You know the adage for perennials: First year sleep, second year creep, third year leap. So I rarely expect newly planted perennials to do much the first year. The Joe Pye is not very tall, but it has surprised me by blooming. And it looks like one that the rabbits ate is recovering.
Another first year surprise is the Rattlesnake Master. Several of them are "blooming". The spherical flower heads actually are many tiny white flowers that are attractive to insects. I'm pleased.
Two exceptions to the sleep-creep-leap adage are Rudbeckia and Coneflower. I planted them last year, and they are doing exceptionally well. Unfortunately, the coneflower and penstemon hide the rudbeckia. I didn't expect them to get so tall, and the 'Goldstrum' rudbeckia is a shorter variety.
Other surprises are: the Virginia creeper has recovered from the infestation of Japanese beetles; the common milkweed the rabbits ate has resprouted, plus more is coming up here and there in the "meadow"; and today I saw a monarch butterfly!
In the spending-my-children's-inheritance department, I had a whole house backup generator installed this past week. It doubles as insurance against the Trumpocalypse in case you-know-who is re-elected and rolls back climate change legislation (although I feel hopeful that won't happen now). We've lost power twice this summer, and I worry about an outage that could last days or even weeks.
As a gardener, I see evidence of climate change almost everyday, but it is difficult to complain when the weather is as nice as it has been yesterday and today. I've turned off the AC and opened the windows for some fresh air. And I'm sitting on the deck while I type this. Of course, it won't last, but I'm going to enjoy it while it does.
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