Containers In My July Garden

Here are several of my containers that look good in July. They were planted for several reasons: to find a place for extra plants, to fill empty spaces in the yard and garden, to create a vertical effect, to experiment or just to play with different plants.

Petunia

Here, it is a couple of months ago:

In the next picture, the petunia planter is seen on the left. Nearby, there are containers with yucca, perennials and succulents:

*

Japanese yew and lobelia

Lobelia

*

Hosta and heuchera

*

One of my many containers with zonal geranium

*

Ivy geranium on the pedestal
*

Phormium, Angelina stonecrop and verbena

*

The plants in strawberry container are getting larger. I showed them here

Succulents and lobelia

*

Nicotiana

*

In the above picture, there are two containers with succulents and one with daylilies

*

Lobelia

***Copyright 2011 TatyanaS

Humming Bird Has Brown Eyes

Hug of a Garden Blogger

It was pouring rain... I was driving yesterday to meet some garden bloggers at the Dragonfly Farms nursery. It was the last day of the Seattle Garden Bloggers Fling - 2011, and it was my only chance to see people whom I met virtually but whom I felt I had known for a long time. It was pouring rain... Then, the traffic almost came to a full stop. Roadwork ahead. One lane. Slow... Very slow... I could see the red tail lights all the way ahead. I won't make it I thought. I got off the highway and prepared to drive back home. Fortunately, there were a lot of cars I needed to wait for, and I stood there for a couple of minutes. When the way cleared, instead of turning left and driving home, I went straight and merged again into the slow traffic. I couldn't miss the chance to see my fellow bloggers. When else will they come to Seattle? It could be my only chance to put together faces and blogs' names!  Well, I made it safely to the nursery and believe me, I was so glad I did!  Hugs, hugs, hugs! Dear Gail, Frances, Barbara, Victoria, Michelle, Helen, Kylee, Pam, Dee, Melanthia, Loree, Ann, Alison, Layanee, Diana...  did I miss anyone?...

 I met the majority of these wonderful bloggers on Blotanical. That is why I want again to thank Stuart for creating and maintaining this unique site. Some of us, after several years of being active blotanists, slowed down but I still believe that Blotanical is a great place to meet gardening soulmates. I tell you, it's a very special thing - a real hug of a virtual gardening friend...

I was so childishly happy to be there...  Almost the same as I feel watching hummingbirds in my garden.

*

Red Bergamot (Monarda, Bee Balm) is supposed to attract bees, isn't it?

Not in my garden this summer! The bees and bumblebees all attack escallonia and foxgloves. Bergamot belongs exclusively to a hummingbird.

 A princess arrives for breakfast and later for lunch every day.

*

*

*

*

 I usually stay there for a couple of minutes, then go to the house to pick up the camera, come back, and it's still shuttling from one flower to another. I hear the sound of its tiny wings. She dissappears as fast as she appears.

*

One time, there were two of them, but after a short fight one flew away.

Pretty turquose glimmer on its back,  but look at these claws!

I like the next picture. The bird's face is seen through the vail of its wings:

*

Come again!

***Copyright 2011 TatyanaS

My Garden In July (Side and Terrace Garden)

The tour of my July garden, its front part, started here. Now, the tour continues with the side border that is also seen from the street. It has perennial geranium, astilbe, ferns, rugoza rose, etc. Some of those plants, such as rugoza rose, astilbe and California lilac, are struggling in the dry shade under huge fir trees.

On the opposite side, the same plants have more moisture and flourish. These California lilacs are tall and attract hundreds of bees when in bloom:

Astilbe, which grows in moist shade, is several times bigger than its relative across the lawn:

Passing several hydrangeas on the left, we come to the 'Terrace' garden. It has only two tiers, but is still a terrace, isn't it? I probably show it more than other part of my garden because it has a lot of perennials, berry shrubs and vegetables.

 *

The terrace garden, which is pretty wide, also has a lot of depth, about 39 feet from front to back. How does it look from inside? This is only one small part:

Perennial phlox, roses, monarda, Russian sage, daylilies...

Alliums, daisies, verbascum...

In the lower picture, on the right, you can see black currant bushes:

This year, I am having a lot of black currant berries that I eat alone. No competitors. Too tart for everyone else!

Tall plants in the right part of the next picture are Joe Pye Weeds:

Bright pink flower below belongs to rugoza rose which creates a nice divider on the border with neighbors.

Nice healthy bushes are ready to spread if you let them. Here they are:

One more loook at the terrace garden. Vegetables are on the left side. You can see tomato cages and a bamboo screen for cucumbers. I probably don't need it this year since cucumber plants grow very slow. There is just not enough heat for them.

Not in the pictures, but in this parennial/vegetable garden are: raspberries, grapes, lavender, roses, calendula, gooseberry, berberry, dahlias, gladioli, salvia, canna, squash, pumpkin, potatoes, beans and some others.

***Copyright 2011 TatyanaS

daisies art

Bee. My Picture Of The Day

I link this post to Cottage Flora Thursday
***Copyright 2011 TatyanaS