six on Saturday, 22 May 2021

1. My offerings today are neither unusual nor terribly enlightening, but they do represent what is going on in the garden right now. Unfortunately, I missed posting photos of most of my irises and various native wildflowers while I was working on some other projects for the past few weeks. But as the featured image suggests the oxeye daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare) are putting on their own show at the moment.

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They generously seed themselves throughout the lawn each year. So generously, in fact that they have made their way into the oval garden and among the Stella D’Oro daylilies. In fact, they so freely spread themselves that I found them listed as an “aggressive invasive” and a “dangerous ornamental” on a couple of sites. Not a native, the oxeye daisy was introduced to the United States as an ornamental plant from Europe in the 1800s.

2. My second item is another appear-where-it-will wildflower, this time in the wooded area of the garden instead of the so-called lawn. Woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata) is, however, a North American native. In the photo below it is growing among ferns and hosta along the dry creek bed, which has been running anything but dry during this year’s spring rains. Their tall purple blooms follow nicely after the shorter more pinkish-purple blooms of the native downy phlox (Phlox pilosa) that I wrote about in April.

3. I said above that my irises are done for the spring, but there is one variety that is still putting forth a few blooms, the Siberian irises (Iris sibirica). These are all in pots, some by themselves and others planted with yellow Gerbera daisies. The yellow and blue/purple color combination is one I’ve favored since since visiting Morocco four years ago and then Andalusia a year later.

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4. Bush roses are lush at the moment, but I am drawn to them more for their bees than their blooms.

5. I have another bee for my next offering. This one is in the bright yellow star-shaped bloom of stonecrop.

6. I’ve saved my favorite item for last today. In October last year, Fothergilla gardenii was featured on the PrunePlantSow site. I commented on how much I admired the plant’s fall show of “red, gold, green and purple leaves together.” I also commented that I had been looking unsuccessfully for this native shrub for a while. Gardeners are good people! Before long I received several sprouts in the mail. Not all prospered, but these three did, and I am looking forward to their healthy growth this summer.

On a note of thanks, then, I close out this week. I urge readers to visit the site of The Propagator for more sixes and guidelines for joining the rest of us and taking part as well. Someone just might send you a cutting or a sprig of a plant you have been looking for.