The flowers start to wane by mid-July, but there are still some summer stalwarts that carry the garden into the autumn. We have had very little rain all spring and summer so any flowers seem somewhat miraculous at this point. I have been supplementing with hand watering, but as little as I feel I can get away with knowing we are looking at a potentially serious drought.
I’ll just dump a bunch of photos here and label them as I have time.
My clone of Glaucium flavum usually sports reddish-orange flowers, but due to heat/drought stress, this year the flowers were light orange.Eryngium “Blaukappe”Nicotiana sylvestris, which came back for a strong second year. The yarrow behind has grown and bloomed really well this year, though it is mousy shade of pink.Campanula with goumi berries behind.Silene seedlings–they started out spindly, but then started filling out.The clematis bloomed late this year, but bloomed well. I think this is Polish Spirit.A beautiful red-flowered Hippeastrum set seeds. This pod eventually popped open and I immediately planted the fresh seeds in some 4″ pots in the greenhouse. I’m not sure I have room for more Hippeastrums, but I couldn’t resist.Sinningia leucotricha blooming in the greenhouse. They flowers are less showy than some years but the leaves are world-class.Daylily flowers and grass blooms near the driveway.The Dahlia “Bishop’s Children” seedlings finally filled out a bit and set flowers. And the Silene here is really proving its worth. Love the shape on this Dahlia bud–wouldn’t that make a great sculpture?The Phlox paniculata is blooming near the driveway; Marigold seedlings are just starting to flower, too, providing a brazen contrast.Blackberry season is just starting .Dahlia “Bishop’s Children” seedling flower. Nice, deep magenta color.Another “Bishop’s Children” seedling–nice color, but it bleaches in the sun to almost white at the tips.The fragrance of this Phlox is so sweet and cheering.Propagation efforts on the dwarf form of Euphorbia characias. Sinningia flowers faded fast this year, maybe due to high heat–but the leaves are impressive.This fortnight lily finally opened a flower when I was around to see it–such intricate, elegant beauty!Begonia boliviensis got a late start, but that didn’t stop it from putting on a brilliant display on the patio.Oxalis triangularis blooming on the patio with Pelargonium “Petals” nearby.Lily hybrids blooming in the memory garden. I haven’t created a garden around these yet, but they are getting bigger and stronger every year.
