Well, it has been here for some time now, but it took some time to heat up this year. The tropical plants on the porch have survived the cool June nights and are now adding new leaves. As for the garden, the sunnier spots are in full bloom with milkweed, butterflyweed and beebalm feeding monarchs, wasps, bees and hummingbirds. It’s a matter of days before the perennial sunflowers turn the whole area bright yellow.
I shrunk the lawn by another 40% this year and the perennial beds are now several yards in width. I have populated the newly gained land with marsh milkweed, cardinalflower, blue lobelia, and obedient plant as anchoring vegetation, with plenty of room left to fill in next spring.
One of my new favorites is campanula americana (american bellflower). I grew it from seed last year but only a few plants survived the slugs. I had totally forgotten about them but they are now 4 feet tall and full of blue flowers. The bumblebees just love these! I hope to get some seed so I can start them up again next year. They are biennal in this area.
Campanula americana
bumble bees on Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed). Despite the name, this plant does quite well in dry areas. Since it is so popular with insects, I have plans to add several hundred to my garden. While the flower is somewhat showier than common milkweed, the latter has a much fruitier and amazing smell.
One of the flowers of Opuntia humifusa (prickly pear cactus). The plant was given to me by a friend a few years ago, and now I have a little cactus patch with at least 20 flowers. Maybe there will be fruit this year. In the past I have seen chunks taken out by animals, but the cactus seems to weather this treatment well. The fruit, however, may be more attractive as a rodent snack.
Filipendula rubra, or queen of the prairie – it tends to spread from it’s original location, but I noticed the plant can get outcompeted by taller perennial sunflowers. I have been aiding the queen by weeding somewhat, making sure the leaves get plenty of sun.
This Monarda dydima is quite happy to take over whatever space it can find, easily shading out other plants. Make sure to combine it with early bloomers that tend to go dormant anyway, or plants that can stand a crowd. The roots of beebalm are shallow and can easily be dug up and transplanted elsewhere.
I planted one 8 gallon pot of this purple beebalm about 3 years ago, and it has taken nicely to its home. It is not as popular with the hummingbirds (they definitely prefer the cardinal red blooms), but bees and butterflies are quite happy to partake in the nectar.
Asclepias tuberosa – butterfly weed
Echinacea purpurea – purple coneflower
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