Whats Bloomin in My Garden

We have been having extremely hot, humid weather lately and it has pushed many of the flowers to bloom early. The bearded, blue flag and Siberian iris finished weeks ago, as did the peonies.

The Stella d'oro day lilies are in full bloom, lemony delicious yellows that glow. And I have masses of orange day lilies lighting up the side of my house. All of the roses have already had their first blooms as well. Last week I cleaned up and freshened their soil, fed them and cleaned the leaves and am delighted with all the new buds they have. While working near them yesterday the scent of the opening flowers was so sweet and heady!
I have already harvested the lavender. It bloomed early this year and I have scads of beautiful fragrant lavender buds to keep me and my friends well stocked for the year.

The daisy's are blooming along with all the different varieties of coreopsis that my daughter Megan gave me 2 years ago. They are feathery and fragile in appearance but quite hardy in actual fact. And who knew that yellow came in so many shades!
The spider worts are in bloom - huge wavy stalks with delicate flowers of deep purple and magenta. They stand watch over my "dessert" garden; the succulents. Last year many of these died off but they seem to be returning and growing in well this summer.
The blue salvias have already had their first bloom as well. I trimmed them back last week and refreshed their soil. They will continue all summer, lining the front path to the door.

The hummingbirds have moved in to the honeysuckle! At least it seems that way. The honeysuckle is wildly growing and in full bloom on the back deck. It has been blooming for over a month now and it is truly gorgeous.

And there are more flowers to come! It is such a treat to go out every day and see what has opened up. The fragrances are wonderful and the yard looks like a rainbow! I was reading in one of my gardening books yesterday and there was a Chinese proverb given that gave me a chuckle:

Eat and be happy for a day
Marry and be happy for a year
Garden and be happy for life

WILDFLOWERS

The State of Maryland is home to many beautiful and exotic wildflowers. And as their name implies, they are found and thrive in the wild. They grow without human intervention and do not need our assistance in their cultivation. If a wildflower is indigenous to the continent, it is termed a "native."

Unfortunately, we have trampled, plowed under, chemically damaged, or picked for our own pleasure so many of these necessary plants that many are now endangered, threatened, or rare. Many have vanished.

Today, endangered wildflowers are covered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-205). Notable in this Act is that it prevents "unauthorized taking, possession, sale, and transport of endangered species." A plant is considered threatened if it is likely to become endangered - threatened with extinction - in the near future. In the state of Maryland, there are 10 plants on the Federal list of endangered species and more than 500 wildflowers on the Maryland Department of Natural Resources listing of rare, threatened, and endangered plants.

Most U.S. states also have their own list of such wildflowers. What we need to remember however, is that what might be endangered in Maryland might thrive in Vermont or North Carolina - just not in Maryland. This does not, however, give us carte blanche to deprive the woodlands of our native wildflowers.

To see which plants are protected, the USDA has a current and complete list for each state and for the U.S. as a whole.

This does not mean that wildflowers are banned from our home gardens. There are many reliable garden centers which sell the seeds for you to cultivate your own favorites. Be sure before you embark on creating your own wildflower garden that the seeds you purchase are native to your region and zone. And then, GO WILD!

Frog Went A Courting

Did you know that toads and frogs are far superior to toxic chemicals or propane lures when it comes to to ridding your garden of the less than desirable insects? Such as slugs, earwigs, tent caterpillars, millipedes and others. Well, it is true!
In a 90 day time period, just one humble toad can eat 10,000 of these pesky insects! In fact these unwanted garden "guests" make up 90 percent of an adult toad's diet.

According to the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection:
"There are two species of toads in our area, the most common being the American Toad (Bufo americanus), and Fowler's Toad (Bufo fowleri)."
And the state of Maryland is home to 19 species of frogs. They sing beautiful songs filled with melodic trills and choral harmonizing.

Among other things, 2008 is the Year of the Frog (amphibian ark). The goal of this ambitious project is to educate the public about the value these creatures add to our earth, and to preserve amphibian habitats which are in danger of extinction.

It is fun and easy to create a habitat in your garden that would provide a comfortable home for some one or two frogs or toads. And who know, try kissing one - it may be your prince or princess!

Gardening in the HEAT!

With the heat index here in Maryland in the low 100s this past week, I have had to restlessly wait out the heat to get back into my garden. The heat index, however, is more hard on we gardeners than on our plants. The plants are actually not affected by heat index or wind chill numbers. Of course they do respond to high heat and extreme cold.

Mostly what you will see in your garden right now will be plants that are wilting. This is a common response to the extreme heat. But don't rush out and drench your plants with water. They may have plenty of water and over-watering is actually another cause of wilting in plants. Wilting most often occurs as a result of plants losing moisture (through their extensive surface area on their leaves) faster than their roots can can absorb moisture. If you have a container garden, check first to see if your plants need a larger pot or a location that provides more shade and less sun.

Your thoughts might turn to using drought tolerant plants which is a good idea if you live in an area with high heat and water shortages. But drought tolerant plants have to be well established before they can actually sit out a hot dry summer. Keep this in mind when first planting any of these hardy souls!

What first comes to my mind when I consider drought tolerant plants is the intrepid day lily! They produce masses of color, they multiply beyond imagining, and you can make use of the many varieties to have months of blooms.

Ornamental grasses are another great plant in the drought tolerant category and with the wide range in shape, height, and flower, these are magnificent additions to garden borders, to fill in spots where nothing else will grow, and to add privacy to your yard.

Add some coreopsis, black eyed susans (a Maryland native), yarrow, and echinacea, and you will be assured of variety and color throughout the hot humid dog days of summer!