summer perennials

Cats Seeing Stars

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We are now entering the daisy days of early summer, when Shasta daisies, coneflowers, Gaillardia daisies and a constellation of other Asteraceae or Compositae family members burst into bloom.  I love them all, because they are strong growers, attract loads of butterflies and other pollinators, and are equally useful for ornamenting the garden or filling … Read more

Turk’s Cap Lilies

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High summer has just passed. In the roadside ditches and hedgerows near my Central New York State summer cottage, the green milkweed pods are fattening up. In another month they will be brown and ready to split, dispersing their silk-clad seeds. Sulfur butterflies dance over Queen Anne’s lace, chicory, butter-and-eggs and early goldenrod. The air … Read more