It's a gorgeous day already - and it has been for three solid days. I love the dog days of summer - and the humidity has decided to stay away, which is bonus.
What's not bonus is waking up to the news of yet another mass shooting in the U.S. Texas and Ohio. A shooting a day. Great. I cannot fathom why the right to bear arms is more important than human lives. What's really bad is that it's becoming routine. It'll never be routine for those who have lost loved ones.
Wow. Just had to get that off my chest. On to much sunnier thoughts. I took a tour around the grounds again, and there's lots more to show off. So I'm showing off.
The zebra grass at the corner of the house has filled out nicely from the three strands I planted three years ago. It goes by quite a few handles - Japanese silver grass, Maiden grass and Eulalia - isn't that the most amazing set of syllables? Sounds like a southern belle who's a bit past her prime.
Anyhow. I've tried to grow ornamental grass - and failed mostly - until now, and with this. So hat's off to miscanthus senensis zebrinus.
The gooseneck loosestrife is just starting to bloom. It's a bit invasive, but the bed I've planted them in is contained and it's huge, so lots of room for these guys to do their thing. It's not purple, so it's not the nuisance one that has been invading creeks all over Ontario for decades...in fact, I read that it's not even in the same family.
My happy echinacea - or coneflower - is in full bloom. I found out that, aside from its considerable medicinal values (ostensibly relieves sore throats and cold symptoms), this big tall daisy-like flower's name comes from the Greek word "echinos" for hedgehog or sea urchin. Which, if you look at the middle of it, makes all kinds of sense.
My phlox are phloxing. I never thought I'd like these guys, but I inherited them from the previous owner. Now, I look forward to their gorgeous show - at about four feet tall, they're stunning - and have a lovely scent. The butterflies and bees love them too. This is a no-brainer plant. It just keeps trucking along every year. I've even had to cull the ones that creep around the corners of beds and invade the lilac trees.
Finally, the potted canna lily that I have at the corner of the toolshed had a visitor from the mollusc family. We have more hard-shell snails on the farmette than I've ever seen anywhere. After a rain, they're all over the sidewalk. The upsetting thing is the crunch that you hear when you inadvertently step on one - and it's too friggin' late.
We also find them in the weirdest places - like at the top of a canna leaf about three feet from the ground.
We're going to visit Sandy later today, and I'm responsible for bringing fresh veggies from the garden for a side dish.
Think I'll make a roasted carrot and beet salad recipe that I found on Pinterest recently. It has a balsamic vinegar glaze, goat cheese and fresh thyme - which I can also snip from my beds. YUM.
Until next week.