Today’s photos are from Joel, who gardens in the Pacific Northwest.
The big purple flower heads of an allium have attracted a honeybee looking for pollen and nectar.
This brilliant red-and-yellow bloom comes from a red western columbine (Aquilegia formosa, Zones 4–8). While different species of columbines are native to much of the Northern Hemisphere, these strong red colors are a specialty of the species that’s native to North America, an adaptation that makes them attractive to our native hummingbirds. Gardeners in eastern North America may recognize the look from another native red columbine, Aquilegia canadensis (Zones 3–8), which looks quite similar but is a different species that has adapted the same look to lure hummingbirds.
A little colony of hens-and-chicks (Sempervivium hybrid, Zones 3–8), easy-to-grow hardy succulents
Though the succulent foliage is why most people choose to grow hens-and-chicks, the flowers can be pretty as well. Each individual rosette that blooms will then die, but the plant makes so many offsets that the colony will carry on.
Lewisia cotyldeon (Zones 5–8) is native to western North America, where Native Americans harvested the thick, fleshy roots as a food source. English-speaking visitors weren’t so fond of the flavor, and they gave it the common name of “bitterroot.” These days, it is grown for the beautiful blooms.
Lewisia flowers come in a wide range of colors. These beautiful plants are easy to grow in their native climate, but they can be a struggle in the wetter conditions of the eastern half of North America.
A late-summer cloud of black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida, Zones 3–9) fills the garden with color.
If you want to see more from Joel, check out his instagram: @frondophile
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Comments
Love that Lewisia.
Seconded!
The Lewisia is amazing and quite exotic looking to an east coast gardener. Thanks for sharing. Also love the detail in the photo of the honeybee on the allium.
Interesting to learn about the two different native columbines.
Your photography of the mother hen and chicks that has the flowers in focus and the green part of the plant out of focus is just amazing...it's as if the flowers are popping out of my computer screen they look so real!
What a gorgeous scene of the water and the Black Eyed Susans, they look amazing in a big garden that allows them to cover so much space!
Your garden looks happy and looking at your photos made ME happy!
Thank you for sharing your garden :)
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