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Growing Catnip from Seed

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  • Cats Love Catnip!

Catnip, like Rosemary- and many other herbaceous plants- is a member of the mint family and has some special effects on cat’s brains.

This article from Scientific American.com discusses the chemical composition of the plant, and its well known properties.

I grew the catnip plant above from seed, and it came back for the last several years. This year it was scraggly & had some strange aphids, but I managed to harvest & dry some for the kitties.

I let this last sad, spindly stalk go to bloom, hoping it would make seeds for next year. I collected a dried seed stalk, and now there is a brown stub of a plant left, with  a single green leaf left.

  • Aphids Love Catnip!?

You can see in the picture above some tiny aphid? creatures-not sure what they are. If anyone knows please respond to this post, I am curious what type of creature they are. They have furry butts & appear to be bizarre weirdos. They are on the stem below the blooms. The top of the plant is bent over sideways.

  • People Love Catnip!

Catnip is useful to humans- similar to other herbs, and is used in tea. This links to an article by a MNN writer which details, (in step number 5), the properties and chemicals involved in the human/catnip process.

Side Note on growing from seed- the following quote from botanical.com may argue against growing this plant from seed:

There is an old saying about this plant:

If you set it, the cats will eat it,
If you sow it, the cats don’t know it.

Hmm…I love old wives’ tales and folklore. There is often some scientific proof that the folk remedy or medicinal use is correct. Please respond anyone who has input on this topic. I would love to hear any reader’s thoughts on this.

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Daffodils of Spring Past

Okay, so these daffodils bloomed in mid March. I took pics, but didn’t get a chance to post them until now. A lot has happened since then, most notably kidney stones! Which, btw are really terrible. Stay hydrated out there this summer!

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I was sidelined for a bit, but am now back focused on my writing and gardening. Again, better late than never, so the next few posts will be catching up what has happened in my yard and garden the last couple months. There are several different varieties of daffodil represented here. There are so many different types, and I love them all.

I will also be posting the rest of my writing pieces here over the next few days, and completing my Folk Literacy portfolio. Check out my writing in my Environmental Writing portfolio on the header. It contains an interesting mix of a few of my pieces that are all related to nature or the environment, but differ in genre of writing.

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Fragrant Freesia

Another thoughtful gift from my sister-in-law, M., these orange Freesia blooms are bright & lovely.

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I was hoping to have more blooms this year, but I think the bulbs need more sun or nutrients, or both. I received new bulbs last Christmas and will plant those this fall in the backyard bulb bed along with the Daffodil bulbs I recently dug from the crowded clump under the Hickory tree in the front yard.

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Woodland Sunflower 2013

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Oxeyedaisy

This patch of Woodland Sunflowers is bright & pretty at the base of the grand Oak tree that towers over the back deck. The pop of yellow “sunshine” has really brightened the dreary, rain soaked days around here. I think we’ve had rain every day for nearly two months. I did manage to capture these in a sunbeam but, I guess the “appearance of the sun” will have to do for now.

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Gardenia

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The queen of all southern flowers, in my opinion, is the Gardenia. This gorgeous blossom is from the largest of my Gardenia shrubs. I have pruned it every spring for 5 years, but at over 8 ft. tall, it’s due for a major cutting next year. Being planted close to house on the front corner allows the flower’s lovely perfume to drift into the open windows on early summer evenings.

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The crisp white flowers are so beautiful. When cut and brought inside, their heavenly fragrance fills the air for days before fading. This evergreen shrub only flowers for a few weeks each year, some varieties longer and more than once, but it’s well worth the wait to enjoy this amazing plant.

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Sweet Daffodils

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There are hundreds of Daffodil species and over 25,000 named hybrids. I only have a few different types in my yard, and haven’t taken time to identify them.  I plan to divide and replant some crowded clumps of bulbs after the foliage fades this year to encourage more blooms next year.

I took these photos over the last few weeks.

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They are all so beautiful and cheerful at this time when little else is happening yet in the landscape. I cut some of the super sweetly fragrant types a few weeks ago and put them on the mantle in the lovely bud vases my sweet sister-in-law gave me a few years ago.

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Early Daffodil

This Daffodil is blooming early even for Georgia. I can’t remember seeing blooms on these before February. Hoping frost doesn’t kill them. Daffodils, aka Narcissus or Jonquils, have been my favorite flowers since I was a child. I would watch the dull hillsides for their fast growing green tips to burst through the fallen leaves. My Mom called them Easter Lilies, as many people do in the mountains of Western North Carolina, because they usually bloomed there at Easter.

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If you get close enough, most have a fantastic sweet smell. I love to cut and bring them inside to enjoy their beauty and scent. Truly a lovely plant, I am excited to get more for my landscape and containers this fall.

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Spectacular Loropetalum

Loropetalum, Georgia, Zone 7b, Shrub
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I was shocked to see my huge, 10 ft tall by 6 ft wide, Loropetalum in full bloom so early. The extra warm weather a few weeks ago may have brought this about. I jogged back up the driveway to get my camera and captured this.

Also called Fringe Flower, this beauty is related to Witch Hazel. There are many shapes, sizes and varieties of this great plant. On the left, the 10 ft. monster, badly needing a pruning when finished blooming. The other is a 10 inch tall dwarf, weeping variety. One of my few purchases, I planted it under the Crabapple Tree this past spring. It should only get 2-3 ft. tall.

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