Early July Blooms

I don't actually remember planting this coneflower. It's tucked into a patch of Bee Balm (or Monarda if you're looking to google it!) and the milkweed has surrounded it. This is also next to a sedum - which I need to move to a better, more sunny spot where I don't have to pull out Bee Balm for the sedum to bloom.

But this coneflower is really pretty and had I remembered that it was there, I would have pulled out the encroaching other flowers around it. 

The Bee Balm has just started blooming and is in various states of growth, some of it is small still, other plants are just starting to bloom. I really enjoy this in my yard because I feel that it's long lasting - especially if you have it in various areas of sun & shade. It also doesn't have a ton of pest pressure which means that it's been incredibly reliable for me over the years and bunnies, squirrels, and Phil have left it alone. 

Self-seeded Snapdragon from last year. Light purple or lavender blooms with the dark leaves are really pretty and a great addition to my planters. I wish I could remember where it came from - I'm thinking I got a mix pack from Burpee and this was part of the pack. Now that I know that Snapdragons can self-seed, I'm going to toss out a few seed packets next year at the school garden and see what happens.

Purple is my favorite color. And magenta! But these striped ones are so cute.

Milkweed is blooming and even though it doesn't seem to look all that impressive from afar - when you look closely there's so many blooms and the little flowers are pretty detailed. My backyard doesn't have as much milkweed but what it does have, has been creeping into the grass and I've had to mow it down. I need the backyard to have some grass for Phil and Q to play soccer and the milkweed, if it's knocked into by a soccer ball will get everything sticky. I hate dealing with the sticky milkweed on soccer balls and other sports equipment.

Butterfly Weed is one of my favorites. It doesn't spread too crazy in my yard - this is easy to pull if you don't like where it landed. The seed pods are ginormous and so if you pull those in the fall, it will contain the spread if you find that it's spreading too much for your likin. I highly recommend this native for the pollinators. Butterfly Weed is the larval food source for Monarch butterflies. In my yard, I will see bumble bees, sweat bees - the ones with the bright green coloration, and occasionally other butterflies hanging around it.