Bogturtle's Garden- July 16 to end

 

Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' is the toughest, easiest of plants. It was dominant just in front of the Edgeworthia shrub, to the right of the little rock garden. I thinned it, and maybe too much.  But it is the sort of plant that you may always have, and a fine addition to any sunny spot. 

Surely showed this sometime this Summer, already. The Ginger, Asarum splendens has never looked better. Among the plants in a rather shady section of the main perennial garden between where we park the vehicles and the vine covered fence hiding the pool side. 

The typical clone of Viburnum mariessi is beautiful in Spring, and I was surprised to see how bright the berries look, at the moment. It is among the crowded shrubs into the wood by the front path. 

More than this one flower is open today, 7/19. The only plant I see on the property, or at least the only in bloom. Lilium tigrinum, the Tiger Lily is another cottage garden plant that is super easy. Why the 'tiger lily' with spots and not stripes? At any rate, along with seeds, an easier way to propagate is by planting the little bulbils that will form where leaves join the stem. In true cottage garden tradition, mine came from bulbils I took from a neighbor's plant, several years ago.

On the little landing there's a pot of Dill. I looked at it and wondered why it looked so sparse and sad. Then I saw the well grown Anise Swallowtail Caterpillar. I try to avoid these, either picking them off or using insecticide. And that can't be good for people. 

So I'll go with the flow, for this individual, and hope it will form a crysalis and become a butterly, next Spring. There are other pots of Dill I have grown. 

Behind the pool, the dinner plate sized blooms of the Marshmallow are open. I managed, again, to get a finger in the photo. I have, of course, worked to keep the deer away. 

Really common at the edge of marshes and creeks, here, but certainly not blooming so large.

Not much to look at, but the Parrot's Feather, to the right, is growing well. And the pool is actually crowded with the strange Bladderwort. Native to our acid water lakes, it has tiny bladders, which trap almost microscopic aquatic life and digests that for the protein. 

A Raccoon and Skunk visited. Got several good videos of the Raccoon, but none good of the Skunk. I had put Tadpoles and 3 White Cloud Mountain Minnows in the pool. But I have seen none, since. Cannot believe any animals could catch, or would even try to catch such minute animals. But the Raccoon makes quite a mess of the plants.

Out on the landing, (and the date is pure error) the box has white Cleome 'Helen Campbell's Snow Crown' and a few blooms of the white-flowered form of the Hyacinth Vine, Dolochos labab 'Alba'. Among the annuals I try to save from year to year. The box may also have other plants, but I will have to wait to see if others bloom. 

The late emerging low groundcover, the Leadwort, has fine almost cobalt blue flowers. In the rock garden, where it belongs. I will guess at its ridiculous name. Plumbagenoides larpentae, and return to correct this, if I'm wrong.

The planter, at church, looks great. The flowering maple, Abutilon,  has the crazy varietal name of 'Ruby Razzamatazz' and flowers like crazy. The rest are just pink Wax Begonias. 

This Abutilon and the Begonias have to go somewhere for the Winter. A species almost hardy in my 7A zone is Abutilon vitifolium, someone thinking its leaves look a little like grape leaves. I don't agree, but I would want the plant, as it has beautiful blue-purple flowers and grayish green leaves. And one variety of this has white flowers. Must be blooming in some botanical garden somewhere. 

Ipomea alba, I think. The Moonflower, and truly opening in the evening and serving the moths. The flowers are 3-4 inches across and a person with ridiculous patience could sit there and see the bud open, as it does rather quickly. I don't know if it has an odor. It never forms seeds for me to save, as I do for many annuals. And I never bother to knick or abrade the end of the hard seed. It does fine. Planted in two places, this year. 

In a pot next to the little Japanese Maple 'Fjelheim' and growing into it and the Holly tree just behind the pot. And also in the planter on the little deck for this addition.