Plains Coreopsis

Coreopsis tinctoria. A very delicate but hardy
wildflower.
6-30-09

Plains Coreopsis

20 yard border of plains coreopsis.
6-30-09

Monarda

Monarda: More commonly Bee Balm and Horsemint,
Oswego tea, and Bergamot. It is a natural source of thymol,
an active ingredient in commercial mouthwash formulas.
Native Americans used it as a carminative (to treat
excessive flatulence).
6-29-09

Dahlia

Aster family. Native to Central America, Mexico,
and Columbia. They are long blooming perennials.
6-24-09

Hollyhock

This orphan appeared on the berm last year.
In the mallow family. It was the official flower of the
Tokugawa Shogunate. Banzai!
6-22-09

Lavender

Lavandula - Mint family. Used in cooking,
honey propagation, and as a herbal medicine. A New
England Journal of Medicine partially implicated it
when used in a shampoo as a cause of gynecomastia
(abnormal breast enlargement) in prepubescent boys.
6-19-09

Cosmos

Cosmos atrosanguineus - Aster family.
A very showy annual. I think, like zinnias,
cosmos do better from seed than from small plants.
The priests in Mexico named them cosmos the Greek
word for harmony as they enjoyed the natural "order"
of the petals.
6-18-09

Shasta Daisy

Leucanthemum x superbum - This daisy
grows taller and has a larger flower head than its cousin the
ox-eyed daisy. It originated as a hybrid by horticulturist
Luther Burbank.
6-18-09

Yellow Hot Poker

Kniphofia uvria - Also Torch Lily. Deer resistant.
The flowering spike is two tone as the lower flowers
open first showing a different color than the top buds.
You can see the open white flowers at the bottom.
6-16-09

Forsythia

This is a deciduous early flowering shrub.
It produces lactose, a feat rarely seen in other natural
sources except in milk.
6-15-09

Astilbe

Saxifragaceae Also False Goat's Beard
and False Spirea. Produces delicate feathery plumes
in full shade.
6-10-09

Impatiens

Also balsams and touch-me-nots. This common
annual grows well in the shade.
6-10-09

Verbena

I discovered this annual last year and fell in love with it. It seems to last all summer. Also called vervain, Tears

of Isis, and Juno's tears. It is said that when used in a tea it protects against vampires - it has worked for me so far.

6-8-09

Coreopsis

I have 100 yards of coreopsis in the wildflower gardens.

6-6-09

White Dafodil

This is a double dafodil. Jan says we have had these for years but I never "saw" them until this year. They are much like a camelia.

6-4-09

Miniature Dafodills

Miniature Dafodils from a neighbors yard.
6-3-09

NaturalDisaster and Chaos

At about 2:00 PM on June 2 there was a hail storm that damaged
the house and gardens. The hostas and the night blooming cereus
were laid waste. All the leaves were permanently battered. The
house had hail damage to the roof, siding, and window sills.
6-2-09

Hail Damaged Flowers

Today's Flower for the Day requires some imagination.

We just had a nickel sized hail 'blowthrough' - like a

tornado - one chimney cap (heavy metal 0 blew off and

landed on the back patio.

Imagine: The container on the left has lavender flowing

over the side on the left and pansies on the right. The

smaller container on the right has Jan's new gorgeous

and delicate blue star creeper (Laurentia axillaris)

The gnomes on the right were so scared that they

started climbing the rope to safety. 6-2-09

Cala Lily

Cala Lily. 6-1-09