Just Because

After four days of much needed rain the sun came out this morning.  The windows are open.  I'm between semesters and it seemed like a great day to be out in the garden.

When the weather allows I drink my first cup of coffee while wandering the garden.  This morning as I was looking for spaces to put some irises I spooked up a rabbit.  It was hiding in this area, under the spirea and liatris.  I would never have spotted it if it hadn't moved.

[Why irises?  I just heard about a place called Rainbow Iris Farm that has some really unusual colors.  I don't usually like bearded iris but these beauties looks really funky and I'm willing to try them out.]

Then I went out to weed.  I like weeding.  It's relaxing.  See plant.  Identify plant.  Weed or don't.  Here's a dragonfly that was sheltering in my Mexican Feather grass - probably still cold from the four days of 60 something weather.

I was also deadheading.  I like to deadhead.  See plant. Decide if I like the looks of the seedheads or if I want more of that plant.  Deadhead, or don't.

I'm leaving the seedheads on my Penstemon digitalis Mystica because I like the look of them.

These seedheads are staying because I want more of this plant.  Can you recognize it?  That's right.  It's parsley.  I'll get more if the Goldfinches leave me any seeds!

I was going to deadhead these snapdragons but I looked closer and saw...  caterpillars?  Red caterpillars?  I'm working on identifying these guys but I don't know what they are, yet.  The snapdragons they are feeding on bloomed with a dark, velvety red so the color may be deceptive.  

Deadheading requires a slow and steady hand when working in my garden.  I have a bountiful bee collection.

And butterflies!  I'm slowly building up this population. At least two American Ladies were flitting around the butterfly bush and I saw (but didn't photograph) cabbage white butterflies and one rough looking Monarch.  I bet there will be more once the day really heats up!

And none of these shows the sounds of the birds flitting around the garden (including a very fussy fledgling Robin being fed by busy parents) or the sight of a garter snake slipping into the bushes as I turn the corner.  Or the neighbor stopping to admire the gardens and comment on how much work I must put into them.

Work?  This is PLAY.  I'd rather be doing this than work any day!

I've Created a Monster, and some pretty pictures

I've Created a Monster.  I've been blogging for just over a year now.  My mother, the Queen Bee, got inspired to blog about her new hobby of beekeeping (at Beesnest).  Now she's become inspired to join the garden blogging world and posted her Garden Blogger Bloom Day post (a bit on the late side) at her NEW blog, the Experimental Garden.  AND she has a Facebook Page.  This is what happens when people near retirement and start having too much time on their hands.  They start looking at what their daughter is doing and copy it.  I guess I need to crank my life up a notch and come up with more new and exciting things for the Queen Bee to try.  Want to go Kayaking on the St. Laurence Seaway with the whales?

In the meantime check out her Experimental Garden blog.  Keep scrolling down.  There are some great pictures about half way down the post.  You'll see which ones I'm talking about. 

Now for some unrelated pictures of flowers from The Edge.

Liatris Kobold.  I like the Kobold variety because it doesn't get tall and floppy like some other varieties.  I don't have to support this one!  Anyone want some seedlings?

A

Asclepias tuberosa.  The big bloom happened earlier this summer but I like the look of the seed pods.

S

Sedum x Autumn Fire.  This type of Sedum gets flower buds sooo early but doesn't bloom till later in the summer.  I like the contrast in texture between the bud clusters and the leaves.

R

Rudbeckia Cappuccino.  I put in several varieties of Rudbeckia this spring and this one is the winner for first year show.  Hopefully the others are busy establishing their root systems and will look equally good next year.  If they can survive the onslaught of the Guerrilla Rabbits.

Flower Power

Between the painters finishing up and the roofers arriving I managed to slip out and photograph some of my blooms. 

Scabiosa 'butterfly blue' and Gaura 'whirling butterflies'

New to me - Knautia maceodonia - looks to be like Scabiosa on a stick!  Hope it does as well for me as the Scabiosa!  The goldfinches are already using the stems to perch on.

More Scabiosa 'butterfly blue' plus Coreopsis 'Zageb'

This is a nice vignette but these plants are only 1 year in the garden.  I chronically plant too close together.  I think I'll have to move some stuff next spring.  Which means a new garden bed since this one is full.  Gosh darn it!

Asclepias tuberosa

I really like their flowers.

No one has told the Pansies that it's Summer and they can quit blooming now.

Make Up Monday

Last week on Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and Foliage Follow Up day I was working hard to get plants in the ground before the rains came.  I managed and the rain arrived on schedule so everything got well watered in.  So today I'm going to post a few more pictures to add to the photographic celebrations of all things garden.  See if you can guess which pictures go with which day.

Tulip humilis Odalisque, actually a bit more of a purple-red than it appears on my monitor

This one is a Darwin Type Tulip (either Hollandia or Cum Laude) that I included for a specific reason.  Look closely at the bud(s).   Do you see how the two stems are conjoined?  I have a Siamese Twin Tulip!

Tanacetum coccineum James Kelway.  This is why I label my plants.  How else should I identify this one from just the freshly uncurling foliage.  Pretty cool looking, though, huh?

Tradescantia Sweet Kate.  What's that?  I'm cheating?  I've already posted this plant this spring?  No I haven't.  No, you're mistaken.  Wait, don't check!  Oh, all right I'm busted.  But I really like the spring foliage of this one and I couldn't resist.  Do I get credit for posting a NEW photo of a plant I've already posted?

If I'm going to get busted for reposting I'm going to repost some more.  Here is my Brunnera Jack Frost.  I think I might have even posted images last week but it has really burst into bloom over the weekend.

Last year I dug some wild violets from a neighbors yard.  Amazingly I didn't have ANY (I had a nice chemical stew toxic lawn instead.  This one looks like it can't make up its mind which color flowers to produce.

A mated pair of Red Lily Beetles on (guess what) a lily.  Uh-oh.  These beetles are supposed to be voracious destroyers of lily plants.  I guess I won't be growing lilies.  Too bad.  I planted several varieties last fall.  But I won't grow a plant if I HAVE to use pesticides.  I was using them as a fill in anyway, in a spot that will be filled in by a pair of shrubs in a few years.

Still.  Darn it.  I like lilies.

This is one of my Physocarpus opulifolius (ninebark) Coppertina shrubs.  Below is the other.

See a difference?  There is a HUGE difference between these two.  The lower one kept some leaves all winter (dried up but still attached) and is more open in habit and has some yellowish greenish color in the inner portion of the leaves.  The upper one is much darker leafed, lost all its leaves in the winter and has stems and leaves closer together.  I bought them at different times so there is a chance they are different varieties.  Or what I'm seeing could be individual differences (they are planted next to each other so the conditions are similar).  It'll be interesting to watch over the next few years and see what happens.

Lastly one of my favorite new discoveries.  This is Cornus hesyii Garden Glow.  The foliage will stay nearly this color all summer and the stems were red all winter.  It does have some buds so I'll get to see the blooms (and hopefully fruit) this year.  Honestly I don't care about the blooms on this plant.  This bright chartreuse foliage looks like this in a shady spot next to the back of the house.  What a wonderful punch of color. 

Now it's time for a quiz.  Which pictures are for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and which are for Foliage Follow Up?  One of them is a trick question.

(I bet my students would like a quiz like that!  Instead it's Cellular Respiration week.  They thought photosynthesis was bad, I know a lot more about this topic.)

Flower Power

Sedum x 'Autumn Fire' is getting ready to bloom in my garden

This isn't exactly a typical Flower Power post. Most of the images I have posted today are of foliage (a few flowers, gotta have them). There is a link from the Garden Rant Blog to a list of hard truths about gardening (two lists, actually). These lists are worth checking out, try here and here for the lists. One of the comments was about how foliage is important in your plant choices so here's some foliage for you enjoyment.

Bronze Fennel. I can't resist photographing this plant. It just makes such interesting images in the lens.

Miscanthus sinensis, or Zebra Grass. This is one plant I hesitate about planting. Miscanthus is invasive in many parts of the country and can be a fire hazard. I'm growing it in a pot and removing the blooms in an attempt to control it. Not sure if I'll put it in the ground eventually or not. I'll still researching whether this might be a problem here in New England.

Spirea 'Magic Carpet' - one of my absolute favorite plants. Not only does it have a long bloom period, not only is it attractive to pollinators (including butterflies) but it also has this great color in the new growth and it's easy to find and easy to grow.

Artemesia schmidtiana 'Nana' can be aggressive but I've got it in the strip between the sidewalk and the street, where I plant lots of aggressive plants because the conditions are quite challenging.

African Blue Basil. I love the dark veining and grow it as an ornamental.

This is a nice little Saxifraga arendsii (not sure of the variety, possibly called 'Magic Carpet') that seems to be surviving in the strip between the sidewalk and the street.

This Mexican Feather Grass, Nassella tenuissima, is not rated for my zone so I'm growing it as an annual. It is a warm weather plant that has the potential to become a problem in California. It is spectacular in large swaths. I'm using it in little planting pockets by the garage, surrounded by paving. Maybe the paving will keep that area warm all winter and it'll come back. If not I'll probably buy it again next spring. It's worth buying yearly.

It's peak bloom time in my garden and I couldn't resist including this image of Coreopsis 'Zagreb' and Scabiosa 'Butterfly Blue'

Physocarpus opulifolius 'Copertina.' A striking plant with dark, dark foliage, a great background for some lighter colors.

Cornus hesseyii 'Garden Glow' Imagine a small dogwood bush with golden leaves and you've got this plant. I love the brightness chartreuse foliage brings to the garden.

I just love the architectural characteristics of Bronze Fennel.

Flower Power

Flower Power

Coreopsis Mardi Gras with Buddleia Nanho Blue

Society Garlic

Monarda, unknown variety from neighbor, amazingly free of Powdery Mildew

Dill


Cosmos, unknown

Coreopsis Heaven's Gate (Right) and
African Blue Basil (Left)