Downey, Zinnias, and Rock

I love the little Downeys and caught this one on the suet feeder on the deck, he had a good meal.

My Zinnias are starting to bloom, they are one of my favorite flowers.

I have no idea what this yellow flower is.  2 years ago i bought a hanging basket with petunias, and other flowers and planted it in my whiskey barrel.  This made it through the winter and just grew last summer, this year is has filled the barrel and is blooming.  The leaves have a velvety white coating on the sage green leaves.  It is a Dusty Miller of the Silver Leaf Family.

 Dusty Miller is an interesting landscape addition, grown for its silvery gray foliage. Lacy leaves of the dusty miller plant are attractive companions for many blooms in the garden. Dusty miller care is minimal when the plant is established. Dusty Miller Care Although the dusty miller flower blooms in mid-summer, the small yellow blooms are small and not considered showy. Foliage of the dusty miller plant, however, is long lasting and drought resistant. As with most silvery, furry plants, growing dusty miller helps the garden remain attractive through the heat of the summer. It will also tolerate frost. The dusty miller plant is often grown as an annual and discarded after the first season; however, it is an herbaceous perennial and may return in USDA plant hardiness zones 8 to 10. Growing dusty miller can handle the heat, but is best planted where afternoon shade is available during the hottest months of summer. The dusty miller plant is adaptable to many soil types, thriving in acidic clay to sandy loam soils. Soil must be well draining to avoid root rot. Water regularly right after planting and withhold water once roots have developed and the plant is growing. Dusty miller care may involve a midsummer trim if the plant becomes leggy. The dusty miller flower may be removed to keep the plant compact. This specimen can grow as tall as 1 foot, but often remains shorter. Leave a few flowers to bloom in late summer if you wish the plant to self seed.

I have been working on the "beast" flower bed.  I started 2 weeks ago and the grass was waist high, this is where I am today.  Channeling my dad and putting down black plastic and then cardboard and then pebble rock.  Instead of planting in the ground I am doing container planting.  I hope this helps me keep this large bed under control.  Container gardening allows me to change pot locations, add new pots or take them away and just cover up the space with rock.  The salvia in the front is in the ground and too big plus I have had it too many years to disrupt it and lose it.  So for now it stays.  I did accidently tear off a piece so it is in one of the small clay pots and has bloomed.  I also accidently broke off a stem and it was blooming and is in water to see if it will root so I can have another start.  Now if I can only get that ugly stump in the front of the picture out of the blocks. That may be an all day project involving the chain saw.