Sunflowers and More

The sunflowers have had a couple of nice rains since I last posted on their progress. Rain in July in Kansas is a rarity! Truly something to be thankful for...and we are thankful!

Looking to the east, I'm starting to see more of a green cast to the field. More little plants in what is now quite damp soil. I didn't want to walk out too far for fear of having to hose off my flip flops. I hate it when I have to hose off my flip flops!

Looking down a row, it is actually quite easy to see the individual rows of sunflowers.

According to my trusty yard stick, the sunflowers are now about two inches tall. That doesn't seem like much, but they have actually doubled their size in less than 5 days! You can see all of the dirt that got splashed up onto the plants from the rain.
Since the sunflowers are still not much to look at, I decided I'd give you a quick tour of what is blooming in my yard at the moment:

Marigolds. A favorite since childhood because anyone can grow them,

and you just can't kill them! They thrive.

Victoria Blue Salvia. Another favorite because they sell these at "annual" prices, when in fact, they are mostly "perennial" in these parts. They will, more often than not, come back next year.

I planted Knockout Roses for the first time last year, and I'm so glad I did.

These babies bloom and bloom.

A day lily...I don't know the variety. I probably have a dozen different varieties in my yard and I can't tell you what any of them are. I just know that they're pretty.

If there is one flower that says "Kansas," other than a sunflower, it would be a Purple Cone Flower. They grow wild all over the countryside. They are prolific and spread like crazy. It is the roots that are dug up and ground to make the immune boosting herb Echinacea that people swear by. I just value them for the fact that Gold Finches love them as much as I do. I love seeing the tiny birds cling to the dry flower heads in the fall with their colorful yellow feathers making up for the drab brown of the dead flowers.