The long, hot summer has taken its toll on the garden. I have plenty of plants that look great in Portland's most unusual summer, but many of them have already flowered, or are essentially foliage plants. That said, there are a few flowers to show as I wander in the garden with my camera this Bloom Day.
First, the sunny, summer yellows. Like Rudbeckia hirta, which almost embodies summer to me.
Crocosmia 'Golden Fleece' is persisting, despite its dry brown leaves.
The golden flowers of Ligularia 'Britt-Marie Crawford' always seem a bit incongruous on her shiny plum-green foliage.
I raised the skirts on Ceanothus 'Victoria' and now Solidago 'Little Lemon' (from Tamara of Chickadee Gardens) is getting enough sun to bloom underneath.
Despite another serious chop earlier this summer, 'Darlow's Enigma' rose has managed a few blooms
The white parade continues with Rosa 'Sally Holmes', bouncing back after an extensive deadheading.
Trachelospermum jasminoides 'Confederate Cream' keeps pumping out a few blossoms. Their gentle perfume is delightful on the evening air, too.
We (and the bees) are reveling in the masses of Lagerstroemia 'Natchez' blossoms. The silver lining in our long hot summer has been the profusion of Crape Myrtles blooming all over town.
I know, I know - I've been showing Punica granatum 'True Dwarf' for months. But how can you ignore these cool pomegranate flowers that are the perfect mix of red and orange? They make my deck happy!
The last flowers on the Digiplexus. This isn't hardy, but it's one of the few "annuals" I'll splash out for.
The last spike of Acanthus spinosus. The rest have been chopped back for the incipient patio project.
Little red and yellow Abutilon megapotamicum blossoms punctuate an area under the Trachycarpus fortunei palm.
Fall-blooming Mahonia fortunei 'Dan Hinckley' is just beginning. So early!
Caryopteris NOID is also just unfurling. I love this beautiful blue at the end of summer.
Another beautiful garden blue is the heat-lover, Echinops ritro, still going strong from a month ago.
Phygelius 'Passionate' is almost done, but has been a stalwart this summer for the hummers.
The attractive blue painter's tape marks it as a plant that needs to be dug out for the patio project that begins in a week. I'm holding off as long as I can before removing the big perennials - wish me luck keeping them alive for the three weeks the project should take.
Bloom Day is brought to you by Carol, of May Dreams Gardens. Check out her blog for links to hundreds of other gardeners and their blooms this month!
Happy Bloom Day!
First, the sunny, summer yellows. Like Rudbeckia hirta, which almost embodies summer to me.
Crocosmia 'Golden Fleece' is persisting, despite its dry brown leaves.
The golden flowers of Ligularia 'Britt-Marie Crawford' always seem a bit incongruous on her shiny plum-green foliage.
I raised the skirts on Ceanothus 'Victoria' and now Solidago 'Little Lemon' (from Tamara of Chickadee Gardens) is getting enough sun to bloom underneath.
Despite another serious chop earlier this summer, 'Darlow's Enigma' rose has managed a few blooms
The white parade continues with Rosa 'Sally Holmes', bouncing back after an extensive deadheading.
Trachelospermum jasminoides 'Confederate Cream' keeps pumping out a few blossoms. Their gentle perfume is delightful on the evening air, too.
We (and the bees) are reveling in the masses of Lagerstroemia 'Natchez' blossoms. The silver lining in our long hot summer has been the profusion of Crape Myrtles blooming all over town.
The last flowers on the Digiplexus. This isn't hardy, but it's one of the few "annuals" I'll splash out for.
Little red and yellow Abutilon megapotamicum blossoms punctuate an area under the Trachycarpus fortunei palm.
Fall-blooming Mahonia fortunei 'Dan Hinckley' is just beginning. So early!
Another beautiful garden blue is the heat-lover, Echinops ritro, still going strong from a month ago.
The attractive blue painter's tape marks it as a plant that needs to be dug out for the patio project that begins in a week. I'm holding off as long as I can before removing the big perennials - wish me luck keeping them alive for the three weeks the project should take.
Bloom Day is brought to you by Carol, of May Dreams Gardens. Check out her blog for links to hundreds of other gardeners and their blooms this month!
Happy Bloom Day!
Awesome blooms Jane. All of your plants are holding up so well in the drought and heat. You should be really happy about these wise choices!
ReplyDeleteYou have some fascinating plants. It really seems just about anything will grow well in Portland--similar to London. Your Roses are especially lovely. Happy GBBD!
ReplyDeleteCool blue of the Caryopteris cools me off on this 95F day--well, that and the air conditioning.
ReplyDeletePatio project?!? We'll expect that blogged, please. Happy GBBD!
Happy Bloom Day. Your summer is different to ours.
ReplyDeleteI must have gotten C.golden fleece' from you ? It's made a huge clump and is blooming away .
ReplyDeleteI'm still waiting for a Darlow's cutting …happy bloom day !
Fingers crossed that these moderate temperatures continue as you embark on the long awaited patio project, Jane. That should make keeping the perennials alive a lot easier. Putting pots in even larger containers with some water in the bottom helped me keep things alive while we were on vacation. At least it prolongs the drying out. Your garden seems to have fared this heat well. Seeing your Acanthus seed capsules made me want to run outside to check if mine have them yet. If so, I didn't notice them yet, but now I'm on the alert - they are awfully cool!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your patio project! Despite our hot dry summer you have some pretty blooms. You're always just a tiny bit ahead of us, my Caryopteris hasn't started flowering yet.
ReplyDeleteI hope my acanthus blooms next year. I brought it back from Joy Creek during the Fling. Best of luck with that project.
ReplyDeleteI have 'Sally Holmes' and 'Darlow's Enigma' also, which must mean we both have excellent taste in roses! 'Darlow' is taking an August vacation from blooming, but 'Sally' keeps pumping out new roses.
ReplyDeleteI need that Sally on my life.
ReplyDeleteLooking good! It seems odd to me that Portland has crepe myrtles. They feel so southern/southeastern to me.
ReplyDelete