Lawn And Garden Musings

I've been busy around the yard lately. One small job, which I've considered doing for a long time but never accomplished, began with dumping some compost over the fence into the dogs' yard:

I used it to cover up two rocks and to fill in a low spot. How much good it will do and if the dogs will leave it in place remains to be seen:

One of the most ubiquitous wildflowers in the yard began to flower. It is Bladder Campion, a member of the Pink family. And of course that is Red Clover below:

You've seen lots of photos of the healthy Ninebark, but I've been distressed about the one which got sick last year and is now stunted and haven't photographed it. Today I noticed that it is growing and doing well, albeit a year behind its nearby relative:

The little rock garden is so crammed with flowering perennials now that I can't even pull weeds - except at the outer margin. I took this photo to illustrate the Asiatic Lilies preparing to bloom and the three or four stems of Blue Sea Holly which are developing rapidly. Only the one on the right is beginning to turn blue so far:

Photos of the Blue Sea Holly flowers show it to have feathery, blue "petals." If they're going to have such blue petals, they'll need to start growing some soon:

I was surprised to see that the Magic Carpet Spirea had nearly doubled in size and was blooming profusely. It is a dwarf variety, but looks as if it will be able to hold its own, even as the other plants outgrow it:

And another shot of the old fashioned rose. It was putting on such a display that I couldn't resist. It pleases me to think that it survived a decade or more of being mowed down, and that I then saved it by simply mowing around it:

Another common wildflower has begun to bloom. It is a member of the Mint family and I have trouble remembering its name every year. But this year I recalled it with a glance at my field manual. It is called Motherwort because tea from its leaves was used to ease tension and other ailments of new and expectant mothers:

And in the lawn, the ubiquitous Heal-All has begun blooming (and so has White Clover). Also called Self-Heal, the plant has been used as a poultice for all kinds of wounds, rashes and skin ailments. I have read that new studies seem to indicate it can also inhibit the growth of viruses, including HIV:

Do you remember the trouble I had getting a Globe Thistle to grow? It took a few years and lots of effort, but I finally have one healthy plant - and this year it is sending up about three flower shoots:

At the top of each shoot I can see one baby "globe" developing, though I suspect there will be more of them. Maybe it will spread and I will have more Globe Thistle plants in the future. I've read that they are not invasive and several attempts to grow them from seed have failed, so that may not happen. Nonetheless, I'm happy to have this one: