Today's photos are from our old friend Tim Vojt in Columbus. He says, "Following up on my 'gardening for butterflies' GPOD submission (refresh your memory HERE), here are photos of Black Swallowtail butterfly chrysalises that overwintered and were nearly cut in two by my careless sheers during cleanup. I told myself to watch out, but then got distracted with the task at hand, only to find three near misses. You can see why they are so hard to see. They are green if the butterfly will emerge in summer; brown if they are going to overwinter to emerge in spring. Also, bloodroot steals the early show here this time of year. They usually have a pink cast in bud before opening to bright white, but this year they seemed extra pink. And some little growing treasures thrown in to boot. Happy spring, at last!" Indeed, Tim! Wonderful shots of some awesome plants, and those butterflies….they would not have fared well in my garden, as careless as I am when pruning. Good job avoiding them!
Hey all, speaking of Tim, he and Sheila Schultz have come up with a wonderful idea! A GPOD Container Challenge! Here's the scoop, straight from them:
GPOD Lustrous Silver Plant Container Challenge
Challenge guidelines: Create a fantastic container starting with a plant with silver in the foliage, then compliment with black and green plants. Full sun, full shade, succulent, tropical, perennial, annual: anything goes!
Send in one entry for a combined GPOD post for the community to enjoy. No judges. No prizes. Just fun and inspiration for and from your fellow GPODers.
Submit them to Tim Vojt by the end of July at [email protected]
Tim will collect and submit to Michelle in one email.
Sounds like fun, huh? I can't wait to give it a try!
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Comments
I almost forgot. If you look hard enough, there is always a "mangave". At least in the comments, Jeff.
Great mangave, Tim, but the pot is awesome!
Isn't that super cool!? A gift from a friend right out of her garden, simply because I gushed over it! (Hi Mary!)
You mean it can handle Ohio winters? I wouldn't think it could handle snow and ice, guess I've never checked the zone.
Oh, no! Sorry. The pot was in her garden: the mangave is very tender and I planted it in the pot. I think zone 9. It comes indoors in winter.
Darn, I thought your mangave was some kind of super hybrid ;) The pot really is very cool... Mary is a good friend!
good to see Bloodspot anywhere!
I second that!
What an awesome composition. I'm inspired :)
I shudder to think of how many chrysalis I have unknowingly tossed. You sure know how to make a gardener feel guilty, Tim! I guess I'm going to have to open my eyes when I prune from now on!
Spring is definitely spectacular in Ohio, the photos of your bloodroot are really beautiful. I can't believe I have never grown them, that needs to change.
I hope all of you are as excited as Tim and I are about the GPOD Container Challenge! This is going to be so much fun to see everyone's take on the same idea... I can't wait! Have fun with your designs GPOD'ers ;)
Hi Sheila! Oh yes, it sounds like fun! Even the purchase of a new pot to plant them in! Cha ching!
Any excuse to find a new pot, right Jeanne? You're a woman after my own heart ;) Happy shopping!
Tim, I love the Bloodroot, need to get me some and plant it in NJ. Your garden is looking great considering your winter. H
Thanks, Howard. The bloodroot is a winner all the way around. I think the foliage is just spectacular. The double one stays up until late autumn; sometimes the straight species goes dormant in summer. You won't regret it. Our winter was long and hard, but not as bad as the year before, so I am counting my blessings and watching to see what comes up and what doesn't.
Great reminder Tim! I know I should have some Swallowtail chrysalides around, somewhere, but do forget to look out for them while pruning. Our unusually mild winter may affect the butterflies as well as the plants they survive on. The fennel has been growing for at least a month, so early caterpillars should not go hungry. Love the bloodroot!
It's sad that I remind myself to be careful and instantly forget! My bronze fennel plants are just a mound of fluffy, bronze gorgeousness right now. Last year was the first year I planted any and I love them. Happy gardening, May! Off to work in the yard! Hooray.
Oh you have a bronze fennel! Nice! I use to teach these little kids how to garden and we had a huge one against the hot brick building next to the garden and it was so outstanding! I took a seedling home but it never amounted to much here.
This is my first experience with the fennel, and what a great plant. When I was researching it last year, I was very confused. There seemed to be an annual bronze fennel and a perennial bronze fennel, and both had the same latin name. Very confusing information. I am very pleased that mine is coming back this spring. Hopefully you'll find room to give this feathery gem a try again.
Wonderful photos of the chrysalides. Great reminder we should keep an eye out when pruning. I don't know the bloodroot but will have to look it up and hopefully get some.
The bloodroot is definitely a winner, Catherine, and so easy. The double one is getting easier to come by, but still expensive. I originally mail-ordered mine from Great Britain quite a few years ago because I couldn't find a source stateside. The single is special, too, and much easier to find. Good luck!
Thanks I will have to keep an eye out for it.
Beautiful, Tim. I have never grown bloodroot at all but you have sold the idea. Maybe next year. L
My walk around will have to includepeering at tree bark to try and find chrysalides this afternoon. the pot with the mandave is beautiful - I am addicted to pots!
I am already considering the container project . Great idea from Sheila and yourself. Thank you both.
I've been stewing and brewing over the container idea. I started making lists some time ago and soon it will be time to spring into action! That container with the mangave is so unusual. I've never seen anything like it. It sat empty for a long while because it was so beautiful I was reluctant to fill it with dirt!
Hi, Tim, ha, here I am fashionably late to the conversation...goes against my early bird nature but there didn't seem to be a new gpod before I headed outside to work (garden). I am besotted with your charming colonies of bloodroot....ooh, la la...that double variety is totally gorgeous. I really enjoyed your close ups of the chrysalises and your comments are a timely reminder to be on the lookout for them. And, oh, that pot is so very cool...makes me wish I was a potter 'cause it looks like it would be fun to make.
Thanks, Michaele. I'm just back indoors myself. Gorgeous day to have a day off. A lot of plants were planted. I feel the same way about that pot and so many other things: darn, I wish I could make those!
Thanks. They really grab my attention every time I walk outdoors or by a window.
The flowers are sweet and lovely. The boulders are wonderful : I have my eye on the pot. Will bloodroot grow in the south?
Apparently bloodroot (Sanguinaria) is native in the east from northernmost Canada to Florida, so I bet you're good to go!
i'm late! glad to see your plants here, Tim. i lust for the Bloodroot, i don't really have anywhere i can grow it so i'll enjoy yours. i don't know if i would ever have seen the butterflies i'm somewhat of a Mr. Magoo most of the times. great shots, great plants, glad i got to enjoy spring in your garden
But did you scroll down to find the mangave, just for you, Mr. Magoo?
yep and i commented on it first
Well, so you did!
Mr. Magoo??? I'm laughing since I thought I would be the only one who remembered him! You guys make me smile!
Hi Tim. What a wonderful Pulmonaria! Our bloodroot has yet to appear but I will be watching for the pink cast. Your photography is excellent. What plants do the swallowtail favor for chrysalis? I need to pay closer attention as well.
Hi Terie, thanks for the photography compliment. That means a lot, coming from you. Just an iPhone. I would like to invest in an actual camera some day that will let me control the focus. Since this is my first experience with the overwintering black swallowtails, I'm no expert. All but three of them were about 3 or 4 feet away from their food plants and on stems that were a bit smaller than pencil thickness and somewhat close to the ground. I was chatting with a friend who asked plant or shrub, and they did seem to favor shrubs, but I think it is the stem diameter that counted. Enjoy your spring!
Chiming in late too. Falling in love all over again with your magical garden Tim! Every photo says a lot. Really wish I had more real estate to plant the big things. Drooling over your container with the mangave too.
What a fun idea to have a GPOD Container Challenge. Is this the start of an annual summer tradition, just like the Jeff's GPOD Holiday Wreaths huh? What shall I plant? Hmmmm....better get my thinking cap on.
It's a fun container challenge, isn't? I've never really given any thought to self-control and limits when it comes to plants, but as I started daydreaming and listing plants that fit the bill, the possibilities seemed endless and beautiful! Have fun. Thanks for the reminder about Jeff's wreath post. Never to soon to start ruminating!
Hey Tim... late here at seeing your wonderful pictures! Those chrysalis are something! A wonderment for sure! And your bloodroot is so beautiful!!! I have one that has come back for a second year now but not very big.... Iam hoping they will look like yours eventually. Are yours I full sun? I really should read up on them. Thanks for sharing with us your new growth! Lovely for sure! Oh and the"Pot Em Up" contest sounds like fun!
I have bloodroot stuck all over the place! I have them on the north side of the house, the east side, on the front hill and under small trees. Sun exposure, I would say, is probably similar to deciduous woodlands where they grow: some direct sun, mostly in the spring before trees leaf out, but I know that some of mine get a couple of hours of direct sun all season long.
I too am showing up late indeed Tim. Lovely pics and the Bloodroot I'm sooooo envious,I have bought the double flower one twice $40 first time $32 last time and no luck they never came back. I put them exactly where they should have been happy but NO such luck. I just bought a single last Sunday and it was cheap so hopefully this one will make it. Do you have any secrets to share for my success,any tips from anyone would be very much appreciated. Thanks for a peak of Spring in your gardens. So very beautiful Tim.
Although more available, the double bloodroot is still SO expensive. I'm so sorry that your money was invested in duds. I was surprised to find out that they aren't native out west, at least according to one web page I found. I guess I am lucky in that mine just grow, no real special care.
So brainstorming what mine all have in common: some direct sun, especially in spring; heavy but rich soil; never baking hot and dry; the rhizomes (?) grow right at the soil surface, often exposed. I mentioned to Jeanne in another comment that I have success with them in quite a few different spots. They are weaker under trees with shallow roots and drier soil, but they eke by.
The double one is sterile, so only increases by division. The single will seed with abandon.
There are variations in how deeply the leaves are incised, too. Hope your single does great and is a beauty!
Thank you Tim for your tips I think I will try again and hopefully with your tips I can get a double to thrive like yours. Direct sun well that may just be my mistake. I just need to find a plant,they aren't everywhere yet so hopefully this weekend I will find another. (We are going to several plant sales and one nursery this weekend)can't wait to see what I am inspired to buy,I usually have a list but never even look at it. I'm after things that are more rare since my gardens are so full. Happy gardening to you hopefully one day we can all meet up.
I thought I had replied to this humm that' s strange,well we did go to a specialty plant sale this weekend and I got another bloodroot a small double plant and more reasonably priced I will put it a location you described,fingers crossed and thanks for your reply back to me I appreciated you doing that Tim.
Best of luck with 'multiplex'. I hope it does great for you. When it is happy, it slowly spreads into a mass of fabulousness! Love those plant sales. We don't have too many around here. Some friends and I go to a not-too-far-away nursery once a year for some camaraderie-filled plant shopping! Happy planting!
We have so many special plant sales events here that I have to force myself to stop spending if I intend to go to the next one the following weekend,being a plantaholic is a real burden.
Hello Tim ~ Guess I am really late too but I didn't see a posting this AM. I guess your 'bloodroot' is the star of the week! Really so intriguing as I have never grown any and have never seen any in the nurserys or anyone's garden. I have always loved your gardens - so many interesting things to see and plants to ponder. Wonderful photos ! Thanks for all ^_^
Thanks so much. It is always fun to share. The bloodroot is pretty all of the time; emerging, blooming, loosing those white petals scattered about, in leaf. It's a star. I didn't realize it wasn't common out west. Bloodroot seems to be native from far north to far south in the east. And the poor things bleed red blood when you break the stem or rhizome, hence the common name.
Ahhhhh... Lovely way to start the morning!!!!! Seeing your garden !!!! Can't wait for more !!!!
Thanks. I'm headed outdoors right now. I am anxious to see more of the garden, myself. Maybe I should stop working in the yard and take a look! :)
Talk about coming to the party late! I didn't see this post yesterday morning before I went outside, so I am just now finally chiming in. Great photos, Tim. Beautiful garden. Congrats on sparing the chrysalises (?) and the bloodroots, single and double are glorious! I want some! Don't you just love the soft furry silver leaves of horehound et al.? I have several in the greenhouse that I enjoy. They look good with geraniums, etc. Just starting to move things outside for the summer. For many things it's still too early to be sure of the temperature. So they stay in the greenhouse for another month. But the afternoons lately have been gorgeous. Hot sun, cool air temperature. I so enjoy the banter between you and Jeff. You guys are fun. No gardening today - off to the spring fair to do a master gardener clinic this afternoon. I may have the title, but you guys - all of you - are master gardeners. The proof is in the garden.
Thanks Shirley! I've been planting perennials like a maniac, but we usually say our frost free date is mid-may: no tender plants outside yet. I wish the horehound (marrubium rotundifolium) did better here. It's my wife's favorite plant, but it tends to succumb to the humidity. I'm trying some new plants in a couple of drier spots to see how they do. Hope your MG Clinic went well! Rain tomorrow and I could sure use the break from outdoor projects!
Hi Tim, Beautiful pictures. The bloodroot blossoms are lovely ladies with coy fans. The corydalis colors are amazing like a throwback to the psychedelic 60's. Now I am wondering how many butterfly cocoons I have unwittingly disturbed. Love the imperial towers of milkweed. I just dug up a huge patch of crocosomia Lucifer. Do you have that already?
I'm a late-comer to the crocosmia party. They never really wowed me in photos, but folks touting them as hummingbird magnets made me give them a try. I actually love gladiolus foliage, and since they are distantly related, I love the crocosmia foliage and flowers. I have four different ones, but not Lucifer. I hear it's a giant that would not fit in my crowded little yard!
Tim, GREAT photos! (What kind of camera do you have?) Your gardens are way further than mine here in upstate NY. Glad you included photos of the crysalises; I didn't know they would overwinter! The bloodroot is beautiful; a wonderful grouping of them. (Certainly your wouldn't notice a few "missing"... :-) ) I'll have to find double bloodroot somewhere, sometime~! Thanks for sharing~ always a treat to have your garden featured!
Thanks so much, Margaret. It almost looks as though we will sail out of April and into May without a heavy frost (fingers crossed!). I've already planted a lot of new perennials and everything is growing gangbusters! I just use my iPhone 4s (soon to be upgraded), but it takes darn good photos. Not enough control on depth of field and focus, but really, I'm not one to lug a camera around, but I'm always attached to my phone! The blood root is finishing up flowering. I have them in several parts of the yard, so that the ones in colder microclimates are a bit delayed, so it stretches out the enjoyment. Gotta have 'em. I'm sure they'd love upstate NY!
Thanks for your response, Tim! I do have Bloodroot- a friend gave me 3 a few years ago and they have happily spread... I'm happy too! They look great and where they are is a perfect spot. Hey.... do you have an opinion on the best- and most dependable coneflowers?
Coneflowers? Nope. I think I was telling HelloMD that I've tried a lot of the new varieties because the colors are absolutely riveting, but none have thrived for me. Granted, some of them were planted in spots in my garden that are mysteriously dead zones, so I can't blame the coneflowers themselves. The straight species works well for me. They reseed, the goldfinches love the seeds, and I do get some variety. There is also the problem with Aster Yellows virus. No cure but pulling the plants out, which I now have to do. I've seen lots of plants for sale at the local nurseries, so look out. The virus then spreads through leaf hoppers. cheers!
I have probably "cleaned up" many butterflies - so sad - but I admire your careful eye. That's it - THIS IS THE YEAR I plant Bloodroot! It is so beautiful - how long to spread into that lovely drift you have? And yes, love the pot of mangave in the comments, too.
Hi Kathy. Believe me, there was no careful eye when it came to those future-butterflies. Definitely providence that they were spared!
The big drift of 'Multiplex', the double bloodroot, has been in place since the late 90's and started from one little nubbin. That being said, I've divided a lot of clumps from the edges. The single and double ones on the hill were pretty much planted that way maybe 5 years ago, but quite a bit thinner. The single ones seed about liberally as well as creep outward. Really, they are so white and show-stopping that just one flower is quite arresting.
Cool, Tim. Love it.
Oh that patch of Double bloodroot, it is so beyond words. Attractive, good-looking, and gorgeous. The pot which holds the Great mangave is awesome!
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