Why is Honest Abe in Our Garden?
Some people keep a Buddha statue in their garden. Others have St. Francis. For us, it’s Abraham Lincoln. Not a Lincoln statue, actually, just half of a bookend set I found online.
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Notes from a wildlife-friendly cottage garden
Solomon’s Plume, an Underused Woodland Native
Solomon’s Plume (Maianthemum racemosum) has a lot in common with Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum). In fact, Solomon’s Plume more often went by the common name False Solomon’s Seal. Canny native plant sellers saw correctly that this undermined the woodlander’s appeal, and so they promoted an alternative. Either way, my point is that you are much less likely to find Solomon’s Plume in home gardens than Solomon’s Seal.
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The Summer Containers Are Planted
The front containers have just been sitting around for a month or so, containing nothing but ripening Tulip foliage and the Sweet Alyssum ‘Easter Bonnet Lemonade’ which I used to underplant the Tulips. I’ll let the Sweet Alyssum age in place while the new plants fill in.
Speaking of aging in place, it’s funny that the yellow Pansies I planted months ago have only now started to look good. I think April and May were just too cold and wet for them. I’ll let them stay as well, as long as they look good.
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Virtue Rewarded and a Grass Divided
So the bad news is that once again there are Fourlined Plant Bugs (FPBs) in the garden.
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More Partners for Golden Alexander
In a recent post I noted that ‘Walker’s Low’ Catmint (Nepeta x faassenii) combines nicely with Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea).
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Behind ‘Blue Ice’ (Clematis)
This is shaping up to be a pretty good year for Clematis in our garden. After a short-lived Clematis wilt scare, ‘Multi-Blue’ has performed beautifully, its best year ever.
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Could Sleep-Planting Be A Thing?
There are two mystery plants growing in the Driveway Border. Actually, two specimens of one species. They could be really big weeds, but my best guess is that they are Green Headed Coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata).
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Blue Blooms for the End of May
The garden seems quieter now that the Tulips and Daffodils are gone. It’s starting to transition from spring to summer, and for some reason blue flowers become more prominent at this time.
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Golden Alexander in Retreat
Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) is in bloom right now, and one thing I’ve noticed is that it’s not where it used to be.
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The Thing About Peonies
I suspect that Peonies deliberately synchronize their flowering to coincide with gardeners’ trips away from home. Given that the average Peony plant has a very fleeting period of bloom, this means that many gardeners get to see the swelling buds of their Peony plants, followed by the bare seed heads.
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