The shoots of Humulus lupulus (golden hops) 'Bianca' are snaking their way out of the ground like green fingers. This is a young plant, but it's already very vigorous, so once the shoots get to be about a foot tall, I'll be pruning most of these bad boys down to the ground. But they're beautiful right now, in a strangely delicate and sinister way. The leaf is tiny at this point, and looks like a miniature Japanese maple leaf. The leaf's color is a fresh yellow-green, intricately veined with a dusky maroon (which is also the color of the stems); the color in the veins will disappear as the leaf matures. If you look closely behind these shoots, you'll see some smaller shoots that are all maroon: Clematis texensis 'Duchess of Albany'. Its "feet" will be shaded by the hops vines, but its "head" will grow up and through the vines, and should come into flower a bit before (and through) the time the hops fruits emerge in late summer.
i get most of my quotes for my blog from this site http://www.gardendigest.com/. The webhost is a gardener as well....
Posted by: avril | April 18, 2004 at 11:21 AM
i get most of my quotes for my blog from this site http://www.gardendigest.com/. The webhost is a gardener as well....how are your seeds coming?
Posted by: avril | April 18, 2004 at 11:21 AM
Thanks, Avril! I can't believe I didn't have the gardendigest link bookmarked before, but now I do. My seeds are going great--solid germination with only a few exceptions (clematis integrifolia, verbena bonariensis and euphorbia marginata have been temperamental, but they are supposed to be), and the seedlings have been growing up solid under the lights without (knock wood, cross fingers, light candles) damping off or other disease or pest issues. I'm hardening off the curly parsley now for planting outside in a few days, and in a couple of weeks the coleus and petunia will follow, for the window boxes. Thanks for asking!
Posted by: Chan S. | April 18, 2004 at 05:01 PM