I have a bunch of stuff in bloom in the gardens. I've just been too busy to make an entry over the last couple of weeks! The front gardens are really looking nice, and I've already sketched plans of what I'm moving and adding in the fall. I'll be making some changes in the back as well, and I put in a big seed order with Park Seed a few weeks ago. I figured I would try to get some seedlings going now, then plant them out in October and see how they come back in the spring. If they don't return I'll sow them directly in the spring.
I planted: Salvia Blue Queen, Agastache 'Purple Pygmy, Liatris Floristan White, Liatris Floristan Violet, Coreopsis Mahogany Midget, Coreopsis tinctoria, Balloon Flower Astra Double Blue, Echinacea PowWow Wild Berry, Foxglove Pam's Choice, Pyrethrum Robinson's Mix. These were planted maybe a week ago, and I also seeded some "winter" jalapenos, ancho and marconi peppers under the lights in the basement. So far all the peppers have sprouted, as well as a handful of the perennials.
Here is my new solar fountain. I set it up next to the front porch until I have my patio/island area ready. I guess it will stay put until next spring. It's so relaxing to sit and listen in the middle of a hectic day.
I discovered the Casa Blanca lilies I posted a couple of weeks ago were something else. They were supposed to be Starfighter lilies in a pink color, but they turned out white with pink dots. They're pretty nonetheless. The true Casa Blancas bloomed a week or so ago. Here they are with Agastache Blue Fortune, which is going strong:
Impatiens on the front porch:
Gazania have been going strong all summer. I had to wait a while for the orange variety in front, but it was worth it:
Bob's pink phlox is just starting to bloom:
More blooms from the Kordana roses. The other plant has 3 buds on it:
Limelight Hydrangea. I am planning to add 2 or 3 hardy hydrangea arborescens to the side of the house where I ripped out the macrophyllias. Yes, I ripped out a whole row of established mopheads that just aren't hardy in Zone 5 and will always put on a weak show. I want to replace them with long-blooming varieties that won't require frost cover in the winter and will put on a much better show...
Some impatiens I threw into a hanging planter near the pool:
Window box going strong (with window repaired and in place now). I will be trying lots more petunia/verbena combos next year, possibly from seed. They bloom from spring til autumn from what I can see! Oh, and this picture would have been framed and focused better if a beautiful yellow and green garter snake hadn't slithered past my feet while I was shooting. I tried to capture it but it went into the pool shed to hide. (Note: capture it on camera. I would never try to capture a snake or any other animal out in the wild! Mom, do you actually think I would try to handle a live snake? I'm no Ruthie ;)
Pool bed staples: rudbeckia, echinacea and monarda. That's mugwort or wormwood behind it that's probably going to get ripped out. It hasn't flowered yet and is getting enormous - I anticipate trouble. The monarda has powdery mildew and looks pretty poor at this point, but I don't spray with chemicals. So I let it go.
Astilbe in the pool bed! It's blooming late, but that's because I planted it in June from bare root plants ordered on clearance. I have a darker colored group as well that's also starting to bloom. Unexpected surprise for a $1.50 investment.
