Digging RI recently celebrated its third anniversary. I have returned to work full time, and keeping this blog fresh  has not always been easy. Thanks to Auntie Beak and HerbDoc for their consistently interesting and wise contributions, and a big thanks those of you who continue to read this and offer your own comments (which we love!)

I thought you might like to see my neighbor’s wildflower meadow this June. Last year, there was a profusion of stunning red poppies. This year there are fewer of them and more of other things. Not surprising.

This photo shows the diversity of the plants. There’s a lot of coreopsis and lupines, which have just about gone by.

Here you can see some dianthus (pinks) and some daisies, which  look like the wild “oxeyes” to me.

Many people think that wildflower meadows are low maintenance alternatives to lawns. They are, in the sense that you don’t have to mow them regularly, but you have to replenish most of the plants each year, otherwise it will revert to its less colorful weediness. I spoke with the ( very expensive) gardener there, who told me the meadow was “driving her crazy.”

Here’s a photo of how it looked last year at this time, so you can see how much it’s changed. Too bad about the poppies. They were spectacular.

What is it about poppies?????