The Heat of Summer | About Your Garden

Yellow Coneflower

Yellow Coneflower is a native perennial wildflower with striking, golden daisy-like flowers and a central cone. It attracts pollinators and adds bright color to prairies and gardens. It is a delightful addition to any landscape and offers numerous attributes that make it popular among gardeners. These plants, which also produce achenes fruit, can grow up to three feet tall and have rough stems and leaves. A single flowerhead grows on an unbranched stem from the plant's base leaves. Each flower can have up to 13 drooping golden petals that are 1½–3½ inches long and have notched ends. As they dry, the fruits within their bur-like dome-shaped heads become black. Enjoy a Long Blooming Period With The Yellow Coneflower A long flowering season is excellent for coordinating plant combinations and flower arrangements. Yellow Coneflower blooms for one to two months, beginning early and ending in late summer. As the blooming season progresses, the plant's cone-shaped green core eventually becomes a deep purple or brown. Remember that most of these flowers will fully bloom in their second or third year of growth. These plants' fruit usually develops in late summer or fall. The achenes can display four little teeth at their tips, giving them an oblong-angular form. Lure Pollinators And Birds With Yellow Coneflower These plants are a great addition to any garden since they draw pollinators and birds. Birds love the seeds from the flower's cone-shaped core, and bees and butterflies also visit the blossom. From a design perspective, the cone-shaped seed heads with their sharp points make them a one-of-a-kind architectural feature. Create Beautiful Textured Gardens With Yellow Coneflower The textured leaves of Yellow Coneflower, also known as perennial black-eyed Susans, provide movement and contrast to any garden. These plants stand out because of their large, glossy leaves resembling cabbage leaves. You can use the textured foliage to increase the visual appeal of your yard. Their greenery is an excellent addition to naturalized areas, rain gardens, and gardens.

Dandelion Plant

Dandelion perennials have bright yellow, disk-like flowers atop slender, green stems with jagged-edged leaves that form a rosette at the base. While it is often considered a weed due to its rapid growth and ability to spread, it possesses several characteristics that can benefit landscaping. Dandelion Plant Can Reach 1 Feet Tall Dandelion plants can reach a height of eight to 12 inches and have a rosette of leaves around a deep taproot. The leaves are sleek and feature acute indentations without any visible hairs. They have lance-, rectangular-, or spatula-shaped foliage and flower heads covered with ray petals. Their blooms, which can grow up to two inches long, are a single shade of yellow and sit on a sturdy, hollow stem. Although they bloom from April through September, they're most noticeable in May and June. Well-established dandelion plants sometimes bloom twice, once in the spring and once in the fall.  Improve Soil Quality With The Dandelion Plant They have roots that spread wide. This loosens hard-packed soil and increases aeration, making it healthier. Their roots extract calcium and potassium from the earth, making these vital nutrients available to nearby flowers. Because their roots also hold the soil together, these flowers help prevent erosion. The dead foliage adds organic matter to the soil and provides essential nutrients for grass to grow strong and green. Their wind-aided seed distribution and cross-pollination capabilities also make them useful for fertilizing grass. About nine to 15 days after the yellow flowers appear, they reveal a white puffball, a fuzzy pappus. The wind carries bits of the fuzzy pappus containing seeds as part of the flowers' reproduction process. Hummingbirds, mainly, like these fuzzy seeds and use them to build nests. Pollinators Rely On The Dandelion Plant In early spring, many pollinators rely on them for their nectar. While some can yield as many as 400 seeds, the typical yield is 180. Pollinators like ladybugs, honeybees, and moths play a crucial role in pest control by eating, weakening, and killing garden pests.