A Collection of Current Flowers from the protogarden

These days my garden is a bit of an overgrown mess! There's sort of a lot going on but I think it looks pretty decent considering I've neglected it all summer. Sometimes there's just no time what with a full time job, some minor sick days, other projects, and trying to have a social life. That being said, there will be no landscape photos, only close-ups. I'm starting to realize what my sisters mean when they visit and they complain about the "weed garden". It's not my fault the apple tree and raspberries are constantly vying for more territory. They can't be pruned until winter.

This may not have been the best example of my sunflowers... I didn't plant any this year. I happily let those volunteers grow.

The laurel plant is blooming for the first time! I'm glad it does not need an enormous pot to do so, though I can't say the same for my mini jacaranda tree. I took my mother out for breakfast and we saw one just like it at the restaurant. Now that you mention it, that plant might be the mother of my plant. Same color blooms and everything. I think one day on my way out I just cracked off a small branch. No harm done!

I don't know what this snow-like flower is, yet I'm not curious enough to do the research. I didn't plant this either. I think some gnomes did. I accidentally butchered it last year, not knowing what it was but now that it has bloomed I think it's quite charming.

This seems to be the last floret from a hardy succulent that lives and endures the outdoor winters. First time it bloomed as well. I don't know how I feel about the inflorescence but the tiny native pollinators loved it. I think I prefer the rosette of green leaves.

And now for the Asiatic Day Flower to steal the spotlight. As the name suggests, the flowers only last a day. I read that this weed is a food source for some birds.

Here is another weed I uncovered during this photoshoot. Pokeweed. Produces fat, deep purple berries that are also spread by birds. I couldn't pull it out entirely as they can grow thick, strong, carrot-like roots. Breaking off the flower spike will be good enough for now. I see houseflies are pollinating it.

Not like this one. This is a robber fly. They are predatory.

This one and its ken are the menace.

And now on to the edible nightshades. I've given up (no I haven't) on trying to eradicate the wild tomatillos. They are everywhere. I think they form perennial tubers from which they keep sprouting up.

This little guy is never really a menace. Unless it drops its berries. Apparently the black berries of this aptly named Black Nightshade are edible, but some say they leave an aftertaste.

I pulled out more tomatoes than I planted this year. Actually, I planted none. This eradication effort also depends on how well I can harvest the tiny fruits of the wild tomato before they fall to the ground. Heavy mulch on top? Doesn't matter. Tomatoes can grow in pure compost.

Lesson learned: the forests of the world have their own systems of checks and balances so stop bringing in wild specimens to the delicate protogarden!

Of the refugees that survived the onslaught, only 1 plant turned out to be a volunteer from my very own heirloom yellow grape tomatoes. They are delicious but scarce this year.

I planted so many beans that I didn't have hardly a care in the world except for the biggest of weeds. They shaded everything out. They even grew on the shadier side, but at great cost to my goji berries. They are also what is weighing down the apple tree into the path. Oops, I did it again.

Can anyone relate to my struggles? Have YOU ever adopted a harmless looking plant only to find out how unruly it can really be? Let me know. I would like to hear the drastic measures you took to quell the insurrection.