Creation Garden Roll Call - Heavy Rains Help

 

Borage is called bee bread, for providing so much food for the insects.
They form seed easily and re-seed the garden. Growing some will increase the beneficial insect population.

We had more rain yesterday, after the mowing. Ranger Bob brought over a bunch of iris blooms for Christina, and we had coffee on the porch. Sassy Sue has an official spot where she made her bed of leaves and grass. She likes to listen and bark out orders for treats.

The new plants coming up, greening up, and blooming are:

1. Roses - budding and blooming, most of the rainbow clearance roses are looking strong and good.
2. Joe Pye Weeds - are just starting to rise from their winter quarters .
3. Alium - grown up and opening the flowers.
4. Grape Hyacinth - are finishing their blooming season.
5. Clethra - leafed out in a few days, lightly pruned for faster growth.
6. Dandelions - their seed parachutes are used by hummingbirds, which are sipping from the five (5) feeders. 
7. Shasta Daisies - are slowly forming the plant but not budding yet.
8. Yarrow - are robust in the butterfly garden (meaning - could be a pest in the future).
9. Comfrey - is very robust in the butterfly garden. Cousin borage below.
10. Cousin borage - is blooming from last year's seed drop, very tall.
11. Lilies, which seemed to die underground last year, are now growing well. 
12. Cat mint has turned into a large patch of luminous tiny purple flowers for the bees.
13. Likewise, bee balm has formed larger patches than last year and is about to bloom.
14. Ajuga weed has almost finished its attempted takeover of the garden.
15. Wild strawberries have bloomed and will soon have fruit for the birds and squirrels all summer.
16. Ten maple trees were growing in on small space, looking suspiciously like a squirrel food bank. They were uprooted.
17. Ivy pulled some tall grass weeds while they were staying. She wants a garden.
18. I planted hosta, more hosta, lambs ear, and astilbe - all for the shade garden in back.

The fragrance of Clethra is sweet and cinnamon. Some call it Sweet Spice or Summer Sweet. Butterflies and bees love it, and garden visitors enjoy catching that Cinnabon aroma, as if coming from a bakery at rush hour.