It is July in my northeast Long Island garden and the landscape is full of color and life! We are located in zone 7 on the south shore of Long Island near the Long Island Sound and there has been an abundance of blooms. The gardens are very much ahead of schedule due to the unusually mild winter...or rather lack of winter this past year. Come walk with me to explore my July garden...
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| Monarch Butterfly |
My new miniature butterfly Bush has given me more enjoyment that I could have imagined. It is constantly the haven for butterflies of all types and the Monarchs have been such a joy to watch and admire. Everyday the butterflies visit from morning until dusk and they are not at all camera shy! I think this little fellow might actually be posing.
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| Lantana |
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| Lantana Patio Tree |
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| Lillium 'Stargazer' |
The 'Stargazer' Lillies are several weeks earlier this year...
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| Lillium 'Cassablanca' |
and so are the 'Cassablanca'. The sweet fragrance of the 'Stargazer' and 'Cassablanca' is fabulous and can be sensed all around the yard.
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| Local Visitor |
The neighborhood ducks from the local pond have been paying quite a few visits to the garden this year. He will just walk along with us.
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| Perennial Gardem with Salvia 'May Night', Hemerocallis 'Grape Velvet' and Stachys |
The perennial garden is now in full bloom with Salvia 'May Night', Hemerocallis 'Grape Velvet' and Stachys byzantina (Lamb's Ear). It will continue to bloom throughout July and August.
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| Hosta 'Fire & Ice' -20"diameter, flowers in July-August |
Here is the newest member in my hosta collection, 'Fire &Ice'...
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| Astilbe 'Visions' (Purple) |
and the newest Astilbe addition, Astilbe 'Visions' in purple. Both are welcome additions to the shadier part of the garden.
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| Hydrangea 'Nikko Blue' - blooms on old wood |
The hydrangea are all in bloom with vivid blues.....
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| Hydrangea Endless Summer 'Twist & Shout'-blooms on new and old wood |
and delicate pinks. The above lace cap hydrangea planted last summer is really producing some nice blooms.
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| Perennial Garden (Full Sun) |
Here is the full sun area of the garden. In the backdrop is a Weeping White Pine (left) and Yaku Jima Maiden Grass (right). In the foreground is Astilbe 'Sprite' (left) with its light pink blooms and Sedum ' Dragon Blood' (right). Don't let the name get you-the blooms are a vibrant fushia and last for throughout the summer. My Astilbe 'Sprite' does just fine in full sun with irrigation. This one gets just a little bit of afternoon shading from the Weeping Pine above it. The sedum takes full intense sun and drought and is very hardy.
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| Evergreen & Perennial Garden |
Here is another view of the garden showing the Golden Hinoki Cypress, Montgomery Globe Blue Spruce and Daylily 'Stella D Oro'. To the right is Sedum 'Brilliant' which will bloom next month.
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| Nepeta 'Walkers Low' and Knock Out Rose 'Double Red' |
It wouldn't be July in the garden without Nepeta and Roses... I love this combination.
Here is his mate. I knew she couldn't be far behind. These two feathered friends feel very comfortable walking around the gardens and are quite adorable to watch. Two years ago they nested under a tree and we had baby ducklings...so cute!
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| Garden Gal |
So another month has come and gone and another Garden Blogger's Bloom Day has arrived. Our Long Island garden is alive with color, fragrance and visitors galore and nestled under a tree...Garden Gal is still smiling! Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoyed the tour. For more July gardens from around the world be sure to visit our Garden Blogger's Bloom Day hostess Carol at May Dreams Gardens. Thank you Carol for making every month of the year a gardener's paradise!
"Dirty hands, iced tea, garden fragrances thick
in the air and a blanket of color before me,
who could ask for more?"- Bev Adams, Mountain Gardening
who could ask for more?"- Bev Adams, Mountain Gardening
As Always...Happy Garden Blogger's Bloom Day and Happy Gardening!
Everything looks so lush!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed that walk, thanks! What a beautiful garden you have, I especially liked your lilies, but I can see we have many plants in common :-)
ReplyDeleteGosh, Lee! Every flower is just lovely!! And your visitors - butterflies and ducks - seem to be enjoying the blooms as well. Thanks for letting us tour your garden on GBBD!
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting Linda, Helene and Astrid and a Happy GBBD to you as well! Yes-lots of visitors in the garden this July!
ReplyDeleteLots of visitors indeed and your blooms are amazing! Beautiful gardens Lee.
ReplyDeleteYou have so many gorgeous blooms. I enjoyed seeing all the plants that don't grow well down here.
ReplyDeleteHappy GBBD!
Hi Lee,
ReplyDeleteYou have a beautiful place, and what a bonus to have duck visitors! Your miniature butterfly bush blooms look similar to the one I got 4 of a few years ago that was not supposed to get taller than 4 feet. Each year, they have gotten a bit taller. This year, the ones I planted across the street are about 6 feet tall. I cut the one in our yard way back so it can't get that tall.
Thanks for your nice comment on my bloom day post. I consider myself a plant collector, and feel like my gardens are pretty hodge podge, so for a landscaper to say it looks cottagy and inviting makes me feel very good. I'm pleased to meet you, by the way!
Happy GBBD! I very much enjoyed this visit to your garden to see what's blooming. Great photos of the butterfly, I have no luck getting pictures of butterflies. My Stargazers aren't open yet, they are one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful. I also am jealous of the way you have captured the butterflies.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm envious! Your garden is full of color and blooms! We just returned from two weeks in Europe, and our gardens look horrible. The stargazers and casa blancas all bloomed while I was away--boo! I love your lantana tree--just lovely. What a good husband! ;-) Happy GBBD!
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks wonderful...and the ducks are TOO CUTE! I'm so jealous of your scented Lilies...I need some next year in my garden :-)
ReplyDeleteWell after several hot days the blooms are really ahead of schedule. It should be interesting to see what's blooming in August. Thank you everyone for visiting and for your comments!
ReplyDeleteHi Lee
ReplyDeleteI follow your blog on a regular basis. I think it is fabulous and "lovely", therefore I nominate you for the One Lovely Blog award!! Congratulations! You can find the rules on my site http://astridsgardendesign.blogspot.com.
If you feel you cannot comply with the rules of the award, please accept this nomination in the sincere spirit in which it is offered.
Astrid
That lantana tree is gorgeous.And I love Garden Gal with the creeping jenny. Your garden is lovely.
ReplyDeletewonderful pictures! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLovely.... real attractive and I love the Lillies. Ducks are great too, but might be a stretch too far for me as my dog would chase them off :)
ReplyDeleteOh yes, this is my kind of day trp out. Planting fields looks incredible, I could spend all day nosing around their collections paricularly those glass houses.<a href="http://www.a1gurgaonflowers.com</a>Gurgaon Flowers</a>
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this with us! Some really amazing features.
ReplyDelete