August Berries for the Birds

Late in August some of the birds begin to fatten themselves up for their fall journey. At the same time, berries of all kinds have begun to ripen. This, then, is a good time to take stock of what kind of garden buffet is on offer for our avian friends.

Mid-August Blooms, Part 2

OK, so here are the rest of our garden’s blooms taken this past Sunday.

Mid-August Blooms, Part 1

I had a happy reunion with the garden after Judy and I returned from our trip late Saturday afternoon. The first thing I noticed were bright swaths of yellow that seemed to dominate the area in front of the house. Yellow – sometimes clear and light, sometimes golden, or shading into orange.

The Front Garden at the End of July

So we’re leaving on vacation tomorrow, but before we go I wanted to show you what’s going on in the front garden as we stand at August’s front door. For starters, here are the ‘Summer Beauty’ Alliums in full bloom (A. tanguticum).

Blooms of Mid-July, Part 2

Following up on the last post, here’s a run down of the blooms in the rest of the garden: the Left Bank (the smaller part of the front garden that lies west of the driveway) and the shady back garden.

Blooms of Mid-July, Part 1

By the middle of July it feels like we have reached the gateway to high summer in Chicago. Let’s see what’s blooming in the garden, starting with the main part of the front garden: the Driveway Border, Sidewalk Border, and the Island Bed. The remainder we’ll cover in a second post.

Indian Pink, a Bright Spot in the Shade

So here’s a plant that probably isn’t as widely used as it should be: Indian Pink (Spigelia marilandica).

Purple-Flowering Raspberry

I planted Purple-Flowering Raspberry (Rubus odoratus) last spring. It didn’t do much last year, but this year I’m quite pleased with it so far.

A Tale of Two Shrubs

Right now is the showiest time of the year for two very worthy but perhaps unspectacular shrubs: Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa) and Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa).

Goats’ Beards and Frilly Flowers

Aside from ‘Sally Holmes’ (already written about here), there are at this moment two flowering plants in the back garden that are likely to grab your attention.