Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Bloom Day - August 15, 2012

Well I had some time today so I thought I'd jump onto the Bloom Day Bandwagon. It's really a lot of fun to see what's going on in everone's gardens in so many different zones. Many thanks to  Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting this great eye candy bloomfest.

The main perennials blooming here now are the Phlox paniculata, Hibiscus syriacus (Rose of Sharon) Sedums, and Hydrangeas but there are oh so many of the tender plants putting on a show right now.  I never can decide if I prefer the gardens earlier in the summer with the wonderful display of perennials or now, later in the season when all the containers come into their glory... I'll probably never make up my mind but the truth of the matter is I love it all!

My all time favorite perennial, Phlox paniculata 'Nora Leigh'. this plant is beautiful when it emerges with its wonderful variegation and continues to look terrific until the frost takes it.  Right now its in full, glorious bloom. This group of Nora has been here for ten years or so and is just so reliable, love it!






Phlox paniculata 'Bright Eyes'

Phlox paniculata 'Pink Flame' - This one is a fantastic bloomer and has had flowers for a month now. What a performer!

Hydrangea paniculata 'Tardiva'

Hydrangea 'Pinky Winky' (What a foolish name for a plant)

Hydrangea 'Endless Summer' is putting out a few more blossoms.

Clethra alnifolia 'Ruby Spice' (Summersweet)



Hybiscus syriacus

Hybiscus syriacus 'Sugar Tips' -  Just love this gorgeous shrub!


Echinacea 'Coconut Lime' (Coneflower) with Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage)

Agastache 'Blue Fortune'


Buddliea 'Harlequin' (Butterfly Bush)

Eupatorium 'Little Joe' (Joe Pye Weed)

Sedum 'Autumn Joy'

Unnamed sedum seedling... this gorgeous plant appeared in my garden about seven years ago and has rewarded me with its fantastic deep purple foliage and yellow flowers for years now. I've never seen anything else quite like this.


Persicaria 'Golden Arrow' with Hosta 'Frances Williams'

Rose 'The Fairy'

Rose 'Fascination'

Rose 'All American Beauty'

Fuschia 'Galadriel'

Fuchsia 'Beacon'

Fuchsia 'Sunray'

Fuchsia 'Gartenmeister'

Fuchsia 'Billy Greene'


Fuchsia 'Claire de Lune'

I bought this begonia without a tag but it looks a lot like 'Anna Feile' -  It's a stupendous bloomer



New Guinea Impatiens


If I could only grow one annual this would be it. Sunpatiens variegated spreading salmon. It is a fantastic vigorous grower, nothing seems to bother it and it looks great all the time. There is a variety with a white flower that I love too and have use them extensively in my containers and borders.


 Dahlia 'Kelvin Floodlight'


 Abutilon

Tithonia (Mexican Sunflower)



Canna 'Pretoria'

New Guinea Impatiens

Lantana 'Tropical Fruit' with Painted Lady Butterfly


Pentas


Passiflora (Passionflower Vine) 


And so many, many more but I'm out of time and energy for today....

16 comments:

  1. Fabu photos of course. How do you keep doing that?
    The dark sedum is quite wonderful indeed! Interesting to see that your Autumn Joy is ahead of mine! I like the green stage a lot, but I'm getting ready for color about now.
    Wonderful variety in your fuchsias too. I even have a tiny pink one this year.(only mine will get minimal care when I go away...)

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  2. Thanks Marie! I'm really enjoying this blogging as it's forcing me to pay attention and make an effort to come up with good quality shots. I think it's helping polish up my skills.

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  3. Beautiful collection of closeups, Deanne! My Fuchsias just aren't blooming at all this year and I was so excited about the varieties I had been able to find. Oh well-maybe when it gets cooler.

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    1. Thanks Sue, yes, the fuchsias had a really hard time with the heat and in fact I lost three plants. The cooler weather usually has them blooming up a storm.

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  4. Your phlox are beautiful! Mine have struggled this year and many of them have flopped over. I believe they need more sun so will be doing some plant shuffling this fall. My favorite photo of this bunch is the first one of the butterfly on the lantana. That is pure perfection!

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    1. Thanks Gayle, It's interesting that I didn't have many butterflies earlier in the summer but have lots of them around now. And indeed, phlox does like lots of sun. If you don't mind a later bloom you can cut them back by half in mid June and they won't get as tall.

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  5. OMG, Deanne! I'm drooling all over my keyboard. How can you live in all that beauty and not just explode!?

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    1. Why thank you Peggy! Soooo happy you enjoyed the pics. I'm very bad in that I spend more time looking for things that are flawed than looking for what is nice. I'm enjoying doing this blog as it makes me see and look for the beauty.

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  6. Lots of lovely blooms in your garden Deanne. My fuchsias are just getting started. Love that Nora Leigh. Mine croaked. I never see it in the nurseries here. That begonia is stunning. I really like the foliage a lot.

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    1. Thanks Michelle, the fuchsias had a difficult time with the heat this summer but are bouncing back now. What a bummer about losing your 'Nora'. I'm going to send that begonia to my friend Howard who had greenhouses and he's going to do cuttings from it this winter. I'll get one for you. It really is a fantastic plant.

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  7. I love your pictues! Everything is so lush and beautiful and the butterflies are spectacular! Is passiflora hardy for you? How do you winter your fuchsias & abutilon?

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    1. Thanks so much! We've had a lot of butterflies around lately and it's such a treat to see them in the gardens. No, Passiflora is not hardy for us here and this has to come into the insulated but not heated garage for the winter. It gets a bit of water about once a month. The fuchsias get pruned back by 30% or so then stripped of all leaves. I leave them in the unheated garage until the temps there start to go below 40degrees, usually around mid-December, then I take the dormant plants and store them in a cool, about 50degrees, dark room in my basement for the winter. Abutilons get pruned back by half left in the garage like the fuchsias but when I bring them in mid-December they go under lights for the rest of the winter. They don't go dormant well and I've lost them trying to keep them dormant all winter long.

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    2. Thanks! Every now and then I think of moving back east but I've become so spoiled here with no snow to shovel and a huge plant palette.

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  8. Deanne, about that yellow-flwrd sedum, Terra Nova is waiting to hear from you! Amazing photos -- great to see so many insect closeups too.

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    1. Thanks Denise! so how did Terra Nova hear about my sedum? LOL

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  9. I'm exhausted!!! What a gorgeous post...I actually saw what I think might be the exact same yellow-flowered, purple-leaved Sedum at a local nursery this weekend...but neglected to find out what it was. Seeing your post, I think I'll have to go back and find out ;-)

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