Wildflower Wednesday a Day Late, and a Request for Fall Garden Tips

When I looked at the calendar, and saw there was one more Wednesday this month, I thought incorrectly that Gail at Clay and Limestone's Wildflower Wednesday was next week.  It's not the last Wednesday of the month, it's the fourth.  Not one to like to miss out on this event, I went out after work in the rain and took some photos.

I planted 2 beauty berry bushes last summer, after seeing it on blogs, and liking it.  I didn't realize it was a wildflower when I planted them.  I did know birds eat the berries.  They will have plenty this year!

I cut the milkweed back this summer in hopes it would get bushier.  As a result of that, it has not bloomed.  The coneflower planted last summer, is just now starting to bloom.  There are two of them in this area, and only one is blooming so far.  I still like the vertical shapes of the liatris, even though the blooms have faded.  The goldenrod on the right, I've shown recently.  Just to its left, is the ironweed that has gone to seed, or is in the process of doing so.

I can't remember if this liatris bloomed yet this season.  If so, it is having a second flush, even though I didn't think they normally did.

A few weeks ago, I cut deadheaded the skullcap, 'Mongolian Skies' by cutting it back, and it is loaded with blooms again.

The Short Toothed Mountain Mint is continuing to look good.

The rudbeckia, 'Herbstonne' is on it's second flush of blooms, and is ready to be cut back again.  The helenium on the right may be the native kind, but I'm not sure.  It was much later to bloom than the others I have.

I got this pitcher sage from our Community Crops' plant sale this spring.  I am tickled to see that it is blooming.

The false sunflowers are still on their second flush of blooms.  The amsonia and baptisia still look good, even though they have been finished blooming for awhile.

The 'Fireworks' goldenrod and boltonia I planted across the street are nice and bushy.  The smoke tree on the bottom left had been cut back by the previous tenants.  When I pointed it out to the owner of the property, he asked me to keep it.  I was pleased to, because I remember how much I liked it when it didn't have competition from other volunteer trees.  I'll have to move one of the goldenrods in the spring.

The boltonia on the left is the clump that the ones across the street came from.  I am enjoying it next to the eupatorium, 'Prarie Jewel'.

I don't think Russian sage is a wildflower, but I'm glad this one is blooming near the spent liatris.  The foliage on the amsonia hubrichtii is starting to turn gold.  I like the coreopsis near the house, but don't think it's a wildflower, either.

I noticed this aster type plant in the side bed.   I think it's a volunteer, but I could have planted it.  I think I've mentioned before that I can be forgetful.

I've also mentioned that I am a special education paraeducator at a high school.  Some of the other paras have been playing around like they are newscasters, and have taken it a step further, saying they are going to do some stories.  I told them I'm a news junkie, and would be glad to watch their news.  They said, no they want me and another who also said she'd watch to be guest reporters.  Today, one of them had a bunch of notes in a notebook, and they asked me to give some tips on fall gardening.  Now, only one or two of the other paras has a place to garden, but at the end of the day today, they asked me if I had given thought to what I was going to report about fall gardening.  I thought I'd throw it out to other garden bloggers, especially in zones 4 to 6.  Fall is not my favorite time of year because I am tired at the end of the work day, and don't make it out to the garden as much as I'd like.  Plus, with the cost of the dental work and night guard coming up in October, I have not been able to do any plant shopping to fill some holes I have.  By spring the finances should be in better shape.

Whatever tips I get, I plan to copy and paste into something to give to my co-workers.  Some tips I can think of are to let most plants keep their seedheads for the birds to eat and to add something to look at in the snow; enjoy being outside as much as you can while the weather is warm enough; plant garlic in September, and bulbs, as close to just before the ground freezes as you can.

Yes, it is fall, isn't it?  I am not yet to the point I'm accepting that, but it will come.

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Wildflower Wednesday

I haven't been online as much since going back to work as a high school special education paraeducator.  Since I'm still eating soft or liquid food to prevent/reduce jaw pain, it takes longer to get my lunches ready.  Plus, I have been having trouble staying awake on the computer in the evenings.  I am struggling right now, in fact.

I have been going around taking photos for posts that I haven't gotten to.  I remembered today is Wildflower Wednesday, hosted by Gail, of Clay and Limestone, so I went out this evening to take some photos.  Before I post them, I want to tell a little story. 

A couple years ago, I noticed a young man sitting on the curb.  This was before the flowers went clear across the yard.  I went out to see if he was OK.  He stood up right away, and in broken English, apologized, pointed to his wife, who was taking photos of my flowers, and said they would leave.  I told him it's OK for her to take photos.  They stayed a little while, then left.

This evening, while I was taking photos for this post, a woman was walking down the street, and stopped to tell me she likes my flowers.  I asked her if she is the woman who took photos, and she said she was.  I asked her if she understands much English, and she said just a little.  I asked where she was from, thinking it might be South Korea, but she said she is from Vietnam.  She told me where she lives, which is 2 blocks away.  I asked her if her house is one of those with the flowers, and she said it was, and that she loves flowers.  She went around asking me what some of my flowers are, and whether they come back each year.  I wrote whether they were perennials, annuals, or annuals that reseed.  I also put marks by the ones I could share with her in the spring.  By the time we finished, there wasn't enough light left to find more wildflowers to photograph.  Some are about finished blooming anyway, and others are not blooming yet.

The rough goldenrod is just starting to open its buds.

The false sunflowers have had a major deadheading, and are blooming again.

I'm not sure if variegated false sunflowers are wildflowers.  Gail, was it you who wanted some seeds from this?

The boltonias are just starting to open a few buds.

Rattlesnake master looks good all season.  I also wanted to show off the love lies bleeding that is doing so well, even though I don't think it's a wildflower.  There are also a couple dried up drumstick alliums in the mix.

The ironweed is a bit floppy, but the insects and I are enjoying it.

Last I looked, there were 12 entries to Wildflower Wednesday.  That was after work today, so there are probably more by now.  Go check it out.

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Wildish Flowers

I get a bit confused on what flowers are wild.  I looked some of these up to be sure.  I love mixing annuals, perennials, herbs, wild, and some native plants in my flower beds.  I am linking these photos up with Jean's Bloomin' Tuesday, and Gail's once month Wildflower Wednesday.

I just looked it up, and found that this 'Gateway' Joe Pye weed is a cultivar, and is shorter and bushier than the wild flower.  I just planted it in the spring.  I'll have to watch to see if bees or butterflies like it.  (That's the 'Orange Perfection'  phlox to the right.)

There were Queen Anne's lace seedlings all over the front yard bed.  I dug out most of them.  I didn't think the ones I left would get big enough to bloom this year, but one is blooming at about a foot tall.

These are the coneflowers that were 'White Swan' about 12 years ago, but are now purple.  An agasache is next to them.

I normally deadhead the narrow leaved coneflowers, but experimented with keeping them for the birds to eat, and to see if they reseed themselves.

The rattlesnake master is still looking good near it's less wild neighbors, love lies bleeding and hibiscus.

The sea hollies are almost finished, but looking OK at this point.

I couldn't get a good photo of the skullcap, 'Mongolian Skies'.  It's just beginning to bloom, and is one of my favorites.

Most of the liatris are finished blooming.  The milkweed is not blooming yet, partly because I cut it back.

I don't know why I just discovered ironweed this season, but I'm glad I found 2 kinds.  I am tickled this one has buds on it.

This butterfly milkweed is full of blooms.  The one I showed awhile back with a caterpillar died, but not from the caterpillar eating it.

I love short toothed mountain mint.  It was looking to be a spreader, but by picking up the stems where they have fallen down, the spreading is prevented, (so far).

You may have to look close to see that there are 2 kinds of tall yellow flowers.

The taller, closer to the house, are rudbeckia, 'Herbstonne'.

The ones in front of them are gray headed coneflowers.

I like this shorter liatris. The black eyed Susans are at their prime.  The amsonia 'Hubrichtii' foliage is looking good.

The anise hyssop, both an herb and a wildflower, has been blooming a few days.  These are volunteers.  I had to pull some out so there wouldn't be too many.

The amsonia 'Tabernaemontana', that I cut back shortly after it bloomed, has grown and gotten leggy.  I'll probably trim it back again.  The false sunflower is tall like it was last year, and the baptisia has nice dark seedpods.  Some years I cut it back, but lately, haven't been.

I didn't get many globe thistles cut to dry because there have been so many bees on them.    The milkweed in front of the globe thistle is 'Hello Yellow'.  The goldenrod is one that I bought for my father-in-law around 18 years ago.  This division survived being moved from the side of the shed to protect it from the work that was to be done on the shed.  I cut it back early in the summer so it would be bushy and not bloom too soon.

I missed the prime bloom time for the lead plant.  Every year, I say I'm going to find out when to pick it to dry for tea.  I wonder if it's too late.

There area some wild petunias in the vegetable garden and in the back yard.

I don't know the name of this, but I'm thinking they are a rudbeckia of some kind.  I pull out a lot of seedlings some years, because I don't want it to take over.  This is the north side of the garage, so it's not full sun, but I think it prefers full sun.  That's white obedient plant between this and some sweet peas.

I deadheaded the butter and eggs after the first blooms, and they have a nice new set of flowers.

The rough goldenrod has buds.  I don't remember how long it held onto them last year before they opened.

I hope your week is going well.  I am not getting to garden as much the last week or so, because I am experiencing pain in my jaw that looks to be TMJD, from what I'm reading on the internet.  The pain seems to get worse when I am doing physical activities, like pulling weeds or hoeing.  My dentist referred me to a TMJ doctor to get a night splint for my jaw grinding, but I'm following some home care tips first to see if they help before making that appointment.  Even with insurance, it looks like it will be expensive.  Have any of you had jaw pain before?

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Some Nice Surprises for Friday's Post

I had been feeling sad that the daylilies and some other flowers were about finished blooming for the season, and was thinking the flower beds were going to be lacking in color until the fall flowers bloom.  Over the last few days, I have found plenty of summer blooms opening up to show for Tootsie's Flaunt your Flowers/Fertilizer Friday.  

The 'Gateway' Joe Pye weed  and 'Orange Perfection' phlox have joined the hibiscus, coneflowers, and such.

I have been wondering if my 2 surprise lilies were going to bloom this year.  The foliage came up the last two springs, but they didn't bloom last year.  I was very tickled to see a bloom stalk coming up a couple days ago.  I had to move a few things around to find the other one, because I had covered it with a pot.  It seems to be recovering fine.

I didn't think this 'Cherry Blossom Magic Fountains' would bloom this year.  It's less than a foot tall.  It's a nice surprise to see.

The 'Ruby Tuesday' helenium is blooming much later than the one I think is 'Mardi Gras'.   I just notice these blooms today. 

Another nice surprise is the delphinium that got so tall this summer, is now blooming again, only shorter.

See?

Kiss me over the garden gate is blooming shorter and later than last year. By the end of the summer, I have a feeling it will be much taller.  I remember it still grows while it's blooming.

My neighbor's celosias are huge and blooming.  These, that I planted from her saved seed last year, and then seeded themselves, finally decided to come up.  What a surprise!  I wonder if they will bloom before summer is over.  I need to move them, because they are right by the small delphinium, and this recently planted lavender.

We're leaving the main front yard bed.  I was able to get a better photo of the skullcap in the curb bed, I showed in my Wildflower Wednesday post.

This 'Black Night' butterfly bush I planted near the sidewalk on the west edge of the yard, next to the wash tubs last year, is a bit spindly, but the blooms opened a day or two ago.

I almost didn't notice the little bellflowers have opened.  I think they are 'Blue Clips'.   I love the  rudbeckia.  We still haven't sunk the tub so the bear's breetches don't spread too far.

Tootsie told us she was going to do something different this week.  I see she posted photos from a gardener who doesn't blog.  It looks to be a nice place.  I need to go back and look more closely.

I am needing to limit my computer time somewhat because of jaw pain, which seems to be affected when I use the muscles on my right side.  I am finding that sitting where I can lean back helps.  I  hope to visit the Friday posts after catching up from my last post.

Have a great weekend!

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