Of course, by my previous post, I meant first to bloom this year!

Here's Gaillardia Burgundy:

Penstemon Huskers Red:

More later! Gotta get to work.

I thought this was a weed and I was going to pull it out. Glad I waited 'cause I was rewarded with a beautiful flower. I was told this is a Stokes Aster.

Pretty! I've found quite a few mystery plants in my yard this year (last year was my first on DG, first Wsowing, first in seed swap) so this year's mysteries are interesting... NEXT year, I'm in trouble!

That Stokesia is so pretty, I had some in the old garden and have been remembering them and missing them. Need to get some going here.

I just returned from a week at the beach, away from a puter. Wow, a lot has gone on in the last week! As a knew would be the case, we came home to all really tall lawn, but has the garden ever exploded too! It's actually kind of overwhelming, I feel like the character 'Poison Ivy' from the Batman comic, LOL.

Forgot to mention the thing that prompted my response, LOL. I found a surprise, an odd variety of Delphinium I have no recollection of planting. I've noted the unusual leaves, and didn't recognize it as a weed, so I left it. I didn't recognize it as any kind of flower either, so when I got home to see a spike of Delphinium blooms, I was shocked. From the searches I've done, I believe its D. requienii.

http://www.google.com/images?c...

oh, I love dephi. Planted them last year but not sure if they are coming back. What does your leaves look like 'cause I have a few leaves and I'm not sure what they are. Tons of oak and pine seedlings all over my bed. Trying to get rid of them. Don't need oak tree growing in my flower bed!

Oh, I should take a pic. My new lasagna bed and terraced area is right under an Oak Tree, and I was dumb enough not to get rid of the acorns before making it. Been pulling a forest of seedlings for the past month, with more coming up every day! I will SO be bribing my DD to collect acorns in the fall!

I'll try to remember to get a pic, but the leaves are shaped similar to regular Delphiniums, only they're glossy. I had never seen a glossy leaved Delphinium, so I had no clue till it bloomed. Some of the pics in the link above show a bit of the leaves.

An interesting article!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/re...

I don't know about bacteria, but all the weeds keep me anxious. Both red & yellow daylilies in bloom. Pinks still to come as they seem to be in abed which blooms later. By all means get the kids outdoors, adults as well.

I am new here. I lost half of April and all of May due to being in the hospital and being septic (all the doctors' fault too.) While I was being treated for being septic, I also had a stoke. Now I am
almost completely recovered.

I missed a lot of blooms and a lot of gardening during that time.

Now I am catching up as fast as I can (for my age: 68.) I am a seed grower and a buying to a lesser degree. I have so many seedlings outside, but the heat (in the upper 90s for days) has
killed a lot of them in their flats. But inside under lights, I have back ups of the ones
I really am determined to have: foxgloves (at least 4 varieties,)
delphiniums (Bellamosum and Pacific Giants,) giant dahlias,
3 kinds of rudbeckia (which I will start soon,) hollyhocks (need to start more (I don't know if they are biennials or not,) and Campanulas (Canterbury bells, Tellham beauty, and C. pyramidalis,)

I am growing feverfew (which is really pretty) from seed, mixed
yarrow, pink parasol echinacea, verbascum Banana Custard&
Olympia, and rose pyrethium. It's so cheap to use seeds and have everything you want.

This morning early, I weeded one bed which was supposed to have many seedlings. Most survived and I will replace those which didn't. Next year I shouldn't have to buy very much of anything.

I have seen pictures of Rita's gardens on DG, and they are just beautiful. Many of you have such beautful gardens too. This is my third summer here. Next year should be the last big push.

I just hope to live long enough to enjoy the flowers.

Gloria, glad you've recovered and are able to get back in the garden. Septic infections are really scary! Sounds like you've been able to keep a lot of your seedlings going, with your illness and stroke behind you they give you lots to look forward to next spring.

Rita's gardens are wonderful, aren't they! I'd love to see them in person.

Hi Gloria! Such a rough time of year to be ill, but it sounds like you'll have a great spring next year!

This heat is nuts, but I suppose the alternative is to live somewhere that is so much colder that the growing season is dramatically reduced. I'll take the heat, I suppose!

Kelly, I have a friend that grew up in Simpsonville.

Wow, Gloria, what a lot of seedlings! You must do wonderful with them.

I really don't do them wonderfully, but some of them have to survive because I start so many. Today I started more blue columbine, 2 kinds of blue lupine, two kinds of shastas, and planted out small Olympia verbascums and Russell Lupins (which are hardly even seedlings.) We had two rains today so I thought they small germinated seedlings might survive. If they don't, well, I have more. LOL.

Gloria, I always start way more than I can use too. It works out well being able to lose some, typically if 3-6 of any given seedlings survive, that's about all I'd have space for anyway. If I have plenty of extras by the time I plant them, I'll either plant little clumps of seedlings together, try some in problem areas (where I have trouble getting things to thrive or survive), or give them away. You still end up saving lots of money, and often start things that greenhouses don't sell.

I'm with you all. Love having too many! Of course, if I want a whole bunch of something, say for a border, that's the one that refuses to cooperate!