June Bloom Day: Colorful, Strange, and Plentiful

On this June Bloom Day, I use the words colorful, strange, and plentiful to describe the garden for these reasons:

Colorful: While the blooms are always colorful at this time of year, for some reason they seem to "pop" more than usual on the landscape currently. I don't know why.

Strange: Where do I start? We've had weird weather in April, May, and June (so far). Near-record and record hot days followed by near-record, very cold days; some "perfect" days; and now we're in a drought (though we've had some recent light rain). The weather never seems to be "normal" for the time of year anymore.

Plentiful: So many things are blooming; I picked just a few...mainly plants at their peak, annuals, and colorful stars in the garden.



Alliums...I have many varieties in the garden. Some are faded; some haven't bloomed yet. But a few are lovely currently, including the tall, stately 'Ambassador' Alliums.



American Garlic (Allium unifolium) has had a good season, despite the temperature swings and lack of rain.





The annuals currently taking the stage are the Lantanas (L. camara). I get a kick out of their changeable colors; the Lantanas in both photos above are the same variety: Lucky 'Sunrise Rose.'



Companions with the Lantanas in color and placement are 'Snapshot Rose' Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus). These are somewhat shorter (10 inches) than many Snapdragons I've grown in the past, but the flower spikes are full and tall. 

'May Night' Salvia: While its parentage apparently is somewhat debated currently, it's been an anchor to the side sunny garden for two decades. It's a regal, reliable garden stalwart for the pleasure of humans and pollinators, alike.



On a whim, I purchased this 'Starsister Scarlet and Yellow' Dahlia. It's a compact, shrubby plant, and I currently have it placed in the side sunny garden. I haven't decided if I'll keep it in the pot or place it in the ground. I love the bright colors!

Near the Dahlias is this pot filled with French Marigolds (Tagetes patula), Spotlight 'Lime Heart' Sweet Potato Vine (Ipomoea batatas), and 'Serena Blue' Angelonia (A. angustifolia). I think I need to deadhead the latter to encourage more blooms (and maybe give it a little more sun). But I expect it will be lovely through the growing season.

I'll plan to post about the other potted plants in the weeks ahead. All potted plants, including those shown at the beginning and end of this post, are bringing much color and joy to the garden, despite the strange growing season so far.

What's blooming in your garden? To enjoy other lovelies on this Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, visit May Dreams Gardens.

August Bloom Day: Pots, Perennials, and Pollinators

Like most gardeners at this time of year, I have many luscious blooms and plantings to celebrate. I'm linking in today to Carol's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day at May Dreams Gardens. In addition to the colorful potted flowers and foliage above, I'm enjoying many other garden goodies. Here are just a few.



The 'Summer Beauty' Alliums (A. angulosum) I planted around the mailbox last year are settling in this summer. I have them in other spots in the garden, too, but I think this sunny location will be perfect for them.



I've overwintered Fuchsia 'Marinka' for many years now. The plants always get set back a bit with seasonal change, but they readjust and thrive in the garden from May through early October, when I bring them in before the first frost.



Fuchsia 'Dark Eyes' is another favorite. I've never overwintered it, but maybe I'll try this year.



Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa) is still going strong, with new blooms, buds, and foliage, as host plant food for late-season monarch caterpillars.



This patch of Calamint (Calamintha nepeta) also blooms for most of the summer and into the fall, until the first hard freeze. It's always covered with honey bees and bumblebees.



Who doesn't love the variegated foliage of Coleus (C. scutellarioides)? But the flowers are worthy of praise, too. I always buy several cultivars for my potted arrangements. This one is 'Black Dragon.'



'Magnum Purple' New Guinea Impatiens (I. hawkeri) is rich with color and lush health.



Native Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata) is another pollinator favorite. The tall branches blew over during a windy storm, but I have them staked a bit and they're still vital and available for the pollinators.

'American Gold Rush' Brown-Eyed Susan (Rudbecka fulgida), also at the base of the mailbox, took time to reappear and bloom this year. I'm happy to see it's back and happy.

And 'Alonia Big Blue' Angelonia (A. angustifolia) is definitely a dramatic bloomer. It's especially lovely splashed with dew and rainfall.

I'm very thankful for a great growing season this year in my USDA zone 5a garden. We've had just enough rain and plenty of warmth for the plants to thrive.

Happy Bloom Day! Head on over to May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming in gardens around the world.

In a Vase on Monday: Goodbye Cut Flowers

Having plentiful cut flowers through the end of October has been a special treat this season. Now I face the cutting garden finale, with low temperatures dropping to or below freezing for the next five days. Bye-bye, growing season.

The Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus 'Rocket Mix') in the first photo will last a few days, but the Hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) will dry and last indefinitely. Yay.

I will especially miss the Zinnias (Z. elegans 'State Fair Mix' and 'Zowie' Yellow Flame). They are so tall and vibrant and cheery. A flower stem from Coleus scutellarioides 'Wizard Mix' and filler stems of A. densiflorus round out the simple mix.

Oh well, time to turn inward and focus on the upcoming holidays. Plenty of dried and purchased cut flowers will be available in the the months ahead. Thanks to Cathy at Rambling in the Garden for hosting this meme.

Wordless Daffodil Treasure

Words Are Lacking While Plants Are Growing

Rarely in my life have I found it difficult to communicate my thoughts through written words…but now is one of those times. It’s not for lack of blog post ideas; rather, none of these themes seem appropriate just now.

“This changes everything!” is a cliché that’s literally true right now for the vast majority of humans—many of us for the first time in our lives. Pandemics and global tragedies have happened before, but few of us currently living have had our lives turned upside-down as we are now.

Yes, we will get through this, but avoiding acknowledging the seriousness of the situation simply doesn’t feel right to me. So, this is my nod to these difficult times.

My garden is slowly waking, and I’m sure this blog will be quite active as the growing season progresses. But today, in mid-March 2020, as this novel coronavirus spreads in my community, my country, and throughout the world, I’m taking a pause to reflect on what’s ahead.

Each new emerging plant and blooming flower brings a little more hope. Please stay safe and healthy, my friends.

Wordless Emergence

Allium 'Globemaster'

Rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum)

Daffodil mix (Narcissus hybrids)

Allium 'Ambassador'

Twelve of My Favorite Things (2019)

It's the end of one year, and the beginning of another; time to remember and time to hope.

For several years now on this blog, I've created end-of-year lists of my favorite garden and nature "things." They help me appreciate each moment and each season in its time.

This time, the remembering and the hoping are overlapping more than usual; I'm not sure why, but I'm finding this phenomenon interesting. Also, while looking back over the memories, I realized that with the exception of a couple of the months, these were experiences that were new to me. And of course, I hope to experience them again.

In any case, here are 12 moments from the past year that give me hope for the year ahead.



I cheated with this January memory; it actually happened in February...but it was awesome. I was heading down to the lake for a hike and noticed the sky. The photo doesn't really do it justice, but the light and the clouds and the bare tree branches...it was all so dramatic. I look forward to more dramatic sky moments in the winter weeks ahead.



We had a mild February in 2019--most of the ice on the nearby lake melted at one point, and the waterfowl congregated in large numbers. While this is not really normal, it's always exciting to see the lakes melt because it means spring can't be far away.



After the mild February, we had a bit of a relapse in mid-March with some heavy snow. The robins were already back, and they had to find little patches of open ground to dig for worms. I hope this particular memory doesn't repeat itself in 2020.



I'll never forget the masses of butterflies that covered the Pachysandra in April. While there are always many migrant American ladies, painted ladies, and red admirals in the garden each spring, I've never seen so many at once in my garden--everywhere I looked. Yes, please: I hope this will happen again this spring.



Trilliums have always been plentiful in the backyard woodland since we moved here 20 years ago--mainly T. grandiflorum and T. erectum. Last spring, for the first time, I discovered a new volunteer. At first I thought it was T. sessile, but on closer examination of the sepal positions (downward rather than upward around the flower), I believe it's a Prairie Trillium (T. recurvatum). I will be hunting for this one again in May.



While I've seen many Penstemon plants over the years, this one blew me away: Rocky Mountain Penstemon (P. strictus). For some reason, I don't remember noticing it during previous visits to Colorado; maybe the timing wasn't quite right. While attending the Denver Garden Bloggers Fling in June, I was mesmerized by this beauty in several gardens. (In 2020, the Fling will be in Madison, which will offer more new discoveries!)



My favorite thing for July was not new, but it was as special as ever: more butterflies in the garden. In midsummer, the monarchs were plentiful here. Apparently, they had a great summer, overall, and people reported huge waves and roosts during the autumn migration south. Dr. Chip Taylor at Monarch Watch, however, predicts lower overwintering numbers this year. I do hope there will be many visitors to my garden next summer--laying eggs on the milkweed plants and nectaring on the garden flowers.



In August, I discovered a new hiking spot. I can't believe I'd never checked it out before, because it's only a few minutes from my home. One of the delightful things about this property is that it's filled with native wildflowers. It also combines waves of various ecosystems--woodlands, prairies, wetlands, rocky spots, and the edges of all of these. The biodiversity is incredible. Yes, I will be hiking here again in 2020!



Do you ever feel lucky to be in the right place at the right time? That was the case in September when I happened upon some blooming Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans). It wasn't necessarily a new experience, but viewing it and photographing it at close range at the peak of bloom gave me a new appreciation for its beauty that I will carry into the future.



It's always nifty to have garden visitors, but they're especially fun to see well into October. I simply enjoyed this little buddy hanging out on the Marigolds. Insects are fascinating, and I hope many more will visit the garden in 2020.



Snapdragons in the snow! That's a new one for me. I think they even would have bloomed again if I'd brought them inside to overwinter. You have to appreciate tough plants like that, and I'll plant more Antirrhinum majus in the new year.



Finally, in December I checked out a hiking spot I hadn't been to for a while, and I introduced it to the dog. He liked it! It's always a bonus to find a great place to hike that also allows dogs. Win-win! I'm sure we'll trek here repeatedly in 2020!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

These simple pleasures, and many more, promise that the year ahead will be bright. Each month offers its own unique, simple blessings.

My hope is that you, too, will find many "favorite things" and gifts that will bring you much joy in the year ahead.

Happy New Year!

Wordless Hints of Things to Come

Aquilegia canadensis

Hydrangea macrophylla

Sedum kamtschaticum

Iris germanica

Helleborus x hybridus 'Sandy Shores'

Syringa meyeri

A Green Wideshot Wednesday

Is Wideshot Wednesday a meme? I don't know who hosts it, but I have an entry. I've been noticing how green everything is around here, so I snapped a few wide shots of the back garden. They show the mess and the fallen leaves and the lack of blooming plants, yes, but also how little fall color is in the woodland.





The ferns are senescing and some of the Oak leaves are falling, but most of the foliage on the trees and the plants is still very green. We've had a wet, warm September, which is unusual here. It's quite comfortable and lush, but strange.

Cooler weather in the next few weeks likely will bring on much more autumn color. Are you seeing fall color in your garden?

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If you saw my last post, the monarchs in the classroom are making progress. Check it out. :)