July: Bloom Day!

Is it that time again already?

Biggest. Sunflower. Ever.


Seriously, what sunflower has a trunk??

ETA: I measured the sunflower and it is 11 feet 4 inches tall, 4 3/4 inches diameter where my hand is. On 7/16 it has 4 flowers open and about 20-ish more buds. The thing is a freakin' TREE. Did I mention it's a volunteer? Why are my best plants accidental?

Monarda didyma 'Violet Queen' and Schizachyrium scoparium, little bluestem grass, in the prairie garden


The double cosmos 'Rose Bon Bon' seeds from Renee's that came with the Spitfire nasturtiums have just started to bloom.


Do I ever get tired of taking pictures of red admirals? (Answer: no)


Or swallowtails? (again: no)


Ox-eye sunflowers, Heliopsis helianthoides, in the prairie garden


Speaking of the prairie garden... This view just makes me so happy!


My favorite weed (good thing, because I have a lot of it): Commelina communis, the Asiatic dayflower


And let's not forget what's happening indoors! I lost two of my African violets and a third is in its death throes, but this guy still loves me.


Even the City of Chicago celebrates Bloom Day!


Thanks as always to Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting!

June: June showers bring June flowers

What a lot of rain we've had this year! What an exuberant growing season! It never ceases to amaze me how much biomass plants can accumulate in a short time, turning plain old air into pounds and pounds of lush green leaves. Anyone who is not fascinated by these organisms that are the foundation of most ecosystems on earth is just not paying attention!

Since the growing season began, my native asters and sunflowers have grown to shoulder height and the sparse plantings I was fretting about are now so packed in that I'm cutting out hunks of greenery just to get some airflow. Every time I walk into the yard I want to hug myself with joy over how green and alive everything looks. Better Home and Gardens won't be doing any full-page spreads of my mishmash of plants and my lawn full of dandelions and strawberry plants, but the garden represents over 15 years of toil (and expenditure) and I love it all. Except for the earwigs.

Carpathian harebell, Campanula carpatia 'Pearl Deep Blue'


Purple bee balm, Monarda didyma 'Violet Queen'


A volunteer pumpkin. Thanks, squirrels.


Hemerocallis NOID, blooming for the first time in years because I finally moved it into a sunnier spot


Clematis 'Jackmanii' again, because I can.