Category: Flowers

…and the Ugly, Not!

It was brought to my attention that following the good and the bad should be the ugly. But since I thought the bad was ugly enough, I thought I'd spare you the ugly! Instead, I thought I'd just continue to post some of the beautiful Michigan fall photos from Peggy.  Gray Dogwood Winterberry or Michigan … Continue reading …and the Ugly, Not!

The Garden in Fall: The Bad

It's the beginning of October and the days are getting shorter, the nights growing colder. While yesterday I posted about the good things in the fall garden, there are also a lot of plants and beds that are really past their prime.  Whether it's overgrown, or the plants need to be trimmed back, or just … Continue reading The Garden in Fall: The Bad

The Garden in Fall: The Good

It's the beginning of October and the days are getting shorter, the nights growing colder. These are the last gasps for the garden before it settles into the winter hibernation. In some ways, fall gardens can be very pretty. I'm always surprised at the plants that continue to bloom well in to fall, some even … Continue reading The Garden in Fall: The Good

Time for the Yarrow to Go

I posted before about the problems I was having with my yarrow and I've finally decided it's time to go.   It's been a garden invader for years and especially this year, just downright ugly. So I pulled it out. This left an ugly gaping hole, but by next spring it'll have something new in … Continue reading Time for the Yarrow to Go

More Hawk Moths

After I saw the very cool White Lined Sphinx Moth last week in my backyard, I heard from my mom and other family members that they too were seeing similar Hummingbird Moths in Michigan.  My mom was able to get a picture of this Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (Hemaris thysbe) feeding in her backyard. I am … Continue reading More Hawk Moths

White Line Sphinx Moth

The other night I was outside helping grill around dusk. Right next to the grill, I have planters with geraniums, petunias and coleus. Flitting around the petunias that night was this hummingbird-dragonfly-bug-like thing. Its wings were beating so fast, I really couldn't get a handle on what it was. All I could really tell was … Continue reading White Line Sphinx Moth

Plant Breeding In Progress

I was out riding my bike earlier this week at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL, when I came across a few plants and trees with paper bags on them. Paperbark Hazelnut Corylus fargesii Shrubby St. Johnswort Hypernicum prolificum I assumed they were either doing pest control or trapping.   But, because the Arboretum is … Continue reading Plant Breeding In Progress