End of July To-Dos

Nancy DeBrule wrote in her Natureworks email newsletter today about plants that host beneficial insects with their nectar:

Shasta daises, black eyed Susans, Stokesias, Heliopsis and Helianthus (perennial sunflower), Coreopsis, Echinacea...the list goes on and on. Simply by incorporating them into your landscape you will help your habitat to thrive.

I'm happy to report that I have many of those plants in my garden:

Nancy also recommends deadleafing right now at the end of July:

Now THERE'S a term you may have never heard of before! You have probably heard of deadheading, but deadleafing? Go outside and look at a clump of your daylilies or bearded irises. What do you see? You see lots of brown and yellow leaves. Removing those leaves is called deadleafing! It is a great way to groom your garden AND it will help prevent disease issues. 

Here are mine deadleafed: daylilies, iris,  hardy geranium and coreopsis:

I call it "finger combing"

in the day lilies.

Iris traditionally trimmed in a fan cut.

A little seaweed fertilizer and 

they might bloom again!

While some plants are all green, waiting

to have enough energy to bloom again,

some of the day lilies

will still be full of bloom

into August.

The work and the enjoyment never stop

this time of year in the garden.

Glory Days

Sunflowers reach for the sky

Bees a' buzzing

Fountain flowing

Day lilies delight

From one end of the border

To the other!

Challenges in the Garden

I have different challenges 

in the garden this year, 

compared to drought years

 in the past.

One is slugs

with the recent

wet weather.

The pulmonaria

bloomed well

this year,

but the leaves

are getting hit now.

The hosta are being eaten also.

But I'm not doing 

anything about it

except letting

nature run

its course.

My miniature rose

alternates between

blooming and 

being eaten alive.

I have resorted

to organic insecticide.

The daisies near

the drain from

the eaves above

are an uneven height.

I'm not sure if it is

from the rain runoff

or the landscaper

spraying for weeds

in the drain area.

The hydrangea blooms

are hidden down in 

the leaves, but I have

been cutting some stems

away to reveal them

and allow some sun in.

The salvia spikes and

the petunias (drooping)

are having a hard time.

I've added a

petunia fertilizer

which is supposed

to encourage blooms

along the stems

but it doesn't

seem to help.

I tried seaweed fertilizer

and it does help

for a couple days.

I've cut the petunias back.

What to do next?

Check back later for

progress with the

problem planters.

Hurricane Fay Skirts our State Tonight

But before she comes through,

I cut some more blooms

for my second bouquet

of the summer.

It includes daylilies, hydrangea and

butterfly bush, all newly 

blooming in the garden
now that it's high summer in mid-July.

Some photos of blooms,

birds and bees

from previous years'

gardens are in the background.

They've all been on this blog!

July First, First Bouquet of Summer

Still dripping from conditioning.

Yellow Helianthus.

Lime Green Sweet Potato Vine.

White Yarrow.

Purple Veronica.

Waiting for the Thunderstorms

It's after 5 p.m.

and the rumbling

is just starting...

a little late!

Sitting on the porch

watching the sky darken,

feeling the temperature drop

and hearing the rumbles increase.

The front planters look great

after yesterday's all-day

gentle soaking rain.

Around the corner of

the garage, the plants

are a bang of color.

The yarrow is taking over 

the asters and the Russian

sage which haven't

bloomed yet.

The purple of the second 

bloom of Veronica

and the yellow of the

Stella de Oro daylilies

make an explosion of color

on the garage side.

Around the corner

down below,

the daisies are not 

quite ready to bloom.

There are signs of 

hydrangea buds!

Beyond the corner,

tucked away is

the butterfly bush,

still only green but

soon will be covered

with magenta blooms.

The interesting poppy buds

replaced their delicate blooms

which survived the

last summer storms.

Lily buds are soon to split open!

Balloon flower buds

are ready to burst!

Sunflowers

in a barrage of color!

Besides the incoming storm,

I guess I'm waiting for

the best of mid-summer's

explosion of blooms.

Summer Solstice Garden Moments

At 5:44 p.m. today

summer officially begins

in the Northern Hemisphere.

Just a few sights around 

the garden:

The primrose path

(the opening on the left)

leads to the sunny side of

the house in the evening.

The foxglove look

almost eerie in the

last sun rays of 

the early evening 

on the edge of the ridge.

William's Japanese Maple

almost shimmers in the

low angle of the sun.

The Astilbe resemble

fireworks in the semi-dark

on the patio under the deck.

And the fairy garden is ready

for fairies to play and sing

and dance tonight 

as the longest day ends.

and summer truly begins.