Goldfinches and Agastache

After these flowers have bloomed for awhile, the little goldfinches begin to arrive in late July, early August. The bees never stop. The big black and yellow bumble bees are there every day. We have planted a large row of these plants right under our family room window so we can watch at times a dozen or more goldfinches eat the seeds from the finished blossoms right at the window.

The plant is also called Hummingbird Mint and/or Licorice Mint. The purple flowered varieties are loved by bees and finches while the orange varieties are cherished by the Hummingbirds. All re-seed prolifically, so be prepared to have many, many seedlings after the first year. The purple varieties can survive in shade as well as full sun.

Also makes a fine tea and its leaves can be used as a mint substitute in drinks.

High Country Gardens Nursery has an excellent selection of these plants.

Kayla

Forgot the other member of the family, she is our 13 year old Yellow Lab. Long in years now, but looked upon our garden as her own personal domain. Guarding it from rodents and deer but actually making friends with a female deer who now comes back each year to have twins in the safety of our little woods.................though I am sure she has eaten her take as well.

Kayla for years played in the garden with her faithful companion Bob, our manx cat. Bob has been gone for several years now leaving Kayla to watch over the yard for maybe one more year. She has been the best garden puppy ever!

Growing Salvias

After some searching, we have found some salvias that for years seemed impossible to find. We have always been interested in hardy varieties for Zone 6 beyond the normal and common types found at most nurseries. The photos are from other sites, wish ours looked like that! While those of us living on the East Coast do not have the Hummingbird species the west and southwest has, these salvias come back year after year for the little ruby throats that visit eastern gardens.

Recently we have been sent S Castanea, S Przewalskii (several varieties), S Flava v megalantha, S Bulleyana. Several seedlinigs of Castanea have sprouted and are taking off though this miserable NJ weather this year is not helping things.

While searching for these I found they are much looked for by Salvia enthusiasts, once we get them growing and have mother plants, we hope to offer some for sale or trade, but that is a year or two away unfortunately.

They are gone by this time of year, but for some 8 years now these three Mallards have arrived in our yard. They have grown to know us and sit under the kitchen window for food. Then they come to the back door.

They hang out at the frog pond most of the day and then fly away each day for the safety of a larger pond or lake at night.

Several times they have nested but have not been successful.

Pileated Woodpeckers

Downpour stopped and there are a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers destroying a dead snag at bottom of yard. This pair had originally started to hollow out a nest in a large oak tree in spring but then decided on another location. At least they stayed local pretty much all year.

Hoping for Pipevines to visit

Last year we planted a pipevine plant in a pot on side of the house to climb up a trellis. When it arrived from LazySSFarms Nursery it had caterpillars on it, great luck! But they were eaten by some wrens that we set up a bird house for! So this year the vine is 10 times the size and we are waiting, but so far nothing.

LazySS Farms Nursery has a great website. Plants come wrapped in perfect condition and our very large for the price.

Impatiens namchabarwensis "Blue Diamond Impatiens"

Something really cool from Annie's Annuals. Just arrived in mail last week, great size and has already grown much larger and is budded. Can't wait to have it flower and collect seed. We have an Impatien that is a perennial, yes that is true, even here in NJ. And we have several others that re-seed and put on quite a show all year.

Here is what Annie's Annuals says about this new plant for our garden.

Hold on to your hats, folks. This one’s a doosie! In 2003, an expedition to the (tongue-twisting) Namchabarwa canyon* in Tibet discovered this rarest jewel of a “jewelweed” – an ultramarine-blue flowered Impatiens. It was found in a very limited & remote location, but its scarcity doesn’t at all impede its cultivation - not only is this plant hardy (how hardy is as yet untested, so let us know) but it reseeds, making it a triple whammy of a plant – super rare, totally gorgeous, & completely garden worthy. The plants are compactly growing to about 2’, & very floriferous, & the flowers themselves are breathtaking in color & in form. The color seems to change with temperature & exposure – sometimes it’s REALLY TRULY BLUE, & other times it’s a deep purple, but it’s always exquisite. Truly a plant to treasure, if you can get your hands on one!

*A canyon that’s not only the deepest canyon in the world - twice as deep as the Grand Canyon - but is also an area that’s been studied only since 1994. Can you say WOW?

Note: Generally, species Impatiens prefer cool Summer climates with little frost, and suffer in areas with too much heat and humidity!

Pt.Sun/Shade		Regular water
Perennial zones 10a-11, reseeding annual in other zones