In the garden – Page 11

When I came home from our recent journey, I was greeted with some new color in my gardens.

I have to admit that yellow flowers have never been my favorite. I have no idea why. Who would not love those sunny bunny happy faces?

My neighbor gave me these mandevilla last year and they were dead looking sticks. When Mary Jane brought them over, she said they were yellow vines. And all I thought was “Yellow? Where am I going to put yellow?” So I stuck them in the ground behind the trellis. They weren’t more than two feet tall three weeks ago and now they have half of the trellis–front and back–covered. (Along with twining around one of the Don Juan roses.) And they are beautiful. Plus they smell really good.

This yellow bush started out as an annual in a pot a few years ago. Something I bought for the sunny front stoop because it needed a little color for an event we were having. When everything in the pot had withered, I just dumped the whole thing in the shed garden. (That’s where things go when they aren’t looking good. Watch out if I tell you to sit in the shed garden!)

Even better, it has reseeded and there are a bunch of little yellow flower plants starting.

Of course, I’ve had cosmos for several years. Starting out with a few packets of seeds in several colors, only the orange and yellow survived. And thrived.

I can’t kill these black-eyed Susans. Really. I’ve tried. One year I pulled every one of them up. But they defy me. I accept them now.

Started these yellow milkweed from some fluffy white seedlings that were just laying there on a plant in a public place. Just asking to be taken home in my pocket. The monarchs were very happy to have them.

And then Mary Jane gave me this yellow plumeria. That was still blooming. Wow!

Which makes me wonder, why have I never wanted yellow flowers?

Back in July I posted that I had a serious lack of butterflies.

They are back! Not as numerous as in past years, but I’ve seen several swallowtail and gulf fritillaries.

Actually LOTS of Gulf Fritallaries. I’m assuming that they returned because the passion vine that I thought had died and is one of their host plants made a miraculous recovery. Plus thousands of cosmos burst into bloom. They do love those flowers.

I do not get many Queen butterflies. And I’m guessing it’s because in this photo, that’s a weed. A hateful weed that takes over. It’s little seeds stick to everything and it’s next to impossible to get rid of the weed. Thought I had eliminated them. Not so. After my six week vacation, they blossomed as well as the cosmos. And now it appears that they are a favorite of the Queen butterfly. (But I’m still going to pull them)

I’ve had a few swallowtails, too. These are the Palamedes Swallowtail Butterfly.