2014
This fifth year was the leave-it-alone year. We visited a couple of times but did no maintenance.
This year is much like last year. The Patch has been on its own and the invasives are seriously encroaching.
The two shrubs had blooms and the Helenium and coneflowers were blooming. Coneflowers are barely holding their own. The Joe-Pye-Weed is sparse but still there. Veronicastrum is healthy. Some Rudbeckia here and there.
Once again, the stars of the whole patch were the Cup Plants and just as last year, one plant was well developed with many stems and at least 7 feet high and covered with flowers. The other plant was much lower with no flowers.
The original fescue from the surrounding area has spread and is filling in all the spaces and crowding out many plants. The patch will soon be taken over by aliens such as that fescue and Bugloss and Queen Ann's Lace. Some intervention, I believe, is needed.
So my plan for next spring is to weed-whack to the ground to discourage some of the invasive plants. The patch should be burned but it isn't practical for such a small patch so the weed-whacking will have to replace that action.
I'll wait until seeds are starting to germinate and weather is warming and then whack the patch right to the ground -- but not the shrubs.
2013
This year is the weaning year. The Patch was left on its own to compete with its surroundings.
The Patch has been on its own this season.
There were signs that most of the earlyplants had bloomed. Helenium was just fading. The two shrubs, chokecherry and ceanothus, looked healthy and are spreading. I could find two grass varieties: sideoats gramma and panicum but little bluestem was missing.
Asters and goldenrods were just about ready to bloom. Joe-Pye-Weed was holding its own although the site is very dry. Coneflowers have spread and were putting on a wonderful display.
The stars of the whole patch were the cup plants. One plant was well developed with many stems and at least 7 feet high and covered with flowers. The other plant was much lower with no flowers.
The fescue that the area was seeded with originally is encroaching from the edges of the Patch. It will be interesting to watch the effect on the plants. Two aliens have invaded the garden: Vipers bugloss has self seeded into the patch as has Queen Anne's lace. Canada Thistle is also encroaching as expected but is not taking over -- just one or two plants.
Now the important part -- bees. There were lots of bees -- I counted 13 in the few minutes that I was there. The bees were mostly carpenter (hairy thorax with shiny black bottoms) or bumblebees and the choice of most bees was the culvers root just as it is in my own garden.