Sweet William in bloom

I love the Sweet William flowers, they make so many profuse blooms. My favorites are the ones that have striped petals.

Some are actually peppermint striped, but my photos didn't work out right. Darn.

I like the dark reds, too. The burgundy leave me sort of Meh. This next one is dark red, the burgundy are much more pink/purple. I think you can see a hint in the bottom of the above photo.

I shake out the seeds after they've died back, and sow them underneath the bark dust cover for next year. If they fall on top of the bark dust naturally, of course they won't grow. And they will come back more profusely year after year. This year I am very pleased, they are crowding out the weeds.

Mom, two of the geraniums you gave me made it. They have very unusual colors, I don't think I've seen these for sale here.

The Hens & Chicks are taking off, spreading and spreading. I move them around, so the chicks take root in new places. They started off in this wagon, and then overgrew the wagon, literally dropping off the sides.

I have more than I know what to do with.


Look at this one starting to bloom. Is that the right word? I don't think I've noticed them sprouting up like this before. I was just outside and noticed it's even three inches taller than in the photo.

Lastly, if you want a cheap groundcover that gives color all summer, tickweed is the way to go. One $5 pot will give you so many seeds that by year 3 you can have an acre covered. This is the only flower I actively weed out, because it just spreads so easily.

So either it's a weed, or you like it. It's one of those kinds of flowers. It has a light carnation smell, so I like it. The earwigs like it too, though.