Fireworks in the Garden

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Every year around this time, I'm struck by the way some of my perennials seem to put on their own fireworks show. I know that many actual fireworks displays are named for flowers, and at this time of the year, I can see why.

Here are a couple of photos I took last year around the 4th of July.

And a quieter burst of "stars":

How about you? Any fireworks going off in your garden?

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Wow, pretty impressive Cell - is it an I phone or Droid?

[Tina, Clover, Plus 5 More]

It's a Droid Samsung Mesmerize.  I was messing around taking pics of kids and discovered it had a setting for Fireworks.  It took pretty good pictures.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Wow.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Hey Karen-I was just at a cookout at my cousin's house and I saw this flower I've never seen before-she couldn't remember the name but they are great.It's the red spiky one in the 1st and 2nd pictures. Could you tell me the name of it?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's called Bee Balm, but the scientific name is Monarda. It comes in shades of pink and purple, too, but the red ones attract hummingbirds. The flowers actually have a scent like oregano, at least mine do. They're perennials and require very little care.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I'll stick my spade it, that looks like bee balm.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Whoops, Karen got there first. I really like bee balm but it needs a lot of water . Generally things that need regular watering don't do very well for me--maybe cause I don't water regularly. I haven't watered other than pots yet this year.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I am very lax in the watering department, too, and rarely water anything other than new plantings. Maybe my bee balm prosper and multiply because they are so old and firmly entrenched?

[F, Calla & Luca]

Interesting and could be. I never got to that stage with them.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Whoever lived here several owners back must have been quite a gardener. The last owner neglected things dreadfully, and all these perennials still keep coming back and spreading. One landscaper told me the soil was wonderful, (I don't know how he knew that) and I know it's very well-drained, which requires a lot of work initially.

Then again, maybe the fact that everything is so crowded in there now helps keep the soil from drying out?

[F, Calla & Luca]

That certainly helps as does mulch. Mulch in my case generally anything that falls into or once lived in the beds. I love that system of gardening. It means much less work, you get "volunteers", the worms are happy and so am I. Sometimes benign neglect is a very good thing. People are always cleaning up beds and disturbing roots and whatnot. I generally also live by the encourage discourage rule. I pull out what I don't want and leave the rest alone.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Beautiful! They really do look like starbursts!