  After it finishes blooming I will  the night blooming cactus there.

#10 Red and Yellow annuals

The one on the left is lantana. On the right is the annual ascelpias.
They are planted together along the street, near our house.
I had not appreciated how they complimented each other.


There you have this week's pictures.
Please remember, the garden is always best viewed in person.
Everyone is always welcome to wander through.

Bonus Pictures

Here is some prepared driftwood, made just to accept an airplant.
This is Tillandsia 'Really red.'






















On the right is Tillandsia 'Elisa'.

















More Asiatic lilies this weekend.

Hosta pictures

Hosta are the backbone of my garden.
They do not get much attention when I show you pictures. Sometimes your backbone plants do not need to be splashy.
Here are a few that are particularly nice this time of year. (It is before some of the bugs that like hosta get organized.)

This is Amelia. After 4-5 years she is getting some size.






This is Winter Snow. She is in my top ten list. I should make that list for this year sometime soon.





This is First Frost. The blue ones with an edge are nice.








This next plant was not only lost.  I had lost it 3 years ago.
The picture does not do it justice.
It is perhaps 40 inches tall.
It is by the pond.
It is a Spuria iris.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_spuria

I had obtained it from a iris nursery in 2016.  When it did nothing in the next year I thought is was gone. This year this big plant that sort of looked like an iris grew to over three feet tall. Then it started to bloom all bronzy.
I sort of remembered getting one then. I looked up my invoice, which I still had on the computer.
There it was.

Now for the kicker.
Its name is
Ode to a Toad.
It is a name that deserves a label. I will get right on it.
I should add that there seem to be littler versions all around it. They may not be big enough to bloom. They are a good start to a great blump.
Wait until next year.

Julia's recipe
Asparagus salad

We like asparagus, and we eat it a lot in season (and sometimes out of season), steamed or roasted or occasionally as as ingredient in a stir-fry. This is asparagus salad. We'd never eaten raw asparagus, and it turns out to be great. This recipe (like so many novelties this year) in from Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden.



You'll need: a bunch of asparagus (about 2 cups, when prepared); 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs; 1/2 cup parmesan cheese; 1 lemon (for zest and juice); 1/2 cup chopped walnuts; 1/4 cup (or so) of mint leaves; 1 teaspoon of kosher salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper;1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1/4 cup (or so) olive oil.

An uninvited (and non-participatory) little jar of salad dressing slipped into the picture and the lemon did not.

My bunch of asparagus yielded about 2 cups of pieces,.Your bunch may give you more - this recipe would work as is with up to 3 cups of asparagus slices. More than that, and you will want to increase the other ingredients a bit.





First I toasted the walnuts on a pie plate in the oven (at 350 degrees) for about 7 or 8 minutes. Then I chopped them up into small bits.

While the nuts were toasting, I zested the lemon and also juiced it. I got about 1-1/2 teaspoons of zest and about 1/4 cup of juice. Use what your lemon gives you.












I put the walnuts, panko, parmesan and lemon zest into a big shallow bowl and added the salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes.

Then I cleaned and prepped the asparagus. I snapped off the ends (trust the asparagus: it knows where the woody part is) and washed the stalks.

Then I cut the asparagus, a couple of stalks at a time, at a very sharp angle - way on the bias.

I stirred up the mixture in the bowl and then added the asparagus and
stirred some more. Then I added the lemon juice followed by more (gentle) stirring. I tasted it and added another pinch of salt. Then I added the little mint leaves and the olive oil. I started with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and I felt that was enough. But you taste for yourself and decide.




Here it is in the shallow bowl. We served it as a side with roasted chicken thighs/potatoes/scallions all cooked on a rimmed sheet pan. The salad tasted just like asparagus and also like something completely new. Try it before asparagus season runs out.

Odds and Ends

Julia knits.
She has made some wonderful quilts over the years using this basic color pattern.
Now she made this baby sweater.
I thought you might like to see it.







I always like the seedpods from the tree peonies.
Most have 5 segments, like the one on the left.
The one on the right had seven. I found that odd.













This is the view looking up at the mighty Sycamore Tree. It is in the middle of the backyard. It is finally getting leaves.
For that reason yesterday I put up the poles and starting hanging the orchids in the back yard. They had been under the crabapple trees.

Now the crabapple hangers can accommodate the heavier plants such as the orchid cactus.













Stay safe, and avoid hurricanes.
It will be better in 7 months.
Philip