Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up July: Summer Blooms & A Little Whimsy!

Welcome to My July Garden
Welcome. As temperatures rise up into the upper 80's and 90's, the "dog days" of summer have arrived and the garden is in full swing. The landscape is now going through its third major phase of blooms as Hydrangea, Echinacea and Rudbeckia season is underway, along with ongoing blooms from May and June. Come along on a tour of my July Long Island garden!
Echinacea Pow Wow 'Wild Berry'
The month of July in gardening zone 7a means its Echinacea time and here is Echinacea Pow Wow 'Wild Berry' in the back perennial border. The flowers are an attraction for pollinators, bring excellent color and continue blooming throughout the end of summer.
Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit'
Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit' is also chiming in with its blooms. Several colors of flowers can be found on the same plant, including this light and dark orange combination, along with hues of pink, yellow and cream!
Southern Pool Border
In the southern side of the pool border, Heuchera (Caramel Coral Bells) combined with Sky Pencil Holly thrive as they receive the perfect combination of early sun and late day partial shading. In the foreground I also have a collection of miniature hosta in an assortment of colors, just for a little bit of fun! The one to the far right is called Mouse Ears and rightfully so!
Pool Garden
Here is a view of the southeastern side of the pool garden with Stella D Oro Daylily and Astilbe 'Fanal' in bloom. The evergreen in the foreground is Montgomery Globe Blue Spruce, which keeps a nice compact shape and is practically maintenance free. 
Old Fashioned 'Nikko Blue' Hydrangea
There is nothing like an old fashioned 'Nikko Blue' Hydrangea in the landscape with its voluminous blue blooms! I also have 'Endless Summer' Hydrangea, which we'll get a view of later on in the tour. Gardening Tip: Old fashioned Hydrangea such as 'Nikko Blue' bloom on old wood (last season's growth) and should be pruned right after flowering. Endless Summer Hydrangea bloom on both old and new wood, and can be pruned either after flowering or in early spring (preferably before May).
Raised Island Bed
The raised island bed on the southern side of the property is in constant bloom from May until frost. The season starts with the purple-blue blooms of Ajuga 'Burgundy Glow' and is followed by Salvia 'May Night' (foreground), Heuchera blooms (middle-left) and then Sedum 'Brilliant' (backdrop) later on in the summer. On the far left end of the island bed is Crape Myrtle 'Sioux', which will be blooming by the end of July. Stay tuned for its blooms in next month's tour!
Knock Out Rose Double Pink
In the summertime garden, Double Knock Out Roses are in bloom. This particular one is Double Pink and it blooms all summer long until frost. Although they require no deadheading to keep blooming, I keep mine tidy and compact with regular pruning.
Driveway Border
Here in the driveway border, Coreopsis 'Zagreb' and Nepeta 'Walker's Low' are in bloom along with the deep burgundy foliage of Weigela 'Spilled Wine'. Golden Oriental Spruce is in the left backdrop.
Rudbeckia 'Little Gold Star'
This dwarf form of Black Eyed Susan, Rudbeckia 'Little Gold Star' is starting to bloom in the northwestern garden and will bloom through August. This variety of Black Eyed Susan is much more compact and well-behaved compared to other varieties.
Northeastern Pool Garden
Follow me along to the pool garden. This is a side view showing the Weeping Cutleaf Japanese Maple 'Red Select' which is the focal point in the poolside cut out. In the backdrop are a number of evergreens including Green Giant Arborvitae, Skip Laurel, Euonymus, Yew and Juniper. Previously, we passed by the southeastern side of the pool garden where Daylily, Astilbe and miniature hosta are currently in bloom.
A Little Whimsy
It's always fun to have a little garden whimsy. Here is one of several garden statues on the property depicting children playing a game of leap frog. It promotes a smile each time I see it.
Daylily Hemerocallis 'Sammy Russell' 
Let's venture back to the perennial border. You cannot pass by without missing Hemerocallis 'Sammy Russell' with its bright orange-red blooms with golden yellow centers.
Lythrum 'Morden's Gleam' 
Another eye-catcher in the back southern garden bed is Lythrum virgatum 'Morden's Gleam'. This variety is a newer seedless, non-invasive form of Loosestrife, which produces spikes of magnificent iridescent looking blooms, and just in time for July! 
Endless Summer Hydrangea
During the start of our stroll we passed by the old fashioned 'Nikko Blue' Hydrangea. Here is the 'Endless Summer' variety, which blooms on both new and old wood. This one has pink blooms due to the more basic soil in this portion of the property, allowing for a variety of colors to enjoy!
Northern Patio Garden
Come along to the northern patio area. Here is Weeping Norway Spruce withe Sedum 'Brilliant', which will bloom later in the month, You may also notice 'Blue Star' Juniper, which lies along the front of the bed.
Endless Summer Hydrangea
Let's do another loop around to look close up at those voluminous hydrangea blooms! I am loving the pink!
A Little More Whimsy!
As always, there is room for just a little more whimsy. This little gardener boy is taking care of things in the back "secret" area of the pool garden.
Kitchen Garden
Last, but not least, is the patio "kitchen garden" in containers. I am growing an assortment of basil, parsley, mint and sweet cherry tomatoes for hubby to cook with. There is also a larger container of  lemon mint on the more southern side of the patio, which is good for adding to that cold glass of iced tea! 

I hope you enjoyed your visit to my July garden. As always, I thank you for being here and hope you experienced a smile along the way. Special thanks go out to our hostess Carol at May Dreams Gardens, who makes it possible to see blooms on the 15th of every month with her meme Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Also, special thanks to Pam Penick at Digging who has hosted Foliage Follow-Up for all these years, a meme I will still continue to honor. I am also linking with some other wonderful hosts and hostesses at Floral Friday FotosMacro Monday 2, Mosaic Monday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf, Nature Notes at Rambling WoodsImage-in-ing weekly photo share every Tuesday with NC Sue and Gardens Galore Link Up Party every other Monday with Everyday Living. I am also happy to join the Homestead Blog Hop and Weekly Photo Link-Up at My Corner of the World on Wednesdays.

Looking for some gardening inspiration?-Visit My Author Page and Books
Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening,© Copyright 2010-2020. All rights reserved.

46 comments:

  1. Such pretty gardens. I think my favorite this month is Sammy Russell. That and Morden's Gleam would go good in my front yard. Future plans...

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    1. Thank you Lisa. I loved your artichoke blooms! I had never seen anything like it before. Happy Bloom Day!

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  2. What a gorgeous diversity of blooms you have and I do love your garden art. The statuary adds a lovely touch to the garden.

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    1. Thank you Dorothy. I enjoyed all your beautiful blooms and seeing the Crape Myrtle in bloom makes me long to see mine blooming in a couple of weeks. Your water lilies are gorgeous!

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  3. ...it's interesting that you get Nikko Blue to flower I gave up years ago her in zone 6!

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    1. We had a severe winter a few years back and I thought my Nikko Blue' would never recover. I gave them a major dose of bloom booster and they finally flowered. They do not like long periods of below freezing temperatures or fluctuations in temperature. Thankfully, they have been fine ever since.

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  4. As always, you garden looks glorious, Lee! I love the Echinacea and think I need to get myself 'Cheyenne Spirit' even though I know from past experience that it won't survive long here. I'd love to have Hydrangea too but that would really be pushing my zone a little too far.

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    1. Thank you so much Kris! That means a lot coming from you. Every time I visit your California garden, I exclaim "Oh my goodness!" I love the collages and all that fabulous color!

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  5. Your garden is divine,really breathtaking!Such happiness...Hugs and blessings!

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    1. I always enjoy your beautiful china and exquisite taste in decorating. Thank you for visiting!

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  6. Beautiful!
    Happy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day!

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    1. Thank you Lea! Your flowers are beautiful and I love the one with the butterfly!

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  7. It would be unfair to not say about your garden figurines that are magnificent and not every other gardener have those in their place and off-course those burst of blooms that can cheer up anyone especially those hydrangeas and daisies.

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    1. I am glad the garden gave you a smile Arun. I loved all your blooms, especially the Plumeria and the sky capture at the end is stunning!

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  8. Every time I vertually visit your garden Lee I enjoy it. Lovely garden statues, well combined colors of the plants. Today I liked Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit' and your kitchen garden.It's comfortable to have herbs near the kitchen. Endless summer hydrangeas are wonderful!

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    1. Aww...thank you Nadezda. I enjoyed your garden views too. The roses and clematis are gorgeous and I love your pond too with all the foliage. Happy Bloom Day!

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  9. You have a beautiful and lush garden! I enjoyed your tour. I really like the layered look with varied bloom times. Have a great week.

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    1. Thank you! I am so glad you enjoyed your visit. I enjoyed reading about your home grown harvest!

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  10. Thanks for the Hydrangea garden tip. I never knew when to prune my hydrangeas.
    Happy GBBD!
    Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry

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    1. You are very welcome Jeannie! Your garden looks so inviting and I love the look of the rock garden. I am glad you got some rain with 97 degrees. We are headed right into a heat spell for the next four days, but luckily we had some rain today.

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  11. We've not had the luck with echinacea that I'd like, but our black eyed Susans have done beautifully in their first year.
    Thanks for linking up at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2020/07/sunflowers-beauty-on-stem.html

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    1. Echinacea can be fussy sometimes. They like lots of sun and a moist, yet well-drained soil. Your sunflower photos are gorgeous. Thank you for sharing and hosting!

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  12. What a beautiful garden! I love your garden statues, so pretty. My mind is racing trying to come up with a spot for a girl and a boy in my yard :-)

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    1. Thank you! Your garden views are beautiful and I love your banana trees and those water lilies! Happy Bloom Day!

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  13. I enjoyed the diverse blooms you have so beautifully captured! How pretty!

    Have a great weekend!

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    1. Thank you Veronica. I am glad you enjoyed the views. Have a wonderful weekend!

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  14. Your garden never disappoints with the awesome array of colors!

    Your support for 'My Corner of the World' is much appreciated! Thanks for your link this week.

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    1. Thank you Betty!Thank you for sharing your beautiful views and for hosting!

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  15. Beautiful garden and flowers. I love a beautiful yard but it is so much work. I do not have a green thumb.
    Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade

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    1. Thank you Dawn. I enjoyed tagging along on your nature visit, even if virtually!

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  16. I'll be sitting by the pool while everyone walks around the garden! It just looks so inviting! Hydrangeas are my favorite flower and you have so many beautiful blooms!

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    1. You've got that right Diane! With this heat, I do my gardening from the pool. Thanks for visiting!

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    1. Thank you Janice! You have been very busy! I enjoyed your fun post!

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  18. I always admire your shrubs and trees, Lee. I think I've told you that before. The Sky Pencil Holly is one I've admired for a long time. That Lythrum makes quite a statement. I have a noninvasive loosestrife, the gooseneck, but it is still very aggressive so I have to work to keep it under control. Is the 'Morden's Gleam' aggressive? I do like large swaths of blooms, however. The coreopsis in the driveway is most impressive. All lovely. P. x

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    1. Pam-I enjoyed the wonderful tour of your mid-summer garden. The Morden's Gleam stays in its place. I have had it for years and it stays in its same clump, so it proves to be non-invasive.

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    2. Thank you. I wish I could pull all mine out and replace it with Morden's Gleam, but that would be too big a job.

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  19. Lee - as always, your garden is spectacular in any season! I aspire that one day my surroundings will be majestic as yours! Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday!

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    1. Thank you so much Angie! I appreciate the kind words. Your views are amazing and the waterfall photo just made my day...so beautiful! Thank you for sharing and hosting!

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  20. It's the middle of summer and your coneflowers look lush and very happy. I can't keep May Night salvia going much after its initial bloom so hats off to you.
    -Ray

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    1. It takes some time to deadhead the Salvia 'May Night', so I do it in phases in either early morning or evening when it is cooler outside, which works out well. Your garden views are gorgeous and I love your variety of lillies and coneflowers! Thanks for the visit!

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    1. Thank you! I love all your winter blooms and the purple Violeta is gorgeous! Thanks for the tour!

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  22. Thank you for a lovely virtual walk in your beautiful garden!
    Happy weekend !

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Thank you for visiting. I love reading your comments and knowing you have been here, and will try to reciprocate on your blog. If you have any questions I will try my very best to answer them. As always...HAPPY GARDENING!