SUMMER is officially here and there is no doubt that the weather gods got the memo. It's been pushing (or topping) 90 degrees for the past several days. July is typically our warmest month so things seem to be right on schedule. I'm getting my exercise with hauling the hose around. I planted so many new things this year and I fear losing them if I don't keep them hydrated until they've established themselves.
So here are some random bloomers:
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| This Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy' overwintered! Behind it is a crop of Red Flax that I grew from seed. It's such a happy plant. |
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| Another plant that successfully overwintered despite our colder-than-normal winter is this Coreopsis 'Mercury Rising.' Don't you love the plethora of blossoms? Behind it are microscopic cannas. They are alive and I should be grateful but they are sure slow to rise up and strut their stuff. |
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| I am totally gaga over hardy fuchsias although I'm not good with remembering their names. This one is several years old. It might be 'Checkerboard'. |
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| This one was just purchased at Fry Road Nursery a few days ago. I wanted a foliage color echo and I got it. |
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| Here's another Fuchsia newbie. The flowers work well with the variegated Pelargonium foliage. |
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| Here we've got a red NOID daylily, another Coreopsis 'Mercury Rising' and a red-flowering Agastache. |
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| Here we've got my Artichoke flower getting ready to bloom and a double Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum'Ice Star') |
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| Newbie Eryngium 'Jade Frost' is a happy camper. |
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| Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) is also a newbie starting to bloom. |
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| I just purchased these two black Sedums. Aren't they a nice contrast to all the chartreuse? This weekend I plan to plant a bunch more golden Sedum 'Angelina' on that bare dirt beside them. |
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| I'm totally psyched about my Hollyhocks. They've never looked this good. A few months ago, I noticed a tiny weevil sucking the life out of them. I searched for a specific pesticide that I could dab on the little buggers because none of the usual methods would kill them. I hate using pesticides so I made a point to be uber careful. One application worked and look at these beauties now. |
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| I keep photographing my 'Sum & Substance' Hosta because it's such a stellar plant. I've got it in a pot to raise it up a bit. Because I've got creeping Corsican mint growing in several places in my garden, my daughter took small clumps and planted them beneath the hosta. You can see how they've grown, blanketing the soil beneath the hosta. |
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| This is a random sampling of my quirky garden design. |
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| A baby froglet taking a siesta on a lily pad. Isn't he the cutest? |
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| And finally a photo of my newly-purchased cement water bowl. I found it at the Corvallis (Oregon) Habitat For Humanity ReStore for $25. The upper half is an aged cement naturalistic fountain which provides the illusion of a cool waterway to help me handle the heat. |
I hope your garden is providing a sweet respite from life's many challenges.
