Every Blooming THing: Late June: About That Monarch Butterfly and the Cicadas

Grass still growing fast as it has been fairly wet and cool around here.

Regular daisies are blooming.  I have been planting a lot of geraniums (bought on sale for 50 cents) as well as begonias (also on sale).  This is the time I start buying flowers when they put them on sale.  Begonias take care of themselves so I like them.

The landscapers have been over here twice in the last two weeks and have trimmed off branches in the two pine islands as well as the Back 40 and arboretum.  And, then there are all those weed trees they've cut down and yews they've trimmed.  

Sadly the burn pile that I worked so hard on this spring to burn it has gotten even bigger than it was this spring.  I'll be busy in the fall when I can burn again.

On Wednesday I had to delay going somewhere when I saw a monarch butterfly flitting about the thirty or so milkweed plants I have growing in my driveway culverts.  I hope it tells its buddies about it.  I miss those beautiful things.

I still come across a cicada every day, but fewer than before, plus the din off in the distance is lessening.

--RoadCada

Every Blooming THing-- Early June: The Cicadas Are Here

I was beginning to wonder where they were, but now I know.  They have arrived.  I found a whole lot of them in one of my crabapple trees and they were dropping down and molting.  I had earlier found one every so often while working in flower gardens.

I kind of enjoy nabbing them and their fluttering (now I know they don't bite).

My daisies (about 50 of them) are still blooming white and I have a couple perennials in yellow and gold blooming, but don't know what they are.  Also, my Missouri primrose.

I have been to my local Jewel grocery stores since they are now selling flowers for 50% off.  Now they're hitting my price.

Annuals are pretty expensive these days.  At Wal Mart they sell for $3.47 a four-pack.  I can remember buying six pack cells for 50 cents full price many years ago.

Lots of weeding and trimming to do.

--RoadDog

Every Blooming THing-- Mid May

Trees are all leafed out now.  The two front sunburst honeylocusts are with their bright yellow leaves now which turn green later.  But. quite the striking picture right now.  My Japanese lilacs are getting ready to bloom.

The main dandelion assault is over.

My wild tall phlox are blooming (at least a hundred of them) and my daisies are blooming and/or getting ready to do so.  The irises are blooming as well and the azaleas have more red on then than I've ever seen.

Last night I think I might have heard the first cicadas.  Even though my house is now 32 years old, we haven't had but a few before.  

The lawn tractor has developed a slow leak on one of the rear wheels.

And, yesterday I started trimming the burning bushes which are growing all over the place.  Today, I started transplanting plants I overwintered in the house.

--RoadDog

Every Blooming THing, Early May

Flowers a'blooming right now.  All part of my beginning to end season color that I strive for.

Tulips still blooming, but fading, azaleas all red, candy tufts are white, a yellow flower perennial with gray stems, lavendar creeping phlox and lilacs in their purple.

After Saturday, my huge burn pile is way down.

Dandelions all over the place and grass growing fast.

A lot of my yews haven't been trimmed in years as well as a lot of weed trees which I will have cut down by a landscaping company.

Always something to do outside and it is a lot harder these days for some reason.

--RoadDog

Every Blooming THing, Late April

 The daffodils and hyacinths are pretty well spent.  As are the Bradford pear trees.

But, the tulips, creeping phlox, a yellow perennial and the five crabapple trees are blooming.

I have another bumper crop of dandelions. No cicadas yet.  We're supposed to have both the 13-year and 17-year cicadas soon.

Grass is growing well.

I have the yard crew coming over Wednesday, weather permitting, to finish trimming trees and getting rid of weed trees.

--RoadFlower

Every Blooming THing-- Mid April

April showers (well, and snow on the 3rd) and flowers are blooming.  Especially the dear old dandelions.  What would spring be without the dandies.  Since I haven't used fertilizer or weedkiller in twenty years, I have a bumper crop.

In addition, I must have several hundred daffodills blooming and a hundred hyacinths.  The Bradford pear trees are in their brilliant white bloom as well.  The creeping phlox are in several hues around the yard.  I always try to have something blooming year round.  Here we go again.

Right now I am busy raking leaves out of flower beds and cutting down dead plants.

But, by far, my biggest challenge is the huge burn pile on the southwest corner of the lot.  I hired people to come over and cut down weed trees and clear overgrowth out last summer and that pile is huge.  Way too big to attempt a straight pile burn for fear it will get away from me.

So, I pull things off the pile and burn smaller fires.  This is a very tiring work.  And believe me at age 72 these first days of working out in the yard are getting rougher and rougher.  I am one sore lad indeed.

I Didn't Know You Could Hurt So Many Ways.  --RoadPain

Every Blooming THing: Mid-April 2023

As we shiver around here today.  Last week, we had four days with sun and temps in the 80s and higher.  This morning, woke up to about an inch of snow on the ground, snow flurries in the morning and temps in the upper 30s.  Like they say, if you don't like the weather around Chicago right now, wait a little bit.

Grass is green and I was smiling Saturday when the lawn tractor started right away.  Trees are budding out.

The Bradford pear trees are blooming big time white.  I have three of them.  The crabapples are budding out.

Plenty of twigs and limbs still to be moved from the ice storm a short time ago (we lost electricity for 17 hours).

Right now the daffodils and hyacinths are blooming and I have a lot of them.

--RoadFlower

Every Blooming THing: Late July 2022

Entering prime time for the yard when it comes to color.  Several hundred black-eyed Susans and purple coneflowers are blooming as are hostas, bee balm, day lillies and some of the mums.

Between the heat and blogs, it is hard to get time to work on the yard.  Lots of trimming and weeding to do.  I didn't think it was possible to have so many weed trees growing.  

With a bit of a drought going on, I am able to skip cutting the grass for two weeks at a time.  It is better not to cut your grass during a drought (and really isn't necessary as the grass slows down growing a lot), plus, that saves on that super expensive gas.  (However, I should mention that a drought does not stop weeds from growing.)

Sadly, I have around fifteen milkweed plants that I was hoping would attract monarch butterflies, but have only seen two this year.  Even before the milkweed plants, I used to see several hundred over the course of a summer.  I guess they are right about becoming endangered.  I sure would miss them if that comes to pass.  They sure are beautiful insects. 

Bring Back the Monarchs!!  --RoadArch

Every Blooming THing, Mid June

The yard has been ablaze in purples and whites the last three weeks as the tall wild phlox and daisies have been blooming.  I must have several hundred of each.  I even have clumps of daisies growing in the yard in about 12 places.

In addition, the Japanese lilacs are now in bloom with those massive white flower bunches.  The peonies are also blooming.  Also, my Missouri primrose is blooming as is a perennial which has yellow flowers blooming on its spike (but I don't know the name of it).

I have started trimming bushes and will tell you sincerely that I planted way too many of the yews.  Plus, I have way too many burning bushes.  I have been and still am cutting down weed trees andother wild growth.

This past Sunday I talked with a friend at the McHenry Legion who has a landscaping service and will have him come over an do some serious tree trimming.  

When I started planting all this stuff in 1993, I was still a somewhat healthy 42-year-old and it never occurred to me that one day I might be getting too old to do all the work.  Well, it has now iccurred to me.  In addition, I spend way too much time on these blogs.

I am hoping that I will be able to continue cutting the grass what with gas prices around $5.80.

It's Getting Tougher, You Know.  --RoadDog

Every Blooming THing: Early May 2022

Despite all this crummy cold weather, 38 degrees this morning but at least sunny, everything is greening up and trees are budding out.  The Japanese lilacs already have their leaves and the crabapples are just about there as well.

The yard already is a blast of yellow with the daffodils (and I have at least 1000 of them) and the hyacinths are also in full bloom.  The tulips are about to start opening up.  

I have not yet cut the grass and sure hope the lawn tractor starts.  The yard needs cutting for sure.

I also haven't had much opportunity to get outside and rake leaves out of the flower beds or knock down dead growth.

Sure looking forward to the arrival of spring.  Hopefully this weekend.

Oh, yes.  And the dandelions are well underway, of course.  And, it's a bumper crop!!

Would You ever believe a Bumper Crop of Dandelion?  Kind of Hard to Believe.  --RoadDog

Every Blooming THing: Mid October

This has been a strange fall so far.  It has not gotten very cold at all (That is, until now.  We had to turn the furnace on today.)  The  trees haven't really started to change much. My honey locusts, got gold, but he  lost their leaves quickly as usual.  Usually by now several of my crabapple trees lose their leaves by the end of August, but this year we had a drier spring, so they kept their leaves.

The birch trees are starting to turn yellow.  The burning bushes are just starting to turn their blazing red a little bit.

Unfortunately, the lawn tractor broke down for the third time this season nd is in a shop.  But, that isn't stopping the grass from growing.  Hope I get that back soon or it may be too late.

All Halloween decorations are up.

The asters are a deep purple and several hundred mums of varying hues are blooming as well as the reddish sedum heads.

--RoadGreen

Every Blooming THing, Early August 2021: Prime Season

I regard this period of time as the best my yard has to offer.  It is a blaze of color from one end to the other with the most blooms of the year.

Right now, the purple cone flowers, black-eyed susans, daylillies, hostas and tall phlox are blooming.  And, I have hundreds of each of them.  I also have some sort of tall mini sunflowers blooming right now and even a few bee balm are still in bloom but most are gone.

But, sadly, we are in drought conditions for a second time so I have been out watering a whole lot.  At least I haven't cut the grass in awhile.  It isn't growing, but the weeds are doing real well, especially over the one septic line that is used.

I have also been very busy cutting back bushes and weed trees that have taken over parts of the back yard.

I have also been busy planting all the annuals that I bought at Menard's when they finally put them on sale.

Always Fun and Games in The Yard.  --RoadFlower

Every Blooming THing, Early July 2021

Well, I actually had to cut the grass last week as after it turned brown during an extended drought, it had caught up quite well during the extended monsoon season we just had.  And, let me tell you, that grass/weed mix over the one line we use in our five line septic field was something else.  Took four passes to cut that mess down.

Right now, the mums are blooming their first bloom session (I have  to cut the blooms back in a few days in order to get that fall blast of color). 

The wild tall daisies are blooming.  Each one has anywhere between 50 and 100 tiny blooms on it.  (I don't actually know what they are called.)  Nor do I know what the pink or red flowers are that are blooming right now are called.

The daisies are blooming as are the tiger lilies, blue salvia, dianthus, potentilla and some spirea.

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GETTING READY TO BLOOM

hostas

purple cone flowers

blackeyed-Susans

daylilies

And, I have easily 100 of each, probably more.

Oh, yes.  The lovely Japanese beetles are back.  Just love those guys.

Getting Ready for the Big Bloom!!  --RoadFlower

Every Blooming THing, Early June 2021

We finally got a little rain last night which was badly needed as the grass is brown and I am getting really tired of watering everyday.  Plus, I am busy trimming bushes.  I can tell you this sincerely, I planted WAY TOO MANY bushes.  And that trimmer is mean.  My arms feel empty after I finish and then there is the trimmer's habit of eating cords.

Right now, I have several hundred white daisy plants blooming as well as probably twenty spirea that are about to bloom.  The wild tall purple phlox are on that last stages of bloom sadly.  I have quite a few different blue flowers blooming right now including lavender, blue salvia and two others I don't know their name.

The daylillies are budding out and I also have about 150 of them.  The dianthus are still blooming as well.  Peonies and clematis are blooming also.

Color All the Time, You Know.  --RoadDogFlower

Every Blooming THing, Mid-May 2021

The yard continues to bloom.  My goal is always to have something blooming from mid-March to November.  And, I do pretty well at it even if I do say so.

Right now, the ajuga is blooming blue and purple pink all over the yard, including some areas in the yard.  The daisies are just about to break out in white bloom (also in spots in the yard as well).   And, I have at least a hundred if not more with all of these perennials.

In addition, the tall wild purple phlox are blooming all over and I still have purple, white and red creeping phlox blooming.

The iris are blooming and/or preparing to bloom.  The azaleas are mighty, mighty red.

I also have the yellow perennials with gray foliage and another mounding plant with little pink flowers blooming.  But, I do not know what these last two are called.

It is a colorful yard, indeed.

Oh yes, the Miss Kim lilacs are getting ready to bloom (regular lilacs are past).  Plus, my two sunrise honeylocust trees in the front yard are about to burst into their golden leaves.

Pretty Yard.  --RoadThumb

TEENAGERS AND CATS:  Cats have nine lives.  Teenagers carry on as if they did as well.

Every Blooming THing, Early May 2021

After a two week delay, I finally got my lawn tractor and had a real fun time cutting down the yard jungle I had developed in the meantime.  I always try to stay ahead of the grass especially in the spring when it is growing fast.  I had to cut it much higher than I usually do.

Sadly, one of my crabapple trees had just come into a heavy bloom but then the extreme winds we had this past weekend hit and blew every single bud off.  However, the other four crabapples are blooming right now as is the sole remaining Bradford pear tree.  The two sunburst honey locusts are about to leaf out in that glorious yellow.  The redbud is also blooming.

The daffodils and hyacinths are spent, but the tulips are ablaze right now.

The purple, red and white creeping phlox are carrying the flower color right now along with a perennial I have that has gray foliage and yellow flowers (but I don't know what it is called).

Hostas are coming up.

--RoadFlower

Every Bloomin' THing: Early April 2021

Just like almost overnight, the green wave has hit the grass.  Boom, green.  Working in the flower beds, I have seen several small dandelions, of course.  I have been working on clearing out other people's leaves from my flowerbeds and I have a great supply of their extras.

I had the lawn tractor/mower picked up in the middle of March and it is not back yet.  I am hoping I get it back before that grass starts growing.

The jonquils, or do you call them daffodils are blooming and are the hyacinths.

Trees are budding out.  I noticed that our subdivision has a whole lot of redbud trees.  I planted one a couple years ago and am hoping it makes a go of it.  Two others that I've had in the past didn't make it.  I just don't have any luck with  them.

Rained off and on all day, but the last three days before that had temps in the upper 70s and plenty of sunshine so I got to have some breakfasts and coffee out on the front porch (FP) and a couple lunches on the deck (OD).  Eating outside means you know what is nearly here.

--RoadBud

QUESTIONABLE HEADLINES:  "Enraged Cow Injured Farmer With Ax"

Every Blooming THing, Early November

Keeping true to my goal of having something blooming with big color all the way between April and October, the yard has a lot of color right now.

Several hundred yellow and orange mums are still in bloom.  The sedum have the dark heads and yellow stalks.  Burning bushes are burning red.  Plus, my lone remaining Bradford pear tree has just gotten it autumnal tones.  However, I do have several Bradford pear tree seedlings growing.

Just finished raking pine straw up into my two pine islands; great mulch, but a whole lot of raking, especially with all the wind we've been having so that pine straw was spread out over a really bit area.  Hoping that I cut the grass for the last time.

Rolled up the front yard hose onto the reel (200 feet of hose) and will get to the backyard hose later this month after I finish burning limbs and twigs.  

We've been having a great Indian Summer around here with temperatures in the lower 70s for the last six days.  Last year this time, we had already had a Halloween surprise snow storm that dropped six inches on the ground and then there was another surprise Veterans Day six inches.  No snow this year, but we have had a couple frosts.

--RoadDog

Every Blooming THing: Early October

Another fast summer.  Why can't winter go that fast?  

Pine straw is starting to fall.  That is always nice because that is free mulch, but does require a lot of raking.  I have two big pine islands with 15 pine trees.

The mums are blooming all over right now and I must have close to 200 of them, so quite the display of yellow to red shades all over the yard.  In addition, the sedum have all those red heads.  The asters are also in bloom now with the blues.  Also, some kind of a wild daisy is blooming all over.  These plants have hundreds of really small white flowers, but in masses so it is quite a thing to see.

The goldenrods have finished which is good because that means I don't have to be as careful now since the stingers that inhabit these when in bloom are also gone.  Anything that can sting you is all over those.  The sedum are still red, but when they first turn, they too are covered with little stingers.

The honeylocusts are starting to turn yellow now.

--RoadFlower

Every Blooming THing-- Early July 2020; Yard's Ablaze, Man

I took a walk around the house to make sure I got a list of all the flowers blooming right now.

clematis

wild daisies  (several hundred of them)

an orange perennial

some mums that weren't cut back

stella d'oro daylillies

Small, medium and tall daisies

spirea

bee balm

some dianthus

a blue perennial on a stalk

tiger lilies

lavender

Missouri primrose

some tall phlox

marguerittes

tickweed

blue salvia 

something with red flowers

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ABOUT TO BLOOM

daylilies

Asiatic daylilies

black-eyed Susans--  several hundred

purple cone flowers--  around a hundred

hostas

a pink perennial--  I have several hundred of them.

So, the Yard Is Ablaze With Color Right Now And Will Continue To be For Awhile.  --RoadFlower

 FOX HUNTING:  "Fox on the Run" was a 1974 hit song for which band?  

Sweet