Cat's love the indoor plants

Banana Bush (Shrub)

The banana shrub or banana bush tree was brought to America from China. The scientific name has changed from Michelia figo to Magnolia figo as it is a member of the Magnolia family (Magnoliaceae).

This evergreen is a relatively easy plant to care for and has a wonderful fragrance. They say the flowers smell like banana (hence the banana bush name) but I think they smell more like Juicy Fruit chewing gum (maybe Juicy Fruit is supposed to be banana flavored, I really don't know). Either way, it smells wonderful when in bloom.

The banana shrub prefers acidic, well drained soil and is drought tolerant once it is established. It can grow in sun or light shade. It typically grows up to 15 to 20 feet tall with a spread of 5 to 10 feet.

Black Walnut (Juglan Nigra)

Some pictures of our black walnut tree this spring. We spent some time clearing a small area around the tree this spring. One day soon (I hope) we will clear the remaining area around the tree.

Notice the grayish/blackish bark which is deeply furrowed.

It's hard to see from this distance, but the leaves are arranged alternately on the twig and are compound with more than 11 leaflets and range from one to two feet long.

Be careful when planting around a black walnut tree. The tree secretes juglone into the soil which is a respiratory inhibitor in many plants. As always, practice good companion planting and you should be fine.

Amaryllis Pictures

Cat

Kneedy wishing he could teleport through the glass window; luckily cats only have ninja powers and have not yet learned to teleport.

Different Stages of Thistle Flowering

Ice Storm