Wednesday, June 13, 2018: Cardinal Flower, Lamb's ear, bonsai

Went to the MoBot this morning and then had breakfast at the Osage Cafe in the Bowood nursery. Before I got back home, four three-gallon air pots were delivered.

At the nursery I picked up two Cardinal Flowers (Lobelia cardinalis and Lobelia siphilitica) and a lamb's ear (Stachys 'Silver Carpet').

I had a Cardinal Flower last year and liked it very much. However, it did not survive the winter. It didn't help that some neighborhood critter "played" with it several times. The Lobelia cardinalis is the classic with intensely red flowers. It is a Missouri native and can grow to four feet tall. The plant I bought is already three feet tall. The main difference between the two I bought is that the siphilitica has blue flowers and may be a little shorter than the cardinalis. I put each in an aquatic planter and placed them in the upper pond.

I've always wanted a Lamb's Ear. They had them on sale at the nursery, so, why not. They are recommended for dry, sunny, well drained areas. They are also considered to be aggressive. From the experience I had with the mint, I have learned to be wary of aggressive plants. I decided the best place to put it would be either in the small succulent bed I installed or right next to it. For the time being, I have put the lamb's ear in one of the three-gallon air pots that were delivered today.

The second fishbowl stand was delivered today. The two fishbowls are in relatively "untraveled" locations which hopefully will not have much opportunity to knock them over.

I have also successfully replaced about 1/3 of the water in each of the fishbowls. I will try to do this a couple times per month.

I took my bonsai class on April 14. They advised not leaving the wires on the juniper longer than two months, as the wires may start to grow into the wood. Today, I removed them. They are no longer needed to hold the shape.

With wires

Without wires