Petal power

The first of the true Lilies are blooming. This isn't actually the first lily, but its the first one that opened without being devastated by lily beetles which are a real problem this year. I caught on to them too late, so I probably won't see many untouched blooms this year. Next year I'll be prepared for them and carry the battle to them before they can do much damage. At least the damage isn't permanent as it doesn't effect the bulbs at all.

The first clematis is blooming. This is Rhapsody. I have five other varieties and all are covered with buds. I allowed a wild vine of some sort to grow up with them (I'm hoping its some form of wild morning glory). I'm also overrun with a tiny golden beetle that appears to love almost all plants in a dinner kind of way. The clematis, however, has been spared because the insect seems to prefer the wild vine and has not touched a single leaf of the clematis since the wild vine has grown up. Bonus! And the wild vine just puts out two new leaves for every one that the bugs eat. Double bonus!!



This Anthemis by the fish pond is growing like mad. Its a bit straggly, but is covered with bloom.

I put in this Heliopsis this spring. I kind of wish I'd planted more of them, but I'm sure to get a good bunch of seed, and if they're anything like the tickseed that they resemble, they'll soon be trying to take over the flower bed.

I started with a two inch pot of Shasta Alaska four years ago, and now have six sizeable patches of it and I've given some away. No matter, I can always make room for more of it. They bloom from early July till hard frost and are surprisingly free of disease. Another bonus is that they don't seem to be too bothered by the insects that ravage some of the other plants. They also seem keep on keeping on whether it is dry or rainy. They seem to tolerate a bit of drought as easily as they do heavy rains.