Six on Saturday: Early May

Spring is such a lovely time in the garden. Everything is lush and green, and unlike much of the U.S., we're getting plenty of rain as of late. There are new surprises nearly every day.

One such surprise was this native phlox pilosa. I grew it from seed, one of just two plants I managed to grow from a whole pack. This is the first year it bloomed and I had to look it up on the plant ID app to remind myself what it is.

My bearded iris are also in bloom. These were all gifts from a neighbor and are so gorgeous.

The alliums are in bloom everywhere in my garden. They've become so prolific that I think it's time to thin them, which is not a problem I often have.

I'm also pleased to see this Miss Kim Korean lilac starting to bloom. This is one of the first plants I ever purchased for my garden (for just $5 back in the day!) and it had grown too tall and leggy because I've not pruned it often. I rectified that situation last year with a severe haircut and I'm pleased to see it bouncing back nicely. This is a good self-reminder not to be afraid to prune!

These happy looking columbine are popping up and blooming around the garden. Tough to get a good photo of them though as the blooms face the ground!

That's my six for the week. Visit Garden Ruminations to see what else is in bloom in gardens around the world.

March Bloom Day: The Garden Awakens

The garden is finally beginning to wake up after a very cold, snowy winter. Not only did it snow quite a bit, but the snow stuck around for weeks, which is rare for central Ohio.

Then it warmed up, followed by a week of solid rain, then a windstorm last Friday that knocked out power for a few hundred thousand people statewide. Not all of them have power restored yet. I feel we've been quite lucky not to have suffered any damage in the storms and to have only lost power for about an hour.

Hopefully the garden fared as well. We had weeks of brutally cold temps, so I'm hoping all of the plants made it.

I also realized I've never done a Garden Blogger's Bloom Day post in March, so since there are a few blooms, this will be a first.

First to bloom were the snowdrops. Between the heavy snow pack, which was quickly followed by temps in the 60s and 70s, these didn't last real long. But they are a welcome sign of spring.

Next are the crocus. The vast majority of crocuses I have are this purple color, but there are a few gold ones around that I inherited from the previous owners.

And just this week the earliest daffodils started blooming, which are some of my favorite flowers. The fact that the deer don't bother them is a bonus. I fear they too won't last long since we're set to drop from 73F today to 19F early Tuesday morning. Such is spring in Ohio.

That's it for what's blooming in my zone 6b garden this month, visit May Dreams Gardens to see what's in bloom elsewhere. 

A Belated October Garden Blogger's Bloom Day

This past week was hectic with some family stuff going on and I didn't notice it was Bloom Day until the next morning. Even though I'm quite late at this point, I still wanted to document what is in bloom in my central Ohio zone 6a garden since I've only done so in October once before. We're still in a drought, but we have gotten over 2.5" of rain so far this month which is helping us avoid it getting worse at least.

The zinnias are still blooming although most of the ones planted in the ground have awful powdery mildew at this point. The peach one above and it's friends are planted in pots that I water daily if needed so they've held up much better.

These thumbalina zinnias are also growing in a pot and as their name suggests are much smaller than all the other zinnias I'm growing. I wasn't in love with them over most of the season because they're just a bit too dainty for me, but I appreciate anything that is still blooming at this point.

I was worried that I might might only have one or two blooms on my Otto's Thrill dahlia this year, but numbers three though six are all on this branch that unfortunately snapped in the wind today. That, however, gave me an excuse to bring them inside to enjoy. There are still several buds to go, if the frost continues to hold off.

This single dahlia, which is definitely not Penhill Dark Monarch as labeled, is also still blooming. It is pretty and the bees love it.

This anise hyssop (agastache foeniculum) is blooming and I'm really loving the little bluestem planted to the right last month (Schizachyrium scoparium 'The Blues'), which is getting some lovely purple tones.

The award for the longest blooming flower in my garden has to go to this clump of salvia farinacea. It is easy to grow from seed, needs no special care and survives drought without supplemental water.

This volunteer cleome planted itself in a bare spot where I'm still figuring out what I want to plant long-term. It also been blooming for quite awhile and I just love it. I'm going to try spreading the seed around to other parts of the garden this year to see if I can get it to grow elsewhere.

My other asters are long gone unfortunately, so I was thrilled to see this white one pop up that I don't remember planting.

This small snapdragon clump was another surprise I found growing in the front foundation bed.

The snapdragon is near this nasturtium that finally decided to bloom.

I also spotted a coneflower or two and I have some rudbeckia both grown in the ground and in a pot. That's it for what's growing in my garden this month and probably my last bloom post for this season. Visit May Dreams Gardens to see what is blooming in other gardens around the globe.

Six on Saturday: Early October

Our drought continues and my central Ohio 6b garden is looking decidedly crispy, plus most of the zinnias are covered in powdery mildew. But I managed to find six things to show.

This lantana that I've been growing in a pot since spring had stopped blooming some time ago, which made me sad. I moved it to a sunnier spot and it's blooming once again and bringing a much-needed pop of color.

My dahlias have taken a beating (teething more accurately) from the deer this year and most of them are currently in between blooms, but I found this single dahlia bloom, as did this bumble bee.

These rudbeckia are growing in a pot near the house so the deer have been leaving them alone and I really enjoy them.

More of these snapdragons I grew from seed are blooming now. I really like this mix.

These zinnias are also in a nearby pot and are still blooming and luckily powdery-mildew free unlike my zinnias that are in the ground.

The tomatoes I purchased and planted are very crispy and more than half dead at this point, but these volunteer tomatoes look great and the deer finally let a few ripen.

That's my six this week. Visit Garden Ruminations to see what's happening in other gardens around the world.

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day - September 2025

It's rained less than 1" here in my central Ohio zone 6b garden since August 1 and we're now officially in a moderate drought. The garden is looking rather crispy, but there are still some blooms thanks to supplemental watering. 

Last month I feared I might not see any blooms from my Otto's Thrill dahlia this season, thanks to to an untimely deer pruning. But here is my second bloom, this one with more yellow peeking through than the first. 

I'm really loving these sky blue asters, as are the pollinators, which I planted last year and plan to add more next season.

My rudbeckia that's in a pot is still blooming. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the plants in the garden (those darn deer!).

Queen lime red zinnia from saved seed and an unknown variety.

The zinnias are still blooming too since I've been watering them, but the ones in my front bed have a nasty case of powdery mildew and probably need to be pulled (sobs).

These snapdragons I grew from seed took quite awhile to get going, but I'm loving the colors.

Nothing phases this mealycup sage (savia farinacea). It dealt with our overabundance of rain in spring and early summer and now it's still blooming away despite receiving no supplemental water. 

White snakeroot (ageratina altissima) suddenly appeared throughout my garden this year. It's native and the host plant to 7 species of lepidoptera, plus it's filling some holes for the time being so I'm letting it stay. I'm curious to know what others think of this plant. 

That's about it for what's blooming in my garden this month, visit May Dreams Gardens to see what's in bloom elsewhere. 

Six on Saturday: Early September

Well, I'm about as late as can be in getting this posted, but in the end I just couldn't let this week go. We are now officially 'abnormally dry' in my central Ohio zone 6b garden, after receiving only 0.75" of rain in August and only 0.17" so far in September with no rain in the forecast. The garden definitely looks parched, but a few things are still blooming thanks to supplemental watering.

The star of this week is my Otto's Thrill Dahlia, which is finally blooming. She's not only the biggest dahlia I have, but she's also the prettiest. Unfortunately, the deer must find her tasty because they chomped all but this stem back in July so I don't know if I'll have more than the two buds that grew on it.

This delightful sky blue aster (Symphyotrichum oolentangiense) is starting to bloom and has me plotting to add more asters next year.

I have been thrilled to have lots of butterfly visitors in the garden lately and even hosted 9 black swallowtail caterpillars at one point. This painted lady was enjoying the zinnias which are another bright spot in my dry fall garden.

I've also had some monarch caterpillars even though my milkweed is in a very sorry state indeed. And for the first time ever I've spotted some chrysalises, including this one. I am keeping a close watch and hope it makes it.

Some consider mallow a weed, but it's pretty and not aggressive so it's more than welcome here.

I am less sure about this white snakeroot (ageratina altissima). It's suddenly appeared everywhere in my garden this year and is renowned for killing many via milk sickness in the pioneer days. It appears to be quite the prolific self-seeder. I've pulled it from many parts of the garden, but it's filling some spots that would otherwise be bare so I'm letting it stay for now. Luckily there are no cattle anywhere in the vicinity to worry out.

That's my six this week. Visit Garden Ruminations to see what's happening in other gardens around the world.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day: The August Garden

 

Our rains have finally dried up and my central Ohio zone 6b garden is looking a little tired. We've had less than three-fourths an inch of rain so far this month, but I'm not complaining as overall we've had great rainfall this summer.

In August zinnias are the stars of my garden. These were all sowed from seed outside in May. Most of the seed I saved from the Dawn Creek Pastels zinnias I grew last year. I have no idea where that bright fuchsia zinnia in the top left came from, but that's part of the fun.

While the zinnias are doing great, it's been a bit of a disappointing dahlia year. Of my big dahlias, only Sweet Love is blooming so far. It's extremely reliable and has been blooming since early July. 

My favorite, Otto's Thrill, was severely pruned by the deer when it first set buds, which set it back quite a bit. There are two new buds now and I'm crossing my fingers I'll get some blooms yet. I also lost one other dahlia over winter, a hazard of not digging them up. But I still find the convenience is worth the risk.

Sweet Love dahlia

My dill is also in bloom. These umbel flowers are so pretty.

But when I looked closer yesterday, I was excited to discover seven Black Swallowtail caterpillars! This is exactly why I grew this dill, which I hope is enough to sustain them. I'm already plotting to grow more host plants for them next year. I also spotted two Monarch caterpillars on my sad-looking rose milkweed. Hopefully it will work for them.

This dwarf sunflower is a survivor! I grew 10 or so plants from seed, but the darn deer ate every single one down to nubs in June. I thought they were goners, but the plants grew side shoots, then buds and now one of them finally bloomed! A head-clipping weevil got the second bloom on this plant. Gardening is tough business sometimes.

I'm also excited to see this garden phlox bloom. Keeping it in a cage is the only way to keep the critters from eating it.

I wintersowed this mistflower last winter. Not only is it blooming during it's first summer, but it's also been ignored by all the critters in my yard, a major bonus!

I love volunteer flowers and these cleomes have been blooming and bringing me joy for weeks.

This wild petunia (ruellia humilis) is quickly becoming another favorite. I love its color, that it blooms for months and that it spreads a bit. Unfortunately the critters also love it, so I keep it caged.

And last but not least are the tomatoes which keep blooming away and proving me with these yummy cherry tomatoes to eat.

Also in bloom are agastache, snapdragons, coneflowers and even pansies (since March!). Thanks for stopping by and please visit May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming elsewhere.