Gorgeous pictures, Steve! Thanks for sharing!

My Gaillardia 'Goblins' are blooming like crazy too. This year I've added 'Oranges and Lemons' which has already started blooming, I'll try and get a picture. Twice this spring I've started 'Burgandy' from seed. This first batch I planted out too soon, and they fried, so this second batch is in a holding area until they get some size, and the temps cool down a bit. Then I ordered a couple of 'Burgandy' plants from Park's Wholesale when they had their clearance sale. They were only $2.39 a piece, so I figured I couldn't pass that up. They are in the shade on the porch, until cooler temps arrive.

I'm sure you saw my post with the weird Coreopsis grandiflora blooms, which I guess were just mutants, since the plant has been blooming plenty of normal looking ones since then. The first flush is almost over, but I see plenty of buds forming, so I am deadheading and waiting for another round of blooms. The larger ones seem to have a tendency to flop and sprawl. Do yours do that as well? I love the look of yours up against those big rocks! Is that Lavender planted next to it in that photo?

Your daisies look great too! I am growing 'Alaska' from seed this year, but they are still so small that I don't think I'll see blooms on them this year. Something to look forward to next year. I also planted 'Fiona Coghill' from Park's, which I'm seeing a lot of new growth on them at the base, but may have to wait until next year for blooms on that one as well.

You've inspired me Steve! I'm going to have to get some decent shots of all of my blooming beauties, so that I can share too!

Hi HighAlt,

I had Gaillardia 'Burgundy' about five years ago, but they died off in the winter. I read that they were more sensitive than other Gaillardias to being too wet in the winter. They like dry. Too bad, because it was a very nice, long-flowering plant. It's interesting that my short Gaillardia volunteer has so much red/burgundy color in it. I think it's a bit different than the actual 'Goblin' cultivar -- I think mine is slightly taller, but nowhere near as tall as the normal variety. So, hey, maybe if I propagate a bunch by cuttings, I could have naming rights! Anyway, I think Gaillardia is such a great flower with a very long bloom season, but people don't seem to appreciate it as much as I do. They're extremely variable from seed, so I will be taking cuttings of the ones I like and want more of. A few years ago, I had a few that came out with trumpet-shaped petals, just like the 'Fanfare' cultivar. Somehow, they died off. I even had one come out pink and white, which would have been great to propagate. But it never came back after winter.

My Coreopsis flops over way too much. They're covering some other young flowers I planted by some of them, and I'm going to have to cut them back soon. Been trying to enjoy them a little longer first, though. Yes, there are lavenders planted among mine. They look good together. This week, there are a lot of other flowers blooming, too, so that photo of the longer flowerbed doesn't quite do it justice -- it had too much yellow a few weeks ago when that was taken.

My Shastas are the 'Little Princess' variety, but I don't think they're the best ones. Their bloom season is only 3 weeks or so. I'd rather have 'Becky' as I've read that she blooms much, much longer.

Just saw your other post -- cool stuff. Glad to have inspired you!

Steve,

I can remember so well the bing cherries of AF. We would pack bags of them and head for the rodeo at Lehi. Yours look wonderful.

Am needing great patience to have my garden full as yours and know the time will come. Sky gave me a Becky, it is little, but has one bud. Blooming plants are all over the place timing wise here, some early, some late.

With talk about propogation and collecting seeds. I'd love input from you guys on how to go about this. Know there is a forum that covers such, but RMG is directed more towards our plants. Maybe a new thread when the time is right. Sky gave me some hints on a few of my plantings.

And, is your baby blooming too?

Okay Steve, tell me how you get all those wonderful cherries. The birds get most of mine. I have tried a few things but nothing has worked. Got any suggestions?

At first, I was noticing a lot of bird damage when the cherries were nearly ripe, but then I was happy to see a lot of cherries that didn't get touched. I don't know why they didn't continue to eat them, but I have four theories:

1. Maybe some pesticide residues were still on the cherries and they tasted bad or made the birds sick. I hope I wasn't poisoning birds! Didn't find any dead ones at least.

2. Some of the cherry bunches were hanging below branches in places that are awkward for a bird to perch. Perhaps the most vulnerable ones were in a spot where a branch was right below or next to the bunch, and the birds could just sit there and eat.

3. Some of these hanging bunches were also well hidden under those big cherry leaves. I don't know if the birds are going mostly by sight or smell as they look for them, but if it's sight, maybe they just didn't see some of them!

4. Now here is probably the best theory: I have three cats. Enough said on that one, I think!

And hey, Emagineer, my baby boy (McKay) isn't blooming -- he's GROWING LIKE A WEED! Besides, boys don't really bloom, do they? :-) You know he was big at birth (9 lbs 11 oz), and two weeks ago (at only two months old) he weighed in at the doc's office at 16 lbs. When I get home from work some days, my wife says her arms are very tired! Good news: He slept all night long four nights this week! He also gave me his first laugh as a Father's Day present. We're loving having him around (OF COURSE!).

What beautiful gardens you have! I have been discouraged with gardening lately. Between battling bunnies, voles, aster yellows and psyllid yellows; sometimes I wonder why I bother. It is posts like these that remind and encourage me to get my butt out into my garden and do some work. Thank you :)