How could I not buy a plant with a name like Sweet Vanilla Butterfly Flower? “Its sweet vanilla smell draws butterflies and hummingbirds, but this is one tough, versatile plant. Suitable for moist soil, such as next to a lake, but also tolerant of dry conditions. Excellent for everything from large landscape projects to naturalizing to cut-flower arrangements.”
(Update 8/12/10. This turned out to be a milkweed, which lived up to its billing in every way, though the flowering season was disappointingly short. I don’t know if I had deadheaded it if it could have been extended but it happened when I was swamped and was letting the subtle parts of gardening go by unaccomplished. It wasn’t the common milkweed that most people would be familiar with. I don’t know the specific name of it but it is one of the lanceolate leaved types which I have seen grow in the wild here before the deer started ravaging everything.
“There are two major groups of milkweeds: narrow-leaved (with linear or narrowly lanceolate leaves) and broad-leaved (with leaves usually more than two inches wide throughout most of their length). Some milkweeds make beautiful specimens for the formal flower garden while others are considered dull, invasive weeds…”
Read more about milkweeds here.)
It has arrived and has been planted. It came from the same company I ordered 4 gojis from, but only one arrived despite being invoiced for the four. I called them and they are shipping the other three, no problem.
I have planted some potatoes and in cold frames spinach, a lettuce mix, a greens mix, regular red round radishes and some white icicle radishes. If my energy holds up by this evening I will have fava beans, snap and shell peas planted.
I got catalog fever bad this winter and went nuts ordering. I may live a long time who knows, but I do know I have energy this year and may not next so I am planting more trees, berries, and flowering perennials that are fragrant. The next two or three weeks are going to be intense. I told most catalogs to ship April first but some are coming already. I ordered from 12 different plant catalogs and two supply catalogs so it will be staggered to a degree and some don’t give you the option as to when they ship, they do it according to their own schedule.
Here is the list. Lots of the strawberries are to be distributed amongst a group of devotees, not all for me, I am only planting about 30.
Quantity | Plant | Tree, Bush, Vine, Perennial | Spacing | Height | |
1 | Chocolate vine | V | 15-20′ | ||
1 | Corkscrew Vine | V | 12-36″ | 4-6′ | |
1 | Grape | Buffalo | V | ||
1 | Grape | Ontario | V | ||
1 | Grape | Steuben | V | ||
2 | Kiwi | Arctic female | V | ||
1 | Kiwi | Arctic male | V | ||
1 | Passion Flower | V | vigorousTerritorial | ||
1 | American Chestnut | Hartman hybrid | T | 50′ | |
1 | Apple | Winter Banana | T | ||
1 | Asian pear | T | 15′ | 15′ | |
1 | Asian pear | T | 15′ | 15′ | |
1 | Asian pear | T | 15′ | 15′ | |
1 | Cherry | Emporor Francis | T | ||
1 | Cherry | Star Stella | T | ||
1 | Cherry | White Gold | T | ||
2 | Cornelian Cherry | T | |||
1 | Hazelnut | Jefferson | T | ||
1 | Hazelnut | Yamhill | T | ||
1 | Hazelnut | Delta | T | ||
1 | Jujube | Shuimen | T | 15′ | 30′ |
1 | Jujube | Globe | T | 15′ | 30′ |
1 | Jujube | Russian #1 | T | 15′ | 30′ |
1 | Pear | Sekel | T | ||
1 | Persimmon Amer. | Celebrity U20A | T | 40-45′ | |
1 | Persimmon Amer. | Early Golden | T | 40-45′ | |
1 | Persimmon Asian | Hokkaido | T | 25′ | 25′ |
1 | Persimmon Asian | Rosseyanka | T | 25′ | 25′ |
1 | Polemonium | Blue Pearl | P | 12″ | 12″ |
3 | Begonia | White Odorata | P | 8-10″ | 10-12″ |
1 | Bunchberry | P | 6″ | 6-8″ | |
1 | Clematis | Florus Solitary | P | 30″ | 3′ |
1 | Corydalis | Berry Exciting | P | 15-18″ | 12″ |
1 | Crambe | P | 3′ | 4-6′ | |
1 | Dahlia | Who Dun It | P | 18-24″ | 40-44″ |
20 | Dahlias | mixture | P | ||
2 | Daphne | Ruby Glow | P | 3′ | 12″ |
1 | Dianthus | Coconut Punch | P | 12″ | |
1 | Dianthus | Velvet’n Lace | P | 12-18″ | 12-18″ |
25 | Double Freesia | P | 4″ | 15-24″ | |
3 | Helleborus | mixture | P | ||
1 | Hibiscus | P | |||
6 | Hybrid Phlox | mixture | P | 18-24″ | 30-48″ |
1 | Iris Jewel Baby | P | |||
1 | Iris Tomorrow May Rain | P | |||
1 | Licorice Mint | P | |||
6 | Lily tree | P | 8′ | ||
10 | Oriental Lily | mixture | P | 10-12″ | 3-4′ |
100 | Strawberries | Earlibelle | P | 12″ | |
100 | Strawberries | Cavendish | P | 12″ | |
100 | Strawberries | Record | P | 12″ | |
1 | Sweet Vanilla | Butterfly Flower | P | ||
1 | Wintergreen | P | creeper | ||
3 | Yellow Meadow Rue | P | 24-30″ | 36-48″ | |
1 | Plum Tree | Sweet mini | B | ||
1 | Angel’s Trumpet | B | 6′ | 8-10′ | |
1 | Bearberry | B | |||
1 | Bilberry | Eagle | B | low | |
1 | Blueberry | Aurora | B | ||
1 | Blueberry | Ka-Bluey | B | ||
1 | Blueberry | Rubel | B | 8 x 4′ | |
3 | Cherry | Nanking | B | 4-5′ | |
1 | Currant | Pink Champagne | B | 3-4′ | |
1 | Dewberry | B | 3-4′ | sprawl | |
1 | Fragrant Abelia | B | 4-5′ | 5-6′ | |
4 | Goji.s | B | 8′ | ||
1 | Gooseberries | Hinnoki Red | B | ||
1 | Gooseberry | Pixwell | B | 5′ | 3-4′ |
5 | Hanson Bush Cherry | B | 4-5′ | ||
1 | Lilac Reblooming Jose | B | 4-5′ | 6′ | |
4 | Lingonberries | Variety | B | 18″ | 12-15″ |
2 | Lingonberries | Regal | B | 18″ | 8-15″ |
2 | Lingonberries | Red Pearl | B | 18″ | 12-18″ |
5 | Raspberry | Prelude | B | ||
2 | Saskatoon Blueberry | B | 15-20′ | ||
2 | Seaberry | Female | B | 2-3′ | 8-10′ |
1 | Seaberry | Male | B | 2-3′ |
March 26, 2010 at 11:48 am
Look at all those fabulous trees! You’re planting “only” 30 – hah – that’s a lot of work! I’ve never even heard of some of them. Wish I had that much land, I’d have a nice peach orchard to start.
If you can, please take a look at the site I listed and give me some input – I only have one article there so far but it should be of interest to some devotees in New Vrndavana. I’m still a very new blogger, thanks for getting me started. I have a long way to go – however do we find the time?
March 26, 2010 at 8:30 pm
I checked the article and am familiar with your concerns. It isn’t quite as simple as you lay it out but I appreciate you taking. the time to think about it.
At his point it is moot as the leases have been signed.
Natural gas is actually seen as a transition fuel to renewables and much preferable to coal and oil, both in lessened impact in the extraction process and a fraction of the greenhouse gases while burnt, so it is considered green by most serious environmentalists.
These points were exhaustively discussed ina series of istaghosthis over the period of a year. Not everyone agreed on the final course of action, for sure, but the majority did.
As for time for blogging, I do a lot of menial labor in the garden and find that an excellent time to free up my mind and think about what to blog. this saves considerable time when sitting down to write, but yes, it is time consuming.
I am always happy to hear reports of the community garden in Dallas, so please continue to update for us as you can.
Maybe you could give the link for that blog here also.
March 27, 2010 at 12:48 am
That’s interesting. I’m not really in touch with what environmentalists think today, because that will change tomorrow. But perhaps NV leadership won’t be criticized as much as I thought, although I doubt that’s the case.
I’m primarily concerned with what Srila Prabhupada said. As I see it, he started the green and sustainability movement, being way ahead of his time, but most people (and devotees) simply cannot come up to his standards. Still, someone must set the standard, and he definitely did it.
I’m not sure if you’re on my email distribution list, but you can check the garden blog periodically – the site is http://gardenblog.selfsufficientcommunities.net.
Your blog layout is excellent, by the way. Very nice categorization and access to postings in various ways, and a lot of subjects. I’m slowly learning.
Back to the gas drilling subject, while it is not the least bit green or sustainable, my biggest concern is the precedent that has now been set in ISKCON by it’s oldest rural community, by devotees who are predominantly Srila Prabhupada’s disciples.
Maybe there is a debate going on in the GBC over the subject due to my letter? I hope so. I have no idea why there have been no published resolutions so long after the meetings – it’s very unusual.
I seem to have a knack for getting myself into trouble. :)
March 27, 2010 at 8:16 am
I see your blog as it posts to Planet ISKCON
which I monitor.
I myself am more of a demand side environmentalist. If someone drives a car and uses electricity from the grid then they are in favor of using nonrenewable resources. Personal responsibility.
Of the nonrenewables, natural gas has the lowest impact.
We had the experience in NV of devotees driving to the istaghostis the few hundred yards from the apartments and then saying they were opposed to drilling.
My response was and is if you drive a car you favor drilling on the only level that matters — what you do in the real world, not in some fantasy Utopia.
Rest assured that we intend to use the money to recapitalize the project, which was teetering on the brink of extinction due to lack of support. Solar panels and solar hot water heaters will be bought, which will lessen our dependence on nonrewnewables, and move NV closer to Srikla Prabhupada’s vision of living dependent on the land and the cows.
March 27, 2010 at 10:11 am
Very interesting.
How do I contact Planet ISKCON to tell them to change the link to the garden blog? It has changed to the above address.
March 27, 2010 at 7:51 pm
sitapati@worldsankirtan.net
He is just leaving on a two week kirtan tour with Madhava and may not have much computer access.
Send him your name, the city you are in, the url and the rss address to make it easy for him. —– Original Message —–
March 27, 2010 at 7:36 pm
I’ll email you the address.
July 13, 2013 at 8:33 pm
Any site with a pix of mature sweet vanilla butterfly bush?
July 15, 2013 at 10:22 am
you could google as easiet as I