What's looking good in May 2016

[Bootsy]

Wild Columbine has buds on it. This is particularly exciting, because Wild Columbine was the first native plant I ID'd years ago, so to see one bloom for the first time in my own yard is going to be awesome!

@JBtheExplorer
You should cherish them now. Unfortunately a new disease (downy mildew) has been hitting them for the last few years

We've lost over 6,000 of them

All gone!!!!!

We have a few that are now struggling to survive and people are helping us to try and get them going again.

 

[zigs]

Those are female plants. The male plants don't produce berries and so most of their strength goes into producing thicker spears.

@zigs those look like females but could possibly be (but unlikely) younger males that haven't developed their thicker stems yet. They look almost ready to produce ferns. Leave them until the Autumn to see whether they produce berries. If so, then you may want to lift them and replace them with male plants. I think there are some varieties that are virtually all males. Mr Google will tell you.

I'll ask our friend Mary, seeing her on the way up to your place

 

[zigs]

Wild Strawberries continue to bloom, and the leaves have gotten nice and large. I really like the foliage of Wild Strawberry. I'm surprised it isn't used in gardens more as a ground cover.

]

Can you post a pic when the Strawberries fruit @JBtheExplorer They look more like Alpine than wild, will be able to tell from the berry shape

Got Alpines all over the place here.

 

[Bootsy]

I'll ask our friend Mary, seeing her on the way up to your place

Give her a hug from me.

 

[zigs]

Give her a hug from me.

Will do, she's sad that she's not coming up this year.

 

[OursIsTheFury]

Rainy season just started here, so more storms and winds are coming, and I don't think I'll be seeing the plants in the garden blooming any time soon. There have always been lots of casualties when it comes to storms in tropical areas, so days after the storm, it's usually leaves and uprooted plants everywhere. Pretty sad, I know, but I don't think we can do anything about it, as it is the circle of nature, after all. Oh well, maybe when spring comes, the flowers in my apartment garden would bloom marvelously again.

 

[Beverly]

@Bootsy said Unfortunately a new disease (downy mildew) has been hitting them for the last few years

Hi Bootsy, so sorry to hear this. Have you tried a milk/water mix spray to control the mildew? It works for powdery mildew but i don't know how similar powdery mildew is to downy mildew. It might be worth a try though. Researchers do not agree on the mix proportions. It is most effective if found and sprayed early on and it evidently needs sun to create the proper reaction with the milk proteins. There are a few threads at GF regarding this, such as here:
https://www.gardening-forums.com/threads/powdery-mildew.7449/#post-78199

A general web search for "milk to control powdery mildew" will yield a ton of results for you to take a look at. Or you might just cut to the chase and search "how to treat downy mildew".

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Can you post a pic when the Strawberries fruit @JBtheExplorer They look more like Alpine than wild, will be able to tell from the berry shape

Got Alpines all over the place here.

 

[zigs]

Ta @JBtheExplorer

Same shape as our wild ones, but the seeds are more indented. Deffo not Alpines

 

[DeborahJane]

@JBtheExplorer
You should cherish them now. Unfortunately a new disease (downy mildew) has been hitting them for the last few years

We've lost over 6,000 of them

View attachment 12709

View attachment 12710

View attachment 12711

All gone!!!!!

We have a few that are now struggling to survive and people are helping us to try and get them going again.

 

[Beth_B]

Those are female plants. The male plants don't produce berries and so most of their strength goes into producing thicker spears.

@zigs those look like females but could possibly be (but unlikely) younger males that haven't developed their thicker stems yet. They look almost ready to produce ferns. Leave them until the Autumn to see whether they produce berries. If so, then you may want to lift them and replace them with male plants. I think there are some varieties that are virtually all males. Mr Google will tell you.

Interesting, really? This is the third year and I'm now harvesting a handful of fat spears every 3-4 days (see photo.) Two varieties; Martha Washington and Jersey Giant, six of each. As l recall all the plants had berries but right now they're putting up spears as fast as l can eat them.

 

[Bootsy]

Have you tried a milk/water mix spray to control the mildew? It works for powdery mildew but i don't know how similar powdery mildew is to downy mildew. It might be worth a try though. Researchers do not agree on the mix proportions. It is most effective if found and sprayed early on and it evidently needs sun to create the proper reaction with the milk proteins.

Thanks @Beverly
When the disease first hit, three years ago, I was working with the person who holds the national collection of Aquilegia. We've not found anything that has worked. She's been doing proper scientific research and I've been doing the 'seat of the pants' method. Nada!

 

[zigs]

Thanks @Beverly
When the disease first hit, three years ago, I was working with the person who holds the national collection of Aquilegia. We've not found anything that has worked. She's been doing proper scientific research and I've been doing the 'seat of the pants' method. Nada!

So it's probably not a good move to bring this lot up to your place after all then @Bootsy

 

[Bootsy]

Interesting, really? This is the third year and I'm now harvesting a handful of fat spears every 3-4 days (see photo.) Two varieties; Martha Washington and Jersey Giant, six of each. As l recall all the plants had berries but right now they're putting up spears as fast as l can eat them.

You may find this article, that I have just found, interesting

http://awaytogarden.com/asparagus-an-all-male-cast/

 

[Bootsy]

So it's probably not a good move to bring this lot up to your place after all then @zigs


.

@zigs
As they're from unaffected stock from a distance away they may help rejuvenate our garden. At the moment we have a few dozen popping up that seem unaffected. I can sell some of yours and see whether they help elsewhere as well.

Some of our remaining ones, or they may be from seed still in the ground, are just starting to flower. We've dug out any that don't look right