Another Bazaar Treasure

It was hard to resist this cute little fellow who now peeks out among the hostas. 

I got him at this year's church sale.  And no, I don't think my garden has gotten

so many ornaments that it is tacky.

Wild Turkeys





We live on relatively quiet street in town with a little cross traffic.  The house and land across the street were sold a few years back with the idea of putting in a small subdivision.  The bad economy delayed this development and saved some grassy land for the time being.  Sometimes the house is rented, which interferes with the wild life.  Wild turkeys sometimes wander through when the house is quiet.



My husband caught this really clear picture of a wild turkey
 in our neighbor's yard a couple of years ago.

 



There were twenty-three in this group.  We have a video
 of them strolling across the yard in a marching line.





This gives an idea of how large a wild turkey is.



Hardy Begonias

A favorite late-summer flower is the hardy begonia.  It has pretty pink blossoms similar to a regular begonia, and its reddish leaves are also attractive.

 Perhaps its best quality is its self-sufficiency.  It comes back every year without any attention.  It spreads but with reserve, not overtaking the whole garden.  It comes back from the previous year's plants, but even more plants spring up all around from the seeds, which appear to have wings to move about. 

It really likes a shady spot and a bit of moisture, but it doesn't require pampering.The hardy begonia is another plant I received from my mother, who received it from a neighbor.

Coneflowers

The books call them echinacea, but they're really just the coneflower some one gave you.  It is very strong, spreading through your garden.  Its large seed attract butterflies and beautiful gold finches.  The label at the store  talks about the purple coneflower, but as you can see, it is really a rosy pink.  I bought a white one last year, but it is not as vigorous as the passalong one I have.

The herbal remedies book assigns it all sorts of powers from heart helps to dealing with female troubles.  The herbal medicine section offers the magic healing echinacea.

Sweet William

One of the most reliable and attractive flowers in the garden is the Sweet William, or dianthus.  It comes in alll colors and returns faithfully each year.  Its seeds wander through the garden and produce red, pink, rose, white, and mixed colors all around.  You need to be aware of its elongated leaves so you won't mistake it for a weed in the spring and pull it up.  It has made its way from garden to garden for years.

Chameleons

The chameleon is a kind of ground cover that is aptly named.  It has a variety of colors and tends to change over a period of time.  It has a rather translucent stem and dies back in the winter.  It comes back from the roots and has a tendency to spread if it has sufficient water.

This is a true example of a passalong plant.  Sheila up-the-street gave it to me.  Her mother got it from some one in Charlotte and gave it to her.  I don't recall ever seeing it in a garden shop.

Notice how the vine in front has changed from its bright colors to plain greeen.  This often happens.



Flower People

Flower people are special.   They come from all walks of life, from all age groups, rich or poor.  Every one likes a nice new perennial that costs very little or nothing.  Some one asked at my plant sale if I would take a check.  Yes, I would.  Flower people don't tend to write bad checks.  Flower people like to tell you about the strange new flower blooming in their yard and they want to ask you what will take care of that bug on their twig dogwood.  Incidentally, I am very inept at getting rid of visiting bugs and slugs.  I guess I can't tell whether to be ecologically correct or just go ahead and zap them. Plant people come up at WalMart and share plant experiences and tell about that plant they got from you --whether it is still growing and why it is spreading all over your yard.

My most surprising experience with a plant friend took place in a hospital twenty miles from home.  I was very apprehensively being prepped for surgery.  The lady comes to draw blood just before time for me to go off to sleep.  What are her encouraging words?  They were :   "I'm sorry I missed your plant sale last spring."  I felt better.  A friendly face when you don't expect it.

Rudbeckias

Ruddbekias seem to come in all sizes and all colors.  They also spread themselves, perhaps too vociferously, into all parts of the garden.  Most people call these black-eyed Susans.  They were not bought at the garden store, but were passed around for years from neighbor to neighbor.  They are blooming  all over right now. I found these pictures from last year.

Hummingbird Vine Again







The hummingbird vine, as we know it in North Carolina, dies back completely in winter.  Then in June thousands of little plants come up from seeds and wander all over the yard.  Florida gardeners call it the cyprus vine, but it is obvious from these pictures how it got its North Carolina name.  It grows very rapidly and my visiting children arrived one time after dark and thought a new tree had been planted in our flower bed.  This one is growing on a shepherd's crook.

 My friend Sheila, who gave me the vine several years ago, came by the other day and said she had lost her hummingbird vine.  Considering its wandering tendencies, I am not sure if she wants some seeds.

















Marguerite

I paid seventy-five cents for a sad little marguerite at Lowe's earlier in the summer.  With little water and attention, it has bloomed for a solid month and is still pretty.  It is a perennial so I hope to see it bloom the rest of the summer and again next year.

Sleepy Hot Summer

I couldn't resist this picture of the summer doldrums.  My grandson Alex, nine months old, dozes in his high chair while his other grandmother Kitty naps.  Also snoozing are Radar and Charlie.  My daughter-in-law Ginny saw a good opportunity for a picture when she came  in.

Another Church Bazaar Treasure

I got another interesting addition to my collection of whimsical garden art at this year's church bazaar.  The little bench is an old stove base I got at a yard sale several years ago.  It still can be used as a seat, but it is a little wobbly and not too comfortable.  Perhaps this boy and girl will be comfortable there as they read.

Quail



Recently ten quail came strolling through our yard.  They stayed
an hour or so,especially enjoying our bird feeders.
 Actually, my husband captured only nine and a half in this picture.






Quail are noted for their power of camouflage.  It is very difficult to see this quail.

  He blends in well with the background, a very important quality for protection.

 





Blackberry Lilies Again

The blackberry lilies bloomed in July and are now beginning to form seed pods.  The large green pods will ripen and form the blackberry-appearing seeds that cause it to be named the blackberry lily.  The seeds drop to the ground and come up in the spring.  The mother plant can also be divided into new plantings.

Naked Ladies

 Not many plants are more beautiful and elegant than naked ladies, or resurrection lilies.  They have thick green leaves in the spring.  This growth dies back completely and  these beautiful flowers emerge in late July. If the ground is too hard, these fragile stems may have trouble emerging.



 

This early spring growth will nearly double in
size before dying back completely.