Dainty whites, cups of wine

A little look at a couple of plants that are blooming right now, one new to me, and one I've had for several years. First up: feverfew.

This is a plant that Ted let me dig when I helped him control his bamboo a few months ago. I remember him saying "it reseeds but I like the flowers", but since it was still quite early in the spring all I saw was the nice ferny foliage, and had no idea what the blooms would look like.

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As I do with most new plants I get - especially those taken from the ground - I put this into a nursery pot.

That way I can baby it a little and maybe find what conditions it likes before getting it into the ground. Plus I can move the pot around to see how it looks in different beds.

Okay, those are true, but the real reason I put the plants into pots is that I don't like to be forced into digging new holes. This is especially true when I've already been digging for a few hours -- like it was in this case. You try working with a spade and other heavy tools for two exhausting hours then come home to the garden and try to make a good decision about where a plant should go. I know I can't!

I still haven't yet figured out where I want to plant this, although I have a couple of ideas. It's supposed to be quite drought-tolerant, but from experience I know that it's not ideal to plant your only specimen of a new plant in your driest, hardest soil.

So I'll give it a better start, and next year after I get some seedlings (which is apparently inevitable based on what I've read and from what Ted said) I'll try them in more challenging spots.

For those of you who are yelling "you'll be sorry!" at the computer right now, well, I've got lots of experience with "vigorous" plants. I'm actually disappointed when a plant does not self-replicate.

So that's the new plant (Tanacetum parthenium if you're wondering).


The plant that I've been growing for a few years is unfortunately attractive to deer (the feverfew is not from what I've read) so sometimes gets pruned back quite a bit:

It's "winecups", or Callirhoe involucrata.

It's taken a few years, but it has reseeded in this bed so I now have about half a dozen of these plants as insurance against deer. (I've found that quantity is the best way to combat deer and rabbit and woodchuck damage -- if they eat a plant you love, make sure you have others!)

I love the way the blooms open, forming a spiral then untwisting:

These are not yet in full bloom:

Or perhaps they are, but the deer may be removing the flower buds for me. I decided not to look too closely as I didn't want to get upset if that's actually happening.

These plants sprawl, trailing their long stems, forming a sort of mat of nice foliage and beautiful flowers.

I'm not the only one who loves these blooms!


So that's a look at a couple of bloomers in my garden right now, feverfew and winecups. I hope you like them -- and hope I can find a nice home for the feverfew soon!

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