Flowers in My Garden

Evening Primroses

I love flowers but it takes a lot of effort to create a beautiful garden. I've been trying for years. My sister, the horticulturist, has helped me by giving me hardy perennials that are difficult to kill. The Evening Primroses she gave me bloom faithfully for the entire month of June and a patch of Brown-Eyed Susans perform equally well as summer wears on--though the deer like to munch on the Brown-Eyed Susans.

My sister also gifted me with Dames Rockets, an invasive weed that resembles phlox but blooms during May. Dames Rockets have a lovely fragrance and the deer don't eat them, which is a good thing in this part of the country because the deer feast on flowers, vegetables, and anything else that pleases their palates. Deer are voracious.

In another section of the yard, I have Soapwort, also known as Bouncing Bet. My sister tells me these plants are difficult to eradicate once they get started, but in my case that's a good thing. I need plants that do well without much encouragement.

A patch of hardy, thread leaf coreopsis doesn't seem bothered by drought, attracts butterflies--but not deer,  and blooms for a long, long time.

Do you have any suggestions for a brown-thumb kind of gardener? Any flowers that never fail you?