more walking around

It's time to get out of dodge for a few days. Everything is caught up, all the commitments have been met, and the magazine is being printed, so finally I can go away for a few days of fun and relaxation. It feels like it has been forever, and it has been about a year. Look out ocean, here I come. But before I go, I thought it would be nice to wander around outside and record a bit more of what is blooming and fruiting so that nothing is missed.
First is this really lovely bee balm. It is about 3 years old, but was planted in a spot that was too shady. I moved it to a sunnier spot this summer, and it is rewarding me with lots of brilliant pink blossoms.
Rudy found one of the few shady places to rest for a few minutes. This is one hard working farm dog. No matter what his master is up to, he feels the need to be in the middle of it. Bob must have been working inside the barn. Had a piece of equipment been started, Rudy would be on his feet giving the machine "what for" in an instant. That is his job. In case you can't tell from the picture, this is one of the sweetest dogs in the world. My brother is afraid of him. Hahahaha.
Out front the purple vitex is beginning to bloom. Each of those bell-shaped maroon cups will eventually be a vitex berry. Last year, this bush was simply stunning, but this year it is blooming a little bit at a time and the color never really showed up. It is such a great violet. I've seen pictures of Jacaranda (sp?) trees in Australia, and they have that same vivid blue/purple color.
This is the white vitex bush out back. It has a bit of a pink tinge and is much more prolific than the purple. Also, the berries are more fragrant. So there are more berries, and they smell stronger. That old bumble bee sure seems to like it. I've noticed this season that instead of little honey bees, we are inundated with bumble bees.
Down on the hillside, I found a nice patch of wild yarrow. I would love to see it expand enough so that next year I could distill it.
Black eyed Susans and yellow coneflowers.... They are having a riot on the hill. Many different varieties and many different shades and sizes. Don't they look happy?

The oregano is going crazy. So far, I've chopped it back 3 times and it just wants to bloom. The butterflies seem to want it to bloom too, so I suppose it's time to allow it. We don't use a whole lot of oregano anyway, and it is so pretty... Maybe just a few sprigs to dry, and then I'll let it alone.
Calendula - Herb of the Year. There are a couple of volunteer patches out front. In the one garden they are singles of yellow and orange. In the other garden, they are double yellows. They are cut back frequently and dead-headed to encourage more flowers.
This is one of the new varieties of echinacea that I got from Possum Creek Herb Farm this spring. The petals are darker than they appear in this picture, almost as dark as the cone looks here. They make a nice contrast to the angustifolia in the back of the garden. Purpurea grows down at my sister's, and we should probably get some Pallida. We saw some green tinted echinacea growing in a garden the other day. It looked pretty cool!
And finally, the elderberries are beginning to form on the bushes out back. The umbels are HUGE! Some are nearly 18 inches in diameter. The bushes are loaded. This is good news because last year wasn't a good year for elderberries. Even if the birds fight me for them - which is a certainty - there will be enough for everyone.
So that's it for now. Off I go for a long-awaited attitude adjustment. Certainly those who live with or near me will be relieved.