July Bloom Day

 

My back yard in July.

It's July Bloom Day, hosted by Carol Michel's May Dreams Garden Blog on the 15th of every month. Welcome to my Zone 6B Virginia garden! It's amazing to contemplate nature's bounty when I look out from my deck on this lovely summer morning at 6:00 AM, and think back to some thirteen years ago when my husband and I bought the property... this was all just an empty expanse of weedy grass. 

 

Looking west from the deck.

Looking east, the vegetable pagoda and Herb's bed.

 

The grass is still weedy, but as for the rest, what a change! It's taken a lot of hard work, heartbreaking trial and error to bring what you see here into being. And yet, my garden is young by garden standards--my trees are still small. I've done it mostly by myself, with a bit of help from Herb. It's finally starting to look like the garden I had envisioned, despite the deer's voracity, three years of drought, and seventeen-year locusts. This year's plenteous rains have done wonders for it. Let's get down and take a closer look at what's blooming.

 

Agapanthus 'Blue Nile'

 

Agastache 'Blue Boa, 'Apache Sunset' and 'Pink Pearl' with 'Karl Foerster' feather reed grass.

The Agapanthus 'Blue Nile' in Herb's bed is blooming, along with Clary sage and 'Texas Red' sage. Farther back in the same bed, my three Agastaches are also starting to bloom--'Blue Boa', 'Apache Sunset' and a pink one I think is 'Pink Pearl'. For some reason, despite growing for several years and re-seeding, 'Blue Boa' doesn't seem to want to spread much--it should be much larger by now!

 

Vitex (Vitex agnus-castus) shrub in east garden.

Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora)

 

Bottlebrush Buckeye flowers close up.

My Vitex shrub, AKA the Chaste tree or summer lilac, is in full bloom--I love the cooling effect of the color.

The native Bottlebrush Buckeye comes into its own at this time too. The airy delicate spikes are loved by butterflies and hummingbirds. Speaking of which, we saw a hummer buzzing the Clary sage--had no idea they'd go for this sage which has such a medicinal aroma. 

 

Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) and Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

 

The Butterfly bush is growing back well despite a huge set-back this spring from an April frost right after a hard pruning.

Coneflowers in the back bed.

 

Hybrid daylily.

The deer left me a few coneflowers in the back bed (orange Sombrero I think) and one lone daylily flower--I spray them with deer repellent regularly, but they eat the buds anyway. They've also eaten every bud of the wild Bergamot I planted from seed last year. I thought that Monardas wouldn't be particularly palatable to deer, being in the mint family, but they eat the red 'Jacob Cline', while the Anise hyssop and narrow-leaved mountain mint are not to their liking. I'm gradually becoming an expert on deer-impervious plants.

 

Mountain mint, Anise hyssop, Monarda 'Jacob Cline' and oat grass.

This year I grew some Cleomes from seed, but only three plants survived--very pretty annuals,though, I'd like to try them again next year--perhaps they'll oblige and re-seed themselves?

 

Spider plant (Cleome)

West foundation plantings: Salvia yangii (formerly Russian sage), Catmint and one Cleome.

The Chinese iris in the long island bed in back is not palatable to deer, neither are the pink Dianthus or the minty green plants (some sort of wild Calamint?), but they go for the blue flowers of the bush Clematis behind. They've about extirpated my Asian lilies and finished off most of the black-eyed Susans in this bed.

My heather grows under a wire cloche, which distorts its growth, but I'd have no plant at all without it--I should prune it this fall to see if I can get rid of the leggy branches and re-shape it. But perhaps early spring is a better time to prune heather--any advice?

 

Chinese iris and pink Dianthus.

Heather in bloom.

 

Further down this bed a lone spike of orange Gladiolus survives under the Weeping Butterfly bush (Budlleja lindleyana). The broken upside-down flower pot is a toad-house.

 

Orange Gladiolus with Buddleja Lindleyana

My potted plants on the porch are those most susceptible to deer: an avocado tree grown from seed, a bi-color leaf Sunpatiens my sister gave me, a Platycodon waiting to be planted when the weather cools, a yellow Hibiscus, purple basil, Begonias, Caladiums, succulents and other house plants that live outside during the summer. I even brought my Cattleya orchids outside in hopes of some budding.

 

Potted plants on the front porch.

Plants on the porch.

This year the hanging baskets on the porch have mostly Petunias, with red Pelargoniums and sweet potato vines. One variety of Petunia, the 'Pretty Grand mix' emits wonderful perfume at night--the dark purple ones in particular. I've never come across scented Petunias before--though some varieties I've grown before were advertised as scented, none had proved to be so until now.

 

Petunias 'Pretty Grand Mix'

Porch baskets

Other plants bloom along the front walk: a miniature yellow Dahlia, and white Heliotrope. The Australian red finger lime is setting more fruit. The tropical salvias ' Black and Blue, 'Amistad,' and 'Faye Chapel' haven't put up much of a show yet--the deer ate all the buds of 'Faye Chapel' before they had a chance to develop!

 

Plants along front walk: Puya alpestris on the right.

Miniature yellow Dahlia.

White Heliotrope.

Australian red finger lime

Irish moss (Sagina subulata) by the front walk.

 

Returning to where we started on the rear deck, the two Cupheas are putting on a show: 'Torpedo' and 'Honeybells.' Next week my contractor starts on the deck repairs and refinishing, so I'm trying to keep the back deck clear of plants. Ordinarily, my deck would be filled with potted plants.

 

Cuphea 'Torpedo'

Cuphea 'Honeybells'

 

Thanks for visiting, hope to see you next month!

Summer Daze

Herb's bed in summer: Clary sage and Blazing Meadow Star

Herb's bed another view

 

In early summer, despite the voracious deer, my garden is looking splendid. Herb's bed is full of the statuesque flower spikes of Clary Sage, some Blazing Meadow Star and the red Texas sage is beginning to bloom. The lavender is a bit past it now, and so is the butterfly weed, but the Feather Reed grass 'Karl Foerster' is sporting its plumes at the back of the bed.

 

Crocosmia 'Lucifer'

Crocosmia ;Lucifer'

I've sprayed most of the plants with deer repellent--despite some browsing, the red Crocosmia 'Lucifer' has retained some of its flowers. I was able to save a few Purple de Oro daylilies too. I finally got to see some blooms on the dwarf Buttonbush 'Sugar Shack', which was planted a few years back, and hadn't had a chance to bloom--deer kept eating the buds. The wild petunia ( Ruelia humilis) usually gets chewed up pretty bad too, but the spray seems to be working.

 

Purple de Oro daylilies with rosemary and thyme.

Dwarf Buttonbush 'Sugar Shack'

Wild petunia (Ruelia humilis).

Deer usually don't care for iris and the Chinese iris (Blackberry Lily) is no exception.

 

Chinese iris AKA Blackberry Lily.

 

The deer left me only one flower of the red bee balm (Monarda 'Jacob Kline') and a few Coneflowers in the back bed despite spraying-- I guess these are the areas in my yard most exposed to them.

 

Red Monarda 'Jacob Kline' with Anise Hyssop, Mountain mint and Oat grass.

Coneflowers and Mountain mint.

 

The Vitex shrub is getting ready to bloom in the east garden woodland--its lavender flowers are a wonderful attraction during July. The unidentified hydrangea in front of it needs protection from the deer, as well as the anemone nearby, therefore the barrier.

 

Vitex in bud.

Mexican Wavy grass (Nasella tenuissima) in the east woodland.

The back yard from the east side

 

Salvias are another plant that is pretty deer-proof. This summer I'm growing several tropical ones, some new for me: deep purple 'Amistad', a red one called 'Faye Chapel', my favorite 'Black and Blue', and 'Hummingbird Falls' in a hanging basket. Early 'Amistad' is the only one that has any flowers right now. 

 

Salvia 'May Night' is almost finished for now.

 

Salvia 'Amistad' in a pot along the front walk.

The trees in my front garden offer welcome shade in the heat, and shelter for potted plants.

 

The front garden.

Petunias are the main feature of my hanging baskets on the porch this year--love that deep purple! The other plants on the porch being kept out of the deer's reach are a Sunpatiens with bicolor leaves, my yellow Hibiscus, and a low-growing Campanula I'll set out in the garden when it cools down a bit.

 

Petunias 'Pretty Grand' and 'Madness March' mix.

 

Petunias 'Pretty Grand' and 'Madness March' mix.

A Sunpatiens and a low-growing Campanula.

 My Australian Red lime tree has produced one fruit and is blooming nicely. 

 

Australian red lime.

 Hopefully, the weather will continue to cooperate and I'll have plenty of flowers for July's Bloom Day in a couple of weeks.

 

July 2024 Bloom Day

Hanging basket on porch.

  

It's hot and very dry here in my corner of Virginia--USDA Zone 6B--on this July Bloom Day. We haven't seen a drop of rain in going on three weeks, and June's rains weren't exactly plentiful. Despite my attempts to keep it watered, my garden is really suffering, and the local deer are more voracious than ever. So, this Bloom Day, hosted by Carol Michel's May Dreams Garden, is going to be skimpier than usual.

 

Hanging baskets.

Fuchsia on porch.

 

Thanks to their daily watering in the scorching temperatures, the hanging baskets on the porch have about the most flowers: petunias, calibrachoas,blue and white  lobelias, coleus and a Fuchsia in one basket. There are a few flowers the deer have mostly left alone, so let's take a look.

Starting on the east side of the house, the hydrangeas 'Little Quick fire'  and 'Incrediball' have flowers that haven't been mauled--while another hydrangea, 'Endless Summer' next to Incrediball has been completely consumed.

 

Hydrangea 'Little Quick Fire'

Hydrangea 'Incrediball'

 

My Vitex usually blooms profusely at this time of the year, but despite lots of watering, the shrub (now about 10' tall) isn't nearly as showy as in other years.

 

Vitex in bloom.

Coming around to the back yard the 'Blue Nile' Agapanthus I planted last year has produced a couple of stalks, and the red Salvia next to it is also flowering.

 

Agapanthus 'Blue Nile' with red Salvia.

The deer left me only a few blossoms of Liatris, and black-eyed Susans in my flower beds, probably because they couldn't reach them easily. The Chinese iris, formerly known as Blackberry lily or Belamcanda, don't appear very appetizing to them either.

 

Liatris 'Kobold'

Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm')

Chinese iris (formerly called Belamcanda)

Towards the west side of the back yard, the bed with the Anise hyssop and bee balm 'Jacob Cline' are doing well, they seem to be fairly deer-proof. But my Coneflowers and Phlox have been decimated, very few flowers have survived. Just about every Daylily bud was eaten before it could open, among  dozens on plants: Stella de Oro, Purple de Oro, yellow and peach colored varieties, so sad!

 

Anise hyssop and bee balm 'Jacob Cline'

Back toward the front walk, the Agastache 'Firebird' is among the few plants that deer don't find appetizing--I must plant more Agastache in my garden, so I can have a few more summer blooms. Unfortunately, they prefer well-drained soil, which with all the clay here is just about impossible to provide, so they do better for me in pots. But the pots have to be watered on a daily basis.

 

Agastache 'Firebird' along the front walk.

Back deck potted plant  collection

 That's about it for bloom day in my garden, pray for rain in this area, plentiful rain! Then maybe I'll have more to show next month.