My garden flowers must get more attention from those driving by than from myself. I seem to go weeks at a time without noticing them. I blame it on the ‘shoemaker syndrome’, spending all my time in others gardens leave me disinterested when I get home. When I do stop to ‘smell the flowers’ it’s usually out in the wild somewhere when I stop to check out various areas as I haul materials to some project.

This week has been different. I’ve had plenty of time since throwing out my back. After the first couple of days I managed to get back on my feet and take some walks in the woods nearby. With all the rain we’ve had lately it was a good time to go mushroom hunting. Yesterday I finally got around to the yard.

First in the floral lineup is a Day Lily I’ve had over 10 years. The name is long forgotten but not the reason I brought it home. I love the color, orange for me is ‘the’ color of day lilies.

Besides my ‘Ditch Lilies’ these are the only day lilies I have left. Growing next to the house foundation they have escaped the notice of the deer. All the other varieties have been transplanted to gardens in the village where they are not in harms way.

Next in line are my Globe Thistles

They’ve proven to be good self-seeder and have managed to thrive and spread in a neglected and weed infested section of a ‘garden’.

Now this Japanese Iris (Light at Dawn) is one unlucky plant. I knew better than to plant it in my sweet soil. It wants an acidic home but it hangs on with stunted growth yet it still makes the effort to please me by blooming.

Talk about ignored. These phlox are still in their pots from my last trip to the nursery at the beginning of the month. I had to set them in my pond until I can get them planted since I came home one day and had a nasty reminder they needed to be watered regularly.

They revived nicely and to show their appreciation for placing them in water they bloomed profusely.

Another favorite is a Phlox that’s been in my gardens for nearly 30 years. It came from my mother-in-laws garden and the bright purple blooms are always welcomed. Here they make a background for a hot pink mystery phlox that grew out of nowhere.

Now here’s a perennial that while beautiful is a hazard. Gooseneck Loosestrife is very aggressive and will take over any garden it finds to its liking. It really likes moist areas but even fairly dry soil won’t stop it. I’ve taken advantage of its nature and planted some in a ‘wild’ area and gave it permission to spread.

Last but not least is a meadow-rue. I’m not sure but I think this one is Thalictrum rochebrunnianum. Growing 6 to 8 feet tall it towers over the weed bed it finds itself in. The flowers are tiny so you need to get up close and personal to really see them. This flower was actually over my head.

Most of these photos are linked to a larger size (1024 x 768) for a closer look and / or to use as desktop wallpaper if you so desire. They’re not the best wallpapers around but I redecorate my desktop so often I need some backups.