Side Yard Update

First, I want to say that with Freda Cameron's help, I thought the problem with people getting a warning message when starting to get on my blog was taken care of, but a few days ago, I received an email from someone who said he had gotten the warning when using his PC.  A day later, I noticed on Randy Emmit's blog that someone had mentioned getting a warning about his blog.  I asked him about it, and he said he had to take a blog off his blogroll of someone whose blog he liked to keep up with, but they hadn't posted for a few months, and that was what was causing problems.  He suggested taking the blogs that hadn't posted for awhile off of my blogroll.  I did that yesterday.  I'm thinking that if someone comes to my blog they are OK.  If they get a message, do you think is it best not to click on any links from my blog, even if it's a blog they are familiar with?  Please let me know if you get a warning message.  (Added 7/9/12:  Two different people on FB had problems with messages saying my blog is infected with Malware.  I decided to take out my two blogrolls, and one of them said she was able to scroll down my blog without getting the message.  Someone else suggested running a scan.  I'll have to ask Larry to help with that.)  Added later in the evening, 7/9:  Mike, the first person to let me know about the warning message let me know that he was still getting it until today.  Yippee!  I'm thinking the problem is fixed.  Thanks, Mike!)

Now, back to the post, which I started July 5th.

What happened to the beginning of spring, when we were so excited about things popping up early and blooming?  Maybe that was nature's way of allowing us to enjoy some of the blooms before the heat set in.  Still, most of the plants in our yard are doing OK.  A number of daylilies have brown leaves, and look stressed.  I am relieved that the highs in the 100s seem to be gone for now.

I took these photos at two different times.  I waited until the parts in the sun in the first photos were in the shade in the afternoon.

The butterfly bush sure got large this year!

I have not made many changes to this area in the last few years.  I am thinking about taking a number of plants out, and may see if I have room for some native shrubs.  I haven't made up my mind, though.  Maybe I'll do that in the east front bed.

This is a skull cap, I think, 'Smokey Hills'.

Rue is one of the plants that I have in more than one planting area.  It is a host plant for swallowtail butterflies.

See?  This is the first caterpillar of any kind I've seen this season.

Salvia 'Purple Rain'

The yellow buds are on zig zag goldenrod. 

Salvia  Nemorosa:

I didn't cut the amsonia back as much as usual this year.  The short toothed mountain mint has gotten a little taller than usual.  I trimmed back the goldenrod, 'Wichita Mountains', but it looks like it will still be blooming early.  I am thinking about taking out the spiderwort plants.  They always look so ratty this time of year.

The bees and wasps sure love short toothed mountain mint.  They ignore me when I am taking their pictures, although they sometimes move away from me.

The tall plant is rudbeckia 'Herbstonne'.

This is a bellflower of some kind.

This daylily isn't struggling as much as many of the others.

Here's a closer view of the 'Herbstonne'.  I think that's a gray headed coneflower next to it.

Rudbeckia 'Herbstonne' even closer:

Gray headed coneflower and a purple coneflower of some kind:

Veronica:

Looking back south, the plant that looks so bedraggled is a bleeding heart, which is going dormant, like they frequently do.

The tall plant, rudbeckia 'goldquelle' is the plant I knocked on a door to ask for a start of a couple years ago.  I sure like it!

It is just starting to bloom.

This is the daylily named after a woman whose name I've long forgotten, but was a splurge a number of years ago, at a local daylily farm, which is no longer in business.

This is the view to the north.  I don't think I cut back the amsonia hubrichtii this year.  I may have deadheaded it a bit, though.

Here is a peek into the back yard over the fence.  I did not get good photos of the monarda, 'Jacob Kline' this year, but am still enjoying them as they fade next to gray headed coneflowers.

The bulbs in the front of the border leave troublesome (to me) blank spots.  I sometimes put annuals in there, but I am also hoping some of the perennials in there fill in more.

I had planned on burying a tub to keep the bear's breeches from spreading too far, but didn't get to it.  This is its first bloom in 3 years of being in this spot.  I wonder if it will get one that is the longer spike they usually get.

False sunflower is the plant we found that Larry agreed to have planted in the area where they had left dirt in after putting in an egress window in our basement when we first moved in.  He had wanted to plant grass there.  I guess you know I have gotten my way more than once, but he actually won some of the disagreements with how big areas were going to be, but in later years changed his mind and was comfortable with the areas getting larger.  He finally got to the point of offering up even more of his grass space.  ;o)  Oh, and some baptisia seed pods are turning dark.  Most years, I cut the plant back, but did not this year.

 

I cut back a few stems of the amsonia, but left most of it.

This narrow-leaf ironweed looks like it will be blooming in a few weeks.

The false sunflower, amsonia, and baptisia do well leaning against each other.

Continuing north, the butterfly bush on the far left was supposed to be a dwarf one, and get only up to 4 feet tall.  I got it deadheaded after taking this photo.  Oh, do you ever check to see what searches lead people to your blogs?  At least one person recently found mine that way, but I'm not sure what post they got to.  Yes, it is good to deadhead butterfly bushes.  I cut the blooms off between the two new ones that are usually coming on.  If the plant is taller or wider than I want, I'll cut it farther back.

We're facing back south.  Larry found this hook in the shed while getting chairs out for our Fourth of July family gathering.  He placed it here with the bucket on it.  He is the one who places these things around for the most part.  If I have a bare spot, I'll sometimes move something he's put out, or find something else on my own.

I got the goldenrod deadheaded the other day.  I hope it blooms again.  I need to be cutting some of the globe thistle to dry before it's too late.

We have arrived at the end of the post!  My goodness, I need to learn to make them shorter!  Next week is my last week of working summer school.  I have enjoyed it, but we are all ready to have some full days off before going back in August.  I am looking forward to spending more time gardening, especially, now that the highs are supposed to be in the upper 80s and lower 90s.  Have a great week!