Asters are no longer asters, they are in the genus Symphotrichtum, unless they are Eurybia, and there are dozens of species. They are all harassed-looking daisy-types with 1/4″ or 1 1/2″ flowers, heart shaped leaves or lance-like leaves, in varying shades of murky blues and purples and whites and pinks. […]
Natives
2024 Fall Foliage highlights
A few favorites. I may add more to the post later in the season, when January and the desire to do literally anything with gardening becomes unmanageable. These are a mix of natives and non-natives. (I’m writing up some thoughts on the native/non-native plant discourse; I’ll update with a link […]
September and early October 2024 Highlights
(I struggled with image classes on this post and think I fixed them but apologies if a later update blows out my edits. I’ll fix it. Eventually.) Above: Bottle gentians, blue, late blooming, good cut flowers–in particular with late flowering orange and yellow daisy-shaped flowers and dahlias. Native. Allegedly attractive […]
September 2022 – in bloom
So much beauty so late in the season…
Beneficial insects: Five banded tiphiid wasp
Seen today on a black eyed susan. If I’m correct about the ID, it’s a female (the red legs are the tell apparently.) From the link: “Females of some species of Thynnid wasps are wingless. Males find them on the ground and carry them into the air on a nuptial […]
Pollinator garden, drafts 1, 2, 3…..
One of the front pollinator beds was added in April 2020. At roughly 4′ x 15′, it contains twelve Golden Alexanders (host plants for black swallowtails and food source for a lot of the little solitary bees) and twelve Bottle Gentians, both from Prairie Nursery. There’s a birdhouse at the […]