My Mama Calls Me Moon Pie

Sometimes a person's name just doesn't match the person. But I've decided the same can be true of plants. Just a few days into true summer and it's time to reLatin the garden. Goodbye names that trip off your tongue to fall to the grass with a clink and an oops and hello names that tell me exactly what I need to know.

'"My mama calls me Moon Pie!"

Stachys 'Bee plant of amazingness'

This thrives in my rain garden.

aka stachys 'Hummelo'

I grew this 'Black Beauty' from seed and this is the only survivor. I'm underwhelmed.

Dahlia disappointus

Handcrafted by Ted Freeman of Roundhouse Works, this functional house is built entirely of repurposed vintage building materials.

Birdhouse extraordinarius

Campanula collapsus

This seed grown variety was supposed to be bright red.

Salvia surprisus

Canine sohappyii

Hostas 'fromAnnetteium'

 Snapdragon I want to grow you foreverfolius

aka snapdragon 'Frosted Flames' 

I started these seeds in January after receiving them as a bonus pack with one of my orders. 

I love them!

These grew so well for me I have two pots full.

Echinacea 'Leaning flower of Pisa'

Monarda 'Rastafarian Redhead' aka 'Jacob Cline'

A Double Scoop of C'est la Vie

'Jude the Obscure' rose

Four months ago

Sun-loving native wine cups (callirhoe involucrata) thriving in bone dry partial shade. 

it was too cold and snowy.

Clematis 'Baltyk'

Three weeks ago

Looking across part of the container garden into the rain garden.

it was too wet and rainy.

Seed grown dahlias

Two days ago

'Summertime Blues' campanula with a plant stake
 to mark the location of the soaker hoses.

it was only 46 F at night

Native spigelia marylandica in the shade garden 

so I closed the windows

These are supposed to attract hummingbirds.

 to keep from freezing.

White annual euphorbia and seed grown cosmos
 in a cheap bucket.

Today it is miserable hot

These will bloom all summer.

and my soaker hoses 

'Purple Fantasy' persicaria in dry partial shade

will be running all day.

But that's life. 
It's messy, unpredictable, and often ridiculous
but still absolutely beautiful.