#blue penstemon

[bluepenstemon]

hello tumblr…

this is, surprisingly, my first time ever being on this site and i have absolutely no idea what i’m doing!! i saw someone else do an introduction post, so i thought i’d do one too!

you can call me blue! i’m a minor and i live in the united states. i’m trans and use he/him pronouns! i’m also aroace.

some of my biggest interests are fantasy books, writing, my own book, and minecraft. my interests right now include percy jackson, the sunbearer trials, the owl house, the life series (3rd life, last life, double life, and limited life!!), empires smp, hermitcraft, and basically anything that ldshadowlady gets involved in.

i also love to read! i especially love fantasy and queer romance and would love any and all suggestions!

i also play a lot of video games! i love sandbox games and story games like minecraft and stardew valley! i also play the sims 4, shelter 2, cat tails, valorant, and more!

i’m not sure what else to talk about, so here’s a picture of my cat!

[faguscarolinensis]

Penstemon procerus / Littleflower Beardtongue on the Echo Lake Trail on Mount Blue Sky in Evergreen, CO

[coyote-mints]

Penstemon laetus grown from locally collected seed 💜💜💜

[cselandscapearchitect]

Creating a Colorful and Biodiverse Garden: Companion Planting with Firecracker Penstemon

Welcome to our gardening blog, where we explore creative and sustainable ways to enhance the beauty and biodiversity of your outdoor space. Today, we’re excited to delve into the world of companion planting with Penstemon eatonii, commonly known as Firecracker Penstemon. This stunning native plant with its fiery red blooms can bring a burst of color and attract beneficial wildlife to your garden.…

[mountrainiernps]

No color correction needed! Wildflowers like this naturally hot pink cliff penstemon (Penstemon rupicola) are easy to spot while driving up the road to Paradise. You may also see blue-purple Menzie’s penstemon or tall bear grass. Subalpine areas like Paradise are still mostly snow-covered, but wildflowers are starting to emerge along roadsides as snow melts back. Please remember to stay on trails or pavement to avoid trampling wildflowers just starting to grow! What early wildflowers are you observing in the park?

For updates on what’s blooming where visit https://go.nps.gov/RainierWildflower

Unfamiliar with Mount Rainier’s wildflower species? Check out the wildflower guide at https://go.nps.gov/RainierWildflowerGuide

NPS Photo of cliff penstemon blooming along Paradise Road, 6/21/24.

[bigoldeels]

mini wildflower paintings! soon to be available as stickers/seed packets harvested from my plants.

species in order:

-foxglove beardtongue (penstemon digitalis)

-eastern red columbine (aquilegia canadensis)

-new england aster (symphyotrichum novae-angliae)

-purple coneflower (echinacea purpurea)

-bee balm (monarda fistulosa)

-maypop/purple passionflower (passiflora incarnata)

-blue sage (salvia azurea)

[ghostoffuturespast]

14 June 2024 - Friday Field Notes

Red-winged Blackbird and Great Blue Heron spotted on a walk.

Spent all my green on some greens.

All the Penstemon are popping off! Not sure what that Aster species is. Thought it was a Blanket Flower at first but the leaves aren't right.

Some ladybugs found an aphid buffet 🐞

The Cottonwood seeds are everywhere and a Prickly Pear bloom!

[vandaliatraveler]

This past January, I made a resolution to get my garden beds to 70 - 75% native plants. My, oh my, that was an ambitious goal. I probably need another year or two to reach that level of coverage. On the other hand, the native wildflower seeds I purchased in January have germinated and produced healthy, vigorous shoots (above). Today, I planted the spreading Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium reptans) in four different beds. I have spots prepared for the rest also, including hairy beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus), blue-stemmed goldenrod (Solidago caesia), yellow pimpernel (Taenidia integerrima), and wild geranium (Geranium maculatum). The project is at least moving ahead; this coming September, I’ll buy or collect more seeds to plant before the first frost.

[theprodigalrobot]

Zion National Park, Utah. April, 2024

1) Linum lewisii, blue flax

2) Vicia americana, American vetch

3) Oreocarya confertiflora, Mojave popcorn flower

4) Penstemon utahensis, Utah penstemon

5) Claytonia lanceolata, western springbeauty

Spring is the perfect time for a road trip 🚙🌸📷

[songofsaraneth]

I've been meaning to make a container garden update post for weeks now, but health/life kept getting in the way. So these photos are taken within the last week-ish but I've been getting it all set up over the last month! Including finally getting through the last of my rain barrel so I could scrub and rinse it out.

First major thing is I finally bit the bullet and bought the expensive porch loveseat of my dreams. I've been wanting a little couch or egg chair out there for 2.5 years but nothing ever appeared secondhand, and they're SO expensive. But finally there was a half off sale and so I went for this one from target. The best part about having that wicker back means I can use an umbrella or clip fabric to it as a shade cloth, and since it's already almost 90ºF here, that's a big motivator for spending time outside. Anyway here’s the breakdown of what I’ve got in now. Text and photos not in order bc it was too hard. Also, I tried to put a readmore here, but... I guess tumblrs not letting me have those today so sorry, long post it is! For edibles, I’ve got 4 containers of tomatoes (3 cherry/snacking and one slicing), 2 containers of strawberries (all that survived from last season!),  2 kinds of chives (normal and garlic), 2 kinds of basil (sweet and spicy globe), oregano with lemon thyme, and my hardy old rosemary. The basils got chewed up by a stray cat so I had to keep them inside for a week to recover. Then I sprayed the general area with orange oil to deter it and the orange oil ended up burning their fragile leaves, so thye’ve had a rough time of it. but! finally recovering 😬 And the big blue container I’m trying to repurpose for melons this spring, and will plant spaghetti squash later in the summer. Will I be able to get cantaloupes supported on the treils with netting? Not sure but I’m gonna try. Def most experimental inclusion this year. For perennial flowers from last year, almost all survived! I’ve got 4 kinds of sage (one of which seeded into an adjacent empty pot, so I left it and added some annual violas), guara, penstemon, 2 kinds of lavender, and a miniature rose. My red geranium kept blooming all through winter, so I got a pink and a purple one as well. The sages look a bit rough right now because I left for a week before I put in the other annuals and they’re the thirstiest of the bunch, so dropped a lot of blooms. Oh well.  For new additions and annuals, I went crazy lol. My most dangerous to shop with friend and I went to the local nursery and stores together so of course we both went overboard. I finally got one of the jasmine I’ve been eying for a year and a half, which just started blooming and already smells amazing. My 2 gailardia were tiny rosettes but ones forming a bloom and I’m so excited. Also marigolds, zinnias, petunias, lantanas, those fluffy spike ones I’m blanking on the name of, and a fuchsia! And probably some I forgot. The fuchsia’s been swapped to a shader spot already, but it’s getting ready to bloom and I’m excited. I also, while visiting Colorado two weeks ago, accompanied my friend to a nursery and ended up driving back with a clematis, one of my favorite flowers ever. It’s still vining up right now but fingers crossed for flowers.  SO. Lots of things in at the moment, so far been good for the last week and we’ll see what ends up surviving the summer heat or not once we get to the weeks of 100ºF+ days. I’ve got some other plans/tweaks, but this is the bulk of things. Otherwise, life has been a lot and I’m still goin through it...grad school, research, coping with the porch birds I love getting killed by the feral cats, and so on :( Getting up to water has been motivating at least for finally leaving bed in the morning despite all my eye pain troubles (easier to just keep them closed for an extra 3 hours than to start the sequence of drops and compresses it takes to get them open). But then I can do my morning doomscrolling at least surrounded by beautiful flowers and birdsong instead of huddled in my cave.

[pcttrailsidereader]

My Favorite Spot

For 25 years, Ronin Demele worked as a wilderness ranger. In his book, Pacific Crest Trail: Mountain Encounters of a Wilderness Ranger, Demele has gathered 30 short essays based upon his experiences. I appreciate this essay because it serves as a reminder that our favorite spot along the PCT doesn't have to be in the heart of the High Sierra or the North Cascades. It can be a magical place in the midst of nature, immersed in the trees, flowers and animals of the wilderness.

Cover image - Pacific Crest Trail: Mountain Encounters of a Wilderness Ranger

I have my favorite spot along the Pacific Crest Trail . . . where vistas unfold and caused me to sigh in wonder whenever I hiked past this scenic point. The location is up at about 7,000 feet along the trail in the northern Trinity Alps.

In a beautiful sloping meadow surrounded by red fir, I followed a break in the forest and crossed a downed log. A small granite pebble path led me to a large meadow facing east. In the middle of this green oasis of wet grass, red columbine and purple-blue penstemon flowers,, I came upon granite stone blocks of what looked like an ancient sculpture project -- rocks naturally arranged to delight all who passed the small wind- and water-sculpted granite, many the size of living room furniture. Like chairs and sofas strewn in perfect harmony with many angles of artistic interest, smooth grey surfaces placed for aesthetic effect.

As I approached this rock monument, I saw lime green rock lichens mixed with black and red ones covering the north shaded corners of exposed granite. Looking down, with the sun's afternoon rays bouncing off the rock, my eyes were treated to sparkling quartz crystal and mica reflections.

To add grace to glory, the rocks allowed me four steps up on top of this sculptural arrangement. On top, a perfectly flat, smooth rock with a concave shape awaited to accommodate my butt. Around and below me was a circle of light white granite, absorbing and reflecting the day's heat. I settled in.

Soon I heard chip-chip-chip-chip, caw, caw, and chook-chook-chook-chook-chook bird sounds coming fron the surrounding forest.

My eyes bathed on the rows of mesmerizing ridges far out across the sky, rippling perhaps fifty miles beyond. Larger still, and right in front of my landscape and dominating the mountains in all directions was a wonder twice the height of me now -- a volcano with a white hat, snow-covered year-round, and towering above all. The mountain in seen from every high peak around it and from valley dwellers 200 miles away. The Fuji of California, the peak punctures the sky . . . Mount Shasta.

I climbed down from my perch and smiled, and retreated back along the PCT. I thought about why I hike. Many times when I hike in the mountains, I want to get somewhere . . . a lake, a peak, and creek, or a meadow, but if I wanted to be somewhere, I stopped to let the place get to me. So I stopped and sat on a log. This log was grey and solid . . . perhaps a healthy snag until a windy winter storm dropped it there. As I sat, I heard a short chip-chip sound of a Williamson woodpecker.

Out on a large white fir, he surged down into a remaining snag twenty feet away, near the remaining brittle stump of my log. Then, I saw it was a she with young mouths to feed, second later, shooting out again and straight up into a large fir with lime green lichens ringing the trunk. Then, just as fast, shot a finch reaching into her tiny circular home in the same snag only feet away, perhaps feeding her brood.

Thuuuuurrrrrr, echoed above, as a thunderous sound vibrated the ghostly snag nearby. I spied a pileated woodpecker, a rarity around here. Quickly he was gone, a fast flight deeper into the forest . .. not to be seen again that day.

Below, as I looked to the ground around my log seat, black ants and large flies explored the green shoots of a corn lily growing alongside the granite pebbled trail; now some were heading for my boots. I was so used to being recognized as being human in a human-made world that I was reminded that other worlds exist, and this day it was wilderness, and it had come to me.

[felidaefatigue]

Native plant miniprints posts part two! These prints will be available on my etsy on the equinox, m.20 2023.

Since part of why I wanted to work on this project is that I wanted to learn more about familiar, local plantlife (I'm on treaty 7), I figured I should share some of that information while posting them. If you have any other information about these plants please share! Many of these plants have been used medicinally but thats not info I'm qualified to give.  

Smooth Blue Beard Tongue, Penstemon nitidus - grows in rocky, sandy conditions - gets its name from the fuzzy yellow stamen "tongue"

Wild Blue Flax, Linum lewisii - can be used to make cordage, fabric, paper etc.

Blue Columbine, Aquilegia brevistyla - sometimes called granny's bonnet - comes in a ton of different colors - their latin name Aquilegia references eagle claws for the curling spur petals

find the rest of the posts here, including any future additions:

1/2/3/4/5/(tbc)

[treemaidengeek]

Here is what my yard looks like after 3 years of rooting out invasive weeds and nurturing natives (plus a rosebush & a lavender bc i love them)! The main herbaceous carpet is Lippia repens. Also ft. Lupinus albifrons (silver bush lupine), Eschscholzia californica (California poppy), Salvia 'Elk Blue Note,' & Penstemon heterophyllus 'Margarita BOP' (penstamon).

I...tried to make a meme and got carried away and made A Thing that is like partially unfinished because i spent like 3 hours on it and then got tired.

I think this is mostly scientifically accurate but truth be told, there seems to be relatively little research on succession in regards to lawns specifically (as opposed to like, pastures). I am not exaggerating how bad they are for biodiversity though—recent research has referred to them as "ecological deserts."

Feel free to repost, no need for credit

[bethestaryouareradio]

Dear Deer!

By Cynthia Brian

 "We are part of the earth, and it is part of us… the deer, the horse, the great eagle: these are our brothers.”

StarStyle® Empowerment is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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– Chief Seattle.

Now that fall has arrived, foraging deer have become a nuisance in suburban gardens. The Columbian Blacktail was abundant during the 18th century in California. The population plummeted after the Goldrush due to over-hunting for venison and rawhide. The Department of Fish and Game speculates that between 1900-1910, fewer than 300,000 deer of all species roamed the state. In 1907, deer hunting was regulated resulting in deer residents soaring to over a million by the 1940s. The decline of the horned herbivores began when fire suppression increased, agricultural plots swelled, and wildlands became suburban developments. Yet, the dear deer acclimated to their new environment and today claim our gardens as their favorite restaurants.

As I’ve been busy with garden consultations this past month, the issue of deer damage continues to be a major concern. The hills are dry, edible resources have diminished, and the most inviting source of delectable treats grows in our private landscapes. Oh deer!

As a child, I remember going out into the orchards and vineyards on our farm at dusk every September evening to scare the herds as they could easily devour a year’s harvest. All the methods we tried didn’t work until we built fences surrounding the property.

I have always admired these beautiful, gentle creatures, and I enjoy watching the big bucks in the hills, sometimes sparring. In the spring when the mothers show their fawns where the newly sprouted green weeds are growing, I am doubly delighted. As much as I enjoy these wild, peaceful prowlers, like all gardeners, I don’t want them devouring my plants.

It is essential to be clear. There is NO DEER-PROOF plant. If the animal is hungry enough, he or she will eat anything. The only deer-proof garden is a fenced garden. In this article, I’ll share a few strategies for you to attempt. However, I reiterate, that the only foolproof method is to fence your yard. Since most people don’t fence their front gardens, I am including a list of plants that deer relish munching and a list of plants they prefer not to consume, although they’ll eat the new, tender shoots of most. Keep this handy list as a reference as you plan to plant.

What plants are deer attracted to?

Deer enjoy sweet, soft, delicate plants that won’t annoy their tongues or their sensitive palates.

If you want to offer deer a bountiful buffet, these are a few of the plants they gravitate to:

Agapanthus

Pansies

Daylilies

Hosta

Violas

Violets

Dahlia

Tulips

Sunflower

Crocus

Gerbera

Hydrangea

Rhododendron

Azalea

Hibiscus

Clematis

Hollyhock

Morning glory

Blackberries

English ivy

Grape vines

Kiwi

Peas

Greens (lettuce, spinach, chard)

Beans

Cabbage

Broccoli

Beets

Carrot tops

Corn

Deer-Resistant Species

In general, marauding stags and does stays away from strong-smelling, bitter-tasting, fuzzy, leathery, spiny, toxic, and fibrous foliage. They will eat these as a last resort because no flower or leaf is deer-proof. They innately know what plants are poisonous. If you want to deter deer from dining chez vous, try planting the selections below.

Natives:

Yarrow

Manzanita

Sage (salvias)

Pot marigolds

California poppies

Milkweed

Ferns

California Fuchsia

Deer Grass

Pink flowering currant

Elderberry

Blue-eyed grass

California lilac (ceanothus)

Grevillea (peaches and cream)

Muhly grass

Jerusalem sage

Other Perennial Plants

Bee Balm

Lavender

Catmint

Society Garlic

Ornamental onion

Echinacea

Hardy Geranium

Pinks

Astilbe

Red hot poker

Peony

Dusty Miller

Lambs ear

Hellebore

Penstemon

Digitalis (Foxglove)

Sea Foam Statice

Ferns

Coral Bells (Heuchera)

Coreopsis (Tickseed)

Russian Sage

Sea Holly

Nigella

Nasturtium

Kangaroo Paw

Cosmos

Rudbeckia

Lantana

Gaillardia (Blanket flower)

Sweet Alyssum

Camellia

Dicentra (Bleeding Heart)

Primrose

Bulbs

Crocosmia

Wild leeks

Daffodils

Iris

Allium

Dutch iris

Crocus

Woodland hyacinth

Naked Ladies

Anemone

Annuals

Verbena

Snapdragon

Marigold

Bachelor Buttons

Calendula

Annual Vinca

Lobelia

Larkspur

Tobacco

Stock

Strawflower

Mexican Sunflower

Zinnia

Bushes

Boxwood

Butterfly Bush      

Viburnum

Deutzia

Rose of Sharon

Daphne

Lilac

Weigela

Chinese Fringe flowers

Barberry

Russian Sage

Silky Dogwood

Vines:

Passionflower

Pink Bower Vine

Other Grasses (many grasses are not recommended due to being fire-prone)

Lomandra grass

Mexican Feather grass

Zebra grass

Fountain grass

New Zealand flax

Egyptian Papyrus

Mondo grass

Blue Oat grass

Deer Deterrents

Many people have experimented with deer deterrents. Other than allowing your dogs to roam the perimeter installing fencing around the area, or putting wire around every single plant, I have not found that any of these worked. Give any a try and let me know if you are successful.

1.     Sprays that include rotten eggs, panther urine, garlic, and soap. If sprayed everywhere every few days, you might be in luck. Deer Away and Liquid Fence have been mentioned as effective when used according to directions.

2.     Motion-activate sprinklers. They do work to scare the deer away, but I hate wasting a drop of water.

3.     Whirly flags or spin wheels, but you’d need a dozen or more.

4.     Shaved soap, usually Irish Spring. I think the herbivores loved the clean scent.

When the foraging pickings are slim, the deer adapt to whatever is available. In autumn, deer lack sustainable food resources. Our lush landscapes are extremely attractive to them. As you decide what to plant this season, select smartly and with the knowledge that no plant is deer-proof.

We are all part of this earth. Do your best to get along with our nature’s brothers and sisters.

Dear deer!

Happy Gardening. Happy Growing.

For more gardening advice for all seasons, check out Growing with the Goddess Gardenerat https://www.CynthiaBrian.com/books. Raised in the vineyards of Napa County, Cynthia Brian is a New York Times best-selling author, actor, radio personality, speaker, media and writing coach as well as the Founder and Executive Director of Be the Star You Are!® 501 c3 which was just honored as the 2024 Nonprofit of the Year by the Moraga Chamber of Commerce. 

Tune into Cynthia’s StarStyle® Radio Broadcast at www.StarStyleRadio.com. Her newest children’s picture book, Books in the Barnyard: Oh Deer!, from the series, Stella Bella’s Barnyard Adventures is available at https://www.CynthiaBrian.com/online-store. Hire Cynthia for writing projects, garden consults, and inspirational lectures. Cynthia@GoddessGardener.com  

Thanks for reading StarStyle® Empowerment! This post is public so feel free to share it.

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 Read Lamorinda Weekly:https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1816/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Dear-Deer.html

Substack:  Deer Dear: https://open.substack.com/pub/cynthiabrian/p/deer-dear?

[almost-a-dead-poet]

My Bouquet

A chamomile to give patience for a millenia,

An aster for variety and elegance

To have endurance and lasting affection, a zinnia,

A bird of paradise for magnificence.

A chrysanthemum for optimism,

Delphinium for a big heart,

Daffodils for the eternal life gained at my baptism,

Forget-me-nots so good memories and me shall not part.

Purple hyacinth for when I’m blue,

Lily of the valley for humility,

Heather lavender so wishes will come true,

Easter lilies for The Holy Mother Mary.

Roses for my grandmother,

Ranunculus for charm,

Snapdragon to be gracious to one another,

Queen Anne’s lace for a place without harm.

Poppies so sleep will be peaceful,

Statice for sympathetic feelings,

Hydrangea to show all for which I’m grateful,

Yarrow flowers to bring healing,

To show friendship, a freesia,

A gerbera for cheer,

That life may be sweet, a gardenia,

A penstemon to have no fear.

A lilac for when I was without blame,

A gladiolus for strength of character,

A peony to symbolize my repentant shame,

A morning glory for my birth in September.

An amaryllis for beauty and beyond,

A pink carnation for a mother’s love,

A yellow carnation for love that doesn’t respond,

And a flower of the Holy Spirit for God above.

[bigoldeels]

MIDWEST/EAST US: I have the following native flower (and one grass) seeds available for cost of shipping, all harvested from either my garden or from nearby parks in small amounts. if you're interested please kofi me here and shoot me a message with your address and what you'd like! amount/availability may vary but I would like to share as much as possible.

before requesting please make sure the seeds you want are native to your state! prairie moon has range maps for many of the species here; otherwise a quick search of the scientific name should let you know.

seeds I have:

-Cup plant (silphium perfoliatum)

-Common milkweed (asclepias syriaca)

-Swamp milkweed (asclepias incarnata)

-Honeyvine milkweed (cynanchum laeve)

-Maypop (passiflora incarnata)

-Bee balm (monarda fistulosa)

-Foxglove beardtongue (penstemon digitalis)

-Purple coneflower (echinacea purpurea)

-Missouri coneflower (rudbeckia missouriensis)

-Showy sunflower (helianthus pauciflorus)

-Cliff goldenrod (solidago drummondii)

-Meadow blazing star (liatris ligulistylis)

-Common evening primrose (oenothera biennis)

-Blue sage (salvia azurea)

-Little bluestem (schizachyrium scoparium)

-Blue mistflower (conoclinium coelestinum)