MILTA, again, beautiful and astounding pictures. Your Echinops is something similar to one that I grow here. Mine should be blooming soon. My Echinops common name is Globe Thistle, all the in the same family, I don't think mine is overly attractive to bees. I really got to take a minute or two and get out and take some pictures of the flowers blooming here, you stimulate me to do that, to show what is going on here too.
I have one very pretty flower in bloom now, Impatiens Glandulifera, the cousin to Impatiens Capensis. The Glandulifera is pink and kind of shaggy looking, the capensis is orange and is not yet blooming. Beautiful flowers, resembling extremely close to the snapdragons.
Your Mexican Sunflower reminds me of an annual that I once grew years ago, can't recall the botanical name, but the cultivar was called Tithonia I think. It was that brilliant, and I mean brilliant orange. Beautiful plant.
I have a shrub that I bought last spring, called Chilean Broom. Holy smoking smokin' smoke!!! The other night I was weeding nearby and I caught a beautiful scent of something, very light, but clearly smelled. I walked around sniffing and could not ascertain what it was, I thought perhaps it was the Evening Primrose, nope. Walked back to the weeding spot and it was the broom, very light, but extremely beautiful and fragrant. Yesterday morning about 9:00 when I was walking to my Sister's place to take some chick food, I noticed this scent again, but this time it was strong as the day was bright. I was flabergasted. I think this is a night scented plant, because when I took my Husband (oh that poor guy, the things I make him do.....) to get a whiff of this broom, the scent was gone. So....I guess the scent was beginning about 9:00 PM and by 11:00 AM, one could barely smell it. I am intrigued with this broom. I am going to take some cuttings off of it so I can have it close to my house, I do so love the night scented plant.
Now, the Night Scented Stock (Matthiola Bicornis) (for Ann's sake, hee, hee), this year is scented even more strongly than I have ever witnessed. It will knock your socks off. The fragrance that drifts in through our bedroom patio doors, all night long, is so strong, words cannot describe. This evening when these flowers open, I will take some pictures. The flowers during the day close and as soon as the evening begins, long before sundown even, these flowers open, by darkness, the night pollinators have witnessed this scent too, and come to visit these little marvels of Mother Nature. Thanks MILTA, for all the beautiful flowers that you superiorly bring into our forum, they are a wonderful sight for the eyes, and take me to wonderful places in my mind's eye. Beautiful and most wonderful day, love our life. Cindi