Blooms and Unhappy Wahoo



Ohio Spiderwort w/insect

Purple Coneflower

After yesterday's marathon planting session, I dreaded starting in again.  Nonetheless I vowed  to finish planting the remaining rescues.  However, I was quickly sidetracked by several marvelous blooms.  The Ohio Spiderwort continues to bloom and this mid morning scene with a tiny insect enjoying the nectar demanded I take a picture.  Then I noticed the new Purple Cornflower was showing its first bloom.  This bed will be truly spectacular when all these plants fill out. 

A quick check showed that all yesterday's plantings survived the midnight digging creature.  Not a single one was disturbed.  Take that you masked marauder (probably a raccoon).  I guess it just couldn't deal with that new fangled wire contraption pinned to freshly turned dirt.


I  put a few more Wild Ginger into the new front yard bed along with several clumps of Bottlebrush Grass.  There's still a lot of empty space here.  I really want to keep this one bed totally native.  So I'll transplant some of the Bloodroot from an adjoining bed.  I am tempted to divide some Hostas (non native) to help fill in until I get some natives to take up the slack.

Unhappy Wahoo

Sadly the Wahoo looks even worse today.  I'm not holding much hope for it.  Of the other two I planted in the woods, only one looks happy.  I brought these larger plants home from Thursday's rescue as bare root plants (i.e.  no dirt around them).  I did put them all in a bucket with a  little bit of water and wrapped the roots in a very wet towel.  Perhaps that just wasn't sufficient.  Maybe I should have immersed their roots in water for the two days until planting.  Or maybe I should have just sucked up the energy and quickly planted them in a temporary location.  I think that should have been first choice. 



I finished planting the remaining Wild Ginger, and Bottlebrush Grass in a wetter area of the backyard woods at the edge of a small ravine.  Gathering up my planting tools (including my resurrected trowel) I was surrouned by a raucous chorus of bird song.  Apparently several broods of Titmouse had fledged and decided it was time for their parents to bring them food. 

As I walked around the front to make sure I had all my tools, I found these late blooming Columbine. 

All the rescue plants are planted.  Now I can rest for a while and enjoy.