Blooms July 2012

Thanks as always to MayDreams garden blog for this delightful meme.  We've escaped (so far) the terrible heat most of the US has been suffering through this July.  The garden is still full of flowers, but just a few photos for this month, because I've been so busy out there gardening (of all things!). 

A species Cymbidium.  Each individual flower is the size of a penny, far different than the more common hybrids of lavish size and color.  This plant also seems to bloom later than the hybrids.
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 A seedling day lily that just appeared.  It's obviously the offspring of the purchased plant nearby, but it's not bad looking. 
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The Liatris is kind of so-so this year. 
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The Phormium flowers are having a so-so year, too.
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In contrast, it has been a fabulous year for the Fuchsias.
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And for the lilies.  I love how the anthers look airbrushed.
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Pink lilies at the feet of Rosa 'Iceberg' that was a dud as a shrub.  It has been super as a climber.  This was one of the very first roses I ever bought, back around '94.  I remember how thrilled I was to actually buy my very own rose bush.  What a journey it has been.  The rose is still going strong, even though I'm faltering a bit.  I stuck it back in that corner to die because it was such a dud, and it turned itself into a prolific and graceful climber with no help from me at all.  It's laughing at me right now.
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Hydrangeas 'Shooting Stars':
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Hydrangea 'Ayesha':
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Plain humble work-a-day Abelia 'Edward Goucher'.  The hummingbirds and bees adore these blooms.  My neighbor has the same plant, kept sheared into globes, and sees just the odd flower peaking through the sheared surface.
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Nearly done.  A dried Clematis flower has a kind of weary beauty, like a shaggy old lion.
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To finish, a single tiny Thyme flower, ignored by a lizard.  Not every one cares about flowers. Mr. Lizard is after the earwigs. 
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Happy Bloom Day! 

Comments

  1. What a surprise in the end! I like it only when I see in the photo. He looks humorous somehow. Your Fuchsias look thriving. I don’t have them at home but I often see them hanging. Your “independent” Iceberg is simply gorgeous. Hydrangeas “shooting stars” are called “hanabi” in Japanese which means fireworks. Thanks for sharing. Thanks for your visit, too.

    Yoko

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    1. Yoko, thank you so much for visiting. Your photography is inspiring to me and I hope someday to take photos as beautiful as yours. "hanabi"--delightful! :)

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  2. Your Iceberg is beautiful. I still refuse to stock it at work because it just does not perform here in southern heat and humidity, despite what the tag says. Happy GBBD to you!

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    1. Of course it doesn't. Good for you! It's a dud in 99% of the country, and miraculously beautiful here. Just the luck of the draw...

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  3. Bravo! Lovely post! That rose is gorgeous there. I so love when unexpected things like that happen in the garden. I didn't know Phormium bloomed silly me. I just love them but never can successfully overwinter them indoors. ARe the fuchsias hardy for you outside? I have to bring all mine in for the winter in our zone 5. Wish I had earwig eating lizards here too!

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    1. The lizards are wonderful and we are grateful for them. I never think about Phormium blooming either--it's always a surprise when they do. Try keeping them fairly dry and watch like a hawk for mealy bugs. Usually the flowers are much better. I do not know what happened this year.

      Yes fuchsias are perfectly hardy here (zero frost 9 years out of 10) but we have the gall mite, which ruins them eventually.

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  4. I heard on the radio about the heat in your country. You are a lucky girl you did not have this heat. I wish we had some better weather overhere. Every day heavy rain and no temperatures who shows it's summer. Your plants in your garden are doing very well.
    Beautiful photo's again.
    Have a great sunday Hoover.

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    1. We've been very lucky here, but many farmers are suffering with heat and drought. I hope you finally get some sunshine. My sister in Alaska has had one sunny day since last autumn! Have a lovely Sunday, Marijke!

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  5. The dead Clematis bloom is lovely, and the lizard... well, on the list of things I wish my garden had, lizards are number one. Jealous I am.

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    1. We're lucky and we know it, Alan. Earwigs are their absolute favorite food. How wonderful is that?

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  6. The Iceberg climber works for me...in fact, the whole display is stunning. Enjoy the cool for me!

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  7. Oh wow! Love the fuchsias and that rose is amazing. Happy Bloom Day!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Birdwoman. Happy GBBD back at you.

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  8. Lovely photos and gorgeous flowers, especially the daylily I think, although I have a special thing for fuchsias so I loved your photo of them too. My fuchsias haven't started flowering yet here in London where I live, which is very unusual - thanks to the cold weather and all the rain we have had the last 3 months. We are still waiting for summer!

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    1. I would think fuchsias would love your climate, but not blooming yet? Yikes! At least the hosepipe ban is over?

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    2. Yes, they stopped the hosepipe ban last month here in London, best remedy for a drought, get a hosepipe ban! It started raining the next day and hasn't really stopped since - that was 5th April. Because of all the rain it has been much colder than usual, and not much sun of course, so everything is very late, around 5 weeks in my garden. But we're getting there eventually!

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  9. Wow everything perfect, as i am admiring the photography. And that last one is a lovely show stealer!

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  10. What a great story your rose is! And your clematis going to seed is a wonderful shot...I love photographing their seeds more than their flowers!

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    1. I must agree with you, Cat, those seed heads on Clematis are even more photogenic than the glamorous flowers. I love taking pictures of them too.

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  11. A very nice display of flowers for July. I was wondering about the variety of your fuchsia. My fuchsias in the coastal garden on California's central coast are being destroyed by the fuchsia mite gall. I know some varieties are more resistant than others. Yours are lovely and look quite healthy.

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    1. Hi Dorothy, what happens here (I think) is that people grow Fuchsias, they all get infected with gall mite, everyone digs out their fuchsias for about two years, then the gall mites are (temporarily) gone, so growers start selling fuchsias again, people start buying them again...and the cycle repeats itself. I expect next year or the year after that to have to pull all mine out...but for this year, I'm loving them.

      A botanist told me that there are Brazilian and Chilean fuchsia species (mainly). The Chilean were hybridized first, but they are the ones that are most vulnerable to the gall mite. Hybridizers are now working with Brazilian species, which are much, much, much more resistant. He said to look for new plants in the next few years that will be much easier to keep healthy.

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  12. aloha,
    beautiful tour and your photography is beautiful !

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  13. Wow--what fabulous photos! I love the clematis seedhead--just stunning. But I also love the anthers--gorgeous! And the lizard--what a great capture. Somehow, I completely forgot to add fuchsias this year to the garden, and I love them...shoot! Your blooms are lovely--thanks for sharing! Happy GBBD!

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    1. Thank you Julie, and thanks for stopping by. Happy GBBD!

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  14. Lovely selection of blooms but the close up of the lily anthers is my favourite, great shot!

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    1. Thanks Mark and Gaz, I'm starting to really love lilys. So photogenic!

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  15. I was happy to see a fat lizard in the compost pile the other day. Hoov, out of all your amazing photos, that clematis-in-decay shot is incredible.

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    1. When I turn the compost pile (not often enough, I admit), the lizards gather and catch the earwigs running out. Thanks, the sight of that dried Clemmie made me run for the camera.

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  16. Look at all of those lovely blooms! How cool that rose decided it was going to grow so nicely in that spot.

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    1. And without my help...even cooler! Okay, well a little help.

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  17. Beautiful post...the Liatris are just stunning, and I adore the spent Clematis bloom...so textural and cool!

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    1. Thanks, Scott! Your photos always inspire me to try to do better.

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