As expected, a milder, the not-as-snowy winter like what we’re having this year won’t come without consequence; many plants normally insulated from the cold won’t get the usual winter protection so some plants may not survive from it. However there has been another unexpected consequence of the milder winter; more animal activity.

THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE FRONT GARDENS AND SHADE GARDEN, there have been holes EVERYWHERE! Digging out my Lilies, Tulips, thick-rooted plants, and even in random areas, ruining my gardens in the most nightmarish way possible. Even my dad said “I’ve never seen anything like it!”. I have been fortunate that the back gardens weren’t also mauled.

As to what animal has been doing this, it’s difficult to tell; it’s definitely not squirrels (too few, and too many predators here), but possums, skunks, and groundhogs are definite suspects (the paw indents by one hole show whatever’s been digging has paws the size of a cat’s, and either of them would either eat bulbs or bugs that like bulbs).

After shaking off the shock I took advantage of the problem, and filled the majority of the holes with cow/horse manure. Many of the gardens they dug in have been rather poor in soil quality anyways! Here’s to hoping that with the freeze and snow back on the ground now that the animals will no longer attack my gardens! In the future I may plant stinky Fritillaries, onions, or poisonous bulbs like daffodils into the problem areas so as to discourage future diggings!

Ahhh I had a marmot living here in the summer. My cat and I spent a few afternoons sitting with it. Then I noticed it ate all the leaves off a tray of lupines. So I cleared away the stacked wood it was living under and it moved on, hopefully back into the wild. We have a couple squirrels and a chipmunk too but there's enough nuts to keep them occupied.

#garden science

Sowing the Paw Paw, or the “Indiana Banana” (Asimina triloba)

Paw Paws are the largest fruit native to the United States and Canada. They are difficult to propagate in orchard culture, and the fruits—while delicious and nutritious when eaten fresh—do not keep or transport well. As such they are uncommon in both commercial greenhouses, and unheard-of in supermarkets.

The seeds, like those of the Osage Orange and the American Persimmon, are thought to have been distributed by now-extinct megafauna, such as the giant sloth.

They require a period of cold-stratification: I had mine in resting in soil outdoors all winter.

I’m taking some advice from kihaku-gato in planting the seeds of the Paw Paw: I’ve taken off most of the seed coating (scarification), and sown them on a heated floor in a dark closet. Paw Paws are peculiar in that young seedlings dislike light, being that they are understory trees in the wild.

Hopefully this little experiment finally yields seedlings of this remarkable tree: I’ll be planting it far from the house, because the flowers smell like carrion in order to attract pollinators, and the leaves, branches and bark contain disagreeable-smelling insecticidal compounds called acetogenins. 

This is, however, an excellent plant for a temperate edible forest project. It establishes patches clonally through its rhizomes, and thrives in wet soil: for those of us with drainage problems, it it an excellent landscaping choice.

ETA: My Paw Paw germinated into a healthy little tree! I am now waiting for more seeds once the KSU Paw Paw program sends them out for the Paw Paw Project we have going here.

- biodiverseed // #garden science

are you having any pawpaw in a different light, just for comparison?

I bought 5 seeds from Gardens North: 3 survived the winter, and then only one germinated! I will try different things when I get my next batch of seed.

Sadly the paw-paw tree that germinated for me has died. Which actually wasn't a huge surprise because I totally destroyed the seed when I was scarifying it. Cut the thing in half thinking it was a hard pod with multiple seeds inside it not one large embryo. I'll try again some day. It was nice of Kihaku-gato to send me the seeds in the first place, disappointed it didn't work out.