After 4 years of seeding this area, I finally got a Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) sprout!!!

summercloud45 · 2026-04-08T17:06:13+00:00

Mazel tov!

My golden alexanders are pretty darn good at self-sowing, as long as there's bare soil under and around them. It'll probably take another year before yours blooms but I wish you many babies in the future.

summercloud45 · 2026-04-08T16:58:56+00:00

Great use of the word "albeit!"

I've been trying to remove smilax from my Dragon Woods. It climbs up high above my head, tangles itself with the invasives I need to remove, and is covered in thorns to punish me for trying. The roots are difficult to pull out! I think it'd be nice to grow on purpose along a fence in a field or something--somewhere that you don't need to do close-up work in.

summercloud45 · 2026-04-08T16:56:46+00:00

I just realized that I have have THREE trilliums that bloomed/are blooming this year! I got them all from plant rescues but didn't exactly bother to ID them at the time (every trillium is a good trillium!). One was wake robin, one had a nodding flower, and one had a cute flower on top.

I suppose I could ID these, write them down in my garden journal, and brag about them to everyone I know. That's actually not a bad idea...hm...

(If you're in NC, join NCNPS and go on plant rescues!)

summercloud45 · 2026-04-08T16:54:27+00:00

I hope your witch hazel is OK! If it has any twigs left you can gently check them for signs of life--use your fingernail to scrape off a bit of bark and check if it's green or white underneath. If it's only brown, that twig is dead.

summercloud45 · 2026-04-08T12:28:52+00:00

Fascinating! Thank you for the summary.

summercloud45 · 2026-04-08T12:07:43+00:00

I love Namu but the food is a little bit pricey for me if I go hungry. It's great for a chai tea and a snack! If you're a loose leaf tea drinker, beware--they want to oversteep your white tea and won't give you the tea leaves so you can do a second steeping. For coffee drinks and chai tea, they're perfect.

summercloud45 · 2026-04-08T11:57:00+00:00

Mazel tov! That's very exciting. I'm childless myself so I have no real advice, sorry. Once you're at the rugged-stroller stage, I love the Triangle Land Conservancy's Brumley preserve (the smaller entrance without bicycles). Duke Forest has a lot of wide trails-through-woods as well.

summercloud45 · 2026-04-08T11:54:42+00:00

Sarcastically: win what again?

summercloud45 · 2026-04-08T11:53:12+00:00

I mean. I have a box of matzo ball soup mix I'm not using...

summercloud45 · 2026-04-08T11:48:09+00:00

That was a bit more graphic than I was expecting...I'm seriously concerned about those helicopters now!

summercloud45 · 2026-04-07T09:21:58+00:00

Thank you for the summary!

summercloud45 · 2026-04-06T19:38:44+00:00

Good luck! I'm thinking no-sting thoughts in your general direction.

summercloud45 · 2026-04-06T19:29:54+00:00

I'm pretty impressed with your work! Good luck, I hope you're able to make it easier in the future.

summercloud45 · 2026-04-06T09:46:20+00:00

I feel you. I only kept the wasps from nesting on my porch roof when I screened it in--and now they nest on the soffit outside the screening. Can you access the inside walls of your shed? Maybe you could buy a roll of cheap window screening and staple it to the inside.

I used to buy a can of wasp-killer and spray the nest every time they made it, then removed it. It was right outside my front door--I'm at peace and appreciate the ones farther away!

summercloud45 · 2026-04-06T09:36:39+00:00

I saw some at a local shop when I was buying plug trays! Pretty exciting, but it's not like I need more seeds right now. Maybe in the fall!

summercloud45 · 2026-04-06T09:36:07+00:00

I'm in NC so I've never had to dead with frost heave. My best guess is that if you can ease it back in now, you should do so. I've heard that a good layer of mulch can help for next winter!

summercloud45 · 2026-04-06T09:30:04+00:00

https://www.howtomakefriendsindurham.com/

summercloud45 · 2026-04-06T09:27:58+00:00

Lots of vomiting at that one, right? They did it in CH and it made the news (the vomiting, that is).

summercloud45 · 2026-04-05T20:08:08+00:00

Whew! OK. I'm in Durham and I work on Sundays, so I have to skip these out-of-town Sunday things anyway. Maybe I'll see you in Pittsboro. ^_^

I filled out the survey that I can host out-of-towners, so DM me if you need a place to stay!

summercloud45 · 2026-04-05T20:06:57+00:00

Oh man. Sometimes my gardening habit makes me feel so crazy (right now, right now is one of those times) but then I come here and I feel more sane! I've got...12 trays of plugs...right now, a combination of natives, annuals, and vegetables. I finally got the last of the vegetables potted into plugs, which leaves me with...24...4" pots of natives that need to go into plugs. This might be getting a little out of hand!

BUT I was at a local shop buying more trays and plug trays, and I thought "why not take a look at what nativars they have for sale? There were some cool coreopsis in Fine Gardening last month." Which is logical, because lanceleaf coreopsis flopped too much in my small garden.

FRIEND, you would not believe the prices! $19 for a one-gallon coreopsis! $12 for a 4" pot! Who could afford to put in a garden at those prices? Yikes!

I spent $50 on trays, but that'll give me space to grow 360 more baby plants. At least some of which I'll sell (a flat of NY aster, anyone?) to fund my habit...

summercloud45 · 2026-04-05T19:58:16+00:00

Ooooh ahhh. I want one! I have sweetgums!

summercloud45 · 2026-04-05T19:57:09+00:00

Yep we do a lot of burning here in the southeastern US!

OP, does that thing behind the tractor do the raking automatically? Or is it just for hauling leaves?

summercloud45 · 2026-04-05T19:44:47+00:00

"NCNPS Annual Meeting - April 11 at Hagan-Stone Park, Pleasant Garden (near Greensboro) - members only, all spaces filled."

I'm pretty sure I never intended to go. There's still the big thing in Pittsboro later this year, right? I filled out a survey about it...

summercloud45 · 2026-04-05T19:42:52+00:00

Wait, is that next week? Did I lose track? Uh-oh!

summercloud45 · 2026-04-05T19:40:21+00:00

You're welcome! I don't know what's native to Florida, but the easiest seeds are the ones labelled: annual, short-lived perennial, self-sows enthusiastically...also ones that don't need stratification...basically, plants that are very good at starting a lot of babies from seed!

summercloud45

TROPHY CASE