GardenBook

  May is always a bit of a pinnacle for bloominess in my garden, and as an added historical element the CDC decided that my fully vaccinated self can de-mask outside and inside. However, I won't feel the return to normalcy until I can grocery shop mask-free. In spite of everything though , GB Bloomday has continued on-no masking needed.    This is Asteriscus maritimus 'Golden Dollar'. I planted two of these last spring in my Agave meadow, and it is a winner for sure.  Climbing rose 'Sally Holmes '. Sally has benefited this year from a very large branch that was removed from a neighbors tree , and a very hard pruning this winter.  Clematis 'Niobe'. Usually the first Clem to bloom , this year the variegated Wiegela just gained a bit to much size and set it back a bit. I'll be doing some control pruning on the Wiegela this weekend.   The scented Pelargonium 'Attar of Roses'. It's a beast. Not quite there yet but I'm so jazzed that my Yucca ...

 There is always lots of bloom action going on in the garden in June, and I didn't even try to capture everything. This is a selection of those I am particularly enjoying.   I have no tag for this Lily, but it was the first to open. I planted it because it looked like Regale , which at the time I was unable to find. I planted three Regale this spring and they are budded up. It will be interesting to compare. This Lily is very upward facing, it's a trumpet called 'Silver Angel' . The blooms are just about at eye level . It almost disappeared last summer and I thought it was a goner but it came back strong this year. I count 15 buds after a count of maybe two in 2019.  A newcomer to my garden this spring, Scabiosa caucasica 'Perfecta Alba' . I think I can plant a couple more of these in close proximity for a nice supply of summer cut flowers. Angelica stricta pupurea , a plant that is very popular with pollinators.  The bloom of...

  Time didn't permit capturing images of everything blooming in my garden this month-though it's definitely not the bounty of July and August. The annual rite of plant fatigue makes its appearance this month with the predictable flopping, the touch of mildew and the scourge of spider mites. On a positive note, the grasses look great, the roses are powering up for a fall bloom and the fuchsias are happy with the cooler nights and mornings.  I've made an effort in the last year to add more late bloomers to my garden . The Aster below has been here10 years-plus  and has been moved at least twice that I can recall. I don't know where I got it and the tag is long gone .  I planted 3 of the aptly named Aster  'Purple Dome'  which are an unobtrusive bright green mound throughout the season and as fall nears they transform to this mass of purple.  This is Aster laterfolius 'Lady in Black' which I will need to move this fall. I planted it too close ...

 This is actually Bloom Evening-I'm a bit behind schedule . It's still the 15th at May Dreams Gardens , where Carol provides us a platform to share our flowers on the 15th of every month, but I'm right under the wie for midnight on the east coast. Here is a small sample of what I have going on in zone 9, Northern California.  This has become one of my favorite Lilys, Carte Blanche, an Orienpet from the Lily Garden in Vancouver Wa. 6 to 7 ft tall in my garden , which allows for easy viewing of the slightly down turned blooms, unless you are in the NBA. All Fuchsias are in full bloom, but I only took a photo of "Winston Churchill a favorite I have grown for at least 20 years. You can see the damage from one of the few hot days we have had this summer .  One of my fave Sanguisorbas, my un-named seeding from Far Reaches Farm.  This patch of Eucomis is scheduled for removal  this fall-it takes uo way too much space and in a small garden 3 big cl...