And we are ALREADY done with seven twelfths of the year!! And what do I have to show for it?? A few neglected parts of the garden have received some TLC, with one or two more projects in the works. On paper, anyway. The Brussels sprouts have never looked better, thanks to cabbage moths being conspicuously absent this year. And two groups of strangers wandered about asking questions – my first ever open garden events. They were fun.
Joining Jim at Garden Ruminations with six things right now in the garden (well, six things yesterday…it’s a very gloomy weekend here so far…), and starting with the last lily to bloom, the most magnificent tiger lily, Lilium lancifolium, in all its orange glory:
Another sun lover are these Liatris. They’re supposed to be butterfly magnets but I’ve rarely seen one dining on them. Perhaps it’s the specific species.
And in the more shady areas Hostas are blooming, including the lovely mauve flowers on top of this unknown Hosta variety with dusky blue-green leaves. It’s one of my favourites, and of course Hostas are so drought tolerant PLUS I’ve often seen bumblebees forcing themselves down the long tubular flowers.
And now for a few critters. There’s a rabbit, only the second one I’ve seen in the garden this year – like the absent cabbage moth, this is very unusual and not a bad thing. Then, along the path where I was slowly following the rabbit, a small dragonfly appeared. Lovely. Quite a few about this year with many, many mosquitos to feed them. And finally a bumblebee sipping the sweet nectar of a pink clover. That sight made me very happy I’ve been putting off mowing these past few weeks. Have a great weekend everyone!
The Tiger Lily is lovely…but…I’m wondering why it’s called ‘Tiger’…a Tiger has stripes. Maybe Leopard Lily would have been more appropriate. Liatris is a very frizzly flower. I have seen a rabbit many times, or maybe different ones…they are well-behaved hoppers. Dragonflies are always welcome…their wings are so beautiful. Always super wonderful to observe Bumbles…so many different kinds. Enjoy August…hoping it doesn’t fly by as quickly as the other months.
Well, everything I find just says Tigerlily because of the colour…ignoring the elephant in the room, which is a tiger has stripes,…
Can’t believe it is August already, yikes. Nice six, Chris, and I love that you are sparing the clover for the bees. 👍🏼 💕
August means summer is half over…ugh…
The long slippery slope to fall… then… 😢
I love the lily, such a beauty. Liatris is a funny one isn’t it, not quite sure how the flowers work. Great to see your wildlife, hope the bunny wasn’t too hungry!
I haven’t noticed any rabbit damage this summer…then again, it’s a bit jungly out there…
I love Liatris. I had planted Liatris aspera and they did not survive, but self seeded ones look like they will bloom this summer yet. I am very pleased! Nice bunny and darner too. My baby bunny still lives in my garden. Mom still visits. Looks more like a teenager now, not the round little thing he was. I read that rabbits are actually territorial, so it is common to see the same ones in the area.
Interesting and logical that rabbits are territorial…I can’t really imagine them traveling too far… this one is very young and I’m surprised I haven’t seen its mom or more babies anywhere about.
Easter tiger swallowtails like my Liatris spicata. Otherwise, smaller bees are attracted. Lilies are a favorite of mine and fortunately we do not have lily beetles preying on them in my yard.
I have seen those swallowtails here but none on my Liatris. I suspect I don;t have L. spicata… And I don;t have lily beetles either!! (Happy happy, joy joy)
Wow to that lily! Very exotic.
It’s quite lovely and splashy!
Stunning tiger lilies, just like mine were a few weeks ago—though they’ve finished blooming now….
I remember seeing yours, thinking you hot summer may have speeded up blooming…
Somehow I missed knowing that hostas will bloom; the flowers are lovely. When I searched a bit about that little issue of tiger lilies having spots rather than stripes, I found people all over the country pondering the issue. The answer always was: it’s the color, not the pattern.
I do love liatris of all sorts, especially fuzzy species like yours. I’ve never seen large butterflies visiting ours, but a lot of the smaller species seem to enjoy them, as well as skippers. There have been times I nearly missed the small butterflies on them — so small that they could hide on the backside of the flower I was looking at.
A lot of gardeners, including pros, poo-poo Hosta flowers, saying they are insignificant annoyances since we only grow the plant for the leaves. It IS a bit annoying to cut the flower stalls off when blooms have faded (otherwise a bunch of dead stalks remain…not very attractive) but Hosta flowers come in various sizes and shades of lilac and white and several are beautifully fragrant. And in the shade, where most Hostas thrive, a white or pale lavender haze of flowers is quite welcome, I think. I’ll pay more attention to my Liatris, but I dunnoo…..
Those lilies are amazing! So is the hosta. They do not perform like that for us. They dislike arid climates I think.
Maybe eh? Seem quite happy with our heat and humidity…
Yes, they get minimal humidity here.
WOW! the tiger Lily is spectacular!
I have a pretty large patch so they make a statement this time of year!
A beautiful mix of flowers and animals! The lily is lovely, but so is the Liatris. I love those types of long, thin flowers.
Me Too! Thanks Kathrin!
Oooh, lily season is starting! Also, am very amused at the mental image of the bumblebee cramming itself into that flower. They really don’t have any sense of their size and it’s hilarious.
Yeah, it’s cute to see bumbles on small flowers like clover!