Join me on a little walk around the cottage! It's a mix of things in the wild and those carefully cultivated by happy cottage owners.
One of the first things I see when I leave the house is a patch of tiger lilies in the woods. I don't know if anyone planted them there long ago or if they somehow migrated from someone's lawn. But they are lovely.
Moving along, we come to the swamp. Often, you can see deep into it but this year the cattails are tall and block the view.
These beauties grow by the swamp. I always thought they were Queen Anne's Lace -- and maybe they are. Or, they might be hemlock or something similar.
In any event, they are lovely.
Rounding the corner, I'm back in cottage territory again. I've shared some of the gardens before. This little one has come on even more since I took this photo in late June.
I thought these might be chive flowers -- but I don't think so anymore. I love their happy purple blooms.
The woman who has the Little Free Library has a shed across the road. Her cute lighthouse is new this year!
Another home has these beauties. Bee balm? I love their wild look.
And this neatly groomed yard will soon have hollyhocks. But it's pretty cute now!
No one will come to my cottage and see a lovely garden. I acknowledge my lack of skills in this area along with my deep admiration for those who create masterpieces with an array of colorful blooms. So, I'll happily enjoy each and every garden I pass, every wildflower or flowering weed I see, along with those I find in Blogland.
And who knows, someday I might plant something in the ground that lives!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And, to repeat answering a question on the last post for those who didn't see this earlier -- Will I consider answering questions asked by commenters? As most of you know, I reply to comments in direct email if an email is attached to your comment. If no email is attached, but you have a blog, I will visit your blog to either thank you and/or respond (or just visit!). I tend to avoid conflict. I know not everyone agrees with me on issues or I with them and I will probably not get into an argument with you. If a comment is made respectfully, I will post it, even if I don't agree with what the commenter says. If it is obviously spam or uncivil, I may not post it and I certainly won't reply.
So, if you have a question, please post it in the comments and if you aren't connected to a blog or email, I will be happy to answer if I can. (And I hope the person who asked that sees this because they came in as anonymous with no contact info so I can't reply directly!)
58 comments:
I believe you are correct with both Queen Anne's Lace and bee balm (also Monarda IIRC). If you see one similar to Anne, but it's yellow, that is the bad one. There are some in ditches around here, and we know to steer clear.
Lovely pictures!
Such pretty flowers! Yes to bee balm and queen anne's lace. So nice to see wildflowers out and about 👍
Some gorgeous colours in the gardens around your lake house.
(I think the purple are scabious)
Some gorgeous colours in the gardens around your lake house.
(I think the purple are Scabious)
I recognize Tiger Lilies - they are cultivated in Hawaii and thrive in our climate.
Right you are - Queen Anne's lace. This benign flower also has one purple floweret at the center. Looks a lot like the dread hogweed, though. Queen Anne has fuzzy stems, though. Hogweed's stem is smooth, sometimes purplish.
And yes, that's monarda (bee balm.) The flower heads are seeds later (hint, hint) and if you dead-head the bee balm it will set more flowers for later in the summer.
XOXOXOXO
Beautiful blog
Beautiful blog
Try planting bulbs - they come back and multiply. No great skill to grow either.
...I was in the nursery business for 50 years and I realize that Mother Nature is the master gardener!
Thank you for taking us on this lovely walk. I have enjoyed it very much! Beautiful flowers and other scenes around your cottage.
Lovely to see all the flowers. Tiger lilies don't grow wild here so I love when I see occasional "garden escapes". I remember being puzzled by the tiger lily in "Alice" and was spotted! )
I can't identify flowers but I sure can admire them. Thanks for the tour, it's a beautiful area.
I love the Queen's Ann's Lace. Haven't seen much around here but I'm excited to learn that all the indigenous plants/flowers that were removed from the building site before my complex was built is being returned this fall by students at a college where they've been caring for and multiplying them the past five years. A few are endangered.
Identifying flowers has always been outside my skill set, but that is another perk of the IPhone — I take a photo and then hit the little “i” for the name of the flower. Besides the common and the Latin name there are usually some photos of the species. It is especially good for cultivated flowers and common wildflowers. Quite amazing!
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Hello Jeanie,
I love the lilies, the Bee Balm and the Queen Anne's Lace. They are all beautiful flowers. Take care, have a wonderful week!
So many pretty flowers surround you on your walk at the lake, Jeanie. Enjoy your precious time there!
Love all the sights you see near your cottage. SO many beautiful flowers. I love walking and looking at flowers near my house. The Bee Balm is so cool. The color and style are so pretty. Thanks for sharing. :)
I'm never confident with plant names, but they are so beautiful!
My dad loved Tiger Lilies and planted them on the side of our house. They had dark spots on them and I always thought they were quite exotic! ;)
P.S. I don't like arguments, either...online or in person.
Well you know I love to see flowers. I am so in love with bee balm and have tried to grow it several times I think I may try again.
Cathy
I enjoyed the stroll;)
Lots of pretty sights near the lake! I've always called those flowers Queen Anne's lace too; and we just saw some of those funky pink flowers today and I told my boys they made me think of punk rock pineapples. :)
I love the daylilies on your walk!
Whenever I see a flower on a hike/walk I am always tempted to take photos of it and look it up later. Sadly I often learn the wildflower is considered a noxious weed, no matter how pretty I thought it was.
You are always good about engaging with your readers, Jeanie, and answering questions. I agree about not wanting to engage in any disagreements. Life is too short for that!
I'm weak on names. I just enjoy the beauty and cuteness of flowers and birds that I see in Nature. It's all God's doing, and I'm thankful to HIM for that variety, richness of shape and color.
That was a lovely walk. The neighbourhood must look amazing!
-Soma
Please accept my sincere apology for offending you. I didn’t mean to at all. I don’t have a blog and not interested in posting email address. I should have read your postscript comments before I asked. Thanks for repeating your blog process.
It was so nice to see all the unusual and lovely flowers blooming at the cottages near the lake. I think my favorite was the Queen Anne's Lace. The Bee Balm is cool too. I didn't realize you had a swamp near your home. I thought only the south had those. Your neighbor's little garden is so cute. I am enjoying your posts on your time spent at the lake. It seems so peaceful and calming there. And I'm glad you are enjoying your carefree days there, Jeanie.
~Sheri
That beebalm is beautiful. Mine is just starting to bloom. And that is a fun lighthouse What a cool garden ornament. It looks like you have a lovely place to walk, and so many pretty summer sights. The flowers this year in my area are just amazing, and it looks like they are at the lake too. Enjoy. hugs-Erika
Jeanie,
Thanks so much for your visits... The cottage gardens are so lovely!! I enjoyed seeing them... I hope you are surviving this heat...A cool down is coming at the end of the week!! I hope...
Hugs,
Deb
Debbie-Dabble Blog
Jeanie, I enjoyed the walk and seeing what was blooming. I love wildflowers and Queen Anne’s Lace is a favorite!
I always love going on your walks. Beautiful flowers, and great company!
It’s wonderful that there are so many pretty flower gardens around you. I love to see flowers, but I can’t name them.
There is a fine line between engaging in controversial topics and having a lively blog, and avoiding them and thereby having something as bland as cold porridge. It seems to me, Jeanie, that you have always managed this well. Your blog is lively, well written, informative and at times it deals with sensitive issues - all done with sensitivity and grace.
I've always heard of bee balm, but I don't think I have ever really seen it. It's supposed to be a huge pollinator attractor.
I wonder if folks around you are as into growing native plants as folks down here are. I'm just learning about it. I can't believe how much easier growing native plants makes my life. Every native plant that froze back last year has come back. Our yard is now full of bees and butterflies. And plants are abundant! Amazing.
Such pretty flowers! I love Queen Anne's Lace, but it doesn't grow in my immediate area, so I have to travel a little to find it. We have some native Monarda species, but they look rather different from these. As I recall, those flowers were the first ones that brought home to me the truth that cultivated species often look quite different from the stock they were bred from!
Indeed the purple are scabiosa:) Here where I live we call those lilies..ditch lilies lol all along Main road here ..this time of yr..they grow..Along my driveway also and I never planted them:)
Very pretty! I'm sorry people have been argumentative.
How fun to walk around your lake cottage area and see what you see. I would love seeing the flowers, both wild and intended. What fun that the lilies come up all on their own.
Beautiful bee balm! And I see that others have already identified the purple flowers as scabious, or "pincushion flower." We have some of that in our garden too.
When we were kids my sister and I used to pick queen Ann's lace and put it in different water colors. The flower absorbs the watercolor and becomes that color.. Pretty pictures Jeanie... Do you have a wonderful variety of wildflowers there.
I love seeing all the lakeside blooms, especially since most of those spotted are past their prime here now (bee balm, tiger lilies). It's just so hot and dry, things are really stressed here. All the guesses are correct from readers - Queen Anne's Lace, scabiosa and bee balm. I had the red bee balm in our last landscape but it tended to fall over (tall) in storms, so I now have a dwarf version here at the cottage. I started a QA lace from a roadside pick 2 yrs ago, and quickly found it spreads way out of control with tap roots. Best for an open expanse vs a cottage plot. I pulled it out quickly last year, and still see an occasional volunteer. The seeds spread far and wide!
Thanks for the garden stroll. I loved it!
We always called the Queen Anne's Lace Wild Carrot here. The purple flowers are chives and the red is bee balm. Am glad you have cattails. The phragmites here re choking out our cattails and I hate them. Janice
I always wonder how some of the flowers find their way on roadsides and in the country since it doesn't appear to be planted. I see a lot of what I call Queen Anne's Lace along my walks too and it looks similar to your photos. Wonderful walk around your area. Thanks.
So many pretty flowers Jeanie!
cheers
Sherry https://sherryspickings.blogspot.com/
I love Queen Anne’s Lace and we would see it all the time on the way to the cottage and all around up there. But it does remind me of the time when I picked a few and put them in a vase on our home dining table. About a day later, I found green aphids all over on them. This was many years ago and I’ve never picked another one since!
What a pretty walk! Lots of different varieties, I don't know what those lovely purple blossoms are. They aren't chives for sure...pretty! Perennials might be the blossoms for you to plant---!
What a beautiful bloom filled walk!
Oh dear. I hate to think what kind of commented prompted your explanation of your comment response policy. :/
The plants around your cottage are beautiful! When you don't live there for the season, it's hard to do much with a garden! Now that my parents live at the lake year round my mom has gorgeous flowers all around their yard. But it's a huge hobby for her and something she has time for now that she is retired. The boys love to help her water her flowers! We have so little growing in our yard in Minneapolis because I don't have the interest or time to focus on it. I have some hanging baskets that are just barely hanging in there since they get so much full sun and then we have a lot of hostas. I'd love to redo our front landscaping but haven't felt motivated to spend the $$ on that (we'd have to outsource it). But there are so many beautiful gardens in our neighborhood so I really enjoy seeing what others have planted. There is one house in particular that even the boys know about. We refer to it as "the house with the pretty flowers" and everyone knows exactly what I am talking about when I ask if they want to go by it on our way back from a walk to the creek. I keep hoping to see the owner some day so I can tell her how much we enjoy looking at her flowers!
I certainly enjoyed my walk with you :)
Lovely photographs.
All the best Jan
Queen Anne's Lace is just so beautiful, isn't it? In my area it is easy to tell Hemlock from Queen Anne's Lace because the Hemlock grows much taller here. But that might be just in my area, I don't know. I also think that QAL has fuzzy stems. A plant that looks very similar to QAL is Bishop's Lace, which is not quite as "weedy". The beebalm is gorgeous, and the purple flower is Scabiosa (pincushion). The little lighthouse is such a fun decor in a garden - I wouldn't mind having somthing like that in my garden! Keep on enjoying your time at the lake. Hugs - Carola
It's nice that you have beautiful gardens and countryside to pass by on your walks. Unbelliums, such as Queen Anne's Lace, attract a great variety of insects, and their seed pods can be quite interesting and beautiful. Lovely photos of your walk.
This is the most beautiful time of the year, awww,thank you for sharing!
Lovely walk Jeanie! Love the Queen Ann's Lace! Have a great weekend~
Jenna
Your shared walk with accompanying blooms was a nice one, Jeanie, and made me miss that we no longer have a neighborhood of homes to see similar beauties. However, the city (Nashua, H) does have planters in the downtown area and also areas in pedestrian crosswalks with flowers. If it had not been so hot the past few weeks I was planning to showcase some of these. We're away this week in RI and hopefully when we return and it cools down, this could be a future project.
I appreciated your comment on blog comments. I also prefer to avoid controversial topics in blog posts. I have replied to some comments with which I disagreed. I also realize that blogger is free to post whatever he/she chooses and then it is my choice on whether or not to post a comment.
i am sooooo happy when someone says we are going for a walk. i got in my zinger chair and followed along. i LOVE the white picket fence and the queen annes lace!!
I enjoy the bright color of tiger lilies and think that they don't don't get the love they deserve. In New England they were often referred to as ditch lilies as they grew wild along the edges of roadside ditches.
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