The Gardening Season is Coming to an End

I have thoroughly enjoyed my deck and gardens this year and I am not ready for it to end! I took a few pics to remember the abundance of rudebeckia and limelight hydrangeas. I hope they all return next year.

Current Favorite Dahlia Barrel

This one is in glorius bloom and most afternoons I sit in my glidder directly opposite and watch a humming bird flit throughout it. The humming bird's favorite is the tall one in the back, which is a salvia.

The orange dahlias are American Sunset and the reddish ones are Boom Boom Red (not really red to me, more burgundy).

I am also enjoying these dahlias under my front window.

Snowflake Dahlia

Snowflake is a very small dahlia, known as a pom pom dahlia. In this container I have it growing with the larger ball dahlia called Jowey Martina. I am enjoying this delicate color combo.

Here is my second container of Snowflake.

In the background I have an heirloom variety of rudebeckia, commonly known as the “outhouse flower”. I love to use the outhouse flower for indoor bouquets.

I especially like this one because it matches my window valance.

Close Up of Some Arbor Garden Plantings

 I spent a good deal of time and effort last fall dividing and rearranging many of my perennials to achieve larger swaths of color.  I am liking the way everything is blooming right now.

'Red Fan Fare' daylilies.  I bought a  couple of these many ago ( maybe 20? at Kmart).  They have been the most prolific bloomer of any of the daylilies I've purchased.

I like the red daylilies with brown-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia), which is just beginning to flower.

Limelight Hydrangea

I recently moved 3 other Limelight hydrangeas to the opposite side of this one  that just began blooming. 

I moved them all during the past three weeks and they all had tiny buds.  All three look like they have survived and will bloom despite my risky action.  I would not recommend doing as I did.  It's not a good idea to move established shrubs in high 80 degree weather either. Smart gardeners would not temp fate.  I kept mine well watered. They wilted quite a bit...especially the one I moved last week.  It is just now starting to look like it will survive.

Red Geranium Wall Planter with Red Border Dahlias below

 I have saved this container of red geraniums in my basement for the past five years.  It started blooming last week and it did not disappoint!

It is loaded with blooms.  Last fall I decided that I should underplant my garage container with something that would carry on the lovely red color.  I decided to order some Red Carpet Border Dahlias from Brecks.  They are very short --less than 20 inches tall.  I planted the tubers and crossed my fingers that the red would somewhat match.

The Red Carpet Border Dahlias have begun to bloom:

Yahoo!  I think they are a near perfect match.  I have planted more of them under the window to the left of this.  They have buds, but have not yet bloomed.  I ordered 5 from Breck's and they all came up. They are combined with pink Park Princess spider dahlias.  Can't wait to see it all come together!    I will show that combo when it blooms.

Beginning to Enjoy the Deck

 I have my deck containers planted with mostly dahlias, calla lilies and canna lilies.  The calla lilies bloom first and now the dahlias are beginning.  So far only a few have bloomed, but it is enough for me to enjoy sitting out here.

My first dahlia to bloom was American Sunset (purchased from #Brecks).  I love this one!

Here it is today July 25, 2021:

Boom Boom Red was next.  I am disappointed that this one is NOT the bright red the Breck's site said it would be.  It is burgundy.  I already have enough ball dahlias in burgundy.  But Boom Boom Red is still a gorgeous one.  Only one of the two tubers I planted came up.

Here is the container this one is growing in:

The spider dahlia on top is called China Town.  
This is another new one I purchased from Brecks.   Both of these tubers came up and I am happy with this purchase.

Here is a close up of China Town:

I am eagerly awaiting the first bloom of the other dahlias I have planted.  I did purchase a beauty called 'Dutch Carnival'.  

Unfortunately this one never came up.  Soooooooooo disappointed! 

Ninebark Diabolo with Goatsbeard is a Favorite Planting Combo in my Garden

 The Ninebark flowers are turning into their beautiful red seed heads.  I love this with the feathery plumes of Goatsbeard.

I replanted this small section in the fall of 2020 and am quite happy with its first year blooms.

It has been raining here for 5 days straight.  We needed the rain, but I need some nicer weather so I can get back to working in the garden.  I was on a roll removing one to two wheelbarrow loads of weeds, etc. every day.  I don't want to lose my gardening ambition just when my old muscles were getting conditioned!

My Very Bright Peony is in Full Bloom

 

The label on this peony called it Red.  I call it a very bright purple!

Ninebark Diabolo in Full Bloom, Zesting Lemons New Iris

 I love the blooms on this mature Ninebark.  If memory serves me right, this guy is about 8 years old and has never been cut back.  I find that I like Ninebark best when its limbs are allowed to grow and fall  gracefully in its natural form.

This is how it looks from my computer room window:

We are still waiting for a good rain to end a very early drought. Hence, the nearly dormant grass.

I was thrilled to see this gorgeous bloom on a new iris, Zesting Lemons. I purchased this from Breck's in 2019. It was part of a group package of 6 iris.  Unfortunately 4 of the 6 died off before I ever got to see the bloom.  I waited two seasons before contacting Breck's for a refund  as I know iris often do not bloom the first year.  I just emailed them today, so will see if they send a refund or  replacements for the 4 that croaked .  They have always been very good about standing behind their product.

Love, love this Blue Oat Grass with the blue orbs (bowling balls) and the Speedwell Sunny Border Blue ( which is actually purple).  I have never understood whey companies insist on telling us their flower is blue when it is purple.  Maybe they think we are all color blind.

Royal Purple Smokebush and Miss Kim Lilac are Performing so Nicely This Year

 Love this smokebush! It's about 10 ft. tall and in full bloom right now.

Miss Kim Lilac is also in full bloom and looking very lovely this year.

I have a bright pink peony planted in front of the Smokebush and it's about to open:

Now if we could just get some rain to get out of the severe drought we are currently experiencing.

Spring Recap of My 2021 Garden

 My garden is always a awash in hues of purple in early June.  This year is no exception.

I've had these old purple iris for over two decades.  They never disappoint me.

I also love the light purple of chive blooms.  I have quite a few chive plants.

Many gardeners look at this plant (sometimes called) spring phlox as a weed.  I think it has its place when kept controlled and not allowed to over take the entire garden.  I redid this area last fall and although I did not plant these, there must have been dormant seeds in the soil..  I decided they were perfect for now.

This Miss Kim lilac has only bloomed for me once (I have had it many years).  Last year I made sure to give it extra water -- even a few buckets of water with Miracle Grow and look at it now--TONS of buds about to burst--I am thrilled!

I have been weeding in the gardens for about two hours each day for the past week and I am finally making progress.  I will never get to the end, but I am feeling pretty good about what I've accomplished.  I just wish it would rain.  We are in drought status right now with a 95 degree temperature (unusually  HOT for lower northern Michigan this time of the year).  With temps like that I felt it was a good day to be inside trying to figure out how to make a post.   It seems like Blogger changes every time I decide to make one.

I bought some very unusual container plants for the deck this year.  I love containers that are different, so when I saw these I grabbed them!  Lemon coral sedum with begonias in the center:

I bought three of them.

In the bicycle centerpiece I put 'Forever Blue' Felicia...such a dainty flower in blue and yellow .

I am missing my pillows on the deck furniture.  I will have to go search the basement to find them.  Now that the avalanche of  pine pollen has finished, I can bring them out.

Inside I am enjoying this nostalgic bouquet of lilacs that I picked from the bush I planted 25 years ago from small clumps dug from my parents huge lilac bush that was on property once owned by my grandparents. 

 A lot of family memories in this bouquet.  What a treasure to have these lilacs in my yard!

Spring 2021 Orders

So excited for my new flowers to arrive (still at least 2 months away)

 Brecks:

Red Carpet Dahlias:  Ordered 5 of these.  They are low growing - less than 2 feet tall

Boom Boom

Red ball dahlia 36 inches tall - ordered 2

Dutch Carnival

36 inches tall

Ordered 2

American Sunset

36 inches tall

ordered 2

China Town

40 inches

Ordered 2

                                                                           Jowey Martina

                                                                           44 inches tall

                                                                           Ordered 2

Spring Hill order:

                                            BBQ Banana Ligularia                

                                                          Cimicifuga Pink Spike

                                                           Ordered 1

 

                                              

Phasion Canna

                                               Ordered 2

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Willow Obelisk Plant Support

      Ordered 3