A Very Red July

 

The Northwest corner has featured bold red lilies and roses this month.  Vigorous tetraploid 'Red Velvet' Asiatic lilies continue to multiply by the year.  Upward-facing 'Forza Red' Orienpet lilies are still going strong in their second summer.  Not all lilies survive in my crowded perennial beds (I'm thinking of you, wimpy Oriental lilies), so I'm very pleased to see these types returning well.

The 'Florentina' climbing roses have been spectacular this year.  I have them tied up to teepees from Gardener's Supply, which has been working well.  I keep recommending this rose to my gardener friends.  The charming old-fasioned blooms last forever on the plant or in the vase.  The only drawbacks are the lack of scent and the tendency of the deeply colored petals to get brown with sunburn on the tops.  They'd do better with afternoon shade, I guess, but I have no plans to move them.  

The second flush from 'Caradonna' salvia adds some violet spikes to the color scheme, and a few 'Purple Prince' lilies (also vigorous Orienpet hybrids) add a deep pink.  The 'Royal Purple' smoke bush is finally leafed out and filling its space.  It certainly took its time waking up this spring, as did the 'Berry Awesome' hardy hibiscus that will bloom next month.

Last year all my dahlias were blooming by this time, but our chilly, wet spring really slowed down their growth.  Not that I'm complaining - with much of the Western United States in severe drought, I'm very happy that our water supply is plentiful this year.  Even though I waited to plant my dahlia tubers until the end of May, some of them rotted in the ground during our rainy June weather.  The ones that survived have sprouted and some have even formed buds, so I'm being patient.

The back side of the NW corner currently features 'Blue Sapphire' sea holly, 'Summer Beauty' alliums, 'Visions in Red' astilbe, drumstick alliums, a few lingering spikes of 'Caradonna' salvia, and more of the 'Red Velvet' lilies.  

In the background you can see the 'Incrediball Blush' hydrangea I transplanted here this spring.  I think eventually it will be happy with the part-day sun, but so far it wilts unless I water it daily.  These hydrangea flowers last for ages on the plant, remaining attractive even as they age to green.  So I'm willing to keep nursing it along until it gets established.  

August 2021 Big Blooms

Somehow I never posted these photos from August last year, so I'll happily do it now in the middle of winter.  After years of trying new perennials and moving things around, I finally had plenty of late summer color in this area.

The photo above includes 'LeVern Friemann' lilies, 'Big Blue' salvia, 'Penhill Dark Monarch' dahlias, 'Seniors Hope' dahlias, 'Berry Awesome' hibiscus, plus Russian sage, 'Royal Purple' smokebush and 'Jeana' tall phlox at the back of the bed.

The 'Penhill Dark Monarch' flowers were huge and saturated with deep pink color.  The tall plants needed better staking so they didn't lean forward as much, but they produced quite a few flowers as they flopped all over the other plants.

'Seniors Hope' was another new dahlia for me, and I was really impressed with its prolific blooming, dark leaves and long, strong stems that were great in the garden or for cutting.  Its complex blend of burgundy and cream with gold and silver dusting looked great with the 'Berry Awesome' hardy hibiscus.

'Seniors Hope' also looked nice with the 'Big Blue' salvia and 'Miss Molly' butterfly bush in this shot.  I grew 'Big Blue' from seed, and it earned the name with a larger stature than other S. farinacea hybrids.

Here is a closeup of the 'Seniors Hope' blooms, with an aged flower on the left and a newer bloom opening on the right.  Once the center stamens were visible, the bees loved to visit.  

Here's another shot of 'Seniors Hope' and one of my three 'Berry Awesome' hardy hibiscus plants.  My hibiscus plants weren't fully mature yet, but last summer they produced showy flowers for several weeks.  Each bloom lasted for just a couple of days, but there were many buds on each stem.  The leaves on this cultivar were tinged with mauve and maroon, so the plant was showy even before the blooming started.  I highly recommend it.

The dark centers of the hibiscus echoed the color of the 'LeVern Friemann' lilies and the 'Florentina' climbing roses growing on teepee supports.  Towering mauve 'Jeana' phlox was a very long blooming backdrop for this bed, and the lavender spikes of Russian sage made a nice contrast during its shorter bloomtime.  The maroon leaves of the 'Royal Purple' smokebush at the center of the bed provided interest even when fewer flowers were in bloom.

I'll finish with a last picture featuring the 'Berry Awesome' hibiscus, with 'Millennium' allium blooming at back left.  'Millennium' has been another strong performer with a long bloom time for several years.  The pollinators love it.  Last year I planted three baby 'Lavender Bubbles' allium in this bed, and I'm looking forward to watching them mature and add darker color during a later bloom time than 'Millennium.' 

Rainbow of Garden Plants for a Snowy Day

Although we've had a relatively mild winter, it's snowing again today.  So I'm sharing a rainbow of colors from past years in my garden to feed my need for color.  Above are 'Ambassador' allium.

'Ruby Giant' crocus.

 'Evening Tidings' bearded iris.

'Harmony' miniature iris.  They're actually a true cobalt blue, which I didn't capture very well here.

Allium caesium with 'Venice Blue' veronica at back.

'Rotlaub' rodgersia leaves.

'Little Lime' hydrangea.

Digitalis grandiflora, a true perennial foxglove.

'Goldilocks' crocus.

Unknown orange Oriental poppies.

'Royal Sunset' asiatic-longiflorum liles.

'Montgomery' astilbe.

'Buckeye Belle' herbaceous peony.

'William Shakespeare 2000' David Austin rose.
For those of you in cold climates like me, good luck waiting until spring!

Midway on the Color Crescendo

The best color in the garden will happen over the next month (and maybe again in August/September, if my dahlia dreams come true), but pretty combos are starting to appear around the garden.  Above are 'Margarita' and 'Black Hero' double tulips.

'Black Hero' is such a fascinating color.  It looks maroon up close and in some types of light, and then it looks truly black at other times of the day.  It's also very long blooming, even though it opens at the end of tulip season.  Above it contrasts with an 'Early Emperor' allium, 'Moulin Rouge' astrantia, Euphorbia polychroma and 'Totally Tangerine' geum in the background.

I finally planted some 'Purple Sensation' alliums last fall, and the purple color is fabulous!  It also opens early in the allium season.  This cultivar is inexpensive to buy but is a valuable addition in the garden.

Here's one more shot of 'Black Hero' in the black and white garden area.  'Blue Mist' fothergilla is blooming in the midground, and the annuals in my broken fountain are sporting new growth.

A newly planted 'Mai Tai' geum perfectly echoes the spring leaf colors of my 'Peach Sorbet' dwarf blueberry bush in the background.

'Banana Daiquiri' geum is blooming for the first time in a soft butter yellow.

'Diane's Gold' brunnera and 'Sherwood Purple' Phlox stolonifera make a soothing duet.  It's so hard to capture good photos of these low growers, especially when they're young.

Another striking harmony came from 'Axcent Blue' aubrieta and a saxifrage, cultivar name unknown.  This photo is from over a week ago.

In the front yard, my 'Coral Supreme' peonies are about to bloom.  This photo is from around a week ago and shows the new support ring I installed this year.  I used this large Essex Support on three of my biggest peony plants, and I'm happy to note that they've grown to hide the metal and are staying beautifully upright for the first time.

Adding Chartreuse to the Garden

Flowers are the reason I garden, but I've slowly come to appreciate the season-long color provided by foliage in shades of chartreuse, purple, blue, and silver.  In this post I'll share some of the ways I've used chartreuse in my garden.  Above you'll see (L-R) an unknown chartreuse hosta from my grandmother's garden, frothy Lady's Mantle in bloom, and an 'Ogon' spirea in my east backyard garden.

A true blue Siberian iris ('June to Remember') and mauve allium (probably 'Gladiator') look well against yellow-green foliage and flowers.

This is a different view of the same area from earlier in the season.  I really love the way soft mauve and pink play off chartreuse.

Fern-like 'Ogon' spirea at the base combines well with a 'Comtesse de Bouchaud' clematis up top.

Deeper pink, like this 'Maggie Daley' astilbe, really pops against a yellow-green background.

Add a little orange, maroon, and steel-blue to the chartreuse and pink and you have an especially vibrant color scheme.  The photo above includes 'Dusseldorf Pride' armeria, 'Elke' hardy geranium, 'Evergold' carex, 'Eola Sapphire' hosta, 'Dickson's Gold' campanula, 'Firestorm' geum and 'Chocoholic' cimicifuga.

Later in the season, this western backyard bed gets by with just the chartreuse, steel-blue and maroon foliage.  In addition to the plants listed for the previous photo, you can see a 'Diane's Gold' brunnera at bottom left.  I love brunnera, and this cultivar has deeper blue spring flowers in addition to the green-gold leaves.

I've been impressed with the months-long bloom season of this 'Blue Haze' euphorbia.  I need to get more of these plants.

Finally, a lacy 'Sutherland Gold' elderberry shrub (Sambucus) at left adds pop to this scene with a young 'Shasta' doublefile viburnum at right center and some 'Early Emperor' allium at center.
Does chartreuse clash with any colors?  It would be great with deep violet and crimson red.  Salmon pink or white would go well with yellow-green.  This color brightens dark corners and shines in sunny borders.  It's a good thing there are so many chartreuse options available to gardeners these days.

The Colors of October

This fall has been a good one for fiery color in the garden.  Some years we get hard frosts so early that the colors don't develop well, so I'm always glad for a good year.  In the photo above you see the orange-red fall color of the 'Royal Raindrops' crabapple trees across the back, with yellow leaves of 'Caesar's Brother' Siberian iris down below.  The 'Fine Line' buckthorns at center are slower to change color, though they'll turn gold before shedding their leaves next month.

This photo from a week or two earlier showcases the yellow color of the neighbor's aspen trees.

The violet and lavender asters stand out  against the yellowing foliage of the Siberian irises.

I almost pulled this aster out a few years ago because it was spreading too quickly, but the bees are glad I just moved it to denser soil instead.  This plant has been covered with bees ever since it started blooming.

I bought this 'Popcorn' viburnum for its hydrangea-like flowers in spring and compact size (compared to other Viburnums), and the fall color is a bonus.

The fall color superstar is my Korean spice viburnum, though.  Fragrant flowers in spring are followed by glossy green foliage in summer and a carnival of color in October.

'Stella d'Oro' daylily leaves add some nice straw-yellow before collapsing.  These plants even put out a few more flowers this fall.

This shot of the honey locusts is from early October.  I wish they didn't drop their leaves so early, but at least they put on a nice show of true yellow shifting to golden-orange before dropping their little leaves.  Their color contrasts nicely with the deep purple color of the 'Hall's Purple' honeysuckle on the swing set.