My garden is a basket case...

[jinman]

Basketflowers, that is.

We didn't plant a garden this year and I just left the tilled ground from last fall. I figured it would be covered in weeds, but to my surprise we have the most beautiful garden of basketflowers I've ever seen. Between the basketflowers and the purple horsemint, we have a beautiful display. These are not thistles and have no thorns. They have a very sweet odor and bees love them. The pictures below were taken by my wife, but I wanted to share them with this group. I guess my garden is still producing even if it isn't vegetables.

 

[scott_vt]

Good Afternoon Jim,
Very pretty, almost looks a bit like our thistle up this way ! My Mom is the wild flower expert here, whenever I want to know what that particular flower is she will rattle it off to me !

I just like looking !

 

[Bird]

They certainly are pretty. I'm surprised that garden plot turned out that way if no one planted or sowed those seed.

 

[Egon]

Very nice.

Our deer would probably like them!

 

[3RRL]

What a pleasant surprise.
That makes for some real nice pictures Jim.
We get wildflowers of all sorts during our short Spring too. It lights up the whole country side with all kinds of color and beauty. But it is short lived in the hot Summers without water. We are going to irrigate a few areas around the log home next year to see if the wildflowers will stick around longer if they get watered.

 

[jinman]

Thanks guys. I passed your comments on to Kathy.

Bird, last year with the garden, we had basketflowers on the north and northwest corner of the garden. We let them flower and go to seed before mowing them down. When I tilled the garden, I may have inadvertently spread the seed. These are large plants and take a long time to grow. I saw them early when they were almost 1' tall and started to mow them down before realizing what they were by their leaves. I told Kathy I was going to let them go and see if we didn't have a really nice wildflower garden. It looks like we got our reward.

 

[gotrocks]

Hello Jim,
I haven't posted for a while but I still enjoy your "goins on".
The flowers are beautiful. Great pictures. They look similar to some we have in the yard that a friend gave a few years past. They do spread and like full sun.
Stokesia is what they told us was the name.l

Check out here and see if that is what you have.

PLANTS Profile for Stokesia laevis (Stokes' aster) | USDA PLANTS

Wish I could get rid of all the weeds and replace with this on my dam.

My garden "corn is as high as an antelope's eye"
Pittfull compared to last year.

 

[EddieWalker]

Jim,

Great pictures, the flowers look awesome.

Why didn't you plant a vegtable garden this year?

Eddie

 

[Egon]

With the high cost of fuel Jinman is waiting for the hog to plough his garden plot!

 

[jinman]

Why didn't you plant a vegtable garden this year?

Eddie

No time for doing a garden this year. Between my job goin' nuts and Kathy's youngest son's wedding, we had too much on our platter. The garden is for sale also as part of Kathy's old homesite. And, the final reason is every inch of our freezer is full with veggies from last year's garden. We have to eat the level down some to make room for next year.

Egon, if I had more room in my freezer, it might get filled up with hog "tractor" parts.