I get so engrossed with gardening around the house during the summer that I tend to ignore the wilder parts of our property. I decided to remedy that and take a walk through our damp meadow, and I’m glad I did. I saw some plants that I hadn’t realized were growing there, as well as the usual suspects.
Swamp milkweed – Asclepias incarnata
I didn’t know we had swamp milkweed growing on our land. There isn’t very much of it, so perhaps it’s just starting to get established. I think it’s a lot prettier than common milkweed.
Blue vervain – Verbena hastata
We had blue vervain growing at the old house so I’m glad to see it here, even if I only spotted a single plant!
Queen of the Prairie – Filipendula rubra
A friend gave me Queen of the Prairie two years ago. Last year the deer ate it down to the ground. This year they’ve left it alone, choosing to chomp down on hydrangeas and phlox instead. It’s only about four feet tall–half of its potential height–but I am glad to see it’s still alive. Hopefully it will grow from strength to strength and eventually make a big patch.
Joe Pye weed Eutrochium sp.
I’m not sure which species of Joe-Pye weed this is. Can you tell it’s tall? I had to point my camera up to take this picture. It may be we have more than one species growing here. All I can tell you is this plant is very happy here.
Our meadow has quite a bit of Joe-Pye weed, which is just on the cusp of bloom.
It’s not just in the meadow, it’s in every garden bed where I missed pulling it out or permitted it to stay. It loves it here, almost as much as…
…golden rod – Solidago sp.
Goldenrod is also just starting to come into bloom. There’s not as much of it as the Joe-Pye weed in this meadow, though there’s plenty of it in the surrounding countryside. I wonder if it’s a goldenrod especially adapted to moist soils?
Common boneset – Eupatorium perfoliatum
Boneset likes the same conditions as Joe-Pye weed, but there never seems to be as much of it.
Meadow sweet – Spirea alba
Meadow sweet is classified as a shrub, but it doesn’t seem very shrubby to me.
Sedge
I don’t know which sedge this is, but the whole eastern side of the meadow is full of it, and it is all blooming right now.
So glad you could join me on this little stroll. We should do this again sometime soon, don’t you think?
Posted for Wildflower Wednesday, created by Gail of Clay and Limestone, to share wildflowers/native plants no matter where you garden in the blogosphere. “It doesn’t matter if we sometimes show the same plants. How they grow and thrive in your garden is what matters most. It’s always the fourth Wednesday of the month!”
from Cold Climate Gardening http://ift.tt/2uFyhLD
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