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applestar
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Re: Flowers in bloom now

applestar wrote:Image

Whorled Milkweed Asclepias verticillata
Amsonia tabernaemontana blue star
Erigeron (fleabane?) -- I'm actually allergic to these, but DH must have thought they were pretty -- you can see he mowed all around it and left it standing in the grass near the shed :lol: He will also almost always leave flowers in the lawn unmowed, especially if there are bees working them.
Yellow Baptista has joined the party :wink:
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I thought I'd lost this plant. It hadn't shown up for the last couple of years -- well almost ...LAST year, I saw the round leaves and thought "wait a minute, could this possibly be...?" But it didn't bloom last year. NOW the three plants I planted together for this color effect are in synch. :-()

...it's kind of funny -- in this photo, the yucca flower stalks are not up yet, right? I can't see them. But just today, looking out of the window, I saw that they are up and already about 3 feet tall -- I've no idea when they showed up.

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Lindsaylew82
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Gardenias and Hydrangias
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And a poor picture of the cilantro. Was pretty breezy last night! (Of course AFTER I ran!)
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HoneyBerry
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applestar
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- Arrowwood Viburnum
- last of the Carolina Allspice blossoms with Arrowwood Viburnum in the background
(I've been WAITING to take this shot :() )
- Iris verrsicolor (Blue Flag Iris)

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rainbowgardener
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zinnias are blooming, bee balm and anise hyssop just starting. And I came back from being out of town between Thurs am and Sun night to find this;
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it is a volunteer from the bird seed. There are more like it (one of them almost twice the size!) that will be blooming soon.

oh and the new england aster has started to boom, even though it seems very early for it. I'll get a picture some time.

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Lindsaylew82
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HoneyBerry
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Here is how my beautiful perrennial looks now:
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applestar
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Beautiful and intriguing, isn't it? I had to cut/remove it because it was too close to a struggling Kamo eggplant and I was afraid this was taking up space and competing and was contributing to its stress :?

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I have a couple/few more, so it's OK. :wink:

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applestar
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Asclepias purpuria (purple milkweed). SusanW if you are reading this, I'm hoping they will set seeds now that I have a second plant blooming, though they are genetically identical so if the requirement is for cross pollinization rather than more than one flower cluster open at a time, then we still might not get any seeds.... :?
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pinksand
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Gorgeous applestar! I haven't seen the purple variety before. Very showy!

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applestar
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Yep. I really like it and have been trying to collect seeds so I can grow more, not just vegetatively (though it IS starting to spread with a third stalk coming up) but so far this one hasn't formed any seed pods -- and if you grow any species of milkweed, you know that's not normal. I wonder if I'm misidentifying it and it's actually some kind of a hybrid? But I'm pretty sure I got this one at a native plant sale. :?


...I took another picture today, with some visitors :D

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LIcenter
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Asclepias purpurascens - Purple Milkweed
According to this site, it takes a good three years to get them established due to no rhizomes. Might have to add this to my gardens because of it being able to handle part shade. I am very limited on full sun, and this just might fit the bill. A lovely plant applestar!

https://monarchbutterflygarden.net/milkw ... -milkweed/

HoneyBerry
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Susan W
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My curiosity perked with the lovely Purple Milkweed. It's reported to be native to the Eastern US, a good thing. Seeds? another issue! I followed the dots to a source for the seeds. EBay, $1/seed. (that's bulk price for 15 seeds).

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applestar
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Well, it's good to know they do make seeds. Sorry I haven't able to supply them Susan -- I meant to give you some as return for your generous gift.

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Lindsaylew82
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LIcenter
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Lindsay, is that a swallowtail chrysalis on the left stem of that plant, or is it part of something else?

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Lindsaylew82
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LIcenter wrote:Lindsay, is that a swallowtail chrysalis on the left stem of that plant, or is it part of something else?
No, I think it's just the edge of a cucumber leaf contrasting against the shaded area below. Big Kid would LOVE it if we had swallowtails!

I'm not really sure what's going on this year with butterflies and moths. I usually have a fair amount of them swarming my Lantana and marigolds. I'm not seeing them at all. We have their hosts! I'm starting to think this drought is affecting them... (I'm not complaining about the lack of hornworms though...) ;)

LIcenter
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Same here on the lack of butterfly's. The hummer population is also very low this year.

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applestar
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I can't say about hummer "population" since we generally only have ones and twos visiting at a time this time of the year, and there WERE two chasing each other day before yesterday.

Butterflies -- hmm -- I'm starting to see our regulars ... Red Admiral, Fritillary, Hairstreaks, Silver Spotter Skippers, Tiger Swallowtails, ... I *might* have seen a Monarch the other day -- it was flying too fast to ID for sure which is usually a sign of the first scouts. They might be a little later than usual. Fireflies are finally starting to gather in numbers, and I'm sure they should have started their light show by late (3rd week) June.

Do you know if your local municipality might have sprayed for one of the pest moths? -- Gypsy moth, Tent caterpillar, etc.? I cringe every time people band together and clamor for the city to spray.

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Lindsaylew82
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I would hope that they would send out notification of that first! Wow that would really tick me off if I found that to be true... :evil:

We've been seeing bumblebee moths, SSS, and TONS of cabbage moths.... Going after the radishes (but bypassing the nasturtiums that are tucked down below the huge squash and zucchini canopies, blooming ferociously!)

Big Kid got to stay up late Friday night as a treat, and we caught 12 lightening bugs in 15 minutes! We released them around the garden. It was so much fun!

We have never seen Monarch here, but we get swallowtails usually. Not seeing them....

Not really seeing many squash bugs this year either...(DEFINITELY NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT THAT EITHER!!!)

LIcenter
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applestar wrote:Do you know if your local municipality might have sprayed for one of the pest moths? -- Gypsy moth, Tent caterpillar, etc.? I cringe every time people band together and clamor for the city to spray.
Our town does not do any spraying with the exception of mosquitos in the boggy areas. The private sprayers are using garlic juice on the Gypsy moth cats, which is very effective. Not too many Tent cats this year in my local area.

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applestar
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Astilbe are starting to bloom. I have an upright kind and the drooping kind with staggered blooming time to extend the season. I think the drooping kind is the Ostrich Plume, but I can't remember the name of the upright kind. I got them both from White Flower Farm ages ago, I think. Maybe they still list it....

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Lindsaylew82
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Since I posted that about the swallowtails, I have since seen two, on the lantana! I don't blame them for steering clear of the big garden! If I saw that buzzing mess of foliage, I'd be scared too!

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applestar
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Subject: Spring
applestar wrote:Yep. The mini's and jonquils come up first. The minis are fragrant, too, and were holding up their heads better after heavy rain when I took the photo a couple of days ago. My minis were originally a little Easter gift flower in a 4" pot -- I planted them after Easter and they have spread. :D

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My volunteer yellow peach is already blooming -- the grafted cultivar peach is only just starting to show pinkness in the buds (I took photos but they aren't much to look at :P )
This is one of the European plum trees DH keeps saying he wants to cut down....
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pinksand
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So I'm a little behind, but had to share nonetheless...

Some blooms from April
Camellia Japonica 'April Rose' - I planted this last summer and got to enjoy these blooms from late March through the end of April this spring!
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My shade garden is coming together slowly as I pull out daydallies and Lilly of the valley and replace them with more interesting things like this brunera 'Jack Frost,' foam flower tiarella 'Pink Skyrocket,' and epimedium. This variety of foam flower blooms significantly longer than any other in my garden... this photo was from early April and it still has new blooms pushing through mid May. Since this photo was taken I've added a 'Sugar and Spice' tiarella and an unknown variety I got from a plant exchange. I've also added another epimedium and plan to add more brunera as I make more space.
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I thought I'd lost my foxglove as it hasn't done anything for 2 years, but I should have known better with this biennial... it's ALL over this year, but it's so beautiful I don't mind right now!
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tomf
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Nice this year is not going to be the big Foxglove year here, you already have them in flower, cool.

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rainbowgardener
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Lovely, pinksand. Eventually, when I am done building gardens, I want to make a shade garden here in my shady back corner. The brunnera Jack Frost almost glows in the shade!

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applestar
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- Turk's Cap Lily
- close-up of Turk's cap
- Asiatic Lily -- probably a scale from a bulb that somehow survived the chipmunk and groundHOG and apparently has been fattening up behind the a/c unit until it was able to bloom. I haven't seen one of these in 4 or 5 years, I think.

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applestar
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Purple Milkweed again. So pretty - I really wish it would set seeds. :?

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I was wearing a red shirt and heard a loud droning sound overhead, accompanied by chittering commotion -- looked up and a disgruntled hummingbird was yelling at me for misleading her. :lol:

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I still haven't figured out how to upload pictures from my phone and windows 10 won't recognize my camera but right now in bloom I have virea (tropical rhodies), butterfly bush, agapanthus, daylilies, coreopsis, alyssum, pelargoniums, and some of the lavendins are also blooming now. The rainbow and golden shower trees are also in bloom.
I have a pink vireya similar to this one.
https://c8.alamy.com/comp/EW79GY/cluster ... EW79GY.jpg

Golden and Rainbow shower trees are planted in parks and along streets in Hawaii. They bloom in summer.
https://soniatasteshawaii.typepad.com/.a ... 0c1970c-pi
https://www.hawaiinavigator.com/stock/pr ... _tree.jpeg

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Wow. Great colors Everyone. Really lovely.
To post pictures you must tap in the tab for upload.

Since our Zone 7b monsoon rains this gaura is a favorite behind some lavender.
Grows so well in desert heat once established. Tender shoots can be damaged by rabbits but once the stems get tough nothing seems to eat them.
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pinksand
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My 'Winter's Snowman' camellia is blooming for the first time :-()

The blooms are so big and bright that they can be easily seen from my kitchen! I definitely tried to plant it somewhere that I could actually enjoy the blooms.

The bees seem to be enjoying the blooms as well! Each open bloom contained a bee.
Camellia-Winter's Snowman-sm.jpg

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rainbowgardener
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Beautiful! My brand new baby camellia has buds all over it, so I am hopeful it will bloom this year.

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applestar
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VIOLETS :D

The patch of intensely fragrant violets that had been descimated several years ago when the neighbor sprayed herbicide over the fence is finally regaining ground. Also, when they went to seed, I scattered them in my front doorstep garden and they have formed approx 1ft sq patch of lovely purple blossoms just off the front porch.

Even a tiny sprig of 1/2doz blossoms scent the room as they dry. I have some in one of those little sampler jam/honey jars by the bed. I gathered about 1/2cup today. I’m thinking of harvesting more and making violet oil or hydrosol or maybe violet syrup.....

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rainbowgardener
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violets, dandelions, spring beauty, purple dead nettle, and the things I started from seed, including salvia and impatiens. AND the apple trees! :)

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rainbowgardener
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And I just discovered my Florida anise planted last year is blooming.

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Trying to identify this amazing spring blue wildflower. Zone 5- Northern Illinois. Sure has spread, and the effect is eye catching!
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rainbowgardener
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I think it is squill. If so, it is not a native wildflower, it is an invasive exotic.

"This is a classic case of gardening gone awry. Siberian Squill was brought to this country as an ornamental and is still sold in Minnesota and elsewhere, but it has also escaped into the wild and become invasive. It readily spreads itself and is difficult to get rid of, as broken roots often resprout. It is very hardy and cold tolerant, and is left untouched by critters from voles to deer. Sadly, the same traits that make it attractive as a garden plant (besides the vivid color) are also what make it invasive. Large colonies of squill can be seen in the eastern counties of the state, from Duluth to Rochester. There is even an infestation at the University of Minnesota St Paul campus, just a block away from the Bell Herbarium. It is currently unknown how far west its range has expanded... Please, all you gardeners out there: stop planting this. Spring blooming native species with blue flowers you might plant instead are Hepatica (Hepatica nobilis), bluebells (Mertensia virginica or M. paniculata), blue phlox (Phlox divaricata) or any number of native violets. Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia) could provide bell-shaped blue flowers for the rest of the season." https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/f ... ian-squill

sandman900ss
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Yes, that's absolutely it. I appreciate the response and subsequent education!



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