 |
| The cats are nibbling on the grasses, apathetic to the bees foraging on the flowers. |
I made an image map so you could mouse over the second picture and see plant labels, but then I clicked on something and lost it all. Darn. My gardening style is a cram-it-all-in style with only one rule: for inclusion, any plant must be a stellar performer. I've pulled many a perennial and shrub that survived our harsh environment but didn't thrive. Sometimes I worry about my garden beds looking hodge-podgy, but I do love my jam-packed riparian garden. All day full sun, no shade, no water, gravel mulch on a slope, and yet it's flourishing and covered with bees of all sorts. Can you believe the people who owned our house before had the yard fence-to-fence grass? Anyway, I'll work on a new image map when I get the chance, but for now here is a list. From top to bottom (link to more info if in bloom):
Veronica 'Armena'Sedum 'Dragon's Blood'
Spirea 'Magic Carpet'
Armeria (Pink Sea Thrift)
Veronica 'Blue Reflection'
Salvia 'May Night'
Saponaria Ocymoides (Soapwort)
Hemerocallis 'Stella d'Oro'
Yarrow 'Anthea'
Salvia 'Rose Queen'
Sedum (Chinese Mountain Stonecrop)
9 comments:
Very nice yard! I don't see the hives?
Thank you, @D.Hausmann. The hives are still being hive sat (?). I only had my venom sensitivity testing done last week and still need to meet with my allergist to discuss desensitization therapy. A colleague of mine suggested getting into the cat fancy game to replace my bees, but that is just crazy talk. Nothing could take the place of my bees, and my Birmans said NO! to other cats.
Beautiful flower shots. I've got orders to buy some more Salvia plants. The bees are having a great time with the ones we have right now, and you can never have too many flowers, right?
I'm not familiar with Midnight Salvia, did you have to grow that from seed?
Excellent! @Solarbeez. You can not go wrong with salvias. The pollinators love them all, but there is a clear preference for May Night over Rose Queen.
May Night (or Mainacht) will definitely grow from seed. It is a ready self-sower and anyone that has one, has many to share. That is how I got mine. Funny thing, I don't like the strong smell of the leaves so I tried to kill mine by digging it up, but I missed a piece of root I guess, and it just came back stronger! That was a good 10 years ago so it is a long-live perennial as well. From seed, it takes 2-3 years to get to full size, maybe faster where you are. May Night blooms into Fall, responding with a great rebloom if you use a heavy hand to deadhead.
Which salvias did you order? I need to get a red variety, to attract hummingbirds.
Hey HB, Dave here again. Had a ?. Should I keep feeding the new hive sugar water. They are going through about 3 pts in 5-7 days. Gonna take a look at them soon, see what all the top bars look like and take pics of each side.
Thanx Dave
@David Henry the general rule is to feed until they stop taking it. When natural nectar is abundant they should stop taking the syrup, We've got Russian Olives blooming now, and the Lindens - a major nectar source - are about to explode. But right now they sound hungry! so keep on feeding. Best of luck with your inspection. Can't wait to see your photos.
Thanx again, thats what I thought I had read somewhere. Will send pics your way when done.
Hello HB, can u send me your email again. Will send pics from today. Only pulled 2. They have it glued to the sides pretty well. Didnt want #14 and #13. Added more top bars. Honey comb was warped toward middle on both and attached to adjacent top bar. But they seem really active and healthy. Thanx for all your help!
Dave
Blogger Fail.One more time. @David Henry The Western Catalpa flow going on is tremendous! Expect more wonky combs and lots of attachments. backyardbee(at)comcast(dot)net
Post a Comment
Join the Conversation. Leave a comment.