It’s Bloom Day and Sunday to boot. For those who live somewhere other than the center of the country, I’ll give you the forecast in two words: hot and dry. Okay, it was three words, but we don’t count “and,” do we? It’s not as hot as last year, but the Bermuda grass is finally starting to burn up all over town. The rural grasses are turning amber too and setting seed like the prairie natives they are. Our weather is terribly dry. Popup showers, caused by the heat and a Gulf Coast front “thingee” have been popping up. Nothing has popped up here. Nary a drop. However, with well-timed soaker hoses and a drip watering system, I do have plants and lots of vegetables. If I’d quit frying them, I’d lose weight, but I do love a fried piece of summer squash once a week. And, our new find of fried squash blossoms isn’t helping either. Recipes and the Great Squash Challenge to follow soon. Because our temperatures have stayed right under 100F, we also have tomatoes. Everybody cheer!
Plus, we have sunflowers, beautiful sunflowers.
It isn’t all about sunflowers here at the Red Dirt Ranch, but I’m really enjoying them this year. I planted a line of two mixes just starting to bloom at the edge of the new vegetable garden. They were seed packets of yellow and more bronzed varieties. The dark horse, above, bloomed today. Just so you know, two weeks ago, I planted two more seed mixes, Flash and ‘Peach Passion‘ both from Botanical Interests so that I could have more sunflowers after these are through. I also grew dwarf ‘Teddy Bear’ from Burpee Seeds next to the red fountain. It is way smaller than I expected.
Below, is another shot of ‘Strawberry Blonde.’ I can’t begin to express how beautiful I find this sunflower. Apparently the bees do too. She must have lots of good nectar. The color shifts depending upon the light and temperature. As the blooms age, they change color too.
We are at high summer, and there is so much to show you. I can’t capture it all. So, I’m going to focus on those plants which draw in the pollinators. Here, a wasp feasts upon the nectar in bronze fennel. Foeniculum vulgare ‘Purpureum’ is a crazy plant. It’s perennial where I live and also sets seed so if you get it going, you’ll have it forever. If you let it grow its second year, it will be six feet tall, and people will think you’re nuts. Still, it tastes good, is a great digestive, and small pollinators love it as do the larvae of swallowtail butterflies. It’s prettier than the green fennel too so I think it’s one of those plants you could grow in the perennial garden with no apology.
My bees are back just in time for the feast I readied for them. As I waited all spring and early summer for their arrival, I began to worry they weren’t going to come. I kept thinking of the parable of the Great Feast–Luke 14:15-24–where the king invites his guests, and no one shows up. Not that I’m a king or God, but I began to understand how lonely God must feel when we receive all the good things life has to offer and never say thank you. I’m not preaching. These were just my thoughts as I toiled out in the garden day after day, and not a single bee came.
Then, just when I’d lost hope, the bees returned, along with butterflies galore, and this afternoon, I caught this exquisite creature sipping nectar from the Phlox paniculata ‘Bright Eyes.’
So, I’m going to say thank you. Thanks to everyone who reads my ramblings and to God who helps me make my garden, and to all the friends I’ve made since I started blogging. It’s been a fun ride, and there are more good things to come. We just need to remember why we garden . . . I’m not sure what your reason is, but for me, it’s to offer shelter for all the little ones from the storm.
Happy Bloom Day everyone. Thanks to Carol from May Dreams Gardens who makes Bloom Day possible, and again . . . thank you.
Love those sunflowers!! I tried fancy mixes of sunflowers and the bunnies were very happy! I used some of the sunflower seed for bird food….great showing of blooms. 🙂 funny. I think I will try sunflowers again next year….maybe if I start them in seed cups instead of direct sow.
Lovely blooms…gotta love those Sunflowers, right? Stay cool and enjoy those tomatoes 🙂
Very nice read Dee!
I have said for years I was going to plant bronze fennel and I have yet to do it. I originally started gardening because I love flowers. But lately I find myself catering to the wildlife more. On days with triple digit temps I turn my dripline sprinklers on for about 50 minutes mid day so the birds can get some relief from the heat. And boy do they have fun. Word seems to spread fast among them.
Hey Randy, you can just plant seeds in the spring. If you’ll send me your address via email, I’ll save seeds for you. It’s a wonderful addition to the garden. I love that you turn your sprinklers on for the birds. Makes me break into a wide smile.
Aw you garden for such a sweet reason and so well said. Those sunflowers are ever so nice. So sorry about the dryness there. It has been awfully hard to grow things this year but there is always next year and we can only hope. The phlox picture is so pretty!
I should plant some of the sunflower seeds that are lurking in cabinets & baskets here at Wit’s End. Like you, I think they’ll bloom before fall.
Those dark sunflowers are just stunning, a delight for both humans and pollinators. I’ve noticed an upswing in bees, but I haven’t seen hardly any butterflies this summer. I’m glad they’re visiting your garden. And I’m very thankful for all the plants that have the nerve to bloom in the face of extreme heat and drought.
Barb, I should have some more dark ones in a few days. I’ll take some pics of them too and post. They are quite stunning aren’t they? I only get a lot of butterflies about this time of year and into the fall. They don’t like our springs very much. Hope you get more butterflies soon.~~Dee
Your garden looks to be in full gear. Thank goodness for drip irrigation. I have never thought I needed it before this year. Hmmmmm…. Happy GBBD.
Hi Lisa! Yes, thank goodness for dripping water. It does a plant good. Sorry you’re not getting much rain. Happy Bloom Day to you too.
Such a lovely post, Dee. Your words are a good reminder to us all to be thankful for what we have. I have been whining about the heat all summer, and as I sat here this morning waiting for the A/C repairman to return my call and wondering just how long it will take to cool off this house again…I thought of childhood summers. We didn’t have air conditioning, and it seemed like on the hottest day of the summer, my mother would be firing up the big pressure canner on the stove and canning bushels of green beans. It made me stop and think a bit about how “soft” I have become.
But anyway, love all those sunflowers! You make me regret my procrastination in planting any this summer.
Oooh, Rose, I’ve thought the same thing. We only had a window unit in my childhood home. My sister and I would lie beneath it and read. We also spent a lot more time outside climbing trees because it was cooler than indoors. I used to go back to school with no air conditioning. My mom canned too. I freeze everything. 😀
Beautiful blooms! Happy GBBD!
Thanks Chris! You too.
Dee, I must find a way to grow Strawberry Blonde’ what a beauty. …I’ve been feeling especially grateful for the blooms in my garden, the rain that has fallen, for my dear friends and family these days. I hope the popup showers deliver rain to your garden. xogail
Gail, she’s a keeper. I’ll be growing her next year too. Hope to save more seeds from the freakin’ gophers too. This year, I lost several to them.~~Dee
Saying thanks and being grateful is something every gardener should remember. Thanks for the prompt. I wish you rain from bloom day.
Les, I wish all of us in the middle of the country rain. We are desperate.
Beautiful sunflowers, Dee! So happy to hear the bees are back!!!
I started some bronze fennel in late May. It’s still small, but I’m hoping it will take off soon and even possibly bloom later in the season. It’s so pretty!
Me too Linda. I was worried about them. Bronze fennel is indeed pretty, but a bit of a monster. Still, it’s worth it for the pollinators. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Nice that the blooms increase even in the summer…I have never been to OK from mid-June to late-August, so maybe some weekend. Everything looks great at your place, especially that ‘strawberry blonde’ that I’ve never seen. Bees, yes great to see them return…not sure why, nor where they do but where they don’t.
Beautiful! – especially the Sunflowers!
Have a wonderful day!
Lea
Lea’s Menagerie
That butterfly is fantastic! Now I want lots of sunflowers…maybe I can squeeze some in somewhere…although I do have a few that aren’t blooming yet.
I garden for the same reason and the critters are fine….but the garden is too dry and I just can’t water more than the veggies…we had a quarter of an inch of rain which will help many flowers…don’t care abut the grass but worried about the trees. I love your pollinators and all your happy flowers Dee…I’ll be showing mine tomorrow
We have enough trouble getting one crop of sunflowers to ripen seed. I can’t imagine a second crop!
Love those sunflowers. I’m starting to pick lots of zucchini squash, too, and I do love it fried, but my favorite fried summer vegetables are eggplant and ocra. Yum. Thanks for sharing with us for bloom day.
Hip, hip, hooray for tomatoes! And also for sunflowers and pollinators. Not too late to sow more sunflowers? Thanks for that, Dee, I will plant some and hope for the best.
Frances, I know I’m living on the edge here, but I think I can get those sunflowers to bloom before fall. I really do, and I’m willing to try. 🙂