Bloom Day - July 2014

Well, I'm a few days late...but at least it's still July! Happy Bloom Day, everyone!


As you may have heard, we had the Garden Bloggers Fling here in Portland last week...and my garden was on the tour (which was terrifying)...but we survived it and now I can enjoy the garden without fretting about it being "presentable" ;-) I have to say, now that the stress is over, I find myself really missing all those bloggers...just another reason to go to the Fling next year in Toronto!


One of my new favorite flowers for this year (well, new to me) is Scabiosa ochroleuca. It's no surprise that I love it, considering how much I adore the similar Knautia macedonica...but this one seems a bit more upright and rigid...whereas the Knautia does tend to splay about after a while. Time will tell if this will behave the same way...we'll see.


I know people shake their heads when they see I grow Epilobium angustifolium (Fireweed), but I can't help but love it...it's a little ridiculous and can easily get out of control...but I love the feeling of wildness and spontaneity it gives to the garden.


The always-wonderful Geranium 'Rozanne' and her slightly-less-vigorour little sister, 'Ann Folkard' in the background.


I adore Echinops...and so do the bees!


Someone asked me recently how many different kind of Persicarias I had...considering there are 3 different kinds in this photo alone...perhaps too many! Just kidding...I'll never turn my nose up at a plant that can handle my heavy, clay soil and sporadic watering schedule.


July is the start of Echinacea season...and I love them! This is a new variety called 'Showoff'.


After three years of waiting, my patience is repaid by a single bloom on my Echinacea pallida...I adore those elegant, drooping petals. Maybe next year I'll have two!


The Sedum 'Matrona' isn't as purply-grey as it usually is this year...and is really short...could be from the flooding, I guess. Oh well, at least it's alive (and blooming)!


Good ol' Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm' never fails me :-)


I just wish it's cousin, Rudbeckia trilby was truly perennials...it's even better!


July also marks the beginning of Lily Season here in my garden...and I couldn't be happier. This is my first (and maybe still favorite), 'Black Beauty'. The stems got flattened earlier this spring during a cat fight (literally, the cats were fighting and rolled over them), but they seem to be recovering, and the first stem is blooming beautifully!


One of the lovelies Lilies I've ever encountered, 'Silver Scheherazade' almost supports itself...oh well, let it lean, as long as it doesn't collapse!


The parent of 'Silver Scheherazade', this is 'Scheherazade'. It's still a little small, but if the growth rate of it's progeny is any indication, it's going to be mammoth in a few years!


While none of the previous Lilies are particularly fragrant, Lilium 'Sarabande' is wonderfully fragrant...but not sweet at all...it's completely spicy...I love walking past it...this one plant perfumes the entire back garden (granted, it's a small back garden...but still)!


Another wonderfully fragrant Lily, 'Silk Road'. For those of you who were on the Fling tour, this is the Lily that was in bud by the front door that refused to open for us. It's intoxicatingly fragrant and greets you as you walk up to the house...I love it!


The tiny flowers of Sanguisorbia 'Tanna' are so delightful...and I love how they compliment the similar red tones of the neighboring grass, Panicum ' Cheyenne Sky'.


Teucrium hircanicum mingles happily with a Geranium whose name I never remember!


And so, in closing, here's the Front Garden looking South.


The same, looking North.


The North Garden, looking West.


And the North Garden, looking East.


Here's a shot of the front parking strip...just starting to recover from last winters floods...hopefully next year it will be as full and lush as it was last year.


And here's a look at the entire thing.


Don't fret...here are the cats! Boots, hiding.


The neighbors cat, Oliver, perched on our green roof.


Punky cat, watching me water the garden, wondering when I'll dispense his cat treats.


I hope you're having a great summer and if you want to see more blooms, check out May Dreams Garden for more Bloom Day Posts from around the world!

Bloom Day June 2014

I know everyone is saying the same thing...but...WOW...it's the middle of June...what the what!


This spring (hell, this year) has been an insane whirlwind of activity...and I sort of feel like the garden and I are a little disconnected at this point...but I've been working outside pretty much every weekend for the past few months and I think we're getting on track again. Without further ado...on with the show!


While the Alliums are pretty much done blooming, the seedheads are just as good...and they will last until I cut them down next spring (or until a cat decides to roll over them).


The many re-seeded Columbine in my garden are an unexpected treat...and I love the air of spontaneity they give.


This one popped up quite a distance from all the others...I wonder how it got here?


June in my garden is Astrantia season...when they all start really going crazy...here we have a white form, probably 'Alba'


The slightly less-vigorous Astrantia maxima...and no, we don't sit in this chair :-)


The deep, romantic blooms of 'Star of Fire'...


...which are too pretty to just have one picture of!


And backing up...a whole sea of 'Roma'!


The Monarda bradburiana's shimmerying silvery-pink blooms are almost done for the year...and the handsome seedheads will soon follow.


Linaria purpurea has the most wonderfully rich jewel-toned purple flowers every...and they are so dainty...like tiny little Digitalis blooms. They can re-seed and be a nuisance in some gardens...but I wish mine would seed around a bit more!


June is also the time for the first big flush of Knautia blooms...love their little, richly-colored buttons bobby about the garden.


The front parking strip has a variety called 'Melton Pastels'...a mix of colors...and they have the distinction of being some of the only plants I grew myself from seed! An added benefit...the seedheads are gorgeous!


Another scabios, Scabiosa ochroleuca...love those delicate, creamy-color blooms.


Like their cousins, the Knautias...the seedheads are fascinating.


I really like them paired with the rich red-purple wands of Tuecrium hircanicum.


Another Tuecrium, Teucrium cossonii...which I thought had drowned during the repeated flooding of the parking strips this winter...but look, it's blooming!


It wouldn't be Rhone Street without some Geraniums...'Rozanne' is just starting many months of glorious bloom.


'Katherine Adele' has been moved more times than any other plant in my garden...but she still keeps going!


'Ann Folkard' is at her absolute best in June...before the heat of summer settles in...she still looks fresh and vibrant.


'Ann Folkard' also likes to scramble up and over everything in her path...here she is mingling with the fading blossoms of Clematis recta purpurea.


I don't have many PNW natives in my garden...but the few I have make up for it by being extra vigorous! This is Epilobium, aka, Fireweed. They spread by underground runners and pop up all over the place...I just edit out the ones I don't want. I could hardly get rid of them, however, they are so fabulous in bloom...and, they have great fall color!


Another native, Sidalcea oregana. I actually ripped out the original plant years ago because it was horribly spindly. Happily , it re-seeded quite a bit...and the seedlings are fairly well-behaved and so charming, mingling with other plants, I'm happy to let them stay.


Another plant that I ripped out a few years ago due to their being disfigured by Powdery Mildew, this Verbascum always pops up here and there (presumably from seed). I enjoy them while they bloom...but yank them out at the first sign of PM...still, there are always new ones popping up to take their place.


Even though my Salvia 'Amistad' didn't make it through winter, it was so pretty I just had to have another! It's pretty much the same as Salvia 'Black & Blue', but it's purple...so, obviously, better!


And now we come to Sanguisorbias...which as such cool flowers...love those fuzzy little button blooms. Sanguisorbia mensiezii has some of the biggest flowers.


While 'Pink Tanna's' are much daintier...I love this one!


The Persicarias (this is 'Firetail') are just starting to bloom and should be a sea of ruby-red wands by this time next month.


And, of course, the Agastache are starting to bloom. This is 'Purple Haze'...next month will be the height of Agastache season.


To close this post out, let's take a wide look at the garden...this is the North Border looking west at sunset.


Again, the North Border looking east.


A peak into the back garden.


The Front Border looking south..guarded by cats.


A closer look of the front parking strip.


And the Front Border looking North.


And because there weren't enough cats in this post yet...I give you 100% more cats!!!

I hope you are having a great spring (although summer starts in less than a week...eek)! For more Bloom Day posts, visit our gracious host, Carol, at May Dreams Gardens!