Front Flowerbeds: Pockets of Pretty

 

With the unusually hot June and July we've had, the front flowerbeds have started dying off in some places. It's easy to tell which flowers are the more self-sufficient types!

I have tried to get out and water once or twice a week, but for some that hasn't been nearly enough.

So I have little pockets of pretty here and there.

Hey, I'll take it!

 

Mums started blooming early, and the coneflowers certainly don't mind the heat.

My potentilla is as tough as nails--don't let those diminutive dainty flowers fool you!

The purple bellflower, which hasn't done much for the last 2 years, finally perked up and started filling in its spot.

We've got a glimpse of phlox, a little bit of salvia, and those coneflowers in the background.

See, from this angle it's lovely! 

I'm not sure what's going on right here FRONT AND CENTER, but the dead corkscrew rush and dying peony are not what I want to see in the spotlight!

 

This is a strange angle, in an attempt to get a picture of my William Shakespeare rose blooming again.

This pocket is more interesting than pretty, with the coneflower heads and dried drumstick alliums.

This salvia, which I'm fairly certain is the 'Rose Queen' variety, is kind of a thug. However, it's so pretty and long-lasting, that for now I'm letting it do its thing.

The seedlings are easy to pull out come spring. 

Lamb's ears with dead columbine.

Just keeping it real.

Oooh, look!

We found another little pocket of pretty!

Burgundy guillardia in the front with a few more coneflowers in the back.

Heat? What heat?

[Water? What water?... wait--that's my cue!]

Despite the catmint blooms being mostly seedheads by now, the bees are still determinedly going about their business. Next year I will probably cut it back much sooner.

Ah yes. The 'Quickfire' Hydrangea.

A little loveliness all by itself.

 

June Bloom Day: Roses, daylilies, & salvia

 

Welcome to my little corner of the earth!

I garden in Eastern Washington state, USA, zone 5b.

We have been having an unusually warm summer so far. My flowers haven't seemed to mind!

Now to just keep them watered.

 

I'll start out back:

 

Mockorange is loaded!

I love the height these lilies have added behind it, as well.

I'm pretty sure these are 'Rosellas's Dream.'

This is their 3rd summer, and the tallest they've gotten yet.

 

Continuing the pink and white theme back here at the moment, is this rapidly growing clump of hardy geraniums. I'm impressed how they are holding their own amongst everything else.

 

English rose 'Abraham Darby.'

To say I was excited to see this one blooming would be a vast understatement.

I just put it in a few months ago, and while it's only about 18" high, it has had 6 or 7 blooms on it this year! They smell fantastic. As it continues to grow, I'm planning to train it up a trellis.

 

Moving to the back slope:

I've got a couple of these pink lupines blooming!

I didn't expect them to this first year.

I put them in to help fill in this ugly dirt patch up at the top of the vegetable garden (courtesy of last summer's wall-building project.) May their seeds spread far and wide! 

 

Pink clover and wild lupines

 

2 shades of wild purple lupines.

I wouldn't mind if the whole slope was taken over by lupines.

I let every one grow up that I can.

In fact, there are 2 growing right now in amongst my vegetable garden. I'm going to let them get big, then transplant them up.

 

Front flowerbeds: 

Salvia, English rose 'William Shakespeare' about to bloom, and daylilies in front.

This salvia bush looks like a hybrid, with 2 colors. Actually, the pink in front is a volunteer from the other side of the flowerbed.

Asiatic daylilies and salvia.

Another 'William Shakespeare,' this one blooming already.

More daylilies, salvia, and catmint in the far background.

Oh, and one little miniature rose.

The blue delphiniums in back are new this year.

I hope they survive to grow tall for me next summer.

Up on the top terrace, hardy hydrangea buds are just starting to pop.

I really like how they open a few at a time.

 

As you may have noticed, I really love pinks and purples. :)

I hope you enjoyed this little tour.

Come again soon!

To see more beautiful blooms, visit: May Dreams Gardens.

Roses, Daisies & Salvia: GBBD June 2014

Better late than never, right? 

 

The bad news is: the irises are already done.

 The good news is: I've got all kinds of other stuff blooming right now.

 

Let's get to it, shall we?

 

In the back, shade bed:

 I still have some columbine going strong.

There are some violas and pansies back here, as well.

 

On the shady side of slope, the hardy geraniums are battling valiantly against the grass.

 

Slope, sunny side: we've got wild daisies and wild lupines

I just love that combination!

Back flowerbed: 

'Yellow Topaz' rose

You can't cut this one to bring in, as the petals fall off at the slightest bump, but it's a star right now in the June garden.

mockorange starting to open up

 

Between the Topaz rose and the mockorange, this section of the backyard smells heavenly.

 

My poppy bloomed! I was so excited, as I just put it in last year.

I love that color, too.

 

Heading to the front:

Dutch iris

 

 The salvia really bring some great color to this bed.

And of course, that dianthus won't be ignored, either.

 



 I was tickled to see so many blooms on this peony this year.

This is its 3rd summer and the first time it has really bloomed.

More salvia, with lamb's ear going for broke, and a few small petunias.



Believe it or not, these daises are wild.

They just happen to grow right here at the end of the flowerbed proper, and they're doing so well I decided to leave them.

The daises in the background along the side of the house: also wild.

Some people pull them out as weeds.

I don't mind them a bit.

 

I can hardly believe how huge this salvia has gotten.

I like the contrast with the foliage of the Sem False Spirea right next to it.

 

 

Speaking of spirea, this little shrub is blooming again.

Last but not least, the 'Watercolors' rose that I moved up front.

 

Take a look at other gardens, too:

http://www.maydreamsgardens.com/

 

Happy Bloom Day, friends!

 

Flowerbed Tour: Front Beds

 

June 12:

 

Middle Terrace

 

This time I started at the East side and worked my way around towards the driveway.

Some of these shots I will also post for Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, but I thought it would be worth it to see the progression. 

 

wild daisies

 

Sem False Spirea and salvia

I love that bright green on the false spirea.

 

Coming around the corner, burgundy iceberg rose, knautia.

The big empty space in front is where the burgundy blanket flowers were.

They didn't get enough sun here, and were very floppy.

I dug them out and gave them to a friend.

salvia starting to crowded out by lamb's ears

Hmmm...one of those may have to move, or the lamb's ears may need to be cut back next year.

 

Coming on around, you can see the oriental lilies at the bottom of the picture, with dianthus, daylilies, and Shasta daisies just coming into bud at the top.

I love this time of year with these terraces!

 

Just past the daisies, we have the pink salvia, more dianthus, some purple salvia, and you can just see the peony at the top of the picture.

 

A bit more salvia and that gorgeous peony.

 

closeup of the peony 'Top Brass.'

 

That's where I stopped as far as going bit by bit along the whole terrace, but here's the view from across the street of all 3 terraces.

Once again, I've arranged the pictures left to right, if you're looking at the house.

 

 

 The part-shade corner

Middle

I really like the repeated colors.

The barberry on bottom echoes the dianthus, which repeats down the bed as well.

Here's a little closer view of about the same place, in the middle.

 

 

Then coming on around a bit.

 

For some reason, the view from the mailbox and driveway was completely neglected this time around.  Maybe I'll catch it next time.