Neglected Sorrel

Late last summer I planted some sorrel seeds (rumex acetosa). The lemony (some say green apple) flavor of the leaves would make a nice addition to our salads. I put the seeds in a planter box because somebody told me sorrel has a habit of taking over. Then I proceeded to forget all about this little planter and its contents. I hadn’t really paid attention to the fact that sorrel is a perennial.

Earlier this spring when I was cleaning up and feeding all the perennials on the patio, I noticed signs of life in the little planter box. And still I neglected it. Yesterday I finally decided it was time to tend to the sorrel.

Uhm, there seems to be a LOT more than just sorrel growing in there.

 

Ouch! Over on the right I found a sprig of blackberry. Guess I should say thank you to whatever birdie decided to fertilize my box. Oh, and the stuff that looks like sprouts, that’s moss. We grow awesome moss here in the Pacific Northwest. But wait, it gets better. That brownish grayish rock you see nestled in the moss, that’s NOT a rock.

Just chillin’ under the shade of a sorrel leaf.

 

All that relaxing is hard work. Time for a snack!

Despite my neglect, the various invaders and the overcrowded conditions, the sorrel seems to be hanging in there. In the end, I left the box just as I had found it. I couldn’t bring myself to disturb this happy little eco-system. Besides, Wing Nut was busy making dinner and there was no way I was going to touch that snail!

First Bloom of 2011

And the prize goes to…

Hellebore (details unknown)

It started out as a cutting from one of the SAGBUTT (Seattle Area Garden Bloggers United To Talk) gardeners, Karen of Gardenwalks if memory serves. During a 2009 gathering I received a cutting from her garden. Last year the plant showed marked growth but it gave no blooms. I first noticed it blooming about a week ago. But it wasn’t until yesterday that I was able to catch a break from the winds and rains to attempt some pictures. Glad I took the time since today the winds and rains are back.

Nearby, under the lilac bush, the snowdrops have pushed up and are in a holding pattern as are most of our other spring bulbs.

These snowdrops still have to wait a spell before they get to shine. But typically around here, February brings a couple weeks of warm, dry, sunny weather.  Come on February! Hurry up and get here already!

First Fig

A-N-T-I-C-I-P-A-T-I-O-N!

 

The Wenches have been anxiously awaiting the moment when we’ll be able to pick our first fig. We’ve been waiting almost TWO years for this! Last summer we had a few figs but we lost our meager crop to the birds because we weren’t smart enough to net our little tree. This year we made sure to put the net on early! That’s Mugsy keeping an eye on the ONE mature fig. But it’s not quite ready yet. And you shouldn’t pick figs until they are perfectly ripe as they won’t ripen any further after they’ve been picked.

How do you know when it’s time? In Spanish we say that the fig is ready when it has the neck of a hanged man, the clothes of a poor one, and the eye of a widow.

The neck of a hanged man means that the stem has begun to dry out and the fig begins to droop. We have drooping!

The clothes of a poor man means that the skin of the fig has begun to wrinkle. We have wrinkling!

And the eye of a widow means that when you open up the fig it “weeps” a drop of syrupy sweetness.  We have weeping!

Our first fig was absolutely worth the wait!