In front of our building, in a patch of earth about two-by-two feet, entirely surrounded by concrete, I planted some perennials for pollinators. The tall hyssop (Agastache) was bought as a tiny thing last year from the Gowanus Canal Conservancy, a not-for-profit that also creates swale gardens along some local streets, to guide runoff from storms into the planted areas. The hyssop is now close to five feet tall. The bee balm (Monarda) in front of it just opened its buds and has unusually small but pretty flower heads. I am not sure if this is because of stress, or whether it is a cultivar bred for them. It is rambunctious. Ideal as a naturalizer in full sun. Plus, leaves that taste like oregano. The unseen bronze fennel behind them is also flowering and already attracting eastern tiger swallowtails.
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Splendid! Does rain fall often enough to keep them watered?
ReplyDeleteI should have signed my comment: GretchenJoanna. I can't seem to sign in with my URL.
DeleteThere's (usually) plenty of rain but they need to be watered by hand. Since they have no ground-water to access, the rain just washes on by, on hard surfaces.
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