Flowers and Plants

Tiger Swallowtail on Milkweed

Photograph taken on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 by Henry
Tiger Swallowtail on Milkweed

Tiger Swallowtail on Milkweed

I stopped at the Croyden Creak Nature Center again this afternoon. I took a picture of Joe Pye weed here two weeks ago (see Wednesday, June 16, 2021) and wanted to see if it had started to bloom. It really hadn’t but it’s getting close. I walked around and took a few pictures, anyway, including a few of this eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly (Papilio glaucus) enjoying the swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata). There was also a nice buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) in bloom. It has spherical clusters of tiny flowers that like little pincushions.

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Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Photograph taken on Sunday, June 27, 2021 by Henry
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

While not a native, common yarrow (Achillea millefolium) was introduced to North America in colonial times, and has since naturalized throughout the United States. It’s considered by some to be an invasive weed, although we’ve never had a lot of luck with it surviving in our garden. This specimen is a cultivar being grown in the Master Gardener’s demonstration garden at the Agricultural History Farm Park and it’s a lovely color. It certainly makes me interested in giving it another try. There are paler versions, as well and some really nice yellows. We have plenty of yellows, though, so I think I might go for something like this.

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Eutrochium purpureum (Joe Pye Weed)

Photograph taken on Wednesday, June 16, 2021 by Henry
Eutrochium purpureum (Joe Pye Weed)

Eutrochium purpureum (Joe Pye Weed)

I stopped at the Croyden Creek Nature Center on the way home, figuring there might be something to photograph there. The swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) was just starting to bloom and I took a few pictures of that with bees on it. Around the other side of the nature center there was some Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum) coming up. It’s a native, herbaceous perennial and I find it sort of humorous that garden centers actually are able to sell it, since it grows wild around here. I don’t know who Joe Pye was but I’ve seen one story that he was a Native American medicine man who used the plant for various treatments. Anyway, I was attracted to the symmetry of the leaves and the way the light was shining on them at the top of the stem.

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Platycodon grandiflorus (Balloon Flower)

Photograph taken on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 by Henry
Platycodon grandiflorus (Balloon Flower)

Platycodon grandiflorus (Balloon Flower)

A few weeks ago we went to Stadler’s with our friend Yvette to buy a few plants for her. She wanted to plant something in memory of her nephew and wanted something blue. She settled on a balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus), which is actually more blue to the eye than it appears here. It’s a really pretty perennial that should do well as long as it’s got the right amount of water. We bought one, too, and have it in a container outside our front door, greeting us with these big, sky blue flowers, and reminding us of Jack, as well. It’s native to the northern far-east and is quite hardy and easily grown. The only thing to watch out for is wet or poorly-drained soils (which is why growing it in a container is easier for us).

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Nigella damascena (Love-In-A-Mist)

Photograph taken on Saturday, May 29, 2021 by Henry
Nigella damascena (Love-In-A-Mist)

Nigella damascena (Love-In-A-Mist)

We were out at Rocklands this morning with Dorothy for their chick-rental pick-up. I took a walk at one point to take some pictures of Anna’s flowers. It was a wet, cool day and there isn’t a lot in bloom at the moment but the love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena) was blooming. The flowers are a lovely shade of pale blue and I think it’s even prettier in the rain, with water droplets on the various flower parts. This is a very hardy annual, growing well up to USDA Hardiness Zone 2, although it’s only native to northern Africa and southern Europe.

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Mahonia (Oregon Grape Holly)

Photograph taken on Sunday, May 23, 2021 by Henry
Mahonia (Oregon Grape Holly)

Mahonia (Oregon Grape Holly)

In the shade garden at the Agricultural Farm Park there are a couple mahonia shrubs. I have mixed feelings about mahonia. On the one hand, I they seem course and rough to me, and in that way, not terribly attractive. On the other hand, they sometimes have pretty nice leaf color, as well as very attractive berries, as seen here. I really like the berries. The flowers are bright yellow and fragrant, which is another thing in their favor. I think if I had a larger garden, I’d have some, but as it is, I’ll just enjoy it where I see it. Some species are native to northern North America while others are native to the far east.

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Rosa davurica (Amur Rose)

Photograph taken on Saturday, May 22, 2021 by Henry
Rosa davurica (Amur Rose)

Rosa davurica (Amur Rose)

Back in April of 2005 I planted 29 species roses in a bed I prepared on our property in Pennsylvania. Sadly, many of them did not survive, but there are a few that are still holding on and two that are actually thriving. This is one of those. It is, I think, Rosa davurica although the garden is in such bad shape, it’s not exactly clear where each rose should be. This rose has formed a small mound of plants about four feet tall and it is very happy. It’s absolutely covered with blooms and is quite lovely.

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Peony ‘Coral Sunset’

Photograph taken on Saturday, May 22, 2021 by Henry
Peony ‘Coral Sunset’

Peony ‘Coral Sunset’

It’s peony time here. I love peonies and it’s a little surprising I haven’t planted more than I have. We have a few on the south end of the house that were here when we moved in. This one, planted in our back garden near the fence, is the only other one we have and I planted three of them in 2014. One thing about peonies is they take a while to really get established. Once they do, of course, they are hard to beat. Even a small plant like these, which only produce one or two blooms each, are pretty amazing, though. I really like this one, called ‘Coral Sunset’. I also love the fact that I caught a little potter or mason wasp hovering near it.

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Rose ‘Perle d’Or’

Photograph taken on Friday, May 21, 2021 by Henry
Rose ‘Perle d’Or’

Rose ‘Perle d’Or’

It’s rose time. This little China rose, ‘Perle d’Or’, bred by Joseph Rambaux in 1884, is putting on a fabulous show right now. Especially on warm, humid days like we’ve been having, the fragrance hangs in the air all around the bush. You don’t need to get close, it’s wonderful. This first flush is, of course, the best we get from it all year. Nevertheless, it will have flowers on it pretty reliably until well into the fall. It’s not a big bush but it’s as big as it’s ever been and it probably needs to be pruned back a bit, but certainly not right now.

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‘Tulip’ Flower

Photograph taken on Thursday, May 20, 2021 by Henry
Tulip Tree Flower

Tulip Tree Flower

Another from today. After we left the peony garden, Cathy and I drove around in the park and took another walk down by the lake. The tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera, also known as yellow poplars) are in bloom and their flowers, while not as showy as some, are still quite pretty when seen in good light. The trees are quite large, commonly reaching 60 to 90 feet, and the flowers are often not easily seen from the ground. This one was situated well and I was able to get a good photo of it. They really are quite pretty and you can see why it’s called a tulip tree.

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Schwartz Peony Garden

Photograph taken on Thursday, May 20, 2021 by Henry
Schwartz Peony Garden

Schwartz Peony Garden

Cathy and I decided to go to the Schwartz Peony Garden in Seneca Creek State Park. We met Dorothy there and had a great time enjoying the flowers. There were only a few folks there when we arrived, although two of them were a camera crew from a local TV affiliate. The ‘formal’ garden—which isn’t terribly formal, but comparatively speaking—is really something and of course we spent a good while there. But we also really enjoy the informal field that’s got many, many more peonies growing throughout it. You’ll probably want to wear long trousers, socks, and shoes if you are going to wander there, especially if you plan to get off the paths at all. There’s a bit of poison ivy to watch out for. But it’s worth it. The flowers are amazing. We all agree that the darker colored flowers are generally our favorites, regardless of if they are single, with only a few petals or very double. But we also like some of the others. They’re all nice, actually.

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Lewisia cotyledon

Photograph taken on Tuesday, May 18, 2021 by Henry
Lewisia cotyledon

Lewisia cotyledon

Cathy and I went for a short walk in the neighborhood this evening. It was getting dark but I carried my camera with me anyway. I had the flash, so I was able to take a few photos. None of them are what I’d describe as great pictures, but this is a little interesting. It is (I’m pretty sure) Lewisia cotyledon, also known as Siskiyou lewisia or cliff maids. It’s an alpine plant native to northern California and southern Oregon and it’s growing in a container near our neighbor’s mail box.

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Cicada on Blue-eyed Grass

Photograph taken on Saturday, May 15, 2021 by Henry
Cicada on Blue-eyed Grass

Cicada on Blue-eyed Grass

The cicadas (Magicicada species) of Brood X are beginning to emerge from their 17-year subterranean sojourn. Interestingly, this one, near the base of a large oak tree, is one of only a few at this site. Another oak tree at the other end of the yard is absolutely covered with them. I suspect I’ll have a few more photos before their visit comes to an end but I thought for at least one photo I’d include some flowers to brighten what is otherwise a sort of ugly bug. Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) is something of a weed around our yard, but it’s at least a pretty weed.

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Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis)

Photograph taken on Wednesday, May 12, 2021 by Henry
Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis)

Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis)

The lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) is in full bloom right now. We have a large patch of it in the back yard and then smaller patches in a few other places. This is growing near the front corner of our house and it’s very happy. One thing about lily of the valley, at least for us, is that it seems to want to move. That is, the clump or colony spreads and the tail edge dies back, so the whole colony migrates over time. I’m not sure what, if anything, can be done about that.

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Bleeding Heart and Siberian Bugloss

Photograph taken on Sunday, May 09, 2021 by Henry
Bleeding Heart and Siberian Bugloss

Bleeding Heart and Siberian Bugloss

After going to Fehr’s Nursery in Burtonsville, we stopped for lunch as a Cuban place on the way home. We could have picked a better day for it, as it was jammed for Mothers Day and it took us over an hour to get sandwiches. We’ll probably give them another try on a less busy day, but it was a bit off-putting. We drove to Woodlawn Manor and ate our sandwiches in the shade of one of their lovely trees. Then we walked around and I took a few photos, including a couple of the bleeding heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) and Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla, similar to forget-me-not) growing together under an America holly (Ilex opaca). Quite pretty, don’t you think?

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Clematis

Photograph taken on Wednesday, May 05, 2021 by Henry
Clematis

Clematis

We took a walk in the neighborhood this evening and I took this photo of a clematis growing on a mailbox a few blocks over. Whether you pronounce it KLE-ma-tas or kle-MA-tas, it’s a pretty thing. We have a few of them but none are doing exceptionally well. One doesn’t get enough sun (it was there when we bought the house and we talk about moving it but so far it hasn’t happened). Another was overshadowed by a rose bush. The rose is gone now but the clematis needs a bit more support than it has.

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Shady Grove Steeple

Photograph taken on Sunday, May 02, 2021 by Henry
Shady Grove Steeple

Shady Grove Steeple

We started going to church in person today. We went twice last year, when the services were outdoors and with the weather being so nice, we started again today. We plan on making it a regular thing. Although we’ve become a bit accustomed to our stay-at-home Sunday routine, we felt we needed to get out with people a bit more. It was a lovely day and there were a pair of hawks circling the church for a while. I had my camera with me and after the service, I took a few pictures, mostly of the rhododendrons blooming in the woods to the south of the church. With the flowers in the shade and the steeple in the sun, it was a little tricky to get this picture, but I think it turned out pretty well. On the way home from church we stopped at Lake Needwood and I took more pictures of our native Piedmont or mountain azaleas (Rhododendron canescens) in the woods there.

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Columbine

Photograph taken on Friday, April 30, 2021 by Henry
Purple Columbine

Purple Columbine

This columbine (Aquilegia) is growing in a container just outside our front door. It’s a almost certainly a hybrid of some sort but I really don’t know anything about its parentage. It’s a pretty, pale purple color that looks especially nice in the shade. The purple goes very well with the bright yellow centers. Any time you can combine purple and yellow, it’s a winner. These are very hardy plants and grow in relatively poor conditions, which makes the ideal for a garden, especially in a shady spot.

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Bluebells with Rob and Susie

Photograph taken on Sunday, April 18, 2021 by Henry
Bluebells with Rob and Susie

Bluebells with Rob and Susie

We met up with our good friends, Rob and Susie today and went for about a three mile walk through the woods. We were heading towards where we knew there would be Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) and it was a lovely walk. We came upon a patch of yellow trout lilies (Erythronium americanum) as seen on Saturday, May 15, 2021. We had to walk further than I expected to get to the bluebells and we could have parked closer, but the walk through the woods was really nice, so it wasn’t a waste.

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Lavandula pinnata

Photograph taken on Saturday, April 17, 2021 by Henry
Lavandula pinnata

Lavandula pinnata

We met our newlywed friends Josh and Lizzie today for lunch. It was, we think, the first time we’ve eaten in a restaurant since the Covid lock down started. We sat outside and though it was a little cool, it was really nice to be able to sit and visit with them. On the way home we stopped at Fehr’s Nursery, mostly just to look around rather than to buy anything this time. I like this little lavender (Lavandula pinnata, sometimes called fern leaf lavender). It’s apparently a native to southern Madeira and the Canary Islands and I’m not sure how hardy it is, but it’s a pretty thing.

The lavender we have in our front garden, Lavandula stoechas ‘Anouk Supreme’, is starting to come back to life. I think we probably should have trimmed it before it started to grow, so it may not have as many blooms on it this year as it did last. It put on quite a show last year and I’d like to figure out the proper care so we can get that more regularly.

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