June Floods, July Flowers

      Aren't April showers supposed to bring May flowers.  Well this year June torrents have brought in July flowers.  I won't even mention the July weeds!!  Well maybe just a little.  Lots and lots of July weeds.  A never ending supply.  With the ground so wet, at least the weeds pull easily.

Porch View,  July 5th, 2013

     We have been really enjoying the view from our back porch this year.  My garden is in the foreground, our neighbor's yard is in the back ground.  The color schemes match because a great deal of their plants have come from my garden.  That was not a planned thing, but the result sure is pretty.

Not raining, but terribly humid

Moth Mullein

Volunteer salvia and purple coneflower

      And this last one is cleome, my wife's unfavorite plant.  Left to form seed pods, it will go invasive in a year.  Left to grow tall, it will develop thorns as a self defense.  But tenacious thinning of babies will keep its numbers in check.  The pom poms behind the cleome are the leek scapes.  The scapes if left to mature the seeds, will fall over and may start tons of leeks.  But that is a good thing.  Easily self perpetuated leek beds.

Plant Give Away, Three

      I just found some shots from last year on a camera card that I am not currently using.  Hopefully this will wrap up the list of plants available at this time.

Stella De Oro day lily

Siberian Iris

Light blue bearded Iris, clear yellow iris behind

Bee Balm, also known as Minarda

Better shot of Canna lily blooms

Purple coneflower, one of my favorites

Ajuga and white euonymus

Sedum kamtschaticum, also known as stonecrop

Native columbine, seed available later in the year

Scilla, bulbs available after leaf die back

      Don't be shy, lots of things are still available.  But if you just have to pay for what you get, please visit the donor tent at the Wilmington Flower Market May 10th through May 12th.  They will be more than happy to accept your money for a lot of my donated plants.

Beneficial Bug Bed

      There are many nasty bugs that we battle continuously.  But there are also beneficial bugs that help us in that fight by often eating the baddies.  But the good bugs also need pollen at times, so I have devoted the space in the bed that contains the compost pile as an area set aside to attract good bugs.  It is planted with perennials and herbs whose flowers should attract beneficial insects, and whose undisturbed plant mass should provide homes for the bugs.  Hopefully more good bugs than bad bugs.

Beneficial bug bed, 5-10-11

      The compost pile is a very important part of the garden for me.  It is therefore located right in the middle of my garden, where it can be accessed easily.  I have yet to dig it out to use the compost, as it just seems to keep breaking down stuff as it is added.  I am sure the run off from the pile is beneficial to the surrounding area.  Perennial flowers are planted at both ends of the bed, to attract beneficial insects as well as to add some color.

Daisies and Columbine, 5-10-11

      To bloom later in the summer will be black eyed susan, purple coneflower, bronze fennel, carrots, bee balm, cosmos and more.  I am thrilled with the number of cosmos volunteers popping up all over the garden.  I had loads of marigolds set seed two years ago, but strangely never got a single volunteer.  Bonnie's garden seems to have thousands, I will ask her for a trade.