At this point in the summer, I am reminded that I like daylilies. They are not my favorite perennials, but I do like them. They are useful and undemanding. Also, they often have bold, striking flowers. Finally, they have an astounding variety of color, form, and other qualities. ‘Eye-yi-yi’, my earlierst daylily, has passed its …
The light was so perfect Thursday morning that Judy was inspired to grab her camera on her way out the door and take a few pictures. I know I just did a post on Yellow Coneflower (Ratibida pinnata), but look how the yellow flowers are luminous in the sun. Here’s the grassy path that separates …
It’s not an Echinacea. It’s not a Rudbeckia. It’s Ratibida pinnata, known by the common names Yellow Coneflower or Grey-Headed Coneflower. There’s a lot to like about this plant. The flowers are nice, especially in a mass. The droopy yellow ray flowers are bright yellow. The prominent cone starts out grey and turns brown as …
This is the third summer that Culver’s Root ‘Inspiration’ (Veronicastrum virginicum) is growing in the sunny driveway border. In my experience it is an excellent plant if you want something vertical with blue color in early to mid-summer. Even my son’s girlfriend, who fervently hopes that my garden obsession is not hereditary, is enthusiastic about …
Is it already the middle of July? Hard to believe, and yet it must be, because the mid-summer flowers are blooming their hearts out. I’m actually pretty happy with how the garden looks right now. Let’s cover the highlights, starting at the sidewalk border. The Monarda didyma ‘Raspberry Wine’ is at its peak, and I’d …
What’s your reaction when you see fake plantation-style columns in front of a fairly modest home, or a circular driveway in front of a house on a quarter acre lot? Do a bit of eye-rolling, perhaps? Then I must tell you that when I saw the grand sweep of Salvia (known as the River of …
We got back from the Garden Bloggers’ Fling last night, and found that our own garden has been progressing at breakneck speed: flowers blooming, buds swelling, vines twining, berries ripening, seeds sprouting. I’ll post about these developments shortly, as soon as Judy is able to get out with her camera and take some pictures. In …
The Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus strumosus) in the back garden is no more. It was growing in a little bed I carved out along the brick path to the alley gate that Judy and I built. Woodland Sunflower is one of very few sunflowers that does not need full sun or something close. I was tempted …
This weekend I’ve been implementing a second round of cutting back my perennials. For some reason, whenever I do a lot of pruning or cutting back in my garden, I get a mental image of the Cowardly Lion getting a haircut during the scene from The Wizard of Oz when everybody is singing “Merry Old …
I’m late with this post for some very legitimate reasons. It rained most of the day yesterday so photography was not an option. When it finally cleared, we were due to leave for Judy’s brother’s house for what turned out to be a wonderful dinner. Judy did take a few rushed shots but we didn’t …
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