Monday, May 25, 2009

Saturday's Garden and Farmer's Market Loot

My rugosa rose. Not fancy, and with flowers growing at the ends of long canes, but they smell so delightfully rose-y, and make really nice rose hips.

Wild blackberries. Looks like it will be a good year for berries this year.


Some sort of wildflower/weed growing in my front lawn. I had thought these were the wonderfully-named "pussytoes" but i don't think they are...whatever they are, i like them, and try to mow around them so they get to bloom.


My mountain laurel, bursting into bloom. The previous owner had cut this bush to ground but it resprouted from the roots and is quite a nice size now. I really like mountain laurels, even though in the wild they grow into huge tangles that are impossible to hike through!


Here's my gorgeous Festiva Maxima peony. As usual, the huge flowers weighed down the stems so i had to hold this one up for her portrait. My whole front yard is filled with wonderful spicy peony fragrance from this one plant that has about 8 blooms on it.


Bowman's Root, a lovely native wildflower that doesn't mind being in the shade. It's in the same bed with a pair of Astilbe that are getting ready to bloom soon and the Goat's beard (see below).


The goat's beard (aruncus dioicus) starting to bloom. It's so pleasant to have this spot of brightness in the shade garden.

Amongst all the goodies that i brought back from the Farmer's Market, the thing that the girls were most interested in was this "cat grass" plant. My friend Sabry http://www.sharkawifarm.com/ brings all sorts of wonderful herb plants, dried herbs, and teas to the market and he said that my cats would love this...it's some type of barley, apparently. Gingy and Sylvie liked it well enough to coexist (barely) while both chomping on opposite sides of it.
Fuzzy was more interested in a little nap while Gingy kept chewing.

Sorry about the amateur quality of the video (and the fact that i didn't turn off the radio!)...it begins with a deep growl from Sylvie and ends when Sylvie coughed to dislodge a piece of grass from her throat...

13 comments:

  1. So interesting to see what's been blooming in your garden and the rosa rugosas are just beginning to bloom here.

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  2. You have some beautiful plants. I really like rugosas also (except for the thorns), and Festiva Maxima is one of my favorite peonies too - I wish they made perfume that smelled like that. And the shade plants are gorgeous.

    I think your weed is Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron strigosus) - it's a meadow wildflower. We have it in our lawn too.

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  3. Mishkat, i think you're right! thanks for the ID! Sort of funny going from "pussytoes" to "fleabane"...still sounds cat-related *g*.

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  4. Thanks for visiting my blog. Love the photos of your peonies and, of course, of the kitties.

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  5. Lovely blooms! We have about 8 huge goatsbeard plants that face south, on a side hill and bake all summer. They were there when we came and the PM is shocked that they are still living. They get really big but the blooms don't last very long. The peony is gorgeous!!! The PM would like to collect some different varieties once our overgrown land gets tamed a bit. She saw a threadleaf one at a nursery on the weekend that was very beautiful I guess. I thought she should have brought it home. I am sure the $95 plant would be FINE with three cats and two wee ones around!!!!

    Hee Hee

    The grass looks like fun!

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  6. Is Bowman's Root a Gillenia trifoliata? Mom always wanted one but can't get it here. The peony is wonderful! We love it's scent too.
    Purrs, your Gardening Cats Siena & Chilli

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  7. I think they like the cat grass. we agree your weed looks like Fleabane Daisy.

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  8. Our vet did give us L-Lysine. Kirby loves it and Angel hates it! We have to find a way to get her to eat it.

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  9. Your flowers are lovely. We have a farmer's market just across the street from work every Saturday morning. I always mean to stop by, but you know how hectic it is at work. By the time I'm done, so are they. Will have to make a point to break and run over.

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  10. We espeshully love the video. It's great to see you in action.

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  11. I stumbled across your blog and am struck by what we have in common. B/W cats, quilting. Pictures of stacks of books, piles of cats, and stacks of fabric on surfaces here and there. Government work, DC suburbs. And more. I'll be checking in often -- I discovered fleabane in my back yard and mowed around it this year too! Also buttercups.

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  12. I would love to see some of your card and paper creations!!

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