What's Blooming June 22nd

Daylilies are the stars of the show in my yard right now, although there are other things blooming that I've not included below. Some of them are pretty in person, but hard to photograph, like Lavendar, Hostas, and Catmint.

This has become one of my favorite daylilies.  I have no idea what it's called.  I rescued it from my property line.  It was in the shade, so I had never seen it bloom.  A couple of seasons later it showed its pretty face.  It's just gotten better with each season.  The blooms seem to be thicker and brighter each year. 

This is one of the few mophead hydrangeas (Nikko Blue, I think) that is blooming.  I think I have my hydrangeas in too much shade.  I'm lucky this one has flowers.

Speaking of hydrangeas, these Annabelles surrounding my porch are over-achievers.  The blooms are humongous, and the sheer weight pulls them to the ground.  I have to say that this year they were looking grand and upright up until the first rainstorm.  I think the key to Annabelles is cutting them back to about a foot or so in height.  Most of what you see in the photo is new growth from this year so they can take a strong "haircut".

Traditional roadside orange (ditch lilies).  The conservation department used to plant them along ditches to help with erosion.  I've got some at the bottom of my dry creek to help keep the base intact during strong rains.  They are nice bright spots of color to catch your eye, multiply quickly, and even bloom in partial shade.  Great performers.

This one is called Dancing Shiva.  It looks so much prettier in person.  The eye (center) is such a bright yellow it almost glows.

Atlanta Full House is another of my favorites.  I actually dug this one up from my old house and brought it here.  There was no foliage up at the time we moved (late February) but I knew where I had planted it and just dug up the dirt where it should have been.

I don't know where this one even came from.  It's really tall and pretty though.  It stands up about two feet from the foliage.  You can see the coneflowers are starting to bloom in the background.



Early Summer Progress Report

This is the time of year when gardeners assess the success or failure of individual plants, and even gardens as a whole.  Remember, some plants need a couple of seasons to get established before you can make the call, so don't include them in your evaluation. Also, don't judge a newly established garden if you're getting anxious about the amount of mulch you're seeing in between the plants.  Time will fix that.  Weather also greatly affects the performance of plants, which is why you need a few seasons before you make decisions.

I'll start with my successes:

• Daylilies are just starting to bloom and the foliage is the best I've ever seen here.  The stems are covered with buds.
• Coneflowers in the back garden have finally taken hold where I've been trying to propagate them for years.  They are starting to bloom and it should be a good show.
• Catmint is always a winner in my garden; no complaints about this plant.
• Chinese ground orchids (bletilla) are a new addition.  I ordered 6 bulbs in the spring and the flowers are so pretty.  I hope they multiply and continue to do well.
• Hostas are completely at home in my garden.  I've never met a hosta I couldn't grow here.
• Creeping Jenny has really brought together my dry creek.  It is so lush this year, and the wonderful chartreuse color is stunning against the dark red coral bells.
• Indian Pink just finished blooming.  The combination of a red trumpet with a bright yellow flower is so unusual.  I dug this one up when I was visiting my sister in southern MO a few years ago.
• My boxwoods are excellent performers.  I have so many boxwoods that I've lost count.  I consider them a garden staple.
• Korean Viburnum produced some really great flowers earlier this year and the foliage continues to look great.  I would plant more of these just for the foliage!
• PeeGee Hydrangea looks amazing. It's in the perfect location and I just love it. I want more of these.

These plants are on my watch list to get the boot, or be moved:

• I am shocked that my bearded irises didn't do anything.  I have tons of them, and out of all colors, only one peach and a handful of white ones bloomed.  The white are my favorite, so that was somewhat comforting.
• The superbells I was so excited about in the spring are starting to wane.  Maybe the heat got them.  It is my first season growing them so I will have to give them another chance.
• Royal Purple hydrangea is taking over my raised bed in the back.  In defense of hydrangeas, I think this plant was mis-marked and is really a species hydrangea.  It never blooms purple.  It was supposed to get 4'x4' but it's about 6'x6' and continuing to grow.
• Limelight hydrangea grows really well for everyone else I know.  I think it should be blooming now, but nada.  If it doesn't produce this year, it's going to a new home.  Any takers?
• It's the first spring for my Popcorn Viburnums, so I can't be too harsh.  They will need a couple more seasons of a watchful eye before I kick them out.  I LOVE this shrub in other locations. I couldn't wait to have one (now two) of my own. But a harsh summer last year and my inability to water daily nearly brought them to death.
• My poor Foster Holly has been struggling for a few seasons.  I finally moved it to a sunnier location this spring and I see new growth, although I might have jinxed it by planting it in the former home of the butterfly bush, which bit the dust over the winter.

My latest brainstorm is to create a new garden in a sunny area near the intersection of the driveway and the street.  This will be a home to all of those plants that crave/require more sunshine, like the 5 poor peonies whose stems were stretched out so far toward the light that they were horizontal.  More to come on the status of that project.

Grass versus Gardens

In a recent conversation with a fellow gardener, we were discussing our garden approach and what stage of gardening we are in, as we are both recent transplants to Defiance.  I was describing our lot as a little over three acres, with almost one of them as "mowable".  She quickly replied, "oh, get rid of that grass!".  This is a common response from garden enthusiasts.  I don't agree with the strategy; here's three reasons why.

1. My hubby likes to cut the grass.  How many hubbies secretly love to cut the grass?  Well, I know, mine does.  The 42" walk behind probably doesn't hurt the case at all (he's now mowing the neighbor's lawn).  And I'm pretty sure my dad enjoys it too.  I can't blame them.  While it's difficult work in the heat of summer, it's an instant results type of maintenance that makes your house look great.  I can't get rid of all of the grass.  This is my last resort to keeping hubby engaged in the garden scene.
2. The scent of freshly cut grass and the feeling beneath bare feet.  Okay, when is the last time you took your shoes off and strolled across the yard barefoot?  I can honestly say it's been a while.  I have an excuse though, we have a 90 lb chocolate lab that does his business out there.  But given the opportunity in a clean area, I would give it a go.  I thoroughly enjoyed running barefoot as a kid.  And let's not forget that wonderful, fresh, one-of-a-kind scent that comes from a fresh cut lawn.  You know the scent.  It is fantastic.
3. It creates a beautiful green canvas for your gardens.  This is probably the one reason you didn't think of.  But truly, it creates a place for your eye to rest in a garden scene.  If you're lucky, your grass is one massive plot of emerald green, which is so pleasing to the eye and soothing.  Grass creates a very clean edge for your gardens and I think makes them look more interesting.  I like grass paths in gardens better than stones or other materials.  The grass surrounding your garden is what gives your garden a shape.  Otherwise, you'd just have a prairie in your backyard!

Convinced or not?  I'd love to hear other opinions.