Perfect Weather!?

The weather today was delightful. It felt like a September morning with unseasonably cool temperatures in the upper 50s. It warmed up to 80 or so and there was a slight breeze. It was a bit hot in direct sun but overall, quite nice for a late July day. I took this picture of our prairie today. Lots of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) peaking in this space. We are constantly fighting weeds in this garden (mainly in spring) and the City of Janesville burns this 1/3 acre prairie every couple of years. I'm not sure the general public appreciates the native plants in this garden but we'll continue to improve this large garden space as time and money allows.

Marv, Marianne, Terry and Jerry (all grounds staff) worked hard today and much was accomplished. We had Mary today as our primary weeder although I put out plants for Kelley and her family to plant this evening. We try to accommodate all volunteer schedules and will set out plants and tools for those that work "after hours" or at times when the Horticulture Center is not open. I hope to have some volunteer weeders this Saturday to keep up with the merciless onslaught of weeds (watch out sunken garden, you're next!...).
The rains have been good for our coleus (Solenostemon scutelleroides). Check out this beautiful variety called (and it's a mouthful)...'Giant Exhibition Rustic Red With Yellow Edge'. It's part of our orange and blue theme this year. We fertilize our coleus every three weeks and will deadhead any blooms that appear. Our interest is in the foliage (obviously). If they get too big, cut them back severely and fertilize. The Japanese beetles haven't nibbled much on these either (yet!).

I'm always mesmerized by ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) leaves and it's truly amazing that dinosaurs were looking (and eating?) the same leaves 270 million years ago. Ginkgos (multiple species) were found around a wide range of the planet and were thought to be extinct until the late 1600s when it was found in Japan. There are many neat varieties including variegated leaf patterns. I like 'Chi Chi' below and my favorite is 'Saratoga'.