June into July 2014: Mulleins, meadowrues, and a few more

Our wren house was vacant this spring, but a pair have moved in to raise a late brood-- over Digitalis grandiflora, Verbascum chaixii album, and butterflyweed, Asclepias tuberosum.

The driveway bed got stone stone edging this spring, but still straggles out into the gravel with a fringe of oxeye daisies. Two kinds of mulleins show here, Verbascum chaixii album on the right, and an apparent hybrid that turns up here between Verbascum chaixii and Verbascum thapsus (the tall common mullein), intermediate in habit between the two and very long blooming-- those are on the left, with purple Tradescantia 'Concord Grape' between.

Another of our homegrown hybrid mulleins, leaning over the garden steps

Homegrown hybrid mullein, close

Verbascum chaixii album and butterflyweed, Asclepias tuberosum

The driveway bed, largely renovated last year, with its new stone edging added this spring. More mulleins, including a couple well-fed common mulleins (Verbascum thapsus).

The pale yellow of the small yellow foxglove, Digitalis lutea, at the lower right

Bright orange butterflyweed, Asclepias tuberosa, in the gravel of the entry courtyard, backed by Verbascum chaixii album, the long lasting chartreuse bracts of Euphorbia seguieriana var. niciciana-- and brighter chartreuse from the foliage of Spiraea thubergii 'Ogon' in the driveway bed behind.

Tradescantia 'Concord Grape' (in the driveway bed) was supposed to be sterile, and perhaps on its own it was nearly so. Ever since I planted Tradescantia subaspera (another tradescantia that doesn't self-sow too generously on its own) in the nearby big island bed, we get a lot more seedlings. They are mostly a nuisance, but I've been watching this volunteer in the gravel of the entry courtyard for a couple years for its astonishingly brilliant magenta color, backed here by a dwarf golden barberry.

Digitalis grandiflora, the yellow foxglove, the most reliably perennial of our foxgloves

We grew a big batch of the small yellow foxglove, Digitalis lutea, from seed last year, after long enjoying it in a friend's garden. The chartreuse shrub is Spirea thunbergii 'Ogon'.

Biennial Digitalis lanata, the aptly named woolly foxglove

The circular terrace stonework left small planting pockets around a paving stone, where the usually quiet Sedum spurium 'John Creech' is having its moment.

Thalictrum lucidum, shining meadow rue, in the fenced garden

Another meadow rue in the fenced garden. This closeup of Thalictrum 'Elin' was taken on a short, young, recently acquired plant. We would need a stepladder to photograph the flowers  near the top or our other plant. Hybrid vigor carries them to seven or eight foot heights here, even higher in some gardens.

'Elin' is our largest meadowrue, Thalictrum kiusianum by far the smallest, here between paving stones in the shade of a chair in the fenced garden. Chartreuse leaves of Filipendula ulmaria 'Aurea' loom over the tiny but long blooming meadowrue. 

The fenced garden bench offers shade to a dwarf blue hosta, Hosta 'Blue Mouse Ears'. David really likes the big blue hostas, but we have found moist shade enough for just a few little ones. Sedum rupestre is to the right, sweet violets and another small meadowrue, Thalictrum ichangense, barely visible to the left.

My favorite tuffet in the fenced garden, the very blue Hosta 'Gemstone'

Tanacetum macrophyllum in the fenced garden

Spigelia marylandica in the fenced garden. The interiors of the scarlet flowers can be either yellow or chartreuse. Here, their chartreuse picks up the foliage color of Tanacetum 'Isla Gold'.

Spigelia marylandica, this one yellow and scarlet, leaning over the dark and dependable foliage of Hosta villosa atropurpurea.

Heliopsis helianthoides starting to bloom in the meadow to either side of a path to the fenced garden

Bluebirds are raising a second brood in the tallest of the folly birdhouses, and sometimes pause as finials. Pale purple coneflowers, Echinacea pallida, bloom in the meadow beneath the houses.

Pale purple coneflowers, Echinacea pallida

Pale purple coneflowers, Echinacea pallida seem to change color with the evening light.

We didn't do well with the fancy hybrid echinaceas when they first arrived, but a hybrid that turned up here, apparently between Echinacea tenneseensis and Echinacea purpurea, grows well, with graceful, long stems and vivid, lasting flowers-- if our goldfinches are not too eager.

A late blooming iris pleasure in the big island bed, Iris 'Akira Horinaka'. It is a hybrid between one of the Japanese irises, Iris ensata, and the American blue flag, Iris versicolor.

Veroncastrum 'Lavendelturm' with Euphorbia schillingii in the big island bed

Coming soon...

The Calycanthus Collection

Vining Clematis

Non-vining Clematis