Ning's Dahlias. 8.9.15

Bee Forage. 8.9.15

French Marigolds with Foraging Bumblebees.  8.9.15

Container-Grown Milkweed.  8.9.15

 There is not a lot out there for bees to forage.  Dandelions are having a moderate bloom.  On the deck, the large containers of marigolds attract many bees, continuously.  Mostly bumblebees.  Given the dearth of bee forage now, I am thinking I should plant some big patches of marigolds next year.  Each flower produces a big crop of seeds, so it will cost nothing if I save the seeds.

It looks like they prefer gold to yellow or red.  I am not certain about that.

Milkweed has not reached bloom stage.  As a perennial, I did not expect that until next year.  The plant I grew in container is much larger and more robust, compared to the plants I grew in the ground.  There is a big diversity of size and appearance, in keeping with what were probably wild-collected seeds.

Chinese chive is a major attraction for honeybees, more than bumblebees.  This variety is the heirloom type I collected as seeds from my parents' yard in Illinois.  I know those were there for more than 45 years, because I was the one who planted them.  They survived the intervening decades without care, in fact my parents didn't like them, so just mowed along with the rest of the yard.  This variety - land race?- is smaller and much later blooming, compared to the commercial Chinese variety Ning obtained.   Both are good forage for bees.  I will collect more seeds from my Illinois Chinese Chive, intending to have a large patch of those for bee forage in a couple of years.

It's interesting to view the Chinese Chive next to some Wild Carrot.  Both flowers are white, with small flowers.  But the bees very much prefer the Chinese Chive.

The second wave of borage is blooming.  Smaller than the first wave.  Bees constantly forage the borage.  There are 3rd wave borage sprouting from seeds.

The Joe Pye Weed that I grew from seeds last winter, is making flower buds.  The Anise Hyssop that I grew from seeds is growing, but I doubt they will bloom this year.  Perennials are a 2-year investment in time and space, but once established, I don't have to start from seeds again.

Milkweed Plants Grown In Ground.  8.9.15

Honeybee on Chinese Chive.  8.9.15

Blooming Chinese Chive.  8.9.15

Bees Prefer Chinese Chive to Wild Carrot.  8.9.15

Red Sedum with Honeybees  8.9.15

Red Sedum with Honeybees.  8.9.15

Daylily Progress Report. 8.8.15

Seed Pods on Chicago Apache.  8.8.15

 Daylily Progress Report.

None of the seeds pods has yellowed yet.  Many have big fat pods.  They are a little less green.  Maybe we are getting loser.

Chicago Apache, Luxury Lace, Fooled Me, Pardon Me are continuing to produce at least a few final flowers.  Nice this time of summer.

The variety labeled as "Daring Deception" from Lowes, has nice seed pods.  It needs some sort of label, without claiming it is either Daring Deception or something else official.   For the moment, NOID Lavender is adequate.  I still don't know if this one is diploid or tetraploid, since I pollinated with both types.  Mostly diploid.   And they are open pollinated, although most that were not hand pollinated on other plants did not take.

NOID Brick Red from Home Depot has one flower bud.  That was pollenized from a tetraploid, so probably is tetraploid.

Seed Buds on NOID Lavender Daylily.  8.8.15

 Of the newest daylilies, planted bare root this summer -

All are alive and growing.

The most vigorous are Strawberry Candy and Winsome Lady.

More delicate growth on Siloam Virginia Hansen and Carefree Peach, but they look OK.

Happy Returns - a few flowers but not much.  I feel certain that the mislabeled plants were Happy Returns as well - same size, same flower color, same petal texture.  Too bad they were labeled wrong, so I can't be sure.

Early Growth on Carefree Peach.   8.8.15

Early Growth on Strawberry Candy.  8.8.15

 So this has been the year of daylily enthusiasm.   Also, seed saving and hybridizing, including daylilies.  Who knows what the progeny will look like -

Chicago Apache X Fooled Me.
Fooled Me X Chicago Apache.
Happy Returns X Pardon Me
Pardon Me or Happy Returns or Ice Carnival or Luxury Lace X NOID Lavender.
Chicago Apache or Fooled Me X NOID Home Depot Brick Red

and other combinations.

Early Growth on Winsome Lady.  8.8.15

Early Growth on Siloam Virginia Hansen. 8.8.15

Stella De Oro Blooming, About One Month After Dividing.  8.8.15

Kitchen Garden. 8.8.15

Bean Bed, 2 Weeks after Sowing.  8.8.15

 It looks like about 1/2 of the beans germinated.  If they reach maturity before frost, that's plenty.  The big thing I want from the Chinese pole beans is enough seeds for next year.  With 15 plants, if there are only 2 beans each, 4 seeds per bean, I'll have 120 seeds.  If those germinate, it's more than enough.  The big question is time.

There are about 15 Romas growing.  I filled in with soaked bean seeds, in between.  Regardless, if they bear, they are enough for one or 2 meals, for the 2 of us.  Zero cost, since the seeds were old packets.

I'm letting the 1st bean patch go to seed.   There is nothing to that other than watering the plants so they don't dry out and die too soon.

From the Kitchen Garden.  8.8.15

Elusive Pullets.  8.8.15

 Lots of squash, zucchinis and summer squash.  I'm less enthusiastic about the zucchinis than the other summer squash.  They grow too big, too fast.  The historic  varieties are less like something steroid-induced.

The new pullets have been here a month.  They are starting to look like hens now.  I forget the age.  They hang around together.  Rooster is very protective.  Won't let me near the pullets.  When I feed them, he calls them to the food, then stands back while they eat.  Which is his role.  If they make baby chickens, they will be some kind of off-breed, which is fine.

Elusive Pullet.  8.8.15

Protective Rooster.  8.8.15

Grapes are ripe. 8.4.15

Table Grapes, Venus, Price, Interlaken.  8.4.15

These are Venus and Price (both blue), and Interlaken (green).  I don't know which I like better, Price or Interlaken.  Venus is not bad either.

This is a pretty good year for these.  Racoons have been getting into them every night, which wakes up the dogs, which wakes me up.  Not crazy about that.

Good eating.  The grapes at the Battleground place are not ready for bearing yet.