July Sizzle

Bench on the back deck

 

The temperature is sizzling on these first days of July, and we've had some 100 degree days this week. Despite the continuing drought, I'm surprised my garden has such a nice display at this time of the year. I attribute it to the new deer repellents placed all over the yard--I haven't seen this many flowers  in several years.

Starting with the front walk, the pink gladiolus and potted Salvias are putting on a good show.

 

Gladiolus in front

Potted plants along the front walk

My climbing rose 'New Dawn'  didn't put on as great a display as in other years--it badly needs pruning and re-training, but still, it's something. My Clematis 'Etoile Violette' seems to have disappeared, probably smothered out by the rose and a black walnut the squirrels planted there that I haven't been able to dig out yet. I've dug out at least a dozen walnut seedlings from my beds this past month!

 

Rose 'New Dawn'

The wintergreen 'Fiesta' in the woodland garden to the east has put out some of their charming little flowers, despite the drought and alkaline soil. I hope eventually they'll make a good ground cover there. 

Gaultheria 'Fiesta'

The Hydrangea 'Invincibelle'  is blooming as usual, and the Oak-leaf Hydrangea 'Gatsby Pink'. 'Endless Summer' may yet bloom later on if we get some decent rain, but the lace-cap Hydrangea to its right, which died down to the ground, is not likely to bloom.

 

Hydrangea 'Invincibelle' wih holly 'Nellie Stevens'

 

I've hardly had any blooms on my Daylilies for several years--the deer eat the buds before they have a chance to open, but this year 'Purple de Oro' are looking very nice. Another Daylily on one of the beds west of the house has blooms too.

 

 

 

'Purple de Oro' Daylily

No ID Daylily

The California Lilac (Ceanothus 'Gloire de Versailles') near the orange Daylily has also escaped the usual browsing. My Crocosmia 'Lucifer' in the back yard beds also seems to have escaped and is stunning this year.

 

Crocosmia 'Lucifer' 

Ceanothus 'Gloire de Versailles'

 

I hadn't seen this many Coneflowers in my back beds in years! Those deer repellents must be working! I hope the goldfinches, which are starting to check out my yard will enjoy the seeds when they're ready.

 

Back bed with Coneflowers

 

Coneflowers under Honeylocust tree

Herb's bed has a lovely display of flowers, mostly wild fleabane that seeded itself, but my Texas Yucca is blooming, one spike of Clary Sage and some Liatris 'Kobold' too. Towards the rear the Agastaches and more Liatris are looking good. The Yellow butterfly weed in the Little Indians bed put out a bit of bloom too, now that the orange ones are past it. Why won't the butterfly weeds all bloom at the same time?

Herb's bed with Texas Yucca, Clary Sage, Liatris 'Kobold' and wild fleabane.

Liatris, Agastache 'Blue Boa' and Coscosmia 'Lucifer'

'Hello Yellow' Butterfly Weed

The Queen Anne's Lace 'Dara' mix I planted in the Little Indians bed has produced some pink and purplish flowers for the first time--the white ones had predominated before.

Queen Anne's Lace 'Dara' Mix

 

Here's hoping we get some rain soon--it's been a very dry and hot spell, and the predicted thunderstorms have brought only fractions of an inch thus far. I've been spending a fortune watering my garden this year.

I'll be traveling for ten days leaving on the 10th, so I'll miss July's Bloom Day --this posting will have to do until I get back. When I get back I'll be looking into installing an irrigation system. In the meantime, happy Bloom Day!

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 Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

Clary sage (Salvia sclarea)

Clary sage

 

This summer the deer have been incredibly voracious--they haven't left me very many flowers to show! One they haven't touched is the biennial Clary sage I planted last year. The flower spikes are big and bold, I'm sure their musky smell is the reason they've been left alone.

 

Centaurea cyanus 'Emperor William'

The nearby Centaurea 'Emperor William' which I grew from seed a couple of years ago, has been reseeding itself ever since, but this year, the seedlings all got chomped back and only this one plant somehow managed to avoid being eaten. I love their bright blue color!

 

Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

 

Butterfly weed is another plant deer don't eat much, although they managed to eat the flower buds of all the 'Hello Yellow' ones--these plants are just finishing their cycle of bloom. The Buddleias are starting their show--with the extreme drought in our area and barely enough rain to bring relief, nothing is looking too great, only a few flower spikes where normally bloom would be profuse.

 

Butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii)

 Buddleia Pugster 'Miss Molly'

Buddleia lindleyiana

The Buddleia lindleyiana is a native of Japan and is doing well in my Virginia garden, but I'm discovering that it likes to sucker, and needs more room. I  love the graceful arching flower spikes, and the pollinators really like this variety: butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.

 

Bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora)

Speaking of plants beloved by pollinators, my Bottlebrush buckeye is about to bloom--it's a bit late this year, it's usually in full bloom by now. My tree is now about 6 foot tall and wide, it will probably reach its mature height of about 10 feet in a few years.

 

Seven Son Flower Tree (Heptacodium miconiodes)

The Seven Son Flower Tree, which normally doesn't bloom until August, budded out very early and has started to open its small clusters of seven flowers each. This shrub is a native of China, but still attracts lots of native pollinators such as dark swallowtails, and the hummers too.

 

Coneflowers under the Seven Son Flower Tree

Close-up of Coneflowers.

The back bed with a variety of Coneflowers and other blooming plants lies under the Seven Son Flower Tree, but this year, the coneflowers have been decimated--very few are left. I really need to be more proactive in spreading deer repellent or there'll be nothing left to show for all my labors.

 

Crocosmia 'Lucifer'

Clematis 'True Love'

 

Again, these Crocosmia and clematis flowers above are the only ones left from the deer's depredations. The heather below grows under a wire cloche, or there would be nothing left of either foliage or flowers. 

Heather.

On the east side of the house, the hydrangea 'Incrediball' is lovely, the other hydrangeas have been chewed up a lot--only one flower left on the lace-cap  hydrangea, the one on the other side of Incrediball (behind) has not a single flower left! 'Little Quick Fire' hydrangea sustained very little damage, but the Oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' is standing only because of the tomato cage protecting it.

Hydrangea 'Incrediball'

Hydrangea 'Little Quick Fire'

Oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers'

 

Lavenders are among few flowers that deer don't go for, and the mint family is also generally spared.

 

Lavender 'Grosso'

Hoary mountain mint with Ninebark tree 'Coppertina'

 

Salvias are not appetizing to deer either, and generally spared--I bought the one below at Green Springs Gardens, where our botanical artist group had a show this spring, and deadheaded it--it's starting to re-bloom. I thought that zinnias were immune to deer too, but this year my seedlings have been decapitated.

 

Salvia

Vitex agnus castus

The Vitex above is usually in full bloom at this time, but with the current drought, growth has slowed down so much! 

The plants on the deck and hanging baskets are out of the deer's reach, of course, so I may still enjoy those flowers.

 

Cuphea 'Hummingbird's Lunch' on the back deck.

Hanging basket on the porch.

Calibrachoas on the deck.

 

The Cuphea 'Hummingbird's Lunch' hasn't attracted many hummers, but well I remember how one evening last year, in late September, a lone female hummingbird, apparently starved, came and gratefully buzzed every flower.

To sum it up, this July I'm short of flowers to show. Let's pray for some good rains in our area soon, so that I may have something in bloom to show you next month!