Tag Archives: rudbeckia hirta

Gardening Enthusiasm On The Wane

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My enthusisam for gardening is temporarily on the decline. Mosquitos are aggressive, as are weeds and grass in the garden after a rainy spring and summer.  After weeks of daily rain storms a break from precipitation during the past three days brought welcome sunshine and blue sky, albeit with extreme heat and humidity.

It is an understatement to say spending time in the garden certainly is less compelling now than during those first warm weeks of spring when everything was fresh and young. I know dedicating even a few hours would benefit the overall appearance of the borders and help sustain the progress made to date in battling the Spiderwort, but procrastination is winning again today. Maybe tomorrow the call will come.

Despite my inattention the garden looks stronger than usual at this time of year. Pollinators are finding plenty of attractions. A few self-seeded Zinnias add extra color to the Western border.

Zinnia

Zinnia

Zinnia

Zinnia

Also self-seeded, Cleome abound. It is easy to see how the common name of Spider Flower originated. The complex structure of their flowers is fascinating.

Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)

Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower)

Yellow rays and green disks of Rudbeckia hirta ‘Irish Eyes’ brighten the southern entrance to the garden. Recently more bees are arriving to enjoy them, equipping this plant with its own buzzing, humming soundtrack.

Rudbeckia hirta 'Irish Eyes'

Rudbeckia hirta ‘Irish Eyes’

Leaves of Helianthus angustifolius (Swamp Sunflower) growing up through flowers of Rudbeckia hirta 'Irish Eyes'

Leaves of Helianthus angustifolius (Swamp Sunflower) growing up through flowers of Rudbeckia hirta ‘Irish Eyes’

 

July Flowers

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Rainstorms swept through the region this week, missing this garden more times than not. Big splats, soft mists, ominous thunder, but often it was not even damp under the trees by the end. The flowers seem revived nevertheless and the first of the Cleome (Spider Flower) and Canna opened.

There is a lot of activity in the borders. Echinacea (Purple Coneflower) is popular with a great variety of bees, moths and other insects. Hummingbirds regularly visit the Monarda (Bee Balm) while American Goldfinches enjoy Verbena Bonariensis.

Unfortunately deer jumped the new fence this week to nibble on the daylilies and to devour a container of ornamental Sweet Potato Vines, putting an end to thoughts of keeping the daylilies and even reintroducing Phlox paniculata ‘David’ to the borders.

Among the interesting blooms in the garden this week are:

Rudbeckia hirta ‘Irish Eyes’
Shasta Daisy
Gladiolus
Lantana
Salvia ‘Blue Sky’

Views Of The Late June Garden

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Gone is the lush, verdant freshness that characterized the garden in spring.  Summer has arrived.

High temperatures and lack of rainfall are taking a toll on the garden’s charm and beauty as many plants begin to dry and yellow. The grass is browning quickly.

Though the garden has peaked for this year, there remain a few spots of interest.  One such spot is a borrowed view: a neighbor’s striking row of sunflowers add a happy whimsy.

Closer to home, spikes of Liatris Spicata ‘Alba’ contribute interesting texture and plantings of Shasta Daisy, Monarda, and Echinacea add drifts of color, but the garden definitely is losing its overall cohesiveness.

Part of this year’s garden renovation is to evaluate the garden in every stage, through every transition, and to decide how to improve the plantings, extend the blooming period.  Finding success in redesign will allow the garden graceful ways to peak, rest, and recover throughout each season.

In the meditation circle Angelonia angustifolia (summer snapdragon) provides dramatic color, especially the Angelface® Blue.  Ten more angelonia, purchased at a great sale price from Southern States, were added to the labyrinth last Friday.  They are a lighter shade, Wedgwood Blue, but should contribute blooms until the first frost.

The Rudbeckia Hirta ‘Irish Eyes’ has formed buds and will soon add some bright yellow at the back of the west border.

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Mid-June Garden

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Gladiolus, Liatris Spicata and Echinacea

The garden is holding up well this week despite a lack of rain or watering.  In the northern bed Echinacea (Purple Coneflower) and the first blooms of Liatris Spicata ‘Alba’ (Gayfeather or Blazing Star) and Gladiolus dominate the view.

Liatris Spicata

Gladiolus

In the southern bed, sweet peas and pink yarrows are still pretty although the color is fading on the yarrow. Mexican salvia, with its intense blue flower is coming into its own in the southwest end of the bed, while Lantana, with its multicolor flowers, fills out the southeast corner.

Lantana

Daylilies, which I had many times threatened to pull out completely in an attempt to keep deer away, have persisted and (now that the fence has deterred the deer so far), they may actually bloom this year.

The tradescantia (Virginia Spiderwort) is winding down its long blooming period that started in early April, so I cut down most of it this week.  I had never noticed a sensitivity to this plant before, but I developed an itchy red rash on my arms after carrying the trimmings away.  The rash lasted a day or so; fortunately the itch lasted only a half-hour or so.

Several Shasta Daisy flowers opened last week but as a group they are blooming very slowly.  The Rudbeckia hirta ‘Irish Eyes’ is starting to form buds. Several types of lavender are in flower, which delights the bees. Perovskia (Russian Sage), echinacea and bee balm were introduced last year into some additional areas and they seem to have adapted equally well around the garden.

Morning Garden Walk

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The backyard garden at the end of May is pleasant and lush, with inviting colors, textures, diversity of plants, and sounds of birds, elevating this morning’s walk to a remarkably satisfying experience for this gardener.

Chrysanthemum, silvery Dusty Miller, Sweet Pea combine with soft leaves of Eastern Red Columbine.

The tradescantia (Virginia Spiderwort) wake up the early morning garden with intense blues, but close under the strong sun by midday.  The pink yarrow and white rose campion mix well and the tall blades of iris add balance.

Nearby a lantana has sprung to life and soon will be covered in multicolored clusters of red, yellow and orange.

Stachys (Lamb’s ear) brightens the back corner between some irises and a gardenia.  The gardenia will soon add its unique fragrance to the garden.

The Liatris spicata (Gayfeather) earlier seemed terribly crowded by the irises, but as its bloomtime approaches it stands tall.

Verbena bonariensis frequently draws American goldfinches to the garden.  It is surrounded by a foxglove, shasta daisies, tradescantia, a rudbeckia ‘Irish eyes’ and gardenias.

The meditation circle with its labyrinth still has more mulch than plants. Five bonariensis await planting within but I am hesitant about whether they are a good choice. Meanwhile the penstemon and angelonia have worked out great.  The thyme lacks a strong presence, though it grows fine and has bloomed.  The candytuft bloomed a rewarding second time.

Many more plants are tucked and packed into this small backyard haven, making each morning’s walk new and interesting as they transition through life.

Almanac

After a week of extreme heat, with temperatures reaching into the nineties, last night’s cooling breezes and this morning’s crisp air were welcome.  Despite the prediction of rain I broke my rule against watering and gave some plants a good drink.  Still only 66 degrees by lunchtime, the heavy rain started suddenly and continued steadily until early evening, and streets flooded in Chapel Hill.  The garden’s meditation circle flooded near the entrance and in the middle, draining pretty well afterwards, but leaving a stark contrast to its bleached-out look under the severity of the sun earlier in the week.  After a rosy-clouded sunset, the rains returned.

Transitions

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In early spring first the lenten roses, then the daffodils and spirea dominated the garden. By mid-April the first bearded iris had opened. Now, three and a half weeks later, a few irises, along with the old-fashioned rose and the clematises, remain in bloom.  Take a quiet stroll around the perennial beds and it is easy to notice the garden again is in transition.

Verbena bonariensis

A verbena bonariensis is blooming and echinacea (purple coneflower) are beginning to open.

Several foxgloves are forming their complex flowers. Nearby an ‘Irish eyes’ rudbeckia already has reached two of its expected five feet.

The monarda (bee balm) also is tall and seems primed for a big display of red and fragrance.

A soft gray mound of artemisia accents the border and a perennial Dusty miller is creeping through the garden. Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed) will soon add its bright reddish-orange color to the blue palette that has predominated the garden in early spring.

Penstemon

The very tips of the white tubular flowers of Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ (Beardtongue) are becoming visible.

These two penstemon are planted inside the meditation path forming a wall at one of the turnaround points.

Yarrow

One of the small pink yarrow is just beginning to open among the lamb’s ears. Rising only 10-15 inches, it has a lacy flower and a dark green, feathery-soft foliage.

Lavender will soon be adding its beautiful color and unique fragrance to several locations. The lavenders responded positively to severe pruning in February.

Lavender

A Garden Highlight

An exciting highlight is the single bloom on the peony recently added to the garden, Paeonia ‘Pink Parfait.’  Although its planting tag indicated a June bloom, it was ready yesterday without regard to the calendar, as was the gardener.

Paeonia 'Pink Parfait'

Paeonia 'Pink Parfait'

Changes Bring Chores

As the focus transitions away from roses and irises there are many required tasks this week that will help keep the garden looking nice. The faded iris blooms and the bloom stalks need to trimmed back to tidy up, although the leaves need to remain for several months before being trimmed back to 6 inches in a fan shape. Is this the year the irises will finally get divided?

Rose Campion

The southern path is full of white rose campion, but none of the favored magenta-hued rose campion survived the winter.  Deadheading is a must if they are to continue to look attractive and to keep them from self-sowing so heavily.

The many Eastern Red Columbine is done for this year and needs to be cut back severely; it will maintain a nice green mound all summer.

Tradescantia is pretty now but needs to be thinned, as it has spread too widely. Many were sheared heavily ten days ago. The daylilies, the sweet peas–all overgrown.  The spirea finished its bloom weeks ago and should be pruned back hard to maintain its size. Other chores abound.  The fence installation was completed last week and paths to the gates need to be improved.

How to finish planting the meditation circle is still an interesting problem to solve, something to ponder while working on these maintenance tasks this week and contemplating transitions.

Rain. Rain.

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Rain. Rain. I stop short of asking this week’s soaking rains to go away, come again another day.  Here in central North Carolina, severe drought-stricken as we are, it would be imprudent to wish away the relief of water falling from the sky, but I do admit to a tiny bit of impatient foot tapping.

Meditation Garden

Soggy grass clumps fill the meditation circle

This week has been mostly a wash-out for making my meditation garden a reality. Chopping and removing grass from the 20-foot diameter circle are on hold.

Subfreezing lows earlier in the week brought sleet just a few miles up the road, but in this garden the unusually cold temperatures have not been the issue.  The impediment to achieving progress lately has been the rain: thunderstorms yesterday morning, more rain expected today.

Tuesday, chilly but sunny, was an exception to a week of soaking rains. Amazingly, that day the soil was dry enough to be able to work it and I set about to methodically chop up the clumps of fescue.  Originally I had thought I would leave the grass in the bed, but now have decided to remove and compost it.  The work is hard and time-consuming.

Assessing the progress achieved Tuesday after three hours of toiling, it is clear the pace is that of the tortoise, not the hare.  Yet the process, slow as it is, remains extremely satisfying. I have embraced the idea that developing my meditation garden can be taken as an opportunity and a journey. Eventually the digging will continue and one day the garden will be realized.  As with life, itself, it seems more important to notice and enjoy each moment than to simply speed along towards the end.

Elsewhere In the Garden

Irish Eyes Rudbeckia

Meanwhile the rest of the garden is responding well to this week’s rains.

The perennials look fresh and green.

The ‘Irish Eyes’ rudbeckia hirta did poorly last summer but seems to be back on track this year.

Echinacea (purple coneflower), monarda (bee balm), Rudbeckia hirta (Black-eyed Susan), Lychnis (Rose Campion), Tradescantia (spiderwort) and more are growing enthusiastically.

Catnip and Iris

The nepeta (catmint or catnip) has formed a strong, but gentle mound in front of tall drifts of irises.