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Walking down my driveway toward the lower field yesterday.
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As you approach the field from the driveway you pass our Savannah Holly surrounded by the white blooms of Oakleaf Hydrangeas. Two cherry trees are in the foreground and to the right you can just make out the large circular patch of Goldenrod, which will bloom in the fall.
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The spring red clover and most of the daisies had gone to seed. So I
mowed the lower field yesterday, mulching all the seeds into the ground. After several years of unsuccessful attempts, this year we have a lot of Black-eyed Susans sprouting down there. So many, in fact, that I had to mow the overgrown clover and daisies cautiously so as to not cut the young, sprouting flowers that will come in mid summer. Unfortunately, most of them are popping up in an area where we didn't plant them or sow them. Such is the nomadic nature of wildflowers in any meadow. A lot of them have a mind of their own.
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The lower field facing north. This was a completely open field (an old cotton field) when we moved in to Twin Oaks in 1993. You can see my small brush pile in the right center. This year blackberry bushes have sprang forth from the pile.
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To the right of the brush pile is an area of needle grass I let grow tall during the spring. It also had put forth healthy seed heads which I mowed and mulched for next year.
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There are still a few daisies that have not turned to seed, so I mow around them for now.
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A typical Black-eyed Susan amidst the grass. I waded through this section of the field with my weed trimmer first to knock down all the tall grasses so I could more easily spot the scattered young plants as they sprout from the ground. This one is about 6-7 inches high.
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One of our heartier Black-eyed Susans. This will be a tall and prolific plant later in the summer.
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A closer view of the same plant.
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Several Black-eyed Susans emerging with some flowering weeds.
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This Black-eyed Susan is interspersed with red clover seed heads. The dark bud means this one is already close to blooming.
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Another cluster of them. You can tell how difficult it is to mow around them. I had to leave little islands of grass through the lower field.
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Another one emerges alongside another type of weed.
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At the far end of the lower field looking south toward the brush pile and the driveway. This shows a section of the field I am not mowing. Instead, I have chosen to let this become a extension of my woods which are located to the left.
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A maple tree seedling is "blowing its top." Its chance of survival is not great because the deer love to bite the tops out of young trees. So, we will see how far this one makes it. All I can do is give it a chance.
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An area at the far end of the field that I am keeping mowed this year in hopes of facilitating the grasses as opposed to all the various weeds. A lot of the needle grass came up here this spring. It all reseeded here. Hopefully, it will be a pretty sight next year.
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