Bogturtle's Garden- July 21 to end, 2026

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Among the annual seeds I save are those for 'Four O'Clocks' Jalapa mirabilis , that open every evening. I have a good number coming on, in many pots, here and there. Only this white one is full sized and blooming like crazy, now.

Always amused that Lilium tigrinum, the 'Tiger Lily' is spotted like a leopard, with no stripes. Another old fashioned flower passed from neighbor to neighbor, generation to generation. And I mentioned, years ago, that mine came from the little bulbils I picked off a neighbors plants. Those form in the axels of the leaves and even show rudimentary starts of roots. 

Here it is, rather late in July, and the deciduous Azalea 'Weston's Lemon Drop' is going strong.

Generally, videos I try to post fail. Usually the message is that they are too long. This time, maybe not. I think the little Green or Bull Frog, that has taken up residence in the little pond is safe, although not sure. The Guppies, two adults and many babies, seem to small for any Raccoon to bother with. 


A dinner sized bloom on our native Marsh Mallow. Grown from seed,  many years ago, and blooming behind the pool. But tall enough to be seen by vehicles parked across from the pool. I did buy a special one, for no sane reason, called 'Blue River 2'. It was huge and white, and I don't see it blooming next to this one, as it did in the past.


I will, eventually, get a photo of my little frog sitting on a rock at the edge of the little pool. Cannot say if its a Green Frog or Bullfrog, and will only know if it grows and is a male. The bellowing or twanging will tell me which it is. Or it might just wander away during the next heavy rain. 


The clump of Asarum splendens, which is, I assume, a species of Ginger from Japan, is slowly expanding. Can hardly have enough. I noticed the Japanese Painter Fern, right next to it, heavily browsed by a Deer. Nervy, as the truck is parked within 4 feet of it all. And I am about to give up on the beautiful Hosta that they will not leave alone, just to the right of the Ginger. It would make sense that all these ground hugging plants would have some built in resistance to Deer browsing. My theory is that if they are not very poisonous, the Deer eat them, may get some distress, but not enough. And a young Deer might just be curious and hungry. 


The Deer ignore the flaming orange fruiting stems of Arum italicum, as well as the foliage that will emerge for the Winter. This plant and the wooly leaved 'Lamb's Ears', pictured, share the same area, with foliage at different seasons. 


This 'Snow on the mountain' Euphorbia marginata (I think) seems very Deer repellent.Poisonous milky sap might be the answer. It grows in a pot at the end of the lens shaped Rose bed just outside the windows, here. It may look even better in the next week or so. An old fashioned Cottage Garden annual, also passed from generation to generation. The pot has some other annuals, and the Deer have molested them, delaying bloom.
Another annual whose seeds I save from year to year, and, because I cannot manage it all, I have only this individual plant. But it will give me lots of seed, if it continues. 
And I found that the seeds of my only 'Maltese Cross' perennial have ripened. Rather than save them, I threw some into the pot that has this pictured annual, and the matching pot at the other end of the Rose bed. Rain expected, tonight, so being perennial, young plants may sprout and show up next Spring, to bloom. 


Of course Morning Glory 'Knowlian's Black' isn't black, but it does show up from seed every year near where it was first planted. This one is from asaved seed and blooming in the window box on the little landing. I also have other vines and Cleome 'Helen Campbell's Snow Crown'. Another annual I save from year to year. 


Another Morning Glory named 'Orange Noah' was planted and has climbed to the top of the potted Japanese Maple 'Fjelheim'. When I read that there was an orange Morning Glory, I bought it. Of course, that the flowers are half an inch wide went unmentioned. I gather seed anyway, and it is an added annual year after year. The potential, for gardeners, is that a full sized mutation could occur. 

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