Saturday, June 16, 2018

UGP....Unidentified Green Plant

 So these are randomly growing almost in a row and all in similar areas of the yard. I cannot find any books or sites that have a match to what these are. I could dig more extensively. I haven't gotten the chance to as of late. While I can't find any documentation on the one in the first picture, the second is different and I realize I still haven't researched into it much at all. Here's hoping I can find some answers. In the meantime, I've just resorted to pulling them out at the roots to clear them out and keep them from taking over. Also, I've cleared out pretty much all the garden nightshade from the back fence area. It had choked the clematis on the trellis so I had to sacrifice most of the flower vines to get rid of the troublesome plant. There was a lot more of it than I had anticipated but the roots are shallow and it pulled out rather easily in majority of the spots. There were only a couple larger root bases that needed removed via shovel and the rest was easier to untangle with the use of a pair of pruning shears. All in all, I'm happy with the transformations that are occurring with the property.
I'm also almost done with removing the prickly weeds on the side of the garage. The ivy vines that were growing up the siding have returned so I have to pull those as well. It's getting there. I know I've blundered by waiting too long into the season to likely get plants into the ground for a garden. There have been one too many surprises as I dig, rake, and pull. For instance, the elder tree on the back property line is sprouting offshoots from it's roots. I've found one such cluster at the corner of the garage and another making it's way to a drainage pipe running along the back of the house. I worry that the tree is going to pose a challenge to any undertaking. It would also explain the plumbing issues we've been having with the drain in the side yard that goes to the city sewage line. We can't afford any further damage and can't be sure of how much the tree has already done to that line. I'm afraid that it just has to wait and hope that the root system stays where it's at and doesn't cause any further problems.

Update: The lower picture is oxeye daisies, a native wildflower.

Thursday, June 7, 2018

Strawberries

This is one that I had identified when we had initially moved into our home. It's almost everywhere in the front and back yards. What I didn't know, is that they aren't the same plant. One of the main ways to tell is the flowers. With actual wild strawberries, the flowers are white and mock strawberries bear yellow blooms. They don't taste the same either. Wilds are actually sweet and mock strawberries are bland in flavor. Today they had little red berries on them. Mostly the actual berries had fruited but there are still quite a few mocks that have yet to do so. I showed the kids how to pick them and they happily gathered some. It was cute to see them excited. ^_^

https://dengarden.com/gardening/Wild-Strawberries-Versus-Mock-Strawberries