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Aug 2, 2026 · Seeds & Stratificationa figurative and literal windfall of blue spruce cones. the top of this tree fell during a storm, and the timing is just about perfect for fully ripe cones that haven't opened yet. the cones form at the top, and they dry and then open before falling so the only way to collect them is to find squirrels caches, use a pole with a cone hook, or to find opportunistic broken branches after a storm. the colorado blue spruce has distinctive cones, they're long with frilly edges on the scales. these ones were just starting to turn brown, and they're sticky with spruce resin so there's a good chance the start of august is the right time for fully formed seeds inside.Read field note →+3
Aug 2, 2026 · Grapes & Vineswild grape seedlings. this seed lot was collected in the wild in northern Montana, they're probably riverbank grape but there could be some hybridization. I'm calling them Vitus sp. , meaning I'm just not sure about the species, and we're going to call them zone 3/4 hardy. Wild grapes are generally vigorous and resilient plants, and just expect clusters of small grapes.Read field note →+1
Aug 2, 2026 · Seeds & Stratificationjacob's ladder, a wildflower named after its leaves. we gave these a month of cold stratification, and here the plants are a couple of months oldRead field note →+2
Aug 2, 2026 · Seeds & Stratificationmorning glory, first time growing these annuals with their attractive blue flowers. the seeds are large and they're easy to get started, I started them last so they were planted in May and the plants here are two months old. there's quite a few flower species with the common name morning glory, these are Ipomoea tricolorRead field note →+2
Aug 2, 2026 · Seeds & Stratificationwolf willow seedlings, a native plant with silver green foliage. the seeds for these were collected last fall around the same time that plums are ripe in early September, and they were cold stratified from late december until april. shown here the plants are about three months old.Read field note →+1
Aug 2, 2026 · Seeds & Stratificationlemon bergamot, or lemon beebalm is an aromatic perennial in the mint family. the seeds germinate easily with a short cold stratification, the plants here were started in May and are about two months old.Read field note →+1
Aug 2, 2026 · Seeds & Stratificationwhite yarrow. a native wildflower with clusters of small white flowers and distinctive fern like leaves. these are easy to grow from seed, they need a month of cold stratification. these were started in a small 4" pot and pulled apart to transplant into trays once they were a couple of inches tall some time in may. Shown here the plants are three months old, and each cell has a small group of them.Read field note →+1
Aug 2, 2026 · Berries & Currantswild american black currant grows along this walking trail through a wetland, and this is a good week to pick them. The fruit ripens gradually so you'll find green, red and black fruit on the racemes. they're sparse in this area, shady and right in the underbrush - the plants are resilient and most productive where they find some light. they're sparse largest of the fruit are 1/2" and have a distinctive spicy sweet flavour, I find it comparable to the best tasting clove currants. Our bushes at the nursery are a couple of years old and should start to fruit next year. so I'm interested to see how productive they are in full sun without competition.Read field note →+2
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