See the Beauty in the Ordinary: A Kansas Country Garden

Tiger Lilies are brilliant orange with black dots and are easy to grow.

Hibiscus is a fine companion to the Tiger Lilies.

Daylilies bloom in front of the oregano, hibiscus and tiger lilies.

A bee on the oregano flower. Photos of insects are a challenge!

On a warm afternoon, there is a hum emanating from the garden. An amazing array of insects are finding nectar in the flowers. First choice among the insects seems to be the oregano which is a bit surprising since the flowers are small and not particularly showy. Bumble bees, honey bees and many others bees which I can't identify are enjoying the garden. Some are very tiny. Some look a little like flies, but something tells me they are really bees, too. Some bees seem to have preferences. A certain kind of bee will congregate on a certain kind of flower while another kind of bee chooses a different one. There are wasps, too. Sometimes human visitors are a bit alarmed by all the insect activity. "Are you a flower?", I asked a squealing little girl. "Because that's all the bees want."

Early morning in the garden. Russian Sage is a tall and sturdy plant.

Enjoy the "triplets" today for tomorrow they'll be gone.

A single hibiscus purchased many years ago has been divided quite a few times and planted all over the gardens.

Apple Mint has begun its angular bloom. Apple Mint is a spreader like all mints.

I prefer the simple single orange daylily to its double counterpart.

Soft yellow blooms of a happy daylily.

This one is a light peach color.

Butterfly weed reblooms. The purple flower is verbena, a favorite found throughout the garden.

In front of the house a wild white "flower" has taken over. It adds an architectural interest as they sway in the wind. These plants came by way of a fall bouquet picked from my dad's pasture and shaken out in the garden. Perhaps not the wisest way to garden, but I'm okay with it.