Mid July Flowers
July 27, 2019 by New Hampshire Garden Solutions

There wasn’t room in my last post on aquatics to include them all, but there are many other pond side plants blooming at this time of year. One of the prettiest is meadow sweet (Spirea alba.) This plant likes moist ground and I have found it near water more often than not but I’ve seen it in drier spots as well.

Meadowsweet flowers have long stamens that always make them look kind of fuzzy. Some people confuse this plant, which is a shrub, with steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa), which is also a shrub, but steeplebush has pink flowers and the undersides of its leaves are silvery-white, while the undersides of meadowsweet leaves are green.

Meadowsweet is in the spirea family so I thought I’d show you this pink spirea I found in a local garden so you could see the resemblance. It also looks fuzzy because of the many stamens.

Our native common elderberry bushes (Sambucus nigra canadensis) are blooming and can be seen dotted around the landscape, especially near brooks and streams, or swamps as this one was. Its mounded shape and flattish, off white flower heads make it very easy to identify, even from a distance.

Common elderberry flower clusters look similar to Queen Anne’s lace. Each flower is tiny at only 1/4 inch across, and has 5 white petals or lobes, 5 yellow tipped stamens and 3 very small styles that fall off early after blooming. Each flower will be replaced by a single black (dark purple) drupe. A drupe is a fleshy fruit with a single seed like a peach or cherry. Native Americans dried the fruit for winter use and soaked the berry stems in water to make a black dye for basketry.

Blue, bell shaped flowers all on one side of the stem can mean only one thing; creeping bellflower (Campanula rapunculoides.) The pretty flowered plant was introduced as an ornamental from Europe and has escaped gardens to usually live in dry, shaded places but it will also grow in full sun. It is a late bloomer but is usually finished by the time the goldenrods have their biggest flush of bloom. It is considered an invasive plant in some places because it is hard to get rid of once it has become established. It can choke out weaker native plants if it is left alone. It isn’t considered invasive here in New Hampshire though, and in fact I usually have to look for quite a while to find it. When I do it is usually growing on forest edges.

Purple flowering raspberry (Rubus odoratus) is in the rose family and it isn’t hard to tell by the flowers, but the big light gathering leaves look more like a maple than a rose. The big leaves give it a certain tolerance for low light, and that’s how it can grow in the shade so well. The fruit looks like a giant raspberry, about the size of the tip of your thumb. I’ve heard that it is close to tasteless but some say if you put a berry on the very tip of your tongue it will be delicious. I keep forgetting to try it.

A couple of years ago I found a small colony of long leaf speedwell (Veronica longifolia.) I’m happy to say there are more blossoms this year. I’ve never seen it growing in the wild until I found it here. It’s a pretty plant that is native to Europe and China and grows on steppes, grassy mountain slopes, meadows at forest edges and birch forests. Here in the U.S. it is commonly found in gardens but it has obviously escaped. It certainly doesn’t seem to be aggressive or invasive. I love its showy blue flower spikes.

Each tiny long leaf speedwell blossom is purple–blue or occasionally white, about a quarter inch across and 4 lobed with quite a long tube. Each has 2 stamens and a single pistil. Another very similar plant is Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum) but culver’s root doesn’t grow naturally in New Hampshire.

Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) blooms in the tall grass of unmown meadows, usually in large colonies. This plant isn’t covered with sharp spines like the larger bull thistle but it does have small spines along the leaf margins and stem. Despite its common name the plant is actually a native of Europe but has spread to virtually every country in the northern hemisphere. It has a deep and extensive creeping root system and is nearly impossible to eradicate once it gains a foothold. For that reason it is considered a noxious weed in many states.

I found this Deptford pink (Dianthus armeria) in the tall grass from under a tree and was surprised to see it at two feet tall. They don’t always grow in the same large clumps as their cousins the maiden pinks (Dianthus deltoids) do, but I saw a few this day. They also don’t have the same bold, jagged, deep maroon ring near their center as maiden pinks do, and that’s a good means of identification. Both plants are originally from Europe and have escaped cultivation. Maiden pinks seem to prefer open lawns and meadows while Deptford pinks hide their beautiful little faces in the sunny edges of the forest.

An irrigation system was put in a local park last year and a bed where Asiatic dayflower (Commelina communis) grew was completely dug up. Since that is the only place I’ve ever seen it I doubted I would see it again, but this year there must have been a dozen plants where before there were two. That tells me it must grow from root cuttings, much like phlox does. I was happy to see so many because it is rare here. When I saw photos of the flower I thought it would be as big as a tradescantia blossom but it is only half that size. It is an introduced plant from China and Japan but it could hardly be called invasive because I’ve seen maybe 10 blossoms in 60+ years. I’d like to see more of them; I love that shade of blue.

Arrowleaf tearthumb (Polygonum sagittatum) is in the smartweed family, which gets its common name from the way your tongue will smart if you eat its peppery parts. Though the flower buds in this family of plants seem like they never open they do, sort of. They look like they only open about halfway though and I find the buds as pretty as the blossoms. This plant is a kind of rambler / sprawler that winds its way over nearby plants so it can get as much sunshine as possible. It often grows in deep shade but it will also grow in full sun, so it has covered all the bases.

Tearthumb got that name because it will indeed tear your thumb or any other body part that comes into contact with it. Many a gardener has regretted trying to pull it up without gloves on, because when the small but sharp barbs (prickles, botanically) along its stems slip through your hand they act like a saw and make you sorry that you ever touched it. They point down toward the soil so when you pull up on it you get a nasty surprise. The plant uses these prickles for support when it climbs over other plants, and they work well. Sometimes the stems and prickles are red but in this example they were green. Tearthumb is considered a wetland indicator because it likes to grow in very moist to wet soil. I almost always find it near water, often blooming quite late into summer.

Last year I found a place where quite a lot of Carolina horse nettle (Solanum carolinense) grew and I was surprised because it’s a plant that I’ve never seen anywhere before. From what I’ve read it is not a true nettle, but instead is a member of the nightshade family. The flowers have five petals and are usually white or purple with yellow centers. There is a blue variant that resembles the tomato flower, which makes sense since tomatoes are also in the nightshade family. The flowers have no scent but the foliage has a certain odor that I find disagreeable.

Horse nettle’s stem and undersides of larger leaf veins are covered with spines and I can attest to their sharpness. It’s hard to grab it anywhere and I’ve been pricked by it several times just trying to turn a leaf over. This plant is native to our southern states, so why it is growing here is a mystery. It seems to like where it grows; there must be 30-40 plants growing there. I can see its spreading becoming a real problem.

You wouldn’t think that you’d get pricked by something that looks as soft and furry as motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca) but the seedpods are actually quite sharp and prickly. The small furry white to light purple flowers are easy to miss. At a glance this plant might resemble one of the nettle family but the square stems show it to be in the mint family. The tiny flowers grow in a whorl around the stem in the leaf axils. This plant, originally from Asia, is considered an invasive weed but I don’t see it that often and I don’t think I’ve ever seen more than 2 or 3 plants growing together. It was brought to this country because of its long history of medicinal use in Europe and Asia. The ancient Greeks and Romans used motherwort medicinally and it is still used today to decrease nervous irritability and quiet the nervous system. There is supposed to be no better herb for strengthening and gladdening the heart, and it is sold in powdered and liquid form. I find it along roads and in fields.

Maleberry shrubs (Lyonia ligustrina) line the shores of the ponds and rivers along with blueberries, and sometimes it can be hard to tell the two apart. The flowers of maleberrry, though nearly the same shape and color, are about half the size of a blueberry flower and the shrub blooms about a month later. There are often berries on the blueberries before maleberrry blossoms.

Maleberry blossoms become small, hard brown 5 part seed capsules that persist on the plant, often for over a year. They make maleberrry very easy to identify, especially in spring; just look for the seed capsules and you’ll know it isn’t a blueberry. This is one of a very few plants which I can’t find a Native American use for, but I’d bet they had one.

Spreading dogbane’s (Apocynum androsaemifolium) bell shaped flowers are very fragrant and I love to smell then when I can find one without an insect in it. They’re also very pretty, with faint pink stripes on the inside. They remind me of lily of the valley flowers but are quite a lot larger.

Spreading dogbane is toxic to both dogs and humans, but insects love it. It’s closely related to milkweeds and has milky sap like they do. Monarch butterflies drink the nectar but I rarely see one on them. Though it is an herbaceous perennial its growth habit makes it look like a 3 foot tall shrub. The Apocynum part of its scientific name means “away from dog.” Not only dogs but most other animals avoid it because of its toxic sap.

I really do hate to say it but goldenrod is blooming already. Is it happening earlier each year or is it my imagination? In any event for me no other flowers except maybe asters whisper so loudly of the coming fall. Actually I love fall, it’s what comes after that I’m not looking forward to. When I was a boy summer seemed to stretch on almost without end but now it seems to pass almost in the wink of an eye.
Summer has always been good to me, even the bittersweet end, with the slanted yellow light.
~Paul Monette
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Posted in Nature, Wildflowers | Tagged Arrowleaf Tearthumb, Ashuelot River, Asiatic Dayflower, Canada Thistle, Canon EOS Rebel T6, Common Elderberry, Creeping Bellflower, Deptford Pink, Goldenrod, Horse Nettle, Keene, Long Leaf Speedwell, Meadowsweet, Motherwort, Native Plants, Nature, New Hampshire, NH, Northern Maleberry, Olympus Stylus TG-870, Purple Flowering Raspberry, Spirea, Spreading Dogbane, Summer Wildflowers, Swanzey New Hampshire | 24 Comments
That particular bellflower is a noxious weed in our garden. I don’t even try to dig it out, but try to control it by pulling any stalks before they set seed. Something that is practical only in a small garden, I guess. We also have the purple-flowering raspberry, I’m quite fond of it. Looks like we will have some fruit this year, I’ll have to try one.
Our flowering raspberries are still blooming so I haven’t seen any fruit yet.
The summer is rushing by too fast. Like you, I wish the goldenrod would wait. To me it signals that autumn is not that far away.
Thank you Virginia. I know how you feel. Today I was awash in goldenrod, Joe Pye weed, and fringed loosestrife and I really wasn’t ready for any of them.
After our heatwave we now have cool and wet weather which reminds me of autumn. I hope we have some more warm weather before the end of the season! I am sorry that the beautiful goldenrod has reminded you of the shortness of summer!
Thank you Clare. It seems that fall flowers bloom earlier each year, but it could be my imagination.
I hope you’ll have some more summer before fall really begins!
Thank you, Allen!
“When I was a boy summer seemed to stretch on almost without end but now it seems to pass almost in the wink of an eye.” – I couldn’t agree more.
A delightful set of close up pictures again in this post. I take my hat off to your eagle eye and steady hand.
Thank you. I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t wink for fear of missing summer.
I wonder if the people to whom the flowering raspberry tastes delicious can simply taste a chemical that some others can’t taste. I too have tried the fruit several times, even on the tip of my tongue and it just didn’t seem to have any flavor at all, but my kid brother claimed to like it. If you remember to try the tip of the tongue method, let us know how it works out.
Interesting. I hadn’t thought of that. In fact I’m going to a place tomorrow where it grows, so if I see any berries I’ll have to try it!
Creeping bellflower is pretty invasive in my area of southwestern Quebec. I made the mistake of introducing it to my mother’s flower border 30 years ago, and have been trying to remove it ever since.
I can sympathize Lee. I worked for people in the past who had it and didn’t want it, so I’ve pulled and dug my share of it too. At least it has pretty flowers.
No goldenrod in central Maine yet, but if you have it, then it won’t be long before we have it, too. What a lovely quotation by Paul Monette. I especially like “the slanted yellow light.”
Thank you Laurie. I thought things started sliding into fall from north to south but apparently not goldenrod.
That part of the quotation is why I chose it. I’ve experienced that light myself and it can be beautiful.
Lovely post, as always, Allen. The dayflower, as beautifully blue and sweet looking as it is, makes me crazy. It’s a perpetual battle to stay ahead of it because it wants to own the garden! And it seeds freely. I’m sending ALL of mine to you, lol. Happy weekend!
Thanks Ginny. I’m not sure I’d plant any dayflower seeds here but that is surprising to hear after knowing these plants that I’ve seen here. This is the first year in nearly a decade that I’ve seen them increasing. You must be giving them something they like!
Always interesting!
I’ve found elderberry, which is great for poison ivy, growing wild in CA, TX, and Chile.
Raspberry (along with blackberry) grows wild all over this area of Chile. I have a stand in my front yard and a great deal of it growing elsewhere on my place.
I had dayflower, speedwell, and Texas thistle (like your Canadian) growing in my back yard in Texas and the latter, virtually identical, grows here on my place 40° S of the equator. We also had smartweed and two species of purple nightshade (Solanum spp.) in Texas.
On Sat, Jul 27, 2019, 4:10 AM New Hampshire Garden Solutions New Hampshire Garden Solutions posted: ” There wasn’t room in my last post > on aquatics to include them all, but there are many other pond side plants > blooming at this time of year. One of the prettiest is meadow sweet (Spirea > alba.) This plant likes moist ground and I have found it near water ” >
Thank you Ron. I hadn’t heard about the poison ivy/elderberry connection. I’ll have to try it.
I didn’t know you had raspberry and blackberry there. It’s always surprising to hear that the same plants grow there that grow here but I don’t know why it should be.
I’d like to see the purple version of that nightshade but if you have cows you’re probably not happy with it or the thistles.
I haven’t seen any of the purple nightshades growing here in Chile, but here are the two we had growing in Texas: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=soel
https://images.app.goo.gl/Mb7rXXrLM1NY6MbP6 (Solanum dimidiatum, which occurs in all but four U.S. states)
Fortunately, the Texas thistle is not that common on my place, but whenever I see it, I chop it out.
Thanks for the links Ron. I like the purple flowered nightshades. At least I like them as long as they aren’t growing in my yard.
Chopping out the thistles must be a bit of work. I’ve heard they have an extensive root system.
You’re welcome.
I like your observation on the speed at which summer passes!
Thank you Susan. If only winter passed as quickly!