Blooms

We've had some rainy, hot, and windy weather the last few days, and the conditions for picture taking have not been the best.  I braved the conditions at different times of the day Tuesday and  took some more Wednesday morning, getting ready for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted by Carol of May Dreams Gardens, which is the 15th of each month, and for Tootsie's Flaunt Your Flowers, which is on Fridays.  I'm glad I did, because right now, it's a little after 6:00 p.m. and the temperature is 94, with the heat index of 115.  It's supposed to storm later this evening, and cool off.  I think I'll stay inside.  (I ended up going out to put my car in the garage, and dug the last 2 hills of early potatoes that had died back, and pulled a few onions.)

Since the photos were taken at different times, there will be no order to the locations.  There are so many flowers blooming right now, that not all of them were included in the photos.  Off the top of my head, four o' clocks, bachelor buttons, larkspur, clematis, marigolds, moonflowers, and coral bells are some that are blooming.  Some of the daylilies did not get included, either.

I lost the tag to this lisianthus.  I don't know if I knew when I got it that the blooms would be two toned like that.  I normally get single colored ones. (I found the tag while deadheading this morning.  It's 'Laguna 3-4 Blue Rim'.  How's that for a name?)

The 'Paprika' yarrow, purple coneflowers that were white ones when I planted them a number of years ago, and agastache are in full bloom.

This hydrangea, 'Pia' had one set of blooms the first year it was planted, and I was disappointed it only had the one set again last year, its second year.  I am so pleased that it is so full, and the blooms are long lasting.  Maybe I'll try another kind some time.

The blackberry lilies are just starting to bloom.

Knautia, pentas, liatris, sea holly, and baby's breath have all been blooming awhile.

I love this pink lisianthus.  I think it's 'Cinderella Pink'.

I've deadheaded most of the pink and purple blooming betonies.  The rudbeckia on the right has something wrong with it.  I need to look to see if it's aphids.  These did get aphids last year, and I just washed them off as much as I could, and they pulled through OK.  I expected them to be annuals, and was surprised to see them push their way through the hyacinths as they were fading.

The Helen's flower is doing well.  I've been deadheading it when I'm out working on the daylilies.  I haven't deadheaded the red hot poker.  Normally, I would have had it done by now but the berries are looking interesting to me.

I have mentioned finding a number of things while cleaning out my "parlor".  I am so pleased that I found my Tracy DiSabato-Aust book, The Well Tended Perennial Garden.  I am forgetful, and like to refer to that to see what to cut back, when, and how much.  I'll have to see what she says about this plant.  It's right next to my 'Wally' daylily, which I'm sad is finished blooming for the year.  (Wally is next to the Helen's flower.)

I don't remember planting this.  Before it bloomed, I was hoping it was Solomon's seal.  I looked it up, and it seems to be an oriental lily.  My daughter says it looks like the stargazer lilies they've made arrangements with at work.

What a cool bloom!  Nature does put orange and pink together.

The gray headed coneflower and 'Herbstonne' have started blooming in the last week or so.

I don't remember planting this veronica.  I cut back the goldenrod, thinking it would bloom later than this.  When I checked last year's photos, I saw it was blooming then.

In each of my flower beds, there is at least one kind of flower that is also in another bed.  Not all flowers are in more than one bed, though.   I also like to have more than one variety of some flowers, if I can find them in our area.  Liatris is one kind I like to try different kinds of, and grow in different beds.  Black eyed Susans have planted themselves in other areas, too.  The coreopsis next to the Susans are starting to bloom.

I am in the basement because the weather guy said to go to the lowest level of the house.  I'll have to remember to look at the tag for this black eyed Susan I just planted this spring.   (I can't believe how easily I lose things!  I couldn't find it after we came back upstairs.)  I hope it comes back next year.

I like the blue of the gentian blooms.

The 'Little Grapette' plant is not little, but the blooms are smaller than most.  I've enjoyed how it has so many blooms open at a time.  The bees have enjoyed the veroncia 'Sunny Border Blue'.  This is the false sunflower I moved out of the veggie garden that gets taller than the others.

The yellow snapdragon is from last year.  I think it's the original plant, and not from seed.  The pincushion flower and 'Hello Yellow' milkweed are ones that come up later than most plants, and have been blooming a week or so.  That's 'Black and Blue' salvia on the right.  It's blooming, too.

This is the third season for this 'Autumn Joy' sedum.  I don't remember when it bloomed last year, but was surprised at how early this started blooming.  The ones in front are starting to bloom, too.

The short toothed mountain mint is about to bloom.

I planted the huge 'Jacob Cline' or 'Kline' (I've seen it spelled both ways) last year, and sure have enjoyed their huge blooms.  They are about finished.  I need to see if I should deadhead them.  I'm thinking I should, because the blooms are weighing the stems down a bit.
 

The variegated false sunflowers have lots of buds, and one bloom.

I grouped the daylilies that were in bloom while I was taking photos together, but they are in different beds all over the yard.  If you know their names, you can let me know.  I've mentioned that I got some of them from place where the house was about to be torn down.  Some were from yard sales, and others were from daylily nurseries or garden centers.

The first ones pictured look to be from the curb bed.  I got a good deal on them last August, and am tickled they bloomed so well this year.  If I don't say what one is, it's because I lost the tag or forgot to look.  It's pouring rain, so I can't go look right now.

This one is 'Fooled Me'.

The tag by this said this was 'Night Beacon'.  When I looked it up, the images did look like this one.    That means the one that was marked 'Bela Lugosi was mislabeled.

The 'Eenie Allegro' daylilies were the last to open.

I lost the tag for this one.

This is the one that was labeled 'Bela Lugosi'.  I like it, but I'm disappointed it's not what it was labeled.

This is one of my favorites.  It's 'Bonanza'.

This is one of several I moved from somewhere else in the yard to extend the daylilies throughout the whole curb area.

The next several are from the bigger bed in front.  This one is slower to wake up in the mornings.  It's one of my favorites.

I'm pretty sure this is 'Gentle Shepherd'.

This was from a yard sale.

I can't remember whether this was from the yard sale, or if I picked it up somewhere else.  I'm wondering if this is 'Strawberry Candy'.

Back to the curb, we see 'Octopus' bellflower in a pot, the rudbeckia I thought was an annual, more liatris, nice red pentas and petunias to go with the fire hydrant, catmint getting some new blooms after being trimmed, and some butterfly milkweed blooming next to the pot.

There are several colors of cleomes blooming in the bigger front bed and in the vegetable garden.

I haven't shown the love lies bleeding yet this year.

Last, but certainly not least, I have only a few nigellas that have come back, but I'm hoping for more next year.  They are one of my favorite flowers.

I hope you are having a great summer, and the next GBBD doesn't come too soon.  I'll be back to work, and lots of my favorites will be finished blooming.  I sure hope that room is clean and the gardens are in decent shape by then.