Friday, July 16, 2010

A late Bloom Day report, July 2010

This being retired stuff is hard work! I didn't even have the time to post a proper Bloom Day report yesterday. So a day late (and a dollar short, actually) here are some glimpses of what's blooming in the MulchMaid's garden on July 16, 2010.

While I'm still battling scale insects, I think the war has essentially been won for the Meyer lemon. It's putting on a renewed burst of blossoms and the fragrance is fabulous.

When the garden was young, I planted multiple Hemerocallis 'Stella de Oro' daylilies in a sunny area. They are taking over, so some thinning and moving is in their future.
But for now they're a sea of green and yellow.

This Zantedeschia 'Flame' is finally coloring this year with the sun it gets now that the bamboo isn't shading it at all. I love both the spotted foliage and the nuanced shading of the flower.

This graceful Fuchsia hatchbachii has been better every year, even with our terrible winters of late. The tag says, "To 7 feet in a single season." I don't doubt it if a clement winter is in our future.

I showed a stem of Agastashe 'Acapulco Orange' in a recent post, but the entire shrub is worth seeing in full bloom.

I am so excited that my Yucca filamentosa 'Bright Edge' bloomed this year. I've been loving the yucca blooms I see all over town this month.

I do like my Agastasches. This is Agastache rupestris 'Apache Sunset' and it differs from 'Acapulco Orange' in its fine gray foliage and smaller flower spikes. I think the contrast between the foliage and the flower color is spectacular.

This is the most floriferous part of the MulchMaid's garden, with the several potentillas near the ground, the achillea at the midpoint and the crocosmia 'Lucifer' at the top. I'm also enjoying the intense contrast between the bright orange-red of the crocosmia and the cool gray of the eucalyptus behind it.

I'm also enjoying the flowers of several sedums.

With another burst of energy, this sweet Lewisia cotyledon is putting on its second show of the year.

I'm not a rose lover in the garden, but I inherited all these from the former gardener and can't bring myself to tear out any but the sickly ones.

Here are a few for you on this lovely July 17th morning.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day is hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens. Visit her to see what was blooming in her garden and around the world yesterday.

8 comments:

  1. Hi Jane...CONGRATS on the retirement...I hope you are having a wonderful time! That Zantedeschia 'Flame' is HOT! For some reason it make me think of Orange Julius (I've always loved Orange Julius). So did you stand on a ladder to get that great Yucca shot? Love the vantage point. Your garden looks like it's doing summer well.

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  2. Do I remember the scale on lemons. We finally took out a mature lemon tree we inherited -- sooty mold, scale, you name it. Your agastaches are fabulous. Happy belated bloom day, Jane.

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  3. An excellent showing for bloom day! Thanks for joining in.

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  4. Hi Jane, Well if you're a dollar short and I'm just now posting a reply...well, uh, let's just say I'm in need of lottery winnings. :)

    Your photos are lovely. This is probably the nicest clump of Stella daylilies I've seen. Usually they're all ratty and half dead. Yours look really healthy.

    My F. hatsbashi has survived the last two colder than normal winters. I think it's hardy all right. Mine isn't blooming yet but it's getting up there. Yours looks great.

    I'm not an orange fan but your Agastaches are okay by me. In fact I have them but mine don't look quite that nice...too crowded.

    The Crocosmia ensemble photo is award worthy!

    I'll have to keep my eye on my Lewisia. I'd love to see it bloom again too.

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  5. Hey... You officially retired! I remember you said you were planning to but I didn't know it had happened yet. I hope you're having all kinds of fun and have time to enjoy everything you want to.

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  6. Your sedums are very pretty...I am usually annoyed when mine bloom.
    Congrats on joining the "leisure class" ha ha.

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  7. Congrats on your retirement! I hope your garden gets to see more of you now that you have more free time. Hooray! I know my dad has stayed very busy, never a dull moment, since his retirement. I had worried he would be bored but he doesn't seem to be. Love that yucca bloom and like you have been enjoying seeing their tall spikes everywhere these days. Makes me want one! Hm, the spiky plant people are really getting to me, I guess...

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  8. Beautiful lewisia-one of my favorites. I use Neem oil on my potted Meyer lemon and it seems to do the trick.

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