Wildflower Wed...Thursday

I don't always remember the postings for special memes -- Bloom Day is always on the 15th, Foliage Follow-up is the 16th and Wildflower Wednesday is the fourth Wednesday of the month.  If I am lucky I remember to do the Bloom Day posting. Yesterday was Wildflower Wednesday...oops.   Well Gail, the hostess of Wildflower Wednesday said the post is up all week, meaning I could still add my post to the list.
This morning I went out in my bathrobe to get some morning light photos of some of my native wildflowers/ plants.  We live out in the boonies, I could go out in my birthday suit and nobody would notice.  In my front yard are some of my wonderful native grasses, some of which are starting to bloom.  I love these seed heads.  In front of my well is Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoah'.  It has been a great performer, this year the red stems are more vibrant.

The seed heads are just starting to emerge.

This is a clump of three.  Nice soft edge of the rocks that line the driveway.

On the other side of the driveway was a compacted, graveled, soil-scraped mess.  We added some grasses to help slow the water as it rolled down the hill.   These native grasses have survived nicely, though some spots are doing better than others.  I originally bought 7 Schizachyrium scoparium 'The Blues' and divided them as I planted, going for bonus plantings.  I think last time I counted there were a dozen still growing.

I like the blue tones of this grass, wonderful soft hues.  Along the bank I have some junipers planted, this is the year they should 'leap'.

Along the driveway up closer to the street is one of my Hydrangea quercifolia shrubs.  This is such a super plant.  I have this one in a spot that it will be able to grow to it's full potential.

For those who were cheering for the Passion vine, it has popped up a few feet from where the other one had  been.   The Sassafras tiny tree is still doing well, so this is a win-win.

In the backyard I have more color.  The morning light makes these Gaillardia sparkle.  Think I will encourage more of these babies in the coming years.

Just down the hill a little is another yellow/orange bloom.  Helenium 'Mardi Gras', I love how the blooms vary so much depending on how long they have been open.  I had to remove one of these plants last year as I found some Aster yellows had infected the plant.  So far I haven't seen any evidence on the others. I did buy one to replace the infected one.  I really like the fragrance on this bloom.

Aren't the petals beautiful?  The pollinators are wild about it too!

Speaking of fragrance......Clethra alnifolia 'Vanilla Spice' is just starting to bloom.  I have four of these shrubs in the garden,  bought five and can't for the life of me figure out from where the fifth one disappeared.  This moth was still napping.  Later in the afternoon the fragrance is a lot stronger.  Funny how the fragrance is different at different times during the day.   

This one is blooming more than the other three.  One of the others is sending out some new sprouts, forming a bit of a colony.  As the others bloom, the garden is filled with wonderful scents.  If you don't have a Clethra in your garden, you should!!

I have learned a lot from Gail's postings on native plants, as well as many of the participants in her Wildflower Wednesdays.    Be sure to stop by!


©Copyright 2012 Janet. All rights reserved. Content created by Janet for The Queen of Seaford. words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.