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pixie_lou

Show Us Your Gardens - A photo Thread - July 2014 Part I

pixie_lou
9 years ago

Welcome to the New England Gardening "Show Us Your Gardens" Photo Thread.

This is a place to post photos, and to discuss, what is in your New England garden. This is the first thread for July 2014. All New England garden photos are welcome. Since Summer is here, our focus will be on flowers. However, all New England landscape and garden photos are welcome. If it is a photo taken in your New England garden or your yard in the month of July, it is fair game to post it here.

Here are the links for the July 2013 threads. Part I and Part II.

For previous 2014 threads:

June 2014 Part II

June 2014 Part I

May 2014 Part II

May 2014 Part I

April 2014

March 2014

February 2014

January 2014

For all other 2013 threads, please go to the December 2013 thread and follow the links for the relevant month.

For all of the 2011 and 2012 threads - gardenweb will no longer transfer threads. Be patient with me - I will make a direcotry and post it in the photo gallery .

FWIW - if we have 50 posts by 15 July, I will make a July Part II thread.

Comments (52)

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I love the White Swan, pixie_lou. I had one once but it got lost in the scrum. I can understand your wanting to remove the monarda but I can hear the hummingbirds sobbing. Maybe a compromise and leave some of them?

    My roses on stilts ('Excelsa') are in full bloom now along the side of my house over the Phlox Protection Zone.

    I know that I should have left more space between the house and the roses but it was too tight there with the retaining wall. I have the plan, maybe a fantasy, that if I ever have to get at the siding or the windows I can tilt the stilts out and most of the rose vines will magically follow. Or I can just cut them down again and they'll grow back. Did I mention that this is a monster rose?

    Phox maculata (Meadow Phlox) is now blooming wherever I've left it, here along the stone retaining wall that's buried under the cotoneaster. The 'Blue Billow' hydrangea behind them is close to bloom.

    The unruly front bed with roses and peonies and foxgloves now has some daylilies to change the color. You'd hardly know that there's a woodchuck burrow under there somewhere.

    And a little bowl of sedums that I planted about five years ago and basically ignore is flowering. A siberian iris seeded itself in there.

    Claire

  • pixie_lou
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Claire - I look forward to seeing that Rose every year! The color is so vibrant! (And I plan on transplanting all that monarda - to a place, or 100 places, where it can grow freely)

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  • Steve Massachusetts
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    That is a monster, Claire. Reminds me of the climber I saw (in Plymouth actually) that was 40 feet high.

    A few pictures before the rain came. About an inch thus far and still coming.

    Rose and Clematis

    Can't remember the name of this Asiatic Lily

    Annabelle just starting

    Third Witch, from Margo Reed

    Bella Anna, we'll see if it holds up in the rain

    I think this is Forever Friends (the white) and Warsaw Nike

    H. Stephanie Returns

    Agapanthus Storm Cloud, appropriate for today.

    Happy 4th everyone.

    Steve

  • nekobus
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Pixie_lou, that's an amazing stand of Mondarda!

    Steve, you've got some lovely Clematis combos there.

    Conjoined coreopsis blossoms:

    I've got lots of this volunteer aster all over the place. I think it's got kind of a neat airy look, so I've left a lot of it alone:

    Actea racemosa:

    I love the alien look of the Actea blooms:

    The Rudbeckia maxima isn't quite blooming yet, but I like the spiky green underripe blossoms. This is the only Rudbeckia I've got coming up this year:

    First Eryngium:

    Black raspberries are almost ripe. We'll see how many the birds leave us!

  • pixie_lou
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Neckobus - your "aster" looks like fleabane, which is a super prolific self sower. I left a volunteer one year, since it was pretty. And I've been paying the price the past 3-4 years.

  • spedigrees z4VT
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Claire, your roses are magnificent as usual. They appear to be in their element at your place.

    Pixie, what a shame to pull out those lovely crimson bee balm! However the pink/purple variety that I have is equally prolific/invasive. I'm beginning to consider moving the phlox and daylilies that share the flower bed with them in order to save them from being overrun by monarda. Will you be planting another tithonia??

    I have very few blooms so far this year. I neglected to photograph the iris while they were blooming earlier, and I got off to a late start and did not start my plants from seed this year. However here is an unexpected flower. It is the rose campion whose seeds were given to me a couple years ago by Jane from this forum, and finally is blooming with many more buds on the other stems. What a nice surprise! Last summer there was so little sun that the plants grew only to a couple inches, and early this spring they began to grow only to be nibbled down to nubs by rabbits or some other foraging rodent. But now they are finally coming into their own! Thank you, Jane, I love them!

  • spedigrees z4VT
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Besides the rose campion, the only blooms I have right now are the blue/purple salvia which finally seems to be coming into its own. I'm hoping that the red/purple variety will also flourish. So far no signs of red blooms, but given how long it took the blue to become established, I retain hope.

    The milkweed is on the verge of blooming in my "wild" areas.

    And my geraniums are getting started in the wine barrel planters. Some are plants I wintered over from last year and the others I bought this year.

    I'm growing increasingly wary of buying flowering plants that probably have been sprayed with pesticides. I decided to forego purchasing a hanging planter of petunias, and planted nasturtiums and petunia seeds as I always do, even though they are off to a very late start. The hummingbirds on my porch often go to the hanging blooms for a sip to supplement the nectar at the feeder so I want to keep them safe. Next year I plan to start my plants in April.

  • pixie_lou
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Steve - I really like that rose and clematis combination. It is so calming to look at!

    Sped - Your milkweed it magnificent. I'm trying to get it established to self seed down by my pond. But no luck so far.

    A few photos I took earlier this week. Sweet William is still going strong.

    The circle garden up on the corner of the property is awash with tons of colors. Volunteer hollyhocks, oenethra, and Canterbury Bells

    Oenethra. Lilies, and Stella D'Oro

    Thread leaf coreopsis. And to think that I transplanted 99% of this 2 years ago!

    DayLilies are starting to bloom

    The Clematis Barnaby makes really cool looking seed pods

    And lastly, the Lupines keep pushing up new blossoms.

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Lovely flowers and gardens all! I'm still waiting for lilies and most of the daylilies.

    'Stella de Oro' daylily is happy with Phlox maculata and a Hosta 'Undulata Univitata'. All of those phlox were beaten down by the heavy rain but I managed to push them up again (mostly) so I could walk along the path.

    A self-seeded mullein appeared in the woodchuck burrow bed, conveniently next to the complementary 'Black Eyed Stella' daylily.

    And it comes with its own ladybug:

    The Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet' are past peak while the Hydranges serrata 'Blue Billow' is just starting. They meet at the stone retaining wall.

    The bees have already found the opening fertile flowers (they had an easy flight over from the itea).

    The early hostas are beginning to flower:
    Hosta 'Big Daddy'

    Claire

  • pixie_lou
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Claire - I've always loved your Blue Billow. Yet it would totally clash with my age green and brick house!

    The first trumpet lilies have opened this weekend. They are actually the last lilies to emerge from the ground. They are usually just emerging as the last of the red lily beetles are around so I've had almost no damage from rlb on the "Easter Lilies".

  • pixie_lou
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Saw a beautiful rainbow while driving home on 128 yesterday. It didn't photograph well.

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    pixie_lou: The lilies are lovely - do you buy them for Easter and then plant them in the garden?

    My Hydrangea serrata 'Blue Billow' is about at peak now. This is the view from my porch. The Hosta 'Blue Angel' hasn't started blooming yet.

    As usual, I couldn't decide which closeup to post so I'm posting both.

    The 'Rosy Returns' daylily is starting, next to some meadow phlox (most plants in my garden are next to some meadow phlox).

    Sedum 'John Creech' at the foot of the breezeway steps.

    In the middle of June I planted some Nicotiana 'Saratoga Lime' next to some peonies, not realizing that woodchucks loved the nicotiana too. The woodchucks ate all of the blossoms. I didn't have a better place to move them, so I potted them and raised them up on a stand in the same location. They're putting out new blossoms now.

    I pounded in a stake to stabilize the stand, and apparently this got the attention of the woodchuck(s) because a new woodchuck hole suddenly appeared underneath the stand.

    It's a standoff right now. The woodchucks walk under the nicotiana stand and haven't tried to reach the plants yet. Hopefully they'll fill themselves up with birdseed and won't bother to try to climb up the stand (which they may consider to be a nice new roof over their entryway).

    Claire

    This post was edited by claire on Tue, Jul 8, 14 at 17:52

  • moliep
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    What's blooming in my yard that makes me really happy are two new Hemerocallis varieties. We first saw H. 'Light the Way' at Hollister House in Washington, CT. They were so striking... tall, graceful and sparkling white. The owner of HH told us that he purchased them at Bloomingfields Farm, an organic grower here in CT, so we visited the growers and purchased some of their plants. Here is 'Light the Way' .... blooming in their first year for us. I love the tall stems and the vibrant white tones.

    {{gwi:253325}}

    The other new day lily from Bloomingfields Farm is 'Indian Giver'.... it looks more pink than purple in my garden. Maybe the soil?

    But then, so does my newest rose look a bit funny. I owned 'Angel Face' at my first house, which was very wooded. There it looked more purple. Here it's a kind of garish red/pink. Maybe it was miss marked.

    All the lavenders are spectacular this year... and so are the sedums.

    Molie

  • diggerdee zone 6 CT
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ah, Molie, love, love, love that Indian Giver, even if the color is a bit off. I've been wanting one for some time but they are still so expensive.

    Probably just as well. I have terrible deer damage this year. Despite living in an area with a lot of deer, I have, for almost 20 years, had minimal damage. This year, inexplicably, I have a lot. I say inexplicably because, unlike other years where I would have expected damage, this year there is no major home construction, etc., going on in the area, so I don't know why the sudden increase in deer and/or damage. My tomatoes and peppers are completely eaten back, as are my cucumbers (they didn't touch the squash!), but most annoyingly is the fact that they ate just the buds off all my daylilies and lilies. The tomatoes and peppers will grow back and still produce (although the cukes are a bit iffy) but of course the lilies and daylilies are now done for the season. Very, VERY annoying.

    But look who I found sleeping in my yard the other day. Coincidentally sleeping at the base of a row of lily crates. He was a VERY heavy sleeper, as I was muttering to myself about DH, who keeps lifting up my lily crates to look for worms to fish with, and dumps the soil out of them, and additionally I was grabbing leaves out of the crate and throwing them most likely right on top of the little guy. I walked around behind the crates to water that side, and it took me a few moments to realize just what I was looking at. I have to think that he was sleeping so heavily because he and mom had just had a huge meal in my garden....

  • moliep
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dee... that's an amazing photo, especially because his ears are up and supposedly on alert. But it's also kind funny, considering where that baby is napping. He sure looks content and satisfied.

    I do understand your hesitancy about sinking money into day lilies with a roaming deer population. I lost most of my day lilies at my other house and wouldn't want to go through that again. I had to learn to balance my love of certain plants with the forces of nature around me.

    We don't have deer but we do have woodchucks. Are you going to relocate the Nicotiana, Claire?

    Molie

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    'Light the Way' is a lovely daylily, Molie. The green throat is really pretty. Very elegant.

    I don't know what I'm going to do about the nicotiana. The only woodchuck-free area is the Phlox Protection Zone and they would just get lost in there if I planted them in the ground. I could move the whole stand somewhere, but I may just wait and see if they survive where they are now. They'll be crowded when they grow bigger in the pot.

    That's a very obedient little fawn, Dee. Mom said to stay put until she came back and Mom knows what's safe.

    Claire

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The first tall phlox (Phlox paniculata 'Grenadine Dream') is opening in the Phlox Protection Zone, near the 'Excelsa' rose on stilts. Some other phlox are budding there too and I can smell the fragrance even though it's allergy season.

    I love this combination of Rose 'Zepherine Drouhin', Hydrangea 'Blue Billow' and Phlox maculata with the hosta 'Blue Angel' in the middle. Now if the hosta would just hurry up and bloom....

    The cotoneaster fruits are ripening. That's an old dried out pumpkin left over from last Halloween.

    Claire

  • chardie
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Claire,
    That Blue Billow is beyond gorgeous! I just got one this Spring but it's still tiny. Took a jaunt to White Flower Farm last weekend and they had two beautiful ones under oak trees.

  • Lalala (zone 6b)
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This is my first year with stachys "hummelo" and I love it. Annabelle behind it with some fading nepeta.

    Also first year with hydrangea "twist and shout." It has several nice blooms--color is even more beautiful than it appears here.

  • moliep
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Love your blue lace cap hydrangeas, Claire and lalala (great name). Do they bloom on new wood?

    Claire, that Grenadine Dream shimmers especially against the house color!

  • homegrowninthe603
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Heritage Rose (I wish the whole bush looked as healthy as these blooms)


    Lady’s Mantle

    Old faithful Clematis Jackmanii

    Antique bird bath that no longer holds water. Succulents seem to be happy.

  • diggerdee zone 6 CT
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    homegrown that rose is quite literally breathtaking! I gasped in awe when I saw it. Just this morning as I picked off some japanese beetles from my bug-eaten rose leaves, I thought to myself that I am done with growing roses. Your photo has made me rethink that....

    Lovely sedum arrangement in that birdbath too.

    Claire, absolutely loving that pumpkin from last year. Makes me think I'm not the only procrastinator here. That just reminded me - this past spring I discovered my Christmas tree near the front of my yard. We had put it out for the city to take and thought they did. It was not till all the snow melted that we saw it in the yard. Your pumpkin just reminded me that the tree is still there. Yikes. By the way, your pumpkin goes very nicely with the berries of the cotoneaster - but of course that is probably exactly why you left it there, right? ;)

    Dee

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Molie: Hydrangea 'Blue Billow' blooms on old wood. Luckily it's relatively hardy so winters don't devastate it (in a reasonable zone).

    Dee: I had left a few uncarved pumpkins hanging around for decoration, figuring I'd put them in the compost when they started to rot, or the squirrels chewed on them. This one stayed intact and I ignored it over the winter and then I used it to prop up a cotoneaster. Apparently it got freeze-dried like a gourd because it's very light now. As long as it looks decent I'll keep it on the stone wall (and yes, I do procrastinate - sometimes it pays off).

    I just pulled it out and put it on the step to see how it looked. Maybe it will last until next Halloween. That looks like Black Swallowwort on the side of the step, missed that one.

    My Yucca 'Color Guard' is blooming near the pumpkin.

    Claire

  • pixie_lou
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    After no blooms for 2 years, Jackmani is finally blooming. It is in a lot of shade. And was eaten by the groundhog last year. So I. Happy with my few blossoms.

  • Lalala (zone 6b)
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    mjc_molie, the Twist 'n Shout lacecap is an Endless Summer variety and supposedly blooms on both new and old wood. But it's also hardier than regular Endless Summers (my ES died back completely this winter, where as the Twist n Shout old wood all survived).

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Claire, the combination of Itea virginica 'Henry's Garnet' with the Hydrangea serrata 'Blue Billow' and the Hosta 'Blue Angel' is stunning! I think that the only one of the three I can grow is the hosta, since I H. serrata isn't reliable here (I guess I live in an unreasonable zone!) and I killed 'Little Henry.'

    Molie - Hemerocallis 'Light the Way' is another one I really like, the creamy color with the chartreuse throat along with the height is just perfect.

    603 - Your succulents are beautiful, and great reuse of the birdbath that gets the plants closer to eye level.

    Lalala - I like that 'Twist and Shout'. I have one that's still small that I'll have to check to see if it's blooming yet.

    I've got several clematis blooming, though I would have had many more if the voles hadn't been so wicked this winter. I lost many of my older clematis from when I wasn't yet planting in cages.

    Avant Garde, which hangs onto the central boss of petaloid stamens after the petals drop. The flowers are tiny, but have a long time that they are effective, and it's a lovely little plant.
    {{gwi:248201}}From July 11, 2014 Clems etc

    Betty Corning
    {{gwi:248203}}From July 11, 2014 Clems etc

    Venosa Violacea

    From July 11, 2014 Clems etc

    Ville de Lyon
    {{gwi:248204}}From July 11, 2014 Clems etc

    a viorna hybrid, just starting to bloom and crawling into the same deciduous holly, Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red' as the C. Avant Garde. The holly is blooming up a storm, but I have to get her a boyfriend since the male hollies that are native here don't seem to overlap in bloom times.

    From July 11, 2014 Clems etc

    Almost all the clematis are in the large bed at the shop but in their current relatively small size are overwhelmed by the shrubs.

    From July 11, 2014 Clems etc

    By the front door the two sides are fairly different except that they both have the same spirea and the area is generally a riot of color at this time of year.
    Hydrangea Annabelle and some self-seeded annual poppies accompany the spirea on one side.

    From July 11, 2014 Clems etc

    The other has a series of long-blooming perennials.

    From July 11, 2014 Clems etc

    I thought I had moved all these orange dayliles, but I am glad a few remain since their combination with the frothy white elderberry flowers makes me think of creamsicles.
    {{gwi:248202}}From July 11, 2014 Clems etc

    I like the way the chartreuse, white, andvarious shades of green intermingle, and have variety, but still have repetition in the colors and leaf shapes.
    {{gwi:249828}}From July 11, 2014 Clems etc

    and finally, a shot across one of the perennial bed toward the corn field.

    From July 11, 2014 Clems etc

  • moliep
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ah, nhbabs! Your seasonal views of the fields are always marvelous... winter... fall... misty.. or blooming. That's always such a peaceful sight... spirit-lifting, too. Hope it never changes. I've always admired your evergreen berm near the road and the various colors and textures of greens that you balance in your landscapes. I think people sometimes forget that there are many shades of green that can work in the garden.... a few years ago my DH noticed that our yard was filled with the same boring green and so we've worked to change that. And lovely clematis. Mine were hit with wilt and so I cut them back... next year!

    Pixie, your Jackmani is beautiful and should go on and on over the years. My friend has one about 12 years old that completely covers a chain link fence along her property line.

    Homegrown, I add my awe to Dee's... your Heritage rose is gorgeous. How long have you had it? I love the David Austin roses but sadly have lost a few in my time. I think they're so luscious that every few years I try again and get another one. The last to bite the dust for me was Tamora. Miss her.

    Keep posting photos of your hydrangeas, everyone. Mine were set back by the winter weather... the cold and the winds here. If I had more room, I'd look for some that bloom on new wood.

    Molie

  • homegrowninthe603
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Such beautiful images from everyone.

    Thank you Dee and Molie. I have had my Austin “Heritage” rose for many years. It blooms twice a year- heavy in the Spring and lighter in late Summer. The second bloom is always hit by Japanese beetles but we manage that. In the past 3 years or so, it has been plagued by black spot. I almost dug it up this spring, but instead cut it down to the ground. The beautiful blooms came out on the new growth. Truth be told, I still don’t have high hopes for this bush because it does not look healthy overall. Molie, I love your daylies, etc. and Dee that is a wonderful picture of a well-fed fawn.

    Dee and nhbabs, thank you. The succulents have required no maintenance whatsoever since I planted them in the old birdbath. Nhbabs, your clematis are beautiful (less common varieties).

    Claire and lalala, I know I have to have a blue lacecap now. Gotta check on how tall they get. Gorgeous.

    Steve, love “Third Witch” colors.

    Pixielou, I need to grow Hollyhocks again. Just love the bright multicolor lilies too. Don’t get rid of ALL the Bee Balm.

    My knockout roses are lower maintenance, lovely, but no fragrance:

  • spedigrees z4VT
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    NHBabs, I love the photo of your beautiful colorful flowers tucked into the corner of your house, and also the panorama of your fields with lovely garden in the foreground. So pretty!

    Homegrown, your birdbath full of succulents is enchanting. I will be on the lookout for a vintage leaky birdbath now to copy your idea!

    The daylilies and bee balm in my perennial beds are blooming now, but the phlox has yet to get started. The rose campions (courtesy of Jane's seeds) in the first photo look like they are dancing! They were somewhat beaten down by a recent thunderstorm.

  • spedigrees z4VT
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    And before the rain started, I snapped a few more photos. Here is a clump of black eyed susan volunteers, also in one of my perennial beds. One of my favorite wild flowers, I think they look like a cross between sunflowers and daisies.

  • spedigrees z4VT
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Some more pictures before I go for now. My orange garden is beginning to get going. It seems the nasturtium blossoms always take me by surprise. I plant the seeds, welcome the sprouts and leaves, and then take to regarding them as a green mass, forgetting that they will eventually flower until...

    Also the daylilies are ready to open; I think I have a single blossom but many more by tomorrow I'm sure.

    The gerbera daisies that I bought as plants and kept alive indoors for many months are starting to thrive. (The Japanese beetles hate them! So far I've only seen two beetles... can it be this will be an off year for the nasty plant predators? One can hope!) I wish gerbera daisies were easier to start from seed. I hate buying any plants for fear of the pesticides they were likely treated with. I surely wish there was an organic plant nursery nearby so when I needed to purchase plants already grown I could buy pesticide-free flowers. There is one such place to my north but they seem to only sell perennials.

  • tkln
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh my gosh, everyone's gardens are so beautiful! I can't get over all the color and shapes and sizes.

    Love all the hydrangeas...I had lace caps in NY and I miss them so much. Especially after I saw the new owners of our house ripped out the entire garden. Sniff.

    And the clematis...wow...I planted some here but still waiting for some flowers!!

    I feel like there's been a long wait between blooms here...but now things are starting to move.

    Monarda...

    Some daylilies...though I have no idea what their names are!

    Asiatic lily...

    I'm guessing coreopsis of some sort? Though I'm not positive.

    This is the bed with the Asiatic lily, 'coreopsis', some daylilies and the last few peony holdouts (I cant believe they're still blooming!)...

  • Steve Massachusetts
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great colorful gardens this month. Here's a few more pics from the last few days.

    Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Purple Cone Flower

    Hosta Lakeside Prophecy

    Monarda

    Raspberry Grin

    Joan Senior

    Ego

    Steve

  • Thyme2dig NH Zone 5
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I keep coming back to this thread to check out all the great pics. I've been dealing with a very voracious woodchuck this year.....hard to believe it only appears to be one with all the damage in the garden. So, it's nice to enjoy blooms in all your pics that "should" have been in my garden! LOL!

  • joe_267
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow everyone's gardens are looking amazing! I've been traveling, for work, for what seems a year. Came back to some new things. Probably nothing out of the ordinary, but figured I would upload, a few pics. The lilies I have been spraying with Neem Oil for about the last two months. Happy to say they have survived the Lily beetles. Can't believe it's mid-July already. Geesh, where has the summer gone!?























  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Everyone's gardens are looking so lush now! Still no lilies here but the daylilies are ramping up.

    Not a daylily, but next to one.
    Nicotiana 'Saratoga Lime' and 'Saratoga Red' on the roof over the woodchuck hole. That's Hemerocallis 'Pardon Me' just beyond it.

    'Pardon Me'

    H. 'American Revolution'

    And the old favorite, the double ditch lily (AKA Hemerocallis fulva 'Flore Pleno' (probably) for the purists).

    Not an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, but hoverflies are shiny and sort of decorative. If you keep your standards low.

    Claire

    This post was edited by claire on Fri, Jul 18, 14 at 19:52

  • pixie_lou
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    One of my first oriental lilies to open. They are "fragrant". So I plant them far from the house! But the pink is so vibrant I can see it all the way across the yard!

  • pixie_lou
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    First blossoms opening on Hydrangea Paniculta Tardiva.

  • spedigrees z4VT
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Steve, that is a lovely photo of the tiger swallowtail amidst the purple coneflowers. I wish I were able to grow echinacea but for some reason they never thrive here.

    Also there are so many beautiful photos of lilies and daylilies on here!

    My orange garden has reached a peak of "orangeness" now that the daylilies and nasturtiums are in full bloom. And the spectacular purple patch in the perennial bed behind it is my bee balm/monarda going to town.

    The second photo was taken out my back window by moonlight. It somewhat captures the magical-ness of the night view out across our pasture with the little solar garden lights (although the lightning bugs don't show up).

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    spedigrees: Your bottle tree garden is really pretty now with the orange skirt. I'm amazed at all that green lawn behind it - empty space is at a premium in my yard (partly because I can't resist stuffing more plants into it).

    The Phlox Protection Zone is looking good now. The roses are past peak but the phlox are blooming out of the reach of the woodchucks.

    Hosta 'Blue Angel' is finally blooming by the 'Blue Billow' hydrangea. I deadheaded a few hundred meadow phlox yesterday right next to them and should get a second flush soon.

    Behind the hosta and hydrangea the 'Zepherine Drouhin' rose is sending up new maroon canes.

    And the quiet little 'Carefree Delight' rose has flowers, which seem like they belong more on an apple tree than a rose, but I like it.

    Still waiting for the lily buds to open.

    Claire

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Between the side of the house and the road, my hosta and Helenium Mardi Gras are blooming up a storm along with a bit of Clematis Gravetye Beauty in the foreground and some daylilies at the far end of the bed. H. Mardi Gras will bloom for something like 10 weeks without deadheading; last year it started during the first week of July and was still blooming until sometime in September. The hosta has a plain green leaf, but the flowers are a beautiful color. It was here at the house when we moved in, so I have no idea as to the variety. It seeds prolifically.

    From July 20, 2014 house

    Clematis Mikelite is in its third year in the garden and has now been blooming for about 4 weeks now. I adore the color which is actually nicer than this photo, with the outside of the petals actually a deeper shade than this, but the center of each petal this color.

    From July 20, 2014 house

    Although this color combo is almost past, I like the mix of salmony orange and bright chartreusy yellow on this daylily, Caryopteris Sunshine Blue, and a seed grown Kniphofia AKA red hot poker plant.

    From July 20, 2014 house

  • Steve Massachusetts
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Babs, that looks like H. ventricosa to me. It's a species Hosta that blooms this time of year. Lovely rippled edge on this one as well as a profusion of blooms.

    Claire, I love your Blue Angel. It was the first Hosta I bought and planted and it is still one of my favorites. There's a story behind Blue Angel with New England connections. It was originated as a seedling in the garden of Florence Shaw in Weston, MA in the late 60's probably. Unfortunately, Mrs. Shaw died in 1975, leaving behind a spectacular garden of 3 acres that was full of her seedlings. She was a prolific and talented hybridizer. A different member of the AHS purporting to assist with the garden after her death, absconded with a large number of those seedlings and registered them as his own. Among these were Sum and Substance, Love Pat, Big Daddy and Blue Angel. Luckily, Blue Angel and a few other of Mrs. Shaw's creations had been shared with her friends before her death and it has been possible to recently re-establish her as the creator of these beautiful plants. So we can enjoy Blue Angel and a large number of other classic Hostas knowing that they originated here in Massachusetts.

    Here's mine.

    Steve

  • nekobus
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Got back from vacation this weekend. It's going to take me another week to catch up on weeding!

    Echinaceas and phlox are doing great -- at least, the ones the damn woodchucks haven't eaten:

    Liatris are starting:

    I was worried this Rudbeckia maxima wasn't going to make it last summer. Now I want a bunch more:

    Physostegia with hungry bug:

    Monarda fistulosa:

    Veronicastrum still going. It's a super bee magnet:

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Lovely color and texture combinations, nhbabs.

    Steve: Nasty shenanigans in the hosta world! I like the idea that my Blue Angel and Big Daddy are back home here in MA - two of my favorite hostas.

    Hosta 'Big Daddy' a little past flowering

    And next to the Blue Angel, Guardian Angel just put up a flower stalk. Guardian Angel looks a little ratty, maybe too much sun for it? I moved it there because it looked a little sunburned in the old spot.

    I've been digging hostas out of too much shade, thanks to your advice that hostas really do like some sun. Some of them were also being smothered by ivy so they weren't very happy. The myth of hostas as deep-shade plants dies hard.

    nekobus: You have a lot of plants that attract pollinators!

    Claire

  • homegrowninthe603
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Platycodon “Balloon Flower” in blue. I have white as well, but they bloom a little later.


    Dill in the vegetable garden, backed by sunflowers that are not ready to bloom yet.

    Yet another swallowtail, this time enjoying Stokes Aster “Blue Danube”

    Susan

  • Steve Massachusetts
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Great Tiger Swallowtail, Susan. It's interesting that I have seen lots of different Butterflies this summer, but not a Monarch in my garden yet this year. We were at Costal Maine BG earlier this week and they had a few there that were about to be released. CMBG is a certified Monarch Way Station with a breeding pair.

    Here are a few more garden pics from this week.

    Indian Pipe, believe it or not this is an herbaceous perennial with no chlorophyll. It has a parasitic relationship with the trees in the area which provide food and energy for it. That allows it to grow in very dark forested places.

    Hemerocallis Fox Ears

    Orienpet Lily Conca D'Or

    More Lilies are beginning to open and will be in full bloom in a few days. I love that spicy scent.

    Steve

  • moliep
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I also keep checking back to this thread. I figure ... If I can't grow some things, at least I can admire them in your gardens.

    Indian Pipe.... wow! Thanks, Steve. I haven't seen that in a long time but used to find it growing in the woods in front of my old house. Your lilies are opening and the yellow one looks like one of mine, which are all done for this year. (I just cut back all their seed pods.) Yes, I miss their scent which even reached up onto the back deck.

    And I also enjoy seeing so many of the things I've lost over the years. Kind of the Ghost of Gardens Past thread, for me.

    Susan, your Stokesia is gorgeous.... that's one plant that I miss. I tried two of them and then gave up.

    The Veronicastrum that nekobus grows... loved those white spears. That's one of the reasons why I planted H. 'Light the Way', which is still showing well in our yard. White kind of sparkles in the garden, I think.

    Of course, the David Austin roses and especially the Lace Cap hydrangeas. Well, in all honesty, I haven't grown the Lace Caps because there just isn't any room in our small yard.

    I miss my Monarda, but it took up too much space.

    And the space that some of you have! That I admire. Sped your contrasts of orange/blues and purples just stand out against all of those green fields.

    Nhbabs... the way that you contrast colors and textures make your gardens so much fun to look at.

    So keep posting. This thread is my garden tour.

    Molie

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Susan: You reminded me that my bronze fennel is having a bad year (probably my fault re watering). It should be blooming like your dill and be covered with tiny pollinators.

    Steve: I also haven't seen Indian Pipe for years, although I wouldn't rule out a few still lurking unseen in the more remote corners of the yard.

    My true lilies are finally opening - the first was Lilium 'La Claridad'.

    And a few days later, L. 'Casa Blanca'

    and L. 'Arabesque'.

    Daylilies are humming along. Still blooming are:

    Hemerocallis 'American Revolution'

    H. 'Joan Senior'

    H. 'Pardon Me'

    A mix of a No-ID daylily and the double ditch lily over at the edge of the property:

    and nearby, inherited hostas and double ditch lilies:

    I'm waiting for the old-fashioned "Tiger Lily" (L. lancifolium) to bloom - one bud is orange now, and a few tall phlox are getting closer.

    Claire

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Even though it is August 1, I am posting here as I am going to busy for the next few days when I expect Pixie Lou will post for August.

    Watching storms over the fields, and even just watching the corn grow has provided great scenery for us.
    Cloud effects

    From August 1, 2014

    Mist during and after rains

    From August 1, 2014

    The top of the post is at least 6' above the level of the corn's roots (plus it's closer to me, and therefore looks taller), so the corn must be at least 10' tall and still growing. One of the young farmers climbed up on the post the other day to look across the top of the crop.

    From August 1, 2014

    I thought the Crocosmia had been winter killed when I planted these Clematis, so the color combo is a bit wilder than I usually choose.

    From August 1, 2014

    Hydrangea paniculata is blooming robustly.

    From August 1, 2014

    I am enjoying the blues, golds and oranges in this bed I expanded last season. The Delphinium 'Butterfly Blue' has a reputation for blooming itself to death after one season, but it is on its second season now. I love the color, and it has been blooming for weeks now.

    From August 1, 2014

  • claireplymouth z6b coastal MA
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    nhbabs: I'm sitting here on the deck on a chilly morning with steady rain, and your pictures of your lovely property got me thinking about "The corn is as high as an elephant's eye" and that lead to Gordon MacRae singing "Oh What a Beautiful Morning!".

    Thanks!
    Claire