Today In the Garden - ONCE UPON A CONEFLOWER

A Stroll Through The Summer Garden

This year the garden is somewhat out of sync compared to previous years. Some things are flowering sooner than usual, and at least one– my double tiger lily– was inexplicably later. A few flowers simply burned up within days, due to several heat waves early on.

As climate change continues to mess up our weather, it’s not surprising to observe stressed plants reacting in novel ways. The extreme heat has stunted growth for some and interrupted or accelerated flowering for others. Even so, my garden still managed to look fairly good despite the challenging conditions. Here’s are some snapshots of it over a period of about two months, from mid-June to mid-August.

Meet Jupiter’s Beard or Kiss-Me-Quick!

This fun Mediterranean native is found growing all over Britain and Europe, completely at home in poor soils and even in stone wall cracks. It thrives in dry conditions and disperses easily by seed. Hence its ubiquity there.

Jupiter’s Beard or Red Valerian (Valeriana or Centranthus rubra) has several colorful common names. How it got the moniker Jupiter’s Beard is a mystery, but in mythology Jupiter is sometimes portrayed with a red beard, and this flower does come in a muted brick red. One can only speculate.

The Evolving Spring Garden

As the years go by it’s interesting to reflect on how a garden evolves over time. By comparing photographs taken at roughly the same time each year it’s easier to see the differences. Since my gardens are going on 8 and 9 years old, I decided to see just how much has changed.