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Almost September 2024 Update

This year started out with low inventory because I didn’t get a chance to plant seeds last fall. We had a lot of rain early on, and then a lot of drought since summer began. Most of the seedlings I did have for sale in May were sold, and the remainder will ship out as bare-rootlets this fall. So, the inventory is at -0- in my online shop until late spring next year.

I’ve got seeds ordered already and next year’s supply of potted and bare-root first year seedlings should be restocked by late April.

repaired retaining bed walls

In the Ginseng Garden/Nursery

Last week I repaired/prepared a seed-bed and holding bed for next year’s potted seedlings. We’ve had wild hogs move into the area and either they or the neighbor’s cows came into the nursery and tore up some things. Pretty sure it was the pigs. I’m not sure what ate the top of my American Spikenard, but thankfully it has recovered and regrew enough leaves to survive the coming winter. Something else, probably deer, ate one of the prongs off of my demonstration plant in the garden.

Usually the deer browsing on the mature plants isn’t a big problem. This year, it seems that a lot of the immature plants went to ground early. Probably because it has been bone dry for so long now.

Natural decline at the end of summer, but sooner than most years. Deer ate one of the prongs. Berries already dropped.

If there are any of the companion plants that you’d like started for next year, let me know so I can get those seeds or root divisions started before winter gets here. These are the plants I usually propagate:

  • blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides)
  • black cohosh (Actaea racemosa)
  • doll’s eyes (Actaea pachypoda)
  • maidenhair fern (Adiatum pedatum)
  • christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)
  • goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis)
  • bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
  • PawPaw (Asimina triloba)
  • Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)

A Doll’s Eye mother plant that often yields lots of babies. I find this plant usually before I see wild ginseng. It, blue cohosh, and maidenhair ferns are the best habitat indicators out here at our place.

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