Garden Bloggers Bloom Day -- August 2010

It's the 15th of the month, and you know what that means . . . . Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. The premise is to post photos of what’s blooming in the garden on this particular day. May Dreams Gardens hosts, and provides a list of participating garden blogs.

The extreme heat and strong storms last week took a toll on the gardens, but the hardy (and a few delicate) plants are still standing and blooming. I think we're still a couple weeks early on the bloom schedule because a few of the things that are blooming are "fall" plants. Here’s what’s blooming in Auntie K’s Garden today:

The fall blooming anemone I purchased two years ago (as a tiny start) is blooming this year. It's still small, but eventually will fill the space with beautiful foliage and lovely pink blossoms.







The sedum have started blooming, too.







And one of the New England Asters has started budding.









Natives are still going strong: Purple Coneflower, White Coneflower, Ratibida, Anise Hyssop.








Knautia Macedonia (pictured), Stella D'Oro, and Lychnis Chalcedonia (not pictured) are having a second bloom.





The beautiful Leopard Lily, alternately called Blackberry Lily, (Belamcanda chinensis) has started to go crazy in the sunny boulevard garden.

The volunteer sunflowers and cosmos are both still going strong, too.

Beautiful Bouquets

There’s nothing like a bouquet of fresh flowers to pick up your spirits.

One of the reasons I love the flower gardens here at Auntie K’s is they provide cut flowers throughout the growing season for bouquets. I enjoy taking a bouquet of fresh flowers to a dinner, or friend in the hospital, or to my office. I like having fresh flowers at home, too! People seem to like getting the bouquets as much as I like putting them together. I collect vases and jars at garage sales and save all my glass containers instead of recycling them so I can give the bouquets without having the recipient or me worry about the vase. I also pick up ribbon if it’s on sale to dress up the neck of the jars cum vases.

A few years ago, I received a bouquet that included a hosta leaf, which I thought was both beautiful and creative. Why include only the blossoms from the garden when beautiful greenery abounds as well?! I’ve been including them in bouquets ever since.

This year, the spring bouquets included tulips, trollius, iris, lilac, bleeding heart, anemone, chives, polemonium, and centaurea. Roses, poppies, peonies, lilies, and sprigs of salvia were featured in early summer bouquets. Now, I’m using the coneflowers – white and purple (I lost the golden ones to a mite), rudbeckia, roses, sprigs of Russian sage, and garden phlox. Later in the year, the asters get added to the mix.

The roses are in full bloom again and I think they’ll make a great foundation for a couple of bouquets.

p.s. I had a mishap with my computer earlier in the week and don’t have the ability right now to post photos. Hopefully, I’ll get things figured out in a couple of days and can post photos again.

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day -- July 15

Last month, one of the garden blogs I follow mentioned Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. I was too late to participate last month, but can this month (and every 15th of the month during the growing season). The premise is to post photos of what’s blooming in the garden on this particular day. May Dreams Garden hosts, and provides a list of participating garden blogs.

Here’s what’s blooming in Auntie K’s Garden today: One of my favorite monarda—Grand Marshall.






The lovely and buttery Julia Child Rose




These Lace Cap Hydrangea weren’t there when the house was built in 1916, but my understanding is that they went in shortly after that. They’ve come up every year since and try to creep into the path. I try to keep them in check. There are a few blooms left on the coreopsis, too.



The volunteers in the garden this year include both this lovely cosmos (near the lamb’s ear) and the sunflower (courtesy of squirrels or birds from the feeders).



Most of the natives have started to pop, too: Purple Coneflower, White Swan Coneflower





Rudbeckia, Purple Garden Phlox, Russian Sage




And, my new favorite Ratibida with the Anise Hyssop.