July is usually a very hot and dry month for us, and my blooms sometimes begin to suffer and fade. However, this July has been uncharacteristically cooler and wet. It has been a welcome turn of weather. However, I expect that soon the weather will revert back to the norm. We'll see...
This month many plants give their last hurrah of blooms. And I will miss them. Some of the hydrangeas and lillies will soon offer their last blooms for the season. Although there are still many blooms in the garden and I appreciate all of them, some of my favorites will be done...for now.
Over the years, I have planted many varieties of lillies that bloom early to mid-summer. I have yet to add some varieties that bloom in late summer. It would be nice to have an extended bloom of these colorful plants. After reading the Lilyfest posts by Lona of A Hocking Hills Garden with the many lily photos and extraordinary colors, I am very tempted to get to the garden catalogs and order some.
The hydrangea macrophylla and quercifolia will need to be pruned before the end of July if I want blooms next year.
One of the many things I like about hydrangeas is the color transformation. Each week there is a surprise of color.
I trimmed off the top of the coreopsis hoping for another bloom spurt. I see some buds forming...
Other bloomers that will bloom for many more months are the Black-eyed Susans.
The 'Vanilla Strawberry' hydrangea will slowly turn pink and burgundy. This is my first of these hydrangeas, and I look forward to observing its color transformation. They start out bright white...
This is also the first year I have planted caladiums. I enjoy the pops of color among the other foliage.
The penstemon, buddleia, and 'Limelight' hydrangea will keep my garden in blooms for a few more months.
It is Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day over at May Dreams Gardens. Visit her to see what other garden bloggers have blooming.
I am also joining Tootsie Time for Fertilizer Friday Flaunt Your Flowers.
©Michelle A. Potter
Beautiful display of blooms this July! I know right after blooming is the time to trim Hydrangeas, but I so enjoy the changing/fading blooms that I hate to cute them off! You must have acidic soil if your blooms are blue. Pink in this neck of the woods.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous blooms! 'Vanilla Strawberry' is just beautiful and I imagine it will only become more lovely as it changes colour. I love that big patch of Rudbeckia and that patch of Daylilies. Great GBBD post showing a garden still filled with flowers.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic black-eyed Susan photo! The composition is absolutely perfect. I also love the butterfly photo at the top.
ReplyDeleteI love that patch of rudbedkias and wish that they did as well as that in my garden. You have some lovely blooms and foliage plants just now. I'm waiting for my limelight to start flowering yours looks to be laden with blossom.
ReplyDeleteI love that Vanilla Strwaberry hydrangea - and your black-eyed susans. I love your lilies too, but have given up on them myself, too many problems with lily beetle, and I have no room in my life for plants, however lovely, that are high maintenance. Mind you, when I see yours I know what I am missing out on. Happy GBBD.
ReplyDeleteyou have very crisp photos there. I love most specifically those caladium, i have plenty here but i dont have those 2 colors. I guess variations always arise when they are not dug but just left there in the ground through time.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you have many gorgeous blooms. Good to know you have great weather. I am still waiting for my hydrangea to bloom.
ReplyDeleteNice showing for GBBB. So many that I like, but the image of the cat (raccoon?) with the umbrella, my favorite.
ReplyDeleteI love the Caladiums. Your garden is looking beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHappy GBBD :)
Your garden looks fabulous. Beautiful flowers, great photos.
ReplyDeleteLove the hydrangeas!
Everything looks so beautiful.
ReplyDelete@Toni - Signature Gardens Me, too! I dry them in the house and most of them do well for a few months.
ReplyDelete@Bernie I am glad the flowers are responding to the milder temperatures and rain we have gotten. This has been a good year for them...so far.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful collection of blooms! I planted a 'Vanilla Strawberry' last fall, too, and am looking forward to seeing it turn pink--mine is behind yours in blooming time. I will be sad to see the end of the coneflowers and daylilies, too, but as you say, there are more beauties to come.
ReplyDelete@queerbychoice Thanks for the compliments. I am glad I can document the garden in photos.
ReplyDelete@Rosie@leavesnbloom I have 4 'Limelights'...and I just bought another...they are mesmerizing.
ReplyDelete@Janet/Plantaliscious I am sorry you have problems with the lillies, but, I agree, it is not worth the stress if it is something that requires so much effort.
ReplyDelete@Andrea I don't think these will overwinter, but we'll see. Sometimes plants surprise me.
ReplyDelete@One It has been surprising to have this mild weather in July. I really am trying to enjoy it before it goes away.
ReplyDelete@gardenwalkgardentalk.com Thanks, Donna. It is a cat, but, I agree, the face does have a raccoon quality to it.
ReplyDelete@Christine @ the Gardening Blog Thanks, Christine. They are doing well for my first try at them.
ReplyDelete@Hilde Thanks, Hilde. I am going to miss some of the hydrangeas.
ReplyDelete@Rosie Thanks, Rosie. I hope the season continues to give us rain from time to time.
ReplyDeleteYes, I am sad, too, that some of the flowers are finished for the season. You still have some beauties! I only have one hydrangea that has lived a few years. Other times I've tried, they didn't do well. I do enjoy the 'Pia' that I have. I love that white one of yours. You will have fun seeing the changes of color.
ReplyDeletealoha,
ReplyDeletegreat presentation, i love the sage butterfly the best!
Gorgeous blooms of your orange lilies plus purple and white hydrangeas!
ReplyDeleteA kaleidoscope of color. Ha. like you hydes. mine are melting, new this year. I think twist-n-shout and endless summer, might have to move into the shade. Is your template new?
ReplyDeletebeautiful blooms Michelle, love the hydrangeas, Frances
ReplyDeleteFantastic pics. I really enjoyed them. My hydrangea has not bloomed this yr. I think I need to move it. It's on the NE corner of my home.
ReplyDelete@Rose Spring has such a burst of color after the dormancy of winter, and I savor all the colors and textures. By this time of year, most of everything has bloomed or begun to bloom...and it is the beginning of the time when many of the plants will begin gathering energy for blooms for next year. The blooms just never last long enough for me, but perhaps I would not enjoy them as much if they were always there.
ReplyDelete@Corner Gardener Sue I checked the Vanilla Strawberry hydrangea this morning, and I noticed a very subtle pink arising on some of the bottom petals. It is exciting to watch!
ReplyDeleteYour flowers and your photos are lovely. Happy GBBD.
ReplyDelete@noel Thank you, noel, for your comments.
ReplyDelete@p3chandan The lillies will probably have finished their blooms by next week...
ReplyDelete@greggo Thanks, greggo. I have some endless summer as well which is a consolation. This template is not really new. If you are interested in it or free ones like it, visit finalsense (dot) com.
ReplyDelete@Island Threads Thanks, Frances. Sometimes I wish I had more room. I would add more hydrangeas!
ReplyDelete@Lola Thanks, Lola. I hope yours blooms soon!
ReplyDelete@Carolyn @ Carolyn's Shade Gardens Thanks, Carolyn. I really appreciate your kind comments.
ReplyDeleteI just planted the Vanilla Strawberry hydrangea this spring so I was wondering how it looked. I like your so I cannot wait to see mine bloom. Love those hydrangeas.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a nice parade! Your garden in July is really gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteBtw: It's so hot also here in Italy... :(
Great post! Exciting photography! L
ReplyDeleteI love your hydrangeas! Seeing them just reinforces my desire to add more to my garden. I was going to dig up more grass anyway! :P
ReplyDeleteWe too are sharing your cool wet weather. How nice it is to work in and it keeps the blooms around longer. I particularly like your little friend with the umbrella :)
ReplyDeleteyour hydrangeas are stunning! happy GBBD!
ReplyDelete-angel
I LOVE the cat with umbrella. Where did you get that cute statue? Georgous photos!
ReplyDeleteLove your hydrangeas -- beautiful. I'm going to carry the laptop outside and show them to my sorry specimen, which might - if I'm really lucky - have two flower heads... hm
ReplyDeleteLovely GBBD!
Your daylilies and hydrangea are lovely. I so enjoy those I have room for within my fenced planting beds but the area is not nearly large enough for me to enjoy all I'd like to grow. Thanks for sharing yours ... I can enjoy additional varieties through you.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the goof up ... above comment from joene.
ReplyDeleteHow do you prune your hydrangeas? Do you just deadhead them or take out branches? I never prune mine unless the branches are growing weird or if I need to take out dead wood. But I noticed this year that so far, I've had less flowers.
ReplyDeleteThose hydrangeas are beautiful, I love the color transformation.
ReplyDeleteI loved the hydrangea flowers esp the Vanilla Strawberry. The lilies are beautiful too!
ReplyDeleteLovely selection of July blooms. I too love the colour changes of the Hydrangeas. They are a eat cottage garden fave in Ireland. Grow easily from cuttings too
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I love all your hydrangeas. This is a plant that I would love to grow, but I just don't have the right conditions for them to thrive.
ReplyDeleteI recognize that bittersweet feeling when you still have lots going on in the garden, but can see the end on the horizon. It tends to come for me in August, when I find myself counting remaining buds on late daylilies and balloon flower. -Jean
You certainly have some lovelies there! It's a very colorful post. I love Hydrangeas--your captures are fantastic. Mine didn't bloom as much this year as last year, but they're still beautiful. Happy July GBBD!
ReplyDeleteA few of my favorite blooms are in this post, too. Very nice!
ReplyDeleteSky
Beautiful, beautiful photos! You have some gorgeous plants in your garden. :) I love the shot of the fountain next to your lilies...do you just have an extension cord going to the outlet? I have a fountain, but it's currently plunked on the patio next to the outlet because I'm slightly afraid of moving it out in the garden! :)
ReplyDelete@Lona They are just now beginning a change with a blush of strawberry at the bottom. I love watching the transformation.
ReplyDelete@dona We had a respite of sorts from the heat, but today the heat has returned. Thanks for you compliments.
ReplyDelete@Larry Thanks for your compliments!
ReplyDelete@Shirley @ The Gardening LIfe I agree...hydrangeas are better than grass any day! :)
ReplyDelete@Marguerite It was nice while it lasted. Today the heat has begun...but maybe there will be another cool spell...cross my fingers!
ReplyDelete@angel Thanks, Angel. They are one of my favorites.
ReplyDelete@Clipped Wings I think I got him at Marshall's. He is a cutie pie, isn't he?
ReplyDeleteLove your hydrangeas, unfortunately mine are pathetic. They just won't grow for me.
ReplyDelete@beangenie LOL! I have some new hydrangea plants like that.
ReplyDelete@j I, too, wish I had more room for more plants. Do you think we are addicted?
ReplyDelete@Casa Mariposa Around this time up until the end of July, I prune off the blooms and some of the branches to get blooms next year on the new growth.
ReplyDelete@Lazy Composter They always have a surprise!
ReplyDelete@Asha Ram Thanks, Asha Ram, I am so glad you enjoyed your visit.
ReplyDelete@Bridget I bet they are beautiful in Ireland with your weather.
ReplyDelete@jeansgarden Thanks, Jean. It comes for me in August as well, but it starts around now when many of the blooms begin to fade.
ReplyDelete@PlantPostings Thank you for your very nice compliments. I keep adding more plants to have more blooms. :)
ReplyDelete@thegardenilivein Thanks, Sky. They are my favorites as well.
ReplyDelete@Hanni Thanks, Hanni. Yes, we have an extension cord going under the sidewalk to the fountain. It is not very far away from the outlet. It is about eight to ten feet from the house.
ReplyDelete@elaine rickett Thanks, Elaine. I also have some plants with which I don't have much luck.
ReplyDeleteYour blooms are stunners, especially that green and lavender hydrangea and the white one. My white is almost ready to bloom, but the green one will be a month yet. Amazing how the climates are so different!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE hydrangeas! I have rarely seen white though.
ReplyDeleteIt's freezing over here...
I presume the caladiums are outside! Great specimens. Here they are indoor plants but never seem very happy inside. It's probably down to the central heating we've often got on!
ReplyDeleteDear Butterfly, I love this posting. As always, your photographs are stunning. Your July garden is very lovely, and like you I am sad to see some of the perennials bloom for the last time this season. P. x
ReplyDeletedon't you just wish you could make summer last forever???
ReplyDeleteI am honored to say that I am your newest follower. I love your blog
thanks for linking in this week. I am always in awe of all the different flowers everyone flaunts. It is a pleasure to tour and see all the gorgeous blooms...and I always enjoy stopping by here! I hope you will link in again soon!
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`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
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@Cathy and Steve It is amazing how the climates are different, but then we get to re-experience the beauty of flowers again. :)
ReplyDelete@Mrs Bok - The Bok Flock The Limelights are beautiful because they start out white and slowly turn green.
ReplyDelete@Janet Yes, the caladiums are outside. We have had rain at least once a week. Perhaps that is why they are doing so well.
ReplyDelete@Pam's English Garden Thanks, Pam. I am hoping to find solace in some of the other bloomers.
ReplyDelete@Tootsie Thanks, Glenda. I always enjoy linking in to your lovely meme. Thanks so much for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteDid you know you can create short links with Shortest and get $$$ from every visit to your short links.
ReplyDelete