Saturday, August 15, 2026

Around the Neighbourhood

 Yesterday I went for a ride around the neighbourhood, something I haven't done much of this year.  And I found a few interesting things.

This line of wildflowers replaces an old overgrown sidewalk which was no long being maintained, and extends into part of a ditch.  It's at least 100 feet long and 20 feet wide.  What a great space for pollinators!

It seemed to be mostly yellow flowers just now,, Grey-headed Coneflowers, ornamental daisies, and huge sunflowers of a sort, at least 10 feet high.

Around another block is this wacky garden of plants and ornaments.  They started by placing that line of rocks across the front in the early spring, and they've gradually been filling it in since.

There's a grey heron, a little doll, and an old hand-pump.

And finally, this home has always had a patch of Milkweed in one corner beside the driveway, but now the Milkweed occupy a significant corner of the front lawn.  I hope there are lots of Monarchs visiting!



12 comments:

  1. The old handpump is a very cool find. The flowers are so pretty.

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  2. Those wildflowers are a great use of space, so beneficial, as is the milkweed patch. Good people there. I like that wacky garden too, just fun to look at.

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  3. I saw quite a bit of Joe Pye by our river today, and our big one out back is taller than the 6" fence -- some of the flower heads anyway.

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  4. The Grey Heron can compete with yours when the snow falls. Love that golden ditch.

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  5. Gorgeous flowers along that first ditch. So many people seem to think wildflowers are weeds. They are not. Here in the USA most lawns are made of plants that used to be called weeds. Why not use moss or clover for lawns, and why not enjoy the wildflowers that line our ditches and roads? Thanks FG. :-)

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  6. I find there is always lots to see in neighborhood yards and flowergardens.

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  7. Nice tour! I enjoy looking at other people's gardens. You'll appreciate this trek come January!

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  8. This time of year, gardens and yards are always so interesting. I'm always looking for ideas to add to mine. Love the old handpump!

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  9. Those ten-foot-tall sunflowers and grey-headed coneflowers must look so striking right now, and that quirky garden with the grey heron, little doll, and old hand-pump adds so much fun personality to the street. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you get a whole flurry of Monarchs visiting that expanding patch of milkweed on the front lawn too.

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  10. Good to see the milkweed.
    Those tall sunflowers...wondering if they are what we used to call 'back-house flowers', because the old folks used to plant them as a screen around the out back facilities? They might also be Sun chokes, but seems a little early for them to be blooming.

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  11. Weeds and flowers are all growing tall and rangy at this time of the summer. It's hard to tell them apart.
    If your daughter walks at Willband it's possible I've seen her. ( Unless she walks later in the day
    I'm very much a morning person.)

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  12. So, in the first picture you are riding on the road if the sidewalk is covered?
    I like wildflowers, but when they get too 'unruly' not so much.
    I like the ornamental garden, not the milkweed 'garden'. 🤷‍♀️

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