Flowers

A lot has happened in the last year, but one of these things is that Aaron has started growing flowers in his garden. Not just flowers like this:

But flower flowers:

After years of scoffing at flowers as useless, it all started with a little wild lupine seedling he nursed along from seed. He planted it in a pot in Davis and it survived being knocked over twice by the cats and made it to Spreckels where it got a place of honor in the ground. And it grew big!

It took its time blooming and when it finally did over a year later, the flowers were pretty but Aaron recognized it as an invasive species in this area, so out it came. RIP little (big) lupine.

However, that started him on a lupine seed collecting spree. He grew more varieties from locally collected seed.

He collected and planted seeds from other wildflowers as well.

Meanwhile we planted some flowers in the shady area of the garden which wasn't good for "real" crops. Columbines are my favorite flower; Aaron got this one last year without knowing what it was.


Some flowers were planted as beneficial insect attractors:

Coreiopsis--also good for dyeing
PhaceliaYarrow and stattice

And of course, a lot of vegetables have attractive flowers as well.Potato

Rapini
Some sort of squash (pepo!)

Anise

Scarlet runner, bicolor

Cucumber

And then there are all the sunflowers.

And lots of busy insects
And yet more flowers...

And not a flower, tobacco: