Gardens in July

If you've been following my blog, you probably know that last summer I had all of our backyard gardens dug up and re-planted. I split nearly all of my perennials, gave a ton away to friends, and re-used the rest. I also added a lot of new flowers to create more of a cottage garden look. Although it was an expensive project, I'm so glad that I went ahead and did it. I've enjoyed the gardens so much more now, and I think Spouse would say he does, too.

 Overall, I'm really pleased with how the gardens have filled out this summer, and I'm loving all the color! I've had plenty of flowers to cut for bouquets (one of my main goals) and we're using the patio much more now that it's a pleasant and colorful space. Spouse added tiki torches which make it an enjoyable spot at night!

There's only one area that will need to be re-worked a bit (not pictured in this post). The narrow garden behind the garage is just too shaded for the lilies we planted there. As a result, they are leaning severely -- so much that some stems actually broke off. The garden guy advises that they'll need to be moved this fall. I have a sunnier spot in mind for them.

 

I've been trying to keep track of which flowers are blooming during which months, as one of the goals for this project was to create continuous color throughout the summer and into the fall. So far, I've been really pleased with the results! 

Here are a few of the July blooming plants: 
(1) purple coneflower - butterfly bush - rose "Coral Cove" 
(2) allium "Peek-A-Boo" - Grandma's tiger lilies - 20+ year old phlox from our old house
(3) coneflower "Tiki Torch" - daisies "Becky" - liatris

 

 Taking a quick walk around the yard, much of what you see in this picture is from my previous beds. The iris, tall liatris, and lady's mantle were divided and moved throughout the space. This picture was taken before the liatris bloomed.

 

Now the liatris are blooming and providing lots of color. They seem to be flourishing now that they've been divided and spread across the center part of this garden.

There are tons of bumblebees, hummingbirds, and butterflies visiting daily, and they seem to love the liatris in particular. Glad to be doing my small part to feed them! 

 

 I've never had success with daisies but these "Becky" daisies are doing quite well. And of course, daisies make nice flowers to add to a bouquet. I'm especially enjoying the orange "Tiki Torch" coneflowers! They're a very bright addition to this bed and also make long-lasting cut flowers.

  I have several new clumps of "Peek-a-Boo" allium which I also like. They look really sweet in a bouquet and last a long time.

 

The adjacent bed is doing well, too. We put a lot of purple coneflower at the back of this bed and it has already spread. 

 

Several of the smaller border plants had to be replaced in this bed -- mostly coral bell, lady's mantle, and a ground cover sedum.

 I didn't re-do this front bed, but I have added a few plants to it to fill in some empty spaces.

 The hostas have done well this year -- and luckily the deer seem to have forgotten how tasty they were last summer!

And here's an example of the amazing regenerative powers of nature. In early June, our oakleaf hydrangea was in sad shape. Last summer, the dreaded Japanese beetles really decimated it, and the poor thing seemed barely alive. But we decided to give it some time before replacing it. I cut away all the dead branches you see in this photo, and it looked worse than ever -- like a very bad haircut!

But what a difference a few weeks made! This beautiful bush is back to its normal size! Sure, it has kind of a weird shape but it clearly needs time to recover before pruning. Normally it would be covered with beautiful flowers by now, but I'll settle for leaves!

Gardening is an ever-changing huge experiment. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but I believe that there is joy to be found in the process of planting and maintaining a garden. There's just something very satisfying about creating a little beauty in my corner of the world: A place where birds, butterflies, bunnies, bees  -- and even people -- can find refuge and nourishment.

Happy gardening!

jp