Life Happens When You're Not Looking

Of late I have been fascinated by how persistent some plants can be. There is a junkyard near the house that has a beautiful example of the invasive Paulownia tomentosa growing among rusted and burned out cars. Surrounding the junk yard is a chain-link fence that has vicious coils of razor wire on top, and this is where you can see a stunning specimen of Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans) in full bloom this week. For some reason I take comfort when I see plants push through the asphalt or pop up from cracks in the sidewalk. Maybe it is hopeful that in spite of all the things we have done to muck up the environment, somethings still thrive. Or perhaps I have been watching too many episodes of the History Channel's Life After People.

I spoke last year in a post here about our compost pile at work. It is where we dump dead plants, clippings, branches, raked debris, etc. Each year I am amazed at what comes up from a pile of presumably dead things. Earlier this week I doused myself with DEET and took a stroll through the pile to see what early summer had to offer.

Perhaps the most prolific plant growing on the pile is Verbena bonariensis, which is also known as Verbena-on-a-Stick. I tried to get a picture of the bright yellow Goldfinches feasting on the purple flowers, but was suffering from camera limitations. I like how you can see one of our abandoned cube trucks in the background of this first shot.

Here the Verbena is competing for the camera's attention with the other major player on the pile, Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota), which does not seem very particular as to where it comes up.

Rose Campion (Lychnis coronaria)

This is one of those short lived Rudbeckias, maybe 'Indian Summer' or something like it.
Does anyone know the name of this little wildflower?
Evening Primrose (Oenothera speciosa)
Castor Bean (Ricin commonis)

Blooming soon, a large patch of unknown Daisies (Leucanthemum sp.).

This Clematis is likely Clematis x jackmanii and in the words of the man on the cart from scene 2 of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, "I'm not dead yet!" .

Trumpet Creeper (Campsis radicans) - without the razor wire.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Inside the gates we sell several hundred varieties of Hemerocallis, many are expensive, many are bargain priced, but the beauty of these outside the gate are free.
Some plants are notorious for their invasiveness and earn a spot on the Least Wanted List. Such is the case of the Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), which we have not sold in 10 years. I remember driving through New England some time ago and being awed by the beauty of this plant covering acres of ground, but that was before I knew how persistent some plants can be.