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:

Around The Farm

The two little horses got to spend a week in the north field, where the grass was almost as tall as they were:

 The horses and cows were happy there, with plenty of grass to eat - but no grain. They are all on a diet:

 Remy always came trotting over for attention when I entered the field. Blue would follow him for most of the way, but he's always leery of being taken by the halter:

 The winds were whipping Remy's tail around while he took a drink of water:

 The little garden I planted is pushing up so many plants now that I have to be careful about weeding it. I planted many new, unusual plants which I might think are weeds. I also think I planted too many things - it's getting crowded in there. The Magnolia, which I thought had died over the winter, is now growing so fast that I realize it's going to have to be moved:

 And I have a warty little friend living in the rocks around the garden:

 What's this? These used to be the flowers of the Bridal Veil Spirea. I can't say they are attractive, but they are interesting:

 Wildflowers abound. Here by a fence post were Northern Bedstraw, Buttercups, Red Clover, Bladder Campion, and - what's that new, small, daisy-like flower?

 I got a close-up and searched in my field guide without success. Then I went to the internet and found that it was in the genus Galinsoga. Then I had to figure out which species, which was difficult but I'm quite sure I finally figured it out. It's Galinsoga quadriratiata, commonly known as Shaggy Soldier:

 The cherry tree was so laden with fruit that I couldn't wait any longer to start eating them:

 I picked a rather large bowlful of the lowest, reddest cherries and ate them fresh, then mixed the remainder with my cereal in the morning. Life is good:

A Beautiful Season Indeed

Just as the Iris began to fade, a wildflower, AKA weed, began to take over and bloom. I was glad I hadn't weeded them out. By the way, the Rhododendron on the left has never flowered since I've been here, though I added a lot of compost this year and it sure looks healthier. Maybe it'll bloom next year:

 The wildflower which began blooming is Bladder Campion, and it is really quite nice to look at:

 And then the old fashioned rose in the side yard began blooming:

 I like the buds even better than the open flowers. They don't really look as neon pink as this looks, but every camera I've tried on them comes shows color like this:

 The fully open flowers perfume the air with fragrance, and just look at all those buds in the background:

 The pear tree doesn't have many fruit this year, but it does have a few:

 Tiny baby pears:

 And baby cherries. They will be abundant this year - unless the birds eat them all:

 And baby apples. Oddly, they seemed less developed than the pears and cherries:

 Several years ago I rooted a cutting from that old fashioned rose. It's done well ever since although it has stayed small. It's going to have at least one flower this year:

 Inside the barn, one pair of fantail pigeons has made a nest on the floor, behind a shovel. There have been no baby pigeons so far, but maybe this pair will be able to raise a couple:

Plants And Animals - Around The Farm

Both cultivated and wild flowers began blooming in June. I found these Bladder Campions just outside the barn door. Their name isn't pretty, but the flowers certainly are. The "bladder" is the calyx (sepals), with purple veins behind the petals, looking a bit like a miniature melon:

 My little rock garden is growing wildly and I planted so many roots and bulbs that new plants are springing up all the time. I perhaps over-planted, but time will tell. The best news is that the hardy Magnolia, which I thought had died over the winter, is springing back to life, growing stronger every day:

 The variegated leaf Weigela I planted has added a lot of red to its leaves, enough so that I began to worry that it might not be healthy. I checked online and learned that many of them have that much red:

 My four Snowball bushes bloomed profusely. They were a gift from a close friend. He died unexpectedly last year, so these plants will always remind me of him:

 My newly expanded Peony garden was delayed, falling behind all the old peony beds in the yard which weren't disturbed, but it's now coming back gangbusters:

 The Magic Carpet Spirea looks happy and healthy, though I think it's too late for it to bloom this year:

 The Rugosa Roses are up to 7' tall already and began blooming early in June. They are now covered in flowers:

 The fantail pigeons are happy in their room in the barn and don't go outside even when I open the window for them:

 They have a water fountain and two hanging feeders. Life is easy if you are a fancy pigeon:

 Many of them are nesting on the floor. I think that's unwise, but they don't care what I think. Nonetheless, so far no eggs have hatched. The birds set for a couple of weeks, then give up and move on:

 The bantams are laying well and I'm giving most of the eggs to the neighbors who help me so often. I do eat some eggs, but limit the amount for the sake of my arteries:

 The Barred Rock bantams had years of outdoor freedom and are not content to now stay indoors. They often stand at the barred gate and look outside, longing to go there. Alas, they would be eaten quickly by our large fox population so I keep them locked up:

Wildflowers Around The Farm

The yard around the house is big, but far from manicured. There are weedy sections everywhere and I delight in them, for they display amazing wildflowers all summer long. So one day I took my camera and recorded a few of the wildflowers which beautify the wild patches. The first is Deptford Pink:

And Sundrops, a day blooming relative of Evening Primrose:

Common St. Johnswort:

Cow Vetch:

A white Aster, species unknown. Feel free to add a comment if you can identify it:

Orange Hawkweed:

Queen Anne's Lace, or Wild Carrot:

Rough-Fruited Cinquefoil:

Yellow Goats-Beard:

White Clover:

Bouncing Bet:

Red Clover:

Bladder Campion. This bloomed profusely all over the property earlier in the season, but there were only a few, sad looking specimens left this late in the summer:

A Bedstraw, species unknown. Do you see those amazing brown seed pods near it? I don't know what they are, but they are fascinating:

Early Goldenrod:

Common Milkweed:

Butter-and-Eggs:

This plant is extremely common and looks to be in the mint family, but I can't identify it. You'd think it would be easy because of its square stems and distinctive leaves, but I've been unable to find it online or in my field guide. If you know what it is, please leave me a comment: