Seedling Survivors!

In a previous post I labelled the above plants wrongly.  Pretty sure these are Eryngium agavifolium, not yuccifolium. Whatever it is, it sure is looking great.  My tagging scheme fell by the wayside last year, and I'm still trying to identify a few things in the ground and in pots.

  Despite the wonderful season of colour, this post is rather green.  It is pouring rain today here in Nova Scotia, anyway. But this day celebrates some perennials and trees that I grew from seed last spring, and have survived!  Below is the stronger of two tiny Parthenium integrifolium, wild quinine.  At least they are alive, and even fighting off some bug that is chewing the leaves.  At least, I hope they are fighting.  I want to see those clusters of white flowers for myself - a sophisticated version of pearly everlastings (Anaphalis), I'd say, from the photos I've seen.  

The next seedlings, also in the ground at the cottage, are cup plant, Silphium perfoliatum.  They are shooting up to the sky.  I await the sun-flowery blooms, with the water-holding leafy cups around the stem.  

     Back home in the greenhouse are a few other success stories.  Another Eryngium is here; this one is likely yuccifolium, though it seems to me I planted three species last spring.  Nine tiny umbrella pines, Sciadopitys verticillata, are soaking up the sun.  In behind is a wee tree I started from seed several years ago.  Was it bald cypress, or something like that?  I gotta start keeping records!

I had a great crop of Osage Oranges last year, Maclura pomifera, close to twenty healthy sprouts that came from seed, planted in milk cartons.  This spring they did not look well.  A month ago I figured they all were dead.  Now, two are leafing out, and a third is showing signs of life.  This is a pleasant relief (dare I say "re-leaf"?).

The biggest disappointment for me has been several species of Arisaema, dear ole Jack-in-the-Pulpit.  Not a sign of life from any of them, save the moss and a couple weeds coming up. 

But wait... could that be?  Look closer.  I know, I know - not quite in focus.   But one is just now coming up!  Yeah, yeah, I know; these are not labelled either.  But look over there, on the right side of the pot...

Perhaps this is the first of many more that will resurrect in the next while.  I'm about to be away from home for a week, and I will be excited to return and see if some more miracles happen!