The garden changes daily at this time of year, with many blooms opening overnight to surprise me the next morning. The photo above, though, highlights dark foliage that lasts longer than flowers. I've been struggling with this main sunny bed since I created it, but adding six 'Obsisian' heuchera plants has helped it look more finished. The maroon leaves of the heucheras tie into the similarly colored leaves of the 'Royal Purple' smoke bush (Cotinus) to the left and the 'Royal Purple' crabapple trees (Malus) to the top right.
I love the maroon leaves with ethereal 'Twilight Blues' baptisia and balls of 'Globemaster' allium.
This northeast area of the backyard ties into that northwest main sunny bed with dark leaves from my 'Red Dragon' contorted filbert (Corylus). A 'Kopper Kettle' Itoh peony blooms at center left.
A little further along the path, a 'Black Lace' elderberry (Sambucus) continues the dark-leaved theme. 'Early Emperor' alliums are done blooming but the seed heads still provide interest.
I shared photos of the orange poppies last week, but I can't resist another one.
'Caesar's Brother' Siberian iris and 'Totally Tangerine' geum are good neighbors. The geum blooms three or four times as long as the iris, though.
'Ambassador' allium (top) is my favorite allium for its deep purple color, though I really appreciate 'Early Emperor' (at center, finished blooming) for its early show of color. Now that the 'Caradonna' salvia and 'Caesar's Brother' Siberian iris are blooming, the three shades of violet-purple are really pretty against the orange geum.
In the backyard garden east of the house, the leaves of a 'June' hosta blend peacefully with chartreuse and green leaves on other hostas, heuchera, and spirea.
Here in the east back garden my pink 'Helsinki University' rhododendrons and more alliums are providing the flower color for now. Last year I transplanted several 'Jack Frost' and 'King's Ransom' brunnera plants to this area (you can see a blurry one at center), and their silvery leaves provide interest even when the blue flowers aren't visible.
The west path garden is recovering from the trauma of being smashed by heavy equipment during our remodel. The 'Elfin' creeping thyme is slowly starting to reappear around the stones at the top of the path. My 'Teasing Georgia' rose (not shown because it's ugly right now) survived, barely, and is starting to leaf out but still looks sad. Next year it should be pretty again.
In the front yard 'Coral Sunset' peonies demonstrate the reason for their name with many shades of pink and cream on the same plant. In the front yard I also grow 'Coral Charm,' which blooms a little later and makes a much better cut flower. I've learned that 'Coral Sunset' starts to turn brown the next day if I cut it fully open, and it doesn't open if I cut it earlier. 'Coral Charm' does better in a vase.
