Bogturtle's Garden- June 11-20. 2025

Astilbe 'Bridal Veil' and the white edged Hosta grow in the space between the walk and the garage. The only Sun comes when it is as far North as it can be.

All over the property and I blame this fawn for a great deal of damage, including budded up flowers, and if they survive, I will have to wait until next year for the blooms. 

The female Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, shown above, will rest on the little stands by each opening, but it seems the male will not . Too bad, as he is much more colorful, and I am still waiting to catch the brilliant gold that will show in the male's throat feathers, as well as the expected red. 

If anyone wants the classic Hydrangea quercifolia, the Oakleaf Hydrangea, they should choose the Princeton U. old release of 'Snow Queen'.  The species is an American native. 

So totally disappointed in camera results, this year. This fine, blue violet Veronica should show up brilliantly. A standard sort that seems quite long lived. 

The large tub, behind the pool has, not only, the white flowered form of the Swamp Milkweed, Asclepias incarnata 'Alba', shown before, but two different shades of the Butterfly Weed, Asclepias tuberosa, and the gray leaved Lychnis coronaria 'Alba.

So far the Deer have not molested these, and I did spray them.

But full of doubt, as I have a line of Daylily, also sprayed last night. And every bud seems to be eaten, while hardly any leaves. Cannot say why, as I have seen the spray repel Deer from these same plants in times past. A reblooming form called 'Happy Returns', so I may yet get blooms this year. 

Was climbing out of the pool, and felt something strange. Quickly grabbed this Southern Gray Tree Frog. They have been calling since earliest Spring, and still make noise out there. The chlorinated pool should be repelling them. I was able to move about 6 tadpoles from this big pool to my little one. I am thinking that if these become frogs, they may return to my little pool to breed. But I know only the tiniest fraction of tadpoles ever survive to grow up and breed. 

Just a different Box Turtle. 

Again, a Lysmachia called, commonly, the Circle Flower. A super easy, somewhat shade tolerant perennial. The name must refer to how the flowers circle the stem, not for the dark circle I thought I saw in each bloom on the plant, maybe elsewhere.

Lysmachia punctata, I believe. 

The only Hypericum on the property, it is generally evergreen and less that two feet tall. A fine tall groundcover, that can spread more than you wish, but would be ideal where it can be kept in bounds.

Hypericus calycinum. 

Another effort to show the fine blue-violet Veronica 'Sunny Border Blue'.  I am so pleased to have it in the main perennial bed. 

Alchemilla mollis, if I have that spelled correctly. For some reason called 'Ladies Mantle'. Unimpressive masses of greenish bloom. The main attraction is how simple raindrops glow like silver on the leaves. Another fine, low groundcover, but mine is struggling, as it competes with neighbors. 

Daylily or Hemerocalis 'Happy Returns'. Much prefer this yellow to that of the more popular 'Stella d'Oro', that may be just a little taller but a deeper chrome yellow. Eaten by deer, within the past week. I thought every bud was eaten, but enough remain to put on a display. The leaves always get messy looking, with some yellow or tan. Perhaps my sandy, dryish soil it the problem. I am likely to cut it down, when this bloom is over, and new foliage will come along with the second set of bloom expected around August. Totally replacing, as planned, the line of Daffodils across one side of the circle in the center of the lawn. 

Asclepias incarnata 'Alba', again. The deer haven't gotten to these yet, and faithful spraying with repellent, with days of light rain, may be the reason. 

Using a quarter to show the size, here is the tiniest of flowers on the property, to my knowledge. A Japanese perennial name Lysmachia minutissima. Yet, as I said previously, the flower, aside from size, is just about identical to that in the two other species of Lysmachia on the property. They are the creeping Moneyword, L. nummelaria and the recently shown L. punctata.

L. minutissima is in a pot with the dwarf form of Japanese Maple often shown. Called Acer platatum 'Fjelheim'. The surprise white flowered Forget-Me-Not is also still in bloom. 

Stewartia japonica or Pseudocamellia japonica is covered with hundreds of buds. A beautiful, slow growing tree that even has interesting bark. Also nice Fall color. It grows right across from the big addition room where most time is spent, more or less centered in the middle window of the bank of them by the lens shaped Rose bed.

Cannot say if this Stokes Aster is the one purchased or one from its seed. Now many individuals are here, finding them extremely easy to propagate. Generally Deer resistant, one bud was munched, but probably out of curiosity. None others, so far. This is the white clone called Stokesia laevis 'Divinity'. And the photo is sideways! Interested to see the color of all the many others that will bloom for the first time, this year. 

This is the first of the straw colored Stokesia called S.laevis 'Mary Gregory'. And if any others in the main perennial bed are this color, they are from seed harvested. I expect to see the normal blue-violet common wild color, as there are many plants budded up. An evergreen plant that, recently, saw the introduction of several named clones of various shades, mostly near to the wild blue violet.