Category Archives: front bed

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – July 2015

It’s bloom day again, so that means it’s time for another inventory of what is currently blooming on the Lot. May Dreams Gardens is the blog host of GBBD. There you can view gardens around the world and see what is blooming.

Beginning in the alley bed, the asiatic lilies are finishing up as the dragon’s blood sedum is just beginning to hold aloft its fuchsia blooms.

071515-dragons-bloodThe daylilies in the back have finished up, but the second flush of the bachelor’s button (Centaurea montana) is beginning to bloom. About midsummer, this plant will bloom, the stalks collapse outward, and new growth will begin from the center.

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In the backyard of the Lot, there is plenty going on right now. Just finishing is the Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ and the lavender (Lavandula). In the west fence bed the dwarf sea holly (Eryngium planum ‘Blue Hobbit’) is still blooming, along with a second display of yellow columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha) and some rose champion (Lychnis coronaria).

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Back by the rain barrels, the swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)is doing well in its second year on the Lot.

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The backyard bed includes blooms from the himalayan cinquefoil (Potentilla nepalensis), jupiter’s beard (Centranthus ruber), and the tickseed (Coreopsis verticillata). The black-eyed susans (Rudbeckia) blooms are just beginning to open.

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The east fence bed is blooming with tall garden phlox, balloon flowers (Platycodon), and tickseed (Coreopsis).

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The dwarf coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Buttefly Kisses’) is peeking out from underneath an exuberant clematis.

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Another unidentified clematis has given up waiting for its trellis it was promised this last spring and is now crawling across the lawn.

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The house bed is glowing right now with the leopard plant (Ligularia ‘Britt Marie Crawford’). The foamy bells (Heucherella ‘Sweet Tea’) is still sending out blooms and some native cardinal flowers (Lobelia cardinalis) are beginning to bloom for the first time.

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In the southwest bed, the bee balm (Monarda) is on its way out while the south bed is in full bloom with a palette of violet, red, yellow, and orange.  Multiple varieties of tickseed (Coreopsis) are blooming as well as purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) and blanket flower (Gaillardea).

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Finally, here are a few of the annual containers I put together with leftovers from the GIG’s container planting day.

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Tulip Time on the Lot

A little town West of here is amidst a very large festival celebrating the tulip. People drive 3-4 hours to walk around and large variety of tulips. There is food. There is music. There are dances in wooden shoes.

Thought I would take the opportunity to log the little crop of tulips blooming right now on the South and Southwest beds of the Lot. The classic reds and yellows were here when we moved in. All others were planted in the Fall of 2013.

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Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – April 2015

On this Bloom Day I’ve noticed the Lot truly beginning to wake up from its winter slumber.  With a nice stretch of mid-fifty to sixty degree days, a majority of the perennials have pushed new shoots up through the soil. Here are some of the bloomers on the Lot that lead the way into spring.

Crocus

There are still crocus popping up in the lawn. This area happens to be more shady than others so these little ones are running behind the pack.

Snow Drops

The same applies to these snowdrop, while the snowdrops I photographed for last month’s Bloom Day have already faded.

Primrose

Sharing a bed with one huge privet is this little primrose. The edges of the new leaves and petals have been a bit frostbitten by our still cool nights.

041515_lenten-roseHere is the lenten rose, still not quite opened yet. It’s such an elegant plant and one of my favorites on the Lot!

041515_daffodilsAnd finally, putting on a show during April Bloom Day for the first time in two seasons, are the frilly daffodils up in the south bed.

Be sure to check out May Dreams Gardens and find out what else is blooming this month in gardens around the world.