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.

Hello From the Gardens!

Wow! Summer is two weeks plus, along, and much has happened here. I have been a little AWOL because of my work and also, I took a real once in a lifetime trip to Canada with my mom. I saw a true "destination garden" while I was there, and I plan to post some photos soon.

Meantime, I want to show what's going on in my garden now. I will have a wonderful vegetable garden, it appears. I had that watered while I was away. But, my flowers, while still heart lifting and a joy to me, are not as spectacular this time. I knew I was going to be gone and didn't want to have projects that couldn't make it for ten days without me.....

Here is what I harvested/saw this morning. I'm particularly proud of the beans, that's only about a twenty five foot row of bush beans and I wanted just enough to eat and enjoy seasonally. I discovered a new sunflower variety called Bright Kids. I'm doing containers of those next year. They are tiny, two feet tall, and absolutely miniature perfection! :)

And I planted twenty four tomato plants. This morning I noticed white flies/mites. I'll have to work on that today after work.

I took a few shots and for your viewing pleasure, here they are all in one.

I hope your day and week is going well and that your garden grows abundantly! ~JB was here.

Color Brings the Spring Season to Life

I have been really enjoying this spring, we have had good rain here. Even the trees and sky are telling the landscape that it's time to wake up:

This is a Pin Oak I planted in the mid nineties. I have taken to planting trees every year now. I always felt it was a good thing to do, and important but I read a book last winter that made me feel even more strongly about it. Written by the originator of the "land ethic" movement, Leo Aldopold, I still can't get many of the passages from that book out of my mind. I need to share some on this blog.

I will, though, and I digress.  :-D  I have been planting more trees each year, to include some evergreens, and some natives here, like the oaks, that so much of our wildlife depend on for food and homes.

Also, I have been in full planting mode with my vegetable garden. Nothing to see there yet, so we'll move on to something where there is something to see-Containers!  So excited about my plan for this year. Get a look at this color pallette:

 Of course, you may imagine, at least if you know me, and you'd be right, I can't leave my favorite pinks, reds, purples, and maroons out of the entire picture, as you will see later.

But I loved the way all these limes and corals went together so a lot of my containers are going to reflect that this year. I have beocme a real fan of container gardening the last two years. They are just easier for me to handle, and .....well. I can't afford a full time gardener on retainer, so I'm a one woman show!

Maybe I'll buy a lotto ticket today, it's enormous in Missouri. If I suddenly hire a gardener, you'll know why! *giggles*  Have a great day and get out into the outdoors wherever you are! ~JB was here.

What I Planted: Butterfly Bush

I planted the variety "Attraction" it looked pretty purple to me but the description says it is the "reddest" of the Butterfly Bushes. I can handle that! :)

Here is what it will look like:

The local True Value has some pink ones too, and I might get one of those also. I'm planting these in the flowerbed where my "James Galway" English Rose is in my continuing quest to attract more butterfly varieties. Part of my reasoning is selfish. I want to photograph them! In fairness to me, however, it's part of a long range plan to naturalize the lawn more and have lots of wildlife to watch and enjoy!

Have a great day, where ever you garden! ~JB was here