Growth

The backyard was landscaped after our remodel was done, and now everything is growing nicely. Including a lot of "volunteers", as Jennifer calls them, plants that we call weeds because they are growing where we don't want them. I spent a good part of the morning pulling things up, especially the pernicious little guy that sends out stalks in all directions, producing nasty little burrs as seed pods. There is plenty of clover-like stuff, that looks pretty this time of year, but I know it gets ugly later on. It's crowding out the pretty lavendar and other purple flowers that we'd rather have. The tiny-leaved elfin thyme that was planted among the flagstones is doing well, and has almost doubled in size. But there is still dirt between the plants, and in each little patch, something else tries to grow.

Today I lay down one extra flagstone by the gate, because Lola and other visiting dogs had taken to digging in that one vacant spot. Eventually they may have succeeded in going through to China, or at least under the fence.

Some neighbors were having a plant sale and we picked up a couple of caraval hollyhocks for a spot by the other fence, under a bird feeder. I hope I can keep their plot free of weeds long enough for them to get a good start.

Roses

This year, due to all the mess of remodelling, I never got around to cutting back the rose bush. This week, there are more roses than we have ever had. This particular rose is not at our house, however. But I do love the color.

We had a little rain last night, and today the roses were covered with droplets and gleaming in the sun. It all felt so fine this morning, since I had finished the Wed NY Times crossword puzzle in one sitting.

Trillium

We took a lovely spring hike yesterday up Baltimore Canyon in Larkspur. The weather was pleasantly warm and sunny, and the very first of the white wildflowers were blooming along the path. The trillium make such a big splash along the trails. This one is called Trillium Ovatum or the Western Wake Robin. I found this out by talking to my sister, and also by consulting the online Trillium Identifier.

I learned some other interesting things while I was looking for the name. Picking the flowers of Trillium can seriously injure the plant. The three leaves below the flower are the plant's only food source and a picked trillium may die or take many years to recover. Trillium seeds have an organ called an elaiosome that attracts ants. The ants take the seeds to their nest, where they eat the elaiosomes and put the seeds in their garbage, where they can be protected until they germinate. They also get the added bonus of growing in a medium made richer by the ant garbage. (Did you know that ants have a special place for their garbage?? This requires more research.)



I'm not sure what this plant is, because it hadn't bloomed yet, but the leaves were such a gorgeous green, and the way the breeze played on the leaves made such a soft lovely bed.