Yarrow

Here's a tale of 3 yarrow, Achillea milliflorum. The basic plant has feathery leaves and white flowers. Here, it's growing among a bunch of grass and you can't see the leaves very well. This is the wild, native one. I have some tiny ones starting in the Moon Garden

Here is a good picture of the leaves.

Those leaves are in the rock garden, and although it was just planted last year, I got one flower! Variety 'Cerise Queen.'

Now, let's take a stroll down to a road corner near my house. Since 2011, I have been observing light pink and mottled yarrow along the road. I believe this has to be escaped from someone's garden that is reverting to white.

Here's a more typical one with very light pink and white flowers, mixed. I'm pretty amazed that there are still pink ones there 15 years later.

There are a number of cultivars. I tried to grow one long ago called 'Paprika,' but whatever I got it wasn't 'Paprika,' and it finally died out.

I am just about ready for tomorrow. Just a few final things to do. Took a 5-mile road walk.

Miles walked in 2026: 243.2
Miles for Onekama Challenge: 55

See Revert

The Case of the Attempted Coleus 2026

Today I trimmed all the faded flowers off the Seven Sisters Rose which allowed the attempted Coleus to be more visible. I think the results are the best I've managed yet, but not spectacular. The Coleus are planted among the remains of the Violet and Sweedish Ivy leaves. I trimmed some of those back so they aren't obstructing the view either.

Basically, I have 4 different ones. The solid bright one is 'Inferno' that I bought this year. There are 3 dark ones (only one is very visible) and those are 'Black Dragon.' Of the other two, one has yellow edges and a maroon center, and the other is mottled green.

This view catches all four, although the dark ones are small.

How do I feel about this? Meh. I think I learned things about keeping them over the winter and can probably do a better job of having them a bigger size to plant in the spring. I'd need a ton more to really fill in that area. And I'd need to remove the violets- probably an ok idea, and cut the daffodil stems down early- not such a good idea. Plus, I really think I'm going to dig up this whole section this fall to divide the dafs and add the alliums. Also, this area honestly gets a bit too much afternoon sun for the Coleus.

However, I could do a planter for the porch, or put them in the deep shade on the other side of the birch tree. I really do like them.

For your enjoyment, here are three other Coleus planters I've encountered this summer that I haven't already shared. The first two are a set.

This is another from the Garden Club tour.

I decided I needed a bit of a rest today. I puttered around- did a little editing, a little gardening, finished writing one of my columns, but I didn't work very hard.

Tomorrow I have to get ready for my first big vendor show of the summer (yeah, I haven't done as many this year), so I have to stick to a work list and a schedule. Then Saturday, it's off to Arcadia Daze!

See Coleus Capers

From the Woods

I got myself out to my section of trail today to do some general cleanup. What I did was very easy- flicked sticks off the trail and clipped some encroaching branches. No problems to report. I have a few pix of interesting things from today, and a couple from the other day.

This is the bottomland hardwood swamp along one section of my trail. I know I've showed it to you when there is lots of water, and also when it is dry. But here it is in between all full of mud. The plants love it.

This small paper wasp nest must have come down in the wind we've had the last couple of days. Oddly, when I flipped it over, it's completely hollow- no hexagonal cells. I don't know if they somehow broke out, or the wasps never finished the nest.

This is wintergreen, Gaulthera procumbens, in bloom. Usually you see the red berries which last for months, so finding the flowers is nifty.

I found yet another blue/purple mushroom. I'm NOT a mushroom expert, but I think with the white gills and smooth stalk in the second picture that is has to be Purple Brittlegill, Russula atropurpurea.

Finally, this is just fun. Every once in a while a plant will produce variegated leaves. This is an oak sapling. I love it! Once, before digital photos, I found a variegated poison ivy. I wonder if I have a picture of it somewhere.

The trail work took all afternoon. I got some editing done in the morning, but didn't get out of bed fast again, so other things slipped through the cracks.

My dad would have been 122 today, and he died 50 years ago yesterday. I can hardly believe that.

Miles walked in 2026: 238.2
Hike 100 Challenge: 86 miles
Onekama Challenge: 50 miles.

North Country Trail, Lake and Mason Counties, Freesoil TH to Koenig Rd and back. 6 miles.

See Beauty in the Details

Miscellaneous Blossoms

A few things have been blooming, but most not spectactularly. Still, they make me happy.

The first one is in this post only because it wasn't blooming the other day. This is the other of my day lilies, called 'Young Love.' I'm hoping there will be a day when the all bloom together and I can get a pic of that.

Here is the Sedum 'Atlantis' that I like so much. But this is the first time it's bloomed for me.

Also just starting to bloom is this rosette of the Sempervivum 'Black.' They all look pretty much alike when they flower.

Betsy gave me a small Dahlia. I missed getting a picture of the first flower, but it has another. I have no idea which Dahlia it is. And you have to take them in for the winter. We'll see if that happens.

Here's the best of all although it didn't succeed at looking very good. That white oriental poppy I bought was determined to flower, even if late. It made a bud, but then it was trying to open those days when the air quality was so terrible. I don't know if that affected it, but this was the best it managed. Still- I can't wait till next year!

Then it quickly dropped all the petals. But I think it's interesting that the seed pod is not black like the other colors, but reddish.

I managed to get a lot done today- editing, watered the gardens, mowing, some gardening, a long phone call, and then I walked 4.5 miles on roads. OF course, since I watered there was a pop-up rainstorm! Quite windy right now.

Miles walked in 2026: 232.2
Miles for Onekama Challenge: 44

See Let the Day Lilies Begin

Roadside Blooms

Needing to keep walking to get those miles in for the Onekama Challenge. Going to be hard to do, but the weather/ air was better today, so I got in a walk. Just one of my roadwalk loops, but I did it.

Here are some plants of note along the way.

This was the first time I've noticed Elecampane, Inula helenium on this route. It's not native, and it's more of a prairie plant. But here it is! I'm going to report this to the MI Herbarium.

A nice native shrub to find. I see a little of this each year. This is Meadowsweet, Spiraea alba. It likes to have damp feet, and this is in a ditch.

Always a fun find is Swamp Milkweed, Asclepias incarnata. Definitely a wetland plant although some people are putting them in gardens with some success if they water often. This one isn't very full, but you can see the color.

Here's one that I'm not happy to see. It's False Chervil, Anthriscus sylvestris. This is becoming increasingly spread from east to west in the US and it's horribly invasive and everywhere. Not happy to see so much of it here.

Not a flower, but I caught a great blue heron flying over.

Worked my little job in the morning. Did some volunteer stuff. Walked, Zoom meeting.

Miles walked in 2026: 227.7
Miles for Onekama Challenge: 39.5

See Familiar Places