Plant of the month: Opuntia fragilis

Opuntia fragilis

Where would you guess this photo was taken? Colorado? Texas? Arizona?

No, this photo was taken in Wisconsin, about an hour from my home. I'm thinking it might be best not to share publicly exactly where these Brittle Prickly Pear Cacti (Opuntia fragilis) are located, because their status is "threatened" in my state.

It was quite exciting when the fishman and I discovered them growing in the wild during a recent hike--in kind of an unlikely place (at least I didn't expect it).

They were in a shady forest, growing near rock formations at an elevation above 1,000 feet. I know, I know--that's nothing for those of you who live near mountain ranges. But the elevation and other conditions probably contribute to the perfect habitat for the Cacti.

Brittle Prickly Pear is native to the lower 48 U.S. states and much of Canada, but now is found west of a line from Ontario in the north to Texas in the south. It's rare in the Midwest. In my state, it's found in thin, dry soil over rock or sand prairies, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

It occurs in a variety of desert, grassland, prairie, and woodland communities, according to the USDA Forest Service. It's found further north than any other Cactus species in the world--growing in northern Alberta near the Arctic Circle. This Cactus is one of several species of Opuntia found in Wisconsin.

Interestingly, before our hike I had ordered a Prickly Pear Cactus (a slightly different variety) from Cold Hardy Cactus for my new succulent garden. So it was fun to come across this rare species growing in the wild--rarely seen in my state.

Next up--an update on the succulent garden.

GBBD: sun, shade, and everything in between

About this time every summer I pull back a little on my gardening obsession. Notice I said "a little." My garden is very informal, and far from perfect! Some would call it untidy (I prefer "cottage style.")

At the beginning of spring, I always have high expectations for upgrades and improvements. When July hits, half the growing season is over, it's hot, the mosquitoes are biting, and the lake is calling.

At this time of year, frankly, I get a little lazy. Instead of replacing the dying plant, I start to accept that hole in the garden plan, or I realize that another plant will grow larger to fill in the empty spot.

Still, the garden is certainly healthy and there are plenty of blooms to share.

Here's what's blooming in my small west-facing sunny potager:

The Drumstick Alliums (A. sphaerocephalon) are ending their fireworks. They offered a lot of great structure to a floral arrangement the other day.

Cucumbers (Cucumis 'Slicing') are setting more fruit. It's getting a little hot for them now, but I hope a few will make it through and get large enough for me to pick and eat.

Cosmos (C. bipinnatus) are lovely again, as always. This particular flower is showing signs of earwig or Japanese beetle damage, but there are plenty of buds and other blooms brightening up the garden.

Purple is a popular color right now, with the Liatris (L. spicata) beginning their peak of impressive display.

The Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus 'Rocket Mix') are tall and healthy this year. I need to pinch off a few more blooms to encourage more growth. This tall hybrid produces excellent, spiky flowers for floral arrangements--mid-summer through fall.

The Marigolds (Tagetes spp.) are a little wimpy this year. I'm not sure why. I think it might be earwigs, and since I set out beer traps the other day, I've been catching a lot of them.

Black-Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) are just about ready to bloom. I love the criss-cross pattern of the petals before they open.

Many people have commented on how the native plants performed better than other plants during the drought. I agree, to some extent, but there's no doubt this year's abundant rain has produced a bumper crop of Purple Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea)! They are sturdy, healthy, and gorgeous! I'm fascinated with the plants as they display blooms in various stages of opening and coloring.

Then, in the shade and dappled shade we have:

Hanging baskets planted with a mix of variegated Sweet Potato vine (Solanum jasminoides) and Fuchsia (F. 'Marinka'). I love this combination--both the blooms and the foliage.

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) is performing the best among the Milkweeds I planted. A. tuberosa bloomed, but is struggling. And A. purpurascens is taking its own slow time to get established. Unfortunately, I haven't seen many Monarchs here, anyway. (I have, however, seen plenty of them on various hikes this summer.)

One of my favorite summer plants--Bugbane (Cimicifuga racemosa)--is putting on a spectacular show this summer. Several new shoots appeared at the back of the perennial bed.

I know it's common, but I have a thing for Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina). I enjoy watching it bud, bloom, and change color from spring through fall and early winter. It's definitely a four-season beauty.

The Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea 'Camelot Lavendar') is showing a second blush of blooms. They got a little floppy, though, so I had to add a wire support.

Fern-Leaf Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia) just keeps blooming--long after its showy cousin Bleeding Heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) has faded.

And then there are the Lilies of all types that grow in shade, dappled shade, and sun, but always reach for any light they can find:

The common Ditch Lilies (Hemerocalis fulva) that many disparage, but I find delightful in patches of sunlight in my shady garden.

Various Asiatic Lily Hybrids (Lilium spp.) that reach over the garden fence to brag about their beauty.

And, of course, the Water Lily (Nymphaea 'Clyde Ikins'), in dappled sunlight that captures the shadows and flickers of light from morning until late afternoon. I can't stop looking at it.

I'm linking in with Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted by Carol over at May Dreams Gardens on the 15th of every month. Head on over there to see what's blooming in gardens around the world.

Orchids in my garden

I found an unfamiliar plant in my garden.

Being of the "don't pull it until it flowers so you can identify it" mindset, I waited. It didn't look pretty at first. It reminded me of a Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum biflorum) plant with shaggy grass growing out of the top.

But then, when it flowered, I realized it was an Orchid! I was pleased, until I found out it's a non-native invasive plant. I honestly didn't know that any of the Orchids growing in my state are invasive. Darn!

More than 200 species of Orchids are native to North America, but this isn't one of them. The Orchid I found in my garden is Epipactis helleborine, sometimes called Bastard Hellebore or Broadleaf Helleborine.



This photo shows the scale of the plant. The individual flowers grow along a tall stem--about one to two feet tall.



The foliage displays at the bottom of the plant, below the stem.

After I found out it's invasive in my state, I dug it out--deeply, making sure to get all the roots. It's sad, though, because in its native Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa, it would be a welcomed beauty!



*Update: For more information about this invasive Orchid, here are two helpful articles on how to identify it and deal with it:
http://nyti.ms/12JkDiQ and http://bit.ly/10SVzIB.

The 'pond post' — most popular, by a long shot!

Nymphaea 'Clyde Ikins'

I'm embarrassed to admit I only recently discovered this blog's most popular post, to-date, is one I added last summer. It's a post titled, "How to make an above-ground pond." You can click on the link to read it.

Now, while I'm happy it has attracted a lot of traffic to my blog (which means perhaps it has been helpful to folks), "how-tos" are not my favorite type of writing. They're difficult, step-by-step directions on how to do something very specific.

But I'm grinning while I write this because the joke is on me. While I check the SEO statistics periodically, the point of this blog is not to make money or to draw a huge audience (although either would be nice). The "pond post" has garnered more than double the site traffic of the next most-popular post, "A terrarium for every room" (another how-to).

I delayed reporting on the success of the pond until we made it through the winter. Now that we've hit July, I guess it's safe to report on the survivors: four goldfish and a Water Lily.



They made it through a "normal" winter for my area, which included plenty of subzero (below 0 F, or below -17.8 C) days. During the coldest winter days and nights, the pond maintained a water temperature around 50 F, thanks to a de-icer and an insulating cover. We removed the cover and turned off the de-icer sometime in April. We slowly weaned the fish onto wheat germ spring/fall food, and then, in mid-May, onto regular summer pellets.

Sometime during the month of May, we thought we'd lost them. A pair of mallard ducks tried to make the pond their swimming hole, but we chased them away. Then we didn't see the fish for at least 24 hours! But those goldfish were smart--they'd hidden under the internal pond structures (crates, PVC piping) included for that purpose.



In early June, the Water Lily's first bud of the season shot up toward the surface, and it's now blooming! Several others are close behind.

Some readers have requested information on the materials costs. Here are the fishman's estimates--although these will vary widely, based on locale, store, promotional sales, and other factors:

  $48 –16 - 8’ pieces CCA (arsenic-free) treated 2” x 4”* lumber

  $27 – 1 - 4’ x 8’ sheet of ½” CCA (arsenic-free) treated plywood (for pond bottom and interior)

  $10 – Styrofoam sheet insulation (bagged garage-door insulation; for pond wall voids and for on top of bottom plywood)

  $12 – Coated screws (2 boxes)

    $8 – Stainless-steel staples (for affixing pond liner to pond-wall top plates)

  $16 – 2 - 8’ pieces of 1” x 6”* cedar decking (for top trim)

  $42 – 3 packages of cedar tongue-in-groove wall-siding (for outer walls)

  $12 – 3 - 8’ pieces of cedar 1” x 3”* (for outer trim)

  $15 – 3 - 8’ pieces of cedar 1” x 4”* (for outer trim)

  $60 – Pond liner, pump, fountain attachments & tubing (got an open-box deal; would usually be about $120)

  $30 – Box filter & filter media

  $12 – Black plastic crates (for use as planting platforms; large milk-crate sized one also used to house filter)

    $8 – Dark gray porcelain tiles (to weight down crates, form surface for plant baskets)

    $9 – Various plastic pond-plant baskets

  $10 – Three bags of pea gravel

$319 – TOTAL (without fish & plants)

* Lumber measurements are standard nominal dimensions.
Note: This estimate does not cover the cost of the insulating cover.

Sometime during the fall, I'll write a post about "How to prepare an above-ground pond for a cold winter." Until then, I'm enjoying the aesthetics of the fishman's creation.