A Missouri Wildflower Paradise

This year, I'm expecting these little beauties to bloom along with all the other wildflowers I planted last year. 

The beautiful Copper Iris does well in average to wet soil. Here's what the entry at www.mowildflowers.net says about them:

The striking bronze flowers make copper iris easy to identify.  In Missouri, it is found in the southeast corner of the state.  Three petals and three larger petal-like sepals form the classic "fleur-de-lis" shape.  Copper iris is beardless and crestless and has a more flattened flower shape than other irises.

Copper iris is clay tolerant and makes a great addition to rain gardens.  If growing in a perennial bed, make sure the soil is rich and organic.  It may need to be thinned after a few seasons; it spreads via rhizome and can make a very large clump.

Companion plants:  Marsh Milkweed, Rose Mallow, Golden Ragwort, Mist Flower, Palm Sedge, Sweet Coneflower

Uses:  deer resistant, rain gardens, hummingbirds, clay soil
Bloom time:  May

Height:  18 to 24 inches
Space:  16 to 20 inches

Sun:  Full sun to medium shade
Moisture:  Average to wet

Now, I'm hoping that my little garden becomes a wildflower paradise, but if you really want to see one, you need to go to the Missouri Wildflowers Nursery just south of Jefferson City right off highway 54.  What a beautiful, inspirational place! I blogged about my visit last year HERE.

English Roses: Last Bouquet of the Season

At the end of September I had my last big bouquet of English Roses for the season! Varieties in this picture are James Galway and Abraham Darby. I just love these roses! They are pretty easy care and do well in the Ozarks.

Have a wonderful rest of your week wherever you garden! ~ JB was here.

Dedication

I have a new bearded iris variety, pale and lovely,ruffled, gentle, soft and beautiful, that is opening today. I would like to share it with you and honor those affected by the tornadoes in Oklahoma. We live with this threat always in the heartland here. May they be comforted by the care of us all. We are thinking about them, and lift them in thought at this time. Everyone will be pitching in to help in their own way, I know.

Wishing everyone a safe and good week. ~JB was here.

What I planted: Zinnias

One of the things I planted late was several packets of Zinnias.  With effective and frequent watering, they are doing well and are now starting to bloom. I have a variety of colors and planted the larger bloom varieties this time.

I should have Pink, Purple, White, Yellow, and Red.

I'm hoping to have some as cut flower bouquets for the house. I hope you have bright spots in your garden, wherever your garden happens to be. ~JB was here.

Container Enthusiasm-they are thriving!

My containers are really thriving! I took this before giving them a nice trim. It is now really hot again and also dry, and the outlook for us is for this to continue. I don't know how long I will fight that scenario, but I think I'll attempt to keep up with the watering and enjoy them at least through July 4^th. I have made that a goal, and then I'll regroup depending on what the weather between now and then does.

I wanted to show some of my blooming plants so I put together a collage of sorts. Included in this are some flowers in that little strip by the sidewalk but also some others that I have in different places. My vision for this project is really taking shape and I think it was the right decision to have containers with the way the weather is acting. In this mix are Callibrichoa, a very tough little plant that looks like a baby petunia, a double rose impatien, a couple of shots of Salvia that I sowed, varieties are Evolution (white) and Fairy Queen (purple) and some moss rose or Portulaca, sown in a litttle shallow sun container.

I hope if you dropped by, you are having a wonderful weekend. ~JB was here.