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It sure seems like we’ve had a lot of rain lately. The weather service assures us that we are still at or slightly below normal levels for this time of year, but I for one, am starting to feel like Mrs. Noah.

The tomatoes and some of my mixed annual containers don’t like it- but the astilbes sure do. They look fantastic. The common name is false spirea. Why, I don’t know, because they look nothing like spirea to me. That must be the false part. But I digress.

Astilbes are perennials with colorful fluffy flower spikes of red, purple, pink or white rising above dark green, cutleaf, mounding foliage. Often found under trees or in the shady perennial border, they will tolerate sun or part shade, but they like it moist. The more sun, the more moisture they require.

Native to Asia, there are four main classes of astilbes. The earliest to bloom are the Japonica group with their
glossy green leaves and tight flower clusters. These are the ones blooming now. Of these, my favorites are the deep purple of ‘Elizabeth Van Veen’ and the soft peach of ‘Peach Blossom’.

The next group to bloom is the Arendsii group, named for famed plant breeder George Arends. Many of his original hybrids dating back to the 30’s are the parents of today’s astilbes. This group is a mixture of several species all intercrossed. The creamy flower spires of ‘White Gloria’, red spikes of ‘Fanal’ even the later blooming ‘August Light’ and the open airy blossoms of ‘Delft Lace’are among my favorites. This group tends to be two to three feet tall.

The latest blooming group and the shortest, are the Chinensis group. They are also the most drought tolerant of all the astilbes. The red stems of the ‘Visions in Red’ hybrids and the fluffy white flowers of ‘Milk and Honey’ are my favorites in this group.

Astilbe ‘Sprite’, a member of the fourth group, the simplicifolia type, was one of the earliest selections for Perennial Plant of the Year award in 1994. This dwarf astilbe has soft pink flowers over very dark green foliage. If you are new to astilbes, this one is a good place to start. In general, the simplicifolias have the most airy flower spikes.

Astilbes are long-lived perennials, as long as they have adequate moisture. They clumps should be divided every several years. Over time the crown has a tendency to slowly lift itself out of the ground. Top dress with compost or topsoil or take this as a sign to divide the clump.

Nothing beats astilbes for summer color in the shady garden.

Some gardeners pull weeds, some spray with herbicides, others wage war another way- they eat them.

Last week I had the opportunity to go on a plant walk with self-taught master forager, Steve “Wildman” Brill. He has built his career on identifying, preparing and eating wild foods. Based in West Chester, NY, he leads tours and workshops for all ages on edible and medicinal wild plants. He is the author of several books and apps on the same topic. He is a character- a gangly, aging hippie with his pantlegs tucked into his socks, pith helmet, and repertoire of funny jokes and imitations to hold our interest for the two hour trip into the woods outside Huntingdon Valley.

For a kid who grew up in the country, most of the plants were not new- poke weed, garlic mustard, bouncing Bett, plantain, wood sorrel, mile-a-minute weed, etc but apart from wood sorrel, I have to admit I haven’t chowed down on most of them. Just because a plant IS edible, doesn’t mean I WANT to eat it.

Many plants are edible in some manner- the key is to identify what part, which time of year, and how to prepare them. Most parts of the poke weed plant are irritable to the digestive system except the young shoots after being boiled for two rounds of 15 minutes each. Then, I’m told, it is one of the most delicious vegetables. I’ll take his word for it.

I did eat the lemon-flavored leaves of mile-a-minute weed with great relish. This noxious weed has been over-running the edge of the woods and meadow on my property for years. I felt like I was getting a bit of my own back.

We also spent a fair amount of time identifying poison ivy (Above left). What child has never heard “Leaflets three, let it be”. There are lots of things that have three leaflets, but aren’t poison. Proper identification of this plant will make any foray into the woods much more pleasant.

The biggest benefit from this walk, and other programs like it, is to demystify the “wild”. My husband admitted to me, that growing up in the city- he could only identify a few plants when he moved out here; the woods and meadows surrounding our home just looked like a wall of green. The more familiarity he gained with plants, he can now identify them with ease. You don’t identify your friends or family members by their hair, eye color, or height, you just KNOW them. Garlic mustard is not garlic mustard because it has white flowers with 5 petals, upturned seed pods and serrated leaves, but because it IS garlic mustard.

I’m not going to stop going to the grocery store, but after this walk I will not hesitate to pop a handful of wild mulberries or wine berries in my mouth, chew on sweet cicely seeds, or rinse dirty hands with water and bouncing Bett leaves. Knowledge is power, and I look forward to helping my kids have a little more power in the world around them.

My oldest grandson, who will soon exit first grade, exhibits a significant interest and knowledge of birds. Most of his knowledge has come indoors. When his outdoor observation skills match his knowledge I expect that he will be showing birds to his pop pop rather than the other way around.

For the third time, Memorial Day Saturday, I rescued him from his busy schedule and took him to an organized bird walk for kids at a private nature preserve in Chester County. Private, yes, but in cooperation with the Delaware Nature Society, it is the site of frequent organized bird walks. The woman who helps the kids is a skilled youth nature educator.

This time we took his pre-kindergarten sister along. The walk, in addition to looking for birds, included several nest box inspections. They were able to see eggs, some recent hatchlings and that different birds use differentmaterials to build nests. I was able to hoist each of them high enough for a good look but glad that they are past the carry-me stage.

During the 40 minute ride each way they talked about birds with the aid of Bill Thompson’s Young Birder’s Guide. Several years ago Thompson, a nationally known bird expert and magazine publisher, together with his daughter’s fourth grade class produced a wonderful bird guide for kids.

Somewhere along the ride my grandson started talking about Red Knots. That’s a shore bird that winters near the tip of South America and migrates to the northern Arctic to raise their young. Delaware and the Horseshoe Crab play an important role. Most fly nonstop to the Delaware beaches timed to arrive with the crab’s egg laying. In a few weeks, they double in weight and make the final leg of their journey.

The selfish side of me was plotting for several weeks how to escape the greenhouse for a trip to Delaware the third week in May.The grandson’s comments and knowing that my wife was sitting them the next day, was perfect. A picnic, two grandkids, a wife and a trip to southern Delaware to see the Red Knots.

On the trip down the seven year old read his bird book to sister while she looked at the corresponding pictures in my adult field guide.We were almost there before any signs of restlessness appeared.

Since it was best to wait for lower tide to better find the Red Knots we stopped at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. We saw a few birds but hunger quickly took precedence. After lunch they wanted to go to the beach where Horseshoe Crabs became the focus of attention.

As the afternoon wore on we did look successfully for Red Knots. We saw maybe 150 mixed in with thousands of other shorebirds and gulls in a feeding frenzy. Fortunately, the crabs lay many thousands of eggs as most become fuel for migrating birds.

On the trip back both slept until this side of Newark. How could one have a better day or days?

Need a summer blooming perennial that will beat the heat, and attract hummingbirds and butterfies? Stand about 2-3 feet in the garden and take scorching sun? How about one that prefers poor soil and little moisture? Penstemons might be for you.

Penstemons, or beard-tongues, are a large group of late-spring and summer blooming perennials that are gaining in popularity.

There are over 50 species native to the US- mostly the Midwest and Rocky Mountain areas. There are even several native to Pennsylvania and Maryland. Most penstemons grow well in full sun and naturally occur in dry or well-drained, rocky soil. They do not like fertilizer or rich compost. Several do well in my rocky garden with little care.

As with many native plants, the breeders have been busy mixing and matching members of this family to improve heat and cold tolerance, flower size and hardiness. In the seventeen years since ‘Huskers Red’ (named for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers) was selected as one of the first Perennial Plants of the Year in 1996 , many other notable hybrids are now widely available.

One of the most promising new series is the ‘Riding Hood’ series. The group contains hot pink, blue (pictured at left), purple, or red tubular flowers on compact flower spikes. The clump reaches 2-3 ft tall and wide. The ‘Riding Hood’ penstemons bloom over an extended period especially with deadheading.

‘Dark Towers’ is an improved ‘Huskers Red’ with darker foliage and pink flowers. One of my favorites is ‘Jingle Bells’ a tall red flowering variety. Hummingbirds love this one.

For a finer texture and more petite size, try the pineleaf penstemons. Blooming in either red or yellow, for about 2 months the pineleaf penstemons reach about 1 foot tall. When out of flower they resemble a small conifer because they have very fine needle-like foliage and are evergreen.

Penstemons with the species P. mexicale in their background flower profusely in a wide range of shades from pink, lavender, purple and red. These are generally 2 feet tall with tall blooming spikes for 2 months or more. They are not as hardy in this climate and are often treated as annuals.

Summer is here- try a penstemon to beat those dog days.

Many garden writers and parents lament the fact that kids today don’t play outside anymore, let alone show an interest in gardening. They are more interested in their ipods, and Xboxes, than in pea pods or flower boxes. They are environmentally aware- my son harps on me about recycling, and they do get exposed to plants a bit at school. Who hasn’t received a marigold or sunflower seedling for Mother’s Day from a school-aged son or daughter? They seem primed- but how do you translate that to actually going outside, exploring the natural world and learning about plants?

One way is to slow down. Many parents today don’t have time to watch a praying mantis nest open, and hundreds of babies come pouring out. Or to watch a pair of robins painstakingly build a nest. I know I feel the press of work, ferrying kids to their activities and keeping up with housework to spend as much time just sitting outside and watching what is going on around me.

My son walks from the bus stop down our lane every afternoon. It is also the farm driveway. Yesterday a customer told me he observed Liam, age 7, bending over and blowing a dandelion. Last week, Liam described to me in great detail of the anthill he watched. The walk up the lane takes me about 5 min. Liam usually does it in 20 or 30- but I’m not complaining a bit. It is one of his few unscheduled times of day.

Another way is to let kids take the lead. What do lemon verbena, New Guinea impatiens and yellow and purple Johnny-jump-ups have in common? Obstensively,nothing, but they are my daughter’s three favorite flowers. Lemon verbena because it smells so good, New Guinea impatiens because the flowers feel like satin hair ribbons, and Johnny-jump-ups because they are “cheerful”. I would never put this odd combination together, but that is what is going in one of my pots this summer. I applaud the parents that come to the greenhouse, and let their children pick out some favorites to plant themselves regardless of color.

Help them to explore. Kids like to watch insects, plant some larval and nectar flowers to attract butterflies and watch a monarch butterfly complete its lifecycle this summer. Plant a pizza garden- tomatoes, pepper and basil, and let them help you harvest and cook.

There are some great resources to help you get started. The website kidsgardening.org has some wonderful activities and links to other resources. The Master Gardener s of Chester County have started a Junior Master Gardener program based from the Oxford Library to get kids learning about gardening. Turn off the TV, put down the ipad and take a walk. Theodore Parker Park on Wesley Road is a great place to take your shoes off and stomp in the creek.

School is almost out. Encourage your kids to go outside this summer. You too.