July in the garden

Show us your gardens, your roses and lilies (and flowers of all kinds), and your kitties and puppies of all ages.

Here is the July page from Zuzu's calendar:

Some Japanese irises.

This is a six footer"Copper King" last July
Its getting ready to bloom in a few weeks

They are lovely. Do winds ever knock them down? No matter how bad the storms can be here they don't seem to harm the lilies. Deer and rabbits create more havoc than the weather.

I have them staked.
Just checked PF for lily landini, the color is good thru the 6 different posts but it might be too short.

There is another dark one but the name escapes me. I'll go hunting.

Here's the best-looking Dianthus I've ever grown. It's from Annie's Annuals.

That is some wild coloring, Zuzu. I think it's beautiful.

I also got a box of tall bearded iris rhizomes today from Wild Iris Rows. I'm impressed. I ordered 20 @ $3. This is what they sent -- not only my 20, but also 3 bonuses, and almost all of them are in multiples of 2, 3, or 4. All varieties neatly rubber-banded together and individually labeled.

this is the best picture ever.
He comes everyday to fed on the torch lily
Great color matching Huh Pirl?

This message was edited Jul 1, 2009 4:16 PM

Great deal, Zuzu!

Great color match, Jo Ann!

You're right JoAnn, that is the best picture ever.

Finally after feeding them all winter I get a reward.
Actually in spring when its so cold and dreary here its nice thesee the colors change ,a sure sign of good things to come.

How sweet is that picture? That's what gardening is all about, Jo Ann.

What's the name of the dianthus, Zuzu? I've never seen anything like that.

It's called Dianthus caryophyllus 'Chomley Farran.'

Here's the page on Annie's Website, but her links sometimes do silly things, so it might not be.

http://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/plant_display.asp?prodid=2214&account=none

Thanks. And of course it's not available, but that may just be because it's put of season. I'll have to add it to the list of plants I want. I love it.

It really will be worth the wait, Polly. I picked it up at the nursery, and it was so beautiful that I had to have two.

Here's another plant I'm quite proud of, a daylily. It's called Merry Christmas Zuzu and it's so exclusive that only the highly esteemed hybridizer and I own it.

You are too funny, Zuzu. That is a very Christmasy red, if Christmasy is a word.

I also just discovered this gorgeous Iris opening up. I don't remember planting one there, and it has the same habit as a PCH Iris, but it seems so late in the season for one of those.

I think Christmasy is a fine word, Pirlie.

That must have been a wonderful hybridizer to name something like that. Actually I think I've heard of her.

Love your iris, Zuzu.

Funny, Polly!

Quite wonderful, Polly, and yes -- I think you have heard of her.

Zuzu: You're not allowed to post photo's of new iris and not give us the names.

Mea culpa, JD.

Just when I thought things were going pretty good, only HALF of my Caryopteris 'Longwood Blue' was looking good. I am also watering that flower bed! The ferns nearby, and the two Knock-out roses are doing fine except for the Japanese beetles on them!! The good side of the Caryopteris has some bees on it, but I have not noticed anything else out of place. The size is great as this is only the 2-3rd year. Half of the bush has diiferent colored leaves all the way to the stem and texture is different than the other half of the shrub. It looks like the leaves will fall off very soon. I looked at the base of the multi-stemmed trunk and I can not determine if the problem is near the base or not. I started trimming the branches off that do not have leaves that look like they will be on much longer. Maybe I should leave the branches on for the new development of leaves on them next year???

The good half of the shrub has bees astir, pretty color on the blooms, and nothing out of place: just the way it was last year. Does anyone have an idea about what is causing these problem?

Karin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is another photo of the same 'Caryopteris Longwood Blue' ...

Karin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Is this a grafted shrub? If so might be water sprouts that I would prune back.
Otherwise, it is a mystery to me, Mother Nature can so some weird things.

Thanks for the opinion, Marcia!!! I don't think it is a grafted shrub, but it could be. I don't think there are water sprouts either. But you have a logical explanation.

Karin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That is bizarre Karin. Did someone spray something nearby? bug? disease? I have several Caryopteris and honestly I am not fond of them. Do you prune hard in the spring?
-Kim

Heres whats bloomin today.

Bluekat,

The Scotts Co. is not spraying nearby it. The grass is about 8 ft. away. We sprayed for Japanese beetles once about 1-2 weeks ago and used Spectracide - Triazicide Insect Killer with water. It was used on just about all the flowers in one big flowerbed. There are no others that look wilted or otherwise not too swift.

One big reason I don't like the big plant is ... you can't get anywhere near it all summer unless it's early in the morning. It has a tremendous supply of bees and it is hard to trim it or get near it. The blooms are pretty, though. 8-)

Karin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know there are people who can't stand Trumpet Vine, but I'm always so excited when mine blooms. It turns this corner of the garden into a tropical paradise.

I think it's gorgeous. Mine has never flowered in the 10 years I've had it.

Here is a picture yesterday...waiting for my husband to make me an arbor to put here. He bought a Goldwing motorcycle the other day - I think an arbor is in order for me!? I have been looking at those bricks in the quonset for years and years - they were left over from the fireplace in our house. Just put them to use finally - I think it adds a little extra touch!

fleece flower - first year.

My variegated iris finally bloomed this year, but not very much or very long, but I just love the variegated colors!

I just remembered that Pirl wanted kitties and puppies of all ages in this thread.

Although Roger, my newest cat, had been confined for more than a month in a cage at Animal Control by the time I adopted him, he was in good spirits and felt immediately at home as soon as he emerged from the carrier. He's enjoying his life inside and outside the house. Here he is lolling in the garden, the very picture of nonchalance.

Buzzie joined our gang on the same day as Roger.

I love my rescue cats.
Yours are wonderful,hope they're mousers and volers and chipmunkers.