Midsummer Images

We are about halfway through summer now.

Here is one of our mantises on a Purple Coneflower bud a week before the first day of summer.

They are getting bigger. We had nine egg cases. Each one had up to 200 mantises inside, but once they emerge, they may prey on each other or be eaten by other insects or birds. We probably have just a couple dozen left.

There is a profusion of Cosmos in the yard, some yellow, some orange and some that look painted. They are all descended from seeds I brought home from a Bumbershoot event in Seattle in 1996. It was the end of the weekend and the crowd had trampled them, so I collected a few seeds as a memento.The Cosmos at Park & Ninth are also offspring of those seeds.

Bumbershoot takes place over Labor Day weekend. Click here to see the 2013 lineup.I think I recognize about six of these bands.

These flowers are leaning toward the light, a good reminder to look on the sunny side of life.

Last year the double pink Impatiens that was my signature flower for many years just failed. I found out that Impatiens plants in New Jersey were decimated by a disease. I had saved some sprigs that were being discarded in Lot 6 nearly 20 years ago and propagated cuttings every year since. But the downy mildew put an end to that.

My new favorite is Coleus that I grew from seed last year and wintered over with cuttings. I propagated a lot in many colors and patterns and am enjoying them almost as much as my lost Impatiens.

I hope all my fellow gardeners are having fun with plants this summer, whether you have a yard full or just some nice flowers in pots.

--Bernice