I was excited to spot Snow on the Mountain (Euphorbia marginata) plants in the righthand field lot as you turn onto Woodcreek drive from Rt 2325.
Snow-on-the-Mountain graces us with its presence when most everything else is dry and faded. When it rains, it stands up bright and tall, between three and four feet. This wildflower likes short days and shows up annually from August to October. We don’t often have snow and we’re in the hills not the mountains, but the common name of this beauty comes from the pretty white tops of the plant. The actual flowers are inconspicuous, but they are surrounded by white petallike bracts and pale green leaves edged in white.
Snow on the Mountain plant grows in west Texas and New Mexico and north to Minnesota and Montana. It is happy in almost any soil and tolerates both wet and dry conditions. I am always interested in a plant’s benefit to wildlife. Snow-on-the-Mountain is considered poisonous to mammals, and it is also a skin irritant, so it’s best to enjoy viewing, but not to touch. The good news is that mourning doves eat the seeds, and the flowers are a late summer nectar source for bees and butterflies.
September is said to be the best time to divide Iris. I have a patch of Iris that has not been blooming well the last couple of years. I will dig them up now that the rain has softened the dirt and divide them. I should add bone meal to the soil to encourage their growth and blooming. Before I replant them, I will trim the leaves straight across so that a fourinch stub of leaves remain above the bulb. When I replant the bulb I will settle it horizontally so that the top of the bulb remains visible. Irises need cold to initiate flowers, so having the bulb slightly above the surface enables it to get cold enough.
Happy planting.
