June Gloom Bloom

 'Jubilee Celebration'
 
The roses here had a rough spring.  A heat wave just as peak bloom arrived--supporting new spring foliage and masses of flowers at the same time, on reduced water, stressed them considerably.  Next, a six week period of cool, overcast weather and a little spring rain gave many of them a rash of foliage diseases. So the heavy lifting of mid to late spring has been handled by Salvias and Hemerocallis.  Not that stellar rose blooms have been completely absent--cool, overcast weather means richer color and more petals.
'Bolero':
This spring, Hemerocallis have been a joy.  Blog reading, I get the impression some gardeners grow weary of the constant grooming involved with growing Hemerocallis--the flowers bloom for one day and turn to mush the next, the oldest foliage browns.  Both must be removed to keep the plants in full glory.  I understand that completely.  At least for now I still enjoy the grooming and inspecting of each plant--the number and array of flowers varies daily, which is a delight.  



 Other plants have contributed this month.  
Epiphyllum.  

I pulled most of the California poppies after that extreme March heat, expecting May would be as bad or worse, but the succeeding six weeks of gloom revived a few of them, and brought a new round of flowers.  

 Most of the poppies were on the west slope.  Also on the west slope, warmer soil has awakened the Russelia equisetiformus, intended to cascade down over the retaining wall.  Planted last fall, they are beginning to establish.  I bought two regular plants and one that claimed to be a dwarf version, assuming the dwarf version really wasn't all that dwarfy.  Wrong.  It is.  I'll move it and split off a piece of one of the regulars to take its spot.  Compare the two.
Dwarf:


 Normal:
Also up on the slope, also intended to cascade, is the Madagascar succulent vine Xerosycios daguyi.  Looking down at the plant as it drapes towards the Agaves below, a few tiny flowers can be seen:
 Another sign of June are these, scattered over the driest parts of the garden.  Do you know what this is?
Lizards prepare many small, shallow cavities in the soil to lay their eggs.  I wonder if they dig many as decoys--to confuse birds and other egg-eating creatures. 
Off the west slope, and back to flowers like Salvia 'Black And Blue'
 The inevitable 'Rozanne':
 Clematis...
 and the first flower of this Teucrium hircanicum, courtesy of A Growing Obsesson.  It leans against Iris leaves for a little support. 
 We finish with the brilliant yellow of Hunnimannia fumarifolia.
  Visit  May Dreams Gardens blog for more flowers.  Gloom isn't really gloom in bloomin' June

Comments

  1. With all those blooms never a gloom indeed :)

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  2. You've reignited my Russelia equisetiformus lust.

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    1. The dwarf version would be quite petite enough to live inside for the winter...have I tempted you?

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  3. Beautiful, as always! It has most certainly been an odd spring - I've also had a host of repeat appearances, as well as both early blooms (presumably due to the March heatwaves) and late blooms (presumably attributable to the delayed onset of hot weather). I read about one gardener who made a daily routine of walking through her summer garden in the early evening to snap the heads of the daylily blooms but I can never bring myself to do that until they're well on the decline.

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    1. I do the snapping in the early morning, pajama-ed. I think that relatively generous December rain made many plant early this year. My roses were 3 weeks early.

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  4. Lots of beautiful blooms! This seems to have been an odd spring for us all. I love the poppies so bright and cheerful. I tried some from seed...alas they all drowned when our front garden flooded. Perhaps next year : )

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    1. Flooded...oh...that much rain...oh!

      Very much worth trying again next year!

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  5. A daylily whiner here ! I still have several -just the ones I can keep up with. Don't mind deadheading at all-it's the foliage thing that drives me nuts. Yours are pretty !

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    1. My non-gardening neighbor simply cuts hers to the ground whenever the foliage looks too ratty. They seem perfectly fine with that--and I am going to try it soon on a few, when they take a rest from blooming.

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  6. all your blooms are beautiful, especially love the epiphyllum, hope I can find a rozanne around somewhere as I adore that flower!

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    1. 'Rozanne' is one of the very best plants in this garden--I hope you are able to try one and that it performs as well for you.

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  7. Gorgeous roses, day lilies, Salvias and so many other beautiful flowers, your garden is a picture of colour dear Hoover. The Madagascar succulent vine has pretty flowers, all is beautiful in your garden.
    xoxoxo ♡

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  8. Your flowers are all gorgeous, but just as wonderful are your photos of them!

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    1. Your own most excellent photography skills are something I try to learn from!

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  9. Nice of that teucrium to flower the first year! Hope you don't hate me if it likes your garden too much...

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    1. Free plants--are you kidding? Hmmm...maybe I'll deadhead it. I've gotten a couple seedlings from T. chamaedrys in 12 years...

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  10. Lizards and Ruselia, it all sounds very exotic to me. I love your blooms and lovely photos. I grow Epiphyllum too, they take up a lot of space and the blooms don' t last long but they are amazing.

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    1. They do take up room, but I just have a couple. When they are not blooming they are not much to look at--exactly like orchids...

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  11. Thanks for stopping by my corner of Katy! I see you and I can grow a few of the same things ... love that red Russellia!

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    1. Enjoyed my Katy visit, and your bloom day, too.

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  12. I just sprayed rose buds with a foul smelling brew that I assume tastes just as bad. The first round of buds were nipped off by the deer, every single one. Your perfect roses may never happen here.

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    1. Oh, boy. Sorry to hear that. Venison stew recipe? I have little rabbit fences all over the garden this spring--but deer are much harder to fence out.

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