Bee balm, daylilies, and fawn season
I’m grateful for the past two weeks of off-and-on rain, which helped my garden rebound from the epic February freeze. Early June may be hot and muggy now, but the garden is full and flowery. And the driveway border is back, baby!
‘Peter’s Purple’ bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) — whose frazzle-headed flowers are actually magenta — is the belle of the ball for a few weeks. It has charmingly self-sown through other sun-loving, drought-tolerant plants, including ‘Bright Edge’ yucca, purple skullcap (Scutellaria wrightii), Mexican feathergrass, Salvia greggii, and ‘Powis Castle’ artemisia.
As the bed winds toward the front door, it transitions to a lawnette of sedge (Carex leavenworthii).
The island bed is fluffed up too thanks to the rain. The heartleaf skullcap may be going to seed, but Mexican oregano is beginning to bloom.
The does in our neighborhood have been looking a little “fluffy” too, and now they’re giving birth. I spotted this baby hiding in the gravel garden near the front door a few days ago. It’s not the most comfy spot, but it is well hidden from the street. He stayed here for several hours until his mama came back for him after her afternoon meal.
‘Best of Friends’ daylily is still flowering in the back garden, away from the deer.
‘Wilson’s Yellow’ is too.
When I bought this lanceleaf blanketflower (Gaillardia aestivalis) a couple years ago, it was labeled as the cultivar ‘Glitz ‘n Glamour’. But ‘Glitz ‘n Glamour’ has entirely yellow flowers, and mine have a wine-colored center. Mislabeled, apparently, but still charming.
The long view shows ‘Sterntaler’ coreopsis and, beyond, purple coneflowers framing a potted whale’s tongue agave in the Circle Garden.
But the deck view from above is my favorite place to enjoy the geometry of the Circle Garden.
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Digging Deeper
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All material © 2024 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
I love the textures and shades of green in your driveway bed!
Yes!! I was about to write this same comment! And with the purples & violets–just so lovely!
Thanks!
Looking beautiful Pam.
Thank you!
It’s all looking SO GOOD. I love your deck view, and the baby deer almost looks like a statue in your gravel bed.
That fawn was so cute, and I spotted twins in the garden a couple days later. I’ll post about them soon.
Your garden is looking lovely, Pam! I got interested in Monarda ‘Peter’s Purple’ after seeing yours years ago. I finally managed to get some small plants by mail order the year before last. They bloomed and have returned for a second year. They’re not in flower yet here but they’re getting close. I’ve tried other Monarda cultivars but this one looks to be a winner. I know the deer cause all sorts of problems for you but I can’t help being charmed by the sight of a fawn – it’s much better than running into a coyote!
I’m glad that monarda is working for you too, Kris. And yes, the fawns are cute enough to make me (almost) forget the destruction grown ones cause. We see coyotes here too, although they’re a lot slyer than the deer. I wouldn’t want to run into one though.
With all that rain everything is absolutely LUSH ! Enjoy it now, July & August are getting closer and we know what that means.
We do indeed. Summer, my least favorite season.
Aww, Even tho the adults eat so many plants the fawns are cute. They have a perfectly lovely place to find a hidden nook to relax in. Love seeing the circle garden again.
Lisa, those fawns do find the most interesting nooks to curl up in.
Thank you for a beautiful posting today. I like the wispy small tree by the fawn in your gravel garden. Would you please share its name?
Sure, it’s our native Anacacho orchid tree, Bauhinia lunarioides.
Your garden is BEAUTIFUL!! What a comeback!! And I love how as one plant fades, another one starts to shine. That’s something I need to learn to do better. I bought my 1st bee balm this spring and coneflowers to add to my garden. I dont know why Ive never had them!. Probably because Im starting to learn about using plants/herbs for medicinal purposes. Other than using in teas, Im still a bit hesitant to munch on my perenials . Thanks for inspiring my day!
Thanks for the lovely comment, Shelley. I hope your new plants grow well for you, as they do for me.
I’m happy to see how well your garden has recovered from February. The Peter’s Purple you gave me thrived and multiplied for a while, but this year it is struggling against the competition. I am going to remove some of the gangsters’ excesses to help it. Hope it works.
Fingers crossed, Peter. Our plants do try to duke it out with each other, don’t they?
Love your gardens Pam, especially the front driveway garden! They are an inspiration to me. How often do you add supplemental water in the front?
Thank you, Linda. The garden gets a watering via sprinkler system once a week from the onset of hot weather through cooler weather or fall rains. New plants of course get supplemental drinks from the hose until they are established.