New Flowers

Every few days, I notice new flowers in the yard, while others disappear. Gone are the irises, the anemones, and the tulips, of course.

New arrivals include these purple clematis flowers. Last fall, I cut back the mass of stems on the clematis vine on the edge of our back deck. Afterwards I wondered if the plant would bloom again...

So I was pleasantly surprised when Terry commented, a few days ago, that they’re beginning to bloom.

This tall yellow flower is blooming... The first one is, anyways. I think it’s a Heliopsis, though, according to my plant diary, that flower usually blooms later in summer.

These purple bell flowers are blooming in the back yard. They don’t make much of a show, overpowered as they are by green and white gout weed.  Their full name is Campanula Genti Twisterbell.

In the grass, I see these pretty orange flowers called Indian Paintbrush, according to my neighbour, Rob. Hopefully they won’t get mowed down anytime soon. I wonder if they’re considered native plants. 

One of Terry’s favourite trees, this large sprawling pine tree in the front yard, is showing signs of stress. An arborist told him to wait for a few years to see what happens. If it doesn’t recover, it will need to be cut down.

Summer has arrived early in our part of Canada - but one thing that hasn’t arrived is the bees.

In previous years, friends in other neighbourhoods sometimes commented that there were no bees in their gardens - and I’d reply that we had a lot visiting our flowers.

Well, this year I haven’t noticed any. We had a few wasps earlier in spring, but they, too, have disappeared. I wonder why.