It’s Saturday, the weekend, and time for six garden related items.
1 | A happy and very tall yellow flower most likely from the sunflower family. I originally dug up 8 stalks of this flower from the corn field across the street of my parent’s home many years ago. They had taken over a huge part of the edges of the field and were corn height. I cut the stalks down to just about 6 inches to transplant them thinking they would never survive. Now, they are the biggest thug in my garden. Every few years I rip them all out, but a few always survive to make a very large patch again.
I’m having a problem with my rudbeckia, sunflower and echinacea flowers that no one seems to be able to explain. I’ve asked at the garden center and they look at me like I’m crazy. But I know I’m not because my neighbor a few doors down is having the same problem with her echinacea. The flower heads look as if someone has snapped them an inch or so below the bloom. I don’t know if it is a disease or bug, but it happens within 24 hours of bringing home a new echinacea. Even these very tall sunflowers had the problem this year. Help anyone?
2 | This next item is slightly risque, so I will attempt to describe it in a delicate way. While taking photos of my zinnias, three Monarch butterflies came in my screen. At first I thought they were fighting, but it seems they were fighting over a lady. What over reason is there to fight?
Finally, one fluttered away and two were left, and then it became clear that they were getting to know each other, in a biblical sort of way.
They became very still and all consumed in creating the next generation, as he wrapped his queen in his wings. I finally left them to their privacy and moved on.
Nothing like waking up in the morning to discover your lover has left you alone.
3 | Bright, happy zinnias, grown from a packet of seeds. Love of my garden. What can I say . . . I can’t stop photographing them.
4 | Chantilly snap dragons, also grown from seed. Lush plants with very few blooms. I’ll have to figure out how to reverse that by next summer. Any advice?
5 | Balloon flowers that I also started from seed so many years ago.
6 | And finally, one ‘New Dawn’ rose, (and I mean the only one) blooming on the top of the arbor, thus the blurry photo.
Happy Saturday and weekend my friends.
Linking with The Propagator for “Six on Saturday”.
Wonderful to have monarch butterflies in your garden, Cindy- I hardly ever see them here.
I’ve never had very many until this year Jane. It’s either the climate or the zinnias. Either way, I welcome them to come as often as they’d like.
I think the yellow flower you started with is a heliopsis. I have some given to me by a friend and they got planted in a place that doesn’t get as much sun as they need. It is on my to-do list to move them this fall. They have not proved to be thugs in the partial shade but do require tying to the fence.
Mine don’t get as much sun as they’d like and therefore once they start flowering, the weight of the blooms makes they lean, especially after a rain. Be careful where you plant them. Thanks for giving me a name for them. For whatever reason, they are not flowering as much as usual.
Your butterflies and zinnias are utterly beautiful! We don’t get Monarch butterflies. They are gorgeous!
This pair of Monarchs were creating the next generation that will make the trip to California and Mexico to overwinter there. Isn’t it amazing they can fly that far. Then, that generation will create the next, that will fly back north in the spring.
Beautiful photographs Cindy! You did well to capture the butterflies. I love Zinnia too! You are right…very happy flowers. Lovely 6.
Stunning pictures of butterfly courtship and so delicately described
It was a beautiful delicate scene never witnessed before. They were sweet, gentle, and endearing to watch.
I’ve never grown zinnias, but the SoSers this year, yourself included, are convincing me that I’ve been missing out. What zinnia is that w/the mating monarchs? They’re really fetching. And how talented a photographer you are, to get the butterflies in their courtship. The broken blossoms look like a pest of the nibbling sort, as the plant looks healthy on either side. But I’m totally guessing here. Hope you find out what’s going on. (Jealous neighbour, har har har.)
I’d never grown zinnias before either and I’ll never be without them again. I don’t have any names for the zinnias as they were just a generic pack of mixed color seeds.
I haven’t been able to find out anything about why the heads are snapping. It’s a mystery with no answers so far.
Beautiful!!
xoxo
Bonnie
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Wonderful photos