The Wonder of Flowers
Will Never Cease For Me
Much as I love the delicate beauty of the Japanese Anenomes by the front door, it always makes me a little sad to see them, because once they open their velvety buds, it means that the days are shortening and we are slowly but surely beginning the descent into Fall.
The incredible colour display produced by the Black Eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) and the Purple Cone Flowers (Echinacea) is wonderful to behold, but even as it gladdens the spirit, it reminds one that the mid-summer point has been reached and that the count-down to fall has begun.
In planning our garden, the most important thing for me is ensuring that it includes a variety of plants for the pollinators. That plan integrates very nicely with providing plenty of colour to enhance the space.
Our garden has a wide variety of perennial and annual flowers, along with assorted berry-bearing shrubs and small trees. (I include perennials, annuals and wildflowers in order to give the widest selection.) As a result, we are blessed with a large number of birds, mainly small songbirds, plenty of bees, small and large wasps, and a smaller number (sadly) of butterflies.
We have bird baths in both front and back gardens, and these are well attended by birds and insects, and often raccoons, opossums, and foxes.
We do not put out bird feeders due to the rat population, but our garden provides plenty of food for the pollinators.
