Wildflower Wednesday: Thanksgiving Edition

Like most of you, at least those of you living in the U.S., I have a full agenda today.  Bathrooms have been scrubbed and floors mopped, but there is vacuuming and dusting to do, though why I bother I don't know--by tomorrow afternoon there will be dirty dishes and toys strewn all about, as the adults sit, too stuffed to move, let alone notice a little dust.  Ah, well, old habits die hard.  Once the cleaning is done, it's time to begin the serious work--baking, chopping vegetables, wrestling the turkey (that I hope has thawed completely) into a pot of brine, and all the other food preparations that can be done ahead of time so that Thanksgiving morning is as stress-free as possible. Of course, a stress-free Thanksgiving dinner is an oxymoron at my house, if you recall my tale of Turkey Trials and Tribulations from last year.

With all this to do today, what in the world am I doing here blogging?? For one, I wanted to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving.  And two, today is Wildflower Wednesday.  I have been racking my brain the last two weeks, trying to think of something I could show for this month's celebration of wildflowers.  I could have shown another photo of dried seedheads and foliage, but with the rain recently, they've mostly turned to mush.  Then, a small envelope arrived in the mail--serendipity!--and inspiration hit.

Orange cosmos in the butterfly garden 2010

Blogging friend Tina had kindly offered to send some seeds for 'Cosmic Orange' cosmos, after mine failed to appear this year.  When I opened the letter from her, I was surprised to see not only cosmos seeds, but seeds for several other plants including some for Rudbeckia lacinata, a variety I have been admiring in other gardens for some time.

Photo from Wikipedia

 Rudbeckia Lacinata, also known as Cutleaf Coneflower, can grow as tall as 8 feet, which makes it ideal for the back of a garden.  It blooms in mid-summer to fall with central cones of green, turning to yellow with maturity.  And like all Rudbeckias, it attracts all kinds of pollinators; in fact, it is the host plant for the Silvery Checkerspot butterfly.

Photo from Illinoiswildflowers.info

A second seedpacket from Tina included seeds for Scutellaria incana, commonly known as Downy Skullcap.  Downy Skullcap is a native perennial that grows to 2-3 feet tall, and is covered with racemes of blue-violet flowers that are especially attractive to bumblebees.  According to Illinois Wildflowers, "it's surprising that this plant is not grown in flower gardens more often" because of its attractive tubular flowers. Also noteworthy for many of you--deer usually don't bother this plant due to its bitter foliage.

I hope that next summer I can show you both of these plants blooming in my own garden--thank you, Tina!

Wildflower Wednesday is being celebrated all this week by our hostess Gail at Clay and Limestone--why not drop by to view other wildflowers or join in when you have the time?


Today I am grateful for all of you who have shared your gardening experience and knowledge with me over the past few years.  As I plan for tomorrow's big dinner, I realize that I have been truly blessed this past year--a new son-in-law and a new healthy grandson top the list.  I also am thankful that both my parents are in good health and can join us tomorrow, as well as my youngest daughter, who will be celebrating her first Thanksgiving dinner with us in three years.

May all of you have a very Happy Thanksgiving!