Pleasant Surprises

Would you believe I got all my work done and was looking forward to puttering in the garden when lo and behold, rain! Here in the Pacific Northwest we don't get much rain from July through September so while rain is always welcome, I wish it would have held off a few hours so I get some stuff done. 

So instead of gardening, I figured I'd work on a blog post. 

One of the plants on my wish list has been Lychnis flos-cuculi 'Petite Jenny' or "Ragged Robin." I love those fluffy, double flowers. I was so psyched when I was able to get one when Far Reaches set up a booth at Dancing Oaks for the HPSO Plant Study Weekend.  

Sorry for the blur... Lychnis flos-cuculi 'Petite Jenny'

Here it is planted with dwarf Monarda, a Dahlia and a Dianthus.

Dianthus with creeping Sedum blossoms
I couldn't have planned it better.

My favorite Daylily--Hemerocallis 'Final Touch'

I sowed seed for this Echinacea last year. It just started blooming.

Echinacea texensis 'Rocky Top Hybrids'

Scutellaria suffrutescens 'Texas Rose'

Lots of Fuchsias blooming now!

Fuchsia 'Cardinal'

Fuchsia 'Simon J. Rowell' (I think)

Fuchsia 'Flash'

Fuchsia magellianica

Fuchsia m. 'Riccartoni'

Rosa 'Carefree Spirit' with matching Hollyhock

Malope (annual from seed)

It looks like my Phlox p. 'Peppermint Twist' is reverting. Oh well...

Phlox paniculata 'Peppermint Twist' etc.

And say hello to a few of my Hydrangeas!

My latest Hydrangea acquisition: H. macrophylla 'Ayesha'

H. m. 'Lemon Wave'

H. m. 'Teller Red'

H. m. 'Buttons & Bows'

Clematis v. 'Venosa Violacea' with Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides)

My first 2016 flowers on Gardenia j. 'Frostproof'

The Dahlias are also starting to blossom!

Dahlia 'Smartie'

Dahlia 'Ivanetti'

Dahlia 'Pontiac' (I think)

I'm excited to see those stately lavender blossoms on my
Royal Pickerel. (Pontedena dilatata)
Last summer we had a heat wave right after I purchased this plant
and the poor thing suffered terribly.

And I'm equally excited that I FINALLY, after thirty-plus years of gardening have
managed to get a Lobelia tupa to live and bloom!

Doesn't it look happy?

Coreopsis 'Cosmic Evolution'

Funny thing about plants, they can do some strange things. In March, my Melianthus looked all winter-worn so I cut it back to the ground. It shot up overnight and now it's blooming. Who'd a thunk? 

My very, very first Melianthus blossom.
Kind of weird and wonderful.

And viola, a second blossom!

Thanks to a mild winter, all of my cannas are up and looking swell.
This one is called 'Bird of Paradise'

I'm not sure which variety these Cannas are but they are really prolific.
I divided last year's clump and replanted them all over the garden!

And now for some wide shots of the garden.

Coreopsis 'Mercury Rising' and Stachys officinalis 'Pink Cotton Candy'

And finally, a critter-shot. Look who came to take a bath--Mr. Tanager!

Western Tanager taking a bath in the patio pond!

Any pleasant surprises in your garden?