Gardeners! Share your garden photos and garden chatter here.

[Ysarex84 78]

Took the camera out to the garden yesterday morning while weeding and grabbed some snaps. We're losing ground to the bind weed but it is pretty so I took a photo before tearing it out.

Nice crop of basil this year, but not very attractive flowers.

The Crepe Myrtle is pretty and in full bloom right now. All with Fuji X-T2 w/50mm f/2.8 El Nikkor.

 

[terri33 4]

@terri Definitely a rose of sharon. I have cut back a RoS to the ground and 3 years later it is 8’ high and 5’ wide. I don’t mind the height as it gives one of my bedroom windows some cover. The bees love it but the type we have spreads everywhere. When the yard was mostly grass it didn’t much matter as the seedlings would get mowed down all summer and fall so they never got a foothold. But now, with the various beds I’ve created in front and in the side butterfly garden, the seedlings are popping up all over. I’m thinking of cutting it down and digging out the stump. Will have to figure out the best way forward. The bees will miss it though. I have another in back that is a “sterile” cultivar and it’s pretty tame as far as spreading goes but it is definitely not as popular with the pollinators.

Okay. We'll take a look in the fall. Scrolling around the web on "severe pruning a rose of Sharon" brought me this tidbit:

"If you have an overgrown mature shrub, rose of Sharon can be rejuvenated with hard pruning periodically and will bounce back. Hard pruning means removing 1/3 of the height of the oldest trunks for three years until the shrub is lush and full all over."

And this:

"If you have an diseased, damaged, or spindly Rose of Sharon plant, you may want to do a rejuvenation prune, sometimes called a “hard” prune. Also called “cutting it back” or “whacking it to the ground”, a hard pruning is lopping off the plant about 6″-12″ inches from the ground."

Since we don't have a particular investment in this thing, it's going to be an experiment. It's in the "spindly" category. The flowers are pretty, but it's definitely invaded the more valuable (to me) native serviceberry tree, causing both of them to lean over a wire at the top.

Pruning must happen!

 

[terri33 4]

Took the camera out to the garden yesterday morning while weeding and grabbed some snaps. We're losing ground to the bind weed but it is pretty so I took a photo before tearing it out.

Nice crop of basil this year, but not very attractive flowers.

The Crepe Myrtle is pretty and in full bloom right now. All with Fuji X-T2 w/50mm f/2.8 El Nikkor.

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Lovely! I've never heard of bind weed before but agree - it puts out pretty flowers!

I've always liked crepe myrtle but they're kind of a PITA.

 

[snowbear114 46]

I've always liked crepe myrtle but they're kind of a PITA.

Yes, they are. Cut this one back to the dirt at it came back.

 

[Ysarex84 78]

Lovely! I've never heard of bind weed before but agree - it puts out pretty flowers!

I've always liked crepe myrtle but they're kind of a PITA.

Bind weed is a scourge -- it grows fast and twines around everything. We have two crepe myrtle and yep, they're a lot of work.

 

[SquarePeg36 7]

Ugh I have bind weed in front of the house between the foundation and the hydrangeas and rose of sharon. It’s impossible to get rid of. Have to check it and pull it out weekly. Maybe I’ll let it take over the ros

 

[cgw115 141]

Bind weed. Shoot on site in these parts. Dog strangling vine(AKA Black Swallowwort)is another invasive monster in Ontario.

 

[terri33 4]

Today's visitor:

This guy was much more mellow about being photographed than the monarch.

Except I don't think it's a guy: a Google search suggests this is a female Eastern tiger swallowtail. The males apparently don't have the blue.

Her wingspan covered the coneflower completely. A beauty!

 

[Ysarex84 78]

Thunderstorms last night beat up the petunias pretty bad. Got out this morning to do some weeding in the flower garden and snapped an overall view of the whole garden -- pretty colorful right now but I've got to get the pansies up front replaced pronto.

Also snapped a pic of some cabbages in the vegetable garden and pepper patch #1 -- banana peppers. Fuji X-T2 w/TTArtisan 23mm f/1.4.

 

[SquarePeg36 7]

Today's visitor:

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This guy was much more mellow about being photographed than the monarch.

Except I don't think it's a guy: a Google search suggests this is a female Eastern tiger swallowtail. The males apparently don't have the blue.

Her wingspan covered the coneflower completely. A beauty!

She’s gorgeous!!

 

[SquarePeg36 7]

Last nights rain, probably the 25th day with rain out of the last 30, git the better of the rose of sharon. Probably due to pruning a few years back the branches are thinner and could not support the weight of the water logged leaves and flowers.

It was much droopier at 6am than at 10 so just going to let it be and see if it bounces back.

 

[terri33 4]

Wow, it does look kinda flopped over. It's hard to watch rain day after day pounding a carefully planted garden! The rain finally moved out but NOW, the smoke is back from the Canadian fires. Air quality advisory - not as bad as the one a couple weeks back, but it's definitely hazy out there. Supposed to lift on out of here in another 24 hours. I sure hope so.

I've been nervously watching my HF Clematis - the first one bloomed and was gorgeous - until it just flopped over and died. I put in a replacement, heavily amended the soil and, of course, within a few days it started to rain heavily. I keep reading on how well they respond to early feeding, and only to use a water-based feed, but that's not in the cards until we dry out more. Hope it makes it!

 

[Photo Lady]

Is that a Ville de Lyon clematis? I was so sad when the bunnies chewed through the main stem on mine when it was about 3’ high and covered with buds. It’s just a tiny stick now with one sad leaf. Fingers crossed that it recovers and grows back.

i went through the same experience... the only clamatis i really love... but behold it came back and i am just about to get some flowers... there are more buds then i have seen before..... so i hope the same for you..keep pampering it...

 

[Photo Lady]

my walk through yesterday. things are popping

 

[terri33 4]

Thunderstorms last night beat up the petunias pretty bad. Got out this morning to do some weeding in the flower garden and snapped an overall view of the whole garden -- pretty colorful right now but I've got to get the pansies up front replaced pronto.

Also snapped a pic of some cabbages in the vegetable garden and pepper patch #1 -- banana peppers. Fuji X-T2 w/TTArtisan 23mm f/1.4.

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Gorgeous garden!! You guys must be turning heads with every passersby. So neat and tidy. Great job!