hi everyone! My name is Lucy...long time THS forum member but my first foray on the gardening side...moved to VT from NYC two years ago and bought a house last summer with huge gardens...dream come true. Still learning what's where and what's blooming...but here are the lupine off the back patio from last week, they are just about done blooming...hope to share lots of photos and will probably ask lots of questions too!

Wonderful stand of Lupine and so tall too! Welcome to the forum, hope you will post lots of photos!

wow. Those Lupines are amazing.

Lots of new things have bloomed this week.Canterbury Bells.

Campanula

Digitalis

A "conjoined" gaillardia blossom

And I still have irises in bloom!

Welcome, Lucy! We definitely need to see more pictures of your garden, besides the lovely lupine.

pixie-lou: You seem to have an inexhaustible supply of gorgeous irises!

Claire

Thank you everyone!

Those irises are stunning!!!

I will take lots of photos - I know I will need help identifying things as they come up - I nearly ripped out a huge rhubarb plant before I found out what it was! Lol...now my freezer is stocked full of it. :)

Lots of stuff starting now:

Sisyrinchium:

Lathyrus:

Philadelphus:

Digitalis:

Sarah Bernhardt peony:

Not sure what this peony is:

Nekobus, the last peony looks like Festiva Maxima, an old variety with a sweet smell and little red streaks. I tried to take a photo of mine for comparison, but it was too overexposed in the late afternoon light.

The big shop bed is mostly purple and gold now.

From June 17, 2014

Though in a few places it's red and purple.

From June 17, 2014

P. festiva maxima

Babs - what's that plant with the lighting blue flowers in the middle of your second photos. Just above the bright pink rhodie?

Shasta daisy Alaska just opened. This one is in full sun, so it's the first to open. I have many of these in almost full shade which won't open for another few weeks. Love these plants - long bloom time.

Pixie Lou, It's Amsonia hubrichtii. Light blue to almost white flowers now (depending on the plant), feathery green foliage all season and stunning fall color - I posted a photo of it last fall, though often it's more gold than the orange it turned last fall.

There are 3 fall photos that include various of my three Amsonia in the thread linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: October 2013, part II

Thanks babs. Nice looking plant. And thanks for posting the link. It was nice to sift thru a display of fall colors.

My Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala petiolaris) is blooming next to the path in one of the woodland type areas in my yard.

The last peony to bloom in my garden, 'Red Magic', is opening now. It overlaps with the end of 'Festiva Maxima' but the last two rainstorms have beaten down the nearest 'Festiva Maxima' so I don't have them both in the same picture.

This was 'Festiva Maxima' a week ago taking a faceplant in a miscanthus after a rainstorm.

I looked out at my toolshed and noticed the white blossoms of a wild Viburnum dentatum peeking out from behind the structure. I've been clearing that area of bittersweet and blackberries and maple saplings and it's beginning to pay off.

Claire

This post was edited by claire on Thu, Jun 19, 14 at 19:07

Happy Summer Solstice!

Here's a few pics from today.

The view from the deck this morning.

Rose Carefree Wonder with Artemisia Silver Mound

Hosta On Stage

Hosta Fire and Ice

Easy Elegance Rose: Sweet Fragrance

Clematis Mikelite

Rose Smiley Face w/ Clematis Ramona

Clematis Huldine, love this one

Steve

Steve, I don't know what it is about your photos, but I always feel like I'm on an acid trip in the 60's when I see them - they show as v-e-r-y long and stretched out, contorted, dripping, almost, and strange. I wish I could see your photos properly, especially those hostas. Probably just as well, as I'd probably just run out and buy more....

Yay, two new folks! Welcome Joe and Lucy!

I finally took some photos, but they are on my daughter's phone and she still has not sent them to me. I've got to get into the 21st century one of these days!

I've got Zephrine Drouin roses and clematis Roguchi in bloom, campanula, and yellow perennial foxglove that have spread all over the yard. They are kind of nice in that they open in stages, depending upon in how much sun they have landed. Got lots of feverfew in bloom, another plant I let spread itself around, within reason. Actually, the campanula have landed in various spots around the yard too, and I'm pleasantly surprised to see that they bloom in shade as well.

Penstemon Husker Red, knautia (pink and purple, can't remember the name, started from seed), some coreopsis (can't remember which one off the top of my head), blue lupines, an iris here and there, and roses (looking very neglected and sad) are in bloom as well. My Lyda Rose is spectacular this year, small as she is (second year plant) so she and Zeffy are my only two good-looking roses. I really should give up on the others. It's definitely me, not them!

I also have a geranium that is in bloom and looks fabulous. I got it at a swap and don't know what kind it is. Oh, that reminds me my geranium biokovo is in bloom too, and looking good!

Dee

It's hard to believe that the Summer Solstice actually got here this year, after the infuriatingly long, late, winter/early spring.

Such a pretty, well-tended garden Steve! It looks like the Carefree Wonder rose is living up to its name.

My garden is decidedly unkempt right now and I'm trying to impose some order on it. I'm losing.

This is the front bed with assorted roses and peonies and foxgloves:

One self-seeded foxglove with a color I don't remember seeing before:

And the first phlox, 'Minnie Pearl', is blooming behind the fence in the Phlox Protection Zone. I wasn't sure if it was woodchuck bait or not so I planted there just in case. It's a hybrid with one parent probably Phlox maculata which woodchucks don't eat here, so I may try setting it free.

Across the street self-seeded Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana) is blooming next to wild grape and some daylilies I planted there.

Claire

This post was edited by claire on Sat, Jun 21, 14 at 14:46

Hey it's me again - the lost guy from the midwest. Midwest forum hasn't quite taken off yet so I thought I'd pop over here to post a few of the current bloomers in my garden...

First up Munstead Wood from DA - Own Root, first year

{{gwi:281303}}

Papaver somnifernum 'danish flag'

PS Drama Queen

Abraham Darby second year own root from Heirloom

Color change 24 hours later

Star of the Nile from Heirloom - own root first year

Missed a few!

The un-ID'd monster ridiculously fragrant clematis - I'm almost certain its the japanese variety fujimusume

Started from seed last year (what a PAIN... but so worth it) hot papaya coneflower putting out its very first bloom. All of my ech's are from seed - can't believe how well they are doing for only their second year

A very exciting new introduction from maybe last year? Finally got my hands on one - Digiplexis illumination flame.

First of the peruvian daffodils to bloom.

Not blooming - well... it doesn't... but a staghorn fern I found for practically nothing despite having the mount and it's size ($10!!!) instead of the usual 30...50+

Welcome back, jstatz29. It must be frustrating to have a lot of beautiful pics to show your neighbors and no one is there to see.

Lovely poppies and roses, and that clematis looks interesting. I looked at a few sites and none of them said that fujimusume was fragrant. I have no idea what it could be.

Claire

Hey jstatz, nice to see you again. Your roses are lovely - I've been eyeing that Abraham Darby for some time, but I just don't seem to have a knack for roses. Your clematis is gorgeous! Look at all those blooms! Wow!

Dee

Wow! We've been so busy in the yard doing all the April and May garden chores that I haven't even looked at the "What's Blooming Thread" and here it's the second page!

Great that there are new members, even if jjstz29 is just waiting for his Midwestern forum to get going. You have some gorgeous roses and your clematis 'fujimusume' is striking! Very, very nice. What are your plans to keep the stag horn fern going once the colder weather comes? I ask because I've always wanted one of those.

Steve, when I scrolled quickly through just to get the drift of page 2 and saw those hosta plants, I knew immediately it was your posting. They are always so striking.

Claire, your self-seeded foxglove is beautiful. Mine have all reverted to the very tall pale yellow. Time to pull them out and start again. I love your Bowl of Beauty peony .... I left one behind when we sold our first house. The new homeowner said she loved flowers and I’m sure it’s still going and going. The color of your rose ‘Zepherine Drouhin’ always gets me... wish we had room for that particular rose on our tiny lot.

And Joe... welcome to the forum. That red rose must be a climber? Looks happy and certainly is a great red.

Lucy... you are one lucky lady! Those lupines are so stately. Yes, definitely show other photos of your yard so we can all admire and ask questions.

Pixie, what is that day lily? Mine are just starting. We planted two new ones from a CT grower and I’m anxious to see how they look in their first year.

Nekobus, I love your peonies. ours are all done ... there are so many other things in bloom now and I don’t want to post old photos.

Okay, here are some pictures from our back gardens down by the river. I call the first one “Where’s Waldo?” because our pup Brody can be spotted in there.

Taken from another angle....

Some Knockout roses and clematis on the arbor... this year the Wisteria .... you can barely see it across the top... has bloomed very well.

The view up towards the house.... with Lychnis 'Rose Campion' seeded everywhere!

Nepeta and Queen Elizabeth rose... love this combo.

In fact, this has been our best year for roses. Here are some of my favorites...

Weeks 'Double Delight' is spectacular this year.

Rose 'Dick Clark' more lush than ever before...

And finally, here's our river swan. He was alone for a few years but now has a girlfriend. Maybe he won't be as nasty this season. Molie

OMG such beautiful gardens everyone! And the swans are amazing. :)

Here's some more from here...everything is starting to happen at once now!

Poppies...have no idea what kind!

Last of the Irises (Siberian I think???)

Peonies...no idea which ones. This is my first time ever having them...our house in NY didn't get enough sun.

And lastly...I think geranium?

That's odd - Fujimusume was is listed as fragrant by the clematis database. A few other ones it could be is C. 'Ascotiensis' (but the petal count is wrong - as this has up to 8 petals and Ascontiensis has usually 4-6) or and what I think to be more likely than either - is that it is lanuginosa 'perfection' which is'lost in cultivation'. Apparently this clematis has been in this spot for a long time (the town was a danish settlement) unfortunately the only pictures of perfection available are botanical illustrations. But it looks exactly like it. The last theory is that it is General Sikorski - but the stamen color is wrong... anyways.

The plan for the staghorn is to just bring indoors and mist often and water often. It's an over-watering person's dream. I have a larger one in a hanging basket that I just dunk in a basket daily. Seems to be loving it.

Abraham Darby is so rewarding as a rose. As long as you give it the nutrients it wants, don't over fertilize, and keep the pests away - they are very easy to grow.

Two more blooms on him

Here is a link that might be useful: clematis perfection illustration.

Nice riverview garden, Molie, with swans, yet!

You acquired a lovely garden, Lucy. Are those seed pods peeking out from behind the second peony pic?

jjstatz29: Just because I looked at a few sites that didn't say clematis fujimusume was fragrant doesn't mean it isn't. You know more about it than I do. I was just curious because your pic showed a very pretty clematis flower and I like fragrance.

Claire

So many beautiful roses, peonies, and poppies.

Claire, that is an interesting color foxglove. Will you scatter the seeds for more next year?

Asclepia purpura:

Lillies:

Dee, do you remember the name of the tall bush with the purple flowers on it? Got it from you 2 years ago...

-Tina

I need to learn the real names of all these plants! All I know are the common names lol!

Claire - the seed pods are from the bleeding hearts that were blooming like crazy earlier in that bed. I might move some to other beds in the future so letting them have their way for now!

Tina: I shake the foxglove seeds around each year - they don't seem to breed true, but I keep getting interesting colors in different areas. I like surprises so that's fine with me.

Claire

Tina, might it have been a leptodermis oblonga?

When/if you google to check, ignore all the descriptions that says 1.5 feet high. The plant obviously ignores them....

:)
Dee

Here is a link that might be useful: leptodermis at Bluestone

My volunteer hollyhock has opened. I love the color. I have a second volunteer plant - waiting to see what color the second one is! (that's Canterbury bells in the background).

Love that hollyhock, Pixie. Sad to say, I lost mine.... a "perennial" one. It's great that yours are still going.

When Tina mentioned the plant she received from a swap, it reminded me of the Leopard's Bane I took home from the last CT Swap .... boy, was it glorious this year! Someone also gave me a Pulmonaria. My DH loves that plant and says it's spectacular...even out of bloom.

Jjstaz29, your Abraham Darby rose is doing so well. This winter I lost my Austin 'Tamora'. I'm a sucker for the David Austin Roses. As long as I stay away from the garden centers, I can resist.

Nice to see your Vermont peonies, Lucy. They will last forever... sounds like you are enjoying all the new surprises in your gardens.

Thanks for the welcomes all! Its been fun to see what the previous owners had planted and this thread is giving me a ton of ideas for next year! The goal eventually, will be to replace my entire back lawn with planting beds, but it will definitely have to wait until next year.

Here are a few new ones that have opened up:

Spiderwort?

Not sure yet what these are. Have a ton of them though.

Buttercups?

Hosta?

Not sure..

Rhododendron finishing up?

Any day now...

Astilbe? This one has me confused. I thought Astilbes liked shade, but this one is in direct afternoon sun for 6+ hours. Maybe not an Astilbe?

Roses are going nuts!

Sorry to go off topic, but kitty is enjoying, her new garden!

Anyway, that's it, for now. Bunch of stuff about ready to open at anytime now. As you can see I need to spend some time in the plant identification forum! Hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far!!

1. Yes, Spiderwort or Tradescantia
2. Rose Campion - these will self seed
3. Euphorbia, not sure
4. Hosta Elegans
5. Ox eye Daisy
6. That Rhody needs cutting back to get new growth.
7. Asiatic Lilies, looks like you don't have the Red Lily Leaf Beetle
8. Yes Astilbe

It's a great year for roses and yours looks terrific. Nice Calico.

Steve

Thanks so much, Steve!! Great to finally know what I have!

I did spot a few Red Lilly Leaf beetles in the back yard. And just the other day, I spotted a few holes in the leaves the Casablanca lilles that I planted, but it just seems to be just the one plant. The Neem oil hopefully has taken care of it. Fingers crossed! I haven't seen any others showing damage....

Just spotted this new opening while getting ready to go for a run. Must have popped open this morning.

Nhbabs, I found a tag for that white peony with red. Turns out it's a Boule de Neige, not Festiva Maxima.

Oenothera started this weekend, marking the transition to "yellow season":

Lots of sweet peas going now:

The Clematis "Bonanza" has exploded:

Another mystery clematis I got last year has a single large bloom:

The hummingbirds love the Penstemon digitalis:

Yarrow:

Rosa carolina:

More yellow -- Coreopsis and daylilies:

And the first Phlox paniculata, "Violet Flame," bloomed yesterday:

Nekobus - I love that digitalis! Do you know if the do well in partial shade? I have some spots to fill that have partial tree cover and only really get morning sun.

I have all the usual culprits for this time of year, though I have yet to have an open lilly!

Coreopsis by the mailbox

Oenethra and Canterbury Bells

More Canterbury Bells

The first of the Rose Campion

And a nice patch of yellow loosestrife

pixie_lou - I know what you mean with the lilies. I have the one that opened this morning and that's it. Have about 20 or more that are getting ready to open at any time now. Though it seems I have been saying that for a week now...

Beautiful flowers, all. I love checking into this thread, both for the quality of the photos and to see who has what blooming.

Joe, your description of your digitalis site sounds just right for foxgloves (posted by Nekobus 6/17), but Penstemon digitalis (posted by Nekobus 6/26) likes full sun. Digitalis are biennials or short-lived perennials, so I always let some go to seed, while Penstemon are perennials. I think your home's previous owners liked spreaders, since many of them spread by roots or seeds or both IME. I agree with Steve's IDs on everything except 3 & 5. I am fairly sure that 3 is evening primrose AKA Oenothera (see nekobus's first photo from 6/26) and photo 5 is some type of fleabane AKA Erigeron. I find both to be rather weedy in my garden, with the evening primrose spreading rapidly by the roots and the fleabane spreading by seeds. If you don't want to rip out the fleabane, at least remove the spent flowerheads before they go to seed - I've been trying to get this out of my garden for years after I let one seed around.

My Clematis are really starting to take off, at least the ones the voles and moles didn't destroy last winter. I am now planting them all in hardware cloth rings to keep the tunnelers away from the main root mass, and that is helping.
Clematis Mikelite with nibbles from the chafers which seem particularly bad this year.

From June 26, 2014

Clematis Romantika

From June 26, 2014

Penstemon Sweet Joanne which will bloom virtually nonstop from now into September if it behaves like last summer. The color is funny in that it varies from a clear pink like in the photo to a lavender shade, depending on the light.
{{gwi:248207}}From June 26, 2014

No lilies here either, although I have lots of buds.

I do have Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet', the Virginia Sweetspire, blooming. Those are self-seeded foxgloves in front. I hope the itea holds on until the Blue Billow hydrangea blooms.

I think I see a jewelweed that I missed in there. Easy to pull out but sneaky.

This is the beginning of phlox time, although no Phlox paniculata yet (they're all behind a fence).

Phox carolina 'Miss Lingard' near a 'Zepherine Drouhin' rose. I think the woodchucks got it last year, but I have a little fence there, or maybe the baby woodchucks just haven't seen them yet.

Phlox maculata, the Meadow Phlox, is my thug of choice in my garden. It grows everywhere, the woodchucks don't eat it, but the hummers love it. It crowds out all weeds and I just pull it from where I don't want it.

My 'Excelsa' rose, the Cape Cod rambler that I inherited from my mother, is just starting up. This is a total monster - some of you may remember the old rose arch that blew down.

Claire

Correction. Found a blooming Lilly in my garden this morning! Lillie's are my second favorite flower - after irises.

Joe, that Penstemon in the photo is in a pretty sunny spot -- it gets sun from about 11AM until sunset.

Babs, the Sweet Joanne looks great. I'll have to keep an eye out for it. I'm guessing from the photo that it's about 18" tall -- is that about right?

Claire, the phlox and roses are lovely. I haven't had good luck with Phlox maculata, oddly.

Thanks, Dee. Yes, that's it. Haha on the height.
When you gave it to me, it was just about our height. I had to tilt it across the back seat and open the window for it to fit in my car. Then, on the trip home, it was raining harder, so I closed the window... on the tallest branch....wasn't thinking. Now, it's just below 5 feet tall.
It's still beautiful with so much more flowers this year. Plus, the bees like the flowers!

molie, the Hellebore and Oenothera 'Siskyou' and doing great. The Hellebore bloomed earlier this year with burgundy flowers! I didn't take a picture....don't know why. The Oenothera smells so wonderful.

-Tina

Oh wow everyone's gardens are just bursting right now! So beautiful!

We're in transition now...peonies are all drooping from the rain on Thursday but hopefully will recover...waiting on the lilies to start!!

I was just shocked to find all my lupines (all done blooming) are all dropping and covered in aphids...completely covered. Getting some ladybugs to hopefully take care of that!

Nekobus, Sweet Joanne has flowering stems about 24" tall.

A few mornings ago the sky at dawn was a lovely pearlescent color.

Thanks nhbabs and nekobus for all the info! You have some beautiful gardens!

I was away for a few days, visiting a friend, and found a few surprises when I got home.

Some sort of Rose:

The first Tiger Lily?:

Babs - gorgeous dawn photo. I got your email, but GW says that I cannot email you back. But yes, I would love some amsonia.

Joe - what a pretty rose!

Lilies are starting to open here. Eyeliner is always the first in my white garden. Though I'm noticing that this year, the eyeliner isn't very dark. I guess she's going for the more mature subdues look this year!

I know it's July, but I took all these shots last month :)

Geum chiloense started last week:

Monarda didyma -- this one out front gets less sun than the ones out back, but is the first to bloom:

Tiger lily:

Clematis "Jackmanii":

Nekobus - glad to see your Jackmani open. I bought one 2 years ago, and it didn't bloom last year. I've been wondering when Jackmani bloomed. I see buds this year, so I guess I still have hope that I will get blossoms this year!

I love this monarda and so does everybody who walks by and sees it. They all want to know what variety it is, but I don't have a clue because I don't even remember planting it. Does anybody else have an idea?

BetsyKristl: If the monarda is blooming now, in August, it would be better to post the pic in the Show Us Your Gardens - A photo Thread - August 2014 Part I thread so people know what to expect in an August garden.

In any case, maybe it's Monarda 'Claire Grace' which has a light purplish-pink flower.

Claire