The Joys Of July

In most  gardens July is the crescendo of gardening with our most loved plants putting on a great show.

The borders are full of interest lush with lilies, hydrangeas, heucheras and daylilies

 

This is also the time of year I look at how certain plants are working.

 

The mid-late season daylilies are beginning to bloom.  It is now time to cut down the leaves of the earlier varieties.

 

Daylily Cherry Cheeks

Daylily Space Age
(alternate placement of flowers on stem)

Daylily Chicago Apache
(with Heliopsis Sweet Loraine)

Daylilies, Heliopsis Asahi and Molinia Moorhexe in south border

 

 



 Daylily Entrapment
Blooms over a long period of time

Geranium Blue Sunrise

Both Rozanne above and Blue Sunrise are on an Obelisk and have never produced as many blooms when trailing.

 

 

Daylily Lady Lucille

 

Daylily Tetrina's Daughter
A tall later variety, great as a focal point

  

I always trim down my daylilies when they are done to produce fresh new foliage for the fall.

The Orienpet lilies also have staggered bloom times.

Orienpet Boogie Woogie
Blooms later and long lasting

Orienpet Friso

Orienpet Anastasia

Orienpet Conca d'Or
Earlier but the longest blooming in my garden

Orienpet Lavon
Almost as long blooming as Conca d'Or but taller

Phlox is also part of the July garden but with deadheading can last into fall.

Phlox David Lavender
(later blooming but earlier than white David)

Franz Schubert
Mid-Season

Phlox Bubblegum

Mid-Season

 

Phlox Miracle Grace

 

Unnamed Hot Pink Phlox

(came in the same pot as a named variety)

 

Unnamed Phlox found in my front border two years ago, left it because it looked like a hybrid

 

Platycodon

(Supported this year with invisible circles, made a great difference in the growth and number of blooms)

 

Very long blooming if faded blooms are clipped off

 

 

 

Allium Peek-A-Boo

This is a shorter variety of Summer Beauty.  I have not seen this one on the market yet but it was supposed to come out this year.  I actually think the flower is larger than Summer Beauty.

 

Phlox Pink Thai Jade

 

Little Lime Hydrangea is actually blooming earlier than Limelight!

 

 

Panicum Shenandoah
Great small grass for the border, can be left up all winter

Sedum Matrona
Earlier blooming  than Autumn Fire and Autumn Joy

Autumn Fire

Many years ago I did not have much to expect from the late summer and fall garden, but now I have many more wonderful plants that I have incorporated into a four season garden! 

 

 

 

 

Lovely Lilies

Daylilies and Lilies are great partners in the garden even though they are not in the same family.

Orienpet Satisfaction

This is a very tall lily and stands without support.  I have it on the east side and it still fades slightly in the heat.

 

Daylily Red Rum

Looks great with Brunnera Jack Frost

 

Geranium Blue Sunshine climbs on an obelisk in the border.

 

 

 Orienpet Lavon Lily

 

The fragrance of the Orienpet lilies is wonderful!

 

Orienpet

This one came with an unlabeled mix, will not do that again as I do like to know the variety.

 

Daylily Eileen Clymer

 

Asiatic Lily Graffiti

 

Daylily Mary Todd

 

Daylily Happy Returns

Small, early, nice in front of the border

Daylily Space Witch
Interesting Daylily in that it blooms at different heights, some stalks short and some tall

Daylily Ice Carnival
Blooms in the vegetable garden with the spent daylilies looking better than most other mushies

Daylily Mauna Loa

Orienpet Lily Conca d'Or

Daylily Joan Senior

Orienpet Lily Altari

 

 

There are more lilies and daylilies coming and there's always room for one more in the border!

 

 

 

 

 

Containers - The Year Of The Begonia

I have never planted so many fibrous begonias, using them in many containers and trimming the garden beds.  There is only one pre-made container in my garden this year and it has already been given it a haircut.  I did receive a few gift plants that were taken apart and planted in the garden.

The front containers contain Dragon Wing Begonia Red with Pineapple Coleus, Algerian Ivy and Yellow Chiffon Superbells (a great superbell)  A large leaved Cordyline sets it off in the back.

Big Red Bronze Leaved Begonia with variegated ivy, Yellow Chiffon Superbells and Techno Blue Lobelia.  Techno is a newer variety that withstands the heat.  Florida Sun Coleus peeks out in the front.  These begonias are great because they will also grow in the shade as well as full sun.

Red Dragon Wing Begonia in hanging basket on the patio

These were sent to me by Harris Seeds* through the Garden Writer's Association.  They came as small plugs and have grown huge over a six week period.

 

Santa Cruz Sunset Angel Wing Begonia With Peach Verbena

This variety will take full sun and was also sent to me by Harris Seed Company.

 

Begonia Million Kisses

This variety will not take full sun but is a wonderful trailer.

I paired this begonia with Caladium Aaron and small Boston Ferns in the shade.

 

Tuberous Non-Stop Begonias

They did not like all of the rain and the leaves began rotting, seems to have bounced back with the heat!

 

Many Angel Wing Begonias are grown for their leaves and not their blooms.  This one is for part shade and underplanted with torenia.

 

Begonia grown strictly for the beauty of the leaves, would have to look very hard to see any flowers.

 

 

Easy Wave Petunia

Plugs from the Harris Seed Company

This basket is in full sun and I am seeing a little bleaching on the salmon colored variety but overall very prolific.

 



Petchoa Super-Cal Blue

This is a new variety, a cross between a petunia and calibrachoa supposedly performing better than either variety.  They seem prolific and trailing with slight fading.  I ordered these as plugs from Park Seed Company.

 

Torenia With Pink And Green Dracena

This is a shade plant on the patio.

 

Nasturtiums, Magellan Zinnias, Saffron Superbells and Red Sweet Potato Vine

Renee's Seeds* sent me a media kit to choose several seeds to try in my garden (Climbing Nasturtiums)

 

 

Coleus Wasabi And Henna

The coleus varieties are so great now growing in full sun or shade, paired with Sweet Caroline Sweet Potato Vine (much more controlled than Marguerite)

 

Coleus Redhead WIth Tequilla Superbells and Lobelia Techno

Cast Iron containers on north side of house (sun to part shade)

 

Sunpatiens With Yellow Chiffon Superbells and Techno Blue Lobelia

I have put in several Sunpatiens  (Impatiens that will grow in full sun to part shade).  They are large, 24" wide so you don't need many to fill an area.

 

Illusion Emerald Sweet Potato Vine

This is one of my favorites and not easy to find, in my Irish Pots.

 

Fairy Garden

This was a Mother's Day gift from my daughter and look what's inside!

 

Statuettes depicting two of my grandchildren

 

 

 

*No remuneration just feedback on results for Harris Seeds plants and seeds