I have good news for everyone.
Summer isn’t over yet! In fact, we haven’t even reached the mid-point between June 20 and September 20, which will be on August 4th.
Yes, indeed, I can ignore the big box “seasonal displays” which now feature back to school items instead of gardening items. That is, unless I am looking to buy pencils, notebooks, pens, etc. Which I do enjoy buying as much as the next person but…
I don’t have a kid in the schools around here, which are back in session as of today.
That’s right. They have something called a “balanced calendar” so they get more time off in the fall, and winter, and spring, and less time off in the summer.
Me? I’m happy to have gone to school in the dark ages when we basically had the entire summer off.
Yes, we got bored. Studies (and no, I’m not going to link to any, you can find them yourself) show that boredom is healthy and good and is where things like “creativity” come from. Indeed, we did some creative things in the summer time back in the day, like see how long a chain we could make with clover flowers.
Good times.
So now that we know summer is just getting to its peak, let’s talk about all the wildflowers self-sowing around my garden.
To name a few… coneflowers, tall phlox, black-eyed Susans, asters, false sunflowers, wild ginger, and of course my favorite, pictured above, wild petunias, Ruellia humilis.
Guess what? Though it goes by the common name of wild petunia, Ruellia isn’t even in the same plant family as petunias. Petunias are in the Solanaceae family with tomatoes. Wild petunias are in the Acanthaceae family, which also includes Thunbergia sp., which goes by the common name of black-eyed Susan vine. No relation to the black-eyed Susans in the Asteraceae family.
I do happen to have a black-eyed Susan vine I purchased in a hanging basket earlier this spring and I gotta tell you, it looks like it has had a rough summer so far. I should whack it back and see if it can make a comeback.
But the wild petunias. I don’t whack those back. They are small ground hugging plants and I let them self-sow wherever they want. That’s how I garden!
Want to read about other wildflowers? Go to Clay and Limestone for Wildflower Wednesday and follow the links there to read about wildflowers every fourth Wednesday of the month!
I love Ruellia…and coneflowers. It sure is early to start school!
The whole summer off was a good thing back when our South Texas schools had no air conditioning. I like native ruellia too. It grows wild around my neighborhood along with several other nightshades.
This is one wild flower I would love to grow. I don't have it yet.
I have a Queen Anne's Lace plant that has shown up. I love them! In the past, I have tried to transplant them. I am thrilled, because I was unsuccessful transplanting them. I will enjoy!
I have a hard time moving, or removing, any stray plants that pop up here. That means that Robin’s Nest can sometimes turn into a wild jungle of a garden. So be it.