Bogturtle's Garden- July 1-10, 2026

Crowded in among the well developed shrubs in the drive circle, near where we park the vehicles, the deciduous Azalea known as 'Weston's Lemon Drop' has been blooming. 

No doubt to be shown again, as this photo is not so good. Buddlea weyeriana 'Honeycomb' is starting. Killed to the ground by our past, eratic and sometimes very cold Winter, it came back, was set back by Deer browsing, but is rather too tall for them now. And I have

Crocosmia 'Lucifer' blooms in several places on the property. Slowly increasing, while I have, dependably, lost a multitude of plants that never caught on. And the deer don't seem interested at all. 

Magnolia grandiflora 'Bracken's Brown Beauty' has these bowl shaped flowers. One Winter heavy snow broke out the top, so the plant is no longer a neat pyramid shape. But it carries on. The name refers to the heavy brown indumentum on the bottom surface of the leaves. Supposedly one of the hardier of the sorts available, while my zone is not really cold. 

What a pleasant surprise. I had wanted to keep mosquitoes down, and had plans to go to a local lake and seine some Mud Minnows. A common little fish that is especially able to survive in shallow, low Oxygen water. But I bought a male and female Guppy, instead. And while I have not seen the female, I now have perhaps more than a dozen tiny babies. So the mosquito problem is solved. 

And, as another plus, a small Frog may have adopted the little pond.  Rana sylvatica. Called the Wood Frog. The beautiful fawn colored species with a  black mask. I usually see the in the lawn, as I mow. But they can make huge leaps, and get away. 

And a few small tadpoles may be in the pond.

If a plant is blue-green or silvery, I'm likely to want it.  This is the blue needled form of the Chinese tree called Cunninghamia lanceolata 'Glauca'. As with so much, here, it lost it candle flame symmetry with its leader top, when that heavy snow came. And also, for the first time, it shows brown damage from the cold. A useful timber tree, in China, I believe. And a terrible Christmas Tree. Like the Colorado Blue Spruce, each needle has a sharp tip 

The later blooming, of the two clones here, of Aesculus parviflora. Apparently, while the buckeye nuts are poisonous to us, a squirrel planted one, as they bury and save them and forget or die. That one sprouted just by the little landing just outside the back door. I will get rid of it. The species name 'parviflora' references the little, individual flowers. A good deal smaller than those of A. pavia, shown in an earlier month. But the inforescense is about a foot long. Hardly small. And the resultant grove now needs cutting back. 

Crocosmia 'Lucifer' again.

A pot on the pool deck has Cleome 'Helen Campbell's Snow Crown'. 

It seems this flower opens  a circle of new blooms, each eve, for moths to visit, and they wilt of fade as the day goes on. I have saved the seed each Summer for the next year. 

The Trumpet Vine 'Mdm Galen', I think, was originally planted on the chimney of the house. The constant seedlings were a pest and I eliminated the vine, but planted one at the base of a large Holly at the far end of the pool and behind the lattice fence of the little rock garden. Hoping it would climb up and bloom there. Seems it grew to the sunny South and is blooming in the 'Chaste Tree', Vitex agnus-castus
That is blooming with rather gray blue violet flowers. Along with that is the large leaves of Vitis incognitae, the grape vine called the 'Glory Vine' for the brilliant red of Fall. Mine never takes on that color. 

I tried to catch the smaller of the two types of Hummingbird Moths I have seen locally. I see it along the lower edge of the photo, Sort of yellowisn. The other species is larger, and almost as big as a humminbird. 

 been nconsistent with spraying repellent after each rain.