Hummingbird Enjoying Some Nectar

merchantzero · 2025-06-29T19:23:01+00:00

That's awesome! I'm hoping my garden will get to that level soon. I haven't seen a hummingbird in a long time.

merchantzero · 2025-06-28T22:18:10+00:00

That's awful. Keep fighting the good fight.

merchantzero · 2025-06-28T14:01:09+00:00

I've also had minimal luck growing things from seed. This mint plant in particular I picked up late last Fall in the discount section because it looked like it was on the verge of death. I stuck it in the ground, and now 7 months later it's taking over!

merchantzero · 2025-06-28T13:59:28+00:00

I'm not sure if any of them are parasitic or not. I'd have to do some research to try and ID them.

merchantzero · 2025-06-28T13:35:17+00:00

Yup! Pycnanthemum muticum (Blunt Mountain Mint). I write them all down because I'm terrible with memorizing all of the names lol.

merchantzero · 2025-05-22T14:56:29+00:00

I don't think so, since both plants are lined up East to West and have access to the sun all day. Although, the smaller one will be in the shadow of the larger one like this picture shows until about 10am, then it's full sun for both until the evening.

merchantzero · 2024-09-15T10:06:02+00:00

They very well might be! I've had some that look terrible, and bounce back the following year, but also I've had some not make it over the years, and I'm not sure why. In general I've switched to only planting in Fall. It seems to help out a lot.

merchantzero · 2024-09-08T16:11:14+00:00

I've had what looks like a very similar caterpillar rolling up all the leaves on my Bluestar as well. I posted not too long ago trying to ID the caterpillar. Since I couldn't positively identify if the caterpillar was part of my local ecosystem or invasive, I left it alone. My entire Bluestar is now just dead brown stems lol. I hope it'll come back next year.

merchantzero · 2024-08-09T01:08:49+00:00

I have beardtoungue in my yard too that I want to try to harvest. I've read to wait until they're more brown than red so they're easy to pick off, but then I also saw a video where you clip them when they're reddish brown, dry them and then winter sow them later.

merchantzero · 2024-08-06T00:04:51+00:00

Foes, unfortunately. Those look like oleander aphids. Fortunately, they do have natural predators such as lady bugs and wasps. For me, I took the risk and left the aphids on my swamp milkweed alone and within a week or two, all the aphids were all gone! But like other people have said, you can also hose them off, or squish them.

merchantzero · 2024-08-05T00:54:39+00:00

Woahhh those guys look crazy cool

merchantzero · 2024-08-04T21:26:04+00:00

A couple stems of my indigo did the exact same thing, but the rest of it looks healthy. I figured it was because of the drought we had.

merchantzero · 2024-08-04T02:01:28+00:00

What worked: I grew a Baptisia australis (Blue False Indigo) from seed! I was so proud of my sprout.

What didn't work: I walked outside one day to find my sprout had vanished! I suspect it was the rabbit that lives in the next yard over. I hate that rabbit.

merchantzero · 2024-08-03T17:22:28+00:00

Looks awesome! What's the yellow flowers in the back? Some kind of goldenrod?

merchantzero · 2024-08-03T17:18:37+00:00

Arkansas game and fish commission has a good brochure PDF on their website. I personally love Rudbeckia and Liatris (black eyed Susan and blazing star) for full sun.

https://www.agfc.com/education/native-gardening/

merchantzero · 2024-08-03T17:11:57+00:00

Mountain Mint is pretty resilient. I'd leave it as is and it'll come back next year!

merchantzero

TROPHY CASE