Hodge Podge and Some Ranting

I took lots of photos Saturday to find one for a new header photo.  I thought I'd post some that I took that I didn't choose, and some I just took knowing they wouldn't be considered for the header.

I have stated that my garden style is hodge podge, and now with the new planting area, it is even more so.

I have an early blooming yellow daylily that is  finished, and this is the first of the rest to bloom.

I was telling a friend my yard has been eating plants, and even though I keep planting more, the yard stays "hungry".  I decided to put more perennials in so that they will have the summer to grow, and then, hopefully, they will get bigger next year.  It is starting to look a bit busy, but I'm happier with that than bareness.

There is another kind of clematis growing on the other side of the arbor.  It is about half as far up as the one that's full of blooms.  It may bloom this year.  I like the knautia and baby's breath on each side of the sidewalk.  I cut the asters way back, and will again, hoping for healthier plants.  The stems turn brown each year, but they still are green the top half, and bloom fine.  I've been thinking about taking them out, but keep giving them more chances.  The insects love them.  The yellow flowers in front are butterfly milkweed, 'Hello Yellow'.

Soon, the daylilies will provide lots of color to the yard.

I have lots of young echinacea plants that are a result of the different ones that have bred with each other.  This one looks like the original white one I had when we first moved here.  I had divided it, and put some in this area of the east bed, and it reverted to a light purple.

I like the native ones on the left.  The big pink one in the right side of the photo is either 'Kim's Knee High' or the offspring of it and the one that had been originally white.

Larry has a bloom in his water garden.

It's pretty!

I decided to go out Sunday morning and take more photos of the front yard so I can say more of things that are on my mind.  The big plant on the lower right is a nicotiana sylvestris.

 I mentioned that I have been getting more perennials.  It's been difficult, because most of the perennials this year have, "Do not propagate." on their tags.  I know a number of hybrids have been around awhile, and I've purchased plenty, but I don't think they have always had that on their tags.  I used to avoid plants that had that statement, but would get something if I really loved it.  Now that I'm seeing so many, I am irritated, and have decided I am no longer buying these plants.  That means I am limited to where I can buy them.

Last week, Larry and I went to Omaha so he could purchase a motorcycle with some retirement money he's cashed out, and to go to a couple large garden centers that have had a nice selection of native plants in the past.  They sure didn't this year!  I vented to one of the workers at the first place, and she agreed with me.  I don't mind if they want to have plants like that, but don't take away the choices of the orignals of the plants!

The second place we went had some Dalea purpurea, 'Stephanie', purple prairie clover in large pots with no price on them.  It was the only native thing they had, and I have one small plant in the new planting area, so I was tickled to get three of these with flower buds on them.  They had lots of natives that had been changed into hybrids that have those nasty do not... labels on them.  When I went to check out, a young lady did not think the label in them was correct.  I told her it was, and she tried to find the price on the cash register computer, but when another worker came close by, she asked her if the plants were what was on the tag, and I told them both, yes they are.  They ended up being a couple dollars less than other plants in the same size pots.  Cool!  One of the new plants is the one in the lower left corner.

Oh, and the rabbits are still munching on certain plants, so I am putting up barriers and continuing to spray Liquid Fence every few weeks.  I put more up this evening, because they found one of the prairie clovers.  I was not very happy at all!

It is going to take time for the new area to be filled in like the one across the sidewalk.  I planted lots of things that were supposed to get 4 or more feet tall, but I guess they won't this season.  Oh, I remembered that one of the places I've posted about before, B&B Greenhouse has a lot of plants that are not the do not propagate kind, and a number of natives.  I went there the other day, and filled in some more spaces.

I planted a millet plant on either side of the sidewalk.  They were supposed to get over 5 feet tall, but the bloom stalks are coming up, so I'm guessing that's not going to happen.  I moved the chair that was facing the house because Larry thought the area was too cluttered, and I decided he may be right.  We still need to have the broken sprinkler head capped, and maybe some drip irrigation heads put in the other ones.
 

The annuals I planted until I figure out what to plant in front of the house are doing OK.  I accidentally bought 3 lead plants at my last shopping day, because I had them in my container, and I was going to check to see if that's what they were, as only the scientific name was on them, but forgot to.  I had asked the lady working there if she knew if they were lead plants, but she didn't know.  They are very late in leafing out, but I could plant more bulbs in there.  I'd probably move the other hellebores out.  The first ones I moved are doing fine.

Four out of six of the dahlia roots I planted came up.  I don't think I'm going to plant them anymore.  I get tired of all that dirt showing, and having to keep the area moist.  I planted some narrow leafed coneflowers and rudbeckias in the area, and successfully transplanted a foot tall false baptisia plant that was coming up on the east side of the house.

The few larkspur I moved from the veggie garden are blooming.  I hope they come back from seed next year.  Behind this one, is the largest of the Mexican sunflowers I grew from seed in the house.  There are also a few coming up that I direct sowed.

I had given the little white blooming baptisia to the left of one of the tree ring steps lots of room, but it looks like it will take a few seasons for it to get to full size.  I forgot what kind of sunflower seeds I planted where all the bare dirt is, but they have just come up.  One the right, I planted a couple native purple coneflowers I got from B&B.  I haven't seen them anywhere else this year.

The butterfly bush and beauty berry bushes are doing fine, and the plants in the pots are growing well.

At the bottom of this photo are two kiss me over the garden gate plants that I moved from the east bed.  The small one was moved awhile back, and has not grown much, and the larger one, I just moved a few days ago to see if it makes it and continues to stay larger than the first one.  I did plant some of the fancy new rudbeckias that are sold as annuals, but sometimes come back, then read in a book about having a natural looking garden, that these flowers are too unnatural looking, and not to include them.

I bought the Culver's Physic, not realizing it was Culver's Root.  I planted it across from where I have another Culver's Root.

I went on another garden tour today.  This one was where folks had gardens planted with wildlife in mind.  I took lots of photos, but they are still on my camera.  I'm glad I went.  I was feeling like my garden is having a personality conflict.  There are plants that are dainty and delicate, and need more water than others, some that are old fashioned flowers, others new hybrids, some wild, and even rough looking.  There were combinations like these at some of the gardens today, and that made me feel better.  Well, I do tell others I have a hodge podge garden.  It's always a work in progress, and there area always areas I want to change.  That's probably true of most of us.

I need to stop with all these words.  My pity party is over, and I told Larry tomorrow I plan to spend most of the day in the garden.  I also need to catch up with visiting the blogs of folks who've left comments on my latest posts.