An Easy Keeper

Easy keeper, from Wikipedia


Wow, I just found out that I'm an easy keeper!

According to Wikipedia, an easy keeper is a critter that can do well with relatively poor feed. They generally come from stock that has been bred to survive in harsh climates; on a too-rich, modern diet, an easy keeper is prone to obesity and related ills. Ponies, which are basically small horses, are usually easy keepers. Well, I'm pony-sized compared to the average person, bred in a harsh climate (F3 Buffalo via Poland), and prone to obesity and related ills.

Wiki further tells us that easy keepers need to pay attention to diet, and to get plenty of exercise, especially aerobic exercise. I should take heed.

What's in Bloom

Fritillaria, violet, bleeding heart, and dogtooth violet.

What's in Bloom

A Japanese plant that was introduced to the American nursery trade a few(?) years ago, whose name I can't quite remember. I think I remember Kiringoshima, but none of the catalogs I looked at list anything under that. There is Kirengoshoma, but the plants are very different. This plant puts out one or two leaves, a few interesting but not very showy flowers, then goes dormant from mid-summer until next spring. I'm hoping it will spread a bit, as a clump would be a nice feature, bridging flowering between spring and later summer/early fall.


UPDATE 7/10/09: After searching around on Google, I am pretty sure this is Kirengeshoma koreana. As the specific name implies, it is from Korea. Pictures show some variability in the leaves, from a deeply incised maple shape to the rounder form of my plant's leaves. K. koreana is also described as having less pendulous flowers than the Japanese species, K. palmata. I haven't found an exact match for the ragged-edge flowers on my plant, but the general characteristics seem to match. All the descriptions say this plant achieves a tall (anywhere from 3-7 feet!) shrub-like form, which my struggling little plant has never done. I think a dose of fish emulsion is called for.

What's in Bloom

Clivia miniata

I'll try to get some pictures of what's blooming outdoors soon - spring is sprung!

Lunar Eclipse

A couple of pictures of the lunar eclipse earlier this week, veiled by a hazy nimbus. That's a planet (not sure which one) barely visible in the lower left of the later picture.