Sunday, June 14, 2015

June GBBD: And the Garden Goes On...

It's not often that I go a whole month without posting, especially in spring when the garden is bursting into life.  But shortly after the last Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, my mother was hospitalized and then sent to rehab for a couple of weeks, so life has been pretty hectic around here.  Gardening has gotten short shrift, needless to say, with only the most important chores getting done--like finally planting all the new annuals and perennials I had purchased in the previous weeks. I also managed to do some weeding in the vegetable garden so that I could find the newly emerging green beans among the pesky grass popping up everywhere.  But other weeding?  Let's just say there won't be any long shots of my garden in this post.


Bloom Day is all about what is blooming in your garden today, but I hope you'll indulge me in a few scenes from previous weeks, since I didn't get a chance to post them earlier.  The peonies are gone now, but were gorgeous this year; my mother appreciated the bouquet of pink peonies I gathered from my garden as much as any florist's bouquet.


There were enough blooms this year to bring some inside for myself, too.



The Amsonia is no longer blooming either, but made a nice backdrop for the peonies.  Amsonia Hubrichtii here and its counterpart Amsonia tabernaemontana had much bluer blooms than this photo shows.


'May Night' Salvia is still blooming, however, and will continue to bloom throughout the summer--if I ever get around to deadheading it, that is.



Other blooms that have since faded include the Viburnum 'Cardinal Candy.'  This plant has been slow to establish here, or maybe I'm just impatient, but it's finally taking off and reaching some height.  In fact, I can see it needs some pruning--one more job to add to the growing to-do list.


The alliums haven't been purple for a couple of weeks, but I still like the accent these tall plants make even as they're fading.  And yes, that is more Salvia--it apparently likes my arbor bed and has re-seeded all over.


And now for what is actually blooming today--Nigella hidden away in the back corners of the Arbor Bed.  These re-seed themselves each year, and when the seedlings first emerge I'm never quite sure whether they're cosmos, larkspur, or nigella.  The mystery is solved.


Spirea 'Neon Flash' is covered in blooms.  These two shrubs have grown so full the past few years, they're due for a serious pruning before they overtake other nearby shrubs.


The Knockout roses are not doing well this year, but 'Radsunny' has some blooms.


I am envious of Southern gardeners whose 'Black and Blue' salvia come back every year.  In my zone 5b garden, it's definitely an annual, but worth purchasing every year.


Not only do I love the electric blue blooms, but they are hummingbird magnets and look good in a pot as well as in the ground.


Lamium adds some petite purple blooms to the various shades of green in the shade garden.


It's almost lily season now, and the first to bloom are always the ever-reliable 'Stella D'Oros.'  They definitely need dividing again--didn't I say that last year?  And the year before?  'Walker's Low' Nepeta to the left has been blooming for some time.


There will be a plethora of red poppies again this year, but I'm most excited about this dark burgundy called 'Laura's Dark Grape.'  I purchased this seed, but I will have to remember to save these seeds and separate them from the reds later in the season to have more of these next year.  The hoverflies love them, too.


I'm also excited to see my first ever 'Annabelle' blooms.  I planted a couple scrawny, half-dead starts last year when we divided an overgrown plant at the nursing home where I volunteer.  They must be pretty tough hydrangeas.


The past couple of weeks have been a time of transition, with spring flowers gone and summer flowers not quite ready to bloom.  But very soon there will be an explosion of color as lily buds begin to open.  The first Asiatic lily to bloom (above) is one I don't remember buying or planting, but I certainly can't ignore these bold orangey-red blooms.


And what would summer be without my favorite, purple coneflowers?  A few early blooms have appeared in the past week, but soon I will have a plethora of coneflowers everywhere.  I can't wait!

What is blooming in your garden today?  Check out Carol at May Dreams Gardens who hosts this monthly get-together--join in and see what's blooming all over the world!

47 comments:

  1. Lovely garden photos, all. Hi, Rose. It's been a while since I've posted anything and with all the beauty around us, it just seems we have to. :)
    Life does get in the way at time. Happy to "see" you. We'll pray for your mom that all is well.

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    1. Hi, Diana, good to hear from you again! Thanks for your concern for my Mom; her progress is slow, but she's doing a little better.

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    2. Diana, I couldn't find a place to leave a comment on your blog, so I hope you see this--your garden is simply stunning! Wandering the paths through all these beautiful conifers and trees would be the perfect way to unwind. Such a peaceful and beautiful place!

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  2. Your garden is looking lovely. I am envious of your poppies. I have never had luck establishing them. I am glad to hear your Mom is doing better. Happy GBBD. I will try to get a post up for show and tell. Maybe if it rains tomorrow I can do this. :)

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    1. Lisa, you should see all my poppies! Since I scatter them over the snow, I never know just where they'll land. It's going to be a sea of red poppies in some places:)

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  3. Good Morning Rose,
    I do so hope your mothers health improves each day..........and things can get back to some sort of normality for you all. Such a worrying time.

    The peonies are so beautiful, I love the white. I would be thrilled to have received a bunch of the pretty pink, enough to put a smile on any gardeners face.

    It looks as though your garden is doing well..............love to see your Echinacea, as you know it is on the list of plants that I cannot grow here. Until the bunnies vacate it is but a dream.

    Hope you have a good week Rose.

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    1. Thank you, Cheryl; Mom is doing a little better. I think we are all going to have to adjust to a new "normal." I am just so pleased with these peonies--they're fairly young and were inexpensive purchases, but they are doing as well as any fancy pedigreed peonies I've seen. I told Lisa I was going to have a sea of poppies, but there will be a sea of coneflowers as well:)

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  4. Rose, your garden is full of colors. I liked your peony with salvia -it's nice colorful combination! I also love bright red Asiatic lilies, mines are not in bloom yet so I envy you:))
    Happy GBBD!

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    1. As usual, Nadezda, most of my best combinations are not planned:) The salvia are growing everywhere, but I do love the combo of pink and purple.

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  5. Hi Rose, I'm sorry about your mom. I can certainly relate. Both of you hang in there. It was great to see some of your May blooms too. I miss my peonies as soon as they fade. I love them so much. 'Annabelle' hydrangea is so tough it deserves a medal. Mine gets mistreated most years. However, we got rain so she's very happy in 2015. All of your blooms are so beautiful. Thank you for sharing.~~Dee

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    1. Thanks for your concern, Dee; I know I'm not the only one who has gone through this with their parents. I am thankful that Mom is still here, and we can still talk together. This is my first experience with 'Annabelle'; the one at the nursing home garden has to be divided or cut back every year because it's getting so huge, so I may get some more starts!

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  6. How beautiful your garden is. Weeded or not these blooms must bring some comfort during difficult days. I hope your mother is well on the mend.

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    1. The garden has provided me with some much needed peace, Pat. A little "garden therapy," I've found, does wonders for your spirits. Thanks, Pat.

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  7. How beautiful your garden is. Weeded or not these blooms must bring some comfort during difficult days. I hope your mother is well on the mend.

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  8. Oh, my, those peonies are just luscious! And I do love the red poppies. Strangely, my Knockout roses haven't done that well this spring. It's nice to see your 'Radsunny' blooming nicely. Happy Bloom Day!

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    1. I've had my red Knockouts a long time, Dorothy, and last year they looked especially bad after the horrible winter we had. But they eventually recovered. This year I'm not sure what's going on, but the red ones just aren't flourishing as they should.

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  9. Oh those blooms are so lovely - a joy to see ... thank you.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Thanks, Jan! I love all the colors of summer.

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  10. Bloom Day is however you want to make it and I love yours seeing what has been blooming...sorry to hear about your mom Rose. Taking care of parents is hard emotionally...and we can take care of little else than our parents and ourselves. I hope she is better and you can find some time in your garden...here it has been raining so much that the weeds are growing and the gardener is not able to thwart them...not yet! Take care Rose and your garden seems to be smiling on you even if you cannot be there as much as you would like!

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    1. Thank you for those kinds words, Donna. Yes, the garden is going on without much attention, and it does bring me joy to see all these colorful blooms. We've had rain and more rain, too--even if I had more time, I'm not sure I could keep up with the weeds this season!

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  11. Your blooms are gorgeous and I am glad you shared all of them. You have so much color and beauty in your garden and the visit was lovely.

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    1. Thank you, Lee. It's going to be a colorful summer.

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  12. I really enjoyed visiting your garden today. I wrote a few things down that I want to look for to plant here. We are having a very slow start to anything blooming around here. We have had so much rain, hail, and even some snow! We are a month behind. Nothing, absolutely nothing is blooming that isn't an annual in my yard.

    I hope your mother is doing much better. I'm sorry to hear she has been ill.

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    1. Thank you, Sally. Oh my, snow! I guess I should be thankful we haven't had that. We may be a little ahead of schedule this year, but all the rain we have had is also keeping me from getting much done in the garden.

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  13. Hi Rose,
    I enjoyed seeing what has been blooming, and what is blooming now. Those peonies sure are beautiful! We do have some good ones in common. I had some black and blue salvia in the ground come back for several seasons, but ones I've planted since, have not come back. Now, I put them in pots.

    Thanks for stopping by my blog. I forgot to mention that the mosquitoes are also providing a challenge to being outside in the cooler parts of the day. I hope your newly planted natives do well. I hope your mom continues to get better.

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    1. Yes, the mosquitos are thriving here, too. I spent some time weeding one evening while it was cooler and wished I had remembered the insect repellent! I haven't checked on all the new natives in the last few days, but one thing is for sure--I don't have to worry about watering them:)

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  14. Lovely offerings for Bloom Day, Rose ... your peonies especially stunning. You will love your Annabelles! Do hope your mother is better. Happy Summer (gardening), fun friend!

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    1. Joey, I've just been amazed at how well the Annabelles are doing already. I may have to make room for more!

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  15. I have to seed Nigella again. They are such a great plant for the cutting garden. Like you, I miss if they are cosmos until they get a bit bigger. You have some great plants in your late spring garden. I never posted my peonies either, but they do put on a great show.

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    1. I haven't planted Nigella in several years, Donna. I love plants like this that come back again and again with so little effort. Plus I love their unique blooms.

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  16. Looks like lots of color to me! I think the Allium seedheads are very attractive. Love your Viburnum and the Nigella!

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    1. Jason, I know someone who spray paints her alliums bright turquoise when they've finished blooming and uses them as accents in the garden the rest of the season. One of these years I'm going to try this!

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  17. Such gorgeous Peonies and Salvias and ... well, everything! Sorry your mom has been ill, but I hope she's feeling much better now. Family and life happen, and I'm sure your garden looks great, even though perhaps not up to your personal standards. Happy GBBD, Rose!

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    1. Beth, everything is really blooming now despite my neglect. I'm learning to overlook the weeds as much as possible:)

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  18. Hi Rose, love the photo of Annabelle blooming with the pretty leaves of coleus? I've had such bad luck with nigella but your photo inspires me to try again next spring. Love the red poppy. I have Allegro but like the red better. Will look for some seed.

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    1. You're absolutely right, Marnie--the Annabelles are growing behind a pot of coleus. I don't know what's going to happen when the coleus gets taller:)

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  19. Lovely garden pictures. I have 'Cardinal Candy' too and only wish mine looked half as good as yours! All of my viburnums are most slow to get settled in and come into their own. I am not sure why either.

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    1. Glad to know this is typical for Viburnums, Tina. I was really disappointed in this one until this year. I'm still waiting, though, to see if it produces all the berries this fall as promised.

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  20. Your blooms are exquisite! LOVE that beautiful poppy. I really liked the lamium growing around the hosta and the peonies were quite pretty. I hope all is well with your mother now. Happy Bloom Day and beyond.

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    1. Thanks, Sharon. The lamium is a great groundcover; it can get a little aggressive at times, but it's easily pulled up, and I've been moving a lot of it to areas where nothing else will grow.

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  21. Always nice to visit your blog !!
    Just lovely flowers !!
    Greetings

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    1. Thanks, Ela; always good to hear from you!

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  22. Beautiful flowers!
    Our roses are in bloom - and they are wonderful this year - and the peonies are coming out too.

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    1. I've seen some of your flower photos on Facebook, Liz--just lovely! Lately I haven't had much time to read blogs, but one of these days things will surely slow down a bit and I'll catch up.

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  23. Always enjoy your musings and your blooms. I'm somewhat taken by your red poppies! I planted 2 tiny baby orange poppies and will mark them so I don't pull them next spring (like I've done twice before). Since I have to wait a year for the blooms, I'll enjoy other peoples!

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