This is a Golden Stargazer but it has a nice unexpected orange hue. Not sure why but its nice. We planted a few more last fall between the lilac and this is the first set of blooms from that group.
Our mature bed of Golden Stargazers is just amazing this year. About 7 feet and covered in large fragrant blooms. The trick is planting them in 100% compost. When the first shoots appear in spring, slide a few house plant fertilizer spikes down the side of the new shoot.
This is a photo of the right rear garden. It's not quite peak bloom but very nice.
Red Crocosmia is now in bloom. We lost about half of the bed to critters eating the bulbs.
Anise Hyssop Blue Fortune or Agastache Blue Fortune, originates from the Greek word aga, meaning "very much," and stachys, meaning "spikes," referring to its abundant flower spikes. Its leaves taste like black licorice. Poliators love this plant but bumble bees get wasted on the nectar. They are too stoned to fly and just cling to the flower. When happy this plant will reach 4 to 5 feet tall.
Jacob Cline Monarda or Bee Balm. This image is a little too bright in the full sun today but it shows how nice this plant looks in full bloom. It's very easy to grow, spreads but isn't invasive and it's a magnet for pollinators.
The Mystery Lacecap Hydrangea in its full fuzzy glory. Its an odd but beautiful bloom.
I didn't take this picture but this year we are seeing the beautiful Zebra Swallowtail butterfly (Eurytides marcellus) in the garden. It seems to be more skittish than the Black and Tiger Swallowtails but I hope to get a few images when our huge Butterfly bush comes into bloom. They seem to like our White Gooseneck Loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides). Thanks to Hugh Christy for this image. Please don't sue us.
Early blooms of a Cityline Venice Hydrangea. For some reason the blooms are not full mopheads this year. It still has great vivid color.
Oakleaf Hydrangea Alice with a large bloom. The leaves on this plant are HUGE this season. We have several planted behind the patio so in a few years they will cover the fence and create quite a dramatic setting.
Classic Nikko Blue Hydrangea just on the edge of full maturity. I love how blue stands out against green leaves.
The dainty bloom of Lady in Red Lacecap Hydrangea. You cant really see it in this image but the stems are red.
Old fashioned Annabelle Hydrangea flopped over after a heavy rain storm. This is the reason it gets a bad reputation. The stems cant support the weight of the blooms so its beautiful until a heavy downpour flattens it. They never really recover. For this reason I'll be replacing it in the fall.
This is an unknown Lacecap variety that we found in the castaway section of an Amish garden center. It has large full blooms and very strong stems. The lesson is, don't overlook ugly plants (perennial) at the nursery. You can get a great deal and nurse it back to health.
This is a new stand of Penny Mac Hydrangeas named after Penny McHenry, founder of the American Hydrangea Society. They have a few unusual traits. It blooms on old and new wood, is a repeat bloomer in the same season and has both large and small mopheads on the same plant. Can wait until they reach full maturity (up to 6 feet) in a few years. I've added some natual sulphur (from Espoma) to turn them blue. Its safer than Aluminum Sulfate, is non-toxic and approved for organic gardening.
This is shot of Annabelle, Nikko and Endless Summer Hydrangeas together with Liberty Hostas and a branch of Fallopia.
Purple and blue Delphiniums in peak bloom. This is a new cluster we planted this season. If they do well this year we'll plant a second row behind them.
An unknown rose that really took off this season. It burst into flower and has a rich orange tone.
A colony of Gooseneck Loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides) is always a nice sight. These do well in morning to noon sun but afternoon sun is too much. It does spread but I wouldn't call it invasive.
Japanese Fleece Flower or Fallopia japonica “Variegata’ or Polygonatum cuspidatum ‘Variegata’... whatever you want to call it is a striking plant due to its painted foliage and symmetrical stems. Oh, and the the flowers are nice in the fall. Its a source of resveratrol, emodin, and methanol. Its considered and invasive species in some areas so please look it up if you plan to add this plant to your garden.
Large, fragrant and showy Golden Stargazer Lilies are one of our favorites. We plant them in 100% compost for the most amazing show. They grow to 7 feet and have at least 10 blooms per plant.
Fragrant Asiatic Double just starting to come into bloom.
We finally had decent blooms on our Lysimachia Punctata this season. We trimmed back the Peach tree and butterfly bush to give them more sun. It paid off.
White Gladiola survived the recent monsoons. I was afraid they might break off in the downpour.
Classic Cleome is always a favorite. They reseed so heavily the'll even sprout in the grass. We have so many we just mow them over. Nothing seems to eat this plant and we haven't has any disease attack it either.
A large and happy stand of Jacob Cline Bee Balm (Monarda).
A close up of the odd Bee Balm bloom. Pollinators love this flower. I can't remember what variety this is but it's not the Jacob Cline variety above.
Petite Delight Bee Balm in the border of a new bed we created this season. It was an old mulch pile and we deiced to convert it to a new flower bed.
Black Eyed Susan, a staple of the summer garden, has been difficult to keep due to critter taste buds. Like Phlox, this rings the dinner bell for groundhogs. We took a chance and planted them together away from the forest hoping they don't sniff it out.
Phlox that was planted with the Black Eye Susan's above. Let's hope they survive the summer.
As I was walking around the garden and I saw this tiny Calla Lily bloom and thought the angle with the spotted leaves was very interesting. I took the photo and cropped it into a rectangle. Artistic license I guess.
One of the more interesting plants in our garden is the Smoke Tree. This image is the Grace variety (the White version). There are Golden and Red available as well. In the spring, the leaves are copper and mature to light green. The flowers emerge brownish-red and then turn fluffy white in the summer. In the fall the plant is covered in "smoke" and looks like a big cloud.
