Extremely Hot Weather

The temperatures rose to 102 yesterday.   Everything is look good despite the weather except the new viburnam.  We still have our doubts it will make it through the year.  After dark we went out to water the pots.  Some of them were quite dry.

In the front the daisies are in bloom and the calalily is blooming too.  All the annuals are doing better.  The big day lily is about ready to bloom.   It will add some color to the yard.

In the back the brand new lupine has one huge stem on it with flowers.   When it is fully flowered we will take a picture.   Hostas on the north are in bloom--looking great.   The balloon flowers are in bloom in the perennial garden along with the lavender.  It makes a nice spot of color.   Some delphiniums are blooming and scabioso, but they are very small still.   I don't expect them to mature until next year.  Roses--Livin Easy, QE2, Julia Child.   The Wild Blue Yonder has new growth.   Also the JFK has new growth, but been a dissappointment as far as flowers are concerned.   The red dianthus has buds.

We had a problem with geese invading our back yard.   On Wednesday we picked up many droppings and ended up with a big pile.   All the grass around the pond is very dry and so they are hunting for better spots.  Up until now we have not had problems.  A big dog would be the best deterant but really costly.    The geese do not like walking over rocks or between shrubs where animals might hide.  They also need a large flight path to get those big bodies off the ground.  So keeping them out means cutting off their walking path since we have rocks and shrubs everywhere else.   We put up chairs along between the dogwood and the arbor.   That was not distrubed.  We may look into putting a fish line fence along our property to keep them out. 

Notes on Hydrangea and Mums

Our hydrangea are growing slowing and two are not blooming at all   I went to a web site on hydrangeas and discovered that they should not be trimmed back in the fall.   We have always done that.   Like the butterfly bush, they should not be trimmed until May

I have also learned the same thing for mums.   Next year we will try this technique.

Summer Snowflake Viburnum

Name: Snow Flake Viburnum
Variety:  Viburnum plicatum va. tomentosum 'Summer Snowflake'
Type:  Shub
Light:  Full Sun
Size:  6' x 6'
Bloom time: Early summer
Flower color:  white
Fragrance:  None
Plant location:  back yard waterfall hill east side
Care:   Use fertilizer stakes in spring to fertilize.

We purchased this at Plymouth Nursery.   We had to postpone planting it until yesterday to do the hot weather.  The plant struggled in the hot weather in the pot, but hopefully will recover now that it is planted.

New Purchases

At Plymouth Nursery:
I finally found a small fushia although it was as expensive as the Martha Washington.   Still it makes summer complete.

We also looked for a mock orange.  Turns out they are rangy plants and not very attractive, which is why people don't generally buy them.  Instead we settled on a viburnum--one that will bloom all summer and have berries in the fall.  Hopefully it will make it along the edge of the garden where the spireas are doing so terrible.  

Blooming

Front yard:  The stella o'doro day lilies have never looked so wonderful.  The campanulas are doing great.  The lilies that we planted last year are finally blooming and looking great. 

Back:   All five roses are blooming.   Dianthus are blooming, day lilies around the waterfall, correopsis around the waterfall and in the perennial garden.

Martha Washington

We tried very hard to find a fushia this year and all that was available was half dead in large pots.   I knew they wouldn't last and so I consoled myself with this plant.  It's a geranium, but with ruffled leaves and variegated flowers started from dark to light called Martha Washington--something I've never seen before.  I really liked them and decided to get one.  I hope it does well, because it is really lush right now.

More News From the Yard

Last night we worked for 2 hours in the yard.   I got plants dead headed and a little weeding done and cleaned up some dead folage from bulbs.

A long the south side Centerfold Lily is blooming. 

In the backyard:   The scent first passion dianthus is still blooming.   It's going to be a keeper.   I need to take a picture of it.   We should have invested in more colors of that dianthus.   The Julia Child Rose is in bloom and doing well.   I managed to stop the spread of the black spot on it's leaves.   The Wild Blue Yonder is also in bloom and doing really well.   The branches fill in with lots of leaves.  The QE2 has buds but not bloomed yet.  It's leaves are so much sparcer, but the flowers bloom until November so what can I say.

Wayne planted much of the vegetable garden.   I also checked on new plants in the perennial patch.   The area is moist and they are doing well.   There is one tiny blossom on the scabiosa.   I expect these to grow bigger.   The coreopsis is still growing but needs to be moved.

Heavenly Fragrance

Last night I strolled around the back yard and sat under the arbor.   The white peonies are in bloom now and the pink one has two more buds although I don't know if they will bloom because the look immature.   I wish I would have taken a picture of the big pink one because it was gorgeous.   The Wild Blue Yonder rose is blooming as is the Julia Child.  The QE2 has buds.   All the water fall plants look healthy.   Sitting under the arbor was the wonderful fragrance!!  It was coming from the honey suckle vines which flowers have turned a deep gold color.  They are more white when they first open.  It was a heavenly fragrance and probably mixed with the peony and the roses.   I enjoyed doing that so much.  Our yard is very much like our own personal park.   It gets better all the time.

In The Yard

Lots is happening right now.  It seems many flowers are in bloom.

Front:  The weigela is still in bloom.  The spirea are blooming.  There is one campanula in bloom and one stella odoro day lily.  Lilies and daisies have buds.

South:  Catmint is in bloom. Lilies have buds.  Peas have flowers.

Back:  The Polish Spirit and the Dark purple clematis are still in bloom.   The chives and pinks still have blooms around the waterfall.   The lamium is in bloom around the deck.   The columbine still has flowers.   The honey suckle vine has blooms over the gated arbor.  The pinks are in bloom in the perennial garden and we got two blooms from the oriental poppies.  However, they fell over.  The Livin Easy rose is in full bloom and really spectacular.  I think we are going to love that rose.  Other roses have buds.  Right now there is one large pink flower on the peonies--it's just one, but it is spectacular.   The white peony also has buds.  And the dogwood is in bloom.  There are not as many flowers as last year but the ones there are bigger and more lovely.

Oriental Poppy

Name:  Oriental Poppy
Variety:  Papaver orientale Brilliant
Type:  Perennial
 Light:  Full Sun
 Size:  24" x 12"
Bloom time:  June
Flower color:  orange red
Fragrance:  none
Plant location: south side east end

Plants in the Mail

I found some bulbs on sale plus a coupon on the internet at Bulbs Direct.com--straight from Holland.  So I ordered three kinds.

Lillium Oriental Stargazer--I have this one, but only two of the 9 bulbs came up.  It was a big disappointment.   I'll plant these with the other two and hopefully they will do well.

Iris bearded purple and white--it really has a plain name, but is an absolutely gorgeous iris.  I bought three tubers.

Iris bearded English Cottage--this is pure white with a touch of purple at the center.   I bought three tubers of this as well.  My other iris has done really well and so I am hoping these will do great too.