Friday, June 25, 2010

Got Milkweed?

I'm STILL waiting for my formal decision letter from the Zoning Board of Appeals. They say it takes "about" 30 days. Today is Day 29. Once I get that letter, I can take the "Public Notice" sign off my door (which most people think means my house has been condemned) but then I have to wait 20 more days to allow someone the opportunity to appeal.

My contractor is going to see if he can get a demo permit so we can at least peel back the layers and see what's underneath. Until that happens, what lies beneath is anyone's guess and it would be nice to get a better idea of what I've gotten myself into.

In the meantime, there's not much I can do but enjoy summer. The garden is just about at it's peak. When I started the garden two summers ago, There were a couple of milk weed plants that kept coming up by the back corner of the garden.
I eventually kind of let them go and on July 4th, a woman walked down the little alleyway when I was sitting on the back porch and said, "Oh, I LOVE milkweed; it smells WONDERFUL! And how nice you leave it here for the butterflies." I thanked her and couldn't wait for her to leave so I could go get a whiff for myself. She was right. Not only does it smell great but it also seems to attract Monarch butterflies. So now I leave these two plants until after they've bloomed. I kind of like how the flowers look in contrast to the japanese maple.

I also like the white daisies in front of the dark red of the maple.

And here are those odd double daisies that appeared last year. I thought they were gone but I'm happy to see they're back. I'm going to try to save some seeds to see if I can get more to grow.

Behind the echinacea is yarrow "Cerise Queen." It spreads fairly vigorously but it pulls out really easily. It comes in this bright pink...

...this very pale pink, almost white...

...and this amazing deep ruby red. There are only two little plants that bloom in this color but I'm hoping to let this one spread so I can move it to a few other places in the garden.

This is one of my day lilies. It's a melon color--I can't remember the name--and the flowers are HUGE.

Here's a shot of the sunny end of the garden.

And check out the tomato plant on my porch!

You'll probably not hear too much from me until the house is being stripped so enjoy the summer weather and have a safe and happy July 4th.

11 comments:

  1. Your garden is lovely. Our day lilies haven't even got buds on them yet. I love picket fences, they give me a feeling that everything is tucked in safe and sound. Hope you get all the legalities over with soon.

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  2. Thanks for sharing your garden. Lovely. Hope you hear back soon. Looking forward to getting an update. Happy Summer!

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  3. Love it all . . . the rainbow of flowers, the red brick walk, the white picket fence, the white porch railing. A little bit of paradise.

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  4. Your flowers are all so pretty. What a lovely garden.

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  5. hi steve,

    love all the flowers you've got going. love the variety of yarrow too. mine is prolific right now. daylilies, ditto. actually my garden looks a lot like yours right now. have a great summer. i may be taking a blogging break too.

    ~janet

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  6. Hi Steve!
    I'm amazed at how mature your garden is after just two summers! You picked the perfect plants to compliment one another and how charming is that brick pathway! I would love a path through my gardens but then I think about all the work that would entail ~
    The lillies are beautiful -I've never seen that color before, just the normal bright orange weed variety.
    I'm anxious to hear what the zoning dept says. You definately need a front porch to compliment the pretty side yard.
    Enjoy your break and I look forward to seeing the changes you make this summer!
    Be safe and have fun!

    Sarah

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  7. Very pretty! I have to say my favorites are the mutant daisies. Wonder how they got that way?
    Hope all goes well in the next phase of your project. Enjoy your break - and your garden!

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  8. Love your blog, but I think you've got Joe Pye Weed, not Milkweed. Milkweed's leaves are thicker and waxy.

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  9. It's milkweed (Joe Pye Weed's leaves are smaller and narrower). And yes, it is a very important food source for butterflies. Monarchs, in particular, need milkweed; it is the sole nutritional source for the Monarch caterpillar. If you want butterflies (I do!), plant some butterflyweed, too. It's a larval food for Monarchs.

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  10. ... and you are a gardener too!!! this is just great!!!!!

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