• 2024-08-20

6 on Saturday – 02AUG2024

A hot and humid long weekend here. The garden is lush, even overgrown in more than a few places, so I’ll be out puttering around a lot, battling mosquitos, trying to make the paths passable, relocating the odd hornworm, drinking lots of water and just enjoying the fullness of it all. First off, even before my morning 16 km run, here are six things that caught my eye – joining Jim at Garden Ruminations.Out the back door and on the porch are a few pots, including two with purple leaved Eucomis.

I bring them in for the winter – forcing the bulbs into dormancy with no water and darkness – and bring them out again in May. I love how this flower stalk is all twisty and Seussical looking.I started a few strawflowers – Xerochrysum bracteatum – indoors in the spring and those that managed to evade marauding earwigs and slugs have started to bloom.Many years ago a neighbour in Toronto plunked a bright orange daylily in his tiny front yard. It immediately started to multiply and within a few years he was digging up clumps to foist upon give to anyone who as much as cast a glance in its direction.

Don’t know the name of this variety, but it’s likely a Hemerocallis fulva of some sort, possibly ‘Kwanso.’ I like it a lot, especially since it blooms much later than most other daylilies.Another gift from a different neighbour at that time was seeds from my favourite thistle – the blue globe thistle, Echinops ritro. Interesting to note they seem to grow (and bloom) just as well in semi shade as in full sun.In this season of abundant rain several perennials that are normally tall are abnormally VERY tall.

I have to tilt my head way back to see the flowers of some of these ironweed – Vernonia Fasciculata – now just starting to bloom.Last but not least this week is another very tall perennial – Alcea, Hollyhocks – that have become so top-heavy with flower and seedpods a few have bent over the driveway – they’d be well over two metres high if standing straight up! The leaves get ratty looking with rust and insect damage so I don’t generally let them grow too near the house, but from a distance the plants are really cool, stately, architectural; up close the flowers are lovely and chock full of pollen for foraging bumblebees.