It's the time of year that all gardeners love - when many plants are in bloom at once, the air is balmy, and the skies are bright blue. Even in south central Kansas.
Here, then, are a few photos from around the homestead....
The lanceleaf coreopsis (
Coreopsis lanceolata) is doing beautifully for me. It seems to last longer than other Coreopsis species, and occasionally even gives me a few seedlings that I can transplant into new homes in other beds.
The spiderwort (
Tradescantia sp.) is in bloom all over the yard. Here is a small plant near one of my favorite little watering holes....
...and another, larger individual growing wild along the edge of the vegetable garden.
I can't seem to decide which spiderwort I have growing naturally on my property. Anyone able to help me out with this? It tends to grow about 24-30" high....
When we first moved out here, I started calling this time of year the "Blue, White and Yellow" season for its coordinated blooms: blue spiderwort, yellow western salsify (
Tragopogon dubius), and white yarrow (
Achillea millefolium). The drought has kept the display to a scant minimum in recent years, but this year it is, once again, outstanding.
The photo below of spiderwort and yarrow was taken on May 23rd, so the plants have been blooming for 2 weeks now and show no sign of slowing down.
Along the back garage, the roses have been putting on quite a spectacle. We cut out 2 large, very overgrown old spireas from behind the pink rose and now I need to actually design the bed, which may very well involve moving at least one of the roses - a prospect I don't look forward to. Most importantly, though, take a look at the little bee shelter on the side of the garage trim....
Here is a closeup of it, showing the many filled tubes. The orchard bees have been hard at work this spring.
I was finally able to get an okay photo of my prairie rose (
Rosa arkansana) patch, just beyond the draw.
The roses scattered among the grasses simply make my heart happy.
And I'll finish this post with 2 different kinds of milkweed, just waiting for the first monarch to find them and lay eggs. First is the showy milkweed (
Asclepias speciosa), whose buds are almost ready to burst open....
...and then the green antelopehorn (
Asclepias viridis) - not as showy, but incredibly abundant and floriferous this year.
Monarchs, we're ready and waiting for you!
7 comments:
So many good things going on in your garden! Love your blue, yellow and white fields! That is the look I am going for along the roadside of our property. Also like your waterhole and bee hotel. I am waiting on the monarchs too. Milkweed is growing happily. Last year I didn't see any in the spring but had a record number migrating through in the fall. Fingers crossed!
Karin, it's good to hear that you had record numbers of monarchs in the fall, after not seeing any in the spring. I'm rather concerned that I haven't seen even a singleton yet this spring/summer, but I'll keep hoping!
I like your nest too!! My 10 year old told me he saw a monarch yesterday!! Your showy milkweed looks more like what I have growing that I called common milkweed. .The white one looks pretty low to the ground. .I'll have to make a trip into the pasture to see what is up this week. Last night on my way home from Oklahoma job, I noticed the pale purple coneflowers along the ditches. .I would also like to see if any of those are in my pasture! I'm totally amazed at what we have found growing out there all these years that I haven't paid attention!! The liatrus I transplanted FROM my pasture is looking reeeeaaaaallllyyy good. .and even seeded a new little one into the area. .yay! Enjoyed seeing your photos and hearing about your plans!
The lanceleaf coreopsis is also much more long lived than the popular cultivars, in my experience. I also am hoping for lots of monarchs as I have planted some extra butterflyweed. I have two other kinds of milkweed: purple and swamp. The wild roses growing in the prairie grass is lovely, I can see why it would make you happy.
Melanie, There are at least 4 different tall, pink flowered milkweeds in Kansas: common, showy, smooth and swamp. I have all 4 species here on our 10 acres - none in great quantity, but all original to the property. I have to look carefully at the flowers and compare them to the photos to figure out which one I'm looking at! Only common can get aggressive - it spreads by underground runners, as well as by seed, I believe.
Jason, it's interesting that you've had the same experience with lanceleaf coreopsis that I've had. I thought that maybe in areas further north and/or east the other species and their cultivars would be longer lasting than C. lanceolata.
That spiderwort look good. You have certainly attracted the bees to your little nest.
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