One From Here and One From There

The Trumpet Vine, which is said to attract hummingbirds from North America and the Russian Sage from the steppes far away, whose spikes of small purple flowers look to me like bees might be attracted to. Both are pretty fierce plants in their own way, formidable survivors.

Almost

It's just gonna be a little bit longer for these North American summer bloomers.

Because Almost Everyone (but not Madonna) Loves Hydrangeas

The bumblebees especially seemed to be digging the lacecap hydrangeas this weekend. The tiny blue flowers seemed to make this hydrangea the "it" plant of the moment for pollinators, with too many bumble bees visiting just one blooming plant to count.

It's hydrangea season. Makes me want to make a bouquet.

Rock Planters Rock!

Or at least this rock with a dwarf conifer planted in it sure does. 

What Did the Birches Say to the Zebra and the Giraffe?

"You ain't got nothing on us!"

And a passing squirrel and I agreed.

Some Summertime Blues You Don't Need a Cure For Anyway

Above, a Mahonia's strange fruit, which reminds me more of an old-fashioned almond candy you might see as a little wedding favor, than a grape. And below, the small blue flowers of the lace-cap hydrangea.

Summer's Snowangel & TreeGhost

What?! You say you have never seen a summer snowangel or treeghost? Could it be you aren't looking close enough or in the wrong places?

Psst. I spotted mine under a Stewartia tree.

First Day of Summer Bloom

Just so happens to be a north american native pollinators are said to love, unless one common name "beeblossom" is a misnomer. Most catalogs don't say I love it too, but I do.

This Morning's Lucky Encounters

As luck would have it, I managed to catch the very first bloom of the season on this lovely Stewartia tree and I wasn't alone in this find either. Before I snapped this picture a bumble bee had already found its way to this sole flower.

Lucky for me too, the weather was just perfect for viewing some other fine blooms sparkling as they caught the sun's rays, blowing in the wind.

Some North American Natives in Bloom Now

Arkansas Blue Star, admittedly looking not quite so blue in the last light of the day

The Oakleaf Hydrangea from southeastern states above and Virginia Sweetspire below.

Sure I didn't just come upon these plants somewhere growing in the wild but that's not a negative. To the contrary, it's one of the most fantastic things about gardening, horticulture and industries related to growing plants. People make it happen and have throughout time.

Monkey Puzzle (🐒) Tree

To say that the leaves, branches and form of the Monkey Puzzle tree are interesting and wild-looking is an enormous understatement if you asked me. It's hard for me to begin to imagine what coming upon this tree growing wild in the mountains of Chile must have been like to people over the ages. I was knocked out just looking at this one purposefully planted at Hofstra.

Up Close with Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)

If you really want to come to know something well or even just recognize something enough to call it by its proper name, actually spending some time focusing on your subject closely is not the worst advice someone could give you.

Morning Conifer Crush- Carolina Hemlock

I fell for some small blue-green cones this morning, which reminded me a bit of certain rhodendron and azalea buds I've seen.

It's not me right? The young cone and the bud above do look alike somewhat although they are pointing in opposite directions.

The label (man do I love a tree that is sporting a label) said Carolina Hemlock '28, so I'm assuming this means the tree was planted in 1928 and is a North American native.

Chinese Quince Bark in June

I went back to visit this old Chinese Quince specimen at Hofstra since I heard that this tree's bark is even more brilliantly colored in June. I was not disappointed.

What's In Your Planter™?

I can picture the commercial for some unnamed garden center called "what's in your planter™?". Gardeners would send in pictures or instragrams of the sweet "thrillers, fillers and spillers" they had chosen for this season's show.

It's day three of the first heat wave this year in New York with air so hot and thick it hurts to open your eyes fully. But mine perked up when passing by some planters filled with color in front of an office building this morning.

Prickly Pears at Twilight

Perhaps it's fitting as we begin the first real heatwave of the year that I bumped into an army of Eastern Prickly Pears last night at twilight. Opuntia humifusa is one native plant in bloom now.

Wave Your Anthers in the Air Like You Don't Care

And that stylish stigma too. 

Some flowers make it awfully easy to learn about their sex parts. Word up.

(Today's botanical terms: anther, style and stigma.)

It's Waning Gibbous Strawberry Mininoon Friday in June

Well today may be Waning Gibbous Strawberry Minimoon Friday for some folks, but I am wanting to call this the Foxglove Mini-full Moon since I caught the nearly full moon at twilight a night or two ago right after passing some foxgloves for sale at Home Depot.

A, My Name is Amsonia and My Husband's Name is..

American Painted Lady?

One thing leads to another. If I hadn't fallen in love with gardening, I likely wouldn't know the name of the plant or the pollinator.

Strike A Pose, There's Nothing To It

You're a superstar, yes, that's what you are, you know it. 🎶🎶🎶

Peonies and Roses Doing Today's Weather

According to my sources, it's wet outside. Again.

Some Peonies I Have Followed and Envied

Not so long ago, less than two months back it was, these blooming peonies were just emerging out of the ground after winter. Most trees were still leafless then and only the earliest of the spring flowers like daffodils and magnolias were in bloom.

Time seems to fly to me in spring, and  perhaps this is so because so much happens it is hard to keep up.