Update: with a little TLC in August the meadow still looks great.

[@ItsMeHello555]

Anything to help the thwart of powdery mildew is a good thing! Looks so much better too for you guys to enjoy! Had a neighbor almost lose two, 40+ years old crepe myrtles years ago. He didn’t know what it was. We were aggressive and saved them. Looked like deep snow on them! They even bloomed the next year. Have a lovely week and enjoy your meadow! 🌿🌺🌿

[@IndianaMeadows]

Thanks, yes looks much better now!

[@ItsMeHello555]

@@IndianaMeadows , 😀

[@blue2mato312]

This looks so lovely! The bee balms will benefit from having their powdery mildew removed too, and the flowering plants gets more sun and air. I adore echineceas but I can’t get them to survive for me here in Norway. Others do manage them a little here, I have no idea what I’m doing wrong. But it’s so wonderful seeing them in their natural element!

[@IndianaMeadows]

This is the first year that the echinacea flowered, so it took three years from seed. There are many more plants that have still yet to flower, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it looks next year! I wonder what you can grow there that I cannot. Lupine doesn’t do well for me. Can you grow it?

[@blue2mato312]

@@IndianaMeadows Three years wow, well I guess that explains why they are a little expensive here as plants! I never manage to get them to survive winter, or if a few leaves have come back they never flower again. Lupins do so well here they are now blacklisted because they spread so much and are a danger to native flora. Some areas have programs to try to eradicate them from verges etc. Yes it will be exciting to see how your wildflower meadow progresses! I’m sure there must be some other ornamental plants I can have that you can’t though.

[@blue2mato312]

Lupins are popular with bees, but in addition to outcompeting our native flowers (and many struggle for habitat space) there is also a concern that some science show the lupins chemicals disrupts our native bees reproduction system. In most cases flowers from other parts of the world dosen’t do that, but when it occures it just shows how connected native bees and flowers can be. I’m sure lupins don’t mess with their native polinators. Before I knew all this I did want to plant them.