July, and the Silk Road lilies have opened. They are taller than I am. During these hot days they hold their breath, but towards late afternoon their scent is increasingly released. By evening, the whole terrace smells like cloves.
The right hand side of the terrace is also home to the Thai limes (Citrus hystrix). I recently re-potted them - again - due to suspected root rot. They were doing very well and putting out new growth, but a week of tropical and daily rain in early June, followed by a mad and humid day in the 90's, apparently resurrected a dormant pathogen. This time, in their very mixed potting media (with lots of big bark chips) I included a fungicide, a very expensive additive that is my last and extremely reluctant weapon in the root rot fight. Now we wait.
Also, the black raspberry has been removed. It came from its nursery last year with a virus that I was too ignorant to identify at the time. Its pot was scrubbed and sterilized, and a new raspberry is in its place. And I bought a self pollinating hardy kiwi, too.
The other side of the terrace is now home to the healthy yuzu (Citrus juno) - moved far (that's relative) from the sick limes, just in case, as well as Liatris, a collection of hyssops (Agastache), fennel and Calamintha, whose long-lasting flowers are all so attractive to pollinators. Except, I've barely seen any insects this summer. Still, the chimney swifts patrolling above us must be eating something. Inbetween are the happy, undemanding bay tree and prickly ash. And, of course, the stone table, where we so often eat supper, and watch the world above our heads (last night it was a low-flying osprey).
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I wish you good luck with your new black raspberry. We have 12 ft of black raspberry bushes running along one fence. We guesstimate they are over 80 years old and could be older!! I chop them down to 6inches every 3 years and they come back berries a blaz'in. We've never done a gosh darn thing to them expect the cutting of wayward canes sneaking into the yard and the big chop.
ReplyDeleteSounds delicious!
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ReplyDeleteComment: After bewailing the lack of bees in my Meyer lemon last year, something must have been working hard - I had the best crop in 25 years. Hope it's not an agony flowering
25 years! That's amazing...
DeleteA divine post...last year I had zucchini flowers galore but no bees pollinated so no fruit...possibly because I used green tulle fabric to keep the chipmunks away (they hate the feel on their feet and run away). I pulled out my raspberry vines and moved them to the other side of the property as they were sending shoots under my Northern NJ garden. I love your liatris, I separated my white from the purple last year and they're all up and ready to bloom.
ReplyDelete"...they hate the feel on their feet"made me laugh our loud! Tulle and chipmunks! How on earth did you make this discovery? I wonder if many of your flowers were not perhaps male? Apparently they arrive earlier, and in abundance... Yeah, this raspberry problem was a surprise - I never had issues, before. But this plant bought with the disease. Now I know.
DeleteI am in the process of killing my 4th (!) bay laurel. I don't know what I do or don't do, but I may just haven to go back to buying dried from the store...sigh....keep an eye on the kiwi if its anything like ours it will try and take over the whole terrace.
ReplyDeleteOh dear! Your climate is fine for the bay tree to be in-ground, outdoors. Is it in a pot?
DeleteIts in a pot and I'm not sure if its been over or under watered. Its a smallish pot, but the plant isn't root bound. On an up note my tomatoes are thriving!
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