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 Fotos, Macro Monday 2, Mosaic Monday at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf, Nature Notes at Rambling Woods, Image-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

A Guide to Northeastern Gardening: Journeys of a Garden Designer Zones 3-9

Landscape Design Combinations 

Dream, Garden, Grow!-Musings of a Lifetime Gardener

As Always...Happy Gardening! 😊

Author: Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening,© Copyright 2010-2020. All rights reserved.