Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day—July
‘Belinda’s Dream’ is wide awake after all the rain we received recently.
Although I missed Bloom Day in June because of my travel schedule, I’m happy to participate this month. The roses and salvias are enjoying a lush rebloom thanks to cooler than normal temperatures and ample rainfall. The drought-hardy xeric plants are doing fine too because I planted them high in well-draining soil. (I can’t say enough good things about Natural Gardener’s Hill Country Garden Soil, which I ordered by the cubic yard and tilled into my gumbo-clay soil before I planted this garden.) Much of the garden is just green right now, studded with a few token flowers until the bigger show in the fall.
Remember to visit May Dreams to get links to the dozens of other bloggers who participate in Bloom Day.
The Mexican oregano (Poliomintha longiflora ) glows beautifully in the evening light.
Majestic sage, or Salvia guaranitica
A volunteer lantana has sprung up in the shadow of the Texas mountain laurel and is managing to bloom. I haven’t had a lantana in that part of the garden for several years, so the seed may have lain dormant for a while. Or maybe the birds kindly recycled some berries from someone else’s garden.
Engelmann’s daisy transplants from Zanthan Gardens are blooming. Thanks, MSS!
Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens )—scentless but well-mannered—is blooming, as always.
‘The Fairy,’ a low-growing, dainty rose with razor-sharp thorns
Another cluster of ‘The Fairy’
Narrowleaf zinnia, a tough, long-blooming annual
Cigar plant (Cuphea micropetala ) adds heat to the front garden.
Euryops, or Mexican shrub daisy. I’m increasingly dissatisfied with the ragtag foliage and sporadic blooms of this plant. It looked great when newly planted, but it’s gotten a bit crotchety lately. I feel that way too whenever I look at it. It’s time for retirement, I think.
Bulbine with Mexican oregano in the background. The bulbine needs dividing, and how.
Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata ) is reblooming picturesquely on the privacy fence.
In the container pond, star grass (Dichromena colorata ), a native sedge, blooms all summer.
My cottage-garden favorite, Echinacea purpurea , or purple coneflower
White Turk’s cap, not as prolific a bloomer as the red variety, but charming and great for the evening garden (though the mosquitoes eat me up alive over here—back to the screened porch!)
More-common red Turk’s cap (Malvaviscus arboreus ). Hummingbirds love this plant.
Damianita (Chrysactinia mexicana ) reblooming along the curb. Its big show is in early spring, but it’ll usually flower again once or twice before fall.
Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm,’ or black-eyed Susan, puts on a great display in the back and front gardens, but it must have afternoon shade.
‘Valentine’ rose
Sweet-scented ‘Marie Pavie’ roses
My “fancy” echinacea, ‘Razzmatazz’
In full sun in the west-facing garden, this is pure Texas-cottage. Clockwise from bottom-left: Autumn sage (Salvia greggii ), white narrowleaf zinnia, Mexican oregano, and ‘Belinda’s Dream’ rosebush. Oh, and my neighbor’s house behind that.
More Texas-cottage. Clockwise from bottom-left: white skullcap (Scutellaria ), ‘Whale’s Tongue’ agave, Mexican oregano, and white narrowleaf zinnia.
A welcome visitor to the garden
Happy Bloom Day to you all. I look forward to hearing about, or seeing, what’s flowering in your garden.
Nice garden tour, I have been seeing that same butterfly in my garden this week. Happy Bloom Day!
Boy, that butterfly sure does get around, doesn’t it? 😉 Thanks for visiting. —Pam
Everyone’s a day early this month. Too funny.
I try to be a day early so that I can spend Bloom Day visiting others’ sites. You too? —Pam
Hi. I’ve been lurking here for a little while. I always enjoy your plant photos. I’m hoping to glean some knowledge from you and others on drought tolerant plants, and plant combinations. I consider myself a newbie, although I’ve been gardening for a whopping 6 years! I consider it all a learning experience.
thank you for sharing your pictures from Tanzania. They were stunning! Sounds like a great trip. My one year old son really liked the animal photos.
Pam
Another Pam! Thanks for letting me know you’ve been lurking. I’m happy to “meet” you, Pam, and glad to know your son liked the animal photos. —Pam
I love the cottage photos- just gorgeous combinations.
Thanks, Bonnie. You and I have some of the same plants blooming right now, but your zinnia photos always remind me that I need to plant some next year. —Pam
I laughed when I saw the Turk’s Caps, they look like they are sticking out their tongues at us. And I have to try to get some of the Razzmatazz echinacea! Your whole garden looks like a delightful place to be, so much blooming, and you say there will be even more blooming in the fall. I can’t wait!
Thanks for participating in Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day again!
Carol at May Dreams Gardens
I’ve never thought of Turk’s cap that way (I think of them as icing-like confections), but they do look like they’re sticking out their tongues. Thanks again for organizing Bloom Day, Carol. —Pam
I love that Razzmatazz echinacea! Your flowers and pictures are beautiful as always.
‘Razzmatazz’ is pretty photogenic, isn’t it? Thanks for your comment, Robin! —Pam
Lovely pictures as always, Pam. I especially adore the picture of the bulbine, Mexican oregano and that gorgeous agave. (Surprise, surprise!)
Isn’t it funny how some plants just give us that sinking feeling in our stomachs until we know that it’s time to move them right along? Pretty yellow daisy there, though.
Thanks, Kim. Yes, I’ve ignored that sinking feeling way too long as far as that Mexican shrub daisy is concerned. I hope it’s enjoying its final weeks because I mean business this time. 😉 —Pam
I can’t just about smell those roses! Your garden and your photos are gorgeous.
And they sure do smell good. I wish I could include the scent along with the photo. Thanks for dropping by, Christa. —Pam
“Can” smell, not “can’t” smell the rose… sorry, I haven’t had my coffee yet! 🙂
Welcome back Pam. Lovely to see your garden again with so much in flower too. Love that Echinacea Razzmatazz. The star grass is very pretty too. Great pics as usual!
Thanks, Yolanda. By the way, I’ll put up a few travel pics from your country soon. I really enjoyed my short visit to Amsterdam. —Pam
Thanks for that lovely walk in your garden! I feel refreshed after looking at those lovely blooms,in soft, pretty colors. Love the roses, coral honeysuckle, crossvine and both turk’s cap. I am sure the latter 3 will grow here too, so try to find them.
Thanks for visiting, Nicole. I hope you can find the Turk’s cap, crossvine, and coral honeysuckle for your own garden. They’re all native to central Texas, and I like the idea of a little bit of Austin growing on your island. —Pam
I didn’t know those were Texas natives. Well, I’ll be making my first trip to Texas next year,as one of my friends in Laos is marrying a guy in Texas and moving to there, so I may actually be returning home with a lot of Texas native plants!
Wonderful! I hope you enjoy your first visit to the Lone Star State. What part of the state will be visiting? —Pam
As one of the lucky people who know first-hand that your garden truly is a delightful place to be, you’d think it wouldn have less influence over time, but this is still ‘Wow!’ all the way, Pam. How did you get that neighbor to paint the house trim a color that coordinates with the Texas Cottage garden?
Because Euryops was fairly deer resistant, I grew it at the other house. You have no deer and can choose anything – I agree – why bother with it. I’m so glad the cuphea grew for you – the small Mexican oregano that you gave me in spring is looking good in the new side garden.
And the mosquitoes are pretty bad – instead of a screened porch I have a screen of DEET.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
My wonderful neighbor was very kind to paint her house to my specifications. (Just kidding!)
By the way, I want to move the pink cuphea to a more prominent location. Do you know how much Texas sun it will take? Will it take as much as cigar plant cuphea? I have it in partial shade right now. —Pam
Pam, she will be moving to Euless in January and then they will be shopping for a house.
Oh I love the Razzmatazz echinacea. I bought one last year but it didn’t come back this year. (I planted it in a bad spot though.) Your crossvine and roses are lovely too!
I had 3 ‘Razzmatazz’ originally, but two of them didn’t come back the next spring. This one survived but didn’t bloom, so I began moving it around. This is the best show (only a few blossoms) it’s had since then. I do like it, but I wouldn’t recommend spending good money on it, as you discovered too. Thanks for commenting, Karen. —Pam
Hello Pam,
Stunning plants and photographs – it is great to so many plants I can’t grow in my Scottish garden. GBBD is such a great opportunity to see plants across the world isn’t it?
Yes, it certainly is. Thanks for stopping by, Shirl. —Pam
Pam,
Your garden looks gorgeous even after you’ve been gone so long on vacation. I’m not worthy! 🙂
So, is Bloom Day the 14th of each month? I look forward to not being such a terminal newbie someday soon.
Heehee!
Dawn
Bloom Day is on the 15th of each month, Dawn. I tend to go a day early sometimes. And yes, you are most definitely worthy. —Pam