In a general way, my garden looks terrible this summer. The drought, the multiple over-100 degree days, the deer damage, and being away for only one week, have all combined to create a very underwhelming late June/July garden. Still, although I've lost almost every new plant I put in this summer, I have managed to catch some individual blooms that offered a bright spot here and there.
Late in June, my bee balm bloomed with some blanket flower disguising it's browning feet.
My Asian lilies have really struggled this year --here is a selection of less than stellar examples of three types in one garden. The orange and yellow is a stunner normally, but I think this was its only bloom this year, and it's all mottled. The other two managed a few more blooms, but their color was less than spectacular.
My oriental lilies did better.
This white lily is downward facing, like the martagon lilies. I bought it many years ago, and I have no idea what it is. It's been a consistent performer, but it's usually paired with a pink of the same form, and the pink only had one stem that bloomed, and it was half its usual height.
I also planted an Easter lily many years ago, after it had finished blooming inside. It comes back every year, and this year it really outdid itself.
I've had good luck with alliums this year as well, and this one in particular I thought had such a great form. I don't remember planting this, but I just loved it. They start with this form:
And then proceed to open all the way, like little fireworks.
They are part of this grouping along a path to our mudroom door.
The other stalwart this year has been the daylily. The foliage has browned early, and during the week that I was gone, the heat and lack of water affected the number of blooms, but the individual flowers are still spectacular.
The daylilies have been really the only color over the last week, and now they are going as well. My rudbeckia has not handled the drought well, and is only about half its normal height, and the shasta daisy has been and gone. I don't know if anything will be blooming next month!
Thanks to Carol, at May Dreams Gardens, for hosting!
I have a lot of brown feet, too:) Daylilies have surprised me this year with just how resilient they are. You have a lovely collection, and your Orientals are really show-stoppers. I have a similar allium, though mine bloomed much earlier; I enjoy their sparkler looks, too.
ReplyDeleteWe received 2 inches of rain yesterday--hooray! I hope the rain fell on your garden, too.
Am I the only gardener who has a yard full of half-eaten flowers? I wake up every morning and curse the existence of Japanese beetles. I never had to deal with these growing up in Kansas, but they seem to be everywhere here in Iowa.
ReplyDeleteThey are awful here too! But our drought (or maybe that incredibly hot March) seems to have kept their numbers lower this year. However, my gardens that are farther away from the house have been totally eaten --other people have these beautiful coneflowers, and mine are all ragged looking from bug damage (which is why I don't show pictures of them!).
DeleteOh they are lovely, even if they are named Asian or Oriental, we still cannot grow them in the hot and humid tropics. And those gaillardia looks so beautiful in the temperate clime, a US friend blogger sent me seeds and i was able to let them bloom, but not as lovely as that. They are scraggly and easily succombed to aphids and mealy bugs.
ReplyDeleteLove your daylilies and your Easter lily. It is incredible how quickly the ground dries out after a good long watering - in 100 degree temps, seems it only takes about a day. It's very discouraging, as are the pests eating in the garden. Praying for rain for all of the areas that need it.
ReplyDeleteIn spite of the drought and heat, you still have some lovely blooms! I wish there was a way to really hide the bottoms of Monarda...every year, the same thing happens to me too :-(
ReplyDeleteVery nice flowers. You have nice garden.
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