Flowers Amuck

One of the things that fascinates me about plants is their unpredictability. Yeah, okay, they’re stuck in the ground and don’t move around much. Which means they don’t shed all over every thing and I don’t have to chase them down to give them food or water. But they do unusual things. Take my snapdragons for example. Last year I had two varieties, an orange and yellow multi-colored one, and one that was flame red.

I saved the seeds and planted them in my purloined flowerbed. Although it’s not as purloined as it used to be. The building was sold and the new owner has warned the gardeners off my flowerbed and invited me to take over others.

Anyway, this year I ended up with white, yellow, pink, fuchsia, red, and a variety of multi colored snapdragons.

No clue how all these colors sprouted from the original two. The red and yellow multi-colored snaps make sense, but the pale pink – no. Not to mention how they are threatening to take over every one of my herb pots. I may have to be rather severe with them next year and actually pull some of them up to give other plants a fighting chance.

I also have some fantastic clumps of bachelor buttons and flax. There’s also baby’s breath that has exploded in the last few weeks, but I can’t get a good picture of it.

I’m not sure what this one is. It was from a wild flower mix and spread from one plant last summer to over a dozen in a clump. I love the little bell shaped blooms.

This is the view from the front.

Yeah, I know. That’s why I can’t get a good picture of the baby’s breath. People keep asking me why on earth I planted the sunflowers in front. I didn’t. Last year I had sunflowers neatly around the edges of the bed, against the building. Clusters of little songbirds would land on them, tilting the stalks, and munch down the seeds. These all grew underneath where the birds were feeding. The sunflowers I planted last year were hybrid mixes so when they started to sprout I was curious to see how they turned out. They started blooming at only a foot high this spring, so I figured they’d stay small.

Whoops!