Sunday, August 4, 2024

WILDFLOWERS

 

It's been not a hot, but a rather humid weekend. For me at least.  After a lovely poolside party yesterday to keep the Mistress wet, cooled down and hydrated, it was all lovely and I was there doing the music for the day....but today was spent doing a little garden pruning and cleaning up of some dead leaves, and a tad of weeding. Somehow, with the heat, the garden still manages to go full steam ahead....and I'm very pleased with the first year of the wildflower garden. And it's been virtually maintenance free. Now as the day winds down, time to have a sit on the patio and enjoy a beverage or two. The dahlia are all opening already. 

I can't believe the cassia. These three plants were only 3" stems in June. Now they are over the fence!!!! They all three just had tons of yellow blooms, but I dead headed them to get more blooms soon. In the background the Crepe Mrytle is blooming.


Why not......

44 comments:

  1. I WOULD LOVE to sit there and have you show me everything. Your garden and picture made me very happy. dahlias being one of my favorites. The wildflowers garden was a good call then?

    Those cassias TOOK OFF!!!!

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    1. Yes, being in full sun was a good choice, as wildflowers need the full sun spot.

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  2. I love it all!!!! Now you have me wanting to do a wildflower garden. I still finding what works here and what doesn't. That first picture is lovely. I agree it does seem early for dahlias, doesn't it? But they are lovely. Happy Sunday.

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    1. That might be a good idea. When we were in Rehoboth Beach we saw many wildflowers garden there.

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  3. Holy Moly did those cassias get huge! I can smell the popcorn from here.

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    1. I have never had them get this big before!

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  4. Les fleurs sauvages sont idéales pour les jardins et constituent un cadeau pour les abeilles. :)
    -Beau Mec

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    1. Je sais, c’est génial, n’est-ce pas ? J’adore regarder les bourdons aller de fleur en fleur et faire leur truc.

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  5. Lovely pictures! I'm sure you'll be this year's IDV Garden Party winner! :)

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    1. We are missing your lovely selection this summer Melanie. How is your garden doing this season? Filled with blooms I hope.

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    2. Sadly, the garden is devastated (as am I.) There was a terrible solid free of single digit temperatures this last winter. It killed a lot of plants, even the native plants struggled to survive. What few new things I have planted don't have much to show for the first few years.

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  6. I love a good wildflower garden and yours is fabulous.

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    1. Thanks Bob! It took some time, but once they took off, they went crazy...and the best part is they reseed themselves, so there should be even more next year! I love the randomness of them all.

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  7. Beautiful array of blooms, dear! Jx

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    1. It's been some work! Thank you Jon!

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    2. Looking at the photos again, I spotted the bloom in pic #9, which you've labelled as "Sweet Pea" - I hope I am wrong, but it looks a bit like the dreaded Himalayan Balsam to me... Jx

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    3. You might be right. I had so many seed packets I haven't any clue as to what some of them are. It looked like sweet pea, but they are generally larger and more pinky. I think? Other little surprises are still coming and growing but haven't bloomed yet. Every week there seems to be another new bloom of some sort.

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    4. If it's Himalayan Balsam, it's an invasive species, so best to double-check... Jx

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    5. Luckily, I saved my seed packets that list the seed contents...I have to have a look see. I read that the Himalayan and will push out and strangle any other plants once it takes off.

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  8. My, they're gorgeous!

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    Replies
    1. I know, well think, you love dahlias.

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  9. are you sure these are not triffids?

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    1. I will never admit to my evils plans Spo!

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  10. Oh my! You've done well in the garden. Those photos are glorious!
    Sx

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    1. I'm amazed at the number of bees in the wildflower garden. And the salvia garden is doing just as well. Thank you Scarlet! Both are also bringing about butterflies. I keep trying to get pictures of them, but they flutter away as quick.

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  11. Nice garden, lot of things blooming.

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  12. I don't know about your side of the pond, but this side of the pond we are suffering a shortage of insects; very few flutterbys, some bees but virtually no wasps (which is not a tragedy IMO). The insect shortage has led to malnourished bats, which are protected here, like the ones in the church which pee and shit everywhere, so that the church has to have a thorough clean just before every service.

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    1. I don't know where you are in the UK, Helen, but we have loads of bees (bumble, solitary and honey), flies, hoverflies, gnats and moths, and the butterflies may be a bit late but they are around... Not many "normal" wasps, but some of the interesting species ones are on the lookout for prey amongst the foliage. And we've watched our local pipistrelles hunting at dusk. Jx

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    2. No, I agree with Jon, not much shortage of any insects. Thanks to many new plantings, we have more bees than normal, and nice to see more butterflies back. The bats here at night are having a smorgasbord of gnats and pesky night bugs. I also noticed more lightening bugs than in past years....and that makes me happy.

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    3. I'm in Poshfordshire (a county that has recently gone Tory free MP-wise) and my friend lives in Piswich; we have both noted the lack of insects this summer.

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  13. I love the garden. I bet it's a wonderful place to pass the afternoon, and with a good drink.

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    1. As Ivy would say, come have a drink in my garden, my vines have a crush on you.

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  14. Love the flowers!
    I won't have my little garden anymore, so I'll live vicariously through yours.
    And how did you know I love Lounge Music??? What a mood!

    XOXO

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    1. No more garden?!?! What happened? I love seeing what you were doing! I had the feeling you'd like lounge music.

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  15. It's just beautiful! You have a talent for so many things.

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  16. Where do you find the time, my dear? Creating beautiful things seems to be your calling. Thanks for sharing these... such lovely blooms. But no match for your blooming beauty, I'm sure.

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    1. A shucks, stop, your making me blush!!! I will show you my "handy " work one day!

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  17. Anonymous8/05/2024

    Tundra Bunny here....

    Lovely photos as always, Maddie! Bachelor buttons and blue cornflowers are among my long list of favourite flowers... cute bee bum too!

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    1. I adore cornflower too! I knew Debs, a fellow blogger,would love the bee bum and had to include it, forgetting she is on vacay.

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  18. I would swear to god that you really are Poison Ivy.

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  19. It's all so lovely and something for me to aspire too. There is is hope yet.

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Go ahead darling, tell me something fabulous!