Thursday, September 27, 2012

Wildflower Wednesday




I've never gotten as many comments and questions from visitors about the Bur Marigolds (Bidens) as I have this year. Up until this month we've had good rainfall and so they are doing very well.

"What are they called?"

"So many bees!"

"How do they spread around?"

"Beautiful, just beautiful." (My favorite kind of comment.) :)

They are beautiful, and plentiful, and full of bees and butterflies. I hope their color comes true on your monitor. In reality they are flowers with a lemon yellow center disk, with the outer part of the petals being a more golden yellow, and the effect is very sunshiney and bright. They look accurate on my desktop monitor but on my Kindle they have a more Dijon mustard tone which is NOT accurate.



I like how they look with the pink seashore mallow. The white seashore mallow will bloom with the swamp sunflowers in October.




They are all up and down the driveway. All together they are fragrant and give off a sweet but earthy perfume. A little like woodsmoke.



Bumblebees have been feeding by the dozens, maybe even hundreds on the Bidens.



Buckeye butterfly


Daylily 'Bleu Celeste' and Bidens. I finally looked up the pronunciation of Bidens and as I thought I was saying it wrong. It's pronounced with a long i, like the plural of Joe Biden. These flowers are also known by the unlovely name of beggarticks, due to the fact that their seeds stick to clothing. The seeds have two narrow pliable "pins" at the end (non-painful) that enable them to cling to cloth and fur. Other common names include tickseed sunflower, black jack, cobbler's pegs, and Spanish needles.


I am really happy that Bidens re-seeded into this bed beside the paddock, since the Genista moth cats made sad brown skeletons of my baptisias.


A few Hibiscus have bloomed here and there this past month. This is a seedling from 'Anne Arundel' or 'Blue River II'. The Pineland Hibiscus and Hibiscus dasycalyx are blooming too. The H. dasycalyx It has a delicate spidery form and small cream-colored flowers and I used to think it rather quiet and plain. It's grown on me and now I think it looks very elegant. It is endangered in its native habitat in Texas due to a very narrow habitat range and interbreeding with H. militaris.


Ageratum has been in bloom since July and will continue until a freeze.


Today I am joining Gail at clay and limestone for Wildflower Wednesday.


12 comments:

  1. Yes, beautiful, just beautiful.
    White Seashore Mallow? Nice.

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  2. You have such spectacular wildflowers. Billows and billows of yellow, and plenty of space for them to go crazy in. Love the whole scene!

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  3. This flower is popular now here, because of its hardy and long flowering. I love the photos of the driveway and bidens on the both sides.

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  4. Oh my gosh, I've never heard of Bur Marigolds. These are absolutely gorgeously, happy looking. They make me feel so good seeing them there in your wonderful gardens. I never leave your blog feeling disappointed, but totally refreshed and energized.

    Have a great weekend ~ FlowerLady

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  5. Let me add my praise to such a golden sight...It makes me happy seeing it and all the pollinators! The touches of pink and white make it look even better.

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  6. Oh, how lovely - like clouds of gold. And they seem to pair well with any color. Yes, if I were a bee I wouldn't be able to fly by - I'd certainly have to stop!

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  7. OMG such a spectacular sight, like paradise. I havent seen an expanse of flowers like this. I envy your conditions that will not make them as invasives or colonizers.

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  8. Wow! I smiled all the way through your post. Your garden just gives me a good feeling, all aglow inside! Your setting is perfect for these spectacular sweeps of wildflowers, as well as your roses. I love the photo of your kitty with the ageratums!

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  9. We planted some Bidens in a planter at our MG Idea Garden this spring, and whenever I see them, I think of you, Sweetbay. The middle photos that show the masses of them lining your drive are simply gorgeous! I like HolleyGarden's description of them as "clouds of gold"--so true. You must have a smile on your face every time you come home; it would be hard not to with such a cheerful vision of yellow.

    Sweet kitty:)

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  10. Those bidens make such a stunning display at this time of year. Superb.

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  11. I love them. They are pure beautiful yellow on my monitor and glorious. I can nearly hear the bees.~~Dee

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  12. The bidens make such a beautiful massed display and work so well with all the planting partners. And a bonus with all the pollinators too. I love that last image with the cat. It looks so content amongst the ageratum.

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