What is in full bloom right now? JULY 1st - JULY 15TH 2010

Gypsy Dancer is very pretty! Is Julia Child a David Austin rose? Julie, your gate area is sooooo pretty.

Thanks guys! My gate area is one of my favorite gardens, and the funny thing is that it wasn't a planned garden, but rather the holding area where we planted all of my plants and Mom's plants that we moved from our Federal Way homes. Most of her stuff moved into her yard, but I still have one rose of hers that we decided was too much effort to move again, as well as one of her beautiful blue pines that looked just too happy to move. I just love that little pine, and she says that she wants it back every time we walk the yard....

I am totally in love with this Campanula "Get Me". I hope it makes it through the winter....

This spirea is in full bloom right now, and I just love the color of the blooms. Can't remember the specific variety...

And another Jap Iris showed it's face yesterday. Gosh I'm glad that I don't have to pick a favorite from these beauties!

I have had several more daylily seedlings bloom, but the blooms have been distorted to I haven't been really thrilled with them. Started seeing better faces yesterday. This one is kind of slug chewed, but shows potential. There aren't many DL's in this color range, and it sure makes a bold statement....

I like the coloring on this one... one of my favorite combos. Can't wait to see how the eye and edge develop.

My standard daylilies haven't had the prettiest blooms yet either. Celebration of Angels finaly had some decent color to her this morning....

I love daylilies and obviously (from your lovely photos) need more. I have divided and redistributed Stella more times than I can count, but still enjoy her exuberance.

Julie, I love Gypsy Dancer. And those daylilies. Your garden must really be popping right now.

I have a Campanula similar to yours that I got from my SIL. It's running rampant in her garden and now in mine. She lets it trail along the ground. I like your use in a pot and think I'm going to try that this weekend.

It made it through my winter with no problems.

Another chime-in for Gypsy Dancer... she's gorgeous. I love that purple DL, too.

My little campanula is in full swing now too- mine is a different one, it grows in a mound, doesn't trail at all. I love it though! I had two right next to each other- one wintered over great, the other almost died and is still just a tiny scraggly thing. So weird.

Pretty!

Bonehead, Daylilies are really an awesome, low maintenance flower. I grow several for their individual flower, but the majority for their exuberance as you so aptly put it. Believe it or not, I have never been successful with Stella in my garden. I have several old fashioneds that are every bit as vigorous though, and it is such a treat to be able to divide and divide until you have splashes of color everywhere.

Kathy, I am thrilled to know that there is a posibility of the campanula making it through the winter. I have tried a few of the low growing varities with no success on that front, but the slugs just demolish them, so that may be a big part of the problem. This one I put in a pot so I could keep an eye on it, and although it was well slug pruned, it came through it ok. BTW... remember long ago I was saying that my contorted larch "Diana" had a runner? (Same pot as the campanula so just popped into my head). Well, it turns out to be on a non-contorted piece of the rootstock. Will have to dig it out this fall, but still love the standard larches (sp? what is the plural of larch? many larch?) so I will find a nice place in my woods for it.

Pony, We crossed. I think that that is the campanula I tried before with no success. Still think the slugs might be guilty. Yours is very pretty! Glad at least one is doing well.

Slugs do love it- I often go out at dawn and pick bunches of the tiny ones off of it. Blech.

I haven't been able to find plain old ammonia- all the stores I've checked only have the lemon scented kind. Is that safe to use for slug-spraying?

Love your new DL's Julie. And those tiny campanula are so pretty. I used to have a small one but it was lost when the sprinkling system was installed. Mine was here for years. Your gardens are all just beautiful.

There was a very good article in the 'Horticulture' mag I got yesterday on neem oil. You all may be able to find it at hort.com. I don't know how to put in those links and I've been told many times how to do it.

This message was edited Jul 9, 2010 10:49 AM

Pony, I've been using lemon scented and it works fine. I don't think lemon oil will do any harm, and may even deter some bugs. Mine may even be sudsing, and I figure that won't hurt anything either. The lemon doesn't mask the gawd-awful smell of ammonia, though, so don't get your hopes up in that department.

Pony, I'm with Bonehead.. the lemon works just fine with no adverse effects. I actually kind of like it better because when my bottle is not completely empty when I refill, I can "see" the amonia better. I have a squirt bottle with an ammonia fill line drawn in permanent marker on it. If it still has some liquid left in it, I just go a bit above the fill line...

For whatever reason, I didn't have too many slugs on my campanula. Guess maybe they just haven't yet found it yet. :-)

I'll check out the article on Neem.

Julie, I love Larch trees, too. I could kick myself for losing my Diana. That brings a question to mind - is root stock of the same species always what's used for grafting? Are you sure that your runner is Larch?

I have neem- does it work on slugs too? I guess I could go read the label, huh? LOL

Good to know about the lemon ammonia- I was getting really frustrated not being able to get the regular kind. I'll pick up a bottle next time I grocery shop. :)

Kathy, I am very certain about my runner being a larch (unless there is another decidious pine that is similar). I have a full grown standard one, and this is almost identical. I really thought (hoped) it was a runner of Diana, but it has come into a growth spurt now and although is the same color/texture, it has no contortion to it.

I've been AWOL a bit lately, so nice to get caught up and see all your beautiful plantings. I got my camera out this morning and took a tour to see what was blooming at my place - quite a lot now that the sun and heat are here.

I've never grown allium drumstick before, and am fascinated at the blooming process. Here's one shot from last week and one shot from this morning. The purple just creeps over the green - so pretty.

Lilium columbianum - Tiger Lily. I remember having similar Turk's cap type lilies growing wild on our farm in Oregon growing up. They weren't the tiger kind though, maybe a pale color if my memory is correct.

I was very excited to find some 'Kent Beauty' ornamental oregano for a good price on a plant outing with Kathy a month or two ago (what was that nursery Kathy, The Gray Barn or something like that?). It's happily blooming away now in a warm spot.

Joining in on the campanula love, here's a little tiny white mounding one. Pink Octopus is blooming too, but I haven't gotten a good picture of it yet.

After I typed that, I figured that it had already leafed out (or is that needled out) and that it looked like a Larch. It's awesome to get another tree for free!

Kim - yes, it was the Gray Barn Nursery. My Kent Beauty is doing well. You remind me that I have a pink octopus somewhere and I haven't even seen it blooming. It was languishing in the cold temps earlier and the slugs were hard on it. I'll have to check again and see if it's rebounded.

I love your Lilium. I've bought a couple at Native Plant Sales, but they've not yet overwintered for me.

I've got several astilbe blooming. Here are Visions and Bridal Veil. Peach Blossom is really gorgeous right now, but I can't seem to get a good picture. I'll keep trying.

Lavatera 'Barnesley'

Pineapple sage, tangerine sage, and borage being happy in the herb garden.

A pretty crimson daylily. I don't know the name, but it's finally showing less contorted blooms now that the sun is out.

Eryngium 'Sapphire Blue'. Growing happily under/next to a drain spout which is bizarre.

Aruncus dioicus - Goat's Beard.

'Scuse me while I drool all over your crimson daylily, Kymmco... hehe. :)

Shirley Poppies, grown from seed. I sure hope they reseed themselves next year.

No worries Pony - all my plants could use a little more moisture this week!

Penstemon 'Midnight Blue' growing in the poppies.

My bee garden is in full bloom and the bees are busy.

Kymmco, your garden is looking superb! What color! While Pony takes care of your daylily, I will be busy drooling over your oregano. I bought two last year when we went to Mt Tahoma, and neither of them made it through the winter :(. Does your pineapple sage overwinter? I have been successful overwintering one one time. It is one of my very favorite herbs, and I have a mother plant in the greenhouse that I take cuttings from, but usually don't have blooms until late August.

Yes it does overwinter - I've had it for three or four years now. It seems to travel just slightly every year though - like once the main stalk dies back it has to put up next years in a slightly different spot.

Believe it or not, I've got a few more pictures to share. I think this guy is Delosperma - he was transplanted a few weeks ago and you would never be able to tell.

Lucifer crocosmia with a daylily in the background.