More Wildflowers and Daylilies June 26,2015

I'm excited, I finally succeeded in getting a milkweed to bloom.  This one is "annual" here, Asclepias curassavica, but would be perennial in a warmer climate.  I had an old package and gave them a try and they grew, but it became apparent toward fall they weren't going to have a long enough growing season, so I gambled on bringing in aphids and spider mites, and brought the pots into the basement.  This spring they were forming some buds in the house, so I put them out and voila!

Today I am linking with-

Orange You Glad It's Friday hosted by Maria

Saturday's Critters hosted by Eileen

Pink Saturday hosted by Beverly

Today's Flowers hosted by Denise

I Heart Macro hosted by Laura

Macro Monday 2 hosted by Mystical Magical Teacher and Gemma

A few daylilies are also on the orange side-

And for a taste of pink-

Yellow with a pink tinge-

Spider daylily Yabba Dabba Doo-

Red with wild and invasive oxeye daisies-

Another orange surprise was the beginning of the Cinnabar Moth's caterpillars on my Tansy Ragwort.  They are very numerous and conspicuous because they are poisonous and fear no predators.  I dote on them and permit the Tansy Ragwort plants to grow so I can see them and occasionally the beautiful moths.

New tiny babies with their chain-gang coloration that says "danger!"-

Later they will look more orange as they get bigger-

They were originally imported to control Tansy Ragwort, you can see they do a great job, they will prevent blooming and eat them to the ground.  Sometimes I have to move them to new plants. Tansy Ragwort-

An herbal plant, Valeriana officinalis, grows well in my garden and self-sows.  It is great for insomnia and depression, but the root tea is very strong-tasting so I like capsules.  It has a symmetrical flower head-

with a wonderful fragrance.  Here it is growing in front of some wild huckleberry I transplanted from my mother's house in the Olympic Peninsula-

There is also an ornamental plant that is tough called Red Valerian or Jupiter's Beard, in the same family but not closely related, some confuse it with Joe Pye Weed, like the people who gave me a start-

What medicinal herbs do you like to grow?

Hannah                                or cameras are macro

©Weeding on the Wild Side, all rights reserved.  I enjoy reading your comments and will visit your blog and comment there, if possible.

Bushier Shrubs, Wildflower Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Today I am linking with-

Wildflower Wednesday hosted by Gail of Clay and Limestone, wildflowers are an essential part of a well-rounded garden and add dependability and pollinator satisfaction to your garden.

Today's Flowers hosted by Denise

Saturday's Critters hosted by Eileen

Macro Monday 2 hosted by Gemma

I Heart Macro hosted by Laura

Macro Monday Mixer hosted by Stephanie at All the V's

In a Vase on Monday hosted by Cathy

I have a native shrub, Twinberry, Lonicera involucrata, in the Honeysuckle family that has been growing a couple of years here and made a very scraggly bush-

After the leaves fell off-

I looked up pruning and it does well with winter renewal pruning, so I cut it to short stubs of branches-

Here is the new thicker growth coming up in spring-

And here it is now with the branches taller, and with flowers-

Yellow flowers, like twins in a blanket of 4 bracts that turn red later-

When camping at Cape Lookout, I saw one far ahead of mine with berries forming, and bright red bracts.

Meanwhile the big stand of Fireweed, Chamerion angustifolium, is blooming, behind some Yarrow that starts out dark pink then fades to white-

A lot of the tall fireweed decided to flop this year, so I decided to cut it for an arrangement, along with some Erigeron (purple fleabane daisy) and golden Coreopsis, with a little Lady's Mantle thrown in for a filler.

Erigeron speciosus, not low growing as the description said.   I started them last year-

Meanwhile, over in the woody area, the native Phacelia hastata is blooming, to the delight of the native fuzzy yellow bumlebees and hover flies-

This tiny, skinny hover fly seemed entranced with my camera-

Some other flowers I grew from seed surprised me with blooms, Sweet William Diabunda mix-

Daylilies are starting to bloom as well, here a red Spider form-

Philadelphus 'Belle Etoile' is blooming abundantly-

Summer is exceeding expectations for weeds, but at least the flowers are also blooming, the peas are ripening, and the early blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are producing as well.   What is fruiting for you?

Hannah                                          or cameras are macro

©Weeding on the Wild Side, all rights reserved.   I enjoy reading your comments and will visit your blog and comment too, if possible.

What's Blooming Now, June 14, 2015

Today I am linking with-

Today's Flowers hosted by Denise

Saturday's Critters hosted by Eileen

Macro Monday 2 hosted by Gemma and Mystical Magical Teacher

I Heart Macro hosted by Laura

To see what is blooming here and around the world, join hostess Carol at May Dreams Gardens for Garden Blogger's Bloom Day.

Spring flowers have been giving way to summer flowers.   The once-blooming OGR Gallica roses are in their peak.  My favorite is Rosa Mundi, which is covered sumptuously with striped rose pink and white flowers.  It spreads by suckers and seems to revert to solid colors as it spreads, not all the same shade-

It is joined by the wonderful Clematis Venosa Violacea-

Another prolific Gallica once-bloomer,  Tuscany Superb-

My groundcover roses are blooming, Sea Foam is the best spreader-

The Faun-

Lavender Dreams-

Baby Blanket-

The Hybrid Musks are blooming too, they will keep blooming most of the summer, Cornelia-

Penelope-

Nigella, Love-in-a-mist, weaves its magic spell, it has self-sown for 21 years from my in-laws' garden-

Hardy geraniums are doing great, featured here last week.   Coreopsis and Erigeron are blooming.

I was weeding and a lovely Western Tiger Swallowtail, Papilo rutulus, flew up quite close and I was able to snap it on Knautia blossoms-

Spring has flown by.   Hannah               or cameras are macro

©Weeding on the Wild Side, all rights reserved.   I enjoy your comments, and will visit your blog and comment if possible.

Covering Ground with Geraniums June 7, 2014

Weeding being a big issue here on 2 semi-wild acres, hence the name of my blog, my greatest allies have been ground covers and plants that reseed or spread well and choke out the weeds.  One of my biggest successes has been hardy geraniums, which are starting to bloom now.

Today I am linking with-

Today's Flowers hosted by Denise

Saturday's Critters hosted by Eileen

Macro Monday 2 hosted by Gemma and Mystical Magical Teacher

I Heart Macro hosted by Laura

I'd Rather B Birdin' hosted by Hootin' Anni

Wild Bird Wednesday hosted by Stewart M

We were off this weekend on a camping trip with our grown children and grandkids to Cape Lookout State park in Oregon.

A swallow was nesting on top of a light fixture at one of the bathrooms.   "Can't a girl sit on her nest in peace?"

And Dad was chilling nearby, "I've got this."

I would have to say Geranium oxonianum 'Claridge Druce' has been my greatest star, spreading by seeding, always looking fresh and neat, and blooming from late spring to fall.

Another lovely plant that spreads from seed is Geranium sanguineum, which I have in three colors, magenta, deep purple, and light pink (Max Frei, John Elsley, and Striatum).  It has very delicate incised foliage and makes lovely clumps that look like bouquets when blooming.

Here is a mix from my front banner bed, with some purples that may be G. magnificum-

A wonderful ground cover for dry shade under trees, that is evergreen but with a very short bloom season so not important as a flower, is Geranium macrorrhizum, with scented foliage reminescent of pine.  It spreads incredibly by rhizomes, this is all from one plant over 16 years.   The taller one, lighter pink, is another geranium.

A delicate spreader that is great for a small area is Geranium cantabrigiense 'Karmina', it grows in some difficult areas, and has been long-lasting in my garden, with tiny leaves as well-

One that spreads very slowly but has begun to form some nice clumps, and has shiny delicate foliage, is Geranium nodosum-

A geranium I grew from seed, Geranium pratense 'Splish Splash', has spread from seed and reverted to a blue-purple color, it grows to a greater height than most, nearly 3' / 1m, and is impressive when blooming for a short time in late spring to summer-

One that hasn't spread but starts out as a lovely clump then trails out to several feet and has delightful violet flowers with a sheen that cameras don't seem to be able to capture, is Geranium 'Ann Folkard', here in its spring yellow-green delightful foliage-

I have a long list of geraniums that are no longer with me as well, some were sensational, like G. incanum with silvery foliage, while they lasted, but for some reason they disasppeared.  But the ones that do well make up for the ones that don't.  

What plants or geraniums have made good ground covers for you?

Hannah

Like the swallow on the nest, we all need a defender.

Peter reminded me of this song mentioning swallows so I added it too-

©Weeding on the Wild Side, all rights reserved.   I enjoy reading your comments, and will visit your blog and comment as well, if possible.