Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Okay friends! Time to play my favorite midsummer gardener's game, "Is This Anything?"* Now, at first glance, this area looks much like a bunch of potted weeds, so the obvious answer would be "no", and so you win! But maybe not....you see, every year, there are a few pots of plants that did not come back after winters' cold. Also, a few things I bought and potted in lieu of planting which perished before they reached their destinations. So in my wisdom (laziness), I left these alone to see what might happen (or grow). So let's play...



...closer look....still weeds, you say?.....what's this? A clover of some kind! I realize some lawn-loving types call these weeds, but my wild bunnies and I would disagree!Anyhow, they flower, too........in a few colors!
Goldenrod is here, too......I have several "cultivars" around the place. Oh sure, all those sickly asthmatics (like me) whine about this plant, but it's so pretty....
....what's this? A volunteer petunia from somewhere....cool!This plant, smartweed, comes up for "Is This Anything?" every year...
...two different varieties/colors!And look at this pretty grass! How could anyone call that a weed?
Here's something I'm not too sure about, except that I like the cute, tiny flowers. (If I get a positive ID from my wildflower book, I'll edit it in.)The dead-looking twig with the leafy branches every so often is a honeysuckle vine I got from my sister last year and forgot about...oops! That is definately something!Another grassy-looking weedy thing...may not be much of anything, but I still like the seed head.
Now this looks like millet of some sort maybe...think I'll let the seeds ripen and try them out on the birds. I'll let you know what they think.


Another "weedy" seedy thingy....okay, maybe not anything.....

....like this, which I believe to be plantain, and I've heard that people use it in salads, so I guess that's something.

Lastly, we have another funky little seedhead. This may not look like much, but this nursery spider sure seems to think it is! So there we have it.....thank you all for playing my garden version of "Is This Anything?"....come back and play next year, y'all!

*This is the botanical version of the game,not to be confused with the very talented David Letterman's talk show game...go Colts! :-)

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

so many wonderful shots here but without a doubt the spider one is my favorite!

lisa said...

Thank you! The way she was hugging that seed head, I hoped she didn't lose her egg sac and hugged this to console herself.

Callie said...

Nice pics, love the nature photos.........Thanks for visiting my site.

lisa said...

Thanks Callie!

Annie in Austin said...

Obviously these plants want to live and grow in Wisconsin - even if the original inhabitants of your containers would not!

Supposedly you find cultivars of goldenrod in many English estate gardens - you just need a fancy name for yours.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

lisa said...

Heh...good idea, Annie! Let's see....how about "Solidago Volunteero"? ;-)

Unknown said...

I like this game. :) And lol at your newly named cultivar--volunteero is definitely descriptive!

chuck b. said...

Ugh, that spider! I didn't even notice it until I read the text.

I was at the Academy of Sciences recently browsing the snakes and lizards in thick glass containers when I suddenly happened upon a seemingly empty container and put my face right up next to it and saw...the...biggest...hairiest... SPIDER. I. have. ever! seen! It was right there in plain sight, but I was expecting a snake so my brain didn't see the spider until I was up really close and I screamed like a little girl, took a bout a million fast, tiny steps through the crowd away from the cage, the whole time making a visceral kind of gurgling sound.

But apparently, I'm not (yet?) clinically arachnophobic. That'll be when I look for spiders when I enter rooms, and keep all my clothes in ziploc bags so I don't accidentally put on a shirt with a spider hiding inside it.

As you might guess, I did some Google searches on the subject of arachnophobia recently. Apparently, there are two kinds of 'phobics: blunters and monitors. Blunters pretend the spider isn't there. They do "everything in [their] power to keep from seeing a spider in a room", even talking to themselves as a distraction. I guess that's kind of what I did subconsciously at the Academy of Sciences.

I think in general however, I'm more of a monitor. When a monitor sees a spider, "he not only makes sure he knows where it is but he continues to follow or monitor it." Which is exactly what I do if I can't bring myself to kill it outright. Usually, I want someone else to do my dirty work.

lisa said...

Kim-Thanks! Maybe I'm just aging, but I really enjoy all plants more and more, even the common orange daylilies that I used to hate!

Chuck-Hahahaha! (Laughing WITH you, not AT you ;-) I used to be more scared of spiders, but since my son began collecting tarantulas, the wild spiders around the house and yard seem quite tame by comparison. Guess I'm just de-sensitized...funny how you "monitor"...like "keep your friends close but your enemies closer"?

Zut Alors said...

I am so jealous of how green the area is! In my town, we haven't had rain in 2 years!!!

Kylee Baumle said...

This was a great way to start my day - with a big ol' smile! Very creative and I just love it. Yes, I'd say you have a lot of somethings there! Way to go!!! ;-)

lisa said...

Funtime...-Really? Two years?! I guess I take for granted the regular rainfall we usually have around here all summer, cuz' this is a drought to me, yet green to you....interesting...better count my blessings!

Thanks Kylee!