Garden Bloggers Bloomday June 2023

Great Spangled Fritillary on orange butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa).

The 15th of the month is Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, hosted by Carol Michel's May Dreams Garden Blog.

The severe drought continues here in my corner of northwestern Virginia (Zone 6B)--we've had only a half inch of rain since the beginning of the month, on top of the driest April and May since I've lived here. I don't know if the drought is contributing to it, but we also seem to be having the worst tick season yet--I've been bitten twice in as many months while working in the confines of my garden! That last one was a lone star tick, a recent introduction brought by deer.

Speaking of which, the local deer have been incredibly voracious: I've hardly seen a flower from any of my daylilies. The buds get eaten before they have a chance to open! They've decimated my Coneflowers and phlox too. But there are still a few blooms from plants that don't appeal as much to these beasts. The orange butterfly weed is out in force, though even the 'Hello Yellow' variety got munched back.

The chiggers, that scourge of the rural south, are also out in force and viscious--I have to douse myself in insect repellent just to go out into my garden, and even then it's likely I'll get at least a few bites!

 

Asian lilies and red-hot pokers.

Red and orange Asian lilies.

 

The Asian lilies bloomed, but this year, their glory was brief. These photos were taken four days ago, this morning the flowers were all gone, devoured by the deer. That's so unusual--I was under the impression that Asian lilies were toxic to most animals, including deer, and these flowers had never been touched before. What could be going on? Have deer suddenly developed an immunity to the toxins, or have they become suicidal?

The Red-hot pokers are still holding on, only a few spikes have been chewed off. The Diervilla 'Kodiak Black' is blooming. So are the foxglove pentstemons and blue Centaurea in the Herb bed.

 

Diervilla 'Kodiak Black'

Centaurea 'Emperor William'

Foxglove penstemon.

 

'Incrediball' and my new Oak leaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' are blooming, and it looks as if 'Little Quick Fire' will bloom later on, but I doubt that my other two hydrangeas will present much bloom this year--the old wood died back to the ground during our dry spring.

 

Oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' and 'Incrediball' in background.

Oakleaf hydrangea and tradescantia.

My front yard offers welcome shade at this time of the year, and a variety of blooms: Gaillardia "Arizona Sun', a pink bee balm in the shade, and two varieties of lavender. The daffodil foliage is dying back, but the annuals that were intended to hide the dying foliage are being munched by the deer!

 

My front yard on June Bloom Day--Gaillardias in front.

Pink Monardas under the cherry tree.

Lavender under yellow magnolia tree.

Lavender and yarrow by the driveway.

The bed by the front driveway sports an 'Admiration' barberry with lavender (Lavandula 'Grosso') and red yarrow.

 

Clary sage in bud.

Although not in bloom yet, the buds of the clary sage (Salvia sclarea) I grew from seed last year are developing. This is a biennial native to the Mediterranean region which I've never grown before--I can't wait to see what the flowers will look like! The leaves are somewhat fuzzy and tough, the plant is usually cultivated for its medicinal oils.

 

Ceanothus 'Gloire de Versailles'

This New Jersey tea plant 'Gloire de Versailles' is a hybrid between a native eastern variety and a California one. Supposed to be deer-resistant, I've had to put a tomato cage around mine to keep if from being devoured by deer, like many other plants in my garden--it's finally making some progress.

More red-hot pokers (Kniphofia) on the west side.

Hanging basket with Calibrachoas on the back deck.

I have a number of hanging baskets with plants on the porch and the back deck, but these haven't grown enough to make much of a show, except for these Calibrachoas. As the summer progresses, I hope they'll make a better showing.

Late Summer Works

Iris 'Afternoon Delight' watercolor in progress

 

Summer is ending and it's just now that I'm getting around to painting the iris I fell in love with at Blandy Farm this past spring! Its colors are such a stunning combination, I couldn't resist painting it, even though I have to work from photos. When I visited Blandy last week I found that their iris garden is being re-designed and will be situated in a different location--there were only a few weeds and beat-up irises left where 'Afternoon Delight' and the others had grown. I wanted to buy this variety for my garden, and had intended to beg a rhizome or two from Blandy, but I've finally found a source for this variety, bred in the 1980's.

 I started digging up one of my iris beds earlier this week--time to separate the overcrowded rhizomes--but have been forced to take a break due to some dental surgery, after which I'm required to rest for a few days. Too bad, with the recent rainy spell the soil is perfect for being worked, but it will have to wait.

 

Autumn Joy Sedum in Herb's bed.

My garden needs a lot of work this fall: most of the irises and many of my spring-blooming bubs such as the daffodils and grape hyacinths need to be separated and re-planted. Ditto for the Spanish bluebells (Hyacinthoides) at the foot of the Zelkova tree. Many of my flower beds need to be re-edged and re-worked too.

The 'Longwood Blue' Caryopteris shrubs that I'd planted some five or six years ago died back a lot this past winter, and despite pruning and fertilizing, they haven't bloomed very well this summer. A few new plants sprouted from seeds have grown under these, and I'll probably dig and replant those, to see if I can restore that bed to its former glory.

 

Skimpy flowers on Caryopteris 'Longwood Blue' this year.

The back yard from the west side.

 

 I'm planning to consolidate the bed with the Caryopteris and the one around the Japanese maple 'Amber Ghost' into one bed, incorporating the new 'Texas White' redbud I put in this past spring. This expanded bed will need some new under plantings--perfect for some of those surplus spring bulbs!

 

Beautyberry 'Early Amethyst'

The 'Early Amethyst' Beautyberry bushes are displaying their lovely purple berries at the moment. The Seven Son Flower tree bloomed profusely this year, and continues to bloom well past its usual time. Normally, by the end of August its flowers are starting to fade, but it seems to have enjoyed the very wet summer, as has the honey locust tree (behind the Beautyberry).

 

The Seven Son Flower tree.

Ceanothus delileanus 'Gloire de Versailles'

The Ceanothus 'Gloire de Versailles' protected with a tomato cage has finally grown enough to produce some blooms. Other annuals I'd planted with great hopes haven't produced much--the zinnias this year were a great disappointment, a few puny plants and no flowers. The Clary sage has not developed any flower spikes either, neither has the one Canna and the Hedychiums, and I fear it may be getting to be too late in the year for them to develop. The front bed with the impatiens and coleus grew fairly well, but did not present the coverage I'd hoped for.

Now the dogwood leaves are starting to bronze and soon the Equinox and the fall-blooming sequence will begin.

Pages from my botanical journal: Hazelnut and Beautyberry branches.