All of the flower gardens, the vegetable gardens, and the borders are full of growing and flowering plants at the start of summer. Spring varieties are fading and need to be deadheaded. With the warm weather weeds appear and some existing plants bolt in the heat. Every day we weed, deadhead, mulch, prune, and collect debris, trying for shady spots or early before the day gets too hot.
There are many “stars” in the garden right now and few are shared here:
Okanogan fameflower (Phemeranthus sediformis)is a native herbaceous perennial found in a small area from north central Washington State through the south central Interior of BC (to just north of Kamloops). It is a fleshy plant growing from a thick, branched … Continue reading →
By mid-June all the flower beds are full of blooming varieties of perennials, annuals, and shrubs. A number of summer-flowering plants are growing, but not yet flowering. Some of the spring-flowering perennials and bulbs have been setting seed … Continue reading →
We harvested seed from wild/native blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata) in the summer and then cleaned and stored the seed in a dry spot. In winter, we put the seed in some clean wet garden soil in a ziploc bag and … Continue reading →
Himalayan Fleeceflower (Bistorta affinis) is a perennial groundcover used in home gardens. It was found at mid elevations in the Himalayas area and west toward Afghanistan. It spreads with horizontal stems, filling in quickly. It is suited to … Continue reading →
Spreading phlox (Phlox diffusa) is a mat-forming evergreen perennial native to the Interior of BC, found often in rocky areas, open ridges, and subalpine dry slopes. It develops dark green, needle-like leaves. They are easy to grow in the home … Continue reading →
By mid-May many perennials and flowering shrubs are in flower and we can walk into the garden every day to enjoy their beauty. Shared here are a few photos from several days of garden walks. Featured n the Google … Continue reading →
We have had Cerastium in the garden for 50 years. We originally bought one plant – Cerastium tomentosum – Snow in Summer. It has returned reliably each spring and has spread. Some gardeners think it is an invasive … Continue reading →
With warm weather and longer days, all of the flowering plants and shrubs are growing, some getting ready to bloom, some now if flower. It is a time for transplanting, cleaning flower beds, propagating new plants, and cleaning up. Landscape … Continue reading →
Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium sp.) is a short, stiff perennial in the iris family. It is native to the Interior Plateau, but most of the ones spotted in our area are Idaho blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchrum idahoense sp.), but Mountain blue-eyed grass … Continue reading →
