A random hollyhock has appeared in my garden. Actually, after a little pondering, I’m fairly sure I’ve been weeding those out aggressively for the past four years. It is in the middle of the patch where the rose once reigned supreme, so I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, but it’s just so random!
In other news, the clematis has commenced its yearly march to take over the cable and electrical systems. I’m going to need to get down there tomorrow and try to train it back. Which is a shame, because it seems so lush.
Both the zinnias and coreopsis are blooming, both a nice sign of the late garden. I’ve only recently begun to appreciate zinnias. My father has long adored them, but they come in the kinds of colors I don’t usually gravitate towards. However, it’s hard to beat something that loves getting cut and will reward you by blooming even more when you do it. And they sure do last a long way into fall. I bought a whole flat of State Fair zinnias this year, and planted them along the back of the garden. They’re actually a bit bigger than the ones I’m used to, and the mix has yellow, which I’d never seen before. I’ve got three blooming right now, but a whole bunch more buds are developing. It’s definitely summer now.