Variegated Liriope or monkey grass

More commonly known as monkey grass, liriope is a grass-like, flowering plant commonly used to landscape temperate latitudes. Descending from East Asia, its evergreen foliage can spruce up any garden in a matter of weeks. Growing aggressively, some forms can spread quite quickly while preventing erosion, making it a choice groundcover as well.

Liriope is resilient and can grow in conditions that would be unsuitable for many other plants. It can grow in wet or dry areas, it can flourish in the sun or in the shade, and it can hold its own against shallow soil, drought and deer. The plant's thick, mat-like qualities block the growth of weeds while producing its own flowers, making it a beautiful addition to any piece of land.

Varities of Liriope
Liriope Spicata
- Of the two varieties of liriope, spicata spreads the fastest. As its growth rates ensure that it could quickly overtake any garden, the plant is often found in contained areas. It's not uncommon to see this variety growing in the space between a street and a sidewalk or in the median of a road. Others grow it on steep, shady embankments to keep it from damaging other plants. Spicata can grow on minimal amounts of direct sunlight and should be placed in areas with well-drained soil as too much water can cause damage. The plants blades can reach up to one inch in height and often produce a spiky flower that ranges in color from white to lavender.

Liriope Muscari
- While spicata can fill any land it's given, liriope muscari doesn't spread. Known as the "clumping" variety, it tends to stay where it's placed, regardless of the amount of sunlight it receives. While its blades are not any longer than the spicata variety, its flowers tend to bloom purple rather than white. Like spicata, it is both durable and dependable, holding up against many environmental pressures.
Caring for Liriope
*To keep your plants growing strong, water them with a foliar spray twice a year.

*Since they grow so quickly, liriope needs to be sheered back each winter. Not only does this keep the plant healthy, it keeps your garden looking its best.

*To propagate liriopes, lift the plants in late autumn or early spring and tease apart sections to ensure that each portion contains at least some rootstock. Once separated, place the liriopes back into the ground or pot from which they were taken. This process works best when done bi-yearly, as some plants may need an extra season to separate correctly

*Make sure to find a suitable place with plenty of space before planting. Liriope can grow anywhere, but it's not uncommon for the plant to overtake an entire garden in a matter of months if not monitored.
Splitting Liriope
Since liriope can spread so aggressively, many people decide to split their plants when expanding their garden. This is an easy process and often has satisfactory results.

To split liriope:

*You don't have to wait until the fall, as is the case with most other plants. Liriope spreads just as quickly in the spring.

*Dig up each clump individually, being careful to get all the roots.

*Using a sharp shovel, spear each clump in half. If a shovel does not work, try turning the clump upside down and using it as a small saw to cut the halves apart.

*Put each plant in an individual container until you are ready to place them in the ground.

*New plants should be given lots of water and shade if they are expected to reach their full growing potential.
Buying Liriope
Both liriope spicata and liriope muscari can be bought anywhere groundcovers are sold. These can include any local greenhouse or home gardening center, including but not limited to Lowes and Home Depot. The plants can also be bought online, and usually cost the buyer about ten to fifteen dollars a piece. This can be a good deal, depending on the size of your lawn and the number of plants needed.

Uses for Lirope

*An excellent landscaping agent, liriope is often used to line the edges of roads, pathways and sidewalks.

*When used in abundance, certain varieties can provide an excellent and efficient ground cover.

*Liriope spicata can be used as a substitute for Ophiopogon japonicus, an herb used to prevent yin deficiency in Chinese medicine.
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Asparagales
Family: Ruscaceae
Genus: Liriope

Spirea

Spiraea

For the European and west Asian herb in the same family, see Meadowsweet.Spiraea

Spiraea thunbergii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Subfamily: Spiraeoideae
Genus: Spiraea
L.
Species

About 80-100


Spiraea × arguta

Spiraea or meadowsweet, is a genus of about 80-100 species of shrubs in the family Rosaceae, subfamily Spiraeoideae. They are native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with the greatest diversity in eastern Asia.

Spiraea species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Brown-tail, Emperor Moth, Grey Dagger, Hypercompe indecisa and Setaceous Hebrew Character.

The genus was formerly treated as also containing the herbaceous species now segregated into the genera Filipendula and Aruncus; recent genetic evidence has shown that Filipendula is only distantly related to Spiraea, belonging in the subfamily Rosoideae.Contents



Uses and toxicity

Spiraea (also known as Meadowsweet) is too woody to be used as an edible plant, but has a long history of medicinal use by Native Americans as an herbal tea. The entire plant contains methyl salicylate and other salicylates, compounds with similar medicinal properties of aspirin. Unlike other salicylate-bearing plants such as willow or poplar, meadowsweet's content of these analgesic compounds remain consistent from plant to plant. Unlike aspirin, meadowsweet is effective in treating stomach disorders in minute amounts. The salicylates in this plant are a highly effective analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and fever reducer, without the side effects attributed to aspirin. Compounds in this plant also contain bacteriostatic properties, and the tea of this plant was used by the Blackfeet Indians as an enema and vagina douche to treat infections of the bowels and vaginal area.



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Spireas are among the easiest flowering shrubs to grow. Spirea have over 80 species, some of which have dozens of varieties. They are a member of the rose family and are tough plants. All spirea have small leaves and fine, twiggy branches.

There are two distinct kinds of spireas: the bridal wreath type, with clusters of white flowers on arching branches in spring; and the smaller, shrubby, much lower-growing type, which has pink, red or white flowers clustered at the end of upright branches from late spring through to fall.

Spireas are easy to transplant with spring and/or fall being the best planting times. These shrub prefers partial to full sun. Full sun and in open areas provide the best flowering.

Spireas are tolerant of many soils except extremely wet. The plant also likes mulch and summer watering.
Pruning

After flowering has finished, prune the mostly spring-blooming, bridal wreath spireas. On the larger bridal wreath spriea types, thin out old, woody and weak individual canes to the ground annually. Periodical severe pruning may be necessary otherwise. With severe pruning, you will lose the bloom for that season.

Prune the smaller, summer-blooming, shrubby spireas in winter or early spring. They generally need less severe pruning than bridal wreath spireas. After flowers fade, a light pruning will produce a second flush of growth and additional flowers.

Japanese and bumald spireas should be pruned in early spring to promote the best flowering. Remove dead, diseased, and broken branches anytime.

Spireas can be severely pruned and will grow and flower again.


Fertilization

Spireas are not heavy feeders. Fertilize once a year in the fall, or early spring. Use an all-purpose slow-acting granular fertilizer on the soil around the base. This will provide consistent, steady nutrition for several months over the growing season.
Mulching

As already mentioned, spireas are pretty tolerant shrubs. A thin layer of mulch will help keep down weeds, moderate soil temperature and retain moisture during hot spells.
FYI: Aspirin

Aspirin is the generic medical name for the chemical acetylsalicylic acid, a derivative of salicylic acid. Compounds of salicylic acid are found in some plants, notably white willow and meadowsweet (Spirea ulmaria). Acetyl- and spirea which inspired the name aspirin.

Mourning Doves

A mourning dove suns itself on a large boulder in my rock garden.

Like other columbids, the Mourning Dove drinks by suction, without lifting or tilting its head. It often gathers at drinking spots around dawn and dusk.

Mourning doves sunbathe or rainbathe by lying on the ground or on a flat tree limb, leaning over, stretching one wing, and keeping this posture for up to twenty minutes. These birds can also waterbathe in shallow pools or bird baths. Dustbathing is common as well. We have mourning doves all year 'round. They come in winter for seed from our feeders. I love hearing them in the morning. I have loved the sound they make since I was a small child.


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Outside the breeding season, Mourning Doves roost communally in dense deciduous trees or in conifers. During sleep, the head rests between the shoulders, close to the body; it is not tucked under the shoulder feathers as in many other species. During the winter in Canada, roosting flights to the roosts in the evening, and out of the roosts in the morning, are delayed on colder day

Description:
Mourning Doves get their name from their mournful song. They are a medium-sized wild bird ranging from 9 to 13 inches with a wingspan of 15-18 inches. They weigh between 3.04 and 6 ounces.


Their colors are a grayish brown back with a buff underneath, black spots on the wings, and a black spot shaped like a comma below and behind the eye.

They have a graduated gray tail with longer feathers in the middle and white tips bored with black on the outer feathers. They have a small, thin black bill, dullish red legs and feet and dark brown eyes.

Males are larger than females and show more color with a bluish cap, pink chest and neck feathers and three white outer tail feathers. The female is graced with an olive gray cap and a tan breast. Neck feathers can be greenish or pinkish with one or two white outer feathers. Their wings make a musical whir or whishing noise.

Diet:
The Mourning Dove eats seeds and feeds on relatively bare ground but can be attracted to gardens and backyard bird feeders.


They can be found across North America breeding from Cuba north to Southern Canada and New England, and wintering from Southern Illinois and New York to the Greater Antilles and Panama.

They feed in pairs or flocks. In the wild they will eat pine nuts, wheat, corn, sesame, canary grass, sweet gum, amaranth and pokeberry seeds. At feeders, they prefer sunflower, safflower and millet seeds.

Nesting Habits:
Mourning Doves breed in all kinds of open areas. They like to build flimsy platforms made of twigs, pine needles and grass stems. They prefer building these platforms in trees, shrubs and other vines growing as high as 50 feet. They will make nests in man-made structures.

They have only two white eggs in each clutch and may have five to six broods a year. They never leave their eggs unattended and both female and male take turns sitting on the nest. They are monogamous and keep the same partner for life, but if a Mourning Dove looses its mate will find a new one.

More Information:
This is a beautiful wild bird that makes its home throughout most of North America. They are at ease in all types of terrain--the deserts of Arizona, northern and eastern forests, the farmland of the Great Plains, and even in populated urban areas.

The Mourning Dove is among the top ten most abundant birds in the United States.Their song sounds like Òcoo-OOH, Ooo-Ooo-OooO. An interesting fact about the Mourning Dove is that when they are building a nest the female stays at the nest site and the male bird collects the sticks. He then stands on her back to give her the sticks and she then weaves them into their nest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mourning_Dove

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mourning_Dove/id

http://www.a-home-for-wild-birds.com/mourning-dove.html

Boxwood shrubs

Buxus sempervirens ( Variegated English Boxwood )





Boxwood - Varieties

Boxwood Notes from Oklahoma Gardening TV

In the nursery trade there are basically two species of Boxwood available, English Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) and Japanese Boxwood (Buxus microphylla). English Boxwood is native to southern Europe, northern Africa and western Asia and sometimes is referred to as Common Boxwood. The plants grow larger than Japanese Boxwood and hold good green color in shade or sun. The leaves are tapered or slightly pointed with the widest part of the leaf being the base.

Japanese Boxwood is native to Japan and is often called Little-Leaf Boxwood. The plants grow in sun or shade but can become slightly brown over winter in full sun. The leaves are more rounded and are widest in the center. The brown or tan colored foliage can easily be cleaned up with a light spring pruning.

Comparison of leaves


Boxwoods are versatile in their being able to survive in sun or shade. They have shallow root systems and aren't particularly drought tolerant, although established plants favor pretty well in Stillwater. Boxwoods in the southern United States can have root problems if a thick mulch is applied. For this reason gardeners should only mulch lightly.

When pruning boxwood into a hedge, make sure the bottom is left wider than the top. This allows more light to reach the lower branches and the hedge is less likely to thin at the bottom.

Here are a few boxwood cultivars.
English Boxwood:
'Newport Blue' – bluish-green foliage, dense foliage, wider than tall

'Suffruticosa' – dwarf variety grown for centuries and considered the true "edging boxwood"
'Argenteo-Variegata' – variegated variety that lights up shade
'Graham Blandy' – upright columnar variety, great vertical accent
'Pyramidalis' – upright variety with more of a pyramidal shape

Japanese Boxwood:
'Emerald Jewel' – variety koreana, only two feet at maturity, very hardy
Hybrid Boxwood:

'Green Mountain' – offspring of English and Japanese, excellent cold hardiness, good winter color and hardiness

http://www.walterreeves.com/landscaping/article.phtml?cat=13&id=696

Ubi caritas

Latin Text

Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor.
Exultemus, et in ipso jucundemur.
Timeamus, et amemus Deum vivum.
Et ex corde diligamus nos sincero.
Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
Simul ergo cum in unum congregamur:
Ne nos mente dividamur, caveamus.
Cessent iurgia maligna, cessent lites.
Et in medio nostri sit Christus Deus.
Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
Simul quoque cum beatis videamus,
Glorianter vultum tuum, Christe Deus:
Gaudium quod est immensum, atque probum,
Saecula per infinita saeculorum. Amen.

English Translation


Where charity and love are, God is there.
Christ's love has gathered us into one.
Let us rejoice and be pleased in Him.
Let us fear, and let us love the living God.
And may we love each other with a sincere heart.
Where charity and love are, God is there.
As we are gathered into one body,
Beware, lest we be divided in mind.
Let evil impulses stop, let controversy cease,
And may Christ our God be in our midst.
Where charity and love are, God is there.
And may we with the saints also,
See Thy face in glory, O Christ our God:
The joy that is immense and good,
Unto the ages through infinite ages. Amen.

Midsummer Solstice

I lie beneath the dome of noon,
The lapis lazuli of June
And fulcrum of eternal spring.
There's time, there's time, for everything.

The poplars lean against the air
To comb the wind's unruly hair
And all the world is blossoming.
There's time, there's time, for everything.

The hawk moth in the trumpet vine,
And I am yours, and you are mine,
The measured sweep of heron's wing.
There's time, there's time, for everything.

In humming fields, the longest day,
Before the grasses turn to hay,
With darning needles hovering,
There's time, there's time, for everything.

REH

From my Friend Dan Hermann written by his mother Rachel E. Hermann
copyright 1965, all rights reserved

Hen and Chicks plants

Hen and chicks (also known as Hen-and-chickens) is a common name for a group of small succulents belonging to the flowering plant family Crassulaceae, native to Europe and northern Africa. They grow close to the ground with leaves formed around each other in a rosette, and propagating by offsets. The 'hen' is the main plant, and the 'chicks' are the offspring, which start as tiny buds on the main plant and soon sprout their own roots, taking up residence close to the mother plant.

Plants commonly referred to as "Hens and chicks" include ground hugging species of Sempervivum (Houseleeks) such as Sempervivum Pekinese, Sempervivum arachnoideum (Cobweb Houseleek), and Sempervivum tectorum (Common Houseleek); the related genus Jovibarba. The name is also used for some species of Echeveria, Sedum and Bergenia although these plants differ significantly from, and should not be confused with, Sempervivum and Jovibarba. The description below provides characteristics of Sempervivum and Jovibarba only.

Aside from the common morphology, the many species of hen and chicks differ widely in appearance. Colours range from lime green to burgundy to purple, and size varies from as small as 1 cm to as large as 20 cm across. The leaves can be thin and spiky or thick and rounded with a pointed tip. Some, such as Cobweb Houseleek, have fine spiderweb-like filaments that grow naturally from leaf edge to leaf edge, forming a white cover on the top of the plant, while others have fine hairs that cover the entire plant structure.



Upon maturity (usually around 3 to 4 years old) the plant will send up a single stalk that can reach 5-25 cm tall. The head of the stalk is a cluster of star-shaped flower buds 1-2 cm in diameter, which range in color from dark pink to yellow and that flower for several weeks. After blooming, the plant will die. Usually by this time it has produced many offsets ('chicks').

Hen and chicks are popular in gardens for their varied and interesting appearance and hardiness. They are grown as container planting or rock gardens. They do best in well-drained, rocky soil; if they stay wet, the outer leaves will rot. Although they do best in sun, they will grow in light shade.

Hen and chicks is also the popular name of a strain of opium poppy, papaver somniferum, in which the seed head is surrounded by clusters of smaller heads.