Summer Flowers

One of the prettiest sights upon returning home was the Catchfly in bloom. My neighbor had planted wildflower seeds last year and after they bloomed, my seed-gathering urge kicked in. Catchfly seeds are a little bigger than dust particles. I was not sure they would germinate. What a nice surprise to see these flowers! And yes, they do have stalks with a sticky substance that could catch a fly - well, a little fly.

The gift that keeps on giving, these Black-Eyed Susans are the newest generation from a bag of seed heads that the owner of Schmiede's Nursery permitted me to collect from the bank in front of his business many years ago. Early on, the show was spectacular. Later, the flowers popped up so ubiquitously that they were practically weeds, as in the old definition that a weed is just a flower in the wrong place.

A handsome flower and a handsome bug. The Purple Coneflower, beloved of cold remedy illustrators, is always pleasing to see in the garden. It is not as quick to spread as some of its fellow composites, so a little lifting and re-planting is in order. I have moved them around to spots where they are easier to view when it's showtime.

I thought the feathery leaves of Dill would set off other plants nicely, so I gathered seeds and scattered them in maybe too many other places than the original site. The umbel of tiny yellow flowers is nice to contemplate while making a mental shopping list including a piece of salmon.

Nasturtiums are one of my favorites. I had an early success (or nightmare) with a climbing Nasturtium that pooled out six feet over the lawn for lack of a trellis. I had purchased a pricey compost bin after interminable fretting over the cost, and when I pulled up the prolific Nasturtium at the end of the season, it filled the entire bin! Luckily it wilted down to make room for my other compostables.

Hope you enjoyed the images! I sure was glad to be in the garden to see them. After the only major surgery in my life, I was, as the joke goes, glad to be anywhere!

--Bernice