Misty Day

Above is the 'Antiquity' cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) which is one of the many varieties in our 2014 Cosmos Collection.  The lighting was great today for photography as it was overcast most of the day with intermittent mist and light showers.  We still had a productive day but it was also unseasonably cool with a high around 66 degrees F.  We continue efforts in regards to planting and weeding and were able to both increase the number of planted flowers out in the gardens and the number of weeds was also significantly reduced.  We had some great volunteers help out today and we'll continue the same garden efforts tomorrow before the long weekend.  Below are some additional photos from the gardens today.

'Prairie Sun' gloriosa daisy (Rudbeckia hirta) - annual

'Daisy Duke' Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum) - perennial

Sunrise Sunset Easy Elegance rose (Rosa 'BAIset')

Above are Kathy (left) and Patrea weeding the entrance garden slope which became very weedy quite quickly.  I think half that large space is weeded and we'll finish the rest by early next week.  We also had some planting help from Myrt, Nancy, Gena and a friend of theirs (bad memory regarding her name!).  They planted a lot of plants in the Jungle Garden (directly below).  The second photo down shows Jan R. in the Scottish garden which she has tended faithfully (and exceptionally) for the past 16+ years.  Kay (third photo down) did a nice job weeding along our "red wall" planting which also has a purslane (Portulaca oleracea) problem!  Dr. Gredler came in for mowing and Vern worked on some carpentry projects.  The fourth photo down shows Janice (far left in the back) working with our Chestnut House volunteers who did a great job planting in the azalea/rhododendron garden.  We also saw Maury, Nancy N., Deb G., Dr. Yahr and many others.

The grounds staff kept busy with myriad tasks.  Pat worked on shearing shrubberies and some major weeding in the formal gardens.  Cheryl also focused on some major weeding in two locations and did some yard watering later.  Big John and Terry worked together on projects such as path improvements, gravel work, tree removals and other duties.  Jenny (half day) did a very thorough job weeding some areas near the Nancy Yahr Memorial Children's Garden and the North point garden.  I was able to haul out more plants for installation, had some meetings and continue to hone my skills at multi-tasking.  Below are some other images from the gardens this morning.

'Rose Ensign' dwarf morning glory (Convolvulus tricolor) - annual

'Royal Blue Ensign' dwarf morning glory (Convolvulus tricolor) - annual

popcorn plant (Cassia didymobotrya) - tender tropical (flowers smell like buttered popcorn...really!)

above is the beautiful leaf of the variegated elephant ear (Alocasia macrorrhiza 'Variegata')

With all the recent and extended moisture, we're seeing plenty of mushrooms around the gardens and the crop of stinkhorn (or "dog penis") fungi is significant as seen above.  Our woodchips and mulches are hosting a wide range of mushrooms this year!

The "root box" in the Nancy Yahr Memorial Children's Garden is working very well as seen above.  It's amazing how quickly these roots will grow and it's nice to see "children of all ages" checking out this display.