From our Front Porch

I have been putting albums on Facebook showing photos taken from our front porch.  This time, I decided to put them in a blog post.  Oh, wait!  I just went to label this, and saw that I have done a post showing photos from the front porch.  I checked, and it was done earlier in the spring, I'm thinking, May.  There is a big difference in the view from then!

These photos were taken a day ago.  Today, I trimmed back the Joe Pye weed so there will be room to walk in the yard.

The zoom on my camera works pretty well.  I am please that the Rattlesnake master plants are blooming, but I am not seeing as many insects on them as in the past.  I hope more show up soon.

This Kiss me over the garden gate was given to me by a friend.  It's an old fashioned reseeding annual.

Wild quinine, Purple meadow rue, I forgot what kind of Liatris, and Pale purple coneflower

The bees and hover flies have continued to visit the Foxgloves, even though they are almost finished blooming.

This clump of Purple prairie clover started blooming before the others, so while they are just in their prime, this clump is fading.

I am loving this view with the Liatris, various conefloweres, and Mexican hat blooms.

We will head west, to the other side of the sidewalk.

I forgot what kind of Allium this is.  I think the grass is Sideoats grama.

Today, I cut back some of the seedheads of the Golden alexanders so they don't flop as much.  The Cup plant is looking pretty good, even though some of the leaves have aphids on them.  I like having another Purple meadow rue on this side of the sidewalk.  I've mentioned this is the house my husband grew up in, and this light belonged to his parents.

I don't remember the name of this Clematis, but I always have to tie it up so it doesn't flop.  We should probably be painting the railings soon.

A friend gave me a couple starts of Illinois bundleflower last year, after I had mentioned planting seeds that did not come up.  It is one of my favorites.  These blooms will turn into awesome brown seedheads that I posted photos of last year.

There is a path in here, but it is not visible in this photo.

Wild quinine is a plant I like having in different spots.  The Ironweeds are beginning to bloom, but the pink blooms are Swamp milkweed.

Continuing to the west, the pink on the right is a different Swamp milkweed.  The coneflowers in the background are in the curb bed.

Here is a closer view of the Gray-headed coneflowers which have just opened, more Wild quinine, Swamp milkweed, and on the right is Wild senna.

I hope to see lots of bees and such on the Wild senna like I did the last couple of years.

Rudbeckia maxima

The Purple poppy mallows are blooming better than I've ever seen them to this year.  The yellow blooms are Lanceleaf  (I'm pretty sure) coreopsis.

This Wild senna, next to the Switchgrass cultivar I'm not thinking of the name of is not blooming quite yet.  I'm thinking the two didn't bloom at the exact same time last year, either.

I love Clematis pitcheri.

I didn't pay attention to the tag on this, and am thinking it is Tall poppy mallow.  I have enjoyed it iin this area, holding its own with other tall plants.

The Joe Pye weed on the west side of the bed is younger than the one on the east side.  I'm glad to see it is doing OK.  This one does not get as much water as the other one, either.

There are strawberries growing under the bench, and traveling around a bit.  My mother-in-law's Peonies and Lily of the valley, which I sometimes try to thin a bit are in the area behind the bench.

I zoomed in on the tubs that are on the sidewalk, these, behind a Beautyberry shrub.

Love lies bleeding is another one that self sows, and I have some on the east side of the house that did, but I got these already starting to bloom so there would be some good color for the garden tour that we participated in in June.

Well, here it is, July 3!  This will be the first 4th in many years that we will not be hosting a big family gathering for.  I am sad that we are not doing it, but we've had lots going on, including helping our daughter with her baby, Ruby, who will be 2 weeks old Sunday.    I hope you have a safe holiday!