I thought I’d show a few more flowers that grow in my garden and also some interesting ones that I’ve found in local parks.Last year I spotted this meadow rue (Thalictrum aquilegiifolium) at a small greenhouse in Northfield, Massachusetts. The owner said they didn’t have any for sale right then. He must have sensed that I was disappointed, because he divided one of his own and gave me a piece of it. What you see above is why I wanted it-such an unusual flower and quite larger and more colorful than the meadow rue I find growing wild. This plant is very unusual in that it doesn’t have a flower petal on it. The flowers in the photo are made up completely of male stamens. I grow this in my back yard in front of an old piece of picket fence because it gets so tall that I was afraid I might have to tie it to something. Butterflies love this plant.
I know-it has been done to death and has become a cliché but this pink rose grows next to the meadow rue and it had just stopped raining when I took the picture.
Here is the same rose fully opened on a drier day.
This goat’s beard (Aruncus dioicus ) grows in a shady corner of my yard. This plant was just planted last year so it hasn’t reached full size yet. When it does it will be a large, 3-5 foot tall mound with feathery white blossoms reaching up above the leaves. This is another unusual native plant that should be used in gardens more than it is, because it does well in shade. Insects swarm over it.
The rhododendrons have come and gone quickly. I saw this white one in a local park and went back a week later to find it without a blossom on it. I think the early heat made short work of flowers that usually appear when it’s cool.
Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is an evergreen plant that many believe is in the rhododendron family, but it is actually more closely related to blueberries than rhododendrons. Though I saw this one in a park Mountain laurel is native to the east coast and soon the woods will be full of their white, pink or red blossoms. If you look at the back of a mountain laurel blossom you can see 10 depressions or pockets that the flower’s 10 anthers bend over and fit into. When a pollinator lands on the flower the anthers spring out of their pockets and bang against the insect, dusting it with pollen. This plant is extremely toxic and has killed livestock. The leaves are said to have been used by Native Americans wishing to destroy themselves. This plant is also called Lambkill, Spoonwood, and Calico bush.
This plant goes by many common names but I’ve always called it peached leaved bluebells (Campanula persicifolia) which comes from its leaves resembling those of the peach tree. It is very easy to grow-literally a “plant it and forget it” perennial. I planted one in my garden years ago and not only is it still growing, but many seedlings from it are also growing all over the property. I usually give several away each summer to family and friends, but I’ve given it to so many people that now they say “no more.” It’s a good choice for someone just starting a garden.
This is a very unusual plant that is seldom seen in the garden. So unusual in fact that I don’t think it has a common name. Its scientific name is Rogersia pinnata, variety “Elegans.” This plant likes it moist and shady but will grow in sunnier spots if it is given plenty of water. it is useful around ponds and other garden water features. I took this photo on May 27th just after it began to bud so as to show the unusual leaves. The leaves turn a beautiful red / bronze in the fall.
Here is the flower of Rogersia pinnata. It is quite tall-about chest height-and the plant is close to 2 feet across, so it needs plenty of room. The one shown here grows in the shade of trees in a local park.
The feathery petals of the perennial bachelor’s button (Centaurea montana) add interest to a garden. This is another plant that is very easy to grow. It prefers full sun but can stand partial shade. These plants self-seed easily and before long will have spread to all beds in the garden. Deadheading will prevent this, or any other plant, from self-seeding. Some call this perennial cornflower.
Another plant that isn’t often seen is the penstemon (Penstemon digitalis) or beardtongue. I grow the variety pictured, called “husker red,” more for its deep maroon leaves than the flowers. This is yet another plant that is very easy to grow. The one pictured here grows in a park, but I planted it at home years ago and have done virtually nothing to it since, other than keeping the bed it grows in weeded. It likes full sun and dry soil. Hybrid cultivars like husker red were developed from the native penstemon.
This bearded iris is so old that it has no common name. It is one of the plants that live far back in my earliest memories because it always grew on a corner of our lawn when I was a boy. It is a tough plant-quite often in winter the snow plows would tear it out of the ground and in spring my father (after considerable grumbling) would stuff it back into its hole and stomp on it a couple of times. (My dad wasn’t known for his gardening abilities!) After a short recovery period it would grow and bloom as if it had never been touched. The one in the photo grows at my house now and isn’t near enough to the road or driveway to be plowed up.
Many years ago a lady I gardened for gave me a sucker from her mock orange (Philadelphus.) I plunked it down in the shade near the outside faucet when I got it home, thinking I could keep it watered easily until I found a place to plant it. Well, I never did find a place to plant it until last year, when I rolled the 12 foot tall, 6 foot wide plant onto a tarp and dragged it across the lawn to its new home. Whew-was that heavy! But it was worth it because now it can be seen from several locations both inside and out, and this year is blooming better than it ever has. Mock orange is one of our most fragrant shrubs, and its citrus-spice fragrance can’t be matched. It is a great choice for someone who doesn’t want to fuss with their shrubs.
When I was a boy we had a hedge of pink / purple Rugosa roses which were so fragrant that you almost couldn’t stand it because they were all you could smell for weeks. Scents can be very powerful things and can evoke strong memories; even more so than sight or sound. This is called involuntary memory, or the Proust effect. I now have white rugosa roses growing outside my office and when I open the windows memories come floating in with the scent and transport me back in time to a place where life went by at a much slower pace and summers seemed to go on forever.
I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order~ John Burroughs
I hope you enjoyed seeing a few flowers that grow in gardens for a change of pace. Thanks for stopping by.
I’m glad I caught this post, Allen. I have some meadow rue in a flower bed, only I didn’t know what it was called. I have both the lavender and white varieties. I think they look nice growing side by side. There is also a white variety that commonly grows as a wild flower along the roadside in our area. However I don’t know if it is the same species as the one I have.
Yes, tall garden meadow rue is related to the roadside meadow rue plants. The native ones are blooming all over the place here right now. I like the leaves as much as the flowers. It makes an excellent backdrop in the garden but hardly anyone grows it. I’m glad that you do!
Meadow rue does put on quite a fireworks show. It is just too bad that the blooms don’t last a bit longer. But like you, I think the foliage is lovely as well, and it does last a long time. Also, now that the I have gotten several years of reseeding, the blooms on some of the younger plants display a little later, so the flowering is staggered. There are also some plants that won’t flower at all this year. These shorter plants help to fill in the space between the flowering plants.
It is short lived but it sounds like you’ve figured out how to lengthen it’s show. I only have one plant right now but I’m hoping that will increase.
Looking for some no-fuss plants for the creekside, I tried some of that native Penstemon digitalis. It gets fuller each year. But it is so top heavy by the time it flowers that it ends up sprawled across the ground. Is that normal?
No that isn’t normal for this plant. Usually when plants do that it’s because they either don’t get enough sun or get sun predominantly on one side, which makes them lean toward it. I have one here that gets plenty of afternoon sun and it hasn’t ever done it. Have you thought of using shade lovers like trillium or other natives? Though these plants are found in shade they can stand quite a lot of cooler morning sun. Many wildflowers can be found at garden centers now. If you feel that the spot is sunny enough you might try a shorter plant like fern leaved bleeding heart for example, or even foxglove which has stronger stems. Pink turtlehead or red and pink bee balm (monarda) might be another choice.
Beautiful. It is too hot too be outside so your post was especially appreciated.
That meadow rue is impressive compared to the run of the mill meadow rue.
Around here there are gobs of beardtongue blooming along the roads. A nice walk through the garden, Thanks.
🙂
You’re welcome Chris. We are supposed to get that heat tomorrow and Thursday and I’m not looking forward to it. The meadow rue I grow in the garden really shows what plant breeders can do with a plant! I don’t see any wild beardtongue around here even though it is supposed to grow here.
Beautiful, as always. Thank you, Allen.
You’re welcome!
These are beauties, especially the rue! I was familiar with the iris, the mock orange, of course the rose (and that’s a wonderful photo of the one with the water drops on it), and the penstemon which looks similar to one that we have here.
Yes I like that meadow rue a lot-I wonder if you can grow it in Montana? Glad you like the raindrops on the rose-I thought it had been overdone.
The Rogersia reminds me of horse chestnut.
It does look a lot like it. I really like those leaves and would grow it here if I had the right conditions.
Thank you! I had a pleasant morning walk while drinking my coffee, and didn’t even have to step out of the house. The flowers were both beauttiful, and interesting, and I could even smell the roses!
You’re welcome, but you’ll never lose weight that way! I’ve had a morning walk and plan on an afternoon hike if I can squeeze it in. I probably won’t lose a pound, but it’ll be fun.
i love posts like these and I love being introduced to new plants via their scientific names, too!! great info!!
Thank you! I think scientific names are important because quite often a plant can have 10 or more common names and it can get very confusing. Thanks for stopping in!