Sunflower Morning

Well, in the interests of full disclosure, I'll admit right off that these are all pictures from Wednesday morning. But it was a full day at work and then the computer decided to be difficult late last night, so I'm only getting around to sharing them now.

As you can see, the sunflowers are the Energizer Bunnies of this year's garden: they just keep growing and growing!

Here's a fresh zucchini flower down in the ground level of the Three Sisters garden, where it's joined by a fresh chorus of allyssum. I know I expressed a little dismay not to have had any fruits from the earlier blossoming, but I just love the flowers, too!

I really don't feel like I'm in control of these sunflowers any more (really, any sense of control I might've once felt was more likely an illusion, anyway...).

For a while, I was at least keeping track of seedlings showing up more or less where I planted them...but I guess I was a bit casual with where the last seeds of each packed up, since they are showing up in great stalks in places that are now catching me by surprise.

There are zinnia seedlings coming up and I'll have to give them a closer look tomorrow morning, since I think I saw a flower bud forming on one sometime recently. I'm getting a little impatient with the other cosmos, and I wonder if perhaps they haven't received too much benefit from the fertilizer pellets I've scattered around.

I know they will often do well in lesser soils (thus their other name of peasant flower). But I sure hope they start blooming soon--their pinks and carmines and whites would be a lovely addition to the border, and I'm really very eager to see those seashell petals.


I also planted seeds for both ever last
ings (straw flowers) and statice, but I haven't really seen anything resembling them. Either they were not a successful part of this year's grand and glorious experiment, or perhaps they are waiting to surprise me when I have given them up for lost.

Meanwhile, though, the bachelor's buttons are putting on a pretty enjoyable show.

Speaking of good shows, did you know that the United States Olympic team has now earned 14 gold medals, 12 silver and 17 bronze, for a grand total of 43 so far at the Summer Games in Beijing?

This pair of Pansy Pals caught my eye in the lower realm of the front border. These guys are right out there in the sun, though no doubt the secret of their success is wrapped up in being at least partially shaded by some of their taller neighbors.

I did get to see a few meteors when I went out into the yard late the other night, but sadly, my plans to visit some light-pollution-free beach parking lot was curtailed by an annoying bit of cloud cover.

Ah, well...at least I got to see a few this year...and just in case, I'll wander out there shortly to see if I can catch a few more. Meanwhile, the moon was nearly full tonight and if she was shining in your window, it's because I asked her to look in on you. ; )

Meanwhile, for those of you breathing a sigh of relief (or wistfulness) that I'd not shown you any morning glories...well, here they are, happily cavorting with one of the cleome plants. The morning glories are continuing to be a challenge, as I have to unwrap them from around the various flags on the fence every day.

But still, as incorrigible flowers go, they are fun to have around. Next year, I'll have to encourage them to climb on the sunflowers, instead of the fence.

That'd be fun, I bet.