Maryland 2

Here are some pics of vegetation out in Finksburg, Maryland. 

The deer have had a field day with the shrubs. You can see how high they are able to reach. In time, they will become a new type of giraffe.

I planted some american ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) in the woods last fall. This may or may not be an early shoot. It is hard to tell right now. Ginseng will bear red berries later in the year. Here is a website with some information on ginseng. 

This is our planting box which fed us last year with tomatos, herbs, chillis, onions, carrots and other delicious veggies. I have left a lone brusselsprout plant which reseeded itself this year. In the rest of the space, I have seeded buckwheat and red clover as a cover crop.

Here are some dead Thistle. Thistle is not our friend and must die.

Here is a periwinkle plant (the one with the purple flowers, not the thistle beside, which must die). Periwinkle is the original source of vincristine, a microtubule destabilizing agent causing mitotic arrest that is used in cancer treatment.

A bed of red clover planted last year which seems to be taking well. Grow well young padwans. The time will soon come when you must battle the thistle army.

A stand of chives planted last year which seem to be faring well.

Our maple tree, which seems to have survived the car which crashed into it last year, ripping half the bark off. A little duct tape, some nails and voila, the tree seems to have survived the trauma. In the foreground are the characteristic samaras (winged seeds). The driver of the car did a hit and run but unwittingly left amongst his car debris, a metal tag with his VIN number on it. Epic Fail.