Welcome to My Mom and Dad's Garden!

They've both become quite the avid gardeners these past 30 years or so!

And they've inspired me greatly! :-)

A couple of years ago (or maybe 3 or 4 years ago), they downsized. They moved into a lovely "duplex-style" condo. Instead of riding his lawn mower for 4 - 5 hours, Dad doesn't have to mow at all! This frees his time for other important things! :-)

Instead of maintaining huge flower beds (and a large vegetable bed) all over the place, they pretty much decided a nice rectangle in the backyard was enough. But, you can't take the farm out of the farmer! Every year, the bed is enlarged just a smidgeon. One year, a trellis was added to one side. There's talk, now, of adding another trellis on the other side. (Sounds great to me!)

Last weekend everything was looking better than lovely. Beginning with the view from the deck, this is what we saw. Who wouldn't like a green, healthy cornfield "out back?" ;-)

The asparagus bed is so healthy back there,
it had to be restrained!

These are views from the front.There are also peonies and rhubarb in the "way back."Here are some close-ups. :-)

Did I tell you my dad turned 87 last week? My mom is younger. I don't think I'm supposed to mention her age... nor that of my Aunt MEA (her sister) who's just a bit older than my dad. ;-)

So, I have hopes to be gardening for a good while, yet! :-)

Mistress Mary, Quite Contrary, How Does Your Garden Grow?

With Silver Bells, Cockle Shells, and Pretty Maids all in a row...

...Or...

Silvery Trains and Streaming White Tresses,
(Gooseneck Loosestrife, confined)

The ladies go riding in flowing green dresses.

Stately appearance with long craning necks,
(flower scapes nearly as tall as I am!)

Reddest of redsAnd Standing Erect...


A bow and a curtsey,
(Should she drop her kerchief?)


They dance all the evening,

While gazing at stars...

This is a Terrific Tuesday

And I'm going to show you "what's happening!" :-)

First of all, I'm surrounding a photo of my Aunt MEA (my gardening heroine) with some of the things that are growing and blooming today. Please click on the photos to enlarge them!












There's not One Single "Shady" item on this page! (Hi, Aunt MEA!) ;-) However, at certain view-points, my sunny corner seems a bit blue and orange! Butterfly milkweed, Russian sage, catmint and daylily H fulva "Kwanzo," and the orange tiger lilies about to bloom! ;-)

Sunday Afternoon Prairie Walk

Almost Wordless Wednesday!
Do you know what is in these photos?
(click on them... some of them get a lot larger!)

(I'll provide the answers after the weekend)

(left to right): a and b

c and d













e and f












g and h










i and j











k and l














m and n













o and p









q and r








s










Here's the code to match the plants! (This is absolutely the last time I'm doing this!!!)
a) Rudbeckia hirta (Compositeae) Black-eyed Susan and Daisy Fleabane and b) Asclepias tuberosa - Butterfly Milkweed, one Black-eyed Susan and Daisy Fleabane; c) Desmanthus illinoensis (bundle flower, Illinois bundle weed, prairie bundleflower) and d) close-up of same; e) Coreopsis tinctoria - Plains Coreopsis and f) an array of Black-eyed Susan, Purple Coneflower and a "gaggle" of Gray-headed coneflower about to erupt!; g) Purple Coneflower about to erupt! and lots of Daisy Fleabane and h) Schizchyrium scoparium - Little Blue Stem (I hope I remembered that correctly!); i) Great Spangled Fritillary (butterfly) on Echinacea pallida - Pale Purple Coneflower and j) Echinacea purpurea - Purple Coneflower; k Ratibida pinnata - Gray-Headed Coneflower and l) Asclepias syriaca - Common Milkweed; m) Dianthus armeria - Deptford Pink and n) Dalea Purpurea - Purple prairie Clover; o) Rudbeckia hirta - Black-eyed Susan and p) skippers (butterflies) on Trifolium repens - White clover; q) Daucus carota (Umbelliferae) - Queen Anne's Lace and r) has me stumped. I've located a couple of different flowers that might fit, (note the saw-toothed, opposite leaves) however this blossom has a double row of petals (help!); s) Monarda fistulosaor - Wild Bergamot or Purple Bee Balm.


Last Sunday (July 6), I asked if I could help cut thistles in the prairie that my husband has developed and worked on for a number of years. Of course, after about an hour's work, we were able walk around (and I could take photographs!). I wish I could have gotten out there again this week, as so many of the plants were just on the verge of "exploding!"

We leave tomorrow for a wonderful family reunion that may encompass 75 or more people (and our own "kids" and their families won't even be able to attend.) Looking forward to it!

Nothing shady about any of this! ;-) If you want to see more of my prairie posts, click on the "prairie" label at the bottom of the blog.

A Few More Daylilies

"Happy Returns"
(in the front yard)

"Strawberry Candy"
(raised beds)
If you might have any idea as to the identity of the
next three photos... feel free to let me know.
I've not yet investigated them.
(They were in the flower bed when we moved here.)

"Temple Goddess"

"Fairy Tale Pink"

"Purple d'Oro"
lily bed behind house

"Summer Wine"
lily bed behind house

"Fragrant Treasure"
lily bed behind house
New Water Lily
(I'll post the name later)
front bed, in front of house

Now that I've been "blogging" for a year, I can better understand the reasoning behind the system of labels. It helps ME find previously written posts much easier! (And it might help you, too.) So, you might notice my labels. :-)