Sunday, June 15, 2008

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - June '08

Can you believe it's the middle of June already? Time sure flies when you're having fun, doesn't it?
The gardens are alive with beautiful blooms, some fleeting, others lasting for several weeks.
There are never enough hours in the day to get everything done that I want to. I'm sure most of you can relate to that feeling!
My back has been bothering me for almost a month since I pulled a muscle digging something up, and as often happens with me, that caused sciatica. Sitting is often painful, which necessitates limiting my time spent on the computer, so I must apologize for not visiting very much lately. I'll do my best to catch up with you all as soon as possible.
I've had lots to post about, but haven't managed to get that done either.
This past week we had a 3-day heatwave, which was very hard to take after our cool May. Our poor winter-weary systems hadn't had enough time to acclimate to the warmer temperatures, so we suffered!
However, Thursday and Friday were perfect gardening days, and it was a real joy to be outside planting window boxes, watching bees and butterflies, and listening to the birds sing their hearts out!
There are so many blooms it's hard to know where to start. They're not all pictured here, but let's take a tour and see what's happening in the gardens......

The Oriental Poppies have only a handful of blooms left, but I couldn't leave out a few photos of them in all their glory.

Bright 'tissue paper' blooms.

The salmon pink is my favorite.

The irises have been blooming for quite some time. This one is 'Beverly Sills'.

There are several purple clumps scattered throughout the gardens and they graciously staggered their blooms, extending their bloom-time for about a month, but they're mostly finished now.

This pretty mauve Lamium is one of three colors in the gardens. I also have white and purple.

The Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra) have a long blooming season. The white bush begins its bloom-time a little later than the pink, and is still looking lovely, while the pink blossoms are beginning to fade. Posted by Picasa

Here they are still looking good, with Forget-me-nots and Arabis, near the beginning of the month. All three are just finishing up now.

The simple Chives make a pretty patch of color. They sew themselves liberally in my gardens, and need to be ruthlessly pulled out when they get a bit too carried away.

Centaurea (Perennial Bachelor's Button, or Cornflower) is another one that needs to be kept under control. Cut it back after blooming to limit reseeding and produce a second batch of blooms in late summer.

Columbine is such a delicate flower. Posted by Picasa

The dainty blooms remind me of little ballerina skirts, especially the pinks....

....and purples. Posted by Picasa

The Cranesbill (Perennial Geranium) begins to bloom in spring, and continues all the way through summer.

The Abutilon has over wintered well, and is blooming beautifully.

Clematis - 'Carnaby' is looking wonderful! Posted by Picasa

These little Dutch Iris were a passalong from a friend. I have several clumps and this is the first year they've bloomed. I love the color! These need to be thinned ruthlessly too.

Sweet William blooms sweetly around graduation time in pastel hues as well as this scarlet red.

My first rose! Isn't she lovely?

Evening Primrose (Oenothera) makes a bright show. Posted by Picasa

Field, or Corn Poppies sew themselves freely each year. There's also a little Centranthus Ruber (Valerian or Jupiter's Beard) just beginning to bloom (see that Alice? I finally have my own Centranthus!).

Here's a lovely red Corn Poppy.

This beautiful Asiatic Lily - Lollipop, was given to me by my equally obsessed gardening friend, Marie. She has blessed me with many lovely plants this spring.

Dame's Rocket (Hesperis) is a wild flower which has sown itself in my pink garden right where the late pink tulips are planted. The tulips managed to bloom nicely, in spite of having their spot taken over. I'll show you a photo next post. The Hesperis certainly is pretty, and the color matches the purple Lamium beautifully, but it'll have to go when the flowers are finished. Its a biennial, so it'll probably leave some seed behind for next year. Posted by Picasa

Ah, the Peonies are blooming! I don't know any of the names because they're all passalongs from years ago.

I have a bouquet of them sitting behind me on the dining room table, and I've been enjoying their delightful scent as I've worked on this post.

They graced our church service this morning.

The hot pink Peony matches the Weigela (a happy accident), which is a mass of bright pink flowers.

The Lupines have brought me so much pleasure this spring! Their deep purple hue looks fabulous with the yellow 'Lemon Lilies' (early daylily) which have just recently begun to bloom.

These tiny pink flowers are Linaria (Toadflax) which sewed themselves from last year. They look like tiny snapdragons, and are a relative. Behind them is a lovely white Lupine.Posted by Picasa

And here's a pretty pink Lupine, surrounded by Sweet William.

Verbascum (Mullein) - a pale shade of peach.

'Apple' brought me these wonderful Foxgloves last summer when she and her sister, 'Country Girl' came to visit. As you can see, Apple, they grew huge and are blooming in pink and white. I love them!

I bought this Miss Canada Lilac a few weeks ago and my hubby planted it. Happily it has 3 pretty pink blooms....with one open just in time for Bloom Day! Posted by Picasa

Potentilla - Its bright blooms go on and on!

Cape Primrose (Streptocarpus).

Can you imagine calling this delicate flower such an ugly name? This is another passalong from Marie. She gave me 2 little cuttings last winter and they've grown very nicely. I'll put it outside for the summer in a bigger pot.

And last, but not least, the Shasta Daisies are blooming cheerily, with Columbines and Johnny Jump Ups in the Daisy garden.
I won't take time to list other blooms because this post is already long. I haven't actually taken time to make a list...but maybe I will, if I think of it at the right moment :) Posted by Picasa
You can find other Bloom Day posts at Carol's May Dreams Gardens blog.
Happy Bloom Day everyone!

41 comments:

Jellyhead said...[Reply]

Ooooooh, first commenter. That's a rare thing for me here!

Everything is looking mighty fine Kerri, mighty fine! Good to know you're enjoying summer in your gorgeous garden :)

Sandy Hatcher-Wallace said...[Reply]

Your flowers are so pretty Kerri and everything is so colorful. I love it when my flowers are in bloom too.
We had so much rain, followed by excessive heat that none of my climatis or daisies did well this year. It seems that we went from winter straight into the heat of summer.

The Oriole, from your previous post can't be missed with that bright colored chest. My daughter saw one last year but I haven't seen any around here yet.

The bees, as well as the hummingbirds have finally made their appearance here and Jimmy & I were so glad to see them. We've also seen more Monarch butterflies than usual too and because of the cicadas we have plenty of cherries to eat.

I hope that your back gets better soon so that you can enjoy planting to its fullest, because I know that's what you love to do...planting flowers.

Hope Ross had a Happy Father's Day as well.

xoxo
Sandy

beckie said...[Reply]

Isn't nice to have so many blooms you can't show them all? :) YOur gardens are beautiful and you have such a variety. I enjoyed visiting.

Annie in Austin said...[Reply]

Kerri, I was afraid that clicking on your Blooming post would result in an attack of horticultural jealousy.

I was right! Your garden is just stunning! I'd like one each of all the peachy-salmon plants, please - poppy, iris, abutilon and linaria. And you can throw in a bunch of the white bleeding hearts and white corn poppies, too!

Sure hope your back heals and that you will feel better soon, but in the meantime, what a feast of flowers you can enjoy!

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Linda said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri,
Let me start by saying I am absolutley in awe of you. Your gardens are absolutely magnificent!
I'm so sorry to hear your back is bothering you. I pray it will get better quickly. Whenever I do manage to drag myself out in this heat to pull a few weeds, I suffer for it the next day. Perhaps if I were more consistent I would get used to it :-) ?
Take care of yourself Kerri and have a blessed week.

verobirdie said...[Reply]

Kerri, I hope your back will improve very soon.
As usual,your garden is beautiful, a delight for the eyes. Thank your for those pictures.

Anonymous said...[Reply]

Holy cow, Kerri - you really do have a lot to share this month. How to pick favorites from such abundance? But for me, I think it's a tie between your glorious Oriental poppies and that simply lovely bleeding heart shot. Truly, though, they're all beauties! I hope you feel better soon.

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...[Reply]

I love the shot of the pink Lupine, Artemisia (?) & Sweet William - so pretty. Your Poppies are also stunning. Of course I have to admire your Columbines (I'm just mad about them). I feel for you with the back problems. I had the same thing happen to me (more than once), & I remember how bad the sciata was from sitting at my desk all day at work. I hope it gets better soon. Go for lots of walks, that seems to help it the most.

Anonymous said...[Reply]

Wow, you have such an abundance of blooms this month. Your blog is living up to its name. There are so many beautiful combinations. I love the bleeding heart, forget-me-not and arabis photo, such a pretty grouping.

Debbie said...[Reply]

Kerri, all I can say is WOW! Your garden is just popping with so many different things. It is all so lovely. What a beautiful scape you must have right now.

Alice said...[Reply]

Oh, what a show-off.....all that green, green and more green. You know that green is my favourite garden colour, don't you, Kerri?...only because we don't have any..lol.

Beautiful, as always. Such variety you have. I particularly like the columbines. Do you have any of the very old-fashioned ones with much smaller flowers that really look like a 'granny's bonnet', hence the common name?

You talk about all the plants that readily self-sow and need to be controlled. Let me tell you, my friend, 'you ain't seen nuthin' yet' - you just wait until that Centranthus takes over!!! You'll berate your friend Marie (and me).... just don't pick it for the house (I've told you why). Actually, centranthus is good value so long as you don't mind having it everywhere.

I'm so glad to have had this tour of your gorgeous garden this morning. However, it's night time at your place now - so go inside and write to me...ha,ha.

Your garden looks so lovely that I just KNOW that Ross has been working hard and long to get it looking like that....okay, I'm ducking for cover now!!!

Anonymous said...[Reply]

I hope your back is better. My mom suffers from sciatica too.
And your flowers are glorious! Were these all taken on the same day/week? I am surprised to see Bleeding hearts blooming at the same time as lilies. I'm near Philly and my lilies are just starting while the last of my irises bloomed.
Thanks for sharing your flowers! I have lots of my flowers on my blog too.

Cris said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri... I hope you feel better... I too have a sciatica-like symptom that goes away only with certain exercises (hamstring stretches). The flowers are gorgeous and the old fence (I think it looks like a fence) gives a special touch to your pictures. Have a wonderful day... xooxxo

Noella said...[Reply]

Wow! Again I am amazed by your magnificent garden, Kerri! Beautiful photos!

I have fallen in love with the pretty columbines and the salmon pink coloured iris!

Warm wishes to you from Western Australia.

Katarina said...[Reply]

Wow, you've got so many gorgeous plants, kerri - it's unbelievable!
Your garden must be heaven right now!
/katarina

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...[Reply]

Blooming is right, there is a plethora of blooms in your garden right now. Thanks for sharing all those lovely pics with us and Kerri do start blooming again yourself too. We can't have you ill my dear, there is far too much to do and enjoy in the garden so get well soon!

John said...[Reply]

Kerri:

Nice post, with all the wonderful colors.

Needled Mom said...[Reply]

Oh dear, Kerri, I do hope that the back gets better soon so that you can work painlessly in the garden. Why can this not happen in the winter when there is not so much to do outside???

The garden tour was lovely. There are so many nice blooms showing their colors. We are on vacation right now and I am so enjoying everyone's gorgeous peonies. The nightime air is filled with the fabulous scent. I so wish we could grow them in So. California. Enjoy the smell for me.

Sigrun said...[Reply]

Your garden looks beautiful, Kerri. Your Iris I have also.
We wait for rain since weeks, the garden is very dry and the plants not so big als last year.

Sigrun

Lavender and Vanilla Friends of the Gardens said...[Reply]

Kerri, I had a stroll through your garden. Everything looks so good. You have such a big choice of plants and beautifully matched, like the pink bleeding heart together with the sky blue forgetmenots. The peachy colour of Iris Beverly Sills is exquisite. Your garden is truely enchanting.

Diana LaMarre said...[Reply]

You have so many lovely blooms. I think the Forget-me-nots and the bleeding heart were meant for each other--just a perfect combo.

I love the pink peony. I only have white which should bloom any day. I can't wait to bring in a biq bouquet to enjoy like you did.

I hope your back is feeling better.

Anonymous said...[Reply]

Kerri, I hope you are feeling better. Nothing is worse than wanting to get outdoors to work, and not feeling up to it.

So many beauties! I don't know what I like best. Your yard just looks lovely.

Mountain Mama said...[Reply]

I'm so sorry about your back Kerri. I have the same problem and have been using a rice bag for it. It really helps. I highly recommend it.
Your flowers are so pretty. I always enjoy seeing your photos. I have some of the same flowers too.
You have a lot of gardens to care for.
Thanks so much for sharing.

joey said...[Reply]

I so enjoyed the walk, Kerri. Your garden is lovely. You have a great eye for color and form.

Skafferi Med Sjöutsikt said...[Reply]

Ohh, what a nice garden you have! I have never been at your blog before, but i´ll be back!

Have a lovely weekend!

K

Midlife Mom said...[Reply]

What beautiful blooms in your gardens!!! You are ahead of us here in Maine but my things are starting to come along. We need some sun though, it's been raining all week off and on and very cloudy. You live in a beautiful area!

Anonymous said...[Reply]

I'd say everything is doing well and looking wonderful too:)

Pam said...[Reply]

It's very interesting to see the order that things come in your garden. My lupins are lovely just now but my forget-me-nots and dicentra are long over and my shasta daisies not nearly out yet. Must be something to do with... um... temperatures or light levels or something.

Lovely pictures, anyway. And that view!

Carol Michel said...[Reply]

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! Your flowers are outstanding right now.

I hope you get to feeling better soon. Knowing it is difficult for you to sit for long periods of time, I am even more impressed by this bloom day post

Carol, May Dreams Gardens

Susie said...[Reply]

Hi dear Kerri,
Your garden must be just such a joy for you with all this color. What a cheery most made all the more so in knowing your back is hurting. I know the time involved in finding and posting all those pictures.
Hope you're feeling better each day!
Thanks to both you and Ross for the beautiful anniversary card and for thinking of us.
love and ((hugs))

Frances, said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri, so sorry about your back, I feel your pain, literally, having done the same thing so many times. Have to be careful with certain motions. But your garden flowers are stunning. I love the oriental poppies, lupines, wish we could grow them here, we had gorgeous ones in PA. It is amazing to see daylilies blooming at the same time as columbines, peonies and poppies. I love the corn poppies too, you must have dreamy soil.

Frances at Faire Garden

Sandra said...[Reply]

Thank you for the tour of you beautiful garden.

Unknown said...[Reply]

Everything looks so lovely, Kerri! I especially am admiring those lupines. Such a great shade of plummy purple you have there... I wish I could get some to take in my yard.

Reflection Through The Seasons said...[Reply]

Hello Dear Kerri....
Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers for Edward. I know that Betty and the whole of her family appreciate them so much. Betty was home for a little while over the weekend and she has up-dated her news.

Kerri.... your garden is looking lovely, you have so much colour and many varieties of flowers growing. The poppies are stunning, mine have been too this year, I took pictures of them last week, must try and do a ‘garden’ post myself.

I heard on the news that you’ve had it very hot, its so overwhelming when it comes suddenly like that.

Love the picture of the Dutch iris with the old wooden fence in the background..... a perfect setting.

A beautiful collection of pictures. Have a good week and I hope that your back improves soon, take it easy with that digging..... enjoy a gentle stroll around the garden instead. Lots of Love - Marion

Amy said...[Reply]

I'm so sorry to hear that your back is still causing you pain. I hope you are feeling better very, very soon.

Thanks so much for sharing all of these absolutely wonderful photos. I enjoyed every single one :)

Sharon said...[Reply]

Kerri, I always look forward to the pretty pictures of your garden. Your pictures are so rich and pretty just like your flower garden.

Charley "Apple" Grabowski said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri,

Boy am I behind! I hope by now you are feeling tip-top and enjoying summer - we wait so long for it to arrive.

I'm glad the foxglove is happy there. Here they range in size from 1-4' depending on where they are. They've always all been pink - until this year - there is one white one. How'd that happen? LOL

I'm loving all the pink and purple right now. Your verbascum is lovely too. The mass of shastas make me smile. My ox-eyed daisies are just finishing up, the drawf shastas just starting and the other shastas should start blooming in a few days.

Val said...[Reply]

It is an absolute delight to stroll around your garden, and be surrounded by the Colours of your Garden! Now I know why your blog is so named.... even more so, when I know your summer is so short.

I am way behind in blog reading - and writing. No matter. But youve inspired me to pick up the "pen" again....

And thanks for the tip on cutting back the cornflowers, my first lot are just over. I shall go around and do that today!

sonia a. mascaro said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri, I hope you feel better soon! Your garden is wonderful! Just gorgeous and I am delighted!

joyh82 said...[Reply]

What a beautiful variety of flowers you have!

Joanne said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri, you have a lovely garden. I wish more gardeners would blog about theirs.