Once again I've stepped out of the 2011 'Space - Time Continuum' - low & behold, it's July 21st. Like many areas of the US, it is hot (really, really hot) and dry outside, and I find it so interesting to see what is growing in this oppressive weather. I took another 'Tour De France" around the backyard to see what's going on...
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| "Arabian Nights" Dahlia - with a "Lemon Yellow" Daylily back drop... |
Back in the 'Cottage Garden' there is actually some blooming going on! A new annual (started from seed I might add...) - "
Arabian Nights" Dahlias are large and in charge. The (3) plants are about 3 feet tall and very sturdy, while the blooms are a bit diminutive & would fit in the palm of your hand. The perennial
Lemon Yellow Daylily is hardy and looks amazing next to that dark scarlet red - a happy location accident.
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"Sun Garden" in Sunset
(Pink Guara, "Wine & Roses" Weigela, Sedum, Moonbeam Coreopsis and Paprika Yarrow) |
I am willing to show the 'not so pretty' side of gardening, as I let weeds remain co-located with my perennials. It is just too incredibly hot to pull weeds - and what the heck, they stay dark green in 'sauna hot' temps. So if you look close (or double-click on the picture above), you'll see 'weeds among us' in the gardens - but I'm just not going to get OCD about it. It's just ... too... hot!
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Sedum Angelina, Pink Double-Knockout Rose, Sweet Autumn Clematis
Moonbeam Coreopsis, Fireball Hibiscus, Pink Guara and Rudibeckia |
Many of the plants are putting on a 'pretty face' right now. One of my garden buddies 'gifted' me the
Sedum Angelina last year. I put it in a terracotta pot this season - placed on a stand (aka upside down cube-shaped pot) for height and visual interest. Apparently it's quite happy, as it resembles a 'Chia Pet' now?! The
Pink Knockout Rose is still recovering from 'bunny decimation' - and is happily blooming.
The
Sweet Autumn Clematis continues its climb up the trellis - about 3 & 1/2 feet up. The
Hibiscus is a riot of blooms. Those dinner plate-sized flowers are going to explode - like the plant itself, that has quadrupled in size this year (growing from a 1 stemmed plant to 4). I am going to have to add
Pink Guara down in my 'Cottage Garden'. It has such awesome movement to it in the breeze - it just says 'cottage'. It is so much more hardy then the "
Sweet Dreams" Coreopsis rosea - which currently looks so anemic I feel bad for it.
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| Variegated Ribbon Grass |
As Greggo so aptly noted on a past post - I really like my "halo fade" effect for photos. In this case, it blurs the dandelions, so you can appreciate the Variegated Ribbon Grass and my little Sun chime. I really like this garden vignette - and the stepping stones and fence keep the Ribbon Grass corralled in a small area.
Stay cool! (I'll never complain about my shade trees ever again.)
Hot it is, the weeds can get a reprieve. The flowers are all looking tired too at my garden. The daylilies are not even making a whole day, they are jumping off the plants.
ReplyDeleteI have succumbed to the weeds and am not even bothering to weed with this heat...they at least flower and add color...:) lovely photos and I love how you fade out the weeds...very clever
ReplyDeleteLove the artistic quality of the last shot too! I thought about you the other day as I perused the damage to so many of the plants by the bunnies. They are hungry! There are a few things they've left alone but some have been eaten to the ground...not sure they'll recover. I hope so.
ReplyDeleteI laughed at your comment - it IS too hot to be weeding! You seem to have a lot loving the heat. This is a good time, though, to figure out what's tough and what's not!
ReplyDeleteShyrlene, If anyone had over told people in Maine back in May (when it rained for 3 weeks straight) that we'd be begging for rain in July, they would have been incredulous. But here we are -- no rain for weeks and even here the temperature got up to 100 today (something that happens about once in 20 years). Although I watered all my flower beds this week, the plants mostly looked droopy and defeated this afternoon. I'll admit I have been holding off not only on garden work but on garden photos until my plants are a bit happier. Stay cool. -Jean
ReplyDeleteGWGT - I can so relate to 'flowers jumping off the plant'...the blooms on the Moonbeam Coreopsis looks like they've been crisped in the microwave and the Monarda looks like it's been strangled (and I swear we've been watering every other day).
ReplyDeleteDonna - you made me smile! That photo editing software came in really handy... ;D
Cat - thanks for the props on my photo creativity! You know how much your photography inspires your readers!! And bunnies... there's a topic that could keep us going for hours! They yanked out some of my sunflowers, then decided they didn't like the 'flavor'. Grrrrrrr.
Holley - I tried to be a hardy gardener, but I just couldn't pull weeds in 100 degree heat. Besides when I did, they snapped in half - above the dirt line. I also wish I had planted some Echinacea - which seems to be thriving around the area.
Jean - I was thinking the same thing yesterday: wet May & June / piping hot July with no rain! I'm worried about the new Weigela - the underside looks like 'potato chips': crunchy and brown. I was going to grab a bag of mulch to throw around the new bushes, to retain more water. Here's hoping...
I don't mean to rub it in but we ha rain yesterday, enough to soften the ground. I had no excuse not to weed and so I did. My dogs helped out.
ReplyDeleteThe heat last week really took its toll. Yours look very nice...we are having a cool spell this week, but I am sure the heat will return.
ReplyDeleteOne - I feel guilty about all the weeds, especially in the new 'cottage garden'. I was just making a plan to clean them out this weekend! (No dogs to help me out, only the wild bunnies!)
ReplyDeleteSage Butterfly - truth be told, I owe the beautiful flowers to the shade of the big trees in my backyard and a very sweet husband who has watered the gardens while I was at work! :)
Even the weeds are getting big at my place and that usually doesn't happen at my high altitude, so don't feel guilty.
ReplyDeleteI love that striped grass. Very nice!
Thanks Rosey - I'm feeling like I need to "harvest" the weeds they are so big! The grass was an impulse buy - I need to have MORE impulses like that! (native plant & fast growing) :D
ReplyDeleteHey Shyrlene, Thank you so much for your VERY nice comment on my blog. You would not be saying that if you could see my garden now. We were gone for 10 days on vacation, and we have had 26 days now of over 100 degrees. It has taken its toll. I refuse to water more than twice a week. Most everything is still alive, but it looks really, really sad. I could just cry. The only consolation is that this is a record breaking year, so hopefully next year will be more "normal." boo hoo...sniff, sniff.
ReplyDeleteLoving the halo fade shot - and good to hear you are not beating yourself up about a few weeds, given the weather...
ReplyDeleteDear Shyrlene - wishing you cooler weather and rain...today we finally have a day in the 80s- we almost forgot how great that feels. Your garden still looks lovely
ReplyDeleteToni - I can't even comprehend the heat you all have had down in Texas. The heat & humidity here has given us a huge 'bumper crop' of mosquitoes this year. Everyone is walking around looking like pin cushions.
ReplyDeleteJanet - Thanks! (I just love Picasa software - it's so fun to 'dabble' with!) I finally weeded my 'Cottage Garden' last weekend -- hot and sweaty - but rewarding!
Gloria - so good to hear from you! This will be a summer for the record books won't it?! Thanks for the kind words on the garden - I'm over-the-moon happy with this season (it all is finally starting to look like something planned!)
Not weeding and enjoying the summer is no crime!!
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