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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 2d

Son, your minecraft seed ended up in my garden!
Son: ohhhh, it's a rattlebox!
Me: oh, you remembered!

#NativePlants

The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 2d

Meadowview Biological Research is in need of donations to meet their 13.7K payment in a month. Plus you can buy really cool bog plants or just a big bag of live sphagnum moss.

Don't let this wetland fall in the hands of those who would quite literally "drain the swamp."

Meadowview Biological Research Station | Preserving and Restoring Pitcher Plant Bogs

Meadowview is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to preserving and restoring rare wetland plants, habitats and associated ecosystems on the coastal plain of Maryland and Virginia. Our parti...

pitcherplant.org

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 2d

Oh wtf did I miss? *prepares to smack invasives denialists with a cat-o-nine-multiflora-roses*

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 2d

I've tried it all - flying by the seat of our pants (I mean unschooling, which is surprisingly NOT ADHD-friendly despite the spontaneity), Notion, analog (paper & pen), etc.
With this, the year is scheduled out, including independent tasks that they can manage on their own - so I can focus on mine.

The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 2d

Pennsylvania has fairly strict homeschool regulations compared to most states. The way this works, you can create reports for your mandatory book (resource) log, and when your kids are in high school, you can even track credit hours. Benefit of our regulations means homeschool is accredited. No GED

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 2d

There are a few pre-made lesson plans you can purchase, but we have our own curricula we like to use. But honestly, you don't even need kids to use this. Your kids can go to school, and you can use this to keep of things like chores, extracurricular activities, homework, etc.

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 2d

For those curious how I keep my head intact while starting/running a business and homeschooling, my favorite tool is Homeschool Planet (not sponsored). You can use it for yourself as well to keep track of other tasks in one place. I've tried many different methods, but I keep coming back to this.

The Best Homeschool Planner - Homeschool Planet

Homeschool Planet Online planner is everything a homeschool parent needs, when they need it, all in one place! FREE 30 day trial with no credit card required. Get started saving time today!

homeschoolplanet.com

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 3d

The seeds will all be donated to the local free seed bank at the Upper Dublin library, so you should be able to find Asclepias tuberosa there (that's the one I have the most of surprisingly).

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 3d

Apologies for the radio silence as I work on getting my kids homeschool year kicked off (we can start whenever we want, since our holidays/breaks aren't the same and snow days count as school days here). Currently taking a break to save all the milkweed floss - future goals pillow or a winter coat.

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 3d

I think most optometrists check for it (mine has some crazy machines, but I've been to some that are very basic so I'm not sure if they can all scan for it). They suggest annual check-ups.

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 6d

I'll also add that even when we do eat meat, partly because of the price, it gets stretched way out. I can feed a family of 4 on three chicken thighs. It's rarely if ever served as a single stand-alone portion, it's always mixed into something else. The amount we consume isn't anywhere near average.

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 6d

that being said I think some of the space allotted to beef could be reduced. There's a farm near us that raises it and they don't seem to have as much acreage as some of these ranches.

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 6d

all of the above
we can't serve soy in our home due to my son's allergy to it, none of us eat fish, and after a while eating only chicken gets boring. The occasional pork or beef is a nice change.

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 6d

Since I know you're outside a lot, it's a very good idea to stay up to date on your check-ups. You can get melanoma in your eye, and there is absolutely no way for you to see it yourself. They have to look in your eye to check for it.

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 6d

We eat it very rarely, but no, I don't think we'd quit it entirely. Unless we were able to bring back the buffalo enough to replace beef (and there's beefalo as well). Or making local venison commercially available (which would also assist with culling populations).

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 8d

This is why what we plant matters. Directly across from my driveway on the other side of the road is a mix of weeds, culinary mint and poison ivy. This lone aster and goldenrod seeded in together. Our plants spread beyond the garden. Are the plants you're spreading beneficial? #NativePlants

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 8d

I love the pink-tinted flower tips!

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 8d

That shag isn't just aesthetically pleasing. That's a bat-habitat high-rise and nursery. Many bat species, including our endangered bats, utilize shaggy trees and snags for roosts/nests in the summer months. This is why I encourage everyone to sow shagbark, shellbark, and white oak nuts.

The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 8d

They really are, both shellbark and shagbark are stunners. First photo is my shaggiest of shagbarks. Second and 3rd photos I suspect are seedlings of this one (3rd may be a sucker off the second) already starting to display the beautiful bark. The other mature shag here isn't nearly as shaggy.

Carya ovata, shagbark, looking up the trunk

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 8d

They really are, both shellbark and shagbark are stunners. First photo is my shaggiest of shagbarks. Second and 3rd photos I suspect are seedlings of this one (3rd may be a sucker off the second) already starting to display the beautiful bark. The other mature shag here isn't nearly as shaggy.

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 9d

In a world of pessimism, gardening rewards stubborn optimism.

The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 9d

I have killed many plants. It took three separate tries to figure out how to get (responsibly lab-grown) Cypripedium acuale established on my property. The reward of seeing it bloom was worth it.

Stop asking What if it dies? Start asking What if it lives?

What if I do succeed? What if it thrives?

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 9d

Life isn't guaranteed. 100 years ago, people had many kids with the expectation that some would not make it to adulthood.

Plants are no different.

We cannot know what a plant can or cannot tolerate without taking risks.

Let go of the fear of killing plants. You will kill them. Try again.

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 9d

Will it work? I have no clue. It didn't like where it was before, because it was too wet.
But what if it dies?

It might. But it might also live.

I noticed there is a lot of fear of trying to grow certain species of plants. People want guarantees.

Cont'd...

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 9d

I wasn't sure I'd be up to anything after getting my flu, covid and tdap vaccines yesterday on a whim. Today I decided to try moving one of my Sarracenia purpurea plugs to a hummock in my vernal pool restoration area. I noticed with it being dry, this spot was still moist. Cont'd...

Sarracenia purpurea near the base of a hummock in my seasonal wetland, with various other wetland plants and bare soil surrounding it.

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The MagiK Garden @themagikgarden.com · 13d

More photos from my September sun/part-sun garden

Solidago 'Golden Fleece' - selection from Solidago sphacelata (I have plugs of the standard seed-grown available, which generally aren't sold in the trade), Ageratina altissima, exotic bearded iris, some Lonicera sempervirens seen in the background that trails through the bed. All grow at the base of an old red maple

Aster and white snakeroot. Coreopsis rosaea is nearly done and going to seed.

Late boneset with what looks to be an Andrena (mining) bee. I haven't uploaded to iNaturalist yet, and I'm not good with my bees, but this is smaller and more "white" than the bumbles.

Schyzachyrium scoparium and Sorghastum nutans I grew from seed and planted spring 2024. Henry Eilers Rudbeckia still blooming (for months now) flopping over a bit in the background, Silphium perfoliatum behind that, to the right are the black pods from Senna marilandica behind the indian grass, with their striking contrast against the still-green foliage.

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