Gardening, Summer '03
(These photos were taken at the beginning of June.)
The garlic, onions, and lettuce were planted in the walkway by the house after the groundcover (vines) was removed the previous Fall by Maryanne. It was hard work, but revealed some good, rich soil.
Then the south side of the driveway was dug and planted with vegetables. Note the cinderblocks used for containing the herbs (mint, oregano, basil, chives, thyme, sage, tarragon...). Our close friend Mark from NJ came to visit, so as any good host would do, Vel put him to work. He cut and installed the cedar border, planted the seedlings, and put down mulch. The border really added a clean look to the garden. (Thanks Mark!!!)
The island near the street is where the native wildflowers were planted. Plants were ordered from Prairie Nursery as part of their "Prairie Island Garden". It has attracted lots of insects, butterflies and birds. During the fall, birds came to eat the seeds during their migration south...
(This group of photos was taken mid-August through September, after things had time to grow and bloom...)
There were many butterflies, bees, and other insects feeding themselves, and pollinating the flowers at this point. Since this is the first year for the native perennials, they typically focus their energy on building their root systems. Thus, some remained small, and did not flower a lot. But as they establish themselves, we hope to see the vegetation fill in, and a bigger display of flowers the next year.
Prairie Blazingstar 
...Brown-Eyed Susans 
Downy sunflower 
...Purple Coneflower 
The vegetable garden was bountiful this year...
Eggplant 
...Zucchini Blossom...
...Cherry Tomatoes 
Garlic & carrots 
...and plum tomatoes 
Onions 
...and Cabbage. 
(We also had spinach and lettuce growing and it gave us some of the best salads we've ever tasted! We have never before had greens so fresh and crisp!)
Brown Eyed Susan feeding the local insect
population... 
Rattlesnake Master at the end of the summer. 
The flowers are a brighter white when blossoming earlier in the season.
Wild Quinine 
...and Snapdragons (a non-native) 
Downy Sunflower (close-up
with insect)... 
A Sunflower that found it's way into
our yard somehow... 
... perhaps from someone's birdfeeder.
Bloodflower (seeds purchased from Butterfly
Encounters) 
These attracted Hummingbirds this year. They are native to Mexico, so are
essentially annuals when planted up north in IL, but it was a cheap experiment
to see what they would attract, and they added color.
This is the other "island" of flowers in the front yard with the native species thriving in the heat of the summer. Notice the lawn isn't doing as well. (We don't water it, so allow it to go dormant during a dry-spell.)
This spot was used for our first attempt at perennials back in 2002. Most are
hybrids from a local nursery.
Butterfly Bush (extreme close-up of
flowers) 
In
addition to butterflies it also attracted hummingbirds. In the summer,
we've come out on a Saturday morning to enjoy the flowers, and have had them
buzz about at arms-length.
Black-Eyed Susans 
Purple
Coneflower feeding a honeybee 
A bee's-eye view of a Coneflower
"forest" 
Phlox 
"Farmer Vel" 
(photos taken by "
Photographer Maryanne")