Tuesday, June 15, 2010

June Bloom Day--Rain Delay

In spring and summer a gardener's fancy turns to flowers . . . and to baseball.   It's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day today, and also time to start voting for your favorite players for the All-Star game in July.



A consistent performer every season who usually goes on a hitting streak in June is Stella D'Oro.  Like the faithful Cubs' fans who fill Wrigley Field for every game no matter how dismal the season, Stella keeps coming back and coming back each year despite being dividing and pushed off onto relatives and friends.  She may not be around in October . . . but then neither are the Cubs:)  Usually she gets along well with everyone, though I think she clashes with that pink pot--must be a White Sox or a Cardinal fan.



A new star on the roster this year is the Asiatic lily, "Brindisi."   Despite her rookie status, she has already commanded a lot of attention from the fans.


Another new rookie on the team is 'Moonlight Madness.' Much shorter in stature than her Asiatic teammate, 'Moonlight' shows promise and gets some points for being one of the earliest to arrive on game day.


We're sorry, but we have to go to a rain delay for awhile.  Field conditions have become too wet for further play, and as you can see, outlying areas (the soybean fields) are filled with puddles.  (Actually, this was yesterday morning; by last night the puddles had become full-fledged ponds.  I'm not sure how much rain we had, but it came down so hard and so fast that there was nowhere for it to go, other than into my basement. Sigh.)


While we're waiting for the fields (and my basement) to dry out, let's go back to our roster. The perennial slugger Echinacea Purpurea is just beginning to emerge, with this the first bloom.  Looking back to two years ago, Echinacea was the star of the July Bloom Day, not June's.  Like everything else this year, it seems to be peaking early.


The old veteran, the hollyhock, is also coming into its own.  Plagued by possible injuries or disease, it's not as physically imposing this year as in the past.  The ants seem to be big fans of it this year.


On professional sports teams, there are no such things as walk-ons, yet the Prairie team boasts several that deserve consideration.  Nigella are occupying a large section of the bench in the butterfly garden, re-seeding themselves freely with no coaching.


Likewise, the Bachelor's Buttons surprised the team by returning voluntarily this year.  Can anyone i.d. the fan sitting in the upper deck?  There seem to be quite a few of these in the garden right now; I hope they aren't potential troublemakers.


A welcome returnee to the team this year is the slugger known only as Rudbeckia.  While two perennial 'Goldsturm'  were planted last year, this appears to be one of the many offspring of the annual varieties. Rudbeckia is also a contender for the humanitarian award, for its contributions to supporting wildlife. (Click to enlarge the picture if you can't see the little hoverfly in the center.)


Other contenders for the All-Star team in June include this petite Monarda.  More disciplined than its boisterous counterparts in the butterfly garden,  this one stays in bounds.


Free-spirited 'Moonbeam' coreopsis, however, is a candidate for the Golden Glove award, covering more and more of the outfield.


Every team needs a leader, and in the shade garden, 'Let's Dance in the Moonlight' commands everyone's attention.  Even with a name like that, no one dares snicker, but rather gives her the respect she deserves.


Often overlooked,  the hostas are dependable team members all season long.  While others often go into a slump, these garden athletes consistently produce, even dazzling us at times with blooms like these.  Not to influence you by portraying this star with a bigger photo here, but I am rather starstruck by this physique.


Forgive me for the pitiful attempt at baseball analogies . . . it seemed a lot more clever when I started.  But. it's late, and I've just spent a couple hours with a shop vac trying to dry out my basement  I'm tired, and I'm very tired of rain!

For other blooms around the world without such contrived formats, please visit our always entertaining hostess, Carol of May Dreams Gardens.

29 comments:

  1. Rose I enjoyed meeting all your players and I think you did a great job with the analogies.

    Sorry you are receiving so much rain. Please send some of it down here where my plants are burning up.

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  2. Sorry to hear about your flooding. It's been raining just about every day here, but at least the amounts each day aren't that much. Things do seem early or out of whack this year. At least your flowers look pretty with raindrops on them. What Hosta is that? It sort of looks like 'Olive Bailey Langdon,' which I love.

    It's interesting that all of the Chicago teams have come through for their fans in the past 25 years, Superbowl Champs, NBA titles, White Sox World Series winner, Stanley Cup. Yet there are still people who go to Wrigley Field. It's a mystery.

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  3. Thank goodness for shopvacs. They are a boon to basements. I am just sorry you are soaking wet there.

    Your blooms are all so lovely. What a nice variety too.

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  4. I loved the baseball analogies! I even made one of my own in the title of my post. Your daylilies and prairie plants are looking great, sorry to hear about the flooding though. I'm tired of being washed out here too. I know we differ in our baseball affiliations, but here's something we can agree on: HAWKS WIN!!

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  5. Total bummer on the rain. I wish we could get some significant rain here so I'll do a rain dance to bring it from you to here? Doubt it will work but I can only try.

    Your blooms are wonderful and your descriptions too cute. I love those pink lilies!!

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  6. Your hollyhock is already blooming? Ooh, pout. And as a soccer fan in the midst of World Cup fever, I can't help but wonder what is this "baseball" you speak of, lol?! :)

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  7. Floods are not nice. We had the rain coming in through our roof. And we thought we had that leak fixed. Your post gives me so much to look forward to. You are quite a bit ahead of us.

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  8. This post is a Grand Slam Rose. I thoroughly enjoy the baseball banter. I hope your area dries out soon. We were on the tippy tip and barely got rain. Mostly we got the wind.

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  9. Oh Rose I do hope that the rains cease soon - must be so discouraging. On this side of the pond flowers are still behind schedule after the cold winter. That white flowering hosta is a star. I liked the baseball analogies but might be tempted to substitute them with soccer terms. We are very much on a level playing field after the England v USA game in the World Cup :)

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  10. I love your baseball analogies along with the gorgeous flowers. I can almost hear what's-his-name, Harry Carey? It's been so long since I've even thought about baseball, and we used to be regular Cardinal fans. Sorry! I hope your basement dries out soon. My mom had to put in a sump pump a couple of years ago when Southeast Missouri had some torrential rains. It has paid for itself already.

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  11. What a fun post! Loved how you captured some little critters in with the flowers.

    Hope your basement dries out. I hate wet basements!

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  12. Rose, sorry about all the rain. I feel your pain, along with the wet basement. :-( We finally got sun on Saturday and Sunday, but awoke to a flooded laundry room Friday morning from our 9-yr-old hot water heater. Thankfully we were able to find someone to replace it before our family arrived on Saturday.

    Beautiful blossoms and photos... we are sending sunshine your way. Have a wonderful week.

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  13. Very sporting of you, keeping your sense of humor in spite of the rain, Rose. Your June blooms are lovely.

    Sorry about the basement flooding. I hope it's under control now and you were able to get some well-deserved rest!

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  14. Boooo for water in basements! We've been lucky so far - no standing water in the yard yet, no water in the basement. The dehumidifier is getting a workout, though!

    Your plants are a bit ahead of mine. That nigella is adorable! I'd love to grow those.

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  15. Thanks to everyone for your kind comments and giving me a few chuckles with your baseball/sports references. I'm a diehard Cub fan, as if you couldn't tell. Rather than respond individually to each of you, I'm going to try to visit everyone as soon as possible.

    Sorry to complain about the basement, but it's so frustrating. We have a sump pump, but we had two nights of very heavy rain after other rainstorms, so the drainage tiles just could not move the water fast enough. Fortunately, the water left my basement eventually, but I was left with a very soggy carpet in half of it. I spent yesterday with the shop vac and the dehumidifer running full blast. Everything will be fine, and I feel a bit of a whiner after seeing all the damage created by real flooding in Tennessee this past spring. On the bright side, my basement really needed cleaning anyway:)

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  16. Delightful team, Rose! Not even a tie, your garden game is way ahead of mine ...

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  17. An entertaining post Rose, even my hubby (non-gardener) would of loved the baseball references. lol ;) I really liked that new comer Asiatic lily 'Brindisi' (sp?). What a pretty shade of pink and the rest of the garden is really looking good too. :)

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  18. I loved this post. Your ERA is right on-but I would expect no less from a CUB's fan. :)

    Your blooms are looking great even with all the heavy rain. I am surprised that our gardens aren't beaten into the ground with the heavy and hard rains we've had. And as the water was coming into our basement, I wondered about yours. Let's get together for coffee and we can both whine. :)

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  19. That last shot IS dazzling! I especially like the water still clinging to the flowers. What hosta is that?

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  20. So sorry to hear you have been battling with flooding, Rose! Strangely, for this country, everything is very dry here at the moment and my garden is starting to suffer from lack of rain!

    I have to admit I know nothing about baseball but enjoyed seeing more of your beautiful blooms particularly the humble little Nigella or Love in a Mist as I have always known it, a flower I have loved since childhood. I was also very struck by the photo of the Hosta and...just for the lovely name...I am always glad when you mention 'Let's Dance in the Moonlight' :)

    I do hope you have thoroughly dried out by now and have no further problems with flooding.

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  21. Hello Rose,

    Well, it is so hard to choose, you have so many beautiful summer blooms. But if I must choose one as my favorite, I think I like Bachelor Buttons the best :-)

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  22. So sorry to hear about your basement but if it matters, I did like the baseball analogies. :-) And all your beautiful flowers. Strange how you ended up with a different rudbeckia!

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  23. I'm loving those coreopsis... they grow so well it's hard not to buy them for the garden or in pots.

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  24. Rose, this was the Cutest post! :-) You are enjoying such beautiful flowers (everything looks so healthy!). :-) Happy Gardening (Baseball?) season! lol

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  25. What an enjoyable post. And such lovely clear pictures to go with it. Baseball is a closed book to me, but I can appreciate the analogy. Hope your team does well.

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  26. Rose, you certainly know more about baseball than I do! But we certainly have as many rains as you do, maybe, even more. I don't remember such rainy May/June. Anyway, your flowers are doing good. I think your Stella D'Oro does so well because of a regular dividing. Mine is overgrown, never divided in 3-4 years, and its flowers are hidden down low, blocked by the leaves. I need to divide it! Thank you for remindidng! Also, thank you for your comments on my blog! My tour of Jim's garden led to a new friendship. He is such a nice person! I bought one of his spheres, filled it with plants, and will show it in one of my posts. You have a great, dry and sunny, week!

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  27. Hi Rose, I enjoyed your baseball theme but have to admit I don't understand it completely:)

    I'm watching my basement. I'm on a hill but with these downpours sometimes I will get a little water.

    My coneflowers are starting to bloom too. It seems awfully early. With all this rain we are bound to have thousands of earwigs so the flowers will be eaten and ragged in a few days.
    Marnie

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  28. Hi Rose, I really enjoyed your blooms...but so sorry about your basement! You guys got more rain than you knew what to do with...to bad you couldn't bottle it up and send it to me! I've been using my hose more often than I'd like to, due to dryness and high temps. I think your little bug looks like a firefly (I haven't read through the comments but probably others have ID'd it correctly if I haven't). Love your hydrangea, Echinacea, and Rudbeckia...all workhorses in the garden. And the hosta, yes, we cannot forget them--they are forever adding charm and atmosphere to my yard, too. I have miss Petite Delight, and she is a winner here, as well;-) I hope by now things are drying out for you...but not like it is here! It's too darn hot to enjoy being outside! Although, I must admit that I've been out daily--sweating and planting--in the garden!! I just cannot stay away despite the heat. I keep dividing perennials and transplanting, all summer long! Talk to ya later....

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  29. I'm not surprised you are starstruck by that!

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