lynne - 2004-07-20 09:01:45
A good chunk of my garden never bloomed this year because the city mowed it. But the good news is that one of the rose bushes and both lavendar bushes seem to be growing back.
I am the world's worst gardener. I dont even know what most of the things in my garden are called. So, what I have blooming are some orange lilies, a purple bush, lots of Queen Anne's Lacies, some weird daisy looking things that are too small to be daisies. This one kind of scaggily looking weed that I never pull because the blue flowers contrast really well with the white of the Queen Anne's Lacies. And just in the past few days, some Evening Primroses have started blooming their yellow flowers. I really love the Evening Primrose. It is the only plant I have ever actually looked up.
So, how do you get black eyed susans. I have always loved those and would love to have some in my yard. Do you buy seed or can you buy the plants already started?
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I'm sorry to hear the city mowed it!
I love black eyed susan and buy plants in the spring (last spring at Meijer's)--they're perennial and pretty much maintenance-free; at least, till they flop over in a rain as many of mine did last weekend; I'll have to stake them. I have a hunch what your blue flower is; I'll check my plant guide this evening.* * * * * * * * * * * * raymond - 2004-07-20 09:41:02
The daylillies were spectacular this year. Finishing. The wild daisies way out back were profuse. Finishing. Queen Anne's lace and mugwort flower to seed. Thistle, cockleburrs, and Devil's pitchfork abound. Ouch. Birds love us. Goldfinches streak.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-07-20 10:04:06
I love seeing goldfinches; I imagine they're zeroing in on that thistle. Queen Anne's Lace is pretty; sounds very nice overall. * * * * * * * * * * * * lynne - 2004-07-20 10:28:54
Oh cool. perennial and pretty much maintenance free sounds like my kind of plant. I love black eyed susans because they remind me of my grandmother who used to take me for drives in the country and would slam on her brakes whenever she saw black eyed susans on the side of the road so we could stop the car and get out and look at them. Who does that? It was crazy but now, every time I see a black eyed susan, I think of her. It would be nice to have a bunch of them in my back yard so I could think of her a little more often. I probably would even actually do the work required (go to the store, plant the suckers, water them) to have them. Is thistle the purple flower with the spiked leaves? I have some of that too. * * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-07-20 12:24:57
I think that is not only a charming story but also a charming thing to do--to stop and look at flowers. The idea of a "memorial" garden is quite touching and a beautiful thing to do.
The emotional associations we have with plants often run deep: for example, I am very sentimentally fond of Queen Anne's Lace because it was everywhere in my rural childhood, but almost never seen in the urban environments of life since college. * * * * * * * * * * * * Anna - 2004-07-20 15:20:01
I wonder if the scraggly blue weed is Bachelor's Buttons? My mom also used to slam on the brakes to look at black-eyed-susans whenever we passed them on the way to Maine or Vermont.. "oh! oh! Look at the black-eyed susan!!" Little-known fact: My middle name is "Susan" for that reason.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-07-20 15:46:04
I find stopping to peek at b.e.s. a very likeable behavior...they sure are striking. The name link is really interesting, Anna.* * * * * * * * * * * * raymond - 2004-07-20 15:47:45
Chicory shows beautiful blue flowers on scraggly stems.
Forgot to mention that the flannel-leaf mullein strains to reach eight feet.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-07-20 18:19:12
Lynne: OK, here we go on that blue-flower question. The one that came to my mind is Spiderwort (first picture, below). The one Raymond mentioned, Chicory, is the second picture. And this link shows a good roundup of the purple thistles: http://plantsdatabase.com/go/2737/.
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Oh cool. THANKS. It is the Chicory that I have in my yard. Now I finally know! * * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-07-21 09:25:25
aha!
chicory is pretty...doesn't last as a cut flower, though, for whatever reason.* * * * * * * * * * * * add your comment: