First Bumblebee

It was a glorious day here in the northwestern corner of Ohio. With rain predicted later in the day, there were projects that needed some serious work time, and it was a true joy to be out there doing them. Dad came out to help Romie with the grape arbor and they got it done! More on that in a later blog post.

Late in the afternoon, I was walking around the yard with my camera, talking with our neighbor Tom about the daffodils that were blooming. I was taking photos of them when a bumblebee buzzed his way right into the frame. A bumblebee! Already!


She was clearly on a mission, as we watched her methodically flit from bloom to bloom of the 'Jetfire' daffodils.



She'd crawl inside the cup for a little bit, then with flecks of pollen sticking to her legs and fluffy body, she'd move on to the next bloom, pollinating all along the way. It was a glorious thing to behold.




This got me thinking. With early blooms, was our little bumblebee friend making an early appearance, too? The Ohio State University site says bumblebees in Ohio come out of hibernation in May. My calendar says it's April 2nd, so I guess she is early!

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Just a reminder: Enter the contest to win a pair of Ethel Gloves by leaving a comment to this blog post. Don't forget to mention which style of gloves you'd like to win! Deadline for entering is midnight April 3, 2009 (that's tonight!).

When Invasives Invade Your Garden

I think we're all aware that each state has a list of invasive species that you are discouraged from planting and in some cases, prohibited from doing so. The main reason non-native invasives are no-nos is because they tend to choke out or inhibit growth of the natives, thereby changing the local ecosystem. Since all living things in nature depend on each other for survival, these changes mean sure death for at least some of our natural inhabitants, including native wildflowers.

Ohio's top ten worst offenders are:

1. Japanese Honeysuckle
2. Japanese Knotweed
3. Autumn Olive
4. Buckthorns
5. Purple Loosestrife
6. Common Reed
7. Reed Canary Grass
8. Garlic Mustard
9. Multiflora Rose
10. Bush Honeysuckles

A complete list of Ohio Invasive Plants can be found here in a PDF file.

As a home gardener, I'm not very knowledgeable about identifying many of these. Some hybrids with similar names and botanical genetics are sold in nurseries, and even some of the invasive species are sold in reputable garden centers. So what's a person to do?

Familiarize yourself with the names of those plants that are known to be present in your part of the state and don't buy or plant them. Have a look at photos of their leaves and learn about their habits. You may never become an expert at it, but you'll at least know more than you did before and in this way will become a more responsible gardener. The best place to learn about invasives is to visit your state's Department of Natural Resources website.


Let's move on to the problem child living at Our Little Acre. We have a Morrow's Honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii) at the southeast corner of our property. Romie says we planted it shortly after moving here in 1977. That's more than 25 years before I became a gardener and to be honest, I don't remember planting it. Whether we did or we didn't doesn't matter now; I want it GONE.

So cut it down or dig it up, you say. Oh, if it were only that simple! An invasive shrub that has a 25-year head start doesn't give it up that easily.

When Max's Garden was created in October 2005, my desire at that time was to tame The Monster in the Corner. This large shrub was out of control, so we cut it back severely. I'm not sure if that was a good idea, because for every branch we pruned off, twelve more grew back in its place. And where Romie used a chain saw to remove a couple of large shoots at its base, even more shot up.

I vowed to keep up with the new growth by continually cutting it out, but it was not about to let the likes of me get the best of it. Finally, last fall, I threw a temper tantrum and ordered Romie to get rid of it once and for all. I didn't care how he did it. I just wanted it out of there.

The chain saw came back out, as did the axe. He buzzed and he chipped and he chopped and he buzzed. I kept carrying the branches to the burn pile, which grew higher and higher, hour after hour.

When he had whittled it down as far as he could go, there remained an ugly conglomeration of multiple hacked-off trunks and branches about six inches high. He'd had enough and we hoped the shrub had too.

But oh noooooo...not this thug. Spring is back and so is the Morrow's Honeysuckle.


After doing some online research, I think we're going to resort to chemical means. I'll be looking for Stump Out ®, which when applied to the stump causes it to decompose rapidly.

Some interesting facts about the Morrow's Honeysuckle came to light while I was looking things up. Morrow's Honeysuckle is thought to release a chemical into the soil that inhibits growth of spring ephemerals and the heavy shade it provides inhibits native plant growth.

Many Cedar Waxwings' wax spots in the eastern United States have taken on an unusual orange hue in the last 35 years, a phenomenon that has been attributed to Lonicera morrowii. The chemical involved in this color change is rhodoxanthin, a red dye found in the berries of Morrow's Honeysuckle. ¹


Sources on Invasives:

Missouri Department of Conservation
Center For Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Ohio Invasive Plants Council

Jack on the Morrow's Honeysuckle - February 2008

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¹Wikipedia

To Everything There Is a Season

It's April 1st already and I can't remember when we've had a March like the one we just had. Unless you count the flurries we saw swirling in the air on Sunday that melted the instant they hit the ground, we didn't have any snow the entire month. It all went north to Nova Scotia.

Temperatures were above normal, too. I've never sweat so many days while working outside in the gardens in March. I'm not even sure I worked in the garden in March in past years. I completed cleaning the leaves and twigs out of the gardens at least a week ago.

Perhaps the most obvious sign that we are enjoying an exceptional spring is by looking at what's in bloom and what is showing signs of life. You really can mark time by the flowers, because they each have their seasons. And while I'm happy that we're well into spring, I'm also a bit sad because part of it is over.

The snowdrops are turning to mush, and some of the crocus are laying down on the job, never to be perky again. There are still some crocus blooming though, because even among those, there are early ones and late ones. Only the giant crocus are still looking good though.

But not to worry - now it's the daffodils' time to shine! The first one opened up on March 27th, with several others following closely on its heels. 'Jetfire' is one of my favorites, because of its recurved golden petals and orange trumpets. When I first planted them, I was surprised at their size; I expected them to be larger than they were.

'Jetfire' in Max's Garden

Next to show was an unknown variety that I didn't plant, that is located beside the crocuses that I also didn't plant. I think the garden fairies are joining me in my efforts at brightening the corner where I live! There's only a very tiny clump of these and I plan to move it to a different location when it's done blooming.




'Sagitta' is preparing to bloom, as are a few other varieties.


The first 'Tete-a-Tete' daffodils that I planted last year just before Jenna's bridal shower are opening. I had bought several at Walmart, just to brighten up the landscape and now they're going to do the same thing this year. That's the great thing about spring bulbs. :-)

Still ugly after all these years, 'Replete' is trying once again to prove its worth. It's better than nothing, I guess, but each year I threaten to dig the bulbs up. How this was awarded Daffodil of the Year (1995) is beyond me. I don't remember where I bought them, but they in no way look like pictures I'd seen, such as this one. To me, they're just a mess...

...but strangely photogenic.

Besides the daffodils, the Puschkinia are in full bloom, and while they're diminutive, they're frilly and they brighten up a dark corner.














Hyacinth season is not yet upon us, but give them another week or so, and I think they'll be showing color.

This is just great, isn't it? Winter is GONE!