We were at a wedding all day yesterday so I was pleasantly surprised this morning to see that my Easter lily blossoms seemed to explode open yesterday. The red lily leaf beetle do not seem to touch these trumpet type lillies at all. I occasionally see beetles on my other lillies, but I don't think I've ever seen one on these.

Lovely! I love all the whites against the brick with the white window trim. My lilies (I almost dug up in frustration when the red lily leaf beetles attacked them) have come back, thanks to everyone's suggestions. I'll have to take photos when it's cooler. Sadly, my roses have been decimated by brown beetles.

Molie

Those lilies look so cool (both 'Coool!' and cool-temperature-wise) on this hot July day.

A pic not quite in my garden, but at least outside on my deck with my houseplants. One of my clivias (Golden Dragon) always blooms in July, despite my attempts in the fall to keep it cool and dry. It was a little earlier this year; it started blooming in late June, but none of that late winter flowering the references always talk about.

An unexpected pleasure is the contribution of one of my Zepherine Drouhin roses which draped a stem with flowers right down beside the clivia. I had nothing to do with this besides originally putting the clivias in that corner before the roses bloomed. Roses are attention hoggers, it probably couldn't resist the photo op, and I couldn't resist the photo. The rose also adds wonderful fragrance to the combo.

Claire

Claire, how long have you had the yellow Clivia and where did you get it? I've been craving one. A friend grew a yellow clivia from a seed that he snipped off a plant. It took about 6 years for anything of substance to show from that seed.

Molie

Molie: I bought it about 5 years ago (not sure when) in the 2.5 inch pot size from Logee's. They only have the 5 inch pot size listed now, on sale but still pricy. The 5 inch size is probably blooming size (ten or more leaves). I also have a Clivia 'Victorian Peach' I bought a few years ago that is now big enough to bloom but hasn't yet. Maybe in August (grumble, grumble).

I think I'll give up on the strict regimen for late winter bloom - the Golden Dragon just waits until it goes out on the deck in late spring and immediately sets bud. Life is too short to spend fighting a clivia. July bloom is good too.

Claire

Claire,
The Clivia is beautiful, and the bonus rose in combination is a treat! Thanks for sharing.

{{gwi:5901}}

Forgot to mention - I also craved the yellow clivia for years, but the first ones to become available were something like $600 each (choke, choke). I saw the Golden Dragon in the 2.5 inch size on my one and only visit to Logee's in person, and I snapped it up and drove it home. I don't remember what it cost then, but probably under $20. They usually have the smaller ones reasonably cheap and you just have to wait a few years for bloom.

Claire

We went to Logee's yesterday but I didn't come home with a clivia; there were none that I could find, plus we got there late. And this morning it's raining slightly so instead of gardening, I'll post some July pictures.

The other day I caught our resident muskrat eating ground ivy --- go Ratty!

The lilies that I almost dug up when they were attacked by Red Lily Beetles are blooming

The path to our garden shed --- the ground covers are lush this year!

Scotch Moss and Blue Star Creeper

Thymus 'Highland Cream' growing in the middle of Scotch Moss

Love Leptinella 'Platt's Black' with its green tinges ---- Sagina subulata 'Aurea' looks huge next to it.

From a distance Platt's Black looks like the earth, but a closer look shows it to be thick and lush.

Hemerocallis 'Raspberry Winter'

A freebie in a Maryott's order --- Hemerocallis 'Victorian Lace'

Heliopsis helianthoides 'Prairie Sunset' --- gaged to protect what's left of it from Ratty

Hydrangea 'Blue Donau' and Hemerocallis 'Malaysian Monarch'

Hope your Fourth of July is wonderful --- and a bit drier than ours!
Molie

molie - you have quite and extensive collection of ground covers. They look great.

I've always thought that the first 2 weeks of July were best for the flower gardens. And my gardens are not dissapointing this year. I'm finally seeing my plants "filling" in - more views of flowers and less views of mulch!

My echinaceas are starting to bloom. I bought 4 or 5 new echinaceas this past year.
White Swan Echinacea

I bought this as Double Decker Echinacea. But they aren't doubles.

Shasta Daisy Alaska never disspoints.

A bee visiting gaillardia

An ant visiting a lily

Lavender

The campanula is still blooming. The lilies make a nice addition to the row.

I'm not sure if these are rudbeckia or brown eyed susans or what. I call them pretty.

Winter sown giant cactus zinnia

Tithonia. Someone posted about this plant on this forum - I remember the thread was about someone who wanted to sit in their pool and stare at a tall orange plant. I don't have a pool, but I still wanted the plant.

Pixie Lou, I also like the white lilies against the brick and the white swan echinacea. That is a nice tall lavender, what variety is it?

Mollie, I've been trying a few ground covers too. This year seems to be a good year for them. Have you found the Blue Star Creeper creeps a little too much? That's quite a patch of lilies! Glad you didn't pull them. Too bad you had to cage your Heliopsis.

I look forward to July too, when the Butterfly Bush starts blooming but first the lilies.

This is a variety of tomato I tried for the first time last year. It is 'Bush Champion' It is supposed to only grow 2ft tall. I wanted something I could grow in my front bed because that is the only place I have full sun. But it had to fit in with perennials. It is a little over 2 ft now and although it is very visible from the walkway, you can't see it from the street....

Parsley getting ready to bloom with Echinacea and Perovskia

Pea pods needing to be picked, any good ideas for how to use them? We're already tired of them. (g)

This lily is new to me this year, 'Orania' and it's fragrant ....

Pixie-Lou, I love the green centers on your White Swan Echinacea. I'm a real fan of whites in the garden but--- wow ---- that Tithonia is striking! I see so many plants on this forum that I'd buy IF we had more than a third of an acre. Of course, maybe it's a good thing we live on a small lot because if I spent any more money on plants, there'd be noting left for food.

Prairie Moon, yes, Blue Creeper does creep for sure but it's easy to control by pulling out. Plus we have a paver/rock patio behind the garden shed and there are always bare places to tuck in my out-of-hand creepers ---- like Sweet Woodruff, which overtakes everything and travels through the lawn. Now that's a real pest! As for the caged Heliopsis ---- we did have TWO of them and they were gorgeous --- full, wide and lush with flowers for a long season. But they were eaten clear down to the ground. So when a tiny part of one plant started to regrow, we decided to take no chances.

You'll have to report on Bush Champion and the crop that comes from it. I like the fact that it's placed among your perennials. Like that parsley that's setting blossoms among the penstemon and echinacea, your tomato was able to find a good home in your yard. The one thing that we've not attempted is a vegetable garden. Our river is such an easy access point for animals that like to dine and with the homes so close together, there's no way to fence in the yard. We have a high stone wall on one side but the deer just leap over it. So we've compensated by joining a Farm Share Program and get a basket of locally grown produce each week. Still, I'm envious. There's nothing like the taste of warm tomatoes right out of the garden.

Molie

Such nice photos everyone! Pixie Lou, I am quite jealous of your coneflowers and daisies. I have them (including the White Swan which I grew from seed) but I also have oriental beetles which really do a number on them. I have to say, this year the damage is not as bad, and I have been able to enjoy a few undamaged blooms, but overall it is discouraging. Such hardy and reliable plants, but the beetles just destroy them.

PM2, how are you liking Orania? One of my favorites! This year is very strange - they are usually towering over my head, but this season they are at waist level and blooming earlier than usual. Still beautiful and fragrant though - and for some reason the red beetles have not discovered them yet!

Speaking of which, Molie, so good you didn't yank those lilies! There may be some damage close up, but from where the photo was taken they look lovely!

Dee

What a nice thread this is. Love the garden 'tour'.

PM2 - can you freeze some pea pods for a stir fry later? Just wondering. Lovely lily and I too am glad to know about Bush Champion tomatoes. I think I'm going to toss my plants. Something happened, maybe a soil bacteria, too much moisture, something made the leaves all curl. But next year all new soil and fewer plants. Controlling one's self at seed planting time is tough business!

I was just outside and noticed the Platycodon grandiflorus (I think?) balloon flowers and thought, 'Boy, are you slow'.
Always looked at these flowers in the bud/blooming stage and thought they were well named. Just today (hello?) I saw the spent blossom and thought, 'Yup, sure looks like a popped balloon'. There are 5 stages of the balloon flower on one stem:

(wonder how many people counted)

And inside one blossom,mimicry. The stamen looks like a blue bee.

Jane (who will buy local tomatoes this year)

Molie, I can report a little already on the 'Bush Champion' tomato. I grew it last year. It produced a lot of round medium size tomatoes that had a very good taste. I was happy with the taste enough to grow it again. Last year the problem I had was that I didn't use a cage and they were all over the ground and I didn't get to them fast enough. This year they fit in one 2ft cage each plant and I just measured. The one out front in full sun is exactly 3ft tall. The one in the back in 6hrs of sun is 30 inches. I got them at Russell's as organic starts. After I bought them a staff member told me there are better compact tomatoes than 'Bush Champion' so I may try a different variety next year, but I am going to grow BC again.

I grow the parsley to attract beneficial insects, but in the spring I do try to remember to use some in the kitchen. I am happy that they reseed by themselves once you get them established in a bed.

We also joined a CSA this year that has organic produce. I am trying to keep up with it and use it all in a week. lol

Dee, I'm sorry that you have Oriental Beetles. I usually have a few and a few Japanese beetles, but so far I've only seen three. I thought the problem with them is in the surrounding lawn/s?

I love 'Orania'! So far I've only had CasaBlanca which I love too. I am glad to have these. I bought them from Brent & Becky's on their bulb sale. I put three in front and two in back in less sun. Those in back had more red lily beetle damage, because I didn't keep up with it. And it was much shorter. In the front they come up to my shoulder about 56 inches. The two in the back in 6hrs of sun, were only 36 inches tall. I love that they are tall, but also because they are so upright and sturdy.

Jane, great idea to freeze them! I have plenty of room in the freezer too. Thanks!

Doesn't it seem that tomatoes used to be a lot easier to grow? (g) I remember when I used to just plop the plant in the ground and they grew without a problem and produced tons of tomatoes I was giving away.

Darn if the inside of that blossom doesn't look like a blue bee! You have an eye for interesting photos, Jane. :-)

PM2, I think you are thinking of the Asiatic beetles - the little coppery ones that burrow into the ground. The Oriental beetles are beige with brown markings and are just so destructive in my yard. Plus I go outside and when I come in I find them stuck in my hair and it is just gross. I detest these things! They seem to go mostly for the coneflowers and daisies, eating them in bud stage and crawling over them when they open as well, and make the blooms eaten, ratty, and even dirty-looking. They like daylilies too, but only seem to get to them after they open, and since they are open just for the day, the damage is not as great. Didn't mean to go on so much about them, but these things are one of my biggest gardening foes!

Re: tomatoes. You know, sometimes I think the more we know, the harder it is to do something! I remember once taking care of a garden where the woman didn't know what hostas or violets or other common plants were (I don't mean the variety or cultivar, she literally did not know what kind of plants they were. Obviously, she had inherited this garden when she bought the house.)

Well, she and her husband decided to put in a vegetable garden - mostly tomatoes and eggplants, and a few peppers - and pretty much completely ignored it. I never once saw them go in it (it was fenced) and it was completely overgrown with tall grass. I have never seen such wonderful tomatoes as grew in this garden! And I don't even think they really ate any of them! In the meantime, my tomatoes weren't nearly as productive, despite the attention I gave them.

And how many times have I stopped my car to ask someone what that gorgeous rose/hosta/lily is, and what they do to keep it so big/healthy/lush and they can't answer either question! I just don't know sometimes....

Dee

PM2, I'm still loving my peas, though I've been eating them almost daily for 2 weeks so far. We grow only edible podded peas, and mostly I eat them raw as a snack or packed in my lunch for work, but they also appear at supper, lightly steamed as one of the veggies in pasta salad or raw in a green salad, or sauteed with a bit of olive oil and tamari. As with strawberries and other short-season crops, I am always sad when the pea season ends, though DH isn't quite as enthusiastic (all the more for me!)

I think I got Oriana from B&B during their spring sale also, but mine isn't blooming yet, so it's nice to get a preview. I really like just about all lilies as long as they aren't getting eaten by lily beetles.

I think I will have to look into Tithonia; such a saturated orange! and letting my parsley go to seed . . .

Dee, I was talking about the beige beetles. I get those more than I do the Japanese beetles and I rarely see the coppery ones. That would drive me crazy especially to have them season after season. I just googled it, because I had heard that the cure for Japanese beetles was Milky Spore on the lawn and I wondered if it was the same for Oriental beetles and it seems it is. Have you ever considered doing the Milky Spore treatment?

Re: tomatoes, my theory is that on virgin land that has not been gardened, a beginner can have great success for awhile. The bugs haven't found the garden yet, the soil has more fertility and less disease. I have a small veggie garden, and the spots that have enough sun for tomatoes are in short supply, so I have not been rotating as much as I would like. This year, I am having better luck. I haven't even fertilized and I have good healthy growth on the tomatoes so far. The difference is two fold. One they are growing in new locations. In the front it is only the second year using my perennial bed for a tomato plant. In the back I have a new vegetable bed in it's second year too. Reason number two in the front, is that it was a lasagna bed to start with and I used a cover crop over the winter where the tomato is growing. In the back, I am doing something different in the new bed. I am composting in place. I have been filling the bed with leaves and grass clippings and then burying vegetable scraps, egg shells, banana peels under the thick mulch all along the edges, to break down in place. The soil looks better than I've had in a long time in that bed. Dark, crumbly and full of earth worms. I hope it's not just a fluke and that I've stumbled onto a better way of managing my veggie beds.

Oh, and one more thing. I had two Sungold tomato plants to start out this year. One went into this new bed in back and the other in another veggie bed that not only was not getting this treatment, but had a lot of bok choy and scallions growing in it. The tomato was inserted in the middle of the bed surrounded by all that growth and it developed diseased leaves in short order, to the point I ended up pulling it. The second Sungold went into the new bed, with nothing else growing near it and has been wonderful. I wondered not only about the difference in fertility, but also about air circulation. I think there was not enough air circulation around the Sungold that developed diseased leaves.

Babs, I only grow the edible pods too. Sugar Snap Peas this year. They are delicious raw actually. And they are one of the easiest crops for me to grow. I can't remember having an insect problem and once the seeds are in the ground there is very little more to do. So I want to try new ways to use them. Great suggestions, thanks!

I love lilies and would have a garden full of them if it were not for the Red Lily Beetle. One of the plants from the B&B bulbs has a virus, which I am planning to pull and toss after it finishes blooming. Also going to call B&B.

Sorry for the extended discussion.....back to photos! :-)

Monarda 'Raspberry Wine' new to my garden, first bloom about to open, I think it's so cute...

Yes, PM2, I gave a bit more thought to air circulation in my garden this year also. Like you, I have limited sun, and so things usually get packed in, flowers and veggies alike! This year I tried growing fewer tomato plants in the same space. Hoping for better production, so we'll see.

I did try the milky spore, a few years back. It didn't seem as consistently recommended for Orientals as for Japanese beetles, but I was desperate so I gave it a try. Very expensive, as I have almost an acre, and what's worse, very tedious! Picture me out there with my big can of milky spore and a measuring spoon, pacing out three feet and dropping a spoonful of the stuff, over an acre-sized yard. Phew! But the funny/sad/frustrating thing is, I never had a Japanese beetle in my yard till the year AFTER I put down milky spore! Go figure! And, it didn't seem to do a thing for the Orientals. I may try putting it down again, as it didn't seem to "take".

nhbabs, you will LOVE the tithonia! Such a brilliant color and so beautiful.

Dee

Here are the photos I took this morning. I was motivated by all the great comments on the thread about cameras. Sadly, my camera is not very fancy and my skills are simplistic. My oldest daughter says that all my crummy photographs are "probably due to old age, Molie. Get yourself a tripod!"

The lily patch I almost dug up in disgust when the Red Lily Beetles attacked. You can see the damaged leaves.

Echinacea 'Coconut Lime' is beautiful as it opens

I love how Coconut Lime opens in layers from the center. It's really spectacular close up

Here's an unnamed lily that was a bonus in a bulb order. Well, actually, I'm sure it arrived 'named' but I just lost the tag

That same lily from above, showing browns and oranges

Fish and Rudbeckia 'Prairie Sun' against the garden shed.

The centers of Prairie Sun are like tapestry stitching

Not such a great photo of one of my favorite day lilies --- Hemerocallis 'Delia O'Bryan Brown'

Molie

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: pixie_lou 5 (My Page) on Fri, Jul 6, 12 at 22:20

prairiemoon - i'll have to look up the variety of lavender. I'm thinking it was munstead. You'd think I'd remember - since I just bought 3 more of the same variety to make a lavender hedge in that area. It was the first time I ever got lavender to survive a winter! I will say that it is lacking in fragrance. I really have to stick my nose in it to get a scent.

Also - I didn't know that parslet bloomed. I'm letting last years plants go to seed, with the hopes that they do reseed. But didn't realize they would bloom..

Speaking of Tithonia - in just 3-4 days, the tithonia blossom has gotten larger. I still only have 1 blossom, though tons of buds. I am so anxiously awaiting multiple blossoms!

I'm reposting the image from Monday next to the image from today - so everyone can see how much the blossom has improved.

Coneflower Hot Papaya has opened. This is near the tithonia - so it will soon be a huge patch of orange!

Monkshood

An overall shot of my corner garden. Which is finally starting to fill in. Rose Campion, Day Lillies, Gaillardia, Shasta Daisy, Monkshood are all in bloom. This is my all color garden - so many other areas I limit my color choices - but here anything goes!

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: claire z6b Coastal MA (My Page) on Sat, Jul 7, 12 at 12:26

molie: lovely lilies and I'm also glad you didn't dig them up in disgust. Love that Echinacea 'Coconut Lime'.

My Monarda 'Jacob Kline' are now open.

It's prime rose time now; this is the view as I come out on the porch.

I walked down the steps on the way to the mailbox.

And buried in those plants is the woodchuck burrow I discovered yesterday. I don't think it uprooted a peony but I'll have to look closer.

A little farther on the way to the mailbox (walking backwards so I can take the photo). Meadow phlox is everywhere.

Coming back empty handed (mail not here yet) - Blushing Knockout Rose has hit its stride.

Rose 'Carefree Delight' has finally recovered from its move, now that I dug out the Siberian irises that were trying to smother it.

Daylily H. 'Rosy Returns' with the ubiquitous Meadow Phlox.

and Hemerocallis 'Fulva probably Florepleno' (but it's easier to say double ditch lily).

Claire

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: molie z6 CT (My Page) on Sat, Jul 7, 12 at 13:28

Too hot and humid to be out in the garden today ---- looking at these photos instead.

Pixie Lou, how big does that Tithonia plant get in your yard? Is it in full or part sun? That color is so striking and surely pops from a distance. I ask because I have just a tiny bit of real estate left in my long garden.

Claire, your 'mailbox walk' is beautiful. The roses are so lush; those Knockouts seem to have really taken to the slope. And what about Woodchuck's borrow --- will you leave it alone or try to discourage him/her? We've found that they are pretty hard to discourage once they've found a good home.

Here along the river, our neighbor has generously allowed everyone to throw green trash into his back yard in order to create a berm of land along the river that will help during floods or high tides. So for years people have been tossing dead trees, leaves, brush and weeds onto the pile. And what we've done is create a fantastic wildlife condo. I know there's a complex tunnel system underneath because we can see animals heading for the "pile" by land and by water. My DH calls our garden the Home Depot for rodents!

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: claire z6b Coastal MA (My Page) on Sat, Jul 7, 12 at 13:48

Thanks, molie; the Blushing Knockouts are always reliable and will keep blooming until frost, with a short vacation in really hot weather. All of my roses take a break around the end of July and August, and start up again when it cools down.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the burrow. Trying to fill it will disrupt the plants around it and I'm afraid the woodchuck will find another, more disruptive, place to dig the next burrow. I like the story about your neighbor's wildlife housing project. A win-win situation for everyone - you get a flood barrier and the critters get a home.

Claire

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: diggerdee z6 CT (My Page) on Sat, Jul 7, 12 at 14:02

Pixie lou, that area with the tithonia and the coneflower will be one hot garden! Is the monkshood near it? Because it's like a cold glass of water on a hot day, if it's nearby - a bit of cool blue to cool down the hot orange. Awesome! (it's awesome either way; whether the monkshood is near it or not, I'm loving the orange!)

Speaking of which, what kind of monkshood it that? Mine doesn't bloom till fall. I know things are a bit earlier than usual this year, lol, but I'm guessing you must have a different variety than I do.

Dee

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: corunum CT 6 (My Page) on Sat, Jul 7, 12 at 16:10

pixie - you made me think about why I choose specific colors when you wrote "so many other areas I limit my color choices". I've changed my mind about colors over the decades of gardening that I've done. I used to be tied to mostly pinks, lavender, and white. Seems like the more hurdles life throws and I jump, I bring in more reds and oranges and anything that just looks good.

I think that's why I now have Christmas in July. One trip to the Christmas Tree Shop in February and coming home with bulbs has resulted in:
Mexican shell flower

Peacock orchid

Cherry Pie shrub roses - not from Christmas Tree Shop bulb trip

Cherry Pie shrub roses

Claire - if that were my pathway, I'd pack a lunch and wait by the mailbox looking backward at all the beauty. Do the fragrances from so many roses waft through the air? Gorgeous.

If I could tell my younger gardener self anything, I would tell her to plant more flowering shrubs and ornamental trees. I have so many more now than I did 35 years ago because I finally awoke to aging and color!

Kindly,
Jane

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: claire z6b Coastal MA (My Page) on Sat, Jul 7, 12 at 17:57

Jane: Most of the roses in my garden, unfortunately, don't have much fragrance. With Knockouts you sacrifice fragrance to gain low maintenance and high reliability. The rugosas and Zepherine Drouhin roses, on the other hand, are a delight to smell, even in allergy season.

The idea of why you choose colors is fascinating. My garden is heavy in pinks, not because I'm such a fan of pink, but because easy plants that do well in my microclimate seem to be mostly that color. I have no idea why. And once the easy happy plants grow and fill the area there's no room for other plants in different colors. Unless you're willing to dump a plant that's happy and healthy and has earned its place in your garden.

Claire

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: claire z6b Coastal MA (My Page) on Sun, Jul 8, 12 at 12:29

I do have a rose that's not pink - Rose 'Blanc Double de Coubert'. Not as floriferous as the other rugosas, but when it blooms it's lovely, and fragrant to boot.

Claire

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: claire z6b Coastal MA (My Page) on Mon, Jul 9, 12 at 12:15

I'm on a run of walking out, seeing something new (Oh, look what just bloomed!), grabbing the camera and posting a picture.

Here the American Revolution daylily that just missed the Fourth of July - I'd say it's one of my favorite daylilies but they're all my favorite daylilies.

Claire

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: spedigrees z4VT (spedigre@sover.net) on Mon, Jul 9, 12 at 13:40

I adore your roses, Claire! Pixie, your all color garden is beautiful. Molie, I love your fish sculpture in with the rudbeckia, and also your beautiful orange "unnamed" lily with the speckles.

My blooms are very far behind everyone else's. The mini roses in my pet memorial garden are blooming along with wild 'volunteer' daisies. The garden itself doesn't photograph well, but it is a nice peaceful spot on the bank of the brook.

The wild milkweed has been profuse this summer. I can't take credit, as I didn't plant it, although I have set apart sanctuaries for it and other desirable wild flowers/weeds to grow on my property. I have several other types of milkweeds that bloom later. I remove undesirable weeds (poison parsnip, burdocks, etc) but I have been lax about removing as many nettles as I once did since someone (Terrene maybe?) informed us that these are the caterpillar food for black swallowtail butterflies. The butterflies have been prolific this year - monarchs, tiger swallowtails, and others. I haven't been patient enough to photograph them though.

Finally my nasturiums are starting to bloom. So far just orange blooms, but by August I usually have a combination of colors with interesting cross-polinated varieties. I've saved these seeds every year for a long time now and plant them in various places. These are in a hanging basket on the porch.

And my veggie patch is coming along. I should have sunflower blooms by the end of the week and hopefully summer squash and sweet corn sometime this summer.

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: defrost49 5 (My Page) on Mon, Jul 9, 12 at 15:45

wow, molie, the lilies are gorgeous. My volunteer lilies got chewed up last year but are great this year (except they are still a horrible bright orange). Love the Victorian Lace day lily.

You can pickle sugar snap peas, too. I just do a small batch to have in the frig. My husband is not a pickle eater.

spedigrees, I asked my husband to leave a swath of wild meadow this year. I pointed out how much the goldfinches and other birds enjoy feeding on the grass seeds. The area just started getting mowed a couple of years ago after being renovated for a hay field. I know there are lots of milkweeds etc on other parts of our property but I like having an area close to the vegetable garden to encourage the birds and other insects.

I have not seen any striped cucumber beetles this year after losing plants to them last year. I grew the summer squash and zucchinis under protective covers this year and planted the winter squash on the other side of the house.

Prairiemoon, I have been using the lasagna method since 2007 (started growing in the beds in 2008) and am very happy with the technique. I had composted horse manure to the top of the beds in the spring as soon as I can. There's no sense in letting all that good grass clippings, leaves etc go to waste. The year I planted spinach before I topped off the garden with composted horse manure, it didn't get as big as the row I planted later after manuring. It was still good spinach just not huge and fantastic.

We had to get a new camera so I'm still behind in using it. Mostly my garden beds aren't showy this year after losing both shasta daisies and a red leaved weigelia in my circle bed. It's lop sided now but might look better when things start blooming. Echinacea was just starting when we left on vacation.

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: pixie_lou 5 (My Page) on Mon, Jul 9, 12 at 21:46

molie and dee - regarding the tithonia. We chopped down a tree down by the pond, and since we had an unsightly stump, I had dh build me a little planter - it is about 4' in diameter. I decided that I would turn it into a "butterfly/hummingbird nectar" garden. And I decided I would do oranges and yellows for colors. It is pretty much one of the only places in the yard to get full sun.

Here is a photo taken on 21 May. I had the following planted:
2 tithonia
grey headed coneflower
echinacea hot papaya
ozark coneflower
bee balm - variety escapes me right now
blue globe thistle
the green stakes show where I planted liatris bulbs
the mini blind stakes are where I put ws zinnias

As you can see, the planter looked pretty "bare". So lacking patience, I went out and bought a 9 pack of lantana, a 3 pack of dill, a 6 pack of annual salvia. And planted them all in the planter.

The tithonia has gotten a lot bigger than I expected. The echinacea hot papaya is holding it's own, as has the bee balm. Well - I have lots of bee balm foliage but no flowers But everything else is buried under the tithonia. The tithonia is a huge plant. The top of the shepherds hook is a little over 6 feet high.

Here is a photo of the whole planted taken this afternoon.

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: spedigrees z4VT (spedigre@sover.net) on Mon, Jul 9, 12 at 23:02

Your DH did a fabulous job on the stump planter, Pixie. It looks beautiful with the flowers and hummingbird feeders.

Also I meant to comment on the blue bee lookalike stamen on your balloon flower, Jane. That's a remarkable resemblence and a great photo. Was it just a fluke or did all the blossoms develop the bee-like appendage?

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: corunum CT 6 (My Page) on Tue, Jul 10, 12 at 15:49

Wow, pixie! That looks like a memorial to a great tree! Good idea, great stone job. Reminded me of "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. Nice thing to do.

Sped - I looked at the whole group of balloon flowers and the 'blue bee' is not an anomaly. Now that I've knelt down and looked at everybody's 'blossom bottom', in varying degrees of blossom opening, the stamen opens to a 5 pointed stigma and pistils spread open and some looked more like spiders at their varying degree of openness. It appears that the balloon flower is a 'perfect' flower according to the source listed below. (did not know that about the balloon flower - had to look that up)

This one is still whole before opening.

Jane

Here is a link that might be useful: Univ. of Connecticut Extension

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: pixie_lou 5 (My Page) on Tue, Jul 10, 12 at 19:16

claire - your bee balm is gorgeous. I'm still waiting for mine to open. And I will repeat what others said - if I had your walk to the mailbox, I think I would be checking the mail 100 times a day!

dee- sadly I have no idea what variety the monkshood is. The t5`

spedigrees - your pet memorial garden is so sweet. When I was a kid, my mom had a rose garden. Every time we lost a pet, she would buy a new rose. I love the idea, but we are a pet free home. And will always be a pet free home.

I also am envious of your meadow. I may have a pond, but I would love love love to have a meadow.

As for additional blooms in my garden these days:
Winter sown Princes Feather. I was under the impression that these got to be 5-6 feet tall. But this isn't even 2 feet tall yet.

I was surprised to see Hydrangea Paniculata Tardiva starting to bloom. I'll have to go check my photo records from last year, but I remember this as a Fall bloomer.

I've never been much of a day lily person. But I have to admit that double ditch lily is one of my favorites.

And I also like this dark pink and yellow one.

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: diggerdee z6 CT (My Page) on Wed, Jul 11, 12 at 8:36

Pixie lou, yes, the tithonia can get huge! The first year I had it, I had just stuck it in a pot, and it got to about 3 feet. So the next year I planted it in the ground, expecting the three feet, and the darn thing had to be six feet tall by the end of the summer! So, now I know - give it a wide berth and don't plant anything else too close to it unless I never want to see those things again, lol.

I too have an "orange/yellow/red" bed. I've always loved pinks and purples, but have been coming over to the hot side, lol. I have very little sun, and so I picked a spot for the orange bed in the sun. So far it's mostly annuals, (tithonia, marigolds, rudbeckias, zinnias) and this year it's pathethic, lol - small, scrawny, everything leaning like the Tower of Pisa, all one-stem wonders! - but eventually I hope to add more perennials to what I have - red monarda, red & yellow daylilies, some helenium and coreopsis, heliopsis, etc. although I think the tithonia will always be a mainstay of this bed!

Such beautiful photos everyone! I don't post many photos (don't have a convenient camera and my daughter never seems to leaver hers home when I want it) but I do so enjoy looking at everyone else's! Thank you all so much for sharing and keep 'em coming!

Dee

P.S. Pixie, I meant to add that so many things are blooming early this year - early and short. I have lots of winter-sown and self-sown amaranthus & celosias that are blooming at about ten to twelve inches tall! I'm hoping they will continue growing and blooming and reach their usual three feet or so.

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: pixie_lou 5 (My Page) on Wed, Jul 11, 12 at 11:28

We are over 30 posts on this thread and its only the 11th. Should I start a part 2 thread this weekend?

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: claire z6b Coastal MA (My Page) on Wed, Jul 11, 12 at 11:52

Part 2 sounds good to me - lots more blooming to come.

Claire

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: molie z6 CT (My Page) on Wed, Jul 11, 12 at 19:00

Pixie, thanks for posting the photos of your tithonia as it has grown so we could see its eventual size. All I can say is yikes, that is one huge plant! Unfortunately, it's too big for the spots I was thinking of in my garden.

I'm still looking for some narrow, bolder colored oranges or reds that are tall and can go in the back along a fence between Phlox Davids. Love that double ditch lily, but we already have so many daylilies.

Looking forward to Part 2 for July!

Molie

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: pixie_lou 5 (My Page) on Fri, Jul 13, 12 at 22:09

molie - the tithonia is getting bigger. I can barely see the thistle feeder any more. It is a few inches taller than the shepherd hook. And this is just 4 days later!

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: girlcat36 6 ish (My Page) on Sat, Jul 14, 12 at 10:01

I get so excited to see this thread each month!

Pixie Lou, your white lilies are stunning! I really like the campanula against the yellow lilies, too. Your pPrincess Feather looks great! My amaranthus are puny and sickly looking :(

Claire, I have an orange clivia given to me by a friend; I had no idea what it was until I saw your picture. Your roses are gorgeous! I've made up my mind that I don't have enough roses in my yard after seeing yours.

Molie, I love that Victorian Lace daylily; and the leptinella....so interesting. I've never seen that one before. Coconut Lime echinacea is going on my 'wanted' list; so pretty!

spedigree, your veggie patch is so cute!

I love seeing everyone's monarda, I've wanted some for years and I just don't know why I haven't planted any yet!

As usual, I feel like my garden is behind everyone else's.

I'm very glad I planted these bachelor's buttons in my zinnia bed because the zinnias are really under performing this year:

Envy was a new zinnia for me this year, and I really love the color:

I'm trying out these zinnias to see if the red is the 'right' red for my front yard:

I started these ageratum from seed, but they were supposed to be Blue Horizon and they are not:

I started these ageratum from seed as well, from a different seed company. They actually are Blue Horizon:

A baby Quickfire hydrangea with Shasta daisy in the background:

My first sunflower bloom of the season:

And these never disappoint when all else fails in the garden. NOt sure exactly what they are...they are divisions from my late father's property:

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: girlcat36 6 ish (My Page) on Sat, Jul 14, 12 at 13:26

I get so excited to see this thread each month!

Pixie Lou, your white lilies are stunning! I really like the campanula against the yellow lilies, too. Your pPrincess Feather looks great! My amaranthus are puny and sickly looking :(

Claire, I have an orange clivia given to me by a friend; I had no idea what it was until I saw your picture. Your roses are gorgeous! I've made up my mind that I don't have enough roses in my yard after seeing yours.

Molie, I love that Victorian Lace daylily; and the leptinella....so interesting. I've never seen that one before. Coconut Lime echinacea is going on my 'wanted' list; so pretty!

spedigree, your veggie patch is so cute!

I love seeing everyone's monarda, I've wanted some for years and I just don't know why I haven't planted any yet!

As usual, I feel like my garden is behind everyone else's.

I'm very glad I planted these bachelor's buttons in my zinnia bed because the zinnias are really under performing this year:

Envy was a new zinnia for me this year, and I really love the color:

I'm trying out these zinnias to see if the red is the 'right' red for my front yard:

I started these ageratum from seed, but they were supposed to be Blue Horizon and they are not:

I started these ageratum from seed as well, from a different seed company. They actually are Blue Horizon:

A baby Quickfire hydrangea with Shasta daisy in the background:

My first sunflower bloom of the season:

And these never disappoint when all else fails in the garden. NOt sure exactly what they are...they are divisions from my late father's property:

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: prairiemoon2 zone 6a/MA (My Page) on Sat, Jul 14, 12 at 17:35

I'm enjoying looking at everyone's gardens. Haven't had another chance to get out there with a camera again.

Love everyone's lilies and roses.

Tithonia, is one I have often thought of trying but not sure I have enough sun or room for one.

Pixielou, I've had good luck with 'Lavender Lady' but it is shorter. It is the one variety that comes back consistently for me and is easy to start from collected seed.

Claire, your garden looks so much like a seaside Cape garden, so you are succeeding with your goals. I love your steps with the roses, grass and all that meadow phlox.

spedigrees, who is your pet memorial garden for? Nice idea. And great habitat for all those butterflies.

defrost, thanks for that idea for the sugar snap peas. I never thought of doing that. And I agree the lasagna method is great. SO much easier than digging up lawn etc. when you want to put a new bed in and lots of organic material for the soil.

girl cat, such an inviting sitting area. You've been busy starting seed. I haven't done any this year. I've grown that 'Blue Horizon' and enjoyed it. I'm jealous of your sunflower bed. Something I would love to grow, but not enough sun. I like that effect in the raised bed with the nasturtium. Are there tomatoes growing in there too?

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: terrene 5b MA (My Page) on Sat, Jul 14, 12 at 20:55

Very lovely photos of summer gardens on this thread. I hope to post some soon because the back garden is starting to bloom like crazy!

Spedigrees, the nettles are host plants for several butterflies, but not the Black Swallowtail. Host plants for Eastern Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) include parsley, dill, fennel, rue, queen anne's lace, and the native Zizia species.

Nettles are host plants for Red Admiral, Commas, and Question Marks, perhaps others? I want to grow some myself, after seeing an abundance of these butterflies this Spring.

RE: What is blooming in your garden - A photo Thread - July 2012

• Posted by: pixie_lou 5 (My Page) on Sun, Jul 15, 12 at 10:28

This thread is now closed. Please continue posting and discussions on the July 2012 Part II thread.

Here is a link that might be useful: Part II July 2012

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prairiemoon - i'll have to look up the variety of lavender. I'm thinking it was munstead. You'd think I'd remember - since I just bought 3 more of the same variety to make a lavender hedge in that area. It was the first time I ever got lavender to survive a winter! I will say that it is lacking in fragrance. I really have to stick my nose in it to get a scent.

Also - I didn't know that parslet bloomed. I'm letting last years plants go to seed, with the hopes that they do reseed. But didn't realize they would bloom..

Speaking of Tithonia - in just 3-4 days, the tithonia blossom has gotten larger. I still only have 1 blossom, though tons of buds. I am so anxiously awaiting multiple blossoms!

I'm reposting the image from Monday next to the image from today - so everyone can see how much the blossom has improved.

Coneflower Hot Papaya has opened. This is near the tithonia - so it will soon be a huge patch of orange!

Monkshood

An overall shot of my corner garden. Which is finally starting to fill in. Rose Campion, Day Lillies, Gaillardia, Shasta Daisy, Monkshood are all in bloom. This is my all color garden - so many other areas I limit my color choices - but here anything goes!

molie: lovely lilies and I'm also glad you didn't dig them up in disgust. Love that Echinacea 'Coconut Lime'.

My Monarda 'Jacob Kline' are now open.

It's prime rose time now; this is the view as I come out on the porch.

I walked down the steps on the way to the mailbox.

And buried in those plants is the woodchuck burrow I discovered yesterday. I don't think it uprooted a peony but I'll have to look closer.

A little farther on the way to the mailbox (walking backwards so I can take the photo). Meadow phlox is everywhere.

Coming back empty handed (mail not here yet) - Blushing Knockout Rose has hit its stride.

Rose 'Carefree Delight' has finally recovered from its move, now that I dug out the Siberian irises that were trying to smother it.

Daylily H. 'Rosy Returns' with the ubiquitous Meadow Phlox.

and Hemerocallis 'Fulva probably Florepleno' (but it's easier to say double ditch lily).

Claire

Too hot and humid to be out in the garden today ---- looking at these photos instead.

Pixie Lou, how big does that Tithonia plant get in your yard? Is it in full or part sun? That color is so striking and surely pops from a distance. I ask because I have just a tiny bit of real estate left in my long garden.

Claire, your 'mailbox walk' is beautiful. The roses are so lush; those Knockouts seem to have really taken to the slope. And what about Woodchuck's borrow --- will you leave it alone or try to discourage him/her? We've found that they are pretty hard to discourage once they've found a good home.

Here along the river, our neighbor has generously allowed everyone to throw green trash into his back yard in order to create a berm of land along the river that will help during floods or high tides. So for years people have been tossing dead trees, leaves, brush and weeds onto the pile. And what we've done is create a fantastic wildlife condo. I know there's a complex tunnel system underneath because we can see animals heading for the "pile" by land and by water. My DH calls our garden the Home Depot for rodents!

Thanks, molie; the Blushing Knockouts are always reliable and will keep blooming until frost, with a short vacation in really hot weather. All of my roses take a break around the end of July and August, and start up again when it cools down.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the burrow. Trying to fill it will disrupt the plants around it and I'm afraid the woodchuck will find another, more disruptive, place to dig the next burrow. I like the story about your neighbor's wildlife housing project. A win-win situation for everyone - you get a flood barrier and the critters get a home.

Claire

Pixie lou, that area with the tithonia and the coneflower will be one hot garden! Is the monkshood near it? Because it's like a cold glass of water on a hot day, if it's nearby - a bit of cool blue to cool down the hot orange. Awesome! (it's awesome either way; whether the monkshood is near it or not, I'm loving the orange!)

Speaking of which, what kind of monkshood it that? Mine doesn't bloom till fall. I know things are a bit earlier than usual this year, lol, but I'm guessing you must have a different variety than I do.

Dee

pixie - you made me think about why I choose specific colors when you wrote "so many other areas I limit my color choices". I've changed my mind about colors over the decades of gardening that I've done. I used to be tied to mostly pinks, lavender, and white. Seems like the more hurdles life throws and I jump, I bring in more reds and oranges and anything that just looks good.

I think that's why I now have Christmas in July. One trip to the Christmas Tree Shop in February and coming home with bulbs has resulted in:
Mexican shell flower

Peacock orchid

Cherry Pie shrub roses - not from Christmas Tree Shop bulb trip

Cherry Pie shrub roses

Claire - if that were my pathway, I'd pack a lunch and wait by the mailbox looking backward at all the beauty. Do the fragrances from so many roses waft through the air? Gorgeous.

If I could tell my younger gardener self anything, I would tell her to plant more flowering shrubs and ornamental trees. I have so many more now than I did 35 years ago because I finally awoke to aging and color!

Kindly,
Jane

Jane: Most of the roses in my garden, unfortunately, don't have much fragrance. With Knockouts you sacrifice fragrance to gain low maintenance and high reliability. The rugosas and Zepherine Drouhin roses, on the other hand, are a delight to smell, even in allergy season.

The idea of why you choose colors is fascinating. My garden is heavy in pinks, not because I'm such a fan of pink, but because easy plants that do well in my microclimate seem to be mostly that color. I have no idea why. And once the easy happy plants grow and fill the area there's no room for other plants in different colors. Unless you're willing to dump a plant that's happy and healthy and has earned its place in your garden.

Claire

I do have a rose that's not pink - Rose 'Blanc Double de Coubert'. Not as floriferous as the other rugosas, but when it blooms it's lovely, and fragrant to boot.

Claire

I'm on a run of walking out, seeing something new (Oh, look what just bloomed!), grabbing the camera and posting a picture.

Here the American Revolution daylily that just missed the Fourth of July - I'd say it's one of my favorite daylilies but they're all my favorite daylilies.

Claire

I adore your roses, Claire! Pixie, your all color garden is beautiful. Molie, I love your fish sculpture in with the rudbeckia, and also your beautiful orange "unnamed" lily with the speckles.

My blooms are very far behind everyone else's. The mini roses in my pet memorial garden are blooming along with wild 'volunteer' daisies. The garden itself doesn't photograph well, but it is a nice peaceful spot on the bank of the brook.

The wild milkweed has been profuse this summer. I can't take credit, as I didn't plant it, although I have set apart sanctuaries for it and other desirable wild flowers/weeds to grow on my property. I have several other types of milkweeds that bloom later. I remove undesirable weeds (poison parsnip, burdocks, etc) but I have been lax about removing as many nettles as I once did since someone (Terrene maybe?) informed us that these are the caterpillar food for black swallowtail butterflies. The butterflies have been prolific this year - monarchs, tiger swallowtails, and others. I haven't been patient enough to photograph them though.

Finally my nasturiums are starting to bloom. So far just orange blooms, but by August I usually have a combination of colors with interesting cross-polinated varieties. I've saved these seeds every year for a long time now and plant them in various places. These are in a hanging basket on the porch.

And my veggie patch is coming along. I should have sunflower blooms by the end of the week and hopefully summer squash and sweet corn sometime this summer.

wow, molie, the lilies are gorgeous. My volunteer lilies got chewed up last year but are great this year (except they are still a horrible bright orange). Love the Victorian Lace day lily.

You can pickle sugar snap peas, too. I just do a small batch to have in the frig. My husband is not a pickle eater.

spedigrees, I asked my husband to leave a swath of wild meadow this year. I pointed out how much the goldfinches and other birds enjoy feeding on the grass seeds. The area just started getting mowed a couple of years ago after being renovated for a hay field. I know there are lots of milkweeds etc on other parts of our property but I like having an area close to the vegetable garden to encourage the birds and other insects.

I have not seen any striped cucumber beetles this year after losing plants to them last year. I grew the summer squash and zucchinis under protective covers this year and planted the winter squash on the other side of the house.

Prairiemoon, I have been using the lasagna method since 2007 (started growing in the beds in 2008) and am very happy with the technique. I had composted horse manure to the top of the beds in the spring as soon as I can. There's no sense in letting all that good grass clippings, leaves etc go to waste. The year I planted spinach before I topped off the garden with composted horse manure, it didn't get as big as the row I planted later after manuring. It was still good spinach just not huge and fantastic.

We had to get a new camera so I'm still behind in using it. Mostly my garden beds aren't showy this year after losing both shasta daisies and a red leaved weigelia in my circle bed. It's lop sided now but might look better when things start blooming. Echinacea was just starting when we left on vacation.

molie and dee - regarding the tithonia. We chopped down a tree down by the pond, and since we had an unsightly stump, I had dh build me a little planter - it is about 4' in diameter. I decided that I would turn it into a "butterfly/hummingbird nectar" garden. And I decided I would do oranges and yellows for colors. It is pretty much one of the only places in the yard to get full sun.

Here is a photo taken on 21 May. I had the following planted:
2 tithonia
grey headed coneflower
echinacea hot papaya
ozark coneflower
bee balm - variety escapes me right now
blue globe thistle
the green stakes show where I planted liatris bulbs
the mini blind stakes are where I put ws zinnias

As you can see, the planter looked pretty "bare". So lacking patience, I went out and bought a 9 pack of lantana, a 3 pack of dill, a 6 pack of annual salvia. And planted them all in the planter.

The tithonia has gotten a lot bigger than I expected. The echinacea hot papaya is holding it's own, as has the bee balm. Well - I have lots of bee balm foliage but no flowers But everything else is buried under the tithonia. The tithonia is a huge plant. The top of the shepherds hook is a little over 6 feet high.

Here is a photo of the whole planted taken this afternoon.

Your DH did a fabulous job on the stump planter, Pixie. It looks beautiful with the flowers and hummingbird feeders.

Also I meant to comment on the blue bee lookalike stamen on your balloon flower, Jane. That's a remarkable resemblence and a great photo. Was it just a fluke or did all the blossoms develop the bee-like appendage?

Here is a link that might be useful: Univ. of Connecticut Extension

Wow, pixie! That looks like a memorial to a great tree! Good idea, great stone job. Reminded me of "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. Nice thing to do.

Sped - I looked at the whole group of balloon flowers and the 'blue bee' is not an anomaly. Now that I've knelt down and looked at everybody's 'blossom bottom', in varying degrees of blossom opening, the stamen opens to a 5 pointed stigma and pistils spread open and some looked more like spiders at their varying degree of openness. It appears that the balloon flower is a 'perfect' flower according to the source listed below. (did not know that about the balloon flower - had to look that up)

This one is still whole before opening.

Jane

claire - your bee balm is gorgeous. I'm still waiting for mine to open. And I will repeat what others said - if I had your walk to the mailbox, I think I would be checking the mail 100 times a day!

dee- sadly I have no idea what variety the monkshood is. The t5`

spedigrees - your pet memorial garden is so sweet. When I was a kid, my mom had a rose garden. Every time we lost a pet, she would buy a new rose. I love the idea, but we are a pet free home. And will always be a pet free home.

I also am envious of your meadow. I may have a pond, but I would love love love to have a meadow.

As for additional blooms in my garden these days:
Winter sown Princes Feather. I was under the impression that these got to be 5-6 feet tall. But this isn't even 2 feet tall yet.

I was surprised to see Hydrangea Paniculata Tardiva starting to bloom. I'll have to go check my photo records from last year, but I remember this as a Fall bloomer.

I've never been much of a day lily person. But I have to admit that double ditch lily is one of my favorites.

And I also like this dark pink and yellow one.

Pixie lou, yes, the tithonia can get huge! The first year I had it, I had just stuck it in a pot, and it got to about 3 feet. So the next year I planted it in the ground, expecting the three feet, and the darn thing had to be six feet tall by the end of the summer! So, now I know - give it a wide berth and don't plant anything else too close to it unless I never want to see those things again, lol.

I too have an "orange/yellow/red" bed. I've always loved pinks and purples, but have been coming over to the hot side, lol. I have very little sun, and so I picked a spot for the orange bed in the sun. So far it's mostly annuals, (tithonia, marigolds, rudbeckias, zinnias) and this year it's pathethic, lol - small, scrawny, everything leaning like the Tower of Pisa, all one-stem wonders! - but eventually I hope to add more perennials to what I have - red monarda, red & yellow daylilies, some helenium and coreopsis, heliopsis, etc. although I think the tithonia will always be a mainstay of this bed!

Such beautiful photos everyone! I don't post many photos (don't have a convenient camera and my daughter never seems to leaver hers home when I want it) but I do so enjoy looking at everyone else's! Thank you all so much for sharing and keep 'em coming!

Dee

P.S. Pixie, I meant to add that so many things are blooming early this year - early and short. I have lots of winter-sown and self-sown amaranthus & celosias that are blooming at about ten to twelve inches tall! I'm hoping they will continue growing and blooming and reach their usual three feet or so.

We are over 30 posts on this thread and its only the 11th. Should I start a part 2 thread this weekend?

Part 2 sounds good to me - lots more blooming to come.

Claire

Pixie, thanks for posting the photos of your tithonia as it has grown so we could see its eventual size. All I can say is yikes, that is one huge plant! Unfortunately, it's too big for the spots I was thinking of in my garden.

I'm still looking for some narrow, bolder colored oranges or reds that are tall and can go in the back along a fence between Phlox Davids. Love that double ditch lily, but we already have so many daylilies.

Looking forward to Part 2 for July!

Molie

molie - the tithonia is getting bigger. I can barely see the thistle feeder any more. It is a few inches taller than the shepherd hook. And this is just 4 days later!

I get so excited to see this thread each month!

Pixie Lou, your white lilies are stunning! I really like the campanula against the yellow lilies, too. Your pPrincess Feather looks great! My amaranthus are puny and sickly looking :(

Claire, I have an orange clivia given to me by a friend; I had no idea what it was until I saw your picture. Your roses are gorgeous! I've made up my mind that I don't have enough roses in my yard after seeing yours.

Molie, I love that Victorian Lace daylily; and the leptinella....so interesting. I've never seen that one before. Coconut Lime echinacea is going on my 'wanted' list; so pretty!

spedigree, your veggie patch is so cute!

I love seeing everyone's monarda, I've wanted some for years and I just don't know why I haven't planted any yet!

As usual, I feel like my garden is behind everyone else's.

I'm very glad I planted these bachelor's buttons in my zinnia bed because the zinnias are really under performing this year:

Envy was a new zinnia for me this year, and I really love the color:

I'm trying out these zinnias to see if the red is the 'right' red for my front yard:

I started these ageratum from seed, but they were supposed to be Blue Horizon and they are not:

I started these ageratum from seed as well, from a different seed company. They actually are Blue Horizon:

A baby Quickfire hydrangea with Shasta daisy in the background:

My first sunflower bloom of the season:

And these never disappoint when all else fails in the garden. NOt sure exactly what they are...they are divisions from my late father's property:

I get so excited to see this thread each month!

Pixie Lou, your white lilies are stunning! I really like the campanula against the yellow lilies, too. Your pPrincess Feather looks great! My amaranthus are puny and sickly looking :(

Claire, I have an orange clivia given to me by a friend; I had no idea what it was until I saw your picture. Your roses are gorgeous! I've made up my mind that I don't have enough roses in my yard after seeing yours.

Molie, I love that Victorian Lace daylily; and the leptinella....so interesting. I've never seen that one before. Coconut Lime echinacea is going on my 'wanted' list; so pretty!

spedigree, your veggie patch is so cute!

I love seeing everyone's monarda, I've wanted some for years and I just don't know why I haven't planted any yet!

As usual, I feel like my garden is behind everyone else's.

I'm very glad I planted these bachelor's buttons in my zinnia bed because the zinnias are really under performing this year:

Envy was a new zinnia for me this year, and I really love the color:

I'm trying out these zinnias to see if the red is the 'right' red for my front yard:

I started these ageratum from seed, but they were supposed to be Blue Horizon and they are not:

I started these ageratum from seed as well, from a different seed company. They actually are Blue Horizon:

A baby Quickfire hydrangea with Shasta daisy in the background:

My first sunflower bloom of the season:

And these never disappoint when all else fails in the garden. NOt sure exactly what they are...they are divisions from my late father's property:

I'm enjoying looking at everyone's gardens. Haven't had another chance to get out there with a camera again.

Love everyone's lilies and roses.

Tithonia, is one I have often thought of trying but not sure I have enough sun or room for one.

Pixielou, I've had good luck with 'Lavender Lady' but it is shorter. It is the one variety that comes back consistently for me and is easy to start from collected seed.

Claire, your garden looks so much like a seaside Cape garden, so you are succeeding with your goals. I love your steps with the roses, grass and all that meadow phlox.

spedigrees, who is your pet memorial garden for? Nice idea. And great habitat for all those butterflies.

defrost, thanks for that idea for the sugar snap peas. I never thought of doing that. And I agree the lasagna method is great. SO much easier than digging up lawn etc. when you want to put a new bed in and lots of organic material for the soil.

girl cat, such an inviting sitting area. You've been busy starting seed. I haven't done any this year. I've grown that 'Blue Horizon' and enjoyed it. I'm jealous of your sunflower bed. Something I would love to grow, but not enough sun. I like that effect in the raised bed with the nasturtium. Are there tomatoes growing in there too?

Very lovely photos of summer gardens on this thread. I hope to post some soon because the back garden is starting to bloom like crazy!

Spedigrees, the nettles are host plants for several butterflies, but not the Black Swallowtail. Host plants for Eastern Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) include parsley, dill, fennel, rue, queen anne's lace, and the native Zizia species.

Nettles are host plants for Red Admiral, Commas, and Question Marks, perhaps others? I want to grow some myself, after seeing an abundance of these butterflies this Spring.

Here is a link that might be useful: Part II July 2012

This thread is now closed. Please continue posting and discussions on the July 2012 Part II thread.