Autumn

Handling the Weeds

I should have counted the bags of weeds that I have hauled off. It is impressive every year. Here is what I have done and do now to keep the weed population under some control.

1) Find out what is supposed to grow on the site. Weed out what doesn't belong (this includes non-native grasses).

2) Before any section gets native wildflowers, spray the Canada Thistle and other invasive weeds with root systems you can't get to completely. It took 2 years of spring and fall application of weed killer to move this out of the meadow. Even now, small rosettes will pop up here or there - they are immediately taken care of with a spot spray.

3) Dig 'em when you see 'em. This goes for dandelions and any other nuisance growing among the natives. When they are in flower you can more easily identify a weed. Pull them out before they go to seed.

4) Bag the weeds if they have flowers or seed heads. If you leave them laying around, they will haunt you by dropping seed - a gift that keeps on giving.

The Weed's War on the West

Summer's finally here!

Penstemon strictus

After removing fallen trees, dead standing aspen and weeds the existing meadow offers a variety of native grasses. Due to grazing in the past, non-native grasses such as Smooth Brome and Timothy had taken hold in some of the disturbed areas along an old ranch road and irrigation ditch, choking out everything else. A combination of pulling and mowing has weakened them considerably and allowed the desirable grasses to fill in. Slipping in the wildflowers will add more color as these Penstemon's demonstrate.

Bulbs

Allium cernuum (Pink Nodding Onion) and the Iris missouriensis pictured below are two good choices for the native garden. This clump of Iris was already here, and not impacted by construction.

Iris missouriensis

Hardening Out

The seedlings have been transferred to 2" pots by now and have been moved outside. Sun, wind and fluctuating temperatures make the plants stronger. To harden out the plants, it is best at first to move the flats outside during the day and inside at night. After a 3 or 4 days of this, they can stay outside all the time in a protected spot unless the night temperatures are going to be well below freezing for most of the night, then I move them back in. But since they are hardy perennials, they can take night time lows around 30 degrees or so.

The plants stay outside in the pots until about June 1, when I start transplanting them into the ground. I have better success with larger plants in a natural setting when a standard garden bed has not been prepared, so I wait for the seedlings to grow to 2 to 3 inches tall. Planting is done on cool days and definitely not all at once.

Under the Lights

Seedlings are up!

The seedlings have started to emerge. We have had a few days of sun and warmth as well as a big snow storm just this weekend. Once the seedlings poke up in the flats outside, they are moved in under the lights in the storage room. This will speed up the growing process. If there are too many seedlings in a cell, I prick them out with tweezers and leave just one or two strong ones.

What is coming up: Penstemon strictus (Rocky Mountain Penstemon), Ratibida columnifera (Mexican Hat), Heliomeris multiflora (Showy Goldeneye) and the Eriogonum umbellatum (Sulphur Flower Buckwheat).

Once true leaves emerge, they can be planted up into a larger pot.

Starting from Seed

The time to start perennial seeds in Summit County is now, mid to late March. I got started today. The kitchen counters were covered in pots, seeds, planting mix and sand. The seeds are scattered on the top of the moistened, soilless mix and then sprinkled lightly with sand. Most native perennials need cold treatment. The flats are now covered outside, under the bench in the snow, to chill for a month or two.

A couple of natives I am planting this year will be Heliomeris multiflora (Showy Goldeneye) and Eriogonum umbellatum (Sulphur Flower Buckwheat). I also started a native aster, Aster gluacodes (Gray Aster) inside under lights.


Although I do still sow some seeds straight to to ground in areas where the soil has been disturbed, transplanting from seedlings started indoors has been a more successful way to introduce flowering plants to the more established grassy meadow.