Blue Thistles, Cone Flowers, and Brown Eyed Susans

The west side of my house, where I rarely go, is enjoying its moment of glory. The Blue (Globe) Thistles, Purple Cone Flowers, and Brown Eyed Susans are all blooming nicely.

Here is a different area with another Cone Flower – this one is far “oranger” than my picture makes it seem.

When Mother Nature gives you bugs, make bug soup

I am fighting with the Japanese Beetles right now, which are nesting on my Knockout roses. Periodically I go out to the rose bushes with a small container of water which has a little squirt of dish soap in it and I grab the infidels and throw them into the water! (I put a plastic glove on.) Sometimes, I can just shake/knock one into the water, but if there is a cluster of bugs, it is better if I grab them in a scooping motion so no one makes an escape. I leave the container out on the driveway for a while, hoping some bird will find a treat. Eventually, I pour the soup onto the drive, and step on the bugs, just to be sure. Usually, the carcasses disappear within a day, so I presume the birds are happy with the meal.

The beetles are also eating my Linden Tree and some Coleus, but I haven’t caught them on the Coleus, and the Linden tree is too big to bother with. About 3-4 years ago, I tried one of those commercial bag/scent traps, but it was overwhelming how many bugs collected.

A different invader appeared in my garden this year – an unusual (for me) weed. A gardening friend helped to identify it as Broad-leaved helleborine (Epipactis helleborine), sometimes referred to as “weedy orchid”. Someone else wanted to see it in flower, but that looks like it has FAR too many seeds to allow it to flower. So, I dug it out. And, now I will be on the lookout for more this year and next. In the pic, the leaves behind the weed are Siberian Iris.

On a happier note, here are some Common Nodding Onions in bloom. Aren’t they cute! (Although I will admit that they have gotten a little (cough, cough) out of control this year.)

Canpanula and Astilbe

I find myself having a bit of trouble actually blogging about happenings in my garden. I’m working on that!

My campanula is blooming, and I think it is quite pretty. The bell flowers look like little eggplants before they open. I have been warned that this will become invasive. I am ready for the fight!

 

Some of my astilbes have started blooming. They are currently confined to the amoeba bed. However, I have decided I should move some to somewhere under the Redbud tree. This will take some planning as I have bleeding hearts and hosta in that area.

I cleaned up the sunny part of the amoeba that was getting overrun by the spring anemone. I love them, but they are invasive.