Rain

We had a couple of bad storms on Saturday and Sunday--some with hail. As a result we didn't get our walk about as usual. We trimmed the spirea in front which allows the campanulas and day lilies to shine. The daisies are still blooming.

Along the south we still have the lilies blooming and the cat mint.

In the back it's status quo. Nothing has diminished or bloomed since last week. The butterfly bush is getting huge!!

Perennial Garden

The little perennial garden has really filled up the space. There has been flowers blooming since the iris bloomed in May. I am hoping for a continual flowering of something until the fall. That was my goal. Our little bird is a nice addition.

Weekly Report

Front: The daisies are in full bloom as are the veronicas. We have a few campanulas blooming and the stella odoro lilies. The spirea need to be trimmed back as to the arborvitae.


South: The Algarve and Centerfold lilies are in bloom. The Centerfold is a very short lived flower. I regret purchasing those, but they will have to do. The cat mint is still in full bloom. We have some seedlings up for the zinnia's and the swiss chard.


Back: The lavender is gorgeous. The coreopsis is still blooming and the balloon flowers are starting to bloom as well. The astilbe is still blooming although those flowers are not as great as advertised. That perennial garden is the best it has ever been.


The butterfly bush is really getting big and hasn't even started budding yet. The Walmart hostas have buds for flowers. The purple clematis has finished blooming and the polish spirit still has a few blossom. The roses need to be trimmed again and there are more buds. The Queen Elizabeth is determined to bloom, so I'll have to cut off the buds again. The poor little Moon Dance had one bloom. I think it is too pathetic to save.

Rain

We had a very violent storm blow through last night. It dropped quite a bit of rain which was badly needed as the grass was very dry and everything needed to be watered.

Algarve Lily

Name: Lily

Variety: Lillium Algarve

Type: Bulb

Height: 2-3'

Color: Pink

Light: Full sun

Bloom Time: Late June

This is another one of the lilies we purchased at Home Depot. They are taller than the Centerfold and much prettier. However, the picture doesn't do the color justice.

Rain

It rained again last night. These nightly rains have kept the garden growing. I'm really pleased.

Rain

It was chilly and drizzly this morning. It has rained in the night as well.

Weekly Update

Front: The veronica are in bloom. After 5 years though, they are still pathetic. I'm going to get lily bulbs to replace them for next year. We have some campanulas in bloom. The daisies are still budding and more of the stella odoro day lilies have bloomed. It's about time to trim back the spirea, which will encourage growth of the campanulas under them.

South: Some of the lollipops have faded. The rest of the lilies are not in bloom. The cat mint has got it's second wind and is blooming full force. There are buds on the Althea. I'm not certain if the tubers for the purple iris will make it. They look pretty pathetic right now. We have a few sprouts up in zinnias and swiss chard. I hope we can make a go of those. Right now the trumpet vine is doing terrible things and Wayne has to take the weed digger to it.

Back: The coreopsis are in full bloom. We need to take a picture so I can post that. The roses are still budding and blooming. The clematis is still in bloom as well. There are still blooms on the peonies. Most of the flowers on the honeysuckle have diminished. I'm sorry I didn't get a better picture. I'll have to use the one I have. The astilbe is ready to bloom although they are never as grand as the pictures I've seen. There are buds on the balloon flowers and the lavender is blooming as well. I need a picture of that whole perennial garden because it is sensational and will be even better in weeks to come.

The walmart hostas are shooting up stems to start budding. The laminum is still blooming--from April through June so far.

Annuals: We've lost a couple of the begonias on the deck. Rats. I'll have to take a run to the nursery to replace them. All the other flowers are doing great. I think our hanging pot of wave petunias is going to be great. In front everything is looking good but the dianthus. Don't know what their problem is.

Garden: It's looking fine. There are two bean plants that look like they have been eaten, but the rest is looking good. Everything is growing and perhaps the beans are going to start to bud. We did a great job out there this year.

Moon Garden

Several years ago our small dogwood tree bloomed. It happened to be on a year when the weather was good and the moon was right. A marvelous thing happened. The white blossoms on the tree seemed to float in the moon light. I was hooked. Ever since then I have been thinking that a moon garden would be perfect around that tree. I want plants that bloom June through September because those are the months when we spend time outside on the deck at night.

Here is my suggested plant list:

Lily Casa Blanca
Campanula White Clips
Snow on the Mountain
Scabiosa White
White Yarrow
White Phlox
Snow Drift Aster

I will be limited by what I can find at Colemans. However, these would be great plants to have and hope to add some, if not all of them.

Rain

It rained a little in the night. The roads were wet this morning when I woke up.

Weekly Work

We did too much work last night. Wayne dead headed the roses and trimmed off dead and bare branches. He also dead headed the peony, the columbine and gave the candy tuft a needed hair cut. I did weeding and trimmed some dead off one of the blue spruce shrubs. One of them is not looking good. I dead headed the cheddar pinks.

Lillium

I have been fascinated with lilies (lillium) since our Lollipop lilies bloomed. I have discovered that, like roses, there are hundreds of varieties all with wonderful names like Lollipop, Star Gazer (so my friend was right), Star Fighter, and Casa Blanca. They are bulbs and plant best in fall to sit dormant through the winter cold. There are varieties that bloom early and some that bloom in late summer. Some are even fragrant. I think I am looking for a little more late summer color and since the veronicas in front have been a disappointment, I am looking to exchange those for lilies. I like this Tiger Lily Red Twinkle. I think that would add color and snap to a time when everything else has stopped blooming. Plus the would be a great contrast to the yellow day lilies.

In back in my moon garden Casa Blanca would be a great addition. Plus I need an orange one for Wayne, like Brunello. I also like Star Gazer or Star Fighter for in back.

Rain

Last night it wasn't suppose to rain until 10 pm, but started around 7. It has rained off and on all evening and morning today.

Weekly Review

In the front: The weigela flowers are almost gone. The spirea are still in full bloom. There are a few stella o'doro day lillies in bloom. The daisies have buds as well as the veronicas. I need to trim the veronicas in half because they are too leggy.

On the south: The catmint still have blossoms on them although some are fading. I have many lollipop lilies in bloom.

In the back: the clematis are still blooming. The Julia Child has blossoms and buds. However, the storm was hard on it and I need to trim some leafless and some broken branches as well as expended flowers. The Wild Blue Yonder is in full bloom. The Queen Elizabeth is doing well; even the Moon Dance seems to be growing a little. I haven't trimmed the columbine, candy tuft or bleeding heart yet. The cheddar pinks are now finished blooming, however, the coreopsis is in bloom and there are buds on the lavender. The peonies still have some blossoms on them, especially on the north side where they were planted last year. The honey suckle vine is in full bloom.

Something interesting is happen with the dogwood. The white blossoms have dark pink streaks in them. It's all very interesting.

The trimming Wayne did on the trumpet vine has really made a difference in the growth. More of it is growing over the bare spot on the top. I can forsee the time when the whole top is covered in deep vines, which will make perfect shade for afternoon sitting. Now if we can just keep it contained to the arbor.

Rain

I do need to keep track of the rain again. We have the garden planted and a number of plants and seeds that need to be kept watered. Last night there was a terrific storm and dumped more than 4" rain. The water in the pond was 1/2 way up the power pack for the pump. It quit running. Evidently there were bad storms at 2 am (we were all asleep) and a tornado that hit Cabellas. Nothing was damaged here and did we retrain power, which is unusal for us.

Lollipop Lily

Name: Asiatic Lily
Variety: Lillium Lollipop
Type: Perennial tuber
Height: 3'
Flower Color: White with burgundy edges
Light: Full sun
Bloom Time: Early June

A friend of mine called these wonderful plants star gazers. I think it is rather amusing since her father was a botanists. They are Asiatic lilies and with their panted interior they do look like they are gazing at the stars.

Pictures of the Garden

Some pictures from the yard and garden.

The Dogwood. But there has been no moon to see them glow in the moonlight.

The pinks in full bloom.

The weigela out front in full bloom.

Our little bird in the perennial garden out back

Surprise

Yesterday we dead headed the lilacs and cleaned up the tulip debris. We also dead headed the asters, iris, and I trimed some on the peonies and the Julia Child.

Surprise--one of the Stella-o-Doro day lilies has bloomed. Also we have many, many buds on the lilies on the south side. There is one bloom.