July GBBD

What a difference a year makes!  On last year's July Bloom Day I was praying for rain, like many of you, as we were in the middle of an extreme drought.  Plants were shriveling in the heat, and I spent little time in the garden, other than to drag around hoses and move sprinklers.  This year, however, thanks to one of the wettest Aprils on record and frequent showers all spring and into the summer, I only get out the hose every few days to water containers.  The garden is lush and green and full of blooms, and for that I am very thankful.  Since I have so many blooms to share on today's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, I'll keep the narrative short, so we can tour the garden before the thermometer reaches the 90's.  One request for all visitors, please--put your weed blinders on:)

Starting at the roadside garden, the coneflowers are in full bloom, though they're not as abundant as last year. Ironically, I suspect they've been the victim of too much rain--this area was full of standing water in early April for several days, and both the spring tulips and some of the coneflowers may have been drowned out.  Not to worry, though, I'm sure the coneflowers will be back next year.  The standing water didn't seem to bother any of the daylilies, however.  In the middle of a border of ordinary Stellas, this rogue, as I have come to call it, has gotten bigger and better.  Now if I was ambitious, I'd dig up all the Stellas and divide this one to replace them:)

Fewer coneflowers means these daylilies mistakenly planted behind them finally have a chance to command the attention they deserve.  Passalongs from my aunt, I call them 'Nettie's Corals,' and they're one of my favorites.

In one area of this garden (you still have those weed blinders on, don't you??) where I've had mixed success with different varieties of galliardia, I am really pleased this year with a stand of  Rudbeckia hirta I started indoors from seed.

According to MOBOT's website, 'Prairie Sun' can be a short-lived perennial or will re-seed itself if conditions are right.  I've never had this happen in my garden yet, but I'm more than willing to start them from seeds each year--I love these big yellow blooms with the green centers.

 Taking the short walk back up to the house, the shade garden is also loving all this rain (and the humidity, which fogged up my camera lens). It's more about foliage, obviously, than blooms, but hosta and heuchera blooms are adding some accents.

The hydrangeas also are thriving with the moisture--this is the biggest bloom I've ever had on my 'Endless Summer.'

If late June is all about coneflowers in my garden, then July is all about lilies.  Just a few of the lilies blooming in my lily bed today--first, 'Prairie Blue Eyes.'

A division from friend Beckie--'Dragonfly Corner.'

Another passalong from Beckie, this one a NOID daylily.

'Little Grapette' may be small in stature but makes up for it with a profusion of blooms.

A spider lily whose name I've forgotten--I was so happy to see it return this year, because I don't remember it blooming at all last year.

Two reliable daylilies are 'Canterbury Tales' on the left and 'Moonlight Masquerade' in the center.  (A late bloom from the Asiatic 'Brindisi' is on the right.)  These two will re-bloom all summer, especially 'Moonlight' which is usually the first daylily to bloom and the last as well, often showing a few blooms up until frost.  Too bad I have them both planted in an inconspicuous place--must put moving them on my to-do list!

'Romeo Lies Bleeding' looks much healthier than in past years.

Next to him, of course--'Juliet.'

One of the most eye-catching daylilies in this area is a yellow NOID that I don't remember ever planting.  Behind it a very hardy pink phlox, also a NOID--this one has been blooming for weeks.

Another NOID that I finally remembered came from friend Beckie also has large blooms.  As you can see, though I call this area the Lily Garden, there is much more here than lilies.  Drumstick allium have been attracting the bees, and the hybrid coneflower 'Big Sky Sundown' is bigger than ever.  A common purple coneflower somehow sneaked into this area, too:)

Sometimes the mix of plants have unintended results.  A quick glance might have a non-gardener wondering what this two-toned plant is.  It's actually a NOID Asiatic lily that should have been staked leaning into the 'Moonbeam' Coreopsis.

Also in the Lily Garden, 'Vanilla Strawberry' Hydrangea is just starting to bloom.  I'm waiting to see if this will be the year these blooms turn the pink they're advertised to become.

A balloon flower can finally be seen, now that I pulled some wayward asters growing around it.

The Arbor Bed could be called the Poppy Field these days.  I mentioned in an earlier post how I scattered these seeds in late winter and wound up with a plethora of poppies this year.

These will all be pulled eventually to make room for whatever is blooming behind them, but not until they're all finished blooming and the bees have had their fill.

The Arbor Bed was created a few years ago with a load of compost spread over newspapers and cardboard.  All that compost has made for some very happy plants that are beginning to turn this place into a jungle.  'Becky' daisy has become a reliable source for divisions for elsewhere in the garden.

Liatris are just beginning to bloom here, too.

Since it has become a jungle, despite my best intentions, it's easy to miss something here.  The larkspur did well this year, but I just noticed yesterday this lone dark purple stem.

Other surprises include Nigella--hmm, did I plant these seeds??--and a Veronica that I had completely forgotten planting last fall.  Both are hidden behind the arbor bench--more moving to put on the to-do list.

Thankfully, the jungle inhabitants haven't prevented the phlox from blooming.  'David's' pristine white blooms show up clearly from a distance; 'Blue Paradise' on the right, and to the left a hot pink phlox that was mislabeled as 'David.'

Most of the seeds that I sowed here in May won't be blooming for awhile, but a few cosmos have already begun.

And finally, my daughter's favorite--a 'Stargazer' lily blooming in the shadow of the tall cosmos.

Whew!  We haven't even gotten to the butterfly garden, but I'll save that for the next Wildflower Wednesday.  In the meantime, be sure to check out blooms from other gardens across the world at May Dreams Gardens where hostess Carol is probably out picking green beans or mowing the lawn:)