Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day-July '09

It's interesting to notice the differences between what was blooming for this Bloom Day last year, and what our garden has to offer today. Some plants are about the same as last year, but it seems to me that most are behind their last year's schedule. My opening photo last July 15th presented multitudes of Phlox blooms, while this year they've barely begun to open. The June weather pattern has continued into July, bringing us cool, even cold, days and nights, with mostly gray skies, rain showers and frequent thunderstorms.

The past 2 nights I've had to close the bedroom windows and put an extra blanket on the bed. Does that sound like summer to you?

The only good thing is that it's been good for weeding and planting.....between the raindrops, that is.

But without further ado, let's see what's blooming.....quickly now...because the sun is actually shining this morning, and soon I must be off to the garden to continue weeding and planting!

The little Rose/Clematis Garden is brimming with blooms, most notable of which are the Clematis vines. Jackmanii, on the left, is loving the abundance of rain, and Carnaby, in the corner, has more flowers than ever before.

I'm loving the absence of silver paint splatters on the blooms this July (caused last year by the painting of the roofs)!


Evening Primrose is still spreading cheer throughout the gardens. I love it with these blue Pansies and white Alyssum.


I'm happy to report that my 2 "Oak Hill" Hydrangeas (macrophylla) are blooming beautifully, after such a disappointing display last summer. I fed them coffee grounds all winter, but I have no idea if that made a difference. If anyone has good advice to offer on Hydrangeas, I'd love to hear it.


Here's a combination that I love: "Summersong Rose" Argyranthemum (Marguerite Daisy), which looks like little pink powderpuffs, and "Homestead Purple" Verbena, which blooms right up to frost and beyond.


Just to the left of that grouping it pairs nicely with yellow Coreopsis.


Mr. Lincoln Rose has one lovely bloom. The roses have been slow, with just a few blooms so far and the bushes are still small, except for our one climber, which I'll show you later.


Queen Elizabeth Rose can be seen in front of the Clematis, and Shasta Daisies are on at their peak on the corner. Windowboxes are filling out nicely but the petunias need pinching back now to keep them from becoming too leggy. Posted by Picasa

Beyond the Shastas, in the Sideporch Garden, this vivid orange Lily is always the first of the Asiatics to open its blooms.



But before we head down to look at the other lilies, let's have a peek at the Pink Garden. Here, Lollipop Asiatic Lily has about a dozen spectacular blooms.



Behind it the Spirea has grown into a large bush and is looking lovely. Posted by Picasa

Other plants, like this pretty self-sown Catchfly are blooming at it's feet, and there's a dainty "Siskiyou Pink" Gaura, a "Madeira Pink" Argyranthemum, Lady's Mantle (Alchemilla mollis), pink Snapdragons, white Alyssum, Dwarf Campanula and purple Lamium.

Down in the front yard gardens the Asiatics are stealing the show, but the Gloriosa Daisies/Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) are running a close second. In the Lilac Garden, behind this one, red Monarda has spread madly, as usual, and looks great beside Shasta Daisies (click to enlarge for detail).
You can see the climbing rose ("Social Climber") at the top of the Driveway Garden. It only has a few pretty blooms on it at the moment....


...but on July 1st it was a mass of beautiful pink, which was quite a thrill, as this is the first time a rose has bloomed so well for me! We're trying to decide on a support for it (arbor, trellis or obelisk). Something that wouldn't block the view too much and that won't cost a fortune. Suggestions are welcome! Posted by Picasa

Red Monarda (Bee Balm) and Shasta Daisies make a bright splash in the Lilac Garden.


I love the height of these Asiatic lilies. The magenta fades to a lighter shade as they age.


Here we have Centerfold, looking short in comparison.


It's a mystery to me how that orange lily ended up beside the red this summer. I certainly didn't plant it there! I don't actually mind it too much with the red though, strangely enough. Posted by Picasa

The Lily Garden is finally cleared of weeds and Johnny-jump-ups, and I'm ready to plant a few other things in it. Reuben has been keeping me company as I've worked. Sometimes it's hard to persuade him that I need both hands for weeding.

Lilies respond well to lots of rain and all of them have plenty of buds. The lovely creamy yellow Atlanta Moonlight has 5 blooms open today but this was taken 2 days ago. Persian Market is the taller lily in the background.

Here's a closer look at Persian Market.

Reuben has found a spot that suits us both :)
That's the Rock Garden over to the right.
Posted by Picasa

I've been weeding here as well. Coreopsis and Gloriosa Daisies have grown very tall in this compost-rich soil.

I'm excited to notice that a bronze double Gloriosa has sprung up beside the usual color mixes and solid school bus yellows. Beth in North Dakota is going to love this one! Posted by Picasa

On the bank Sedum Spurium "John Creech" is forming a nice ground cover, thanks to the cuttings and advice on growing and planting them, given to us by our younger daughter's gardener boyfriend.


Here's another gift...this Daylily came from Country Girl, Apple's sister, when they visited us in the summer of '07. Girls, see how nicely it's blooming?


Charles Johnston, over in the Coneflower Garden, was the first daylily to bloom this year. I missed the first 2 flowers because I wasn't expecting them so early. Joan Senior was the first to bloom last year and she hasn't begun opening her buds yet. The Coneflowers are just beginning to open their lovely pink petals.


The first clump of Summer Phlox (Paniculata) have opened in the Top Driveway Garden, with a bit of purple Monarda (Bee Balm) and a daylily for company, but not much else is happening here at the moment. Posted by Picasa

A couple of Knockout Roses in containers await planting while I try to figure out where to put them. Posted by Picasa

Shasta Daisies have plenty of Gloriosas keeping them company now in the Daisy Garden. This morning, although a chilly 51ºF/10.5ºC at 6:30 was beautifully sunny, and a bit warmer by 8:30 when this photo was taken. Posted by Picasa

This Cranesbill Geranium and a light pink one are blooming their heads off in various places.


White Astilbe blooms in the shade beside the front porch.


And this pink floppy Astilbe gets more sun on the other side.
Edit: Joy of GardenJoy4Me! tells me it's called "Ostrich Plume", which I think suits it very well.


Numerous containers are filling out. The overwintered Vancouver Centennial Geranium is paired with Blackie Sweet Potato Vine and "Apricot" Calibrachoa (Million Bells). The calibrachoas hate wet feet and I've lost a few with all the wet weather we've had. Posted by Picasa

Isn't this fantastic? It's "Stained Glassworks" Kiwi Fern Coleus. New to me.

Its companions in this container are "Copper Purple" Osteospermum (Cape Daisy), yellow Bidens, alternanthera "Royal Tapestry" (the burgundy filler), and "Rasberry Sachet" Nemesia.


I'm trialing some Proven Winners plants, some of which are in this container. The Supertunia "Lavender Skies", "Snowstorm Blue" Bacopa and "Snow Princess" Alyssum are doing beautifully. I'll let you know how the others go as they bloom. Posted by Picasa

The "Pink Morn" Petunia and "Light Lavender" Lobelia basket is still giving me a great deal of pleasure on the front porch. Posted by Picasa

Needless to say, blooms are bountiful for this July Bloom Day!
Morning has turned to afternoon, with all kinds of interruptions and things to be done, so my good intentions of a morning post have been thwarted. The most annoying and time-consuming problem though has been that I couldn't get Blogger to save my post, so I couldn't publish. I finally managed to fix the problem (fingers crossed) by clearing my cache.

Be sure to visit Carol of
May Dreams Gardens, the originator of Bloom Day, to enjoy blooms from all over the globe.

Happy Bloom Day everyone, and happy gardening!

36 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...[Reply]

The cooler, wetter summer has been good to your garden Kerri. I just adore those clematis and the lilies are to die for. Happy GBBD.

Needled Mom said...[Reply]

I always love seeing your flowers, Kerri. Despite all of the rain and cold you have had, everything is beautiful.

The "Stained Glassworks" fern is fabulous. Of course I always love your clematis and lilies. Soooo pretty.

Gail said...[Reply]

Kerri, I could spend days wandering through your garden. It's beautiful...The lilies are fantastic...they do seem to like the cooler weather. it's just so lovely up there! Now if you would get a break and a bit of warmer weather. gail

Tabor said...[Reply]

Every bloom day that you post I get so awestruck and even a little jealous. I have just started to fill our a few beds now that the deer are not grazing each night, but our weather here was also cool and our summer perfectly warm -- not yet too hot.

Cathy S. said...[Reply]

Wow Kerri! as always you have such beautiful flowers, and I have been wondering about this weather too, this must be the coolest June and July I ever heard of. Happy GBBD!

-Cathy

Alice said...[Reply]

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, .... just too beautiful for proper words!

Unknown said...[Reply]

very beautiful. and i love your kitty.

Teresa~Gardening with Soule said...[Reply]

Kerri, your gardens don't seem to unhappy with the weather, although being a fellow New Yorker, I know what you mean. It feels more like fall than summer here. We will probably have a hot fall instead. Well, we can only hope. I actually saw a few leaves changing on trees already. Those cold nights are confusing the poor trees. At least it has stopped raing every day. Thanks for sharing your wonderful gardens.

Pam/Digging said...[Reply]

I can just sense the coolness and dampness in the beauty of your images, Kerri. Can you tell I'm starved for rain and heat-relief? Seriously though, your garden looks lovely, even if you are having a wintry summer. Enjoy!

Sunita Mohan said...[Reply]

Ohhhh! Kerri, I think I'm drunk on your gorgeous blooms! Absolutely beautiful and perfect soul-food. I wish I had a quarter of that blooming for me.

Sue said...[Reply]

Kerri, your flowers are absolutely beautiful. I'm very envious. You did such a wonderful job on your garden. And somebody did a great job of stacking firewood, too!
:)

joco said...[Reply]

Good morning Kerri,

That woodpile makes such an interesting backdrop for your striking Lollipop Lilies. Don't they just shine in amongst the dark foliage. Not easy to capture white like that.

The memorial day rose reminds me of the Queen Elizabeth climbing sport rose. Possibly in its parentage. Give us a close-up of one bloom sometime.

For support: How about a thick real oldfashioned natural rope hanging between to thinnish poles?

A Lily Garden, now that is something. How long do their flowers last, compared to Day Lilies?

And then there are all those hills and fields as well......

CanadianGardenJoy said...[Reply]

Kerri ! Your gardens are absolutely BEAUTIFUL ! ... the combinations are brilliant and really set each colour off wonderfully .. the floppy astilbe is Ostrich Plume .. I have them too and they are very pretty : )
I love that Rueben posed so nicely for the picture too ? LOL
A VERY pretty post ... and yes, computer problems can take the wind out of our sdails like a lead weight girl ; ( I know what it is like !
Joy

Roses and Lilacs said...[Reply]

Beautiful photos. I always enjoy seeing your gardens, we have many of the same things blooming.

You have so many beds, how do you keep up with them all?

I made a note of the ground cover sedum. Hope I can find it, it looks really nice.
Marnie

~~Rhonda said...[Reply]

Your garden beds are lovely! I enjoyed them all. Love all the lilies. I want to add more of those to our garden. Our 'Lollipop' lily bloomed a month or more ago, so we are a bit ahead of you. The phlox has been blooming for about two weeks now. Thanks for sharing all the beautiful blossoms. ~~Rhonda

Unknown said...[Reply]

I saw that 'Stained Glass' coleus this year, too, for the first time, and I love it! I also think it's fun that we both have a container with a dark sweet potato vine (mine's the heart-shaped bronze one), a peachy callibrachoa, and 'Vancouver Centennial' geranium. That makes me feel like I'm starting to make better choices for planting up containers. :)

You have lots in bloom, Kerri... but I think you're right about things being late. That looks more like a June list to me, than a July list!

Philosophical Karen said...[Reply]

Wow, your gardens are so lovely, Kerri. What a lot of blooms you have for Blooms Day.

Mountain Mama said...[Reply]

As always, your flowers are just beautiful!!
I'm so glad that you tell the names of the flowers incase I want to get some too.

Beth said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri - your rust colored gloriosa daisies came back! Yipee!!!! :O) I LOVE THEM!!!! The seeds you sent me our doing great. I'm tickled to see what color the daisies are - I hope I get at least one rust one. The larkspur are almost blooming too. Thanks for thinking of me!

Marlene Depler said...[Reply]

Loved the flowers in your garden! I would like to come and take a stroll in your yard. I will try to post some of my flower photos soon.

sweetbay said...[Reply]

Your garden is looking just beautiful! And you have such a wonderful backdrop too. I love all of the combination photos, as well as those Lollipop Lilies. They are gorgeous. Your containers are beautiful as well. That last pic especially is just perfection.

Beautiful Bloom Day post. I very much enjoyed seeing it!

JGH said...[Reply]

I think I'd have a great time walking around your garden! Your lilies are truly spectacular and I love your daisy garden, too.

Dave King said...[Reply]

Interesting post, lovely pictures and a great blog.

Sigrun said...[Reply]

That fern is phantastic, Kerri! In Germany also we have cold in the moment, rain the most time. And storm.

Sigrun

Nan Ondra said...[Reply]

Holy cow, Kerri - you really do have blooms bursting out all over. Your clematis are simply stunning, and oh my, that rusty brown gloriosa daisy is a true beauty! And look at your argyranthemums and osteospermums; it's amazing to see them so beautiful in July (though maybe we could have done ok with them here in PA this year, with the cooler-than-usual temps). Thanks so much for sharing your garden and kitties with us.

CONEFLOWER said...[Reply]

Hello Kerri. What an amazing yard and garden you have. How DO you keep up with it all? You must have trained Reuben to pull weeds also. What a joy for you to see all this beauty around you. I know the gardens are a work of love otherwise they wouldn't look like this and there wouldn't be so many.

Thank you for sharing with us.

Pam said...[Reply]

I run out of superlatives when trying to comment on your blog. How many times can I say that I want your life, please? Well, I'd settle for your garden. You never seem to take the hint and parcel it up for me, either...

So lovely!

Merle said...[Reply]

Dear Kerri ~~ Your flowers are just beautiful and your garden is so
spectacular and what a lot of work for you.
I just wanted to wish you a very
Happy Birthday for tomorrow, 21st
July. I hope you have a wonderful day
Take care, Love, Merle.

garden girl said...[Reply]

Wow Kerri, your gardens are just gorgeous - so many beautiful blooms.

Hope you're having a wonderful birthday!

Deborah Raney said...[Reply]

Just happened to pop on here on your birthday! Wishing you a happy one, and thank you for letting us all enjoy your gorgeous garden! The view across your road is spectacular! (And I love your kitties, too!

Merle said...[Reply]

Hello again Dear Kerri ~~ I hope you had a wonderful day for your birthday. Your garden is sure too much work for one, but it is so beautiful. I liked the Kiwi Fer
Coleus - so unusual. There is no need to answer this. I wonder if
you have a minute, you could look at a post of mine No 614 called "Ann's
Garden." It is not anywhere near as
great as yours, but it is unusual
Take care, my friend, Love, Merle.

verobirdie said...[Reply]

Your lillies are absolutely fabulous. As the rest of the garden :-)

Barbara said...[Reply]

Dear Kerri, if anyone has a green thumb, it is you. Your garden looks fantastic .... and I know there is a lot of work behind. I wonder how many hours your day has got ;-) !! With a little envy I look at your lilies which are so beautiful. I am not successful planting them though I try it every Spring. But there is a little beetle who likes them too ;-).
Here I've observed that everything is blooming a little earlier than last year. There are already so many signs and indications in the garden of the coming autumn. But I still enjoy summer now and I do hope you too. And I just see that I am very late with m birthday wishes, but please accept them in spite of this delay. All the very best wishes to you and warm regards,
Barbara

Anonymous said...[Reply]

You've reminded me about the Lollipop Lilies I once had. Must find them again! I'll have to be careful about wishing for rain, we are a bit drenched now. But everything sure looks nice and green, even if it means I have to cut the grass more often!

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...[Reply]

oh my. look at all those colors.....and Reuben is delightful, perched like that!

Tabor said...[Reply]

Kerri, I taught English to 7th, 8th and 9th grade students. Quite a challenge but I did like them very much. I am now thumbing through the seed catalogs and looking carefully at day lilies. We have the deer fence up, so that means only rabbits and groundhogs to worry about.