This Week in the Garden

We have had more than six inches of rain in the last 10 days, most of it from the storm systems that battered our state (and then moved on to blast other states to the east as well.)  The ground is saturated, but most plants are delighted.  

Missouri Primrose

New this week are evening primrose (so-called) and Missouri primrose (sometimes called sun-drops in catalogs.)  The plants are completely different, and I suspect they are unrelated.  The pink flower is found in abundance along roadsides just now, along with red clover.  The bright yellow flowers are a joy to see in the yard; I look forward to them every year.  There is a little story with these:  we were traveling in up-state New York (near Westfield and Fredonia) and stopped at a barn sale.  The little stone house and stone barn were set in a lovely spot shaded by huge oaks; the elderly pair had lived there all of their married lives and enjoyed telling about building the barn.  I admired the blooms in the yard, and the little wife asked if I would like some of the plants--"They need dividing anyway."  She pulled out a transplant spade and dug a chunk on the spot; I carried that in the car all week and plunked it in the ground when we got home to Ohio.  It spread prolifically, and I gave samples to friends all over town; when we moved to Arkansas, I brought some along. 

Oenothera--Evening Primrose

This is a volunteer, but very welcome.

The iris bed was rather battered by the winds, and many of the stems were bent over.  The brave little irises, undeterred, lifted up their heads and bloomed on.










Two of the climbing roses in the yard are 'oldie but goodie' New Dawn roses.  The repeat-blooming, fragrant climbers have truly lethal thorns, but are so beautiful and adaptable that I consider them worth it.  I had to tear out a lot of honeysuckle this spring....really got ripped to shreds trying to reach in among the canes.  Ow, ow, ow.

Lovely!  

The heavy rains stripped the petals from the early-blooming Mier y Teran roses, but these are putting on quite a show.

Next week:  Shasta daisies.