I'm Ready for My Close Up

Working with my new Macro Lens is both fun and challenging. Fun because you get up close and personal with the garden (I'm sure the neighbors think I'm weird when they see me contorting to get the lens at the right angle that close to the ground) 

Aqueligia fragrans (columbine) against the sky -  a fragrant variety I grew from seeds I had to order from Plant World Seeds in the United Kingdom. Shot from BELOW.

and challenging because I live about 2 miles from the ocean as the gull flies and there is almost always a breeze blowing. This is nice on warm afternoons and miserable when you're trying to photograph plants.

Here's my latest stuff.

Hope you don't mind insect photos. I really enjoy all of the invertebrate life my garden attracts and now I can take pictures of all the little guys and gals!

I don't know what this is. Looks kind of like a small crane fly. I'll have to hit BugGuide.net.

Pansies (Viola tricolor var. bigboxus) are still looking good. I suspect they'll be done after this week of temperatures in the 80s.

A friendly Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) wanting to know what I'm doing down on the ground by the pansies. She eventually turned around and went back in her hiding spot. I have at least three that are frequenting my front garden this year and helping me stay slug-free!

A Petunia (Petunia lgc) that was planted around the pansies that will hopefully replace them as the pansies die from the heat.

So many of today's shots are from the area by the fireplace because that area is somewhat protected from the breezes. 

And this Hymenopteran (bee or wasp) is what really makes my new lens exciting. It was crawling across the petunia as I was photographing the bloom and I just caught it.

Garden Blogger Bloom Day July 2014

My garden is in full summer form right now and the native pollinators are HAPPY! As am I.

The Echinacea purpura wild type has gotten established and is blooming well.

I also planted a couple of different colored Echinacea but they aren't doing quite as good. This is consistent with what I've heard from others - the fancy hybrids just limp along and die out while the species does fantastically well.

Likewise, my Liatris spicata Kobold has gotten established. The first year it flopped over really bad but now it's producing strong flower stems. And it's spread around a little. I'm ok with that. I'm ending up with a garden that has a few different plants that do well and have spread around so that they look like I deliberately repeated them. THEY are making ME look like I know what I'm doing.

This is Rudbeckia hirta Cappuccino. I bought several types of Rudbeckia when I first moved in. I didn't realize they were self - seeding annuals at the time. Cappuccino is the only one that's come back. Just goes to show you can't always trust what you read on the label. Perennial, my a$$

Veronica spicata Red Fox (I think, either that or Eveline, I planted both and can't remember which one went where and did NOT do a good job of record keeping - Bad Gardener!)

And Friend.

Monarda fromaneighborii

Our winter was warm until the end then it got cold. Because of this many people's hydrangeas had started to come out of winter mode too early and got nipped back to the ground. This Hydrangea mislabeledus (labeled as Lady in Red) is planted close to the house so it was protected and is blooming just fine, thank you.

The Helenium Mardi Gras is not looking as good as last year but I still like the flowers. It accidentally ended up too far back in the bed and needs to be moved in the fall. Remind me to go out and stick a label on it while it's in bloom and I can remember where it is.

I moved several of these Coreopsis verticallata Zagreb to the Hell Strip. So far they're doing well. This is the remainder of the clump. I like how it contrasts with the Hyssopus officinalis. I just have to keep the Zagreb in check. It has delusions of taking over the world [with a name like Zagreb of course it thinks it's an Evil Genius]

I like daisies [Leucanthemum Becky], although the white color doesn't go well with the rest of my bright summer garden. Or my bright, colorful house, or my messy, mud-covered life. 

I do not have to be consistent if I don't want to be and you can't make me.

Thou Shalt Not Pass. Also know as I need to find a better way to stake up the Gaura. I have several varieties: whites, pale pinks, bright pinks and the offspring of them. It's another plant that volunteers to move about the garden and create a sense of repetition. I just wish the middle and dark tones pinks survived as well as the pale pinks...

I bought a collection of Petunia called "Blueberry Muffin". I have to say I really, really like the result in that thin wedge of dirt between the front landing and the fireplace. 

Finally, last week's plant of the week - Asclepias tuberosa, friend to gardeners who want summer color, friend to those of us who don't like to water the garden, friend to Monarch Butterflies, and friend to lots and lots of bees.

I support native pollinators.

Thanks to Carol at May Dreams for this meme.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day - June 2014

It's a late post for me for GBBD (thanks, Carol!). Three days of gloom and rain followed by lots of strong winds and today was the first chance I had to get out with my camera. Since The Queen Bee [my mom] is arriving for a visit later today I did a quick round with the camera to get at least SOMETHING to post.

These Petunias were purchased as a group called 'Blueberry Muffin' - I like the color combination [although the name makes me hungry... guess I should have had breakfast before I started this post]

Tradescantia [spiderwort or dayflower] is in full bloom - this plant is a descendant of Sweet Kate and/or Concord Grape and/or whatever is growing in my neighbors yards. I plan to transplant all of my Tradescantia from the front garden (where they're spreading a bit aggressively) to the backyard where they will need that aggression to stand up to the Rowdy Dogs

Iris iforgotiboughtthisii - I have several irises I must have purchased as bulbs (?) that have a lot of different colors. I particularly like this one.

My Calycanthus is blooming nicely. The blooms don't particularly stand out - you need to look close to appreciate them. They are supposed to have a spicy scent but I've never noticed it.

THIS however, does have a strong scent. I've embedded it in this image - scratch it and sniff. Wait. Your computer doesn't have scratch and sniff? I guess you'll have to take my word about it. This Hoya was a pass along plant. I wasn't all that impressed until I moved it to a sunnier spot and it started blooming. I like the looks of the blooms and BOY do they have a STRONG fragrance. Clearly in the wild Hoya are pollinated by nocturnal animals (moths probably) - the fragrance is strongest after dark. To give you an idea of the strength this plant is on the first floor, in my office and if I wake up in the night (when The Husband starts snoring, for example) I can smell it in our second floor bedroom. Wow.

Not pictured - Salvia, Baptisia, Physocarpus, Penstemon, Scabiosa, Heuchera, and probably a few others that I can't see from my office window so I'm forgetting about. June is a GREAT month for blooms here on The Edge!