Yesterday I noticed and extremely late day lily over by the front door. That entire bed is covered by the regular orange ditch lilies, and all of them had gone by and dropped all the old flowers a couple of weeks ago, so it really stuck out. Since I rarely use the front door, I decided to go take a look and found this - which must be a natural hybrid since I didn't plant it. Several years ago a yellow, ruffled-petal day lily appeared in the midst of the orange ditch lilies (pictured below - taken July 5, 2024). With the ruffling of the petals on the above lily, and the downward curl of the petals like a ditch lily does (whereas the petals on the yellow are not curled down), I believe it is a cross between the ditch lily and the yellow lily. Joe pye weed - and pic after shows at least 3 bees on the flowers The shade garden showing tall phlox (pink), Endless Summer hydrangea (which has bllomed nicely - unlike most years), and the tree hydrangea behind. I let this area go pretty wild. To the bottom left there is foliage from some turtle heads that shoule start setting buds soon. Oh, and a black swallowtail butterfly that visited while I was getting clothes off the line
Last weekend I found what I thought were cattails growing next to the Joe Pye weed. Interesting, because I've never seen them before in the drainage ditch. I just looked it up thru an app and it looks like it is Timothy instead. Huh, I didn't realize that timothy put out cattail like corms.
I used to have dozens of Stargazer lilies around the yard before last year's vole invasion, which wiped out most of them. Two survived. Their sweet scent gets carried by the wind.
Clethra (Summer Sweet) is blooming heavily and dosing the air with its sweet scent. Lots of insects are enjoying its bounty right now. Rose of Sharon first bloom ever for one plant. Of course it opened during torrential rains so got beat up, but still wanted to document the first bloom since planting them fall of 2020. There are more buds, although the bugs have eaten some of them, and its companion has buds so I will have more and better shaped flowers (thanks MikeInMa !)
Speaking of volunteers, this one popped up this summer at the edge of compost area of the garden. It is overtaking a volunteer yarrow.
I’ve been neglecting to weed whack this small patch next to my driveway, and lo and behold some native asters popped up. I believe these are white wood asters, but I’m no expert. I think I’d like to make this spot a flower bed next year, with milkweed, more asters and goldenrod. That’ll be much better than letting it go completely wild and filling up with dock and mugwort.
Back on 8/11/24m I showed a picture of the first RoH bloom. that was on the shrub that is nearest the day lilies and turtleheads. In the same garden, 7-10' away (closest to the tree), a bud finally opened on the other RoH. Some buds seem like they have browned and won't open. If they were white roses that had started to open and got rain drenched, I would call it "balling". But these haven't opened (although we did get a lot of rain in the last week) Speaking of turtle heads - I have a patch of wild, native turtle heads that grow every year next to the drainage ditch on the south side and they started opening over the weekend The patch of named turtle heads that I planted in the shade garden have also just started.
RoS flower from the later blooming shrub. Both are putting ou sporadic blooms. I'm sure they will get their acts together in a few years - LOL Pic taken yesterday afternoon (9/04/2024) One of the maples in the backyard turning. Picture taken on 9/01/2024
From the ones you gave me last year, I gave two to my neighbor and 1 is doing well in her front yard and the other one did not. Those two overwintered in big pots before being planted this spring so that might have something to do with it. I spread the others to a couple of friends and I'm unsure how they did. I will be visiting one of those friends this weekend, and see how those two fared.
The friend I gave two of the RoS to has had really good luck with hers. Both have been blooming. These aren't even as tall as I am.
