Flowers Galore, Flowers Everywhere!

Just when I thought the flower season was about over, the pink Rose Mallows burst into full, gigantic bloom:

And then, about five days later, the red Rose Mallows began to bloom also:

They are planted up on a rise and next to the county road, where they draw a lot of attention by passersby:

And right next to the Rose Mallows are the two new Morden Roses. This one is Morden Sunrise:

And this one is Morden Blush:

Wildflowers bloomed too, including these Common Mallows at the south end of the barn:

And Lady's-Thumb Smartweed, also at the south end of the barn:

All other Day Lilies seem to have quit blooming, but these wild type are mixed in with my Peonies and are blooming with astoundingly vivid colors:

Not all flowers, however, are welcome. In spite of having been cut down twice, Many Canada Thistles are flowering in the pasture and along the fence line:

I was working on the electric fence and kept seeing these odd wildflowers. They were minuscule flowers with long "fingers" at the top of the plant:

I got a closeup of the flowers and buds to help me identify them when I got back to the house. At first I gave up, finding nothing like them, but then changed my mind and restored them from my Trash file to an active photo file. I finally identified them as Willow-Herb:


Unfortunately, I could tell which species - until I realized the obvious by looking at the bottom leaves. These were Purple-Leaved Willow Herb, a plant I'd never noticed before:

Around The Farm, The All Botanical Version

The fence line is a jumble of wild plants and, in some places, quite beautiful. At this spot, the Wild Cucumber vines were in full bloom and Goldenrod added color to the jumble of wildflowers. The gravel road and north field were in the background:

A few of the Tall Garden Phlox, which I thought had all died, have sprung up and bloomed after all:

The wild Day Lilies bloomed:

And so did the new red Hydrangea:

The Mandarin Honeysuckle I planted last year died, so I planted another one this spring. It has taken off and is growing happily, the secret being to keep it well watered:

Though apples aren't abundant this year, there are still more than I know what to do with. I occasionally pick up a windfall and bite into it:

But I have learned never to do so after first eating the super-sweet plums. The apples are not sweet enough to follow the plums:

The Tree Hydrangea is putting on quite a show this year:

And so it the brand new Morden Sunrise rose bush:

The pink Rose Mallows began to bloom in late summer and were just getting started when I took this picture. You can see the abundance of buds:

The pink variety blooms earlier and has bigger flowers than the red variety:

I have a problem with English Sparrows in my hay loft. They are breeding in there and causing quite a disturbance. They were also gobbling up all the Elderberries, so I quickly snapped a photo before there were none left at all:

Pigeons, Plums And Plenty

The white fantail pigeons are having a good year. Their numbers are up to 32 now and they all look happy and healthy:

I have two metal pans which I fill with water for them to bathe in:

They splash and play like happy children. It's fun to watch:

One morning I went out to do the chores and caught the morning sun just peeking out over the trees on the eastern horizon. A lone cow grazed in the field below it:

And the plums began to ripen:

They seemed to begin suddenly and all at once:

There are so many that I've invited neighbors to help themselves (and to the pears and apples too):

I've learned that they aren't very sweet until they're totally ripe, but when they reach that point, they're juicy and incredibly sweet. I now wait for them to drop to the ground as a sign that they're ready:

The Rugosa roses are re-blooming, which makes the bees and me happy:

And Wild Cucumber vines are blooming everywhere:

Everyone else's wild Day Lilies bloomed a long time ago, but mine are putting on a great show at this late point in the summer:

My wooden hatchway door became badly rotten and I couldn't afford the time or money to replace it, so I used two rubber mats for cow stalls. I'm hoping this will keep them dry and protected for many years:

Around The Farm In Late Summer

I had far fewer apples than usual this year, but a few hardy trees are producing them anyway:

The plum tree was loaded with fruit but it appeared as if my straightening of the tree set back the ripening. I don't mind, as I only eat a few anyway:

  I do, however, certainly mind the regrowth of the Burdock and Thistles in my fields. I spent an afternoon once again weed-whacking them. The thicker stems had to be cut with lopping shears:

 The fantail pigeons have had several afternoon community baths. It's fun to watch them as they appear to be giddy with joy, splashing and playing like happy children:

 I cut down the remaining Blue Sea Holly flower stems. There are no flowers left in my little rock garden, though maybe something will rebloom in autumn:

 One day the pink Rose Mallows began to open. They are spectacular:

 More opened the next day. The red flowers always open later, so they are yet to come:

 I got onto a Sunflower kick and found a website which offered seeds of many varieties. I prepared a sunflower garden alongside the dogs' fence and adjacent to the Day Lily garden. I ordered four varieties of seeds, which I'll show in the pictures below. The website, if you are interested, is here:

 I ordered Cherry Rose seeds, the fastest to bloom:

 And Little Becka, a dwarf plant with 5" flowers:

 Red Wave, a short variety with short, branching stems and plenty of big, red flowers:

 I also ordered Pastiche, a variety of multi-colored flowers on branching stems. I put so much compost in the sandy soil that I expect to have a sunflower bumper crop next year:

Summer On The Farm

I was just walking to the house when I saw the herd coming in for water at the stock tank. I thought it would make a good photo of a peaceful scene I always enjoy seeing:

I also enjoy walking out in the pasture. I passed by Gracie, who calmly watched me go by. Sometimes I'll pet the friendly cows (like Gracie) as I go by. They don't like the top of their heads touched but a scratch under the chin is usually enjoyed:

Blue and Remy are always happy to get a bit of petting, In fact, Remy rushes toward me so fast that I often have trouble snapping a photo of him. On this day, they just kept grazing:

While I'm outside working, the five dogs lounge about in their fenced yard. Their favorite spot is the ramp. It's not soft, but it has nice shade and they can see the back door from there:

Indoors, they nap in the kitchen corner or, as in the case of Fergus and Seamus, on the yoga mat behind my computer chair:

 

The new Frans Hals Day lilies are putting on quite a show. They truly are even more brightly colored than in the picture:

The red Hydrangea I planted last fall is alive and flowering. I guess that's all I can ask of it this first year:

I have a few wild type Day lilies. They are so gorgeous that it amazes me anyone wanted to breed them in new colors:

I thought all my Phlox had died, but one brave plant has sprung up and begun flowering. I missed them - and so did the Hummingbird Moths (Clearwing Moths) and Swallowtail butterflies:

The fantail pigeons are healthy and producing new babies this summer. I can't clean their room now because there are babies all over the floor. Well, at least that makes a good excuse:

That pigeon in the back is the baby, just a couple weeks old. The bird in front is one of its parents:

The little hens are laying fewer eggs now. That's a blessing for me as I don't have to hard boil them so often, but the dogs will sure miss eating the eggs when the laying season is over: