♥Love this!♥
These annual Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) are “volunteers.” I frequently plant Snapdragons in my container gardens and the seeds spread to other areas of my yard. The seeds need light to germinate. When they fall between the landscape rocks here, they find a nice, sheltered location with just enough light to sprout. These plants receive no intentional supplemental water (they probably receive some run-off from the lawn occasionally) and they are in a very hot spot near the street. I love them as a bright spot of color I didn’t (and don’t) work to achieve. Native bumblebees and hummingbirds love them, too.
😢So Sad😢
This WAS a real nice stand of Marigolds. Something came along and ate them down to nubs. Suspects: rabbits, grasshoppers, Japanese beetles. Although I have a multitude of rabbits in my yard, Marigolds (Tagetes spp.) are considered rabbit-resistant due to their bitter taste. Resistant, not fool-proof, so it could be rabbits. Grasshoppers are also abundant this year and would munch down the leaves quickly. Tagetes spp. are known to be a favorite of Japanese beetles and I’ve been battling them on my rose bushes for a while now. Whatever ate them, it happened quickly. I didn’t notice before it was too late.
😀Mixed Feelings😕
This perennial is Knautia; pronounced “naughty-a.” It is naughty! It snuck into my garden many years ago with a pot of Shasta Daisies (Leucanthemum). The Knautia was probably near the Leucanthemum in the nursery, if they were organized alphabetically, and it sneaked over to a neighboring pot. At the time, I thought it was neat to get a free plant. Now, I’m not so sure. The naughty Knautia is a taking over the perennial bed, spreading into the turf grass, and looks rather scrappy. On the plus side, it’s been blooming non-stop since mid-June, doesn’t care if I dead-head it or not, doesn’t need a lot of water, and is feeding bees but not pests like Japanese beetles and rabbits. I think I’ll try to rein it in and see if we can come to an agreement on its garden behavior!
