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| Lilium lancifolium ‘Flore Pleno’ |
Welcome to Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day for July 2016.
Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden, it is high summer and the gardens are putting out the blooms, mostly on schedule.
Yesterday evening, the skies darkened, the temperatures dropped and several thunderstorms rolled through bringing wind, rain, and bits of hail.
Thankfully, the garden withstood the attack and for the most part, all the plants were standing tall in the morning. Those that weren’t will likely right themselves eventually. If not, I’ll help them later.
Blooms? Or yes, summertime is full of blooms.
Out in Plopper’s Field, where I plop in plants wherever there is an open spot, the lovely-to-some and hideous-to-others double-flowering lily, Lilium lancifolium ‘Flore Pleno’, has begun to open its blooms. Behind it is the common but too-pretty-not-to-have coneflower, Echinacea purpurea.
What else blooms in Plopper’s Field?
There are Shasta daisies, Leucanthemum × superbum.
And the tiny white flowers of calamint, Calamintha nepeta var. nepeta.
And another lily, Lilium ‘Black Beauty’, an Orientpet lily.
I am quite fascinated with Orientpet lilies, hybrids created by crossing Oriental and Trumpet lilies. I’ve added a few to the garden each year for the past few years and intend to add more this fall.
As I’ve said for months, Plopper’s Field needs a good bit of editing and weeding. I’ll weed as I can for during the summer and this fall, begin some editing.
Out in the vegetable garden the zinnias are beginning to bloom.
Collectively, they lure in the bees and butterflies, which is what I hoped they would do.
What I didn’t plan on was being so smitten with them, again, after all these years.
Individually, they can be quite stunning.
I’m already making plans to buy more zinnia seeds, more varieties, and fill the fringes of the vegetable garden with them.
Another garden border, August Dreams Garden, is starting to get interesting, right on schedule. It was designed for late blooming flowers.
There we see the first blooms on the cup flowers, Silphium perfoliatum.
I am vigilant about not letting these go to seed and spread throughout the garden because it is a large plant. One is plenty in my small garden.
Nearby is Culver’s Root, Veronicastrum virginicum.
I’m growing it because it is a native wildflower and fits in well with August Dreams Garden which is mostly prairie type plants. I might have to feature this one for Wildflower Wednesday, another great meme for sharing information on flowers. It takes place on the 4th Wednesday of the month and is hosted by Gail at Clay and Limestone.
I did let a daylily sneak in there amongst the mostly native prairie plants. This one has flower stems over five feet tall and is called ‘Notify Ground Crew’.
Who could resist such a tall daylily? Not me apparently.
All of August Dream Garden will be in bloom the next time we meet for bloom day.
Between then and now, I need to go out and pick green beans.
What’s blooming in your garden as we reach the height of summer?
We would all love to have you join us for Garden Blogger’s Bloom day and show us.
It’s easy to participate. Just post on your blog about what’s blooming in your garden on or about the 15th of the month, then leave a link to your bloom day post in the Mr. Linky widget below and add a comment to tell us what you have for us to see.
And remember, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year.” ~ Elizabeth Lawrence
Thanks for hosting, Carol. I certainly agree about the Zinnias!
Plopper's Field is looking wonderful for July and I am loving your Zinnias! Each year I admire these lovely blooms and think of getting some, so I think you have me convinced. Thanks for hosting Bloom Day…my most favorite meme!
Thanks so much for hosting this great party – I love seeing everyone's gardens each month throughout the growing season. I'm pleased to be able to link up for the first time, with my fairly new blog. I look forward to joining in the online gardening community!
Love your lilies, they are fabulous! I must try more in the garden here, they have dwindled over the years. You have such a variety of flowers, the bees and butterflies must be very happy!
It's wonderful of you to host GBBD! Thank you for thinking it up and sticking with it! I haven't tried the orienpet lilies but your pictures have convinced me to do so. Love your zinnias too.
Thank you once again for hosting the meme. I am one of those daylily fans – no orienpets (some varieties of sweet smelling lilies, to me, smell like garbage, as do paperwhites, and I would need to sniff them in bloom first) but I find, more and more, I am turning over my annual beds to lilies. And a tip of the gardening hat to showing a vegetable in bloom – we neglect those too frequently.
I am smitten with zinnias, too, Carol. But mine are only just beginning to bloom — you are always weeks ahead of me. Haven't any beans to pick yet. Your July garden is stunning. Thanks for hosting our favorite meme! P. x
Lilies are definitely the highlight. First time I've heard of Orientpet though. I must investigate!
You got more rain. I am jealous. Love that tall daylily.
I have shasta daisies too Carol, even though I never planted them! I'm thinking a lot about my garden buddies over the pond today… you beacause it's Blooms Day, everyone who's at gbFling2016 in Minneapolis, and Benjamin Vogt, who first taught me about Sleep, Creep, Leap – the subject of my contribution for today's Blooms Day
OOps. Number 12 is a bad link. Flowers, but not bloom day flowers. I reentered as number 14.
You have a lot blooming this month Carol. I love those tall lilies in the garden. I want to add more and more. I like to see them peeking up and over many of the plants around them.
Love the Silphium perfoliatum – that one was new to me!
I love the lilies and the zinnias. My Stargazers are beginning to bloom. I planted them earlier in the Spring. I had some a few years ago, but they went missing. I'm so glad i have them again.
Happy summer to you Carol, and thank you for keeping this tradition going. I love the close up of the white zinnia.
I've fallen in love with zinnias again myself. I adore your lilies – they're another reminder to plant more as they seem to have short lives in my SoCal garden. As always, thanks for hosting GBBD, Carol!
Thank you for the multi-colored Zinnia inspiration. I'm growing just one color (supposed to be green) this year but I think next year I'll be going color-crazy!
Lovely to see the zinnias and lilies! Thnaks for hosting 🙂
I adore zinnia's. Your row in the veggie garden is lovely. Unfortunately , mine didn't do as well as I was hoping this year. Thanks for hosting!
I just planted Cup Flower in my pollinator median-strip garden. Doubt I'll see blooms from it this year, but nice to see yours!
I love zinnias and I didn't get any planted this year so I enjoyed seeing your's. That white one is amazing! Thanks for hosting! Michele
New to blogging. This monthly bloom display is wonderful. I've been paging through everyone's garden; enjoying all the pretty flowers!
Happy Bloom Day, Carol. I like that special green zinnia you showed – it IS stunning! I always think I have just a few blooms until I get out and photograph them, so my post is a bit long this month. I post almost more to have a record than to blog, so I hope my readers will indulge me. Thank you for faithfully hosting!
Hi Carol,
We are getting a slow start to summer here in the PNW. Overcast days with spots of rain have been common. I love Plopper's Field. It's always exciting to see what will be blooming there each month. Cheers~
Nice to see you're a fan of calamints too. Love the zinnias, and now you've got me wondering if they are any six packs at the nurseries left.
I love the dizzying variety of blooms in July. Your photos make me want to grow zinnias again, and your daylily is a beauty. -Jean
I love thunderstorms. That's one thing I do miss about living in the Midwest or on the East Coast. western Washington and Oregon don't get many thunderstorms, except in the mountains.
Ha ha! We think alike! I keep adding flowers to my vegetable garden, too! And zinnias–zinnias are so fantastic. What's not to love?
Thanks for hosting, as always!
I love those lilies, and the green zinnia. I'm new to blogging. But I'm going to run round the garden, and join in. Thanks for the inspiration
It's wonderful to see your lilies! Not to mention the first blooms in the August Garden…
Thanks again Carol! Our attack has definitely been by the Japanese beetles this year. ugh
Looks lovely!
Your August Dream Garden looks to be gearing up for a marvelous show Carol. Thanks for hosting.
Hi Carol, Glad to be participating in Garden Blogger's Bloom Day again. It's a welcome reminder to note what is happening right NOW. I too am enjoying the orienpet lilies. They are spectacular.
Spent Bloom Day at Chanticleer, and wanted to do it justice. A busy weekend made my post crazy late, but it's up. Glad to have been able to participate.
I was getting ready for a wedding on bloom day. Hope to share the flowers that were in the bouquets as I get pictures. For today, a few flowers blooming for the first time.
I often feel like my whole garden is a Plopper's Field. And yet the overall views are lovely, to me at least.
Lovely! I planted quite a bit of calamint this year – ordered seeds and then more survived than I expected – and I'm really enjoying the silvery foliage and little tiny flowers.
I love 'Flore Peno'! And I love 'Black Beauty' as well. Interesting to see this, because I also have 'Black Beauty,' but mine is much darker and orange, not pink. I do have a pink one nearby that looks much more like yours–mis-labeled bulbs or my bad memory on what I planted?? Oh well, I won't worry about it and just enjoy the blooms, no matter what they're called. I've been enjoying all your zinnia blooms on Facebook–still waiting for mine to bloom.
How colorful your garden is! Glad you're re-discovering Zinnias and enjoying the Orienpets. Both are favorites of mine as well.
Lily leaf beetles have put a big crimp in our lily style around my garden. I used to have many and loved them (the lilies, not the beetles – though now I have many beetles and not many lilies). I also give zinnias the big thumbs up, and have enjoyed your non-bragging about them on Facebook. Glad to be back here after a too-long absence. Thanks for letting us bloom (even those of us who show up more than two weeks late).