My flower garden

Here are some photos of the flower in my yard.  I'm really pleased that things are finally starting to bloom.  I love just walking around in the backyard looking at the plants.  I've also grown some Alyssum and sunflower from seed.  They are still in containers, but I think two of the sunflowers will be ready to go to their final locations tomorrow. They are about 8" tall and hardy, will grown to about 6'.  The leaves are a dark, healthy green.  But its too hot out today (97F).

The Alyssum is doing well, too.  Some of the shoots around about 2" tall already, and I was going to transplant them this weekend.  I have them in containers, and they have been wilting in the afternoon sun.  So I need to put them in a shady location.  They would look gorgeous on the side of the house, but they would cook there; it faced south and gets constant sun.  I have a place for them in the back yard under a giant maple tree that will provide intermittent shade.

There are more flowers than just the ones pictured below.  I also have about thirty Marigolds in yellow, orange, and red with yellow centers.  A bee balm, a lantana, some forget-me-not, a hosta, and some ivy, and a heavenly blue morning glory (that has yet to bloom, but the vine looks healthy).

These white cones in the back yard are a true survivor story.  The rabbits ate the soft, new leaves down to the crown, and I had to cover the plant with a jar and then a gallon water jug to protect it.  It started to grow again and toughen up.  The first day I took the jug off, I saw TWO rabbits eating on it at the same time!  They ate all the leaves and left only the stems.  I protected it with a barrier, kept it fed and watered, and it came back!   At first I wasn't too wild about the white bloom because I love the pink so much, but the white is a nice splash among the pink, orange, yellow, and purple of everything else in the yard.

This is the Astra or balloon flower.  It only blooms for one day, but there are constantly new shoots.  It is amazing to me how quickly the plant grows new blooms.  This perfect pentagon is what is looks like just before it opens.

 This is what it looks like when it opens.  I love purple flowers!

There are two coreopsis plants in the side yard that have been just thriving. They get full sun and look as pleased as ever about it!

more coreopsis in the side yard





















This is one of the Chicago Peace rose bush blooms.  I've been pruning the spent blooms more timely, and there is a lot of new growth.  A vigorous bush, indeed!

I love petunias! I love the brilliant color varieties!  These have not done well in the side yard, though, and are dead now.  They just got cooked.  I will plant them in another location next year, maybe the front yard, which only gets sun in the morning.

 These are some of the pink cones that are in the side yard.  This is one of my favorite flowers!  A Missouri native, this plant does really well in the hot hot sun and oppressive humidity.  There are five pink cone plants in the side yard, and I haven't pruned anything; hoping they seed and spread next year.

This is a close-up of the pink cone.  I just love the orange/green center!  So beautiful!

This Aztec Cabaret is thriving.  I had originally planted it in the ground and on the first night, rabbits came and ate the whole thing down to the crown.  I transplanted it into a hanging basket, and it came back.  There are currently about ten clusters of these little vibrant red flowers.

 
 There are about two hundred tomatoes in the garden, in cages and protected by a chicken wire fence.  All green right now, but various sizes.  Some are the size of little baseballs, some are cherry-sized.  I have Celebrity and Big Boy varieties because I want to make sauce and soups with them, and those are good varieties for cooking.




In addition to the tomatoes, I have romaine, which is doing well, and some herbs.  The onions are completely buried under the tomatoes, which are going in a different location next year.  The herbs are okay, I have cut some fresh mint multiple times to put in some freshly brewed tea, and I have also cut some fresh chives for a stir-fry.  I pick romaine leaves regularly, wash them thoroughly, and have a salad for lunch.

The zucchini and bell peppers were a bust; will probably not plant those again next year.  I'd like to look for some asparagus roots because I love asparagus, but it is so expensive.  Maybe some peas or green beans next year, too.

I've entertained the idea of a fruit tree, but I think that will just be a dang mess with rotting fruit falling in the yard and birds and squirrels getting into the fruit on the tree.