No Shortage of Blossoms!

This morning I got a really nice surprise. As I stepped outside, I was overcome with one of my favorite floral fragrances--Gardenia! My 'Frost Proof' Gardenia had, not one, not two, not three, but four blossoms! How cool is that? I picked one to bring inside; such a heavenly fragrance. This is its second year in my garden and I can't say enough good things about it. So, I'll just go with a clever, "Gardenia. It's not just for the tropics anymore." 

Here is the first blossom getting ready to bloom. 

The Four O'Clocks (Mirabilis jalapa) I started from seed in April are blooming like crazy now. Here is a late-afternoon photo showing how the blossoms unfurl from their center. Little works of art, aren't they? 

Here they are, fully opened. 

Here, they're mingling with Garlic chives (Allium tuberosum) 

 Another fun plant I grew from seed is what I call "The Pink Dandelion." It's actually Crepis rubrum.

It's an annual and the plants are already looking tired but
I like the flowers. 

One of my new Dahlias. I can't recall the name. 

Sedum 'Touchdown Teak' is blooming. The flowers are not all that impressive... to humans. The bees, on the other hand, find it irresistible.

Sedum 'Touchdown Teak,' before the bees were awake. 

Many of my Phlox are finishing up but this one, 'Norah Leigh' with variegated foliage,
is going strong. 

'Becky Towe' is another variegated Phlox.
It's just finishing up. 

I keep taking photos of Hydrangea serrata 'Omacha Nishiki'
because at every stage since leafing out in early spring,
 it has been a knockout. 

See how the bracts turn downward and take on that deep burgundy color?
Love it. 

More than once, I've made the mistake of planting Nepeta nervosa 'Pink Cat' in dry soil under full sun. Wrong! This little guy likes moisture and semi-shade, at least in my garden. Finally, I'm learning. 

Nepeta nervosa 'Pink Cat' (Not exactly pink, but close.) 

I had to get a close up shot of these tiny flowers. 

These, admittedly girly-girl Fuchsias are one of my many purchases from Fry Road--the GO TO nursery for hardy Fuchsias.

'Walz Jubelteen' the quintessential girly-girl Fuchsia. And I love it. 

Right next to the hardy Fuchsia is this urn of Sempervivums. Look closely at the Interloper.

Johnny Jump-Ups pop up in the strangest places.
Note the tiny crab spider. 

Lonicera x heckrottii  'Gold Flame'  has finally outwitted the aphids. 

Ditto for L. x h. 'Pink Lemonade' 

Anemone japonica 'Pamina' is blooming early this year. 

The Sedums are also starting to bloom. 

Lovely, lovely!

I've been watering my Monarda didyma 'Raspberry Wine' and lookie that!
Despite being knocked over by some strange midnight visitor, intruder, it still looks nice. 

I bought a replacement Abutilon 'Nabob' (From Fry Road) after losing my previous five year old one
over the winter.
This was just a wee plug when I got it in April and now it's going on four feet tall.  

Another plant I keep showing you all is my Rudbeckia hirta 'Cherry Brandy.'
They're sooooo pretty! 

And finally,
I should have put a penny on this Castor Plant leaf so you could get an idea of how huge it is. 

I hope you all are enjoying your gardens as much as I am. 

The Garden Thrives Despite the Heat

I'm writing this on the evening of the hottest day of the year. At 8 o'clock PM, the thermometer outside my window still reads 90 degrees F but that's ten degrees cooler than it was at 4 o'clock so I guess I shouldn't complain. 

High temperatures are the one part of summer that I really do not like. Not only does it make me and my kitties uncomfortable, it can kill a precious plant in a few hours. But thanks to my diligence, I believe all of my plants were adequately hydrated throughout the day. I'm ready for tomorrow's cool-down. 

Here are the latest goings on in my garden. 

I'm very pleased with this new Dahlia called 'Junkyard Dog'
from Swan Island Dahlias. It's almost 4 feet tall.

Years ago I grew Crepis rubrum from seed and thought I'd give it a go again this year.
I love the pink, dandelion-esque blossoms. 

In early July, on a nursery jaunt with my garden buddy Carol, I saw these variegated Impatiens.
Typically I don't grow Impatiens walleriana but because these were headed to the compost
heap, you could say I rescued them. They are performing superbly in a pot in the shade.

Last year I purchased the miniature climbing rose 'Jeanne LaJoie.'
Here she is putting out her second round of blossoms. I took several photos. 

I wish I could adjust my camera so it would do a better job on capturing the color
of this rose. It's a much softer, prettier pink than is depicted here. 

This composition combines the variegated foliage of Weigela florida 'My Monet'
with the perky pink flowers of Potentilla fruticosa 'Pink Beauty.' 

Despite several hours of unrelenting sunshine my
Himalayan Honeysuckle (Leycesteria formosa 'Golden Lantern') looks stunning. 

About a month ahead of schedule, my Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia 'Supersonic Dwarf Pink')
is in full, lovely bloom.
I got this as a tiny plant from my friend Carol in 2007. It's over six feet tall
so I'm not sure if "dwarf" applies, but "pink" sure does. 

Sorry. This is a little blurry and hard on the eyes but I love it.

Here it is behind Joe Pye on the right and Eva Cullum Phlox on the left. 

Coreopsis 'Mercury Rising' is such a stellar plant. 

Salvia verticillata 'Purple Rain' and white-flowered Garlic chives give the bees something to buzz about. 

I recently redid the back portion of this island bed. The golden plant is Cistus
and the Fuchsia is Fuchsia magellianica 'Thompsonii'. It is supposed to get only two feet tall and the flowers are teeny tiny too.
Later on I'm going to do a post on all the new hardy Fuchsias I purchased from Fry Road. 

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Another Coreopsis 'Mercury Rising'. I bought two more this spring because
I was so happy with the first one surviving last winter. 

Here is Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy.' I love it.

I realize this photo is blurry but I am terrible at bird photography.
Do you see her perched on the top of the spiral pole?
Well, she and her hubby are raising a family...

In the Jasmine and Clematis at the top of this arbor. 

Yesterday, I watched them deliver takeout to their young while I deadheaded
the carpet of Lemon Thyme in my new lawn-replacement terrace.
The thyme is filling in faster than all of the sedums and I'm happy with it. 

In the acquisitions department, on Saturday, my son brought me home
another vintage watering trough--$10. I'm sure you could hear me squeal a mile away. 

The first trough is now doing duty as a container for a 'Sun Sugar' cherry tomato and
a Pineapple Tomatillo ground cherry. The new one is even bigger. I know. My son rocks. 

Before I sign off, I need to apologize for not visiting everyone's blog. 

I promise to get caught up soon. I'm really missing you all. 

Happy gardening!