Summer Garden Pics

The main bed of purple cone flowers in the front yard. They did really well this year. By August most years they are pretty ratty looking.


Some more purple cone flower near the front porch.


These zinnas bloomed despite my neglect of the garden as I got closer to my due date.


The goldenrod is starting to turn yellow heralding the beginning of the end of summer.

Spring is Coming

I saw these beautiful sights as I was running in and out doing errands today. Sophia excitedly joined me as I took pictures with my new camera.

First up, winter aconite and Sophia's finger.


Next, two yellow crocuses. There are lots more ready to burst forth in the next week or so.

Spring is coming

In the past 30 or so hours since I took these pictures we have had a major lake effect snow event. It blew in off of Lake Ontario and reached all the way to the western Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts. Schools and colleges in the north country around here either closed or had delayed openings. As I type it is still snowing. I don't know when it will stop. I checked on some of my flowers today and they are still hanging in there.

Winter aconite. This specimen is in my front yard near the end of the driveway. It is now covered under at least an inch of snow but that's okay because these little guys can take it. The bright yellow flowers are a big pick me up in dreary end of winter landscape.





Crocuses are also early bloomers and when you see them you know that spring is on its way. I have purple, yellow, and striped specimens in my front and back yards (none of the striped ones where up when I was taking photos).













Snowdrops. These from my backyard. I would have missed them blooming if I hadn't noticed the winter aconite and gone looking for what else was blooming.















Daffodils bloom a little later in early spring. These daffodils are in my front yard. Their flowers should open in another week or so. I have daffodils in other parts of the yard that aren't this far along yet though. The tulips that are planted along with these daffodils won't be in full bloom until April and May.

Star Fighters

At this time of year gardens tend to be shriveling under the summer heat. There aren't many flowers that can stand up to the heat and humidity, or lack there of depending on what kind of summer you're having. Oriental lilies bring new life, bright colour, and gorgeous scent to the mid to later summer garden.

I've got the Star Fighter variety in a couple of spots in my garden. (These are in front yard next to the house.) I'm a sucker for a good name. This one makes me think of spectacular battles in space. I want more. In another year or two I'll dig and separate the bulbs in hopes of increasing my supply.



Star Fighter 1 



Star Fighter 2 



Star Fighter 3 


There is another variety called Star Gazer that has little or no white in the petals that I have been coveting for years. The bulbs are a bit pricey though and I haven't been able to talk myself into spending the money on them yet. (Here I am going on about price when they're practically on sale at White Flower Farm. I may go shopping tomorrow.)


Star Gazer Lily 



Casa Blanca is beautiful white oriental lily that I think would go well with Star Fighter and Stargazer but again I just can't bring myself to plunk down the chunk of change for them. (These are twice as much as the Star Gazers.)


Casa Blanca Lily 

Purple coneflower

I've got purple coneflowers growing like crazy in my yard. I planted them in the fall of 2000. Since then I've dig some up and given them to friends once. I may have to do it again next year. I had other things planted near them but they have pretty much taken over the bed they're in. Dead heading keeps new blooms coming well into September. I've even had a few blooms hanging on until October.



Purple cone flower 


Echinacea purpurea 

Letting a few of the flowers go to seed gives plenty of new plants in following growing seasons (as if they needed any help with that). That's how I got these mutants that have no ray flowers. I think the spiky clumps of disk flowers are cute.


Coneflower with out ray flowers. 



Disk flowers with a few vestigial rays 


Purple coneflower is also a favorite with insects. There are two species of bees that I regularly find in my garden.


Species 1 



Species 2 

Garden hitch hiker

I'm pretty sure that I didn't plant this flower in my garden but I like it any way. It's a cone flower from the composite family. I was doing a casual inventory of my garden the other day and realised that nearly all of the plants flowering right now are composites.



Rudbeckia bicolor 


There are also some daisies in these pictures (also composites). I've got two or three kinds of them.



Rudbeckia bicolor 


That's Ethan in the distance sitting on one of their wagon thingies waiting for the school bus.

I really like these flowers so I'll be letting some of the blooms go to seed for planting.

Spring time past

I've been wanting to post some pictures of my garden for a while. These are some pictures that I took in the spring of 2003. It was a nice day so I took the kids out (there were just two of them then) to enjoy the weather and the view.



Red Dynasty and Ice Princess tulips in bloom with Queen of the Night tulips still in bud. May 2003. The Queen of the Night tulips are a deep dark purple that sometimes appears black. The Ice Princess tulips didn't bloom this year. This past winter may have been a bit harsh for them. 




Isaiah, May 2003. 


Isaiah making a break for it, May 2003. 




Golden Appledron tulips, blue grape hyacinths, and white anemones in bloom. Alfred Heineken tulips in bud. May 2003. I admit it, I bought the Heinekens because of the name. And the pale yellow flower that fades to white at the top kind of resembles a froth topped beer. 




Big Smile tulips. May 2003. These tulips are apply named. The big yellow blooms always make me smile. They've multiplied over the last two seasons but haven't handled the dry spring this year well. 


Ethan and Big Smile tulips. May 2003. 




Apple Blossom tulip mix. May 2003.