July GBBD: Bloomin' Hot!

It's hard to believe it's already the 15th of July--where has the summer gone?? Once again it's time to showcase what is blooming on this Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, a monthly meeting hosted by garden guru Carol of May Dreams Gardens.  Like most parts of the country, it has been very hot here the last few weeks, which means the only garden maintenance that gets done is before 8 AM or after 7 PM, and evening hours are often cut short by the mosquitoes.  Flowers are struggling to survive not only the heat but also the lack of rainfall.  Fortunately, this garden tour is a virtual one, so sit back and enjoy from the cool comfort of your office or kitchen.  I know you have many places to visit, so I'll try to keep my usual chatter to a minimum.

This is coneflower season--my favorite bloom time of the year.  Just beginning to bloom for the June bloom day, they have now been in full force for the past few weeks.  There are coneflowers in the front garden (above) where butterflies get drunk on nectar and dance the day away, while the bees busily go about their work of pollination.

There are coneflowers in the butterfly garden where they must stretch to new heights to be seen.

And there are coneflowers in the roadside garden, waving to passersby.

Since this is a virtual garden walk, that 1/8 mile jog down the lane to this area wasn't too strenuous, was it? Notice the passalong lilies behind the coneflowers--'Nettie's Coral' have been blooming for nearly four weeks.  I think these have to be the star performers of all the lilies I have.

Growing to gigantic proportions in the same garden area this year is the butterfly weed, Asclepias tuberosa.  Still no sign of Monarch activity on it, however.

Walking back up the lane to the new lily garden, we find that a few new additions have been made besides the lilies because I can't resist a bargain.  This balloon flower 'Scentimental Blue' was purchased on the clearance rack at Lowe's.

Another bargain plant, a cherry pink phlox, whose tag I've already lost, is struggling to stay alive in this weather.

The three new lilies mentioned in my last post have been planted, and 'Spider Miracle' accommodated me by blooming again for this Bloom Day.  'Juliet' has also settled into her new home and is blooming, but 'Romeo' apparently is going to sulk until next year.

Walk a few steps to your right of the lily garden, and we'll find Roco's memory garden, where the daisy 'Becky' is putting out numerous blooms.

 

Now let's continue to the very back of the yard to the Buttefly Garden, where chaos rules.  Cleomes came from seedlings started by Beckie, but some also appeared voluntarily.

Besides coneflowers, this is the season of the Susans.  Two perennial 'Goldsturm'  and just a few--maybe 2 or 3?--annual rudbeckias were planted last year.  This year, I have no idea which is which or how many there are, because they just keep on popping up everywhere.

The Susans are determined to steal the spotlight away from the bright blue Bachelor's Buttons, which also reseeded themselves.

There was also no need to replant these orange cosmos.  'Cosmic Orange,' originally from seeds from Tina, are just as prolific this year as they were last year.

A plant I hope will reseed itself next year is this Verbena bonariensis.  I'm so excited to finally have this plant in my garden after several unsuccessful attempts in the past.

This is not a volunteer, however.  As if I didn't have enough Rudbeckias already, I couldn't resist picking up two of these 'Cherry Brandy' Rudbeckias.  I'm hoping they will reproduce next year as well as their cousins have.

Since there are so many volunteers in the Butterfly Garden, it is hard to weed--many a plant has been left alone, only to discover later it was really a weed after all.  Fortunately, this Joe Pye weed--which I swear I planted in a different place--survived the hoe.

Joe has really grown this year to 4-6 feet tall, which is a good thing, or I wouldn't have even seen it behind all the coneflowers and cosmos.

Summer annuals are everywhere, too.  Just a quick look at a few of them--here is my old standby Salvia 'Victoria Blue.'

Overwintered geraniums are doing very well.

Yellow 'Zahara' zinnias in the lily garden.

Bordering the lily garden, this lantana 'Lucky Lemon Creme' is one plant that loves the heat.

And finally, before you leave, just a quick glance into the cooler regions of the Shade Garden.  Hydrangea 'Limelight' is just beginning to show some blooms.

 Besides the hydrangeas, the only other real blooms in the shade right now are the hostas.  Most of them are almost finished, but 'Sum and Substance' saved its stately blooms for last.  And in case you are wondering, no I wasn't sipping a little wine when I took this photo.  I think the heat has affected my brain--my view of the world these days seems slightly skewed.

I hope you enjoyed the tour, and I hope you stayed cool enough.  Now, why not enjoy the rest of the day touring gardens across the world from the comfort of your own home by visiting Carol's list of Bloom Day posts?